Book 9, His Fame Shakes the World – Chapter 18, Experts of Other Planes
Linley, Emperor Johann, and the others were all puzzled. Who in the world was this mysterious white-haired old man? Even the number one Saint-level expert, Haydson, was incredibly deferential to him.
“Could it be the War God?” Linley secretly wondered.
Most likely, only a Deity could make Haydson be this deferential. And clearly, both Castro and Lanke recognized this person as well. He was most likely the War God.
“Add a chair.” Housekeeper Hiri instructed a nearby servant.
Linley took a step forward. Smiling, he said, “Sir, we two brothers feel extremely honored to have you attend my younger brother’s engagement ceremony. Might I know your name, sir?”
“Me?” The white-haired old man glanced smilingly at Linley. “My name is Hodan [Huo’dan].”
“Hodan?” Linley quickly combed through his memory, but he definitely didn’t recall an expert by the name of Hodan.
“Linley, no need to ask anything else. It is wonderful that Lord Hodan is able to attend today. Let’s all sit down first.” The Monolithic Sword Saint, Haydson, said with a laugh.
Although Linley and Emperor Johann and the others were mystified, they all sat down.
“Milord, let us offer you a toast, milord.” Castro and Lanke both raised their cups.
Milord?
A few things suddenly came to Linley’s awareness.
First of all, most likely only a Deity was capable of making a Saint-level expert address them as ‘milord’. At the same time...if Castro and Lanke addressed him as ‘milord’ and not as ‘Master’, then this person was most likely not the War God.
The continent had five prominent Deities. Linley had already met Dylin and Cesar, while he had yet to meet the High Priest, the War God, and the King of the Forest of Darkness. The white-haired old man should therefore be one of those three.
He was now certain that this man was not the War God.
So this person should be either the High Priest or the King of the Forest of Darkness.
“However, it has been countless years since those two Deities showed themselves. How could Haydson, Castro, and Lanke all recognize him?” Linley refused to believe it.
A Deity-level expert didn’t make appearances so easily.
“Linley.” The white-haired old man named ‘Hodan’ raised his cup. “Come, let us toast each other.”
Linley hurriedly raised his cup.
“When I see you, Linley, I think about the past affairs of your Baruch clan and those several Dragonblood Warriors. Haha...unexpectedly, several thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye.” Hodan laughed merrily.
These words caused Linley’s heart to twitch, hard.
“Those several Dragonblood Warriors of the Baruch clan? Thousands of years ago?” Linley looked at Hodan with confusion.
In his own clan’s history books, there had been three generations of Dragonblood Warriors, but later on a thousand years would pass between each generation of Dragonblood Warriors.
But this Hodan was saying that thousands of years ago, he had met several Dragonblood Warriors?
“I didn’t know that Elder Hodan knew the ancestors of my clan.” Linley laughed.
“Of course. Your clan leader, Baruch, really is a formidable fellow.” Hodan said with feeling. “But your Baruch clan has really decayed. In the past, when you had dozens of Dragonblood Warriors, who would dare offend you? Such a pity, such a pity...”
Linley stared.
“Dozens of Dragonblood Warriors?” Linley and Wharton both looked at Hodan in shock.
“What, is that surprising?” Hodan looked at Linley and Wharton.
Haydson hurriedly said, “Milord, it would be best if you discuss this somewhere else. There are too many people here.” It was best if they didn’t reveal these secrets to the ordinary nobles.
“It is fine. Only the people at this table can hear us. As for the people outside of it, no matter how loudly we speak, they won’t be able to overhear anything.” Hodan chortled.
There were eight people at this table. Aside from Wharton, Emperor Johann, and Monroe Dawson, the others all possessed at least Saint-level power, with the white-haired old man’s power being immeasurably deeper.
“Dozens of Dragonblood Warriors?”
Linley and Wharton could hardly dare to believe it.
Their ancestral records were very clear; the first three generations of their clan produced three Dragonblood Warriors, after which a thousand years would pass between Dragonblood Warriors. In total, there had been only five. How could there have been dozens of Dragonblood Warriors a few thousand years back?”
