In almost an instant.
Those threads of hazy souls were pulled into the shriveled corpses by the illusory chains.
Right at that moment.
The magical radiance radiating from Sevrin's body surged violently, like towering rings of a tsunami, beginning to ripple and billow outward toward a much wider range in every direction.
Thus, in a short span of time, Dashan's family, looking up at the sky, as well as Clover and the others, looking toward the distant heavens through the Shadow-Capturing Talisman Array, saw with terror...
That every part of the firmament visible to them, North, South, East, and West, was completely blanketed by layers upon layers of unrestrained, boundless, brilliant golden light.
Within this sky-covering, earth-shrouding golden radiance, countless exquisite lotus patterns flickered and manifested repeatedly. Dashan's family and Clover's group, staring blankly at the sky, were dazzled and mesmerized beyond control.
Looking up at this magnificent spectacle, they even felt as if the immortals of the ancient legends were opening gates of Divine Lotuses, seeking to cross the divide between heaven and man to descend upon the mortal world.
Simultaneously, Sevrin continuously drew talismans in the void, casting various large-scale cleansing and evil-dispelling talisman arts from the Stuacn Spirit-Suppressing Talismans. These flew out and scattered in every direction, interspersed within the rays of golden magical light.
Indeed, he intended to resurrect the countless tens of thousands of common people in Nina Town, and even the entire Xin Family Fortress, while simultaneously purifying and eradicating this Yellow Spring Domain to eliminate any future disasters.
However, after casting so many talisman arts, Sevrin's magical power, as expected, ran short.
The reason was simple.
Sevrin had only just stepped into the rank of a fourth-realm sorcerer and had not accumulated much magical power.
Furthermore, this large-scale resurrection technique was naturally extremely draining. He had also expanded the range of the spell's influence to its extreme, stretching it across dozens, even hundreds of miles.
Due to these factors, Sevrin's magical power finally ran dry.
"Burn life-essence, transform all to magical power!"
CRASH, CRASH, CRASH!
At that very moment, the silent Yellow Spring sea below Sevrin suddenly boiled and surged.
Then, a massive torrent of yellow liquid erupted upward, soaring toward Sevrin a thousand meters in the air.
When this Yellow Spring water reached the area around Sevrin, it was instantly sucked in and devoured by him, stuffed entirely into his burly physical frame. Using the Destiny-Reversing Profound Art, Sevrin transformed it in a heartbeat into surges of life-essence. Then, through a certain Occult secret technique, he frantically burned and converted it into Yang magical power, which flowed turbulently into his Yang-Spirit.
In an almost instantaneous flash, Sevrin's thoroughly depleted magical power was replenished. Once again, it transformed into thousands of golden rays and talisman arts, blanketing and enveloping every direction.
"Heaven-sent holy breath, scattered in the eight directions, gathered in the corpses, entering the terminally ill.
The five internal organs and six hollow organs, receiving the bounty of heaven; rotten bones grow fresh flesh, the bloodline returns home.
The hundred meridians and vessels, receiving the harmony of heaven; the breath of life flows freely, all calamities are dispelled.
Heaven's boundless grace, blessing the ten thousand lands; return to life from death, bathe once more in the warm sun. Edict!"
Under Sevrin's incantations and hand seals, the silent, dried corpses floating in the Yellow Spring sea and scattered across various regions of the desolate, evil earth, regardless of whether they were whole or if only half remained, began to tremble and visibly swell. In a short span of time, they transformed from corpses into living human beings with their eyes tightly closed.
Simultaneously, under Sevrin's frantic absorption and the blanket bombardment of those countless talisman arts, the vast, sudden Yellow Spring sea on the ground, along with the sprawling mists and boundless sinister ghostly Qi, began to rapidly dissipate in massive patches at an unimaginable speed. This revealed the world and nature that had been obscured and hidden by various evil and filthy things.
Clearly, this vast Yellow Spring Domain was on the verge of being completely eradicated by Sevrin.
Dashan, his wife Yufen, and their two children, who were closest to Sevrin, instantly expelled all the Yin Qi, evil energy, and filth from every pore of their bodies the moment they faintly heard Sevrin utter the word "Edict." Step by step, they transformed into normal humans with abundant vitality and lively souls.
