Coiling Dragon

by welyjesch

  This night was quite a festive one, especially Desri’s group. George, Yale, and Reynolds as well. By the time he greeted and chatted with everyone, it was already midnight. Only now did Linley head towards Delia’s room…

  One of the benefits of being a Saint was that despite having drank an enormous amount of wine, Linley wasn’t drunk at all.

  “Linley?”

  He heard someone call his name before he even reached the door. Linley turned and saw Cesar lying on a couch and drinking wine. “Linley, how come you ended up getting married? Jeeze, after I heard you got married, I felt really sorry for you.”

  “Really sorry?” Linley was stunned.

  Cesar stood up, then flew over gracefully. “Really sorry! Yet another man has stepped into his tomb!” As he spoke, Cesar’s body flew high into the air. “Oh yeah, happy wedding. Alright, I’m off.” Cesar’s voice sounded in Linley’s ears.

  Suddenly…

  “You old lecher!” A clear sharp sound. A graceful, white-garbed figure flew into the air as well, chasing after Cesar.

  Cesar’s flying speed instantly increased.

  “Uh…maybe it’s better to be in the ‘tomb’.” Linley had a hint of a smile on his lips as he headed out. Soon, he arrived at the doorway to Delia’s room. There were two beautiful maids in front of it, and the two maids respectfully drew open the door.

  Linley waved his hand at them. “You can go now.”

  “Yes, your Majesty.”

  In the dark room, the only person there was Delia, sitting quietly in front of her bed. She just looked at Linley, waiting for Linley to speak. And finally, Linley did speak…“Bebe. Get out.”

  “Haha, Boss.” Bebe crawled out from beneath the bed.

  “Bebe?” Delia didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. Today, Bebe disappeared very early on. Who would’ve thought he had been hiding here?

  Linley looked at Bebe, also not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. “Bebe, what are you doing?”

  “Preparing a gift for ya, Boss!” Bebe raised his head high.

  “What gift?” Linley was puzzled.

  Bebe grinned, his little claws handing over a black rock. “This is something my good friend gave me. It was that violet-gold Saint-level rat that I told you about last time. I’m too young and haven’t accumulated much wealth, so my bro gave me this.”

  “What is this?” Linley took the black stone in confusion. “Can it be some sort of rare or precious mineral? Can’t be. What use would a small piece of rock be anyhow?” Linley carefully inspected it, but couldn’t tell what it was.

  “I don’t know either.” Bebe handed it to Delia. “Delia, personalize and soulbind it with blood.”

  “Bind it with blood?” Linley raised an eyebrow.

  Anything that needed to be bound by blood was definitely a treasure. For example, Linley’s Bloodviolet sword, or his Coiling Dragon ring. Even the adamantine heavy sword wasn’t worthy of needing to be blood bound. Generally speaking, only extremely rare and valuable items would require this process.

  “Alright.” Delia trusted Bebe very much. A blade of air cut Delia’s finger, immediately creating a tiny wound.

  A single drop of blood fell onto the black stone.

  The black stone suddenly transformed into a ray of light and suddenly enveloped Delia. Linley was shocked…he watched as the black stone merged into Delia’s body and utterly vanished.

  “What is going on?” Linley was shocked.

  He had never seen anything as weird as this before. Bebe stared with a gaping jaw as well. “I have no idea.”

  “Delia, how do you feel?” Linley immediately asked.

  Delia shook her head, puzzled. “I don’t feel anything at all. Hmm…actually, it seems I can sense the nearby elemental essence much more clearly. Right. That’s it.” Linley secretly nodded. Generally speaking, even the vilest of items, once bound by blood, wouldn’t harm its master.

  Linley wasn’t too worried about that.

  But…what was that thing?

  “Bebe, this black stone…why did that magical beast give it to you? This seems to be a treasure.” Linley asked. Of course, all they knew right now about this treasure was one thing; it could increase elemental essence affinity tremendously.

  Bebe hurriedly shook his head. “Boss, honestly, that good friend of mine gave it to me. He said it is very useful to magi.”

