Jason was surprisingly the last to return to the team.
"Three of them escaped; they entered the Arctic Icefield from the East Sea, and we didn't dare to pursue them," several Saint-level said.
No one else fought their way through like Jason. Peak Saint expert in speed could fly from the Far East Prairie to the Arctic Icefield in just three or four hours. If he were ruthless enough to throw out a few forbidden spell scrolls, escaping capture wouldn't be difficult.
Jason brandished the machete he had just captured.
Edward took the sword. "Ignatius has a high reputation in the Golden Royal Court; his Undying would be disastrous. You're the only one among us capable of hunting Ignatius down."
Ignatius was the orc Saint-level that Jason killed.
Edward has the absolute strength to kill Ignatius, but he is far slower than Ignatius.
Since Ignatius Jason, the remaining spoils went to him alone.
Edward then took out another "Blue Jade Fruit": "You did a great job holding off Tohuti before, so consider this ' Blue Jade Fruit ' as a reward for your efforts. I plan to distribute Tohuti's relics among the younger generation of the family."
Jason hesitated for a moment.
"Don't mention it, everyone has had a great day," Edward comforted them.
Jason accepted the "Blue Jade Fruit".
Edward added, "I checked Tohuti's relics, but there's no trace of Life Magic. Perhaps you should search the Golden Royal Court."
Previously, the ancestor of the Rhine Clan had confirmed with divine sense that nearly half of the Saint-level of the Golden Royal Court had left the Yulan Continent, and three Saint-level had escaped after the war. The rest were all dead—including the Saint-level members who had gone into hiding, who were also found and killed by divine sense.
Except for Jason, all the Rhine Clan's Saint-level have retreated. Jason, as a member of the original Saint-level who accompanied the army, remained.
Jason didn't go directly into the Golden Royal Court; instead, he planned to seize upon the glimmer of inspiration he had from the Edicts of Death during the battle.
To prevent his inspiration from vanishing, Jason ate the "Blue Jade Fruit" directly. Besides enhancing Divine Power, the "Blue Jade Fruit" could also keep the user mentally sharp and accelerate their deduction speed for ten days.
In Jason's view, even if he found the inheritance of Life Magic, he wouldn't be able to grasp it in a short time, which was far less important than comprehending the laws.
In ten days, Jason finally seized that sliver of an opportunity, making a breakthrough in the Edicts of Death that had been stalled for nearly a decade.
After "Final Destination" and "Corrosion", my Edicts of Death have added the ability of "Withering". No wonder it is said that the Edicts of Death are all one, and the abilities are just different manifestations of the same rule.
"We're almost at the foot of the Golden Royal Court Mountain," Veronica said when Jason stopped cultivating.
Although the orc and barbarian Saint-level were extinct, both races were single-minded, and the remaining dozens of tribes showed no sign of fleeing, fighting to the death to protect the golden dome on the mountain.
"Watching them fight to the death, I feel a little sorry for them," Jason said, gazing at the fierce battle in the distance.
Barek divided the Necromancy into two teams, who took turns attacking, forcing the opposing flesh and blood army to fight the undead day and night, with many dying of exhaustion on the battlefield.
"I heard that Barek forbade Necromancy from directly enslaving corpses on the battlefield, and also stopped collecting their souls, saying that he wanted to give these warriors a dignified death." Veronica also felt a little emotional.
"That's alright."
It was ten days later when the Golden Royal Court was captured.
The Rhine Empire sent another 20,000 soldiers to support them, with Emperor Maisiji's orders to annihilate all orcs and barbarians.
It would take the Rhine Empire at least ten years of continuous suppression to wipe out the numerous tribes scattered across the steppes. However, the steppe tribes in the north, which are under the jurisdiction of White Deer Mountain, would likely take the opportunity to expand southward, and they would be the main force in this suppression campaign.
The soldiers were carrying various valuables from the Golden Royal Court, while Jason and his companion were organizing the books there with several high-ranking mages.
"Lord Jason, this seems to be a legacy of Life Magic." A magician walked over carrying a stack of books.
Jason flipped through it and confirmed that it was the Life Magic he had been searching for for many years.
"I'll make a copy; you were originally supposed to take it back to the capital."
The orcs call orc mages who practice Life Magic "Life Sacrifice." According to records, this Life Magic tradition was captured during the war between the orcs and the elves.
Life force is the fundamental power that constitutes the body of a living being, but directly extracting the body's life force to perform magic will accelerate aging, and in severe cases, will result in immediate death.
Therefore, Life Magic has also developed a "Symbiotic Contract" similar to Necromancy, with the contract's target being plants with strong vitality.
First, only humanoid beings with an affinity for the Life Law can serve as life Life Sacrifice. Each Life Sacrifice must sign a contract with a plant and obtain life energy from the plant through this contract, allowing the plant to function like a "magic core" in a magical beast.
The core of this cultivation method is the runes of the contract. As for the contract object, the more precious the plant, the better. However, this is limited to those below the Saint-level. After reaching the Saint-level, one will focus on comprehending the rules.
Jason's current need for the inheritance of life is secondary; his primary concern is Life Magic spells and the composition of magic power.
Jason's inability to comprehend the Life Law is primarily due to Jason moderate affinity for life attributes. He needs assistance to cross the threshold of understanding the Life Law. Magic is derived from simplified laws, and if he could cast Life Magic, it would greatly help Jason in his initial understanding of the Life Law.
Life Magic also has another function: it can compensate for Jason's deficiencies in regeneration and soul defense.
Jason made a copy of all the information, and after taking a final look at the complex runes that allowed cultivators to Plant Contract, he put all the information into his Interspatial Ring.
"The army needs a few days to rest before withdrawing from here, so you should return to the capital first," Barek and Jason said.
The Rhein army's long-term encampment on the vast steppes was a dangerous undertaking. Unsustainable supplies, hostile nomads, and a climate completely different from that of the Empire all put the army in constant danger.
Especially in this world where individual combat power is extremely high, and the country is located within enemy territory that has not been completely eradicated, there is always the risk of assassination by powerful cultivators. The constant harassment would severely damage the morale of the army.
Therefore, the high command of the Rhine Empire decided to temporarily withdraw from enemy territory after annihilating the enemy's main force and all the Saint-level, and gradually encroach on the grasslands from the empire's borders to occupy some fertile lands that are relatively close to the empire.
With the threat from the Saint-level gone, Jason and the others returned to the imperial capital, Rhine City, ahead of schedule.