"Ah! Normal, we're normal! We've returned to normal!"
Dashan, ecstatic with joy, rubbed his face forcefully, then turned to tightly embrace Yufen, who had similarly transformed back into a living person, along with their two children who were dazedly waking up, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Wonderful, wonderful! We are saved! Saved! We no longer have to be neither human nor ghost!"
Yufen did not speak, but she too held Dashan and the children tightly, laughing and crying at the same time.
At this moment, it was not only their family who felt such intense excitement and joy.
Throughout the interior and exterior of the entire Xin Family Fortress, all the people who had been resurrected and awakened from amidst desolate ruins or the barren wilderness embraced one another with wild delight, cheering and laughing and shouting to the extreme:
"Brought back to life, brought back to life! Hahahaha!"
"We have returned to life!"
"Boo hoo hoo, I thought I would never see my mother again."
"An immortal, it is a living immortal who has saved us!"
"No, it is a Great Hero; a Great Hero used immortal arts to save us, I saw it when I was in the underworld!"
"Yes, I think I saw it too; before I fully returned to the mortal realm, I vaguely saw the Great Hero smile at me, then he pulled me back!"
"Therefore, the Great Hero is an immortal!"
"Correct, the Great Hero is a living immortal!"
After laughing and shouting, all the people who had inexplicably seen Sevrin's visage during the process of returning to the mortal realm, regardless of where they were, all knelt down, then toward the source of all the golden light in the boundless firmament, Sevrin, they kowtowed in worship and chanted together:
"Immortal protection, our gratitude to Immortal Sevrin! Immortal protection, our gratitude to Immortal Sevrin..."
Amidst those continuous sounds of worship, the layers of golden light blanketing the boundless sky slowly vanished, and the Yellow Spring waters that had filled every corner of the Xin Family Fortress, along with the gloomy mist and hazy dense clouds, all dissipated into nothingness.
Countless rays of bright, transparent sunlight once again shone upon the earth for dozens and hundreds of miles across the entire Xin Family Fortress; everything returned to how it was before.
As for the Yellow Spring Domain that had previously contaminated and covered the entire Xin Family Fortress, it vanished from the world along with the tens of millions of ghostly entities it brought, with not a single trace remaining.
Simultaneously, as the creator of all this, Sevrin, concluded the casting of all his occult arts.
He suddenly felt countless tens of thousands of strands of pure yet hazy power flying up from the people across the vast earth below, instantly surging into the interior of his Yang-Spirit.
"This is..."
Sevrin's expression froze for a moment, and in a heartbeat, he understood the nature of this unknown power, "This is actually... Incense Faith Power."
The so-called Incense Faith Power was a strength born from the collective will and thoughts of sentient beings, often associated with the worship of deities.
In a daze, Sevrin intuitively realized that this kind of power was perhaps inextricably linked to the fifth realm of the sorcerer's path.
"Could it be that the fifth realm of the sorcerer path is attaining godhood through faith?"
...
At the same time, Clover and the others, who were far away at the temporary stronghold watching everything through the talisman array.
Having experienced wave after wave of shock, terror, and confusion, they now offered true and absolute praise for Sevrin from the depths of their hearts, their previous doubts completely shattered.
"I was wrong; I shouldn't have doubted Sevrin. Even if it was only a fragmentary ancient scripture of the Occult path, as long as he wishes, he can deduce the complete set at any time."
Zenom stared blankly at the screen, murmuring, "Sevrin... he is not just a simple genius. He is... he is an immortal reincarnated!"
"His martial arts talent surpasses the history of the Martial Lands, and his occult talent also exceeds all of history..."
Shaxe's expression was almost catatonic, "Is there... is there anything Sevrin cannot do?"
Beside him, Xixun held his head and shook it frantically, whispering:
"Crazy, this is crazy. This isn't just 'surpassing history'; this is... this is all the heroes in history combined not being worthy to carry Sevrin's shoes!"
