Chapter 416: Return

Real men never look back at explosions.

Lin Ke did not go to see the Sixth-Level Sage's family stronghold, which he had built his whole life, turn to ash in self-detonation.

Just as his mood at this moment lacked any hint of joy.

To Lin Ke, killing a Sixth-Level Sage in such an easy way, as if trampling an ant, is truly not something to be happy about.

This matter could even be said to make Lin Ke extremely disgusted.

There are many reasons.

The biggest one, of course, is that it makes Lin Ke feel like he himself is also an ant.

Under the Saint, all are ants!

The fact that he did this despite knowing he would dislike it also has a reason.

To avenge Christina and let Garuna live without hatred is one reason.

But it is not the main reason; the main reasons are two.

First, Lin Ke wanted to test the performance of this Starlight Vessel, and by doing so verify a suspicion in his mind.

Now the test is over; the Starlight Vessel's performance is extremely high, high enough to easily crush a Sixth-Level Sage and destroy his lifetime achievements.

The suspicion has also been verified.

When the Michel Grand Sage Tower launched a surprise attack on the Rui Wo Suo Si Academy's vanguard, a small elite star fleet simultaneously attempted to encircle this Starlight Vessel.

Lin Ke, with great effort, managed not to be successfully encircled.

However, the fact proves that, with this Starlight Vessel's performance, if it had gone all-out then, not only would escape have been possible, but wiping out that small elite star fleet would also be no problem.

Luo Te Si Nuo tampered with it via owner authorization.

Although the motive is unknown, the purpose is definitely to let Lin Ke and Mo Li serve as bait.

Of course, this matter is already over.

Even after verifying his suspicion, Lin Ke cannot do anything about it.

It's just that he is not so muddle-headed.

Who says being alive requires being rare and muddle-headed?

Lin Ke, however, refuses.

Second, Lin Ke wanted to personally feel just how great the gap is between a Saint and those beneath a Saint.

This Starlight Vessel naturally falls far short of a Saint.

Not to mention one ship; even a hundred or a thousand ships cannot compare.

But being able to barely serve as a Saint's mount, its status is definitely still high.

From the actual performance of this Starlight Vessel, one can roughly infer what kind of power a Saint possesses.

Taking the destruction of a Sixth-Level Sage and his lifetime work, with no room for resistance, as the 'price,' Lin Ke personally felt just how great the gap is between a Saint and those beneath a Saint.

Still that saying: Under the Saint, all are ants!

Thus, Lin Ke does not know whether his mood should be celebratory or what.

After all, it's hard to find a second intermediate mage in a situation like his.

One can be a cheap brother with blood ties to a Saint's reincarnation, can interact many times with the Void Tranquil Heavenly Master who is infinitely close to a Saint's rank, and can also talk face-to-face with an Elemental Saint.

Not saying there's no precedent before, nor that there will be no successor after.

At least it's hard to find a contemporary reference; it's extremely rare.

"Huh..."

After wandering thoughts for a while, Lin Ke suppressed the restless miscellaneous thoughts in his heart and began to attend to business.

He first notified the acting dean of Rui Wo Suo Si Academy, Ms Li Sang De La, of his having killed a Sixth-Level Sage of Shadow City.

After all, after Michel District was renamed to Rui Wo Suo Si District, Shadow City became a mage force under the administration of Rui Wo Suo Si Academy.

Lin Ke's complicated relationship with Rui Wo Suo Si Academy and the Di Ao Man De Family was not exposed to the public.

In the public's view, Linke Grand is a highly valued member of Rui Wo Suo Si Academy.

Exterminating a Sixth-Level Sage and his entire clan in Shadow City is also no small matter.

Without clarifying the matter, who dares to be certain that Lin Ke's actions do not represent the will of Rui Wo Suo Si Academy?

What if Rui Wo Suo Si Academy really had the idea to make a move on Shadow City?

The motive is also readily available; no need to think up something on the spot.

After all, not long ago, Rui Wo Suo Si Academy suffered a major loss at the hands of the Michel Grand Sage Tower.

Turning to Shadow City, which once had an extremely close relationship with the Michel Grand Sage Tower, to vent anger is also understandable.

Throwing out a hot potato, Lin Ke no longer concerns himself with how Ms Li Sang De La will react or act upon receiving the news, and continues to focus on his own affairs.

After entering several strings of commands on the Starlight Vessel's control panel, not long later Lin Ke obtained an edited video.

