Chapter 1012

"Don't daydream, keep pushing forward—you don't have much time left, don't let Tina down."

Immediately after, the Goddess of Eternal Night heard the man's slightly deep and flat voice.

Tina!

Upon hearing those two words, the Goddess of Eternal Night instantly understood!

This man was the one Tina had asked for help!

As for how Tina had asked, or what she had offered, the Goddess of Eternal Night had no time—and wouldn't bother—to investigate.

Yet, after the man mentioned Tina, an unexpected flicker of disappointment passed through the Goddess of Eternal Night's heart.

She didn't even know where this disappointment came from.

If she had time to think carefully, she might have understood the source of this flicker.

It was that, perhaps deep down, she had secretly hoped this man had done all this purely for her.

For her, willing to stand before her and shield her from all enemies!

Even if he did it for her beauty, it might have felt better to her than this—being protected because of Tina!

"What's wrong with me?"

The Goddess of Eternal Night quickly noticed her own anomaly.

Her mindset had changed significantly, seemingly because of the man ahead.

Then, she grew worried again.

The enemies coming to ambush her were numerous and powerful, and one among them was a Fourth-Rank deity with designs on her.

Could he hold them off?

Her gaze fell on the nearby divine realm, and suddenly a thought arose:

Could he also be a Fourth-Rank deity?

But the man gave off no discernible aura, and the Goddess of Eternal Night wasn't certain.

Yet, the confidence radiating from his every gesture made the Goddess of Eternal Night feel his words were trustworthy!

And he was right.

The Goddess of Eternal Night had little time left.

She had already been pushing toward her final breakthrough for some time.

Now was the optimal moment.

Once this window passed, the difficulty of the Goddess of Eternal Night's breakthrough to the Fourth Rank would skyrocket.

So the Goddess of Eternal Night fell silent.

She truly sat down behind him, then fixed her gaze upon him.

His back was tall and majestic—not thin, not overly muscular—but brimming with powerful beauty.

Yes, there was power, and there was beauty.

"If I break through, I shall repay you deeply!"

The Goddess of Eternal Night thought silently.

Then, she gathered all her strength, focused her entire being, and pressed onward toward her final breakthrough.

"My lords, Lan's sacred spirit has reached the Spirit Realm. For one hundred high-grade divine stones, Lan can have the sacred spirit pray to you, opening a channel."

At this moment, Lord Lanxu also arrived in the Spirit Realm.

This fellow, upon arriving in the Spirit Realm, immediately began doing business.

A large number of divine lords agreed.

One hundred high-grade divine stones were nothing to these divine lords.

And Lord Lanxu could bring even more divine lords over—more gods meant greater strength.

As Lord Lanxu's sacred spirit prayed, a flood of divine lords descended through the faith channels, and then they saw the Goddess of Eternal Night behind Lin Yan.

"It's really him!"

Among these divine lords, Lord Tianfeng and Lord Tianlong exchanged a glance—both eyes held a trace of fear.

Then, without a word, they retreated a considerable distance.

"Lord Tianfeng, you were right—the Goddess of Eternal Night truly sought help from the Flame Lord. We'd better stay out of this mess. Let her break through—it's better than dying."

Lord Tianlong whispered to Lord Tianfeng.

"Correct. But say nothing. Let's see if any foolhardy divine lord dares provoke the Flame Lord!"

Lord Tianfeng said coldly.

"I knew the Goddess of Eternal Night had ties to the Flame Lord. Why didn't the Flame Lord act sooner for her? It's ruined me! Let them fight soon—the more unlucky ones, the better. But I wonder who's stronger—the Flame Lord or this black-armored divine lord."

Among these divine lords, Lord Xingluo and Lord Ziyun were clearly present.

But they hid even farther away, terrified of being noticed.

These two divine lords, who had suffered great losses, now desperately hoped the others would clash with Lin Yan.

Those who suffer always wish others suffer more.

It's like a man who lost a thousand coins, feeling utterly miserable—until his friend lost ten thousand, and his mood instantly improved.

For deities, the same logic applies.

"She's still breaking through—what do we do?"

Some divine lords secretly discussed this question.

"Who is the deity in front of her? How dare he stand before her? And whose divine realm is that beside him? When did a Fourth-Rank deity appear in the Spirit Realm?"

One divine lord was utterly confused.

"Unknown, unrecognizable. As long as he isn't Fourth-Rank, it's trivial. The fear is—he might be Fourth-Rank."

Another Divine Lord spoke.

"I know him. More than a month ago, during the Solar Energetic Tide, he produced a large quantity of divine substance and directly purchased special resources near the Spatial Gate from the gods there—resources seemingly used to break through the Fourth Tier."

Finally, a Divine Lord recognized Lin Yan—but did not know his name.

"Don't rush. See how Tianlan Zunzhu acts. The Eternal Night Goddess has repeatedly refused Tianlan Zunzhu; Tianlan Zunzhu will not let this go."

Lianxu Divine Lord's gaze flickered and said.

Tianlan Zunzhu is the Fourth-Tier god who has taken a fancy to the Eternal Night Goddess.

"Zunzhu" is a respectful title for Fourth-Tier gods—it essentially means the same as "Divine Lord."

Among the Heavenly Realm, many peak Third-Tier Divine Lords have heard of Tianlan Zunzhu's name, but not all can recognize him—hence why so many Divine Lords earlier failed to identify him!

Fourth-Tier gods dwell in seclusion; during times of relative peace in the Heavenly Realm, few ever see their true forms.

Lianxu Divine Lord actually recognized him.

To obtain a single drop of Fourth-Tier divine power, this Lianxu Divine Lord must have some background.

As a multitude of Divine Lords descended, and saw Lin Yan pull the Eternal Night Goddess behind him, while she began again to break through the Fourth Tier, the pursuing Tianlan Zunzhu's gaze turned cold.

Yet, Tianlan Zunzhu did not rashly initiate battle.

Because the vast divine realm floating in the sky made him uncertain of Lin Yan's identity and strength.

If the opponent were also a Fourth-Tier god, a rash attack would mean a war between Fourth-Tier powers!

In the Heavenly Realm, Fourth-Tier gods are relatively cautious about starting wars.

Fourth-Tier gods possess countless methods; even if your divine rank is one level higher, you cannot guarantee total domination—and if you cannot swiftly defeat them, the war becomes a war of attrition, dragging both sides into a quagmire.

Countless years of accumulation could be lost because of it.

"Who are you, and why interfere in this matter?"

Tianlan Zunzhu said gravely.

Aside from the few Divine Lords who long knew Lin Yan's identity and strength but kept it tightly hidden, all surrounding Divine Lords stretched their ears, their gazes fixed on Lin Yan.

Lin Yan spoke, calmly uttering four words: "Lord of Flame!"

"Lord of Flame—it's you!"

No sooner had Lin Yan spoken than a Divine Lord's voice rang out.

That Divine Lord's voice carried a hint of anger.

"It's Tiejiao Divine Lord!"

The surrounding Divine Lords turned to look—the speaker was none other than Tiejiao Divine Lord.

"No wonder your Flame Empire attacked our troops—you've long conspired with the Eternal Night Goddess! Lianxu, what are you waiting for? The Eternal Night Goddess has already refused Tianlan Zunzhu—let us teach this pair of dogs a lesson on Tianlan Zunzhu's behalf!"

Tiejiao Divine Lord shouted.

Tianlan Zunzhu said coolly: "Good."