Coiling Dragon

by welyjesch

  “Close combat?” Linley was somewhat surprised.

  He hadn’t expected that Desri would actually decide to change his path of training.

  But it made sense. After becoming a Deity, Desri had engaged in two major battles, the first time against Beaumont, the second time against the silver-robed man who Ojwin commanded. Desri had realized…that solely relying on spiritual attacks was greatly disadvantageous in battle.

  Although the soul was extremely important, close quarters, physical attacks were more effective.

  “If that’s the case?” Linley came to a decision. With the flip of his hand, Linley retrieved a black divine spark out of nowhere, which was currently emanating a deathly aura.

  Desri couldn’t help but look at the divine spark. “Linley, what is this?” But Desri could tell what it was as well.

  Linley nodded slightly. “Right. This is the divine spark which I got when we killed Beaumont. This divine spark’s nature is of the Edicts of Death. In training, aside from the Seven Elemental Laws, there are also the Four Edicts. The Edicts of Death include both strong spiritual attacks as well strong close combat abilities. Fuse with it, research it, and break through. You should be able to have some accomplishments.”

  Desri hesitated slightly.

  Actually, right now, Desri very much wanted this divine spark. Only, divine sparks were simply too precious.

  Linley had been the one to kill Beaumont, and so the divine spark naturally went to him.

  “Take it.” Linley was naturally able to tell what Desri was thinking. He tossed the divine spark directly to Desri, who unconsciously caught it. As his hand clasped around the divine spark, Desri’s eyes began to shine.

  Now that he had a divine spark, becoming a Deity again was nothing more than a matter of time.

  “Thank you.” Desri only said these two words to Linley.

  Linley smiled. “Desri, as I see it, it’s best if you come to Dragonblood Castle to train. Currently, Tarosse and Dylin are both there. It is fairly safe there…as for this place, I’m worried that Deities might discover that you are fusing with a divine spark. They might come and steal it from you.”

  Desri nodded in agreement.

  In the current Yulan continent, there were many Deities present.

  Even though he was training within the mountain, Desri wouldn’t be able to avoid the divine sense of a Deity. Most likely, the vast majority of Deities would be willing to kill Desri, a mere Prime Saint, for the sake of acquiring a divine spark.

  When Desri came out, Pennslyn, Reynolds, and the others all let out a sigh of relief. This time, Desri clearly explained what happened to Pennslyn. Only now did Pennslyn know…that her husband had actually lost his divine spark.

  No wonder he had been like that.

  For the sake of safety, Pennslyn and the others all decided to go with Desri to Dragonblood Castle as well.

  Dragonblood Castle’s interior was extremely spacious. It wouldn’t even be a problem if thousands of people came. Linley was very happy as well…because this meant that Reynolds would also be living at Dragonblood Castle. The two bros would once again be able to often drink and chat together.

  Meanwhile, after Ojwin’s forces had been pushed out of the Baruch Empire, the other Deities who lay hidden in the Yulan continent, seeing that even the full God, Ojwin, had been sent fleeing, didn’t dare to dream of taking over the Baruch Empire for themselves.

  The Baruch Empire slowly returned to normal.

  Linley’s side remained in Dragonblood Castle, training contentedly, but Ojwin’s forces, who had been sent fleeing, couldn’t be so relaxed.

  In a small town near the borders of the O’Brien Empire, the exalted God, Ojwin, was hiding here for now. Currently, the O’Brien Empire was Lord Adkins’ territory. No matter how daring Ojwin was, he wouldn’t dare try to take Adkins’ territory from him.

  “Recently, his lordship has been in an unstable mood.”

  “Kingsley died. No wonder his lordship is acting like this.”

  A silver-robed man was chatting with a black-robed man. In recent days, almost no one dared to go disturb Ojwin. They would wait for Ojwin to give them orders, and then they would carry them out.

  Ojwin was currently seated in front of his desk, drinking one cup of wine after another, his gaze unsettled. Clearly, he was thinking about something.

  “Olivier…”

  The more Ojwin thought about it, the more his body naturally emitted that baleful aura. He truly wanted to kill Olivier!

