Chapter 375: The Ancestor
Thorne Merlin spun around in terror...
He saw two elderly men approaching from afar. One of them was none other than Patriarch Hoffland, though at this moment, Hoffland was slightly hunched, leading the way with a posture bordering on servility. The old man following behind him appeared to be in his sixties, but the aura radiating from him was terrifying...
"My god..." Thorne Merlin gasped, sucking in a cold breath.
To possess such a terrifying power, and to command such respect from Hoffland...
The identity of this old man was all but certain.
There could be no other possibility—he was one of the Ancestors from the Merlin Ancestral Grounds.
At that moment, Thorne Merlin wasn’t the only one who realized this. Among the dozen or so elders watching the battle, most instantly dropped to their knees. The Merlin Family had stood tall in Auckland for a thousand years, seemingly invincible and full of talent in the eyes of outsiders, but the true core members knew it was all because of the Ancestors dwelling within the Merlin Ancestral Grounds...
Perhaps decades, centuries, or even longer would pass without a single Ancestor leaving the Ancestral Grounds, but every time one emerged, the entire Merlin Family—and all of Auckland—would be shaken to the core...
Everyone remembered clearly—the last time an Ancestor entered the Merlin Ancestral Estate was over three hundred years ago. Back then, Thornton Merlin had yet to rise, and the Merlin Family was being suppressed by a joint force of the Charlotte Family and the Watson Family, teetering on the brink of losing its place among Auckland’s Three Great Families.
At that time, the Merlin Family was suffering defeat on all fronts. Three resource planes had already been carved up by the other two families, and just as they were about to reach the end of the road, one of the Ancestors emerged from the Merlin Ancestral Grounds and took away the then-mediocre Thornton Merlin.
Ten years later, Thornton Merlin quietly returned to the family. Against all expectations, he easily killed the Charlotte Family’s once-in-a-century genius, then surged ahead, leaving everyone far behind. A century later, he ascended to Sky Rank, crushed the Charlotte Family, and then vanished without a trace...
Now, this story had become the stuff of Merlin Family legend.
Any member with even a passing knowledge of the family's history could recite it by heart—especially Ross Merlin, Leon Merlin, and the others. They practically worshipped the Ancestors of the Merlin Ancestral Grounds as gods, dreaming that one day they too might catch an Ancestor’s eye and walk the fast track to Sky Rank, just like Thornton Merlin...
Now, with an Ancestor from the Merlin Ancestral Grounds standing before them in the flesh, the shock in everyone’s hearts was beyond words...
And that was just them...
Even Thorne Merlin, one of the family’s three Sword Saints, couldn’t help but change his expression when he saw that old man.
But unlike the others, Thorne Merlin was one of the family’s elite—he had completed the Bloodline Rite in the Merlin Ancestral Grounds as a youth and had personally met several Ancestors.
The Ancestor who had arrived now was one Thorne Merlin happened to have met before.
"Lord Ryan, what brings you here..." Thorne Merlin’s voice trembled slightly—not out of excitement, but out of fear.
Of everyone present, only Thorne Merlin truly understood how terrifying the old man called Lord Ryan was. Decades might pass and everyone’s name would be honored with the title ‘Lord,’ but Thorne Merlin knew that compared to Lord Ryan, he himself was nothing but an ant...
Decades ago, Thorne Merlin earned the chance to enter the Merlin Ancestral Grounds thanks to his exploits in the planar wars.
Back then, Thorne Merlin was young and reckless. Upon entering the Merlin Ancestral Grounds, he didn’t go straight to the temple for the Bloodline Rite—instead, curiosity led him deep into the Grounds, where he witnessed something he would never forget...
Thorne Merlin had ventured deep into the Estate and was attacked by a Titan Python—a true prehistoric creature, said to have gone extinct before the Third Dynasty. Thorne never understood his luck: he’d barely entered the depths before running into one. He was utterly petrified; its hundreds-of-meters-long body coiled like a towering mountain.
When it opened its eyes and flicked its tongue, Thorne Merlin was paralyzed with fear, unable to move a muscle.
He was only a ninth-rank Swordmaster, facing a thirty-sixth-rank Titan Python—it was like an ant up against an elephant.
The only thought racing through Thorne Merlin’s mind was to escape—to get as far away as possible, as fast as he could...
And so, Thorne Merlin began his mad dash for survival...
Even now, when he thought back, Thorne Merlin felt he’d never run faster in his entire life...
