Chapter 43

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Iloti, clad in a white silk skirt, unfurled her six wings and smiled coolly: “Esteemed readers, please grant me some flower gifts and reviews—I can take you soaring!”

Within the boundless fog of war,

a long rainbow flashed past in an instant,

sweeping a straight line through the fog of war.

The Light Saint-Prince flew swiftly through the fog of war.

A ceaseless tide of war fog dissipated before his advancing figure.

To his left and right stretched nothing but war fog.

His eyes burned with greed.

Suddenly, the golden light guiding him forward vanished.

The Light Saint-Prince halted abruptly.

What’s going on?!

He looked down at the [Heart of Light] in his hand.

He poured power into it, trying to reactivate it.

Yet the [Heart of Light] suddenly went inert—as if on strike—leaving him flustered.

Wha—wha—wha—why isn’t it responding?!

It was working just moments ago!

Desperate, the Light Saint-Prince panicked—then heard a sharp *crack*.

A hairline fracture appeared across the [Heart of Light].

A glaring crack ran across the crystal-clear spherical gem.

Instantly, the Light Saint-Prince panicked.

This was a sacred relic of their Angelic Clan.

Even though his clan had permitted him to bring it into the Myriad Realms Battlefield, if it were damaged…

“Damn it—how could this happen?!”

“Why—why is this happening?!”

The Light Saint-Prince roared in fury.

He refused to accept it; despair twisted his face; tears shimmered in his eyes.

He’d *felt* it—clearly felt it.

Bitter and unwilling to yield, the Light Saint-Prince plunged headlong back into the fog of war.

After a long while, he realized… he was lost.

The war fog in the wildlands receded and reformed.

He couldn’t even locate the direction of his own territory.

Profound humiliation flooded his heart.

As the Saint-Prince of a divine nation,

as an angel embodying light itself,

he actually… had to commit suicide to return to his territory?

“Shit!!!!!!”

His furious roar echoed through the fog of war.

……

Iloti, clad in a fresh white gauzy skirt-and-jacket ensemble conjured by the «Radiant Holy Radiance»,

carried Su Yu through the sky.

She felt those dozens of li had stretched into an absurdly long distance.

Even her wings trembled slightly, making her flight unsteady.

For a Light Myth Angel, this was deeply embarrassing.

But… that Lord fellow…

Iloti gently bit her lower lip, her neck flushing red.

At last, she spotted her territory—and exhaled in quiet relief.

“We’ve reached the territory—let go.”

“Oh—oh.”

Su Yu felt distinctly unsatisfied.

The angel’s pure, sacred aura smelled wonderful.

Not like flowers—whose fragrance, once too strong, becomes cloying and sharp.

An angel’s aura, no matter how rich or intense, never grew sharp or unpleasant,

and its sacred scent could even purify the soul.

“What’s… wrong with you two?”

Sylph eyed Su Yu and Iloti suspiciously.

Her gaze swept up and down Iloti twice,

“Weren’t you two out treasure-hunting?”

“Then how did this happen in just a moment?”

She stared, astonished, at the white gauzy skirt Iloti wore.

Though she knew Iloti’s «Radiant Holy Radiance» could manifest any garment,

within the territory,

She had only ever seen her wearing armor and a nightgown.

A dress like this, however, was the first time she’d seen one.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Su Yu cleared his throat twice and said, “Sylph, today you’ll scout the surrounding area for any other territories—if you find any, mark their coordinates.”

“Oh, alright.” Sylph nodded in agreement,

smiling gently and saying, “Master Su Yu, take care not to strain your body.”

With that, she stepped onto a wisp of clear wind and departed.

What on earth did that mean—“strain your body”?

Su Yu glanced at Iloti standing beside him, his throat suddenly tight.

Her expression was cool and exquisite, her height 1.73 meters, her figure shapely and perfectly curved.

For the first time, he felt this mythic angel… was almost *too* beautiful.

That haughty face he’d always found insufferable,

how had it suddenly become so stunning?

“Um—I’d like to practice using ‘Divine Radiance of Light’?” Su Yu asked tentatively.

“Tonight.”

Iloti turned and walked straight into the [Hero Hall] without looking back,

slamming the door shut with a loud *bang*.

Su Yu scratched his head—had she… gotten angry?

Her loyalty hadn’t dropped… so probably not?

Recalling the facial cleanser earlier, Su Yu swallowed hard.

“Forget it—I’ll go level up!”

Without further hesitation, Su Yu slung the [Yuntian Demon Flame Bow] over his back and descended the mountain.

Newly awakened to cultivation, he was wildly exhilarated.

It felt as though he’d instantly become one of those legendary martial heroes from stories,

no—wait, an immortal!

