Chapter 40 : Chapter 40
Chapter 40. All Royal Legends Fall, Fenlilan Arrives
Inside the central command tent at Dragonfang Fortress, candlelight flickered, illuminating the pale face of Kroll II.
He gripped the bloodstained report in his hand. His fingertips had turned white from the force of his grip, and his knuckles trembled faintly.
The news from the Secret Realm entrance weighed on his heart like a massive stone—the report that the royal Legends had all died nearly shattered his sanity.
“Ancestor Fenlilan… why have you still not appeared?”
He murmured to himself. As he thought of his great-grandfather sleeping within the Royal Family Secret Realm due to the limits of his lifespan, a trace of struggle flashed in his eyes.
Wake his great-grandfather?
That was the final trump card. His great-grandfather’s lifespan was already nearly exhausted. Once he left the crystal coffin, he likely would not survive more than five days.
After long hesitation, Kroll II finally took out a rune-covered crystal from his Spatial Ring.
Just then, the tent door was suddenly thrown open.
“Your Majesty!”
A Shadow Guard, his body covered in blood, rushed inside and knelt on one knee.
“All the royal Legends have fallen in battle, but the Foreign Race Domain powerhouse was also severely injured and has retreated back into the Secret Realm. For the moment, there has been no further movement!”
Kroll II’s heart sank.
This brief moment of respite brought him no comfort. Instead, it made him feel even more despair.
He waved his hand to dismiss the Shadow Guard, tightening his grip on the crystal.
He had to awaken his great-grandfather.
Strike while the enemy was wounded—this was the perfect opportunity. The lives of those royal Legends could not have been sacrificed in vain.
Just as he was about to awaken his great-grandfather, another Shadow Guard hurried in.
“Your Majesty, a new Domain-level existence has appeared at the Secret Realm entrance. He is wearing the clothing of the royal ancestors.”
“He discovered our scouts and told them to pass along a message: ‘Do not disturb Aksu’s rest.’ The moment he finished speaking, he entered the Secret Realm.”
“Ancestor Fenlilan.”
Kroll II suddenly released his hand.
The crystal fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
The heart that had risen to his throat finally settled. He let out a long breath, and the tension in his spine collapsed instantly.
But in the next moment, the faces of the royal Legends who had died flashed through his mind.
His throat tightened, and he suddenly coughed out a mouthful of blood that splattered across the bright yellow dragon-patterned carpet.
“Your Majesty!” the Shadow Guard cried in alarm as he rushed forward to support him.
Kroll II waved his hand, wiping the blood from his lips with his sleeve. His eyes were bloodshot.
“Transmit… transmit my order. The army will depart for the Northern Frontier.”
The horns sounded like thunder above Dragonfang Fortress, shattering the quiet of the morning.
The entire fortress instantly came alive.
Soldiers ran through the camps carrying their weapons, while the neighing of warhorses and the clashing of armor merged into a storm of noise.
William stepped out of his tent and looked at the busy scene before him, his brows slightly furrowed.
At that moment, the guard captain Tos quickly approached and bowed.
“Your Highness, His Majesty has ordered the entire army to depart immediately and reinforce the Northern Frontier.”
“Depart?” William rubbed the hilt of the sword at his waist with his fingers. “Do you know the reason?”
Tos shook his head.
“I do not know. It was a sudden order from His Majesty. Perhaps… the crisis in the Secret Realm has already been resolved?”
William remained silent.
The problem in the Secret Realm could not possibly have been solved so easily—unless…
His father understood perfectly well how remaining stationed would affect morale, yet he had insisted on staying put. That meant the danger was far beyond imagination.
Now he had suddenly ordered the army to advance…
Just as William was thinking, the Third Princess Jessy hurried over, her expression grave.
“William, come inside with me.”
William told Tos to prepare the equipment and followed her into the tent.
The moment the tent curtain fell, Jessy lowered her voice. Her tone trembled slightly.
“William, my people have sent back news—the royal Legends guarding the Secret Realm are all dead.”
“What?” William exclaimed in shock, clenching his fists tightly. “Eight Legendary Combatants… all gone?”
Jessy nodded heavily, her eyes turning red.
“Yes. Not a single one survived.”
“But the Foreign Race Domain powerhouse was also seriously injured and retreated into the Secret Realm. It has not come out again for now.”
The tent fell into a dead silence.
Only the distant horns outside could be faintly heard.
William felt a chill spread through his heart.
Eight Legends—that was the royal family’s foundation built up over generations. Yet they had been wiped out in a single night.
“Where is Ancestor Fenlilan?”
William asked hoarsely, his voice carrying a faint trace of hope.
Jessy shook her head.
“There is no confirmed news yet. But later, a certain old man wearing royal garments appeared at the Secret Realm entrance. They say the Ancestor has arrived… hopefully.”
The two looked at each other without speaking.
The air inside the tent seemed frozen.
Both of them understood that the battle in the Northern Frontier was far more brutal than they had imagined.
Soon, the army finished reorganizing and advanced like a massive black dragon.
Crossing the border, they stepped onto the frozen soil of the Northern Frontier.
The cold wind carried grains of snow that struck against their armor with soft rattling sounds.
William tightened the reins of his horse and gazed toward the distant direction of the Secret Realm.
If his father dared to send the army deep into the Northern Frontier, that old man must truly have been Ancestor Fenlilan.
Meanwhile, inside the Secret Realm.
Fenlilan’s figure moved through the Secret Realm like a phantom.
Each swing of his arm released an explosion of golden law power. The crawlers along his path were instantly crushed into dust, leaving no trace behind.
As for those from the Derek Family who had colluded with the Foreign Race, the moment he stepped into the Secret Realm, he immediately rushed toward their base.
A few minutes later, inside the Derek Family’s base, corpses covered the cold stone ground. Terror was frozen in their eyes as they lay dead—none survived.
After confirming several times that none had escaped, Fenlilan vanished again, heading toward the injured Foreign Race Domain powerhouse.
Along the way, several reckless Foreign Race Legends tried to block him, but they could not even touch the edge of his clothing before being crushed into fragments by the power of laws.
Within moments, Fenlilan caught up with the staggering dark-purple figure fleeing ahead.
“You cannot escape.”
Fenlilan’s voice was calm, yet it carried unquestionable authority.
Before the words had even finished, a knight’s sword formed from pure law condensed at his fingertips. Ancient runes flowed along the blade.
With a flick of his wrist, the sword shot out like a golden bolt of lightning, piercing straight through the chest of the Foreign Race Domain powerhouse and pinning it in midair.
The creature let out a shrill scream. Dark-purple blood dripped from the blade, yet it lacked even the strength to corrode the sword of laws.
Fenlilan appeared beside it in an instant.
Without wasting any movement, his five fingers formed into a claw and crushed the creature’s core directly.
With the first hidden danger eliminated, Fenlilan did not pause.
He turned and looked deeper into the Secret Realm.
There, a spatial crack was violently fluctuating. Within it, half of a massive body covered in black scales was struggling to squeeze through.
It was a second Foreign Race Domain.
“Since you have come, do not think about leaving.”
A cold light flashed in Fenlilan’s eyes.
Boundless law power surged from his body like a golden torrent and smashed directly toward the spatial crack.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed through the depths of the Secret Realm.
The spatial crack trembled violently. The Domain-level Foreign Race did not even have time to scream before its body was torn in half by the collapsing space, one half falling into the Secret Realm.
Ripples began to spread along the edge of the crack.
Fenlilan remained suspended in the air, staring at the spatial crack with a slight frown.
For now, he could only temporarily seal the spatial crack.