  “Very useful to magi?” Linley understood. Perhaps this was some sort of special object that could enhance elemental essence affinity. It was useless to Saint-level magical beasts, which is why he gave it to Bebe. But Linley had a feeling…

  There was more than met the eye to this black stone!

  “Alright, Bebe. Do you plan to stay here?” Linley stared at Bebe.

  Bebe’s beady little eyes rolled, and then he rubbed his nose twice. “Boss, once you got a wife, you forgot about Bebe. Sniff.” Linley immediately sent a kick in his direction, but by then, Bebe had already disappeared in a flash as he left the room.

  The door shut.

  The room instantly turned quiet. Linley and Delia sat side by side on the bed.

  “What are you looking at?” Delia was a bit shy right now.

  Linley laughed. “I’m thinking…about how many kids we should have.” Delia was startled. Linley suddenly lifted Delia up and carried her over to the bed, and then…one piece of clothing after another came flying out from the bed.

  …..

  “Unngh…”

  They hadn’t slept all night.

  “Whew.” Linley lay there on the bed, with Delia resting on top of him, her head against Linley’s chest. Beads of sweat caused Delia’s fragrant hair to stick to Linley’s body. Linley lowered his head to look at Delia. That faintly red face looked like that of a kitten’s.

  Her pert little nose was sniffling.

  Linley’s hand gently stroked Delia’s slick, bare back. In his mind, he continued to savor what had happened just then. How nervous he had felt when he had entered Delia’s body…Linley had to admit, things had gotten just a little too wild just then. It had been three entire hours.

  “Delia, what is it?”

  “I want to cry.” Delia hugged Linley’s chest. “I just want to cry right now. When I think about how you and Alice were together, I want to cry. When I think about how I waited ten years, I want to cry. Sob.”

  Linley held his head in his hands.

  Women. It was impossible to understand them.

  “Linley, can I tell you something?” Delia said softly.

  “Hrm?” Linley lowered his head to look at Delia.

  Delia raised her head to look at Linley. Her face serious, she said in a soft voice, “You…got hard, down there.”

  “Uh?”

  For a moment, Linley had no idea what to say.

  “Delia, you know, Wharton and Nina’s kid is going to be born in a few months. Don’t you think the two of us need to work harder?” Linley whispered.

  “Um?” Delia was startled.

  “So, I need to keep at it.” Linley flipped over and pressed Delia down once again.

  Book 10, Baruch – Chapter 25, Twelve Years in the Blink of an Eye

  The Radiant Church. The Holy Island. The ninth floor of the Radiant Temple.

  Staring outside the window, a hint of worry was on Heidens’ face. Previously, Linley had made an agreement with the Radiant Church, allowing the Radiant Church to relax. After all, without the assistance of his Supreme Warriors and that terrifying rat-type magical beast, Linley, by himself, wasn’t too great a threat.

  But they were only relaxed for nine years.

  Because on the ninth year, the Radiant Church discovered a terrifying secret.

  Linley’s human form had reached the Saint level.

  “Heidens.” An icy voice rang out. Osenno, his devilish purple hair fluttering behind him, appeared in the middle of the ninth floor.

  Heidens didn’t turn. Calmly, he said, “Osenno, what is it?”

&
nbsp; Osenno had a hint of frustration in his voice. “Heidens, the many experts of the Church have been cooped up in the Sacred Isle for three full years. During these three years, you’ve ordered that we are not to go outside the Sacred Isle without authorization. Heidens…can it be that just because of Linley, we have to live like this?”

  “And Heidens, you must understand, the information we got came from an agent who overheard the conversation which Linley’s son was having with Wharton’s son. That’s the only information we have stating that Linley has reached the Saint level in human form. The words of children are not necessarily true.” Osenno said unhappily.

  Because of this news, that Linley had reached the Saint-level in his human form, Heidens asked Osenno and the others to not leave the Sacred Isle.

  Heidens remained with his back turned towards Osenno. Calmly, he said, “Osenno, first of all, Wharton’s son, Cena [Xi’ne], is a very reliable and very meticulous youth. His words should be true. And secondly…when Linley was hidden within the O’Brien Empire, he had already reached the ninth rank. It has been over ten years now. Given the rate of growth for Dragonblood Warriors, it is about time that Linley reaches the Saint level in human form.”

