In early autumn, the morning breeze in Chiyan City already carried a hint of coolness.
In the secluded courtyard of Wharton 'Earl mansion, the branches of the old locust tree rustled in the breeze. Linley, dressed in a moon-white robe, stood quietly in the center of the bluestone slab, his eyes slightly closed, as if he had completely merged with the earth beneath his feet.
Around him, a very faint bluish-black aura flowed slowly. The faint Pulsation ripples rippled in the air, silently supporting the falling withered leaves in mid-air, then gently dissipating their force and sending them steadily to the ground.
"You're using the Pulsation force to release and concentrate energy more and more naturally."
A gentle voice rang out. Doehring Cowart, dressed in a moon-white, wide-sleeved robe, quietly emerged from the corridor. His white hair and beard shimmered faintly in the morning light, and the old man's eyes were full of approval and satisfaction.
Linley withdrew his fighting Battle-qi, and the dark blue-green Pulsation membrane instantly disappeared into his body. He smiled and said, " In the Tujiao Mountain, Mr. Haydson's ' Throbbing Pulse of the World ' and ' Earth Split ' made me truly see another side of the Laws of the Earth besides killing. If this Pulsing Defense hadn't absorbed more than 70% of his brute force, I wouldn't have been able to hold out until the very end with just my level nine physical body and dragon scale armor."
"The vastness of the earth lies in its ability to both support mountains and dissolve all things," Doehring stroked his beard and smiled. "To be able to deduce the shockwaves to over a hundred layers at the ninth level, and further deduce the Pulse Guard —this level of comprehension is unparalleled even in the Pouant Empire five thousand years ago."
Linley nodded slightly, his gaze passing through the high walls of the courtyard, looking towards the distant south and west, his eyes gradually becoming deep and cold.
"After the Battle of Tujiao Mountain, our foothold in the O'Brien Empire is now firmly established. His Majesty Joanne not only formally arranged the marriage between Wharton and Nina, but also secretly tried every means to win us over. However, some grudges will not be erased by the prosperity and comfort of the capital."
"You want to leave?" Doehring asked, looking at him.
"It's time to set off." Linley gripped the hilt of his Edgeless sword, his voice low and resolute. "The hatred for my parents, the thousands of years of oppression and persecution of the Baruch Clan by the Radiant Church, and their conspiracies lurking throughout the continent... I spent four years in rigorous training in Yunfeng Town, and became renowned throughout the capital, not to remain in this prosperous place as an imperial nobleman."
"Squeak--"
The courtyard gate was pushed open, and the emaciated, white-haired Sessler walked in, leaning on a bone staff, his emerald green eyes gleaming with an excited light like will-o'-the-wisps.
" Linley, you've finally made up your mind?" Sessler's voice was hoarse and grating, his smile sinister. "This old man has been idle in this capital for months, my bones are practically rusting. If you intend to attack the Holy Union or the Holy Island, I'll immediately summon the undead bone dragons as the vanguard!"
It's too early to go to Holy Island.
Linley walked out of the courtyard and led Doehring and Sessler to the Earl's council hall.
Inside the hall, Wharton, the Barker brothers, Jenny, Lina, and Rebecca were already waiting. Bebe was lying on the table in the center, munching on a spirit fruit, Haeru quietly lay by the door.
As Linley entered, the five Barker brothers stood up abruptly, their five towering steel bodies radiating a heavy and powerful sense of oppression.
"My lord!" Barker bowed respectfully, his large, bell-shaped eyes blazing with fighting spirit. "Our brothers' Undying Battle-qi is now completely solidified, and the second, third, and fourth brothers have all touched the threshold of breakthrough. Just give the word, my lord, and we five brothers will fight without hesitation, no matter where we are!"
"Sit down, everyone." Linley took his seat at the head of the table and waved his hand.
He looked at Sessler: " Sessler, you lived in the Chaotic Territory for hundreds of years and even established a duchy. You know best the true nature of the Radiant Church in the Chaotic Territory Realm. The reason I've gathered everyone here today is to discuss the first step in completely eradicating the Radiant Church's claws."
" The Chaotic Territory!" Sessler's eyes gleamed brightly.
He strode forward, took out a yellowed sheepskin map from his sleeve, and spread it out on the long table with a clatter.
The map clearly depicts the vast and chaotic region stretching between the O'Brien Empire, the Luo'ao Empire, and the Far East Prairie.
" The Chaotic Territory, true to its name, is the bloodiest, most chaotic, yet also most vibrant piece of meat on the entire Yulan Continent." Sessler stretched out his withered finger and drew a large circle in the center of the map. "Nominally, there are forty-eight duchies here, but in reality, due to years of war, three are destroyed today, and five are newly established tomorrow; the number of duchies has never been fixed. The total population of the entire region exceeds three hundred million, and its vast territory is almost equivalent to half of the O'Brien Empire!"
"Three hundred million people..." Wharton gasped.
Sessler sneered, "After the Holy Union collapsed and the Fenlai Kingdom was reduced to ruins in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, the Radiant Church lost tens of millions of devout believers and a huge source of tax revenue. For Heidens and the high-ranking officials of the Radiant Church, what they urgently need is a new source of faith and land to amass wealth! These forty-eight duchies of the Chaotic Territory are the prey they are determined to obtain."
"What is their strength there?" Linley stared at the map.