From the moment the Starlight Vessel suddenly appeared near the Sixth-Level Sage's family stronghold, to the point where the Sixth-Level Sage and his family stronghold turned to flying ash in self-detonation.

The climax in the middle was precisely the scene where the Sixth-Level Sage wanted to fight for his life but was unable to resist.

After quickly browsing the video once and confirming it was exactly what he wanted, Lin Ke sent this edited video to Garuna.

Along with the video, there was also a sentence from Lin Ke.

"Garuna, don't live in hatred; grow up happily."

This video and these words might also be considered Lin Ke's birthday gift to Garuna.

After finishing these two things, Lin Ke adjusted his mood in a very short time.

From now on, he will truly embark on the road to confront the 'predetermined fate'.

Everyone must take responsibility for their choices and bear the corresponding consequences.

When Lin Ke chooses to face the 'predetermined fate' alone, he must have loneliness as a companion and solitude as a friend.

Set the new destination coordinates, the star‑skiff entered the highest‑grade stealth navigation mode, like an invisible, intangible, undetectable ghost, moving through the starry sky.

Lin Ke also resembled a ghost, temporarily severing contact with the mage civilization.

The native land of the mage world, Ruowuosuo Academy.

After receiving Lin Ke's message, Lisangdela Diomande showed no emotional fluctuation.

Not occupying the position, do not plan its governance.

Before serving as acting president of Ruowuosuo Academy, Lisangdela Diomande did not really understand many of her second brother Fulisite's decisions and actions, and she did not hold them in high regard.

She had always thought that Fulisite lived too restrained, even to the point of feeling stifled.

Not at all uninhibited and carefree.

Unlike her, who, upon saying she would divorce the great‑grandchild of the Central Earth True Spirit Sage, would just go ahead and divorce.

She said she would not give Shanduola's custody to the other party, and indeed she did not give Shanduola's custody to the other party.

But after becoming acting president, with all the affairs of the Ruowuosuo Academy's elementary, intermediate, and main colleges, numerous businesses, numerous families, numerous partners, and numerous enemies falling on her shoulders alone, Lisangdela finally understood why her second brother Fulisite had been so restrained all these years, even to the point of feeling stifled. Shouldering a heavy burden, one truly cannot live freely and uninhibitedly!

Linke Grand's unexpected action, taken without even a prior greeting, although it aligned with a plan the academy and family were about to launch, was indeed a major mishap.

In the past, Lisangdela's first reaction would definitely have been to tell Lin Ke to clean up his own mess.

But now, Lisangdela's first reaction is to seize this opportunity to launch that plan ahead of time.

Strike first to seize the initiative, hit hard with a blunt blow, then take and demand as one pleases!

While Lisangdela was scurrying about like a fly and a dog, Galona also received the birthday gift Lin Ke sent.

After watching the video once, Galona deleted it completely with a blank expression.

Christina is dead, her enemy who killed her, that sixth‑level sage, is also dead—so truly there is no one left to avenge, right?

But there is.

Shadow City is Galona's target of revenge!

"Father."

Galona came to the bedroom's floor‑to‑ceiling window, watching her younger sister Mellia playing happily on the lawn, her right index finger lightly tapping her left wrist.

There is a faint pattern there that one would not notice unless looking closely.

Rubbing that faint pattern, Galona murmured: "Father, the special armorset you tailor‑made for me is called 'Shadow Magic Serpent's Bite.' Isn't Shadow City's pride precisely the series of research achievements based on the Shadow Magic Serpent race? I was born to destroy Shadow City!"

If Lin Ke heard these words, he might come to a deeper understanding of "predestined fate," and then develop a stronger obsession with breaking that fate.

At the same time, he could better comprehend why the mage civilization acknowledges the existence of fate but does not believe in it.

However, Lin Ke has already drifted far from the mage world's homeland and cannot hear Galona's muttering.

Like a ghost, doing everything possible to evade all mage‑civilization detection, Lin Ke boarded the star‑skiff and quietly arrived at a star region he had not visited in a long time.

In this star region, the High Council has placed a star‑fort to monitor the special ruin world that links the universe of the mage civilization with that of the divine‑spirit civilization.

After the passage between the two universes opened, that special ruin world disappeared.

Perhaps it became part of the passage between the two universes, perhaps it became the natal world of Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke, or perhaps it simply vanished—who can say for sure?

However, regardless of which outcome occurs, it does not affect the fact that this star region has fallen out of attention.