“The Four Supreme Warrior clans...alas. All have decayed to a sorry state. In the past, the Four Supreme Warrior clans were quite glorious.” Hodan said with emotion.
Linley suddenly thought of something.
He remembered how in the ‘Secret Dragonblood Manual’, there were instructions on the second way by which one could become a Dragonblood Warrior; drinking live dragon’s blood. But based on that manual, all three Dragonblood Warriors were natural-born Dragonblood Warriors.
If the second method had never been used successfully, why would the Secret Dragonblood Manual record it?
In the past, both Linley and Doehring Cowart had suspected that the manual had been altered. His clan’s history should probably have included examples of Dragonblood Warriors who were produced via drinking live dragon’s blood.
“But I didn’t expect there were dozens!” Both Linley and Wharton felt extremely shocked internally.
“Oh, that little girl named Nina is coming over.” The white-haired old man, Hodan, beamed, causing Linley and the other shocked participants to turn and look.
Linley and the others all stood up, and Wharton immediately went over to welcome Nina.
Holding hands, Wharton and Nina went from table to table, toasting the guests. But right now, both Wharton and Linley, who remained at his seat, felt their minds to be in a state of utter confusion.
Their clan’s history clearly wasn’t as simple as they had imagined.
In addition...
Saint-level experts had extremely long lifespans. How could it be that not a single Dragonblood Warrior in their clan was remaining? And not just their clan; even the Undying Warrior clan, the Violetflame Warrior clan, and the Tigerstripe Warrior clan had seen the same thing. All of the Four Supreme Warrior clans had bizarrely collapsed.
“Secret...” Linley understood that the history of the continent definitely contained many hidden secrets that were different from the official accounts.
For example, the King of Killers, Cesar, had once told Linley that five thousand years ago, many experts from other planes of existence had descended to the plane of the Yulan continent. But in the history books, there was no such thing.
Linley found himself somewhat mentally disengaged as the engagement ceremony continued. He kept on thinking about these things.
He even wanted to have a private chat with that white-haired old man named Hodan.
Clearly, this Hodan person knew many things about the affairs of the past.
After dinner, the various nobles in the main hall were chatting idly. At this time, Linley, who had grown frantic with impatience, suddenly heard a sentence that was as beautiful as music from the heavens.
“Linley, come with me. I have something to discuss with you.”
Hodan actually reached out to Linley and actively asked to speak to him privately.
Wharton looked at his older brother, and Linley instructed, “Wharton, you stay here. Afterwards, go spend some time with Nina. As for Mr. Hodan, I’ll speak with him.” As he spoke, Linley followed Hodan out of the main hall.
Haydson, Castro, and Lanke all glanced at each other.
“I wonder what Linley will decide.” Haydson sighed with emotion.
Hodan and Linley left the main hall. While walking, Hodan said, “Linley, where are those two Saint-level experts of yours? Call them over as well.”
Linley was startled.
How did this Hodan know everything?
Hodan knew the names of Wharton and Nina, and he also knew that Linley had two magical beasts. He even knew that Bebe was a Saint-level magical beast.
Linley didn’t try to deny anything. He immediately spiritually contacted Bebe and Haeru, calling them over. Since there were Saint-level experts present today, Linley hadn’t allowed Bebe or Haeru to go to the main hall.
“Let’s go to the training grounds behind the manor. There’s nobody there.” Hodan chuckled.
“Grooooowl.”
Haeru and Bebe arrived by Linley’s side.
“Squeaaaak!” Bebe continued to pretend.
“Little fellow, I know that you are a Saint-level magical beast. Stop squeaking.” Hodan laughed as he reached out to rub Bebe on the head. Bebe wanted to move aside, but to his astonishment, he found that it was impossible for him to move. He had no choice but to allow Hodan to rub his head.
Linley was secretly shocked.
Without question, Hodan was a Deity-level expert.
“He really is a Deity. How many Deities does the continent have?” Linley thought to himself, while at the same time, he followed Hodan to the training grounds.
