Chapter 253. 3 years

Time passed, and three years went by in the blink of an eye.

During these three years, the entire Virilia was shaken by a piece of news that few forces could afford to ignore. A divine artifact had appeared in the Ancient Forest Realm.

For countless cultivators, a divine artifact was something they might never encounter in their entire lives. Even the most powerful forces in Virilia could not remain indifferent upon learning of its existence. Many began considering whether they could somehow obtain it, while others tried to investigate the circumstances surrounding its appearance.

However, there was one problem that prevented most of them from acting recklessly.

The Ancient Forest Realm imposed strict limitations on the cultivation of those who entered it. Emperor Realm experts represented the upper limit of power that could be brought to bear within the realm, and anyone attempting to interfere from beyond that boundary would have to contend with the restrictions imposed by the realm itself. Moreover, there was already someone within the Ancient Forest Realm whose strength stood at the very peak of the Emperor Realm.

The death of the quasi-Sovereign Realm expert three years earlier had made that reality impossible to ignore.

The news had spread throughout Borin City, leaving its major forces deeply unsettled. The death of such a powerful expert had been shocking enough, but the circumstances surrounding it had raised even more questions. Whoever had killed him possessed strength that ordinary Emperor Realm experts could scarcely comprehend.

And the Pagoda of Hope had been at the center of those events.

Naturally, the major forces of Borin City began paying closer attention to the Pagoda of Hope. Some tried to gather information about its strength, while others reconsidered their previous assessments of the organization. However, despite their efforts, they failed to obtain a clear picture of its true capabilities.

The Pagoda of Hope itself continued to operate much as it had before.

From the outside, its members appeared to be carrying out their usual cultivation, training, and administrative duties. Its elders remained occupied with their responsibilities, while its younger members continued to improve their strength. Yet, beneath that familiar appearance, the organization had undergone considerable changes over the past three years.

Its territory had expanded significantly.

The original fortress, which had once occupied a comparatively limited area, had grown into a much larger stronghold. New structures had been erected, additional cultivation grounds had been established, and the surrounding territory had gradually come under the Pagoda’s control. Its defenses had also been strengthened, allowing it to accommodate more cultivators without compromising its security.

The Pagoda of Hope was no longer merely one of the prominent fortresses in the Ancient Forest Realm.

It had become the largest fortress in the entire realm.

Its growing reputation attracted countless loose cultivators who wished to find a powerful organization capable of protecting them while providing opportunities for advancement. Many had witnessed the changes taking place throughout the Ancient Forest Realm and recognized that the Pagoda of Hope possessed advantages that other forces could not easily match.

As a result, its numbers continued to increase.

However, its growing size was not the only reason other forces regarded it with caution.

The true strength of the Pagoda of Hope remained a mystery.

Three years earlier, during the battle against the quasi-Sovereign Realm expert, only two Emperor Realm experts from the Pagoda had openly demonstrated their strength. That alone had been enough to shock the surrounding forces. Yet, three years had passed since then, and no outsider could say with certainty how much the organization had grown or how many powerful experts it now possessed.

The Pagoda had never felt the need to reveal everything it possessed.

And with Jin serving as its Pagoda Master, few people were foolish enough to demand answers.

During these three years, the other forces of the Ancient Forest Realm had not remained idle either. Having witnessed the danger posed by the strange creatures and the strange aura spreading throughout the realm, they gradually increased their efforts to reclaim lost territory.

The process was neither simple nor quick.

The strange aura was stubborn and difficult to erase. Even after the creatures responsible for spreading it had been eliminated, traces of that corruption could remain in the surrounding environment. Entire areas required repeated cleansing before they could be considered safe, and some regions demanded the combined efforts of several powerful cultivators.

Fortunately, the Pagoda of Hope possessed a divine artifact that made the cleansing process considerably easier.

With its assistance and the cooperation of the allied forces, progress accelerated over the three years.

By the present day, nearly seventy percent of the Ancient Forest Realm had been cleared of the strange creatures and cleansed of their influence. Territories that had once been dangerous had gradually become accessible again, allowing cultivators to explore, establish settlements, and recover resources that had remained beyond their reach for years.

Only thirty percent of the realm remained uncleansed.

However, no one considered that remaining portion easy to deal with.