At this moment, Rheta was also very frustrated, frustrated with herself for actually questioning Sevrin:
"I shouldn't have listened to these people's gibberish. Since Sevrin is such a genius, deducing a mere occult technique should be as easy as flipping a hand."
However, Clover was different from everyone else in the tent. What truly moved him to shock and admiration was not just how heaven-defying Sevrin's natural talent was; he was more shaken by Sevrin's sincere and righteous heart.
"At merely eighteen years old, he has reached the levels of both a Martial Arts Grandmaster and the fourth realm of the Occult path. Furthermore, he possesses a King-grade divinity. More importantly... Sevrin's heart and path are so sincere and entirely devoid of darkness; this is truly too rare."
Clover looked up and let out a soft sigh, "If someone like him, who loathes evil and pities the weak, were to rise to power in the future.
Perhaps the mold and decay of Graew would be swept clean. At that time, the entire world... might welcome a great reform."
While Clover was lost in his thoughts, the tent flap was pulled open, and a familiar figure entered.
It was Sevrin.
Seeing him arrive, Rheta, Zenom, Shaxe, and the others immediately swarmed him, showering him with enthusiastic praise, lauding Sevrin to the point where he was practically a god on earth.
At this moment, Clover, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly spoke:
"The few of you, take the others and step outside. I need to speak with Lieutenant Sevrin alone for a moment."
Upon hearing this, Rheta and the others looked at each other before obediently filing out of the tent, leaving only Clover and Sevrin behind.
After glancing at the departing backs of the group, Sevrin turned and asked Clover:
"Commander Clover, do you have something important to discuss with me?"
"Mhm, there is indeed something that needs to be said." Clover nodded, then sighed, "Lieutenant Sevrin, regarding the "Heavenly Lotus Earthly Saint Salvation Scripture" earlier, I lied to you. I am deeply sorry."
"Eh?" Sevrin was stunned, then laughed, "Haha, it's no matter. But I am curious, Commander Clover, exactly what lie did you tell? Could you elaborate?"
"Hmm..." Clover Holloway fell silent for a moment, then said, "In reality, I know where the complete set of the "Lotus" scripture is kept."
Sevrin's brow twitched, and he immediately asked: "Then why didn't you tell me at the time?"
"Sigh~" Clover sighed, "I say I know, but in fact, it is equivalent to not knowing."
"...What kind of nonsense is that?"
Sevrin's face showed displeasure, "Commander Clover, speak clearly."
"Fine, I will start from the beginning."
After thinking for a moment, Clover began to narrate slowly.
Through his words, Sevrin learned that in this world, there existed a place named Mount Taiyi.
That place was the sacred land for all occult sorcerers in the entire Graew.
The complete set of the "Lotus" scripture was stored within this Occult Sacred Land.
Furthermore, it wasn't just the "Lotus" scripture; many top-tier occult tomes and secret artifacts were also kept within Mount Taiyi.
One of the reasons Clover had been unwilling to tell Sevrin this information earlier was that within this Occult Sacred Land known as Mount Taiyi, there existed more than one fourth-realm sorcerer; legendary tales even claimed there was a fifth-realm sorcerer among them.
Thus, Clover was worried that if Sevrin were to provoke that Occult Sacred Land for no reason, it would eventually bring disaster upon himself.
However, after personally witnessing Sevrin's world-shaking act of deducing the complete set of the "Lotus" scripture in less than half an hour, his confidence in Sevrin soared, and he felt that disclosing this information was no longer an issue.
As for another important reason, the location of Mount Taiyi... was not fixed to a single spot, but could roam across the world.
Unless the sorcerers of Mount Taiyi appeared themselves, no one could find the specific location of their mountain gate.
Upon hearing Clover's description, Sevrin, who was delighted to learn of another excellent place to reap rewards, instinctively thought that it was highly likely Mount Taiyi... existed within an extra-dimensional grotto.
No other explanation made sense.
Precisely because they hid inside a grotto every day, they could exist anywhere in the world; it was simply because the grotto's portal could be opened at any location.
Therefore... Expert Shards, technique manuals, extra-dimensional grottoes... Excellent! The value of this place called Mount Taiyi had just increased another notch; it was well worth a trip to reap its treasures.
