Sadius frowned slightly, unsure of what Hogg was trying to do.
"Teacher," Hogg said earnestly, "I've realized that I really like this place. Here, I can fight to my heart's content. I can feel it—this place was made for me."
Sadius was speechless for a moment.
He roughly understood what had happened.
Just earlier, Hogg had sparred with some of the young men in the village.
And after that exchange, they quickly became familiar with each other.
After a brief period of interaction, Hogg had already grown fond of this place.
Perhaps this environment suited Hogg better, giving him a sense of belonging.
But Sadius didn't want Hogg to remain here.
He might be willing to stay—but Lina might not.
If Hogg stayed behind in this village, their relationship might end here.
And if their fates were severed, Linley would never be born.
This was something Sadius absolutely could not accept.
"Hogg, you are the heir to the Baruch Kingdom. The Baruch family has always passed its lineage down through a single line. You must understand—staying in this village is not something you can easily walk away from later."
"Teacher, I've already asked around. As long as I reach the Saint level, I'll be able to freely enter and leave the village. When I become a Saint, I will return."
"Think it over carefully. Tomorrow, your junior sister will wake up. When she does, tell me your decision again."
Hogg was puzzled. Why did his teacher insist he wait until Lina woke up before making a decision?
The next morning.
Lina awoke early.
She was confused—where was she?
Soon, a familiar divine sense transmitted into her mind.
"Lina, you're awake."
Lina immediately recognized her teacher's voice.
"Teacher, where am I?"
"Yesterday, during your battle with the two ninth-ranked powerhouses from the Radiant Church, you suddenly gained an epiphany and your strength surged. With one strike, you knocked a ninth-ranked warrior unconscious. But your spiritual power was heavily overdrawn. Right now, we're in a nearby mountain village."
Only then did Lina recall what had happened.
During the fight with those two ninth-ranked warriors, she had indeed grasped a sudden insight.
Her spiritual force had directly risen to the level of an eighth-rank magus.
But more importantly, she faintly comprehended a sliver of the profound meaning of Death. That feeling was strange yet wondrous.
Then, with all her strength, she unleashed a terrifying spiritual attack that knocked out a ninth-ranked powerhouse.
She had just stepped into the eighth rank, yet managed to defeat a ninth-ranked warrior. She herself hadn't expected to be this strong.
Of course, part of it was the enemy's carelessness.
After all, who would have imagined that a mere seventh-ranked magus could unleash a spell strong enough to make a ninth-ranked warrior lose consciousness?
Even if Lina had broken through mid-battle, under normal circumstances she still shouldn't have been a match for a ninth-ranked warrior.
Clearly, the enemy underestimated the terror of a necromancer.
"Lina, there's something I want to ask you. I'm curious about your thoughts."
"What is it, Teacher?" Lina asked, puzzled.
"These past days, I've been observing you and Hogg. I've noticed the tacit understanding you two have developed through missions—especially yesterday, when you fought side by side, sharing life and death. Tell me… do you have any feelings for Hogg?"
Lina froze. She hadn't expected Sadius to ask that.
"Teacher… yesterday, Hogg protected me the entire time. I was very moved by that. But…" she hesitated briefly before speaking plainly, "I don't have… those kinds of feelings between a man and a woman. I only want to focus on cultivation. I hope that one day I can stand at the peak of cultivation."
Sadius was baffled.
What was going on with these two?
In the original timeline, they were deeply in love.
But in this life, both had become cultivation fanatics.
Did he really have to forcefully arrange their marriage?
Sadius let out a long sigh.
Forget it. He would not interfere in their affairs.
If fate truly tied them together, then Linley would naturally still be born.
By mid-morning, Desri once again invited Sadius and the others for breakfast.
Hogg and Lina were both present.
"Hogg, have you thought this through? At your current cultivation speed, even with Dragonform, it will take you several years to reach the Saint level. This village isn't a place you can just leave whenever you want."
"Teacher, I've decided. I want to stay."
Hogg's tone was firm and resolute.
"Desri, I'll leave my disciple in your care."
"Rest assured, my lord." Desri smiled faintly. He himself was very interested in the legendary Dragonblood Warriors.
Seeing this, Sadius could only sigh again.
After the meal, Sadius took Lina and departed.
"Lina, your talent is remarkable. At merely the eighth rank, you've already glimpsed the profound meaning of Death. Perhaps you will become the youngest Arch Magus in the Yulan Continent's history."
"Teacher, what exactly is the profound meaning of Death?"
As just an eighth-ranked necromancer, Lina knew very little of things only top experts understood. After all, she had been born a commoner.
"For the Rules of Death… even I don't fully understand them. What I know comes from the books my divine clone purchased in the Infernal Realm. In my understanding, it is similar to a warrior comprehending the 'momentum of Heaven and Earth.' When we return, I'll copy the relevant knowledge for you. You can study it yourself."
Lina nodded gently.
Ever since becoming Sadius' student, she had realized that Gods were not omnipotent.
They were far more proficient only in the portion of laws or rules they cultivated.
Soon, Sadius took Lina and flew toward the Magical Beast Mountains, now not far from Pouant City.
Just then—From within the Magical Beast Mountains, a vast fluctuation of the Heavenly Laws descended.
"This is… Mos has become a Deity!"
Sadius instantly sensed the ripples of divine ascension emanating from the misty valley—the Black-Armored Giant Scorpion Mos had achieved Divinity.
Finally, the Yulan Continent had birthed another magical beast that became a deity through its own cultivation.
"We'll head to the Misty Valley first," Sadius said, taking Lina with him.
At present, the Misty Valley had already become a sacred land of the Pouant Empire; ordinary people couldn't enter.
Within the Misty Valley—The Black-Armored Giant Scorpion Mos was cultivating in his palace.
As the Laws of Heaven descended, a black Divine Spark condensed before him.
Without hesitation, Mos chose external Divinity.
His soul merged into the Divine Spark.
Afterward, Mos's soul split into two halves. Though he endured the pain of splitting his soul, countless streams of divine power gathered, gradually forming a divine body.
Although the soul-splitting was agonizing, Mos knew full well the benefits—gaining a second life was worth the cost.
When the divine body formed, Mos immediately used divine power to fashion a set of black robes.
Then his true body and divine clone merged.
"Mos, congratulations," came a voice through divine sense—Sadius.'
"Alliance Leader!" Mos was startled; he hadn't expected Sadius to be nearby.
"Thank you, my lord, for your years of guidance."
Mos's ability to become a deity was closely tied to Sadius' instruction. Without it, relying on his own cultivation alone might have taken thousands or even tens of thousands of years.
"It seems today calls for a celebration."
But just then—Inside the palace of the Misty Valley, atop the broken magic formation at the palace's peak…Spatial ripples began to emerge.
Suddenly, a massive rift opened in space itself.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Figures began to appear one after another within the palace…
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