Mythic cultivation techniques could be refined all the way to the realm of eternal life!

Outside the territory,

Su Yu spotted a monster emerging from the war fog and shot without even glancing.

Thanks to the “Cloud-Heaven” effect of the Cloud-Heaven Demon Flame Bow, his arrows never missed.

As expected,

an arrow coalesced on the drawn bowstring and shot forward with a sharp whistle.

It struck true—killing the target instantly!

The “Dragon’s Might” effect of the Cloud-Heaven Demon Flame Bow

instantly kills any creature below Level 15!

Any monster below Epic rarity is affected by this effect!

[Congratulations! You have slain a Level 5 Black Bear, obtaining 10 Black Bear Meat Pieces and 100 Experience Points.]

[Congratulations! Your level has increased to Level 2, and all attributes have improved.]

[Congratulations! Your combat power has increased by 100 points.]

Feeling his body grow stronger, Su Yu let out a loud cry of exhilaration.

Light energy is not only used for casting spells but also purifies his bodily cells,

strengthening his physical form!

Several days later,

Su Yu leisurely fished by the river, slinging the Cloud-Heaven Demon Flame Bow across his back.

The fishing rod was made of bamboo,

the fishing line spun from dragon tendons.

The bait was a pellet ground from dragon meat.

Lately he’d eaten so much dragon meat he felt nauseous and wanted to reset his palate.

He just wanted to grill an entire fish and eat it.

Yet after two hours of fishing—nearly the whole morning had passed—

not a single fish had taken the bait.

This left him rather irritated.

Suddenly, a splash burst on the water’s surface.

Su Yu’s eyes instantly lit up,

and there, a plump, large fish broke the surface with its head, staring straight at him.

Su Yu: “?”

Tui!

The fish spat a mouthful of saliva right onto Su Yu’s face.

This utterly stunned Su Yu, who’d been sitting calmly on the riverbank.

A surge of anger flared up inside him.

“Damn it!”

A fish dared mock him?

He instantly gathered a bolt of Radiant Holy Light,

and—fwoosh!—

hurled it straight at the fish.

The fish’s eyes bulged wide open,

as if saying, “You little brat—you’ve got no martial virtue!”

“Boom!”

The Radiant Light pierced clean through its body!

Rotten fish flesh exploded outward, and a bloom of blood spread across the river’s surface.

All nearby fish scattered in panic.

Enraged, Su Yu slammed the fishing rod down onto the ground.

Then he looked at his own hand,

where white Radiant Light coalesced at his fingertips.

Though he possessed the Radiant Holy Light skill,

the light could still only be used for attacks.

His control was too poor—he needed far more practice.

“If only I’d applied just a bit less force earlier, shaping it into a needle to skewer the fish instead…”

Su Yu shook his head and stood up.

Having been mocked by a fish, he’d lost all desire to fish.

Less than a hundred meters from the riverbank stood rows of farmhouses.

In Su Yu’s territory,

That way, people could begin work right outside their front doors upon waking.

Farmhouses in the river zone were mainly for cultivating farmland,

making it convenient to channel water for irrigation.

The territory’s population had already surpassed 1,200.

It was high time to develop agriculture seriously—

relying solely on Territory Energy to purchase rice and vegetables

would inevitably lead to terrifyingly escalating consumption as the population grew.

If farmers went hungry, even a loyalty rating of 100 would begin to drop.

And once loyalty slipped below 100, restoring it to 100 again would be extremely difficult.

Su Yu did not want to see that happen.

So, taking advantage of spring, he launched an agricultural development drive.

His developmental trajectory now mirrored that of other lords.

In the early days of formal lordship, nearly all lords prioritized agriculture first—

grain was the very foundation of any territory.

Without Territory Energy,

many territories would likely collapse on their own—even without external attack.

Territory Energy provided convenience and flexibility,

but one couldn’t rely on it for everything.

But one couldn’t rely on territory energy for everything.

If the territory’s population swelled to several hundred thousand—or even over a million—

would it still rely on territorial energy?

That would be like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water.

“Greetings, Lord.”

“Greetings, Lord!”

One farmer after another passed by, and upon spotting Su Yu by the riverbank, greeted him respectfully and cheerfully.

Su Yu waved back in acknowledgment.

“Another air strike?”

Sylph suddenly appeared, smiling brightly as she looked at Su Yu.

“Where did you pick up that phrase?” Su Yu blinked, taken aback.

“Right here.” Sylph patted her Hero Terminal—she could access the forum too, and had recently been studying human culture.

She chuckled and asked Su Yu, “Shall I help you fish?”

Su Yu turned his head aside and said, “I don’t feel like eating fish today.”