Chapter 891 - Dark Fae God Canon's Origin
Leon did not expect to hear about the dwarf race from the demon territory, nor did he expect them to be so sought after their craftsmanship.
"I don't remember seeing any dwarf in the secret realm," Leon mentioned.
"That is because the Mad Dwarf Clan didn't participate, my Lord. While every clan in the Starfall Dominion has the right to participate, not every clan chooses to," Nyfarella explained.
"The Mad Dwarf Clan, in particular, is only interested in construction and forging—madly interested enough to accept any commission at base cost. That is why they are quite sought after by the various clans."
"That makes sense," Leon nodded with understanding.
He had seen the Mad Dwarf Clan's level of craftsmanship in construction, but he was even more curious about their forging skills.
Dwarves had been fanatics in forging, and their expertise in the field was also high, always.
Nevertheless, even if the Mad Dwarf Clan's forging skills end up falling short of Leon's expectations, his desire to acquire their service doesn't diminish.
Their skills are extremely useful to the empire's development plans.
"The Mad Dwarf Clan is willing to accept commissions at base cost… That is to say that the clans only need to cover the cost of construction materials, and no labor cost is needed..." Leon muttered.
Shortly after, Leon asked with curiosity, "But has any clan commissioned them at base cost?"
"Of course! Almost all the demon clans aimed for the base-cost commission," Nyfarella answered without hesitation.
"Why would anyone pay more when they can pay less?"
"Seriously?"
Leon furrowed his brows with doubt.
Considering how sought the Mad Dwarf Clan was for construction-related business, they must have a special status in the demon territory.
"Are the dwarves pushovers or something? Why else are the demon clans able to commission their work at base cost?" Leon asked with a frown.
"Not at all, my Lord," Nyfarella waved her hands and denied the wild guess.
"On the contrary, the Mad Dwarf Clan is terrifying in their own way. The mad dwarves don't have powerful combat strengths, but no demon clan dares to slight them either."
"One time, one of the Mid-rank demon clans, the Gold Goblin Clan, tried to subjugate the Mad Dwarf Clan. They wanted to manipulate the price of their construction business to fill their own pockets."
"Unfortunately for Gold Goblin Clan, the Mad Dwarf Clan retaliated by blowing up the Gold Goblin Clan's mountain peak and burying the entire clan living in the caves under it. Since then, not a single clan dared to set their eyes on the Mad Dwarf Clan again."
"But this doesn't explain why the Mad Dwarf Clan set such a low price for their service. They are practically working for free," Leon mentioned with a confused look.
They were certainly mad, alright.
No one is willing to work for free in such a dog-eat-dog world unless they have a few loose screws in their head.
"Actually, I am also unsure why the Mad Dwarf Clan set the price so low. But over the years, everyone collectively agreed that the Mad Dwarf Clan set the base cost price to receive more commissioned work from other clans," Nyfarella stated.
After Leon heard that, he immediately understood the truth of the matter.
"I see," Leon rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"The Mad Dwarf Clan is passionate about perfecting their craft and do not care about profit. Although rare, dwarves like them do exist."
Nevertheless, it was just a minority of the dwarven race; most dwarves are just as greedy for wealth as they are skilled in their craft.
"When there's a chance, I will definitely pay the Mad Dwarf Clan a visit," Leon expressed his interest.
Although Nyfarella did not mention it specifically, he could roughly guess the Mad Dwarf Clan's capability.
They weren't powerful combatants but could still blow up an entire mountain peak; they must be relying on the power of runes.
In other words, they are proficient in the runic language.
Shortly after Nyfarella guided Leon into the stone palace, Darlene, Aria, and Duna separated from the group.
The palace servants took them away and led them to their arranged accommodations under Nyfarella's instruction.
Leon continued to follow Nyfarella down the palace corridor of stone with a grassy floor and rune-powered sconces illuminating the way.
They eventually entered a restricted area, a small hall only accessible for the clan leader, Nyfarella, and others if permitted by her.
There, Leon found the original text of the Dark Fae God Canon recorded on several beast skins attached to the only stone stele in the hall.
The original Dark Fae God Canon was, without a doubt, an extraordinary technique. However, the colorful beast skins themselves were also extraordinary.
They radiated with a colorful aura like the aurora; it was like looking at a rainbow, except neon green, blue, and purple were more dominant among the other colors present.
Leon suspected the beast skins belonged to a God Beast from the primordial era. But as to which specific God Beast the beast skins belonged to, he did not know.
"The original text of the Dark Fae God Canon is all here, my Lord," Nyfarella informed.
Leon nodded.
He could guess as much from his observation.
Shortly after scanning a copy of all the runic texts on the beast skins into the Archive, Leon requested Maya prioritize the Dark Fae God Canon's translation above everything else.
Within a few breaths, the completely translated version appeared in the Archive.
'It's done,' Maya informed him.
Needless to say, Leon can never match Maya's impressive translation speed. At the very least, he doesn't see himself catching up to her level any time soon.
Leon closed his and sent his consciousness into the Archive to peruse and memorize the Dark Fae God Canon.
Although he didn't say anything, Nyfarella patiently waited on the side with an expectant look.
…
Sometime later, Leon reopened his eyes and glanced at Nyfarella with a peculiar expression.
Contrary to his expectation, the Dark Fae God Canon wasn't a heritage of the dark fae race; it was a dragon heritage.
Chapter 892 - Fae Dragon God Heritage
The Dark Fae God Canon was the cultivation method of the Dark Fae Dragon God, a fae dragon, one of the smallest breeds of dragons.
In truth, it was never clear whether fae dragons were of dragon descent, fae descent, or a mix of both.
"Was it a coincidence or the Dark Fae Clan's fate to learn the Dragon God Bone Forging Method from me?" Leon muttered to himself.
It was too coincidental that Leon found the situation rather disturbing.
The Dark Fae Clan failed to learn a fae dragon cultivation method due to their incompatibility but learned a dragon cultivation method from him.
Having refined Nyfarella's blood essence, he knew Nyfarella was a dark fae through and through; she did not have an ounce of fae dragon lineage in her blood.
However, by meeting him, the Dark Fae Clan had absolved their incompatibility issue to practice the true Dark Fae God Canon.
"What do you mean, my Lord?" Nyfarella tilted her head in confusion.
Although she and the rest of her clan were grateful and greatly indebted to Leon, she didn't understand why he suddenly brought up the topic.
"Did you know the Dark Fae God Canon is a cultivation method for fae dragons?" Leon casually asked.
Seeing Nyfarella's immediate shock after hearing his question, Leon smiled with amusement.
"T-that's impossible, my Lord!" Nyfarella quickly denied the possibility after recovering from her shock.
"It's true that the Dark Fae God Canon didn't originally belong to our Dark Fae Clan, but it is called the Dark Fae God Canon, after all. So how can the Dark Fae God Canon have anything to do with the fae dragon race and not our dark fae race?"
"I understand your confusion. I, myself, was surprised when I read through the Dark Fae God Canon. However, it is undeniable that this Dark Fae God Canon is of fae dragon origins. You'll understand once you learn it," Leon stated.
He quickly poked Nyfarella on the forehead and transmitted the Dark Fae God Canon to her.
Although Nyfarella experienced the instant transmission once, she still froze in shock at the influx of information.
When she ingested the knowledge, her shock became even more apparent.
"T-this is… the true Dark Fae God Canon?! I-it really is a fae dragon cultivation method…! Oh, my god… What have we been doing…?"
Nyfarella muttered with disbelief.
Although the truth was before her, she found it hard to accept.
After all, the Dark Fae Clan worshipped the creator of the Dark Fae God Canon as the primal ancestor of their dark fae race for many years.
And yet, the creator of the Dark Fae God Canon turned out to be of fae dragon origins!
How can she accept that so easily?!
Worshipping another race's ancestor as their own for so many years… Nyfarella was so embarrassed for the entire clan that she wanted to dig a hole and hide inside!
"I can understand if you feel embarrassed for the mistake made by your ancestors. However, it doesn't change the fact that the Dark Fae God Canon is still your Dark Fae Clan's opportunity," Leon casually stated.
After hearing that, Nyfarella wiped off the shock on her face and looked at Leon with surprise.
"We can still practice the true Dark Fae God Canon despite it being a cultivation method designed for fae dragons, my Lord?" Nyfarella inquired with a mixture of hope and doubt.
Leon nodded.
However, he quickly shook his head shortly after.
"Don't be mistaken. As you are now, the Dark Fae God Canon is indeed incompatible for you to practice. However, you have already learned the Dragon God Bone Forging Method—"
"The Dragon God Bone Forging Method can resolve the racial incompatibility in practicing the Dark Fae God Canon, my Lord?!" Nyfarella exclaimed, her beamed with excitement.
"No, the Dragon God Bone Forging Method won't resolve the issue. However, it'll be a different story if you also practice the Dragon God Consolidating Viscera Method," Leon stated.
If he wanted, he could also practice the Dark Fae God Canon; he already met the requirement after acquiring his dragon viscera.
"You also have the Dragon God Consolidating Viscera Method, my Lord?" Nyfarella asked with shock.