Reap them, definitely reap them~
However, perhaps Sevrin's joyful emotions were too evident, and Clover saw through them, immediately dousing him with a bucket of cold water:
"Lieutenant Sevrin, because Mount Taiyi possesses a fifth-realm sorcerer and their overall movements are elusive and difficult to track, Graew's relationship with them is roughly one of 'well water does not interfere with river water.'
As long as Mount Taiyi does not go too far, does not act without restraint, or arrogantly claim kingship, the higher-ups turn a blind eye and tolerate their existence. Therefore, you must not provoke them at will."
"Eh?"
Sevrin's brow furrowed upon hearing this, "No matter how you sugarcoat it, in the end, this Mount Taiyi is just a private armed force, yet Graew tolerates their existence? This... is a bit too pathetic."
Immediately, his impression of Graew's high-ranking officials plummeted.
Truly disappointing!
"Sigh~" Clover let out a sigh, "These matters are beyond our control. You just need to know not to provoke Mount Taiyi at will. Of course, if they provoke you first, you are free to strike back."
"Ah~"
In response to Clover's words, Sevrin merely shook his head with a mocking laugh.
To Sevrin's mind, since he possessed such a powerful cheat, if he still had to worry about this and that, then what was the point?
"Beyond what I just said..."
Clover spoke slowly, "The reason the higher-ups tolerate Mount Taiyi's existence is also because they... might be in communication with the Grxin Remnants."
"Grxin Remnants?!"
Sevrin's face was filled with shock, "Grxin was destroyed over a thousand years ago, how... could there still be remnants?"
While speaking these words, he was cursing inwardly:
'Unbelievable, could the Graew Dynasty not even handle the simple task of pulling up the roots and eliminating the grass?
They actually let the remnants of the previous dynasty survive for over a thousand years? What on earth are they doing!'
In an instant, his impression of Graew's high-ranking officials dropped significantly once more.
Disappointing, way too disappointing!
"Eh... as for how these Grxin Remnants have survived to this day, in truth, I am not entirely sure either," Clover said.
"Regarding this, the Demon-Slaying Bureau headquarters might have relevant materials. If you are interested, Lieutenant Sevrin, you can check the headquarters' database yourself later.
Furthermore, what I mainly wanted to say is that the demonic land that suddenly appeared in Nina Town earlier might be linked to the Grxin Remnants."
"Ah, so that's how it is."
Sevrin nodded in realization, "However, this isn't particularly unexpected. The leftovers of the previous dynasty will do anything to restore their nation."
"Indeed," Clover murmured, "Therefore, I suspect that the appearance of the Yellow Spring Domain in Xin Family Fortress likely has a connection to them as well."
"Is that so~" Sevrin thought for a moment and said, "The way they are stirring up trouble here and there, could it be that they want to stockpile military force?"
"There is a certain possibility, but we need to continue investigating to find out. Also..."
Clover said in a heavy voice, "In truth, it's not just Nina Town; Lan Yuca, the First Leader of the Black Wolf Bandits, might also be a member of the previous dynasty's remnants.
Since you killed him, and given their vengeful style of action, they will likely come looking for you soon. You must be careful and stay on guard."
Having said this, Clover then added:
"However, since you are already a Martial Arts Grandmaster, ordinary people cannot harm you. Unless the Grxin Remnants dispatch several Grandmasters or several fourth-realm sorcerers to surround and kill you together, it would be equivalent to seeking their own deaths."
"Ah~ if they truly dare to come."
In response to those words, Sevrin bared his teeth in a smile, "By then... I shall accept their arrival with pleasure."
Because of that Commanding-Life Drum, he had absolutely no positive feelings toward those so-called Grxin Remnants; in fact, he was filled with killing intent.
It was fine before when he didn't know, but now that he knew of their existence, haha, he had work to do.
Sevrin sneered inwardly: 'I will definitely kill every last one of you.'
After some time, having concluded his exchange with Clover, Sevrin prepared to depart and head into the interior of Graew.