“Boss, who is that old fellow? How is he so powerful?” Bebe didn’t dare to be too playful right now, appearing very obedient.
Haeru obediently followed by Linley’s side as well.
“Close the door first. Without my orders, no one is to be permitted entry.” Linley instructed the servants, and then Hodan headed directly to a stone bench and sat down.
“You can sit as well.” Hodan pointed to another seat opposite from him.
Linley sat down obediently, then said humbly, “Mr. Hodan, I am totally lost right now. Can you please provide me with guidance?”
“The reason I came today is primarily for the sake of your two magical beasts.” Hodan smiled. “Of course, you and those three other Undying Warriors who possess the Saint-level of power can also just barely be considered qualified to be worthy of being considered my targets.”
“Hrm?” Linley looked at Hodan with confusion.
Hodan smiled. “Linley, in the countless years of the Yulan continent’s history, there have been countless geniuses as well. Even if there is only one every century, in a hundred thousand years, that means there have been a thousand. But right now, how many Saint-level experts exist in the Yulan continent? Each Empire only has a few dozen.”
“Saint-level experts can live for over a hundred thousand years?” Linley said in shock.
“Saint-level experts, so long as they aren’t killed, can easily live a hundred thousand years.” Hodan laughed calmly. “Upon reaching the Saint-level, you are virtually immortal and immune to aging. However, you can still be killed, of course.”
Linley was also puzzled.
If this was the case, why were there so few Saint-level experts? After all, the Yulan continent definitely saw a new Saint-level expert every century.
“Then what is the reason?” Linley asked.
“The reason is...they’ve gone to other planes.” Hodan smiled.
“Other planes?” Linley started.
But then, Linley suddenly understood, and he hurriedly asked, “Could it be that the ancestors of the Baruch clan have also gone to other planes?”
“Right. Those dozens of Dragonblood Warriors have all gone to the ‘Infernal Realm’, one of the Four Higher Planes. In the past, I even visited your ancestor, Baruch, in the Infernal Realm and drank with him.” Hodan laughed heartily.
“The Infernal Realm. Mr. Hodan, you come from the Infernal Realm?” Linley felt as though the secrets of the universe were unfolding before his very eyes.
Hodan nodded. “Right. Linley, let me put it to you like this...in the ordinary, material world, once a life form has reached the Saint-level, they will be qualified to enter the Four Higher Planes, or perhaps the Seven Divine Planes. They will be permitted to train and live there.”
“In the history of the Yulan continent, many Saint-level experts have already left the Yulan continent and chosen to enter the Four Higher Planes or the Seven Divine Planes.” Hodan smiled.
Linley nodded to show he understood.
“Technically speaking, you and those other three Undying Warriors, despite possessing Saint-level power, aren’t yet at the Saint-level in your human forms. There was actually no need for me to hurry over here to speak to you. My primary targets were those two Saint-level magical beasts of yours. They have both reached the Saint-level. They are allowed to choose...to continue to live here at the Yulan continent, or to enter the other planes.”
Hodan quickly said with a hint of enticement, “The Four Higher Planes are much better than the Seven Divine Planes. In the ‘Infernal Realm’, for example, experts as are common as the clouds, and Saint-level experts are nothing more than ordinary people. In that place you will have excellent training opportunities, and treasures such as interspatial rings are as common as water. There’s a terrifyingly large amount of treasures there.”
Linley understood.
Only upon reaching the Saint-level was one qualified to enter the Higher Planes. Naturally, the Four Higher Planes would have experts everywhere, with Saint-level experts being nothing more than commoners.
“I’m not going. I’m staying with the Boss.” Bebe shook his head.
“I’m not going either. I’m staying with my master.” Haeru said.
Hodan looked at Linley. Laughing, he said, “Linley, your real power has already reached the peak-stage of the Saint-level. You are completely qualified to enter the Higher Planes. Do you wish to go?”
Linley didn’t respond. Instead, he looked at Hodan. “Mr. Hodan, who are you, exactly?”
“Me? Oh. I forgot to tell you.” Hodan smiled at Linley. “I am the Planar Overseer for the Yulan continent.”