"What do you think?" Leon replied nonchalantly.
His eyes flickered for a moment before his dragon heart thumped audibly, causing a powerful dragon aura to surge from his body.
Nyfarella was stunned.
She thought the faint dragon aura she felt on her Lord's body was just an illusion. But at that moment, she felt her Lord's dragon aura very clearly.
Just how many godly heritage does her Lord possess?!
Nyfarella gulped.
Leon briefly observed Nyfarella's expression; her answer was easy to guess.
"Don't you think it'll be interesting to see what the future has in store for you and your clan down this path? Although you turn into a fae dragon, you'll all become dark faes with the might of the dragons."
Nyfarella's eyes flickered.
Shortly after, Nyfarella dropped to one knee and displayed her subservience to Leon with her head lowered.
"My Lord, please pardon my impudence, but I don't think I can settle for a leading position in the Starfall Dominion. I, Nyfarella, wish to follow you wherever you go. Whether it is to the ends of this world or the stars beyond, Nyfarella wishes to be there and share in your glory!"
She didn't want to be left behind.
As long as she sticks close to her Lord, he will take her to the vast outer world beyond the sky and broaden her horizons.
Although her Lord might not be capable now, she believed it was possible for him one day—No, she was sure of it.
She could see the vestige of the gods in her Lord.
Nevertheless, Leon's silence made Nyfarella's heart pound nervously with negative thoughts.
She had nothing to offer her Lord besides her absolute allegiance. Everything she has now was given to her by the Lord.
Meanwhile, Leon was contemplating carefully about his future plans.
The object of his revenge, the Divine Kings, were peak existences in the Divine Realm, and they weren't alone either.
He'll need generals and soldiers to pave the way.
Chapter 893 - Aria's Visit
While Leon took his time to respond, various thoughts ran through Nyfarella's head.
'I guess I was asking for too much, huh? My Lord is someone destined for greatness, to become an overlord reigning over all creations. On the other hand, I am just the leader of a weak clan before meeting the Lord,' Nyfarella bitterly thought.
The Lord took in the Dark Fae Clan and made them stronger.
They had been on the receiving end of the Lord's benevolence all this time while they had little to offer back beside our loyalty.
If she wanted to ask for more, she had to offer something back. But what else could she offer besides the loyalty she already pledged to the Lord?
While thinking about the beautiful women surrounding the Lord, Nyfarella's eyes suddenly flickered with an answer.
In the next moment, Nyfarella stood back up on her feet and undid the knot on her waist, loosening her black robe.
Eventually, the black robe dropped, stripping her naked in front of Leon.
"My Lord, I don't know if my race appeals to you, but I am pretty confident in being the most beautiful in my clan. If you wish for it, you can use my body to make yourself feel good, my Lord."
Nyfarella offered herself.
Despite mustering the courage to sell herself, Nyfarella still covered her supple twin peaks and averted her eyes with embarrassment.
It was the first time she revealed her bare body before a person of the opposite sex.
Nevertheless, Nyfarella did not lie about her beauty.
Except for the black-feathered wings that define her Dark Fae Clan, Nyfarella appeared no different from humans.
Her skin was fair and smooth without any blemish, contrary to the dark and rough environment she lived in; her body was simply in pristine shape.
Whatever scars and flaws that once threatened to diminish her beauty had long disappeared due to the repeated medicine baths she took during her body cultivation.
Although Leon was surprised by Nyfarella's sudden action, he did not avert his gaze. Instead, he studied her body boldly and had to admit that she was indeed beautiful.
However, he did not fall for temptation and lust.
After letting out a sigh, Leon picked up the black robe on the floor and draped it over Nyfarella's body, covering her body.
Nyfarella was stunned, but her eyes soon revealed her disappointment.
"Am I unappealing to you, my Lord?" Nyfarella asked despondently, feeling less confident in her beauty.
However, Leon shook his head and said, "Not at all. You are very beautiful."
"Then, why, my Lord…?" Nyfarella asked confusedly.
"I know what you want, but this isn't the way to achieve it. An exchange of interest weakens our relationship, which should be built on trust," Leon calmly said, albeit with a bit of regret in his heart.
No matter how Nyfarella's beauty arouses his lust, he had to remain steadfast in the matter.
Leon did not want to give in to his desire and let a moment of folly diminish the importance of those he already had in his heart.
"Don't look down on me. I can admire beauties, but I don't just do with anyone. At the very least, I don't see you as a romantic interest," Leon stated.
"If you want to follow me to the stars and beyond, you'll get your chance. When I tear the fabrics of space and leave this world cage, I will bring everyone with me. However, if you do this again, I will question your qualifications."
"I beg for your forgiveness, my Lord! It was not my intention to provoke your ire!" Nyfarella dropped to one knee and apologized solemnly.
"Get up," Leon pulled her up with a frown and said, "Just don't let it happen again."
"Yes, my Lord!" Nyfarella answered.
She felt quick relief after receiving the Lord's pardon.
Although Leon wanted to live an unfettered life, it doesn't mean he should do whatever he wanted without care or concern for other peoples' opinions.
Self-indulgence will make his mind weak; a strong mind requires self-discipline and staying true to his principles.
After letting Nyfarella redress her black robe and calm down, Leon transmitted the Dragon God Consolidating Viscera Method into her head.
"Now that you have learned both the Dragon God Consolidating Viscera Method and the Dark Fae God Canon, go and digest the knowledge properly. Once you're done with that, teach the Dragon God Consolidating Viscera Method to the other clan members."
"As for the Dark Fae God Canon, you should only teach it to a select few talented and trusted individuals. Letting everyone learn too many cultivation methods at once will obstruct their progress."
"Understood, my Lord!" Nyfarella complied.
After giving her Lord a grateful bow, she retreated from the hall and instructed a few servants to tend to Leon.
"I will have some servants show you the way to your room, my Lord," Nyfarella said before she left.
Leon nodded.
Sometime later, the servants arrived and brought Leon to his accommodation room in the stone palace.
The room was neither big nor small, clean nor dirty, just simple and oddly close to nature. There were was no extravagant furniture nor decorations, just a simple grass bed.
Given his status to the Dark Fae Clan, even if they don't give him the best room, they wouldn't dare give him a bad one.
From that, Leon speculated the other rooms were, more or less, the same.
After sweeping the area with his divine sense, he found his speculation to be true. Furthermore, Aria, Darlene, and Duna's rooms were all adjacent to his room.
A few breaths after retracting his divine sense, Leon suddenly saw Aria slip into the room and close the stone door behind her.
Her sneaky action made him raise an eyebrow with doubt.
"What are you doing?" Leon smiled amusedly.
"You were mentally exhausted since we left the ruin. S-so I figured you wouldn't be cultivating right now and could use some relaxation," Aria stated her intention while fidgeting shyly.
Having seen Nyfarella's bare body, Leon found it hard to reject Aria's advances. The pent-up energy eventually needs to be released.
"Don't just stand over there then," Leon smiled and gestured to Aria, "Come over here."
"Mm!" Aria nodded.
Chapter 894 - Pleasant Dream
After Aria walked over to the bedside, Leon suddenly wrapped his hand around her waist and yanked her straight in his chest.
Aria immediately gave a startled cry, and her heart started beating wildly with nervousness and anticipation; she leaned against Leon's broad chest like a timid rabbit.
Nevertheless, once Aria started feeling pleasure from Leon's hot, passionate kisses and touches, she recalled the familiarity from their past experiences and matched his tempo.
Soon, their hearts began beating as one, and their bodies united; they painted the room with their steamy love.
"Ahhn~!"
Aria's cry resounded in the room.
However, thanks to dwarven craftsmanship, the stone room was perfectly soundproof. As a result, Aria's erotic moans did not escape the room.
Sometime later, Leon and Aria finished their fifth round before taking a break.
Aria rested her head on Leon's chest and felt his powerful beating heart and warmth with a blissful expression.
Away from all the life-threatening battles and mundane training, it was moments like these that she felt the most happiness; she was at peace and free of worries.
However, their tranquil moment didn't last long.
The stone was suddenly pushed open from the outside before Darlene snuck inside, seemingly with the same intention as Aria when she arrived earlier.
"Uh…"
After Darlene spotted Aria in bed with Leon, she immediately froze on the spot, not expecting to be one step slower than Aria.
"Ahahaha, it seems like Sister Aria to be one step ahead of me…" Darlene awkwardly laughed before she said, "I won't interrupt you too."
Although Darlene was disappointed, she didn't want to get in between their quality time.
However, Leon and Aria glanced at each other and saw the amusement in each others' eyes before they burst into laughter.
Leon casually waved his hand and sealed the stone door before Darlene could leave.
"Since you delivered yourself to me, don't think about leaving," Leon chuckled.
After getting off the bed and allowing Aria to rest on the grass bed by herself, Leon made his way over and picked Darlene up in a princess hold.
"Ah?" Darlene exclaimed in Leon's arms, not fully understanding the situation.
"Sister Darlene, you better start praying. We took a break because my stamina couldn't keep up with Leon. Thankfully, you are also here," Aria giggled and said, "Help me contain this beast; he has too much energy."