But back then, Thorne Merlin was just a ninth-rank Swordmaster. No matter how much potential he squeezed out, how could he possibly outrun a thirty-sixth-rank Titan Python? Within ten minutes, he heard the wind rushing behind him—even caught whiffs of its foul stench...
A monstrous, mountain-like head was less than five meters behind him—Thorne Merlin felt his heart was about to burst...
But just then—
A meteor suddenly fell from the sky...
Then came a tremor that shook the earth and mountains. The thirty-sixth-rank Titan Python was struck by the meteor and let out a wretched howl...
And that wasn’t the end...
After the first meteor came the second, then the third, then the fourth...
At that moment, Thorne Merlin was completely petrified.
He watched, wide-eyed, as a dozen meteors crashed down from the heavens, pulverizing the thirty-sixth-rank Titan Python into a bloody pulp.
Even now, Thorne Merlin could remember just how shocking the scene had been...
That kind of power was simply not meant for mortals...
Finally, the old man who had summoned a dozen meteors descended from the sky and landed before Thorne Merlin. Thorne was so stunned he couldn’t speak—he could only follow in a daze as the old man led him back to the temple for the Bloodline Rite...
Thorne Merlin only knew the old man’s name: Ryan Merlin. After Thornton Merlin, he was the closest the Merlin Family had ever come to producing a Sky Rank Title Archmage...
And now, that very Title Archmage—the closest to Sky Rank—was standing right before Thorne Merlin...
Even though Thorne Merlin was now a Sword Saint, commanding the Merlin Family’s Planar Legion in the Blazeforge Realm, he still couldn’t help but tremble with fear in the old man’s presence...
"Hovran, you explain." The old man called Lord Ryan beckoned for Hovran to come over.
"Yes, Lord Ryan." Hovran nodded respectfully, then turned to look at Leon and Thorne Merlin. "An hour ago, the Ancestral Guardian Spire made its decision: in three months, the Merlin Family will join the Watson Family in attacking the Burning City of the Blazeforge Realm..."
"What!" Thorne Merlin’s expression changed the moment Hovran finished speaking.
Together with the Watson Family!
How could that be possible!
The rivalry among Auckland’s Three Great Families had lasted for over a thousand years. In the beginning, the balance of power kept most of their struggles in the shadows—rarely did open conflict erupt. But three hundred years ago, Thornton Merlin emerged and crushed the Charlotte Family, and from that moment, the Merlin and Watson Families became bitter enemies. Countless battles have been fought, especially in the Blazeforge Realm, where their Planar Legions have clashed dozens of times. So many have died in these skirmishes that the hatred between the two families is now irreconcilable.
All along, both the Merlin and Watson Families had cooperated with other factions in the struggle for the Blazeforge Realm—but never with each other. No sane Planar Legion commander would ever agree to such a partnership.
It’s not that they didn’t want to cooperate...
It’s that cooperation between the two families was simply impossible.
Thorne Merlin never imagined that the Ancestors—who rarely intervened in family affairs—would make such a decision.
"I disagree!" Thorne Merlin blurted out his objection almost instinctively.
But as soon as he spoke, Thorne Merlin realized something was wrong and hurried to add, "What I mean is, I don’t think the Watson Family would ever agree to cooperate with us!"
"Thorne, this is a decision from the Merlin Ancestral Grounds." Hovran glanced at Thorne Merlin, then looked again at Leon. "Also, this time, Matthew Merlin will co-command the Planar Legion with you..."
"What!" This time, Thorne Merlin completely lost his composure. As Hovran spoke, Thorne nearly jumped to his feet. "Lord Hovran, what is the meaning of this!"
To Thorne Merlin, this was simply absurd!
Cooperating with the Watson Family was one thing, but to give up half of the Planar Legion’s command—and to hand it over to Matthew Merlin, the very man who nearly killed his son—was simply too much for Thorne Merlin to accept!
No, absolutely not!
"I’ll say it again, Thorne—this is a decision from the Merlin Ancestral Grounds..."
"I have a question..." Leon, who had been listening for a while, finally couldn’t help himself. "I’d like to ask—can I choose not to go?"
"No..." This time, it wasn’t Hoffland who answered, but Lord Ryan from the Ancestral Grounds. Strangely enough, the old man—who hadn’t spoken to anyone since entering the Merlin Family estate—actually smiled when he saw Leon. "Matthew Merlin, I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon. Hoffland tells me you’ve got quite a temper, but don’t be so impulsive, young man. You are, after all, a Merlin..."