Chapter 53: Hodan

"Aikesi." Linlei's voice came from behind.

Aikesi turned and saw Linlei walking toward him, accompanied by an old man with white hair and blue eyes.

The old man wore a plain robe, his face aged, yet his eyes were startlingly bright, like a sea of stars, bottomless. Most strangely, though he stood right there, Aikesi could feel absolutely no aura from him.

"This is Mr. Hodan," Linlei introduced. "He wants to talk with you."

Hodan? Aikesi's heart jolted. The Plane Warden from the original work, a member of the Hell Renolds family. This seemingly unremarkable old man was actually the existence standing at the very peak of the Yunluo Continent. His strength was unfathomable; he was a mortal enemy of the Four Divine Beast families. Had it not been for Beibei's connection and the fear of angering Beilute, Linlei would have long been thrown into the Plane Prison.

"Mr. Hodan." Aikesi bowed slightly, his attitude respectful but neither humble nor arrogant.

Hodan sized him up from head to toe, his gaze lingering on him for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "A Fire Saint Magus, not bad, not bad."

Aikesi felt a chill in his heart. He

"Sir, you flatter me." He remained outwardly calm, his expression unchanged. Reading novels every day to pass the time is good, 🆃🆃🅺🅢. 🆃🆆 extremely smooth.

Hodan waved his hand: "No need to be modest. I have lived so many years; I have seen not a thousand but eight hundred Saint Domain experts. Those who have touched the Laws at such a young age can be counted on one hand. You have great hope of becoming a God in the future."

Become a God?

These two words were like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring up ripples upon the banquet. The nobles around heard these two words and turned their heads. Dozens of gazes fell upon Aikesi, some envious, some jealous, some awestruck.

Becoming a God—that was a realm countless cultivators dreamed of but could never reach in their entire lives. And now, this young man who looked to be barely in his twenties was declared by an unfathomable old man to have "great hope"?

Aikesi felt those gazes, his expression unchanged. He knew Hodan's words were not entirely well-intentioned; sometimes the higher you are lifted, the harder you fall. But at this moment, he could only accept it openly.

"Let's go; this is not the place to talk." Hodan turned and walked out, his steps leisurely yet carrying an undeniable momentum.

Linlei and Aikesi exchanged a glance and followed. Beibei also jumped off the table, darting onto Aikesi's shoulder in a few bounds, his small eyes rolling as he stared at Hodan.

The backyard training ground, moonlight like water.

This was a ground specially opened for cultivators by the Earl Mansion. The floor was paved with thick bluestone, and emerald bamboo was planted all around. The night wind blew, the bamboo leaves rustling; moonlight filtered through the bamboo shadows, casting mottled light and shadow on the ground.

Hodan stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the starry sky. His white hair shimmered with a silver luster under the moonlight, his robe fluttering gently in the wind; the whole person seemed to have merged into the night.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke: "Do you know how vast this heaven and earth is?"

The voice was very soft, yet every word was clear, as if coming from all directions at once, or as if ringing directly in the heart.

Neither Linlei nor Aikesi spoke.

"The Yunluo Continent you see is merely a speck of dust." Hodan's voice carried a distant, weathered tone. "Above it lie countless Material Planes, seven Divine Planes, and four Zhi Gao Weimian. Every plane is boundless. There, the comprehension of Laws is clearer, resources are more abundant, experts are like clouds, and opportunities are everywhere. Only by going there can one have higher pursuits."

Linlei's heart jolted.

Aikesi, however, had expected this. He knew Hodan was speaking the truth and knew what Hodan would say next. But he did not show it, listening quietly like a young man hearing these things for the first time.

"I am the Plane Warden of the Yunluo Continent." Hodan turned, his gaze sweeping over both their faces. "My duty is to tell those who have reached the Saint Domain that there is another path they can take. This path is not easy; it is full of danger and the unknown. But only by walking this path can one have a chance to touch the true peak."

Linlei frowned: "Another path?"

"Leave the Yunluo Continent and head to higher planes." Hodan's gaze lingered on him for a moment. "There, there are vaster heavens and earth, stronger opponents, and more exciting encounters. Of course, there is also greater danger. Every step could be a dead end; every moment could lead to eternal damnation. But true experts never stop moving because of danger."

Linlei fell silent. He thought of his family's ancestors, of those Saint Domain experts who had gone and never returned. Those ancestors who had "disappeared" in family legends had not died; they had left. They had chosen that path and walked toward a vaster heaven and earth.

"I have heard of Diyu," Linlei spoke, his voice steady. "There are our family's ancestors. The most outstanding Warriors of the Baruch Clan across generations have all chosen to go to Diyu."