"Ah? Sister Aria doesn't mind if I have Leon to myself?" Darlene asked with surprise.
"If you think you can handle him all by yourself, go ahead, Sister Darlene. He is too much for me to handle by myself," Aria casually expressed her approval with a hand gesture from the bed.
Darlene can have Leon all to herself for all she cares. Leon was a real monster; it was as if he had limitless stamina in bed.
"Sister Aria better not hate me then."
Darlene smiled after receiving Aria's expressed approval. Then, she gazed at Leon intimately, waiting on him to love her.
Leon quickly stripped away Darlene's clothes and jumped straight into action.
He placed her hands on the wall and leaned her body against it before he started pounding her from behind.
Darlene had always been a nympho; it only took a few touches to get her dripping wet.
"Ahh, yes~! This is it! I miss this feeling~!" Darlene cried ecstatically.
Leon's thrusts made her whole body quiver with joy.
Nevertheless, she quickly tightened up as if she was attempting to squeeze Leon's little brother with her cave.
However, that tightness brought their experience up to a whole new level.
"Ahh~! So good~!"
Darlene's cries continuously echoed throughout the small room as she battled multiple rounds with Leon.
Aria was exhausted from her prior sessions with Leon. But after hearing Darlene's erotic moans and watching her blissful expressions, her body burned with desire once more.
Nevertheless, Darlene and Leon continued to battle for a few dozen rounds before Darlene's momentum died down.
The repeated climaxes finally took a toll on Darlene and made her lose strength in her legs.
After changing multiple positions and climaxing several more times, Darlene couldn't continue the intense battle with Leon.
"Ah, no more… I can't, hubby. I need a break…" Darlene pleaded with puppy eyes.
However, Darlene's defenseless look only made Leon more excited.
At the same time, Darlene felt like the bulging rod in her dripping honey pot suddenly grew in size, causing her to give a startled cry.
"Ah?! Why is it getting even bigger?!" Darlene's gaze became horrid.
After enduring another three rounds with Leon, she finally tasted defeat, completely and utterly; all the energy left her body with the last climax.
Leon placed Darlene next to Aria on the grass bed before Aria turned her body to face Darlene and poked fun at her cheeks.
"Hehehe, what happened, Sister Darlene? I thought you could handle Leon by yourself? Are you going to keep going on the bed?" Aria teased her with a soft giggle.
"I can't… no more… I'm too tired. Please spare me…" Darlene weakly pleaded in a half-conscious state before ultimately falling asleep.
However, she didn't fall asleep due to exhaustion.
Rather, it was like a food-induced coma from being too full; her body received too much energy from Leon and needed time to digest it.
"Looks like Darlene is out," Leon stated. Afterward, he shifted his gaze to Aria and added, "But it also looks like you are ready for more."
"Ehehe…"
Aria gave a forced laugh before she glanced down at Leon's raging dragon and gulped, feeling a bit fearful and intimidated by his seemingly limitless stamina.
Nevertheless, she smiled lazily yet seductively and nodded, arousing Leon's desire.
He quickly pounced on top of Aria and rolled in bed with her several rounds. Eventually, Aria also fell asleep for her body to digest the energy she received from Leon.
At the same time, Leon's raging lust finally calmed down like the beach-crashing ocean waves transforming into a lake of still water.
He took his place on the bed and held Aria and Darlene in each of his arms.
Leon's mind was still recovering from exhaustion, but his tireless body felt incredibly relaxed.
When he closed his eyes, he quickly dozed off into sleep with a pleasant dream, one that he had not had in a long while.
Chapter 895 - Monochrome World
What does it mean to have a pleasant dream?
For others, it would mean an experience in the dreamland that satisfies their hidden desires and brings them joy and happiness.
But for Leon, it was different.
There was a time when he used to dream, but he dreams no more. Now, only nightmares haunt him in his sleep when he shuts his mind from any notion of reality.
As such, any deep sleep that doesn't give him a nightmare can be considered a pleasant dream for him.
Alas, others would just see it as good sleep.
Nevertheless, he felt all his burdens disappeared, like he was a slave that just got released from his shackles.
The feeling of freedom and release brought his body unprecedented comfort, which in turn elevated his exhausted mind, making it feel weightless and unbound by the world.
Leon felt like his mind could drift off into the sea of stars and explore the vastness of Primal Chaos.
But the moment Leon gained consciousness in his deep sleep, he realized he was back in the stone room with Aria and Darlene.
However, he wasn't lying on the grass bed with Aria and Darlene. Instead, he was standing at the bedside, staring at another body of himself in bed with Aria and Darlene.
The bizarre experience immediately baffled him.
Leon furrowed his brows.
He didn't doubt that he was supposed to be the one lying in bed with Aria and Darlene. Just by looking at his body sleeping in bed, he recalled every detail before he fell asleep.
However, if his body was sleeping in bed, then who was the current him standing by the bedside?
'Hm? This isn't a dream… And I seem to have no voice,' Leon glanced around the stone room and observed every detail.
He realized he couldn't speak, but he could hear his thoughts clearly.
At the same time, the detail of the room was too vivid to be a dream; dreams would have some slight discrepancies from reality.
'Am I in my spiritual avatar?' Leon wondered.
However, he couldn't make sense of that thought. There was no reason for him to be in his spiritual avatar when he had no recollection of performing the skill.
The lights were out, and the room was dark.
Leon didn't notice the slight detail due to the room's darkness at first, but the entire world around him had seemingly lost its colors; everything was in monochrome.
Upon further observation, he didn't sense any life from his body nor Aria and Darlene's body either. All three of their bodies showed no sign of breathing.
Rather, everything was in stasis as if time itself was frozen.
'I'm the only one who can move in this frozen world… But what exactly is happening right now? Why is the world like this? I need more information,' Leon frowned.
Shortly after, he decided to leave the stone room.
However, when he tried pushing the stone door open, Leon realized it wasn't as easy as he would expect it to be.
It took all his strength to push open the stone door…
It was as if he had lost all his strength and become a regular mortal without any cultivation again; he felt incredibly weak and vulnerable.
Nevertheless, that didn't stop him from exploring the frozen world.
After Leon struggled to get out of the stone room, he left the stone palace and glanced outside at the rest of the Dark Fae Clan and beyond.
As expected, everything else was also in monochrome.
The dark faes, the stone buildings, the ground, the sky, and even the stars beyond; everything was in various shades of black and white.
Leon knew he wasn't in a dream, but it didn't feel like reality either.
It was simply impossible for the current him to remember the positions of all the dark faes on the mountain peak. Furthermore, he saw unfamiliar faces of dark faes he had yet to meet in the clan.
'What is this world? Is this another dimension that runs parallel to the real world? But what brought me here? How did I come here?' Leon wondered.
He strolled through the Dark Fae Clan, casually glancing around.
However, he suddenly recalled something and raised his head to look at the sky again. After realizing the sky had no clouds covering it, his eyes widened in surprise.
He could see the floating ring of debris and stars beyond. Even the cataclysmic sun could be seen clearly.
It was bright like a white dot in the sky, but it wasn't the biggest star to be seen. No, it was something much, much bigger than the Vandelheim Star.
It looked like a star due to its bright and circular form, but it was far, far too big to be one.
Just by comparing it to the Vandelheim Star, which is the closest star to Planet Gaia, it was at least tenfold bigger.
'What is that?' Leon wondered.
After he recalled the star map, his eyes flickered with an answer.
'That grey spot is the core region lying at the center of this world's starfield? I didn't expect it to be observable in this frozen world…'
Leon was surprised to see it.
Even on a night with a clear sky in the Human Domain, he wouldn't be able to see the enormous grey region depicted on the center of the star map.
However, in this frozen world, it was clear as day.
'Hm?' Leon narrowed his eyes.
He thought he was the only person or thing that could move in the frozen world, but he spotted tiny grey orbs of light flying toward the giant grey spot among the stars.
Upon further scrutiny, he realized the grey orbs of light numbered in the thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands…
There were too many grey orbs of light.
Suddenly, a single grey orb of light diverted its interstellar path and descended upon Planet Gaia, landing in the Dark Fae Clan some distance away from Leon.
The grey orb of light took the form of a man, but Leon could not see the person's face with the person's back facing him.
However, the familiar back immediately shook his heart with turbulent emotions like a rock thrown in calm water.
Chapter 896 - Out-of-Body Experience
The dashing black hair with strips of grey, the back punctured by a sword, and the divine robe dyed in blood; the familiar back was etched in the deepest parts of his memories.
Leon would never forget it.
'Father…'
Suddenly, the person turned around and revealed his face to Leon.
Although it wasn't a particularly handsome face—actually, it was quite an ugly face without the beautification of high cultivation.
However, this face embodied the Divine Realm's kindness.
As Leon suspected, the face belonged to none other than his late divine father from the Divine Realm, the Divine Medicine King, the only true saint in a world of hypocrites.
Heinrich Escladus silently stood some distance away. His entire body was suffused in a grey light, making him look ethereal and ghostly like an intangible spirit.