Because they were all martial artists, their mindsets were relatively straightforward and tough.
Thus, when Sevrin left, the Lieutenants at the temporary stronghold did not feel much melancholy; they simply shared a final laugh and a few words, cupped their hands in salute to one another, and parted ways.
Upon officially leaving Xin Family Fortress, Sevrin stomped on the earth, leaping into the air. Using pure physical strength, he jumped ten thousand meters high into the sky, then headed toward the edge of the northern firmament, flying straight ahead.
The destination of Sevrin's journey was the southernmost border of Graew, the location of the main Mount Qing range.
That place was roughly 6,300 miles away from the Xin Family Fortress region.
For an ordinary person, this distance was as vast as the ends of the earth, taking several hours even by plane.
But for Sevrin, who moved at a speed of over 1,400 meters per second, 6,300 miles was nothing. He could reach it in just fifteen minutes and could travel back and forth dozens of times within a single day.
It could only be said that once an expert's strength expands to a certain level, the concept of distance in their eyes also expands dramatically, far exceeding the mortal level.
...
Under the boundless sky, the main Mount Qing range, with its continuous, undulating peaks, looked like a giant python coiling and winding across the world. It was also like a massive spine rising from deep within the earth, towering and magnificent with a majestic aura.
Within these mountains, although jagged rocks and strange stones grew in forests, all with different shapes, some like swords pointing to the sky piercing the clouds, others steep and treacherous as if carved by blades and axes, all these peaks towered into the clouds, as if wanting to pierce the firmament and soar away.
Therefore, every peak on the main Mount Qing range, each with its own unique posture, was covered in perpetual, pristine white snow, dyed into a sheet of cold white. Furthermore, with layers of clouds and mist swirling between them, these peaks looked like enchanted immortal realms when viewed from afar, both desolate and magnificent.
At one moment, a figure flew in at extreme speed from the edge of the horizon. Trailing a booming howl of wind, he charged into these snowy, enchanted landscapes.
BANG!
With a loud crash and a spray of snowflakes, Sevrin descended from the sky, landing abruptly on a certain steep, treacherous, and narrow snow-covered peak surrounded by mist.
He raised his eyes and gazed into the distance, then selected a direction. With a single stride that triggered heavy sonic booms, he crossed a massive distance in an instant, landing on yet another peak.
Once he found his footing, Sevrin retrieved that Heavenly Saint Pill from the Kiyou Grotto and popped it directly into his mouth.
Before long, his entire body vibrated with a boom, radiating waves that were visible to the naked eye, blowing the surrounding snow into a flurry of snowflakes.
This was the air shockwave generated by the high-frequency vibration of Sevrin's physical strength, which was surging suddenly under the influence of the pill's medicinal power.
The reason the reaction was so massive was that after Sevrin consumed that small pill and thoroughly digested and absorbed its medicinal power,
In a short span of time, it caused his physical strength to skyrocket significantly.
"Phew~"
After exhaling a long breath of pure white aura, which pierced through a hundred meters of air like an arrow, Sevrin slowly opened his eyes and said with a grin, "This pill is really something; just one of them doubled my strength directly.
Oh boy, if only I had eight or ten bottles to eat to my heart's content, how great would that be."
Having said that, he pulled out the red Earth-Longevity Pill, popped it into his mouth, and swallowed it.
This time, his body showed no particular reaction, but Sevrin could clearly feel his lifespan leap from two hundred years to a full five hundred.
Sevrin whispered to himself, "I wonder how many years of life those who are above the Grandmaster realm can live?"
Lost in thought, Sevrin leaped into the air, soaring to a height of a thousand meters and flying toward the distance.
But just as he had flown two or three thousand meters, his mental perception, while sweeping over a certain mountain peak, 'saw' something extremely familiar.
...
In a wide mountain crevice, a brawny man in armor and another thin man in green robes were eating hot pot while chatting casually.
Surrounding them in a circle stood exactly thirty-six silver, shimmering blade-spirits.
"Speaking of which, we've been standing guard here for over three days."
The brawny man took a sip of wine and muttered, "That Sevrin... why hasn't he passed through our area yet?"