Early the next morning.
After saying goodbye to Frank Shaw and Jade Shaw, Ian Song took Nathan Southwind and the other two and headed for Yushan Prefecture.
After traveling several hundred li.
Ian suddenly halted, then looked at a patch of empty space and said, "We're already far from the Shaw Clan. Why bother hiding any longer? Come out!"
"I didn't expect a mere Upper-Rank God like you to actually notice me!"
The void twisted, and a figure slowly appeared in that area—it was one of Eldon Northcourt's two servants.
This was a Mid Heavenly God.
Nathan Southwind and the other two tensed up, quickly saying, "Boss, we'll hold him off—go on ahead!"
"Enough, don't get so worked up! It's just a Mid Heavenly God!"
Ian smiled and waved his hand, looking completely relaxed—as if he didn't take the Mid Heavenly God in front of him seriously at all.
"I need to give Eldon Northcourt a warning, just so he doesn't keep sending people to mess with me!"
Ian flashed a mysterious smile. If he killed that Mid Heavenly God outright, Eldon would probably think someone else did it and keep sending more. But if he let the guy escape, Eldon would definitely investigate where Ian got such a powerful talisman.
Once Eldon found out Ian had Rhea Redmoon backing him, he might think twice before making a move.
Since Rhea Redmoon was already using him, why shouldn't Ian take advantage of her, too?
The crippled Mid Heavenly God kept fleeing until he reached a valley a thousand li away.
Seeing his servant in such a state, Eldon Northcourt's face darkened. "How did you end up like this?"
The Mid Heavenly God, still trembling, stammered, "Master, forgive me! I was too careless. That little thief had an insanely strong talisman—one hit and I lost half my body!"
"How could an Upper-Rank God have such a powerful talisman? Go investigate who this kid really is!" Eldon ordered his other servant, frowning.
"Yes, Master!"
Three hours later.
The servant returned and reported what he'd found to Eldon Northcourt.
"Damn it!"
When Eldon learned Ian had actually sworn sisterhood with Rhea Redmoon, his face turned even darker.
"Master, that kid's talisman was probably single-use. Why not let me finish him off?" the other servant suggested.
"Forget it! I have no intention of making an enemy out of Rhea Redmoon right now. Let's go, we're leaving!"
...
After a few days' rest, Ian dove back into his mission spree.
Just as he finished another ten-plus assignments, he got another invitation from Rhea Redmoon.
Honestly, Ian was getting a headache from all this.
Still, he braced himself and went to Rhea's place. Thankfully, Galen Silverwing was back this time, and Ian finally felt relieved.
After a few polite greetings,
Galen Silverwing looked at Ian and asked, "Ian, how have my wife and I treated you all this time?"
"Very well!"
Ian replied.
"If we ever need your help, would you do it?" Galen pressed.
"Of course!"
Ian answered sincerely.
"Little brother, we knew we could count on you!"
Rhea Redmoon said with a bright smile.
Ian pretended to be curious. "So, what do you and brother-in-law need me to do?"
Galen Silverwing waved his hand, casting a restriction that sealed off the surrounding void. "We discovered a Life Ancient Land. If we can get inside, we'll reap huge benefits. But the void outside is packed with man-made restrictions, and beyond that there's a powerful natural grand array. We already figured out how to bypass the outer restrictions, but we need you to break the natural array for us. The Life Ancient Land is full of opportunities and fortune—if you come with us, you might even break through to Lower Heavenly God in one go!"
"When do we leave?"
Ian asked. As for breaking through to Lower Heavenly God, he wasn't worried—between his Pangu Bloodline and Primordial Chaos Body, if he couldn't break through, he might as well find a block of tofu and smash his head against it.
Still, he couldn't refuse Galen and Rhea, so he agreed.
"We can leave right now!"
Galen Silverwing replied.
"Can I go back and let my people know first?" Ian asked.
"Sure, I'll go with you!"
Rhea Redmoon said.
"Alright!"
Soon, Ian explained everything to Nathan Southwind and the others, then left Yushan Prefecture with Rhea Redmoon and Galen Silverwing.
Galen Silverwing flew with Ian for three days and nights straight, finally arriving at a vast desert.
They dove deep into the sands, paused briefly, then headed for a particular dune.
"This is it!"
Galen said excitedly, grabbing Ian's arm and sinking into the desert.
They sank tens of thousands of meters down until the sand disappeared and rock appeared. Galen drew a longsword and dug downward at high speed, going tens of thousands more meters before giving a low shout and refining the surrounding rock with his power. A black iron palace emerged from the earth before the three of them.
"This palace is the Temple of Life, the node connecting to the Life Ancient Land. Let's go in!"
After a bit of work, Galen Silverwing opened the Temple of Life.
From outside, the temple didn't look large, but once inside, the space was shockingly vast.
Galen and Rhea seemed very familiar with the place. They led Ian through several halls, finally entering a small inner palace with only a single altar, covered in runes, and two recesses at its center.
The couple each took out a jade artifact and placed them into the recesses. Instantly, the altar seemed to come alive, bursting into dazzling light. After a moment, a space-time passage appeared before the three of them.
"Go!"
Galen Silverwing called out, reaching to pull Ian into the passage. But just then, several figures appeared in the room and rushed into the tunnel ahead of them.
"Damn it!"
Rhea Redmoon and Galen Silverwing's faces turned ugly. Cursing, they grabbed Ian and charged into the passage right behind the intruders.