Leon didn't know if the person was truly his father or just an illusion conjured by the strange world, but he had so much he wanted to say to his father.
But the moment he opened his mouth to speak, he immediately recalled the cruel reality of the situation that he had no voice.
Even so, he thought he could still convey his thoughts through his gaze.
However, the moment his gaze fell on Heinrich Escladus's pitch-black eye sockets, his entire being froze, suppressed by an absolute force.
He lost all control of his movements.
His father—no, it was not his father; the thing's empty gaze contained a terrifying power of suppression.
Leon even felt deep-rooted fear from the gaze.
'Is this my inner demon?' Leon assumed with wide eyes.
Suddenly, a force of attraction pulled Leon's immobilized body towards the suspected inner demon and fell into its grip.
When Leon gazed in the inner demon's abyss-like black eyes sockets, his emotions of fear were immediately amplified.
'Dammit, this thing is trying to devour me! Piss off!' Leon roared in his mind.
Sensing his existence being eaten away by the inner demon, he resisted with all his might, but to no avail; he was powerless and helpless.
Without control of his body, there was nothing he could do.
'Is there nothing I can do?! Am I bound to die an unknown death?!' Leon desperately wracked his brain for a solution, no matter how hopeless the situation seemed.
Even so, the inner demon felt way too formidable.
Inner demons were supposed to be difficult obstacles in one's cultivation path. Still, the situation shouldn't be as hopeless as he was experiencing.
The inner demon seemed like an absolute existence that he could not defy.
'Dammit! Don't think that I will go down without a fight!' Leon roared madly in his mind. He tried to fight back the absolute suppression with his sheer will.
However, that proved fruitless.
The inner demon continued to devour his existence, making him despair. He became desperate for a solution and went with his only option.
'Dammit! If I have no cultivation, then I'll cultivate right now!' Leon roared.
He optimized his divine sense, which seemed to be the only thing he still had and absorbed whatever energy he could muster from the surroundings.
Grey energy particles appeared in the surroundings and flowed toward Leon, albeit slowly. Even with his best effort, he could not increase his gathering speed.
'So I didn't just lose my cultivation, but also my accumulated talents?! This monochrome world is really pushing for my demise! However, I cannot, shall not, and will not give up! For now, not ever!'
Leon will never allow himself to fall before completing his life's mission!
The moment the first grey energy particle contacted Leon's body, he regained some control of his body.
It was just a slight budge, but it was better than nothing!
'It's effective!' Leon's eyes flickered.
Although the inner demon continued to devour his existence, the grey energy particles replenished it—even granted him power and authority in the monochrome world.
It strengthened his will.
Leon eventually regained control of his movements, but he still failed to break free from the inner demon's grip.
Even worse, his resistance triggered the inner demon's fury! The entire mountain peak reverberated in response to it!
Suddenly, the inner demon's mouth ripped open into a giant gaping maw that could swallow three adult bodies whole at once.
Its appearance became grotesque like a monster, and hardly resembled his father at this point.
'F*ck,' Leon thought.
Snap!
The inner demon devoured Leon in the next instance, swallowing his body whole into the infinite dark abyss inside it.
Darkness encompassed his vision and senses.
'So this is how it ends? I don't even know what killed me or brought me to that world… So many unanswered questions… I'm unwilling to leave like this…' Leon thought bitterly with unwillingness.
He did everything he could but still ended up getting devoured.
…
"Leon!" Aria's distant yet sorrowful cry entered Leon's ears.
"Leon, what happened to you?! Please come back to us! Please don't leave us alone! We need you—I need you!"
Leon heard Aria's heart-wrenching cries again. Even Darlene's distinct weeping could be heard and felt beside him.
When Leon's eyes snapped open, he realized he was back in the stone room with Aria and Darlene weeping on his chest.
Everything he had just experienced seemed like a nightmare.
'An outer body experience?' Leon quickly understood what had happened, yet his understanding only baffled him further.
Outer body experience was something only mortals experience; cultivators don't get them—or at the very least, they shouldn't.
Nevertheless, his mind was quickly occupied by Aria and Darlene's sorrowful weeping. It pained him to see them like that.
He reached out and patted them both on the head with each hand to soothe them.
Aria and Darlene immediately froze before they looked up and saw Leon staring back at them with a tender look.
"What's wrong? Why are you both crying?" Leon asked while drying their tears.
"Leon…? You're alive! That's great… really great… I really thought that you disappeared from this world…"
Aria held Leon's hand on her cheek and felt his warmth, overjoyed by his awakening.
"I don't know what happened, but we suddenly felt your existence disappear… We couldn't feel your soul's presence at all… And no matter what we tried, you wouldn't wake up…"
Chapter 897 - Astral Soul Realm
"My soul disappeared? From my body?" Leon's eyes widened with a startled look.
"Mm!" Aria confirmed with a nod.
Shortly after, she wrapped her arms around Leon's body and hugged him tightly. Darlene followed suit and embraced him as well.
Leon could feel their bodies trembling from the lingering fear of losing him.
While giving Aria and Darlene back rubs to calm them down, Leon recalled the entire experience with a frown.
'His soul left his body? So it wasn't a simple out-of-body experience, huh?' Leon mused.
It made sense not to be; the out-of-body experience felt way too real to be a dream, not to mention the things he discovered inside.
The inner demon, the grey region, and…
'My spiritual strength has fully recovered…' Leon's eyes slowly widened with surprise at the discovery.
Shortly after, he closed his eyes and introspected.
It wasn't just his spiritual strength that was fully recovered. His Spatial, Ice, and Lightning Law have all advanced to the Preliminary Accession-stage Transcendent Realm, especially his Spatial Law.
It advanced to the Late Preliminary Accession-stage Transcendent Realm.
However, these law advancements were most likely the benefits of dual cultivation with Aria and Darlene.
But besides his advancement in the Spatial, Ice, and Lightning Law, his Fire Law had also advanced to the Transcendent Realm.
'Aria and Darlene have not comprehended the Fire Law, let alone to a high level, so this advancement must be due to another reason,' Leon mused.
Nevertheless, Leon found his spiritual strength recovery and law advancement to be of lesser importance.
His most crucial discovery was his state of mind.
Not only did it feel exceedingly clear, but his thought process has also become slightly faster. Even some primary laws seemed easier to comprehend.
'It seems like I can advance my Wood Law to the Transcendent Realm if I just meditate for a bit beside the Tier-5 Spirit Herbs in the Worldspace for a bit…' Leon noticed.
His transformation was too startling.
It seemed like he experienced a major breakthrough—No, he did experience a major breakthrough. However, it was nothing like what he expected.
'The quality of my soul has improved,' Leon's eyes flickered.
If operating dual thoughts at 100% efficiency was his limit in the past, then the current him could now operate the third consciousness at 50% efficiency on top of the two.
Leon did not expect such a bizarre yet frightening experience in the monochrome world could improve his soul's quality.
'Did it have something to do with the grey energy particles? No, it did have something to do with them,' Leon quickly corrected his thought.
What he absorbed was most like soul energy. And not just any soul energy, but the purest form of soul energy.
Leon recalled the grey region and the countless grey orbs flying towards it. If they were all pure soul energy, then…
He faintly guessed the monochrome world's origin, and it shocked him.
'The legendary Astral Soul Realm, origin land of the souls… I suspected that such a realm existed, but I never thought I would actually find it soon, let alone enter it. But how did I enter? What are the conditions for entry?'
Leon wondered.
Nevertheless, he was greatly astonished that the Astral Soul Realm was so close as if it is within reach, yet at the same time, impossibly far from it.
So close, yet so far…
Having experienced the great benefits of the Astral Soul Realm, Leon was determined to learn more about it.
He lacks information, but fortunately, he knows where to start looking.
There were plenty of medical records on out-of-experience in the Archive; that's where he'll start looking.
…
"What happened to you, Leon? Why couldn't we feel your soul's presence in your body earlier?" Aria suddenly asked after calming down.
She was well aware that Leon possessed the Divine Book of Life.
However, she had never experienced his soul disappearing whenever he entered the Divine Book of Life with his consciousness as it did earlier.
"What happened to me earlier, huh? It's actually quite interesting now that I look back on it. You'll be surprised to hear about it," Leon smiled amusedly.
He had no intention of keeping the information from his women. On the contrary, the more they know about it, the better prepared they'll be if they ever get the same opportunity.
"I experienced my first out-of-body experience," Leon stated.
"Out-of-body experience?" Aria's eyes flickered with surprise.
"I thought out-of-body experience is something that only mortals get to experience and a very rare experience to boot. But, more importantly, I never heard of the soul actually leaving the body when they experience it."
"I also thought so too until I experienced it myself," Leon nodded.
"And since I've experienced it, I have a different outlook. If we think about it, the mortal doctors only describe out-of-body experiences as a result of sleeping paralysis and fear of the unknown, which gives birth to the demon in their dream."
"However, mortal doctors are, after all, mortals; they are not cultivators. They wouldn't know when someone's soul left their bodies. More importantly, they've only heard about it from their patients. They weren't there to witness it for themselves."
