With the divine sources in hand, Xiang Shaoyun spent about half a month in seclusion at the Saintly Forest Courtyard. During that period of time, he absorbed the energy within the divine sources. The divine sources proved incredible as his cultivation rose rapidly. He was growing even faster than when he used a god crystal. At the speed he was growing, it wouldn’t be long before he reached peak second-stage Rebirth Realm and could prepare to enter the third stage.
After ending the cultivation session, Xiang Shaoyun brought Little Azure and Little White out to hunt some devils.
For them, only Devil Gods could satisfy their itch for a good fight. It was better to leave the other devils to the other humans who wanted to train.
After the Diabolic Dragon Clan’s defeat at the Dusk Dynasty, the devils seemed to have gone crazy. They kept sending powerful Devil Gods to slaughter humans, greatly increasing the pressure on the defending human army.
The majority of the human resistance active in the Dusk Dynasty were the Guardians Guild members. They even had a powerful God Realm elder there. The elder had a rather high status in the guild, and his name was Lu Jiang. He cultivated the powers of earth and water, and he was a peak eighth-stage God. His existence was the sole reason humanity had been able to resist the Diabolic Dragon Clan’s attacks.
Lu Jiang was a legend. He started cultivating rather late in his life and was a late bloomer in terms of cultivation. He took the difficult path of cultivating two powers. Step by step, he grew into what he was after experiencing numerous hardships. He was ranked in the top 20 among the many God Realm elders of the Guardians Guild. It was obvious how high his status was.
Within the Guardians Guild, Lu Jiang belonged to the neutral faction. He had never participated in the conflict between the two deputy guild masters. He was also someone the two had always wanted to recruit. However, he had been firm and had never wavered in his belief.
But when the fight for the young guild master position began, he was finding it hard to keep himself neutral. Thus, he applied to have himself sent to the frontlines against the devils and distance himself from the guild conflicts. He had hoped that he would be spared from headaches by keeping the guild conflicts out of sight. It did not matter to him who the new young guild master was.
In the Guardians Guild’s encampment, Lu Jiang stood atop a massive boulder. Gazing at the surging devilish energy far away, he sighed and said, “The guild has fallen into an inner conflict and isn’t sending more God Realm elders over to fight the devils. If this continues, the devils will expand more and more.”
He was an old man with waist-length white hair. Worry covered his wrinkled old face. People with his cultivation level could easily regain their youthful look, but Lu Jiang was already used to his current appearance. He did not have great ambitions, and he naturally didn’t care about his appearance.
“Elder Lu, we have found out the reason for the devils’ increased aggressiveness recently. The Dusk Dynasty has regained their palace and seriously injured the diabolic dragon stationed there. They have also killed many Devil Gods,” reported a God.
“Did that old monster from the Saintly Forest Courtyard return? If that is the case, why couldn’t I sense him?” asked Lu Jiang in astonishment.
“Based on what I know, someone called Xiang Shaoyun, who is also known as the overlord, arrived to help them. He even managed to retrieve their Divine Dusk Truncheon, helping them push the devils back,” said the God.
“Number one Saintking, Xiang Shaoyun? What can he even do to help the Dusk Dynasty?” asked Lu Jiang, even more astonished than before.
He had long heard of Xiang Shaoyun’s name, but he had never met that young man. Based on what he knew, Xiang Shaoyun was at most a pseudo-God. Even if he had entered the Rebirth Realm by fluke, he still shouldn’t be strong enough to do much against the devils.
“He is already at the second-stage Rebirth Realm, and he also has an azure dragon and a white tiger with him,” said the God with a slight look of envy.
The azure dragon and the white tiger were the kings among beasts. They had incredibly powerful abilities, yet both were following Xiang Shaoyun at the same time. If news of that spread, many people would be driven mad with envy.
“Azure dragon and white tiger? Are you sure?” Lu Jiang was speechless.
“Yes. Even now they are fighting some Devil Gods high in the sky. Elder Lu, if you—” suggested the God seriously, but Lu Jiang vanished into thin air before he could finish his words.
The next instant, Lu Jiang reappeared high in the sky. He spread out his senses before flying in one direction. Sure enough, he found Xiang Shaoyun fighting a fourth-stage Devil God.
Xiang Shaoyun had too many trump cards. Every move of his seemed capable of unleashing a terrifying force of God Realm energy. Wave after wave of attacks was sent out, keeping the Devil God flustered.
His opponent was not to be underestimated. The devil utilized a unique ability, nearly getting a hit against Xiang Shaoyun. If it wasn’t for Xiang Shaoyun’s rich combat experience, Xiang Shaoyun would have suffered serious injuries from it.
Xiang Shaoyun did not intend to waste too much time against his opponent. He pulverized the Devil God before quickly putting the devil under his control with the Nether Dragon Soul Curse.
During the recent period of time, he had placed no fewer than 10 Devil Gods under his control, with the strongest of them being a fifth-stage Devil God. So many Devil Gods definitely made for a powerful group.
“Old sir, are you enjoying the show?” asked Xiang Shaoyun toward the concealed Lu Jiang after he was done with the devil.
Lu Jiang had a look of astonishment as he showed himself. With a smile, he said, “Young friend, you were actually able to detect me? Truly impressive!”
“I wonder who you are, sir?” asked Xiang Shaoyun.
“Guardians Guild, Lu Jiang.”
“So it’s Elder Lu. Greetings, elder,” said Xiang Shaoyun with a salute.
During his time at the Saintly Forest Courtyard, he had learned the names of the major individuals stationed in the war zone from Huang Baiwu. The first name he heard was none other than Lu Jiang.
At this time, Little Azure, Little White, and Huang Baiwu flew over from different directions. Their opponents had either fled or been killed.
“Elder Lu,” Huang Baiwu stepped forth and saluted.
“Be at ease. It is good to see people with your strength actually contributing to the dominion,” said Lu Jiang. He looked at Xiang Shaoyun and said, “Young friend, do you mind stepping aside? I wish to have a chat with you.”
“I’ll gladly oblige if it’s you, Elder Lu,” agreed Xiang Shaoyun readily.
The group thus returned to the nearby Guardians Guild encampment. Lu Jiang and Xiang Shaoyun went aside to have a private talk.
Lu Jiang went straight to the point, “Is Deputy Ge Yi still fine?”
Xiang Shaoyun replied honestly, “It has been years since I last met him. He had left the dominion to stop the invading aliens, so he’s probably somewhere outside the dominion currently.”
“Sigh. Deputy Ge Yi has always been contributing to the dominion behind the scenes without asking for fame or wealth. If the other two deputies had the same heart, how would the guild fall to what it is today?” said Lu Jiang with a deep sigh. His expression turned solemn as he said, “Are you willing to become the young guild master?”