"Extremely deep, and extremely complex." Sessler pointed to several dark red marks on the map. " The Radiant Church and the Dark Church have been vying for control here for thousands of years. The Radiant Church has secretly supported and controlled at least a dozen duchies in the Chaotic Territory, and almost every important county has Radiant Temple. They have sent a large number of cardinals, Inquisition envoys, and even Ascetic from the Saint Realm to oversee these areas, while simultaneously proselytizing and plundering faith, and secretly abducting children with magical talent and those with special bloodlines as sacrifices for the descent of angels."
Sessler looked up at Linley: " Linley, if you directly attack the Holy Island, with Heidens Holy Light Array and sacred curses accumulated by the Radiant Church over tens of thousands of years, even Deity Level expert would pay a heavy price for a direct assault. But if we attack from the Chaotic Territory... the mountains are high and the rivers are far, and the Radiant Church's power is scattered across various duchies. As long as we uproot their foundations in this land like an iron plow, we can not only cut off the Radiant Church's massive supply of faith, but also gradually lure and kill their Saint Realm power!"
"Sever their claws and teeth, extinguish their faith, and gather my strength." A chilling killing intent flashed in Linley's eyes.
This coincided perfectly with his own plans.
After the destruction of the Holy Union, he understood that the reason why the Radiant Church could stand firm on the continent for ten thousand years was not only due to the top combat power of Pope Heidens and his few others, but also due to the inexhaustible faith and the deeply rooted secular forces.
"If we're going to go there, where should we begin?" Linley asked.
Sessler's finger slid north along the map, eventually stopping at the edge of a region bordering the vast, Dark Forest.
"The northern region of the Chaotic Territory, around Black Earth City."
Sessler said in a deep voice, "This place is remote and constantly harassed by riotous monsters on the edge of the Dark Forest. The people here are fierce and warlike, and they have always scorned the hypocritical prayers of the Radiant Church. They only worship absolute power! Moreover, we are far from the core sphere of influence of the Radiant Church. We will seize several cities as strongholds with swift and decisive action, exempt the common people from taxes, and organize a valiant legion to establish the most solid foundation first. Then, we will sweep across the forty-eight duchies from north to south like a snowball!"
"What a snowball effect!" Barker exclaimed excitedly, slamming his hand on the stone table, making the teacups rattle. "Back in the day, the five of us brothers led our troops in the Eighteen Duchies of the Northern Territory! Forget the Templar Knights and the ducal legions, they were all just chickens and dogs in front of our giant axes!"
"Brother," Wharton said solemnly, his eyes filled with reluctance yet unwavering resolve, " Nina and I will be here in the capital. I am now an Imperial Earl, a son-in-law of the royal family, and have the patronage of the Martial God War God Sect behind me. I will safeguard the Baruch Clan's foundation in the O'Brien Empire for you, and the intelligence network of the Dawson Chamber of Commerce and Yale brother Yale will continuously transmit news from both within and outside the Empire to the Chaotic Territory!"
Linley looked at his younger brother, who was already capable of handling things on his own, and patted Wharton on the shoulder with satisfaction. " Wharton, the capital may seem calm on the surface, but the relationship between the Imperial Palace and the War God Sect is complex. You just need to focus on your cultivation and building up the family's reputation. If any irreversible changes occur, immediately have the Dawson Chamber of Commerce send a message to me."
"Don't worry, brother!" Wharton nodded emphatically.
" Big Brother Lei..." Jenny, sitting at the lower seat, spoke softly, her handsome face showing both gentleness and determination, " Keane has already secured his position in Chier County City. When I left, I decided that I would follow Big Brother Lei for the rest of my life. Military supplies accounts, territory administration, and all sorts of mundane matters, I can share the burden with Big Brother Lei."
"We sisters are going too!" Lina and Rebecca exchanged a serious look. " The Necromancy our teacher taught us can only truly evolve on the battlefield. We won't be a burden to anyone."
Sessler snorted, his face expressionless, but the satisfaction in his eyes was undisguised.
"In that case, let's set the itinerary."
Linley abruptly stood up, his entire being resembling a divine weapon fully unsheathed, its sharpness fully revealed:
" The Barker brothers, Sessler, Jenny, Lina, Rebecca, come with me to the Chaotic Territory. Bebe and Haeru will lead the way."
Linley turned to Doehring Cowart and bowed. "Grandpa Doehring, we can handle the mundane military and political conflicts ourselves, but the Chaotic Territory is rife with undercurrents, and may even involve a deeper entity behind the Radiant Church. We still need you to oversee things from the rear."
Doehring stroked his beard and laughed heartily, a hint of arrogant disdain flashing in his eyes. "Young man, now that this old man has been brought back to life, I naturally want to witness you carve out a vast empire for the Baruch Clan on this Yulan Continent! Let's go, five thousand years have passed, and this old man also wants to see just how lively this world is now!"
Outside the hall, the morning light broke through the clouds, and golden rays of dawn shone on everyone's armor and swords.
"Boss! Let's go tear down the Birdman's Temple!" Bebe leaped onto Linley's shoulder and let out an excited shout.
Haeru raised its head and let out a deep roar that shook the surrounding area, its power resounding throughout the courtyard.
There was no grand procession, no farewell party from the city's elite.
An ordinary-looking carriage drove out of the side gate of Earl Wharton's Earl, accompanied by several deep and imposing figures, slowly making its way towards the west gate of Chiyan City in the morning glow.
Chaotic Territory, war is about to break out.
The true journey of the Dragonblood Warrior officially began on this day, marking the start of a violent saga that would sweep across the entire continent!