"I see… That makes sense," Aria nodded.
Then, she furrowed her brows and mentioned her doubts, "But this is the first time I've ever heard—no, witnessed a cultivator experiencing the out-of-body experience."
"There must be some condition that makes the already rare out-of-body experience even rarer for cultivators," Leon speculated.
"Mm, most likely," Aria agreed before asking, "But this wasn't supposed to be the surprise you mentioned, right?"
"Nope," Leon shook his head and said, "Since you felt my soul disappeared from my body. Can you guess where I went?"
Aria furrowed her brows in thought before she shook her head.
"Where?" Aria asked shortly after.
"The origin realm of souls," Leon stated.
"Oh… Huh?" Aria suddenly picked herself up from Leon's chest and stared at him in shock. "T-the origin realm of souls?!"
"That's right," Leon nodded with a smile.
Meanwhile, Darlene silently rested her head on the other half of Leon's chest with a dumbfounded look.
She couldn't follow their conversation.
Chapter 898 - The Guardian
Darlene couldn't understand what Aria and Leon were talking about. Still, given Aria's shocked look, she could guess that the origin realm of souls was an amazing place.
No, it was just an amazing place; it was a mythical place.
After Aria and Darlene listened to Leon's recount of his experience in the Astral Soul Realm and the benefits he reaped from that place, Aria and Darlene were shocked beyond belief.
Even so, they were happy for Leon.
Although the dangers of the Astral Soul Realm were unclear, the fact that Leon made it back with a fruitful harvest from that place was a blessing.
"I'm in shock… to think such a place exists," Darlene uttered with lingering shock from the list of benefits Leon mentioned to them.
Suppose someone could stay in the Astral Soul Realm and absorb all the purest soul energy in that place. Wouldn't it be easy for them to reach the same realm as the gods and devils from the primordial era?
Heck, it might even be possible to surpass them.
"However, this Astral Soul Realm exists in a different plane that runs parallel to the real world. Even if we seek it, it won't be easy to enter. Leon's case is very special," Aria stated.
If it was so easy to enter the Astral Soul Realm, there should have been some records or even mentions of it.
However, information on the Astral Soul Realm was so scarce that people didn't know it existed. And those who did know about it, regarded it as a myth.
"For now, we should keep an eye out for any records pertaining to out-of-body experiences that we may stumble across. Don't attempt to enter the Astral Soul Realm on your own. We don't know what other underlying dangers are in that place," Leon reminded them.
"Mm," Aria and Darlene nodded.
They have too little information on the Astral Soul Realm. Even if they wanted to enter that place, they didn't know how to do it.
"I'm more curious about your father's doppelganger. Do you really think it was your inner demon, Leon?" Aria asked.
After she raised the question, Leon fell silent and contemplated the matter.
"At first, I really did think it was my inner demon. But now that I look back on it, it doesn't make sense for an inner demon to be in that place. Instead, it might be a guardian tasked to remove intruders from that place," Leon speculated.
"A guardian that looks like your late father from the Divine Realm?" Darlene raised her doubt, having learned about Leon's past life.
"It's probably a mimic ability to affect my state of mind," Leon replied after some thought.
"Anyway, let us put aside the Astral Soul Realm's matter for the time being and focus on you two," Leon suddenly said.
He cast meaningful glances at Aria and Darlene before he added, "It seems like I wasn't the only one with gains. The two of you have grown a fair bit stronger."
Although he seemed calm, he was actually surprised.
Aria and Darlene didn't make any advancement in their laws. Instead, it was their body cultivation that improved.
"Hehe, so you noticed," Aria giggled before she said with a bit of embarrassment, "Actually, my improvement was all due to your… your essence."
"My essence?" Leon was taken aback.
Aria nodded.
After pondering for a few moments, Leon quickly understood what was going on.
"I see," Leon uttered.
He injected his sterilized essence into Aria and Darlene every round during their dual cultivation to prevent impregnating them.
Nevertheless, his sterilized essence was no different from pure energy.
Furthermore, he has the True Grandmist Body and Rank 9 Body Transformation in the consolidating viscera phase.
Thus, it wasn't strange if his sterilized yang essence contained the essence of True Grandmist Energy.
"Still, for your body to improve this much with just my yang essence… it appears that my yang essence is even more effective than True Grandmist Energy, huh?" Leon uttered thoughtfully.
Aria had only achieved the bare minimum of Early Rank 1 Body Transformation in all five phases.
But after she absorbed his sterilized yang essence, her five phases all reached Mid Rank 1 Body Transformation.
On the other hand, Darlene reached Rank 2 Body Transformation in the flesh-tempering and bone-forging phase.
If he was to compare himself with the current Darlene based on raw physical strength alone, she was, without a doubt, the winner.
"It seems we have a female gorilla in the family now," Leon teased her with a smile.
"Who are you calling a female gorilla?!" Darlene said snappishly, feeling both angry and embarrassed.
She quickly pounded Leon's chest with her fist in response.
However, she accidentally used too much strength, causing the grass bed under them to collapse to the ground.
Nevertheless, no one was hurt due to their high defense.
"A-are you alright, Leon?!" Darlene panicked.
She didn't expect her casual pounding to contain so much strength. At the same time, she had forgotten the grass bed wasn't that sturdy, to begin with.
"Hahaha," Leon laughed it off.
Shortly after, he wrapped his arms around Aria and Darlene's waist and pulled them closer to himself.
"Shall we roll in bed a bit more before we head back to the Infertile Plains?" Leon asked with a meaningful look.
Aria and Darlene immediately became shy; their heads lowered without replying. However, Leon knew that was their silent approval.
They wouldn't go against his wishes.
Furthermore, the soul-disappearing incident had truly scared them. Thus, making love to them would effectively eliminate any residue fear of that incident.
"Who wants to go first?" Leon smiled at them.
"Hehe," Aria chuckled softly. Then, she glanced at Darlene next to her and said, "Sister Darlene, he's all yours."
"Ah?" Darlene uttered with surprise.
"I guess it's decided then," Leon chuckled before he quickly released Aria from his embrace and flipped Darlene under him.
"Ah, wait a minute… I'm not ready~!" Darlene's body trembled with delight under Leon's tender touches.
Shortly after, Darlene's erotic cries resounded throughout the small stone room.
Chapter 899 - Zhang Tianlong
A few hours later, Aria and Darlene lay on top of the broken grass bed with satisfied looks. Shortly, they took a nap to absorb his essence.
The grass bed had all four legs broken, but Leon couldn't care less unless it was his third leg that broke.
Leon removed himself from the grass bed to let Aria and Darlene sleep comfortably and found a spot on the ground to sit.
After taking his seat, he closed his eyes and absorbed the essence he received from Aria and Darlene.
He hadn't noticed it in the past, but he could now perceive the invisible law comprehension he collected from Aria and Darlene after his soul quality improved.
They appeared like intangible strands of information, gathering around his soul core like multiple orbiting rings.
Over time, bits and pieces of the information ring branch off and integrate with the law seeds in his soul core.
Even if he did nothing, his elemental abilities would improve after assimilating the strands of law comprehension on their own.
Of course, Leon could manually speed up the assimilating process if he wanted.
However, Leon withdrew his consciousness from the soul core region and entered the Archive. Then, he summoned the towering bookshelves with records pertaining to out-of-body experiences.
Leon didn't expect much, but the result quickly surprised him.
The Archive recorded 548 books with cases on the out-of-body experience. Furthermore, there were another 3285 books with indirect mentions of it.
'I could work with this…' Leon mused thoughtfully.
He had underestimated the vast knowledge recorded in the Archive. It was, after all, a divine artifact that predated back to the primordial era.
However, after flipping through several books with out-of-body experiences, Leon realized they were more recent cases that took place in the Divine Realm.
'Hm? These dates… These cases were recorded during my lifetime in the Divine Realm…' Leon was taken aback for a moment.
Half a breath later, his eyes flickered with realization.
'These cases were recorded by…'
"It is as you suspect; some of these cases were recorded by your late father," Maya suddenly interjected.
"To be exact, he recorded a total of fifty cases. Although they are only limited to one case per book, he recorded each case in great detail. I never understood his purpose for studying mortals' out-of-body experiences, though."
"Why the sudden interest in out-of-body experiences?" Maya asked shortly after.
Leon shifted his gaze to the side and glanced at Maya's spiritual form oddly before he asked her, "You don't know what happened to me earlier?"
"I was busy translating the primordial techniques for you. Why?" Maya asked with furrowed brows before she added, "They're all translated, by the way."
"I see, thanks," Leon nodded.
Shortly after, he recounted his entire experience in the suspected Astral Soul Realm to Maya without leaving out any detail.
Given her knowledge, she could give him some insights into the matter.
"The Astral Soul Realm, huh? I find it hard to believe. But seeing how your spiritual strength has recovered, I have no choice but to believe it," Maya replied with surprise.
"Now, I understand why the Divine Medicine King researched out-of-body experiences among the mortals. He must have drawn some conclusions regarded the Astral Soul Realm or entered it once himself."
Leon nodded.