The strange creatures that had survived were not necessarily the weakest among their kind. Many occupied dangerous territories, while others possessed considerable strength and had managed to survive the campaigns conducted by the allied forces. Clearing the remaining areas would require a coordinated effort rather than a series of isolated expeditions.

Jin understood this better than most.

He had no intention of allowing the situation to drag on indefinitely. The longer the strange creatures remained, the greater the possibility that they would cause further trouble. Even if the allied forces continued making progress, he wanted to finish cleansing the Ancient Forest Realm as soon as possible.

Fortunately, he was no longer the same cultivator he had been three years earlier.

His cultivation had advanced considerably during this period. He had reached the Second Stage of the Void Realm, and his control over his abilities had improved alongside his cultivation. His comprehension of the Devouring Law had also provided him with a considerable advantage, allowing him to face opponents who would once have posed a much greater threat.

Nox, meanwhile, continued to conceal his true cultivation.

Even after three years, very few people could accurately determine his actual strength. He rarely displayed more than necessary, and his mysterious aura made it difficult for others to judge the depth of his cultivation. To outsiders, he remained an enigma.

Aion’s situation was different.

He had already reached the Perfection of the Emperor Realm. With his accumulated strength and comprehension of the Time Law, breaking through to the Sovereign Realm was not beyond his capabilities.

He simply had no desire to do so.

Aion had his own reasons for remaining where he was. Although he possessed the ability to take that step if he wished, he preferred to maintain his current state rather than cross into the next realm prematurely. Whatever his reasons, he showed no indication that he intended to change his decision anytime soon.

For Jin, the past three years had also brought changes that had little to do with cultivation.

His relationship with Aion and Nox had gradually become more complicated, though not in a way he was prepared to discuss openly.

At first, he had found their closeness embarrassing. Even now, the memory of their first intimate night could make his face warm if he thought about it for too long. Yet, beneath that embarrassment, he had gradually recognized another feeling—an anticipation he did not entirely understand.

Somewhere in his heart, he found himself looking forward to their moments together.

He had no clear explanation for it, nor had he decided what to make of those feelings. He only knew that his initial embarrassment had never entirely disappeared.

Especially when Aion was involved.

Three years had done remarkably little to improve Jin’s ability to handle his lover’s shamelessness. After their intimate moments, Aion would often behave as though he had accomplished something worthy of great pride, leaving Jin with no suitable response. No matter how firmly Jin tried to maintain his dignity, Aion always seemed capable of finding another way to tease him.

Nox, on the other hand, was a different kind of problem.

His gentle eyes and warm smile rarely carried the same overt mischief as Aion’s expressions. Yet, whenever Jin looked into those eyes, he sometimes felt that Nox was quietly expressing how happy he was with their closeness—and how willingly he would welcome more of it.

That was somehow even harder for Jin to handle.

What is wrong with these two shameless beasts?

The thought occasionally crossed his mind whenever he found himself caught between Aion’s bold teasing and Nox’s gentle affection.

The most frustrating part was that neither of them could truly be accused of forcing him into anything. Jin had always possessed the freedom to make his own decisions, and both men understood that. Nevertheless, their combined affection sometimes left him feeling as though he had somehow been maneuvered into surrendering his composure with his own consent.

He preferred not to think too deeply about the matter.

There were far more important things demanding his attention.

After three years of preparation, Jin had finally decided to move forward with the next stage of their campaign. Rather than allowing the remaining thirty percent of the Ancient Forest Realm to become a prolonged burden, he intended to gather the allied forces and organize a coordinated sweep to eliminate the remaining strange creatures.

To accomplish that, cooperation between the various factions would be essential.

Jin therefore sent invitations to the leaders of the forces that had established alliances with the Pagoda of Hope.

The head of the Ancient Gale family was invited, along with the leaders of the Free Alliance, the Kui family, and the Taurus family. Each of these forces had cooperated with the Pagoda in the past, and Jin wanted their representatives present before the next campaign began.

The gathering would be an important one.

The remaining territories were dangerous, and the allied forces would need to coordinate their strength, assign responsibilities, and determine how best to proceed. Jin had no intention of allowing unnecessary disagreements to delay their efforts.

With the invitations dispatched, he made his way toward the elders’ pagoda.

It was there that the elders of the Pagoda of Hope would gather to discuss their next course of action.