Chapter Sixty-One: The Summoning Order

"You..." Hoden glared at Qiankun with a mixture of anger and shock. As a mid-tier deity, his position in hell was ordinary, but since he became the Guardian of the Yulan Plane, save for Beirut whom he dared not provoke, all other powerful figures of the Yulan Plane—like the Warlord and the High Priest—treated him with utmost respect. It had been ages since anyone dared speak to him as Qiankun just had.

Yet, recalling Qiankun's terrifying speed moments before, Hoden, who had some estimation of Qiankun's strength, felt no certainty of victory. He truly dared not act rashly; if he, a Guardian, were slain, it would be a tragedy. Though vexed, Hoden suppressed his anger, snorted coldly, and flew off.

After Hoden departed, Linley couldn't help but ask Qiankun in confusion, "Lord Qiankun, why did you offend him? He’s the Guardian of the Yulan Plane."

"So what?" Qiankun seemed utterly unconcerned. He glanced at Linley and said, "Linley, do you know how many divine-level beings there are in hell? It is a world of gods. The Saint-level, to gods in hell, are like ants to humans of the Yulan Continent. Even a lower-tier deity is just a commoner in hell. Tell me, what do you think would happen if you, a Saint-level, went to hell?"

Listening to Qiankun’s words, Linley pondered deeply, and his brows furrowed—his expression growing grim. Although he had considered his own weakness before, he had never seriously reflected on how lowly a Saint-level would be in hell.

Now, thinking it through, if he really followed Hoden’s advice and went to hell, his life there would hardly be pleasant!

"Lord Qiankun, Hoden must have said the same to every Saint-level on the Yulan Continent, not just me, right?" Linley asked.

Qiankun shook his head, his meaning profound. "Perhaps not—he might not target others deliberately, but you are different. Don’t ask why. In time, you’ll understand."

"Linley, you plan to develop yourself in the Land of Chaos, don’t you? It’s a good idea. If you can end the turmoil there, it will be a worthy accomplishment. But remember, strength is the foundation of everything. Don’t neglect your cultivation," Qiankun advised, patting Linley’s shoulder.

Linley nodded solemnly, "Rest assured, Lord Qiankun! I understand. I’ll devote myself to training and improving my strength."

"Good, Linley. I believe you’ll do well. I must go now, for I too must continue my arduous cultivation. Tell your father for me—I won’t see him. Perhaps we will meet again in the Land of Chaos," Qiankun said with a smile, his figure transforming and vanishing like the wind. "Linley, make a name for yourself. Don’t let me down."

Watching Qiankun depart, Linley clenched his fists, his gaze resolute: "Lord Qiankun, one day, I too will become a powerful divine-level being like you."

...

Silent years passed—more than a decade. In the micro-plane space, Qiankun's true form and his godly clones sat scattered in meditation, each immersed in contemplation. Now, the auras of Qiankun’s divine clones were far stronger than before: earth, wind, water, fire, light, fate, death, and even his newly cultivated life clone had all reached the mid-tier deity realm.

Over these years, Qiankun, having cultivated his life clone, then focused on comprehending the laws of darkness and produced a darkness clone. However, since his darkness clone had only been cultivated for a short while, it was still a lower-tier deity, just shy of reaching mid-tier.

As for the laws of destruction and lightning, Qiankun had begun to comprehend and cultivate them, but given the brief time, he had not yet achieved deity status in those domains.

Even so, Qiankun's power had seen explosive growth over the past decade. In the elements he was most skilled—earth, wind, water, fire, and light—he not only reached the mid-tier deity level, but also understood most of the profound mysteries of these laws. He had fused two or three types of profundities, and for some, nearly all were mutually compatible, their complete fusion merely a matter of time.

Qiankun had not rushed to fully master each law's mysteries, otherwise he might already be a high-tier deity. Ultimately, to achieve greatness and become a true top-tier expert, the path of fusing profundities was the right way.

"Hmm?" As Qiankun quietly pondered the way of destruction, his brows furrowed and he suddenly opened his eyes, glancing toward the exit of the micro-plane’s light gate. He murmured, "Already? Linley's side has discovered the magic crystal vein outside and begun mining?"

"It’s time I left," Qiankun whispered. He summoned his wind clone into himself, and all other clones merged as one, sitting cross-legged in a corner of the micro-plane space, their figures fading away.

Qiankun’s true form, now merged with his wind clone, rose and flew out through the light gate. His body then merged silently into the magic crystal vein outside, vanishing from sight, and reappeared several miles away in the wilderness—utilizing the earth element’s subterranean travel technique.

"After so many years of arduous cultivation, it’s time to relax. Damn, my mouth’s gone bland from all this asceticism," Qiankun muttered, his figure flickering and vanishing like the wind.

With Qiankun’s speed, within moments he arrived at Baruch City, capital of the Baruch Kingdom. Over the past decade, this city—founded after Linley and others arrived in the Land of Chaos—had become quite prosperous, with many restaurants, entertainment venues, and places of pleasure.

Azure Water Paradise was the most luxurious venue for enjoyment on the Yulan Continent; nearly every large city had one.

Half a month later, within the most extravagant suite of Baruch City’s Azure Water Paradise, Qiankun—dressed in loose black robes, hair disheveled, chest bare—looked wild and unrestrained, drinking and laughing with a dozen beautiful, lovely maidens.

"Hmm?" Qiankun’s smiling expression suddenly froze, and his eyes narrowed as he thought, "Beirut? He’s still watching me, and wants me to meet him in the Dark Forest. The Cemetery of the Gods must be about to open. What an interesting place—I really want to see it."

...

Qiankun, turning his thoughts, waved his hand and ordered the youthful, beautiful maidens at his side to leave. Then, he quietly transformed into a gust of wind, vanishing from the luxurious suite.

Above the Dark Forest, four divine-level experts flew side by side: the Warlord O'Brien, whose aura was fierce and gaze resolute; the tranquil and natural High Priest; the cold and enigmatic Dylan; and the lazy, dismal-faced Hise who kept his distance.

"Hise, why the long face? You should be happy after reaching the divine realm," the High Priest said gently.

Hise forced a smile. "Lady Catherine, I’ve only just entered the divine realm. If I encounter danger, Lady Catherine, please help me. Otherwise, if my little life ends, it’ll be tragic."

"Your little life?" The Warlord’s powerful voice rang out, his gaze like lightning as he looked at Hise. "After entering the divine realm, you’ve cultivated the darkness law’s stealth and escape branch, haven’t you? Among us, your ability to escape is probably the greatest."

Hise could only laugh awkwardly, while Dylan, the ruler of the Magical Beast Mountains, remained silent.

"Dylan," the High Priest looked at him, her voice still gentle and cordial, "Congratulations on escaping from the Gobada Plane Prison. Honestly, your luck is extraordinary."

Dylan glanced at the High Priest. "Catherine, my luck can’t compare to yours."

"Ah... High Priest, so your name is Catherine! What a lovely name. Why wouldn’t you tell me last time?" came a light, slightly exaggerated laugh. Ahead, a gust of wind gathered, forming Qiankun in his loose black robes.