Seeing how his father researched the out-of-body experience so extensively, he suspected the same thing as Maya.
Nevertheless, his late father's efforts made things easier for him.
'Father… even in death, you are still looking out for this useless son of yours…' Leon mentally sighed while thinking about his late father.
Why is it that people don't start living in earnest and cherish the important things they have until they lose them?
'Just you wait, Father. I will make them pay; every last one of them,' Leon steeled his resolve, and his eyes glinted with a red hue.
Maya didn't dare to speak when she saw the hidden malice in Leon's eyes.
She found the darkness buried deep in his heart to be startling and worried for the future of the world.
To be the world's destroyer or its savior, the choice was in his hands.
…
Nevertheless, Leon wasn't aware of Maya's thoughts.
He reorganized the bookshelf to show only his father's research results on the out-of-body experience.
Then, he picked out several books and absorbed their information at once.
…
…
Reading up to that point, Leon didn't think there was much more to learn about the out-of-body experience from patient Zhang Tianlong.
However, the book continued with his father's long observation of the patient's life.
…
…
'Am I reading the medical documentation of a patient or the story of a rising protagonist?' Leon wondered with surprise.
Chapter 900 - Maya's Reward
Leon didn't expect his father to have the patience to observe a patient for more than three years. However, he quickly retracted the idea after seeing a few cases eclipsing the same period.
'Father probably didn't observe these people in person,' Leon concluded.
Being the Divine King of the Divine Pill Kingdom, his father didn't have the free time to observe a single individual for so long.
'Father must have assigned subordinates to observe these individuals.'
Nevertheless, patient Zhang Tianlong's case didn't end after three years but continued to the day he was killed along with his father.
…
…
'About thirteen years to reach the Divine Origin Realm, huh?' Leon mused.
'Compared to Aria's talent to become Divine King by 30 years of age, this person's cultivation speed is not worth mentioning. However, this isn't the important point here.'
Patient Zhang Tianlong was originally someone deemed unable to cultivate for a lifetime and could only live an ordinary life as an Alchemist Servant.
However, without relying on any outside help, he fixed his cultivation talent problem and reached the Divine Origin Realm in a dozen years.
Such a feat was praiseworthy.
'Unfortunately, the report ends here…' Leon sighed.
However, the book on patient Zhang Tianlong didn't end there.
There were many blank pages afterward, but Leon eventually found his father's notes at the back of the book, listing his father's thoughts and doubts on the patient.
…
…
Leon read through all of his father's recorded cases on patients with out-of-body experiences.
By the fifth case, his father had already concluded that there was something special about the out-of-body experiences that allowed mortals to break away from the mundane life.
…
…
While reading through his father's notes, his father lamented that he never found the solution to induce out-of-body experience intentionally.
Nevertheless, his father's records were so detailed he made a discovery.
"Hm… although some of these cases were incomplete, there's one thing they all have in common with the completed cases. The patients only experience the out-of-body experience once," Leon mused thoughtfully.
All of the patients didn't manage to become cultivators after experiencing their out-of-body experiences. Some of them became great rulers, governors, scholars, and artists of their time.
When Leon perused over their information, he realized they died the quickest to the guardian in the Astral Soul Realm.
The longer they lasted, the better their talents.
"Hm?" Leon suddenly made another discovery.
While comparing the cases, he realized none of the patients were laborers. Their professions only required great mental faculty and imagination.
If there were one exception, patient Zhang Tianlong, the Alchemist Servant who gathers and cultivates herbs, would be it.
However, the person seemed to have exhausted his mental faculties while memorizing the Ten-Thousand Herbs of Yuan the night prior to his out-of-body experience.
"Sleeping after one's spiritual strength is depleted will induce an out-of-body experience? No, it shouldn't be that simple," Leon quickly shook his head.
If that was the only condition, there should have been many cases of cultivators experiencing the out-of-body phenomena already.
"Hm… But cultivators don't need to sleep. If their spiritual strength is exhausted, they can just meditate to recover it," Leon mused.
Nevertheless, he was certain the condition for entry into the Astral Soul Realm wasn't as simple as spiritual strength exhaustion.
'Reading mortals' out-of-body experiences alone won't give me insights into my own out-of-body experience. I need to recall the details of my own experience,' Leon figured.
Shortly after, he frowned in thought.
Before he fell asleep, his spiritual strength wasn't fully exhausted; it had recovered a fair bit by that time.
However, he did remember feeling incredible comfort and relaxation.
'The other condition is a relaxed body?' Leon's eyes flickered.
Suddenly, he drew some conclusions and came up with a wild assumption that didn't have any precedents or evidence to back it up.
'What causes a soul to leave the body? Would a body in its relaxed state loosen its binding on the soul? Would that allow the soul to drift out of the body? A soul doesn't have any weight, but if spiritual strength is also exhausted, it won't be able to hold onto the body?'
'In other words, spiritual strength exhaustion and body relaxation are both needed to induce an out-of-body experience? I don't know if it'll work, but it's worth a shot if I perfectly replicate the condition…'
After Leon settled on the idea, his frown relaxed, and his eyes brightened.
At the same time, Maya had been carefully observing Leon's expression to avoid interrupting his deep thoughts.
But after she spotted her cue to speak, she immediately acted upon it.
"Hey, do I get a reward for translating all the primordial techniques?" Maya asked.
"Oh?" Leon glanced at Maya carefully with growing curiosity before he asked, "What kind of reward do you want?"
"Since your spiritual strength recovered, we can do it again, right? You know, spiritual dual cultivation. Who knows, maybe you'll get to enter the Astral Soul Realm again, so it's a win-win situation for the both of us," Maya mentioned.
After Maya seemed nonchalant, Leon suspected she was actually looking forward to their dual cultivation again.
"Sure, why don't we start right away?" Leon beamed.
Chapter 901 - The More You Look, The Less You See
After spending several hours dual cultivating with Maya in her spiritual world, Leon returned his consciousness to the real world, albeit mentally exhausted.
He had transferred most of his spiritual strength to Maya once more.
Even so, it was a necessary step to take in order to test his theory on entering the Astral Soul Realm.
He quickly ingested a Spiritual Replenishment Pill and found himself a comfortable spot to lay down and fall into slumber.
However, half an hour passed without success.
Nevertheless, Leon adjusted his sleeping posture on the ground and tried again. Alas, he ended up sleeping for several hours.
When he woke up, Aria and Darlene had already finished absorbing his essence.
At that moment, they were sitting in meditative positions with their eyes closed and cultivating. But when they sensed his gaze on them, they quickly opened their eyes.
"You're awake," Aria softly uttered with a pleasant smile.
Leon nodded.
He seemed fine, but Aria noticed the slight crease on his forehead with her sharp gaze, causing her forehead to form creases as well.
She was baffled.
"You didn't sleep well?" Aria inquired with a wondering look.
"I wasn't trying to sleep," Leon shook his head and replied with a wry smile, "I was trying to enter the Astral Soul Realm again. However, I ended up sleeping normally instead."
Although he had finally caught sight of the Astral Soul Realm, he should have known that reentry wasn't going to be easy.
Out of all the recorded cases in the Archive, not a single person experienced the out-of-body experience for a second time.
It was as if they had lost their qualification to enter the Astral Soul Realm after the guardian devoured them.
'The guardian also devoured me… If my defeat in the Astral Soul Realm has anything to do with entry qualifications, my reentry's difficulty will be much higher…'
Leon furrowed his brows in thought.
Nevertheless, he quickly shook his head and refocused his attention on Aria and Darlene.
"It seems like the both of you didn't benefit as much from our second dual cultivation session," Leon mentioned while he observed them.
Aria barely improved from the Mid Rank 1 Body Transformation Realm. Even so, she was still a step closer to reaching Late Rank 1 Body Transformation in the five phases.
As for Darlene, her flesh-tempering and bone-forging phases did not progress from Early Rank 2 Body Transformation.
Instead, her consolidating-viscera phase progressed the most, reaching Late Rank 1 Body Transformation.
Leon silently gave her his approval.
It was evident that Darlene had some self-awareness. She didn't blindly focus on the improvement of her physical strength and neglect defense.
"Well, even if we want to keep making large improvements through dual cultivation, what can we do if we milked you dry?" Darlene smiled impishly.
"Hm? But can you? If I recall correctly, you were the one begging me to stop the most," Leon grinned back at Darlene confidently without backing down.
Darlene was immediately at a loss for words. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment before she pouted.
Nevertheless, Leon understood her original meaning.
Given his Rank 9 Body Transformation in the consolidating viscera phase, his little brother wasn't just durable, but his yang essence was also limitless.
However, it was a different story for his essence of True Grandmist Energy.
Even if he could keep producing yang essence to unload every round, the quality of his essence of True Grandmist Energy couldn't keep up.
He needed time to recharge.
When Leon arrived at that thought, the word 'recharge' suddenly made him realize that he had been too hasty to reenter the Astral Soul Realm.
Although his mind was spiritually exhausted, his body already had too much rest. It wouldn't reach the same level of relaxation even if he slept any further.
It needed time to cool down.