Or put another way, aside from a few mages and mage factions with ulterior motives, hardly anyone still pays attention to this star region.

Throughout the journey, Lin Ke activated the star‑skiff's highest‑grade stealth navigation mode precisely so that those scheming mages and mage factions would not discover his whereabouts.

As for the five sages of the High Council and the Xu Jing Heavenly Master, Lin Ke did not bother to guard against their thoughts.

Having personally experienced the vast gap between sages and those beneath them, this is all the more true.

It cannot be concealed.

At Lin Ke's command, the star‑skiff activated its full‑power detection mode to scan for any hidden units nearby.

He who travels a hundred miles is only halfway there at ninety.

It took half a month of stealth travel to get here, avoiding countless detections along the way, but we cannot afford to be exposed at the final moment.

After patiently waiting for three rounds of detection, confirming that no hidden units were nearby and that his actions would not fall into the sight of scheming mages or mage factions, Lin Ke stopped waiting and acted decisively.

The star‑skiff arrived near the coordinates of the special ruin world's location.

With a thought, Lin Ke's natal armorset instantly appeared, switching to the mode of ultimate defense and ultimate survival, then he disembarked from the star‑skiff and flew alone toward the coordinates of the special ruin world.

During the flight, Lin Ke closed his eyes and aroused his own life‑light.

The concept of "life" comes from the divine‑spirit civilization.

The concept of "life‑light" is likewise from that civilization.

Although the mage civilization excels most at learning, integrating, and sublimating, Lin Ke has also incorporated this into his instinct through continual growth.

However, only half a month has passed since Lin Ke, with the help of the Xu Jing Heavenly Master, entered the river of time and manifested his life‑light.

Trying to actively provoke his own life‑light in a purely mage‑style way within such a short time is not easy.

Fortunately, Lin Ke is not someone who lacks adaptability.

Since he cannot fully achieve this in a purely mage manner, he will compromise.

First achieve it by other means, then gradually "localize" it.

From the abilities he has mastered, Lin Ke selected the one from the human‑immortal martial world's "see‑god" realm: "Break the void, and you can see the divine."

"Seeing the divine" can also be understood as "clarifying the mind and perceiving the nature."

Moreover, human‑immortal martial artists cultivate essence, energy, and spirit together; in the first four realms—vital force, condensing truth, returning to unity, and penetrating emptiness—they practice life‑craft.

Thus both life and fate are fulfilled.

Manifesting one's own life‑light then becomes simple.

Counting this occasion, the experience and gains from the human‑immortal martial world have already helped Lin Ke a great deal for the third time.

All experience is wealth; this is no falsehood.

A faint glow rose from Lin Ke's body; as he continually flew toward the center of the special ruin world's coordinates, it pulsed like a breath, constantly adjusting its flickering rhythm.

This scene is extremely similar to what happened when Lin Ke was kept by the Void Tranquil Heavenly Master in the Time River.

The difference is, in the Time River, what resonated with or drove the rhythm of Lin Ke's life light was the flowing time; here, what resonates or drives it is still unknown.

Lin Ke flew slowly, carefully comprehending, and was not in a hurry.

Thus, more than three hours passed.

At the time when, even with Lin Ke's deliberately slowed flight speed, he would have reached the coordinates presumed to be the center of the Special Ruins World, the change Lin Ke had been anticipating arrived.

The faint light turned from breath into a whisper.

Lin Ke focused his attention to listen.

Not long after, Lin Ke clearly heard the content of the faint light's whisper, and then felt quite surprised.

He opened his eyes and looked around.

The surroundings were dark, lightless void, with no sign of the Special Ruins World and no other celestial bodies.

The concealed Starry Sky Vessel hovered not far away.

With just a thought, Lin Ke could use the pre-set transfer function to return to the Starry Sky Vessel.

Everything was real and not illusory, and still belonged to the universe of the Wizard Civilization.

It was not like when the Special Ruins World existed, being in a state of superposition at the boundary of the two universes.

However, just as Lin Ke had clearly heard the faint light's whisper, he suddenly felt that he had entered that superposition state.

He was both in the universe of the Wizard Civilization and in the universe of the Immortal-Deity Civilization.

He was both in the present and also in the past and future.

This feeling was quite wonderful, somewhat like what the Buddhist Sect of Lin Ke's past life spoke of as the three horizontal and three vertical worlds, and also somewhat like what the Ancestral Heavenly Master had mentioned, the sensation of being at the source of the Time River.

In short, the gains were abundant.