  “If I don’t kill Olivier, I’ll never be at ease.” Ojwin’s fiery rage continued to smolder. “But that Tarosse’s strength is simply too astonishing. Even if I were to fight against him at full strength, I would probably still be at a disadvantage. With both him and Dylin both remaining in Dragonblood Castle, how will I kill Olivier?”

  Ojwin was a man of great ambition.

  He was able to endure, while at the same time, wasn’t willing to subordinate himself to others.

  Through the countless years he had spent in the Gebados Planar Prison, Ojwin had only two goals he had pursued; to reach the greatest heights of power and authority, and to protect his son.

  He didn’t casually decide to offend others. In the Planar Prison, he had known quite a few experts, most of whom he was on good terms with. He was able to gain quite a bit of fame in Bluefire City, while at the same time, Ojwin continually pursued the goal of becoming a Highgod!

  A Highgod was simply far more powerful than a God could ever be.

  Now that his son was dead, Ojwin wanted to seek revenge. At the same time, he still had the goal of becoming a Highgod.

  “First, revenge.” Ojwin stared towards the southwest. “But by myself, it is impossible for me to go to Dragonblood Castle and kill Olivier when he is being protected by Tarosse and Dylin. It seems, I’ll have to make this choice…”

  Ojwin didn’t like subordinating himself to others.

  But now, he decided to do so.

  “Oerph has something of a grudge against me. If I go serve Lord Adkins, at least that Hanbritt [Han’bu’li’te] who serves him is on good terms with me. In that place, I’ll be able to quickly establish myself. It shouldn’t be too hard for me to gain revenge by relying on Lord Adkins’ power.”

  Ojwin’s gaze turned as cold and as sharp as a knife.

  “Olivier. I will definitely kill him! I will destroy his soul and scatter his spirit!!!” Ojwin ground his teeth.

  The imperial capital of the O’Brien Empire. The imperial palace.

  The imperial clan who had been in the imperial palace had been exterminated long ago. This was now the place where Lord Adkins lived. Adkins had a few hobbies. He liked wearing extravagant clothes, he likes to sample some precious, rare foods, and he liked to watch beautiful women dance…

  He held a wine cup in his right hand, as jade-white as that of a woman’s. He took a gentle sip of the wine, smiling calmly as he watched the many women dancing within the flowers in front of him.

  Right now, in the rear flower gardens, the youth with short silver hair was currently leading the way for Ojwin.

  “Don’t be hasty. Lord Adkins is currently enjoying himself. At a time like this, Lord Adkins hates it when others disturb him.” The youth with short silver hair explained.

  Ojwin nodded and laughed, “I’ve heard as well that when Lord Adkins was in Bluefire City, he liked to enjoy himself. Only someone as exalted as Lord Adkins was capable of enjoying himself like that in a place like the Gebados Planar Prison.”

  The silver-haired youth laughed as well.

  Others had been tormented in the Planar Prison, but someone as mighty as Adkins enjoyed his time there.

  “Come in.” A voice rang out in their minds.

  The silver-haired youth immediately led Ojwin into the rear flower gardens. Upon arriving in front of Adkins, Ojwin immediately knelt on one knee with respect. “I pay my respects to the exalted, mighty Lord Adkins!” Ojwin lowered his head
.

  Adkins, seated on his chair, glanced sideways at him.

  “Ojwin? Right, I heard that a while ago, you were in the Baruch Empire.” Adkins said with a smile.

  “My strength was inferior to another’s, and so I had to depart the Baruch Empire.” Ojwin still didn’t dare to lift his head.

  Although he was now joining Adkins’ side, Ojwin didn’t dare to ask Adkins for help. He knew…that to a Highgod, whether or not he accepted another God in his entourage didn’t make much of a difference at all.

  “You can rise.” Adkins said calmly. “From today onwards, you can stay in this imperial palace as well. If there’s anything I need, I’ll send you orders.”

  “Yes, Lord Adkins.”

  Ojwin felt relieved.

  He knew…that now that he was serving Adkins, at least Adkins would protect him.

  “Ojwin, you can go for now.” Adkins said.

  “Yes, Lord.” Ojwin left respectfully.