'I was too confident after the Astral Soul Realm experience improved my soul's quality. But, now that I have more time to think about it, I realize my theory was flawed, to begin with…' Leon mused.
'The level of body relaxation wasn't just the problem. Even if my mind was spiritually exhausted, it wasn't empty of thoughts. My mind was filled with thoughts of entering the Astral Soul Realm that it held me back…'
In other words, if he wanted to have a real chance at entering the Astral Soul Realm again, he didn't just need the right level of body relaxation. His mind also needs to be in a state of emptiness, free of thoughts and distractions.
'I have to consider the environment as well,' Leon mused.
It'll be easy for various noises to distract him from entering the state of emptiness if he doesn't have a sound-insulated stone room like this one.
Leon realized what he was doing wrong.
Entering the Astral Soul Realm was not the same as comprehending laws. Rather, it was the complete opposite.
'The more I try to look for it, the less likely I'll find it. I can find the Astral Soul Realm, the Astral Soul Realm finds me…'
Once Leon understood that logic, his fixation on the Astral Soul Realm stopped, and his mind became clear.
"Shall we take a bath together before we leave?" Leon suggested to the ladies.
Aria and Darlene glanced at their sweat-stained bodies and messy clothes scattered across the room before they nodded.
A bath was just what they needed.
Shortly after, Leon summoned a bathtub from the Worldspace. Aria filled it with ice before he melted it fire, heating the water to a perfect temperature.
Once he added some fragrant herbs, the bath exuded a pleasant scent.
Then, Leon carried Aria and Darlene into the bath one by one before they enjoyed soaking themselves in the warm bath water together.
"Moments like this are nice," Darlene commented while washing herself with the herb-infused bathwater.
"Then we better enjoy it while we can. Once we return to the Infertile Plains, we might not get many chances like this," Leon stated.
"Mm," Aria and Darlene nodded.
…
Sometime later, Leon left the stone room in a fresh set of clothes with Aria and Darlene. They picked up Duna from her room before meeting Nyfarella in the great hall.
"My Lord, what do you need from me?" Nyfarella asked.
"It's time for us to leave."
Chapter 902 - Returning To The Infertile Plains
"Leaving? Right now, my Lord? But my elite clan members have yet to return—" Nyfarella mentioned with surprise.
She had more to say, but Leon raised a hand gesture to stop her from speaking further.
"Your clan won't be accompanying me. I don't intend to take anyone else back to the Infertile Plains with me besides my women," Leon stated.
Nyfarella felt disappointed after hearing that, especially since the Lord rejected her despite seeing her bare body.
Nevertheless, she had no intention of holding the Lord responsible. The Lord wasn't to blame for something she had acted upon herself.
"I understand, my Lord," Nyfarella replied despondently.
Aria watched the exchange between the two before she narrowed her sharp eyes, sensing something amiss with the mood.
She became suspicious and stared at Leon.
At the same time, Leon felt Aria's stare and felt awkward inwardly. Even so, he did not need to feel guilty since he resisted his lust.
As such, his expression remained calm, as if he didn't sense her stare.
"You don't need to feel disappointed," Leon said to Nyfarella.
"Even if you want to follow me, you still have your responsibilities to your clan members. Right now, your clan members need you to settle them down."
"I understand, my Lord," Nyfarella nodded.
Just as her Lord had said, her clan members needed her more than ever. Now that the men had returned to the clan, she needed to plan their post-trauma treatment.
At the same time, she had to implement new regulations and teach the entire clan about the body forging methods.
"But what about the Black Dragon Clan, my Lord? What should I tell them when they return from their mission with my clan members?" Nyfarella mentioned.
Leon paused for a moment before he replied, "After they subjugate the Great Blackrock Mountains, tell them to conquer the rest of the Starfall Dominion."
"Shadowtail, alone, can come and find me in the Infertile Plain's Darkmoon Tribe to collect the subjugation reward," Leon added.
"Understood, my Lord," Nyfarella nodded. Then, she quickly cupped her hands and prayed, "May have a safe journey and be victorious in all your battles, my Lord!"
Leon nodded.
After infusing recovery herbs into the Dark Fae Clan's water channels and transforming their freshwater into quality healing water, Leon departed with Aria, Darlene, and Duna.
Nevertheless, Leon had no intention of returning the Infertile Plains by foot.
He sent a mental message to Tak-si via their spiritual connection. Then, he had the realm spirit transfer them to the Infertile Plains directly.
…
…
…
Infertile Plains, Darkmoon Tribe
Inside the Chief Palace's Great Hall, Chief Valencia held a meeting with the Venerable Shamans, Half-step Battle Kings, and the chiefs of two other tribes.
However, only one of the chiefs was from the Seven Tribes Alliance, which was Chief Baskara of the Crimsonfog Tribe.
The other chief was Chief Skyhawk of the Sky Sword Tribe.
Together with the Crimsonfog Tribe, they merged with the Darkmoon Tribe and became a more powerful tribe.
Just by looking outside the Chief Palace, everyone can see that Darkmoon City had tripled in size.
They built new districts outside of the pre-existing city wall and formed the city's new outer and inner ring.
Nevertheless, only tents and huts were erected in the new districts outside the city wall.
Even with three weeks, only so much construction can be done with the ongoing threats from Central Region's warring tribes.
"Have the messengers returned with news from the other tribes in the alliance?" Chief Valencia solemnly inquired while she sat on her throne.
"They have," Chief Baskara nodded.
"The Fallen Star Tribe, Cold Raven Tribe, and Clearwater Tribe were adamant on keeping their independence. The Seven Tribes Alliance was formed due to that reason in the first place. However, they ended up merging with the Berserk Dragon Tribe to fend off the Central Region's threats."
"It's good that they didn't stubbornly persist in their independence. It would be foolish of them, considering they are cut off from us," Chief Valencia stated.
After all, the Fallen Star Tribe, Cold Raven Tribe, Clearwater Tribe, and the Berserk Dragon Tribe were located on the eastern side of the Weeping Forest.
"How are our water supplies and food? How much longer can we last?" Chief Valencia inquired after.
"We are still good on our water supply," Chief Skyhawk answered.
"Although less, the Celestial Water Spark's power hasn't been depleted yet. Food, on the other hand, is a big problem. We are running out of rations. It won't last another week. By then, we'll have to starve unless we find a new food source."
After Chief Shyhawk said that, the mood in the Great Hall became heavy.
He had led his Sky Sword Tribe to the southern region to escape the chaos of the central region. But, alas, the situation in the southern region wasn't much better.
It was hard to say what was better: a quick death through murder or a slow death through starvation.
"There's no other way around it," chief Valencia sighed.
"We have always hunted for our meat from the central region. But right now, the conflict between the four King Tribes in the central region is at its peak. The Battle God Palace's third young master has brought us momentary peace during this period. But the moment we step foot in the central region, we'll be swept up in the storm."
"Then what do you suggest we do, Chief Valencia?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman asked thoughtfully.
"Even if we don't starve to death, we'll be too weak to resist once the victor of the central region marches on our doorsteps. I, alone, will not be able to fend off all their attacks. Our warriors need meat to stay strong."
Chief Valencia frowned for a moment before she said, "It seems our only solution to the food shortage lies in the demon's territory."
"Although the demon's territory has plenty of demon beasts to hunt, that place is too heavy in miasma. We'll get sick eating meat from there," Chief Baskara argued.
The atmosphere became heavy once more. But in that exact moment, Leon also stepped inside the great hall with Aria, Darlene, and Duna.
"It's a bit heavy in here, huh?" Leon casually glanced around and commented.
When several people's gazes fell on Leon's figure standing by the entrance, they immediately shot up from their seats in shock.
"Y-young Master Leonhardt!"
Chapter 903 - Temporary Relief
Amidst hall members' shock, there were also joy and disbelief, but mostly joy. The young master's presence immediately dispelled the heavy atmosphere.
"Bahahaha! I knew Young Master Leonhardt wouldn't fall in a place like the Eternal Night Secret Realm!" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman laughed heartily.
Although the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman strongly believed Leon was alive, nothing was more reassuring than seeing the person in the flesh.
"It's great that you made it back alive, Young Master Leonhardt. How did you manage to stay back in the Eternal Night Secret Realm?" asked a Half-step Battle King from the Crimsonfog Tribe.
"I don't think that's important right now, is it?" Leon glanced at the Half-step Battle King calmly.
At the same time, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman and several other members in the hall directed their gazes at the Half-step Battle King disapprovingly.
Daring to question the young master about something that could be regarded as a tight secret right from the start… This person has no tact.
"Young Master Leonhardt is right," Chief Valencia voiced her agreement.
"Since Young Master Leonhardt is here, I hope you can provide some insight into our dilemma. Right now, we are facing a food shortage. The Central Region's conflict is too much for us. Thus, we are thinking of hunting for food sources in the demon's territory."
"What do you think, Young Master Leonhardt?" Chief Valencia asked shortly after.
Although Chief Valencia appeared calm on the surface, she was actually nervous and feeling a bit of relief.
She was part of the majority that didn't believe Young Master Leonhardt was alive. Fortunately, she didn't do anything to the person's maids and adoptive family.