"Correct." Hodan nodded, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. "The ancestors of the Dragonblood Warrior families mostly went to Diyu. That is the destiny of warriors, a proving ground for experts. If you are willing, I can send you there. With your talent and bloodline, as long as you do not perish along the way, you will surely make a name for yourself in Diyu."

Linlei fell silent.

Moonlight fell on his face, reflecting his resolute contours. His fingers clenched slightly, then relaxed, repeating this several times.

"I refuse." Linlei's voice was very calm, calm without a single ripple.

Hodan looked at him for a long time, then said: "Very well. When you decide to go, come to Beiji Bingyuan to find me. I will wait for you there."

He turned to leave, then suddenly stopped, looking at Aikesi: "What about you? Do you want to go? With your talent, if you go to Diyu or the Fire Shen Weimian now, you could become a God in no time."

Aikesi shook his head, his expression calm: "Now is not the time."

Hodan was stunned, then burst into laughter. The laughter echoed in the night sky, startling the birds roosting in the bamboo forest: "Good, good, good! You two young men, each more interesting than the last. Very well, come find me at Beiji Bingyuan when you change your minds."

Having spoken, he transformed into a streak of light, shooting upward into the sky, disappearing into the night.

The training ground fell silent again.

Linlei and Aikesi stood side by side for a long time without speaking.

In the distance, the Earl Mansion was brightly lit, with laughter and chatter continuous. Those nobles were still toasting and drinking, still discussing the events they had just witnessed, still guessing the identity of that mysterious old man.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

The clamor of the Earl Mansion continued until the late night, and the guests gradually dispersed.

After seeing off the last batch of guests, Linlei returned to the study, where Aikesi was already waiting. Two cups of tea sat on the table, still steaming; the tea fragrance wafted, spreading in the dim light.

"What do you think of Hodan's words?" Linlei sat down and asked directly. He had never liked beating around the bush.

Aikesi lifted his teacup and took a sip, choosing his words carefully: "Most of what he said is fact. Above the Material Planes lie the Zhi Gao Weimian and the Divine Planes; I have heard of these. Moreover, his strength is unfathomable; he has no need to lie to us."

"Then why has not a single ancestor returned?" Linlei frowned; this was the thing he could not figure out. "The Baruch Clan has been passed down for thousands of years; dozens of Dragonblood Warriors went to higher planes. Did not a single one feel unable to let go of the family? Did not a single one want to return for a look?"

Aikesi fell silent for a moment, organizing his thoughts: "Perhaps they cannot return."

"Cannot return?"

"The passages between Material Planes are not so easily opened." Aikesi spoke carefully. "Going might be simple; having a Warden guide you is enough. But returning... 恐怕 requires paying an enormous price. It is even possible that such a price is one ordinary God Level experts cannot bear. Look at the Martial God and the High Priest; they have been Gods for so many years, yet they have not left the Yunluo Continent. It is not that they do not want to leave, but that once they leave, they cannot return."

Linlei nodded thoughtfully.

"These matters, thinking about them now will not make them clear." Linlei lifted his teacup and drained it in one gulp; the bitter tea fragrance spread in his mouth. "First, let us do well what is before us. Wodun's marriage is settled; next, we must go to Hunluan Zhi Ling. That is our battlefield."

Aikesi nodded: "The Radiant Church has operated in Hunluan Zhi Ling for many years; its roots are deep. Uprooting their foundation will not be a matter of a day or two. We need to prepare for a long war."

"So we need strength even more." Linlei stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open. The night wind blew in, carrying the scent of flowers from the garden. "I plan to enter seclusion for a while to push the Earth Pulse one step further. I have already mastered the 256 vibrational waves; what remains is to fuse them and truly comprehend the essence of the Earth Pulse."

"That is exactly what I intend." Aikesi smiled. "I have only just entered the Profound Mystery of Fire Element; there is much yet to comprehend."

The two exchanged a glance; everything was understood without words.

In the days that followed, Linlei and Aikesi were immersed in cultivation, almost to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep.

Linlei locked himself in the training ground, from dawn to deep night, from deep night to dawn; his figure hardly left that bluestone ground.

The 256 vibrational waves were a realm he reached in Yunfeng Town. What he now needed to do was fuse these 256 into one, truly comprehending the essence of the Earth Pulse. This was not a simple addition, but a qualitative transformation. If the 256 vibrational waves were smashing a stone into powder, then the fused Earth Pulse would turn an entire mountain into dust in an instant.

And Aikesi was meditating quietly in the courtyard.

He could even feel the Fire Elements everywhere in the air cheering for him, waiting for his summons.

Days passed like this, one after another.