  Adkins glanced at the nearby silver-haired youth. “Hanbritt, from what I know, when those people who had gone to the Necropolis of the Gods came back, that Beirut should have returned to the Forest of Darkness. How about this…you send a subordinate to make a trip to the Forest of Darkness. You don’t need me to tell you what the purpose is, right?”

  “Yes, Lord.” The silver-haired youth, ‘Hanbritt’, said respectfully.

  Adkins stared towards the northeast, and then he laughed. He drained the remaining wine in his cup in one gulp.

  Book 13, Gebados – Chapter 13, The Millennial Cycle

  The massive trees rose high into the skies, and brambles and vines could be seen everywhere. Some particularly enormous rattans hung from large tree branches, and vicious, brutal magical beasts were hidden everywhere within this primal forest. The Forest of Darkness had existed for simply too long. The ground was covered with an extremely thick layer of leaves.

  A man who had resplendent golden hair was walking atop the leaves, making ‘crunch’ sounds with each step.

  “Whew!”

  The gold-haired man’s chest heaved as he let out a long sigh.

  “This mission…jeeze…” The gold-haired man felt very resigned. He had received Hanbritt’s orders to go to this place, the Forest of Darkness, to pay a visit to Lord Beirut.

  From Hanbritt, he had also learned…

  This Beirut was a Highgod!

  “I’m a Demigod. Lord Beirut could kill me with a flip of his hand.” The gold-haired man felt somewhat worried in his heart. “I don’t know if that Lord Beirut has any enmities with Lord Adkins. Even if he does, I pray that he won’t vent his spleen on a minor figure like myself.”

  He exited the dense forest, arriving at a wide, empty grassy area.

  In the center of this grassy area was a metallic castle.

  “Kuchai [Ku’chai] comes to pay his respects to Lord Beirut!” The golden-haired man said loudly, standing in front of the metallic castle while bowing respectfully.

  “Is there something you need?” A gravelly voice rang out directly into the golden-haired youth’s mind.

  Kuchai immediately raised his head, but he didn’t see anyone nearby, only that cold, metallic castle in front of him. Kuchai understood that Lord Beirut disdained to meet him, and so had only reached out with divine sense. Kuchai hurriedly bowed and said, “Lord Beirut, I was lucky enough to escape from the Gebados Planar Prison, and I have heard of the Necropolis of the Gods. I don’t know if I can enter the Necropolis of the Gods?”

  Right.

  What Adkins had ordered him to do was for him, a Demigod, to investigate what Beirut’s attitude towards opening the Necropolis of the Gods again was.

  “Enter the Necropolis of the Gods? Yes, you can!” Beirut’s gravelly voice rang out.

  The golden-haired youngster’s eyes were instantly filled with delight.

  “Only, the Necropolis of the Gods is only opened once a millennium. If you want to enter it, come again after waiting a thousand years.” Beirut’s reply instantly made Kuchai somewhat flabbergasted.

  “Enough. You can leave now.” Beirut said calmly.

  “Lord Beirut, can’t you open it earlier?” Kuchai said respectfully.

  “I told you to leave!” Beirut’s voice rang out once more.

  Kucha’s heart shivered. He knew that the consequences of irritating a Highgod were extremely grave. No longer daring to say anything else, he immediately paid his respects, “Thank you, Lord Beirut.” And then, Kuchai immediately left the metallic castle.

  Within the metallic castle.

  Beirut stroked his black beard, letting out a snicker. “This Adkins. He actually sent a Demigod to investigate. Could it be that he thinks that coming personally is too much trouble? Hmph. Fine, then, Adkins. I’ll toy with you a bit.” Beirut’s eyes had a hint of ridicule within them.

  And then, Beirut broadcast out his divine sense in all directions like a wave.

  “The Deities who are still here at the Yulan continent, the Necropolis of the Gods is opened only once every millennium, and it has just been opened not too long ago. Those of you who wish to enter the Necropolis of the Gods must wait a thousand years…also, there is a limit to the number of people who will be granted entry. Only the strong will be allowed in.”

  A hint of a mocking smile on his face, Beirut sent this message to every single Deity within the Yulan continent.

  “It seems the coming days will be amusing, now.” Beirut’s smile was very bright.