  Heidens suddenly turned and stared at Osenno.

  “You should be very clear about how powerful Linley is. Twelve years ago, he was only slightly weaker to you. Now that his human form has reached the Saint-level…his power should be more than ten times greater than before. Even if he didn’t gain any additional insights at all, he can defeat you. But do you believe that in twelve years, Linley hasn’t increased his level of insights at all?” Heidens asked Osenno.

  Osenno was silent.

  He knew full well how quickly Linley trained.

  Twelve years without any breakthroughs? Who would believe it?

  That ancestor of the Baruch clan who had only reached the ‘impose’ level when he reached the Saint-level as a human-form Dragonblood Warrior was nonetheless able to rely on his terrifying post-Saint-level defense and power to fight head on against peak-stage Saint-level magical beasts.

  And Linley?

  In strength and battle-qi, he was not inferior to his ancestor. However, he had a very deep understanding of the Laws. He was even more terrifying to deal with than the ancestors of the Baruch clan.

  “Heidens, the Sacred Isle doesn’t need me to defend it, does it.” Osenno asked.

  “Osenno, if you truly want to leave the Sacred Isle…I won’t try to stop you.” Heidens said calmly. “But leaving the Sacred Isle means that you are betting that Linley won’t find and kill you! Of course, your fleeing abilities are top notch. But I’m not certain if you would be able to flee from Linley.”

  Osenno had the Doppelganger Technique and was very fast.

  But he probably only had a fifty-fifty chance of fleeing and surviving if Linley encountered him.

  “Hmph. Fine. I’ll wait until my Doppelganger Technique reaches the peak before I have another tussle with Linley.” Osenno sneered coldly, and then with a flicker, disappeared from the ninth floor. But although his words were tough, clearly he had already submitted.

  A hint of a bitter smile could be seen on Heidens’ face.

  It was virtually impossible to keep tabs on someone at Linley’s level. Right now, Linley’s flying speed was far quicker than it had been in the past. It would take him less than half a day to cross the entire Yulan continent. This sort of speed…if he wanted to chase after and kill someone, he could definitely make sure that his opponent didn’t have time to call for help.

  Yulan calendar, year 10022. May. An area outside Baruch City with wild flower and wild grass swaying, their beautiful dance so moving to behold. Right now, there were two luxurious carriages and a squad of elite knights who were escorting them down this wild road.

  “Your Majesty, we are at Mt. Blackraven.” A knight said respectfully towards the second carriage.

  Immediately, a husband and wife couple stepped out of the carriage, along with a youth. The couple was Wharton and Nina. Wharton was much more mature now than he had been. He was the King of the Baruch Kingdom, and his personal strength had dramatically increased as well. Wharton’s body emanated the aura of an expert. As for Nina, she wasn’t as unripe as she had been in the past; her body was fuller, now, and she had become even more womanly.

  As for that twelve or thirteen year old child in front of them, who seemed so friendly and yet graceful? This child was the son of Wharton and Nina: Cena Baruch.

  “Wow, we are at Mt. Blackraven!” An excited voice rang out from the carriage in front of them, and a very excited youth clambered out of the carriage.

  “Taylor [Tai’le].” Cena laughed as he called out.

  “Big brother.” Taylor ran over happily. Taylor was relatively handsome, but he was far more energetic than Cena.

  At this time, yet another beautiful lady stepped out of the carriage in front, as well as a pretty young girl. It was Delia and her daughter, Sasha [Sha’sha]. Sasha looked quite similar to Taylor. The two of them were actually twins, but Sasha was born just a little while before Taylor was, and thus Taylor was forced to be the ‘little brother’.

  Cena was twelve, while Sasha and Taylor were ten.

  “We’re about to see Father soon. I haven’t seen him in half a year.” Taylor was extremely excited right now, and Cena’s eyes had a hint of excitement in them as well. As the children of the Baruch clan, they all worshipped this person who supported the entire Baruch clan…Linley.