Nevertheless, after Leon heard Chief Valencia's question, he stared at her silently for a moment before asking, "The Teleportation Array… You didn't think about getting food supplies from the Human Domain?"
Chief Valencia opened her mouth before closing them again without speaking. She was at a loss for words, unsure of how to reply.
Naturally, the thought of getting help from the Human Domain crossed her mind on multiple occasions.
However, she always had her misgivings regarding the strength of the Human Domain, considering it could produce someone like the Young Master Leonhardt.
Thus, she feared the Crawford Empire would blame her tribe for the young master's 'death' and become hostile instead.
"Well, I guess you'll need me to mediate between the two sides anyway," Leon added shortly after, not intending to put Chief Valencia on the spot.
"Since there isn't any immediate threat on this side, I'll return to the Human Domain and organize the food supply chain. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but this should relieve your food burden temporarily."
Shortly after Leon spoke, he waved his hand and unloaded a giant sea monster body into the empty center of the hall.
The sea monster's body was quite large but not enough to feed all three tribes for even a single day.
"Of course, this is just a sample," Leon stated. He had enough modesty not to fill the entire hall in the fishy scent of sea monster bodies.
"Take me somewhere I can unload more of these sea monster bodies."
"I'll do it! Follow me, Young Master Leonhardt."
Once Leon made the request, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman immediately volunteered before anyone else could voice their eagerness.
Shortly after Leon nodded, he followed the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman outside the hall. Aria, Darlene, and Duna didn't stay; they followed the two out as well.
…
Silence returned to the hall. However, the heavy atmosphere was long dispelled, thanks to Leon's return.
Many members in the hall slumped back in their seats with a long sigh of relief.
"Our problems were so easily resolved with Young Master Leonhardt's return. No, our problems aren't even real problems with Young Master Leonhardt around," Old Tailor sighed.
"Young Master Leonhardt is more than qualified to lead us all," Chief Skyhawk commented.
Several Venerable Shamans and Half-step Battle Kings nodded in agreement, albeit for different reasons.
While some believed in his charisma, some believed in his raw strength, especially the latter.
Although it was just a brief interaction, the Half-step Battle Kings felt intimidated and overshadowed by the young master's presence.
There was something about his aura that made them cower in submission; it felt grand, majestic, and authoritative—exactly what a mighty warrior should have.
After Chief Valencia summoned some servants to take the giant sea monster body away for processing, she resumed the meeting.
"Since Young Master Leonhardt has resolved our food problem, we'll continue with the regular report," Chief Valencia stated.
All members in the hall nodded.
…
…
…
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman led Leon outside the palace before glancing around at the empty plot of land.
"I think this place will do just fine. What do you think, Young Master Leonhardt?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman asked.
Leon reviewed the area and nodded. It was certainly spacious enough.
He turned his gaze to Aria and Darlene before they immediately understood his silent intention.
Then, they took out numerous sea monster bodies from their interspatial rings, enough to form mountains outside the palace.
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman was mentally prepared, but the sight of so many sea monster bodies pouring out of the ladies' interspatial rings still shocked him.
"With this much sea monster meat, we'll be able to last two months at the very least," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman said with surprise.
Little did the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman know that it was only a fraction of what Aria and Darlene had in their interspatial rings.
Furthermore, Leon could always summon fresh sea monsters directly from the Radiant Heaven Realmship if he wanted.
However, Leon had no intention of exposing his secret.
"Senior One-Eye, what has happened in the last three weeks? Would you mind filling me in on the details while we are here?" Leon requested.
"Your words are wasted on this Old Man, Young Master Leonhardt—No, Lord Leonhardt. You can just call me, One-Eye, my Lord," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman said.
"Very well, One-Eye," Leon agreed.
Chapter 904 - Golden Suanni Clan
Thanks to the Abyssal Wood Demon King's demon core graciously given by Lord Leonhardt, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman had swift ascended to High-rank Battle King.
But even after stepping into the realm of Paragons, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman could not even begin to imagine the depths of Lord Leonhardt's strength.
Just by sensing Lord Leonhardt's authoritative aura, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman could tell Lord Leonhardt had grown extremely powerful since they last met.
"During the first week of our return, our tribes were constantly harassed by High-rank tribes from the Central Region," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman recounted.
"Some came on behalf of one of the four King-rank tribes while others came seeking to assimilate our tribe to compete with the King-rank tribes. At that time, the third young master of the Battle God Palace was still with us."
"Thanks to Young Master Zion's words, the Central Region's tribes stopped coming to bother us. However, that also made the various competing High-rank tribes more desperate. As a result, they became more aggressive and cruel in their approach with tribes from the three regions."
"Many lives were lost in battle. Around that time, Chief Skyhawk led his tribe away from the western region and merged with the Darkmoon Tribe and the Crimsonfog Tribe. Afterward, the High-rank tribe, Golden Suanni Tribe, united the Western Region's tribes and rose to prominence."
"They resisted the King-rank Tribe, Mighty Whitewolf Tribe's invasion, on multiple occasions and firmly stood their ground against the Central Region. Until now, no one knew the Golden Suanni Tribe could be so powerful."
"There are quite a few among us that thinks the Golden Suanni Tribe can stand toe-to-toe with any one of the King-rank tribes without borrowing their vassal tribes' strength. They have quite a high chance of winning the battle for hegemony if you don't include us in the equation."
"The Golden Suanni Tribe is more than qualified to be the fifth King-rank tribe in the Infertile Plains, huh?" Leon assumed, his eyes glinted with strong interest.
"Yes, my Lord," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman confirmed.
There are four King-rank tribes in the Central Region, but only one Golden Suanni Tribe in the Western Region.
The Golden Suanni Tribe has no competition after it swiftly united the Western Region. But, on the other hand, the four King-rank tribes in the Central Region are still competing with each other.
By the time any one of the four King-rank tribe become victorious in uniting the Central Region, they'll be too weak to compete with the Golden Suanni Tribe.
However, it wasn't just the Golden Suanni Tribe in the Western Region.
There are similar situations in the Infertile Plain's Northern and Eastern regions. Unfortunately, those two regions were too distant for the Seven Tribes Alliance to collect much intel.
Leon rubbed his chin thoughtfully before asking, "How much do you know about the Golden Suanni Tribe? Do you know why they are so strong?"
"I heard from Chief Skyhawk that the Golden Suanni Tribe is located in the westernmost part of the Infertile Plain's Western Region. Further west of the Infertile Plains is a jungle. Supposedly, the Golden Suanni Tribe made a pact with a clan of Golden Suannis that lives in there."
"I believe the Golden Suanni Tribe's strength is mainly attributed to the Golden Suannis that assist them in battle," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman assumed.
"Oh?" Leon uttered, raising an eyebrow.
He was even more interested after hearing about the Golden Suannis.
Suppose the Golden Suanni Clan in the western jungle has any relation to the Golden Suanni God Beast. In that case, their blood essence could be just what he needed to advance his bone-forging phase.
However, Leon suddenly frowned at the end of the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's report.
"The situation in the Central Region is so fierce and chaotic. We are talking about warriors getting killed left and right here. Even if the Infertile Plains has a hegemon, it wouldn't have the strength to seize fertile land outside the Infertile Plains for long."
"The Battle God Palace has been watching this situation the entire time and not doing anything about it?" Leon questioned the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman with doubt.
"That's right, my Lord," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman nodded.
"I also find this strange. The Battle God Palace is being too indifferent in this matter. There's no doubt that the Battle God Palace is the unofficial ruling power in the Infertile Plains. The Battle God just has to give his words, and many tribes would rally under the Battle God's banner."
"However, there hasn't been a single word from the Battle God," Leon stated with a contemplating look.
"That's right, my Lord. We haven't heard a single piece of news from the Battle God in the past dozen years," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman stated.
Suddenly, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's eyes flickered with alarm before he asked, "Do you think something happened to the Battle God, my Lord?"
"Well, I wouldn't exclude it from the list of possibilities," Leon casually replied.
"Even if something happened to Battle God, the Battle God Palace still exists. Do the King-rank tribes think they can lord over all the tribes in the Battle God Palace's presence?" Aria raised a crucial point.
"As Senior One-Eye mentioned, the Battle God Palace is the unofficial ruling power in the Infertile Plains. So if the King-rank tribes are trying to become the new hegemon despite knowing that, isn't this still considered treason?"
"Treason or not is not little importance in the Infertile Plains," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman replied.
"Although we try to be strict with our principles, only strength truly matters here. Thus, it shouldn't be a surprise that even the High-rank tribes are testing their luck. Their courage can be explained if they are aware that something truly happened to the Battle God."
While they were discussing, Leon suddenly shifted his gaze to the north.
"What's the matter, my Lord? Is there something in the north?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman asked with surprise.
He glanced towards the north curiously, but they weren't by the plateau's northern edge. Thus, he couldn't tell what was in the north of the Darkmoon Tribe.
"We have visitors," Leon stated.
A short while later, they immediately spotted a messenger rushing up the plateau to report to Chief Valencia in the palace.