The Battle of Holy Island came to a complete end with the execution of Heidens.
The Angel Legion was routed, and the Radiant Church's millennia-old foundation on the Yulan Continent was uprooted. When the news reached the continent, the entire Yulan was shaken. Those duchies and nobles that had once been allied with the Radiant Church turned against them overnight and submitted their surrender documents to the Baruch Kingdom.
Meanwhile, on the sea Holy Island, the War God, the High Priest, Dylan, and Cesar did not leave immediately. They stared at Beirut, who had put away his iron rod and returned to being an ordinary old man, and remained silent for a long time.
That strike just now shattered the projection of the Radiant Sovereign.
" Beirut... Your Majesty," the War God spoke first, his voice carrying a hint of reverence for the first time, "You... are the Sovereign God?"
Beirut smiled, neither denying nor admitting, and simply said, "These things are a long story. You only need to know that the Yulan Continent is not a place where just anyone can run wild."
Dylan lowered its massive head, its scarlet vertical pupils devoid of any arrogance. It had dominated the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts for thousands of years, boasting itself as the strongest in the Yulan Forest, until today, when it realized the insurmountable chasm between itself and the true pinnacle.
"You guys go back first," Beirut waved his hand. "There are some things I need to say to Linley and Doehring alone."
The War God and the others dared not ask any further questions and left.
On the sea, only Beirut, Linley, Doehring remained, along with Bebe perched on Linley's shoulder.
"Grandpa Beirut," Bebe suddenly spoke, "Are you really the Sovereign God?"
Beirut patted Bebe's head and sighed, "Yes. The Wind Sovereign. But very few people in the entire Yulan know about this."
Linley's heart skipped a beat. Although he had long guessed that Beirut was unfathomable, he never expected that this old man who had been secretly protecting him was actually the legendary Sovereign God who ruled a lineage.
"Now that we've laid this all out, there are some things you should know." Beirut gazed northwards, his eyes distant. " Linley, do you know where the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline within you comes from?"
Linley paused, then shook his head.
" Azure Dragon," Beirut said slowly, "Ten thousand years ago, outside the Yulan Plane, there were four Sovereign God — Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger —each in charge of the four elements: water, fire, earth, and wind. They possessed extremely strong innate divine abilities, and when the four beasts joined forces, they could even fight against beings at the level of Sovereign."
"But they are dead. They died at the hands of Augusta, the Radiant Sovereign."
Linley's pupils suddenly contracted.
"In that battle, all Four Divine Beasts perished. Augusta killed them, seizing their Sovereign Spark and bodies. I... took advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, seized the corpses of the Four Divine Beasts, and refined the Wind Sovereign Spark among them."
Beirut spoke casually, but Linley's heart surged with emotion. He suddenly understood why the Coiling Dragon Ring on his chest had trembled so violently when that giant eye of holy light appeared.
"This Coiling Dragon Ring..." Linley looked down at the black ring.
" The Azure Dragon's Sovereign Artifact soul defense." Beirut nodded. " Augusta killed the Azure Dragon with a soul attack, and this ring was also shattered by his attack, becoming a broken object. Later, it ended up in Yulan's hands, then in Doehring's hands, and finally in yours."
Doehring stared blankly at the ring in Linley's hand, speechless for a long time. Five thousand years. He had been trapped in this ring for five thousand years, unaware that it was a relic of a Sovereign God.
" Linley." Beirut looked at him, his gaze serious. "You are Dragonblood Warrior forged from the essence of the Azure Dragon Essence Blood. Augusta killed the Azure Dragon and took his possessions. Now you possess the Azure Dragon Ring and have even broken through to the Lowgod. After destroying the Radiant Church, he will definitely see you as a thorn in his side and will send people or an avatar to deal with you."
Linley gripped the Purple Blood Soft Sword tightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Then let him come."
Several days later, Dragonblood Castle.
Doehring sat cross-legged in the stone house, his earthen-yellow divine power slowly circulating around him. The wounds from the holy light that day had mostly healed, but the hidden injuries deep within his divine body still needed some time to heal.
Linley stood outside the door, not disturbing them.
After a long while, Doehring opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.
"Come in," he said.
Linley pushed open the door and sat down opposite Doehring.
"Grandpa Doehring, your injury..."
"He won't die." Doehring waved his hand, looking at him. "Say what you want to say."
Linley was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I need to go to another dimension."
Doehring seemed to have expected this, showing no surprise whatsoever, and simply asked, "Where to?"
" Gebados," Linley said, "Grandpa Beirut said it's a prison plane, holding countless powerful beings. It's there that I can grow stronger faster."
Doehring didn't speak immediately. He looked at Linley for a long time, then suddenly smiled, "Alright. This pond of Yulan's is indeed a bit small. If you want to leave, Grandpa won't stop you."
Linley was taken aback. "Grandpa Doehring, aren't you going to try to persuade me to stay?"
"What's the point of advising you?" Doehring shook his head. "You are now a god, a Dragonblood Warrior, the backbone of the Baruch Kingdom. But you must ultimately walk your own path. If you remain confined to Yulan, your sword will dull."
"But..." Doehring paused, his voice lowering, "If you leave, someone has to guard Yulan. I've broken Augusta's projection, but his influence is still watching this continent."
Linley's heart tightened. "Grandpa Doehring, you mean...?"
"I'll stay," Doehring said. "I'll protect Baruch, Delia, and Wharton for you. Go and forge your own path, and when you return, this Yulan will still be your home."
Linley opened his mouth, a thousand words swirling in his throat, but they remained stuck there.
"Silly child," Doehring chuckled, patting his shoulder. "Back then, you braved the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts all by yourself. Now that you're a god, why are you being so fussy? Go on. Your grandpa Doehring isn't old enough to need you to serve me."
Linley's eyes were slightly red.
He rose and bowed deeply to Doehring.
"Grandpa Doehring, wait for me to come back."
"Okay." Doehring nodded. "I'll wait."