  Beirut’s message rang out in Adkins’ mind, along with the others. Adkins, who had been within a side hall of the imperial palace, teasing and cavorting with a bewitching beauty, suddenly came to a halt. “Baby, you can go back for now. Tonight, I’ll come looking for you again.”

  “Yes, milord.” The golden-haired beauty smiled, then retreated.

  Adkins began to consider Beirut’s divine sense message.

  “Lord Adkins.” The silver-haired elder entered the side hall as well.

  “Barnas, you came.” Adkins smiled and nodded. “You should have heard the message just now from Beirut as well.”

  Originally, Adkins had three Gods under his control. Now, of course, with Ojwin on his side, he had four. But the person whom Adkins trusted was this man in front of him, Barnas. The likes of that silver-haired youngster, Hanbritt, was very nervous in front of Adkins.

  But when Barnas and Adkins chatted, it was as though they were just friends.

  “According to what Beirut said, and based on what we know, this once-per-millennium rule should be true. To us, a thousand years is nothing much…Lord Adkins, let’s just wait a thousand years. After a thousand years, we’ll enter the Necropolis of the Gods.” The silver-haired old man said.

  Adkins frowned, his elegant, slender nose wrinkling. “A thousand years…”

  “If I have to wait, I’ll wait. I’m enjoying myself in the mortal world right now anyhow.” Adkins said with a calm smile. “Only, that fellow Beirut really is quite cocky. He relies on the power of the Sovereign backing him up, and even goes as far as to say the number of slots is limited for entering the Necropolis of the Gods. Jeeze. Hmph!”

  Adkins let out a cold, disdainful snort.

  He had a very bad view of Beirut, but Adkins wasn’t completely confident in his ability to kill Beirut. After all, Beirut might have a Sovereign artifact.

  “Haha…” The silver-haired old man laughed. “Lord Adkins, the powerful will enter, right? As long as he lets people in, who in the entire Yulan continent is more qualified than you, milord? The limited list has no impact on you whatsoever, milord.”

  Adkins laughed and nodded.

  He was a Highgod.

  Beirut was the caretaker of the Necropolis of the Gods, and naturally wouldn’t go inside it himself. Aside from Beirut, who in the entire Yulan continent was as powerful as him, Adkins?

  Within the imperial palace of the Yulan Empire, within an enormous hot tub that was dozens of meters long.

  A t
all, thin, brown-haired youth was lying naked in the hot tub. This sort of hot tub was something which only the most highly ranked nobles could enjoy. On the other side of the hot tub, there were many people constantly adding firewood to the fire below it, maintaining its temperature.

  The hot air simmered.

  The brown-haired youth was like a spirit within the mists.

  “A thousand years? Then I’ll wait. The environment of the Yulan continent is not bad at all. It’s much better than the Gebados Planar Prison, at least, where one would never know when a life-threatening problem would occur.” The brown-haired youngster let out a sigh.

  Within the Yulan continent, the likes of Highgods such as Adkins, the Gods who had taken over the various alliances and others Empires, the Gods who had hidden themselves elsewhere, and the Demigods who served those Gods, were willing to remain in the Yulan continent due to their desire for the treasures held within it.

  Within Dragonblood Castle.

  Linley continued to live a quiet life of training. Generally, Linley would rest for one day out of every seven, and he would spend some time with little Arnold, or go chat with Reynolds, Dylin, and the others. But of course, the rest of the time, Linley was hard at work training.

  His divine clone lived within Dragonblood Castle, while Linley’s original body remained within the pocket dimension, focusing on training in the ‘Throbbing Pulse of the World’.

  In truth, it didn’t make a difference which one was where. After all, the soul of the two were the same.

  Within the pocket dimension.

  “The most important thing is to strengthen the soul of the original body. As for that divine clone, all it really needs is to refine that Golden Soul-Pearl.” The Golden Soul-Pearl which Linley had acquired from the Grand Warlock was actually formed from twenty million soul essences.

  Linley had allowed his divine clone to absorb those twenty million soul essences.

  And…

  Within Beaumont’s ring, there had been millions of already successfully refined soul essences, as well as nearly a hundred million unrefined soul essences. Linley was planning to utilize the Coiling Dragon ring to absorb them all with his original body.