  The countless members of the Baruch Kingdom also worshipped Linley. Linley was the spiritual support for the entire Baruch Kingdom. There was no question about this.

  Although twelve years had passed, Delia’s appearance hadn’t changed at all. In fact, she actually now had a certain aura about her. Delia’s children had blissful smiles on their faces. Twelve years of peaceful, happy life. Delia truly was very satisfied.

  She stared at the distant Baruch City.

  The royal capital, Baruch City, had been expanded long ago. The normal population was over a million. Because Linley had brought the massive fortune he had taken from the Kingdom of Fenlai, the Baruch Kingdom had easily weathered the first few tough years, and now, the entire Kingdom was prospering very nicely.

  Raising her head to look at Mt. Blackraven, Delia’s heart was already by Linley’s side.

  “Wharton, Nina, let’s go up the mountain.” Delia laughed. “Taylor, Sasha, Cena, follow along.”

  “Got it.” Taylor said loudly.

  His sister, Sasha, was very quiet. The squad of knights came to a halt at the foot of Mt. Blackraven, while Wharton, Nina, Delia, and the three children went up Mt. Blackraven together. Mt. Blackraven was as beautiful and graceful as ever.

  Following the little creek, they finally saw the lake in the distance.

  There were now three massive flattened boulders in the center of the lake. The central boulder was the first one which Linley had put down, and the stone house was naturally the one he had built long ago. As for the other two boulders, Linley had arranged them after his wedding, for when people came to visit for a while.

  A faint blue figure was currently fishing in the middle of the lake.

  “Father!” Taylor’s voice rang out from far away.

  That blue-robed figure turned around. It was Linley. Linley looked slightly more mature than he had in the past, and looking at him from a distance, one had the sense that he had totally become one with nature. Linley immediately stood up and laughed, “Haha, Taylor!”

  Linley’s standing motion gave the sensation of moving with the wind itself, but it also gave an extremely solid, stable sensation as well. These two opposite sensations, merged into one person, was simply unimaginable for those who didn’t personally experience it.

  Linley waved his hand…

  “Bang!” Part of the flowing water instantly came to a halt, forming a bridge of water. The other parts of the lake continued to flow normally. Taylor and
Sasha, quite experienced, stepped directly onto the bridge of water and ran over.

  The water bridge was solid and durable.

  If one looked at it closely, one would see that on top of the water bridge were minute, tiny flows of air.

  “Taylor. Come. Hug.” Linley happily lifted Taylor into his arms, and the nearby Sasha immediately stared at Linley with her big, innocent eyes. Linley immediately reached out and lifted his beloved daughter into his embrace as well. “Taylor, Sasha, it’s been half a year since you’ve seen Father. Have you missed Father?”

  “Yes.” Taylor said immediately. “Every day.”

  Linley’s face instantly was covered with smiles. He now totally could understand how Grandpa Doehring had felt towards him, and how his father’s superficial severity masked a deep layer of love.

  “Hey. Taylor, Sasha, Cena, you all came.” A happy voice emanated from the skies, and a black shadow suddenly appeared in the middle of the lake. It was the magical beast Bebe, now two meters long.

  Linley looked at Bebe and couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

  Whenever Bebe was in front of these three ‘juniors’ (Taylor, Sasha, and Cena), he always made his body a little bit bigger. As Bebe put it, ‘if my body is too small, I won’t have the aura of an elder’.

  “Uncle Bebe.” Taylor immediately broke free from Linley’s embrace and went to hug Bebe.

  When Taylor was young, Bebe often played around with Taylor.

  Wharton chuckled. “Big brother, let’s sit down first. We can talk while eating. I brought many delicacies with me.” As he spoke, the family sat down around a long rectangular table, and within his interspatial ring, Wharton withdrew the freshly prepared dishes.

  The family began to eat.

  “Big brother, have you heard of the big battle that occurred in the O’Brien Empire?” Wharton asked.

  With an ‘Oh’ sound, Linley said, “Are you talking about half a month ago, how Olivier challenged Haydson to another duel?” Olivier had already returned from the Arctic Icecap, returned with the aura of utmost confidence.