Aganna, clad in exquisite, shining white armor intricately etched with arcane, profound patterns, presented herself before the Radiant King, known as the Dual-King of Splendor. Her erect, beautifully contoured figure, framed by the white wings protruding from her pauldrons, presented an image of both sanctity and martial prowess.

Holding the title of King of Light, Aganna was a rare beauty even among the Winged God Clan, a gathering place for the finest men and women. Furthermore, she was exceptionally young, having reached the initial stage of Soul Transformation merely a few centuries ago, and her lineage was noble. This combination garnered her countless admirers among the younger generation of Winged Folk, cementing her immense popularity.

"My King of Light, my beloved niece," the Radiant King descended from his throne with a kindly expression, inviting Aganna to a guest seat. He regarded her with paternal affection. "I hear you are enacting sweeping reforms and construction across your domain, overseeing everything personally. Do take care not to exhaust yourself."

"Yes, Uncle, I will be mindful," Aganna replied. The territories she managed had all been allocated to her by the Radiant King. She held immense respect and deep affection for her uncle, the Radiant King. After nodding obediently, she continued, "I simply found that the people in my domain suffered from chaotic thinking, weak faith, rampant banditry, and an endless stream of heretics. Improvements were necessary."

"Mmm, the Bright Domain has indeed been quite turbulent recently. However, that is no excuse for neglecting your health." The Radiant King frowned slightly, chiding her gently. "Moreover, Aganna, your talent is outstanding, surpassing even mine and your father's. At your age, your focus should be squarely on cultivation, seeking opportunities to break through to the Void Refining stage—that is the proper path. How about this: Uncle will send you some experienced talents to assist in managing your domain, and you, in turn, immerse yourself deeply in your training."

"Yes, Uncle," despite the gentle rebuke, Aganna readily agreed, convinced. After all, her uncle’s intentions were for her own good.

The Radiant King finally nodded with satisfaction. "Aganna, why did you request an audience with me today? Is there something you need my help with? Speak freely. As long as it is within Uncle's power, I will not hesitate or refuse."

"Uncle, I only wished to ask, when will you call upon the various Kings to begin the counter-offensive to reclaim the Continent of Dawn? You know that the Continent of Dawn has completely fallen and is occupied by heretics," Aganna stated with grave seriousness. "And if the heretical stronghold is not eradicated, it will become the spiritual leader for the heretics in our own territories. Even if we suppress them temporarily, we cannot control them forever."

"Aganna, it is not that your Uncle is unwilling to reclaim the Continent of Dawn," the Radiant King frowned. "It is that the heretics occupying it have sealed all the array-based Teleportation Formations. If we attempt to travel across the Endless Void by flight, the journey will not only be fraught with peril but also incredibly time-consuming. You know the Continent of Dawn is remote; an army flying there would take several years at least."

"Uncle, I know that flying through the Endless Void takes a long time and is dangerous. But should we just stand by and watch the heretics continue to rampage and oppress the people on the Continent of Dawn?" Aganna argued righteously, growing somewhat impassioned. "Though I am but a junior, I volunteer to lead my contingent as the vanguard to counter-attack the Dawn and subjugate the heretics, paving the way for our main force."

The Bright Domain was originally a single vast floating continent suspended in a space known as the Endless Void. However, following fierce wars, it shattered into eight separate continents. In ages past, the Immortal Clan had aided the Holy Bright Domain by establishing permanent Teleportation Formations on each of these landmasses.

The Winged God Clan could traverse these widespread formations with great ease, connecting the various continents. It was precisely this convenience that made the domain feel like a single, cohesive entity in their consciousness, even after being fractured into eight pieces.

Only once the teleportation arrays were sealed and a continent fully occupied did the Winged God Clan realize the true extent of the separation. Over the long passage of time, the continents had drifted ever farther apart. Now, attempting to navigate the vast expanse between them in the Endless Void via flying vessels had become an exceedingly difficult endeavor.

This was not solely a matter of distance. When the continent first broke apart, countless fragments of land were scattered into the Endless Void between the major continental plates, forming clusters of floating mountains, large and small, akin to islands. These floating mountains were so densely packed that they prevented flying fleets from maintaining full speed in formation. Moreover, these floating mountains were far from safe havens.

The Endless Void was boundless.

Within it resided many mysterious creatures sustaining themselves through highly specialized means, living nomadic, primitive lives. These mysterious beings used the scattered island chains of floating mountains as one of their nesting grounds, raising vast quantities of 'food.' Periodically, they would migrate here to hunt, breed, and produce offspring, before departing again.

This cyclical pattern filled the strait-like channels of the Endless Void with countless dangers. Naturally, these dangers often posed a threat to the various continents. Powerful, yet unintelligent, Void Creatures would frequently swarm onto the continents to cause havoc, only to retreat after being cleared out by the armies—annoying like locusts in human farmlands, and a traditional natural disaster for the Holy Bright Domain. These disparate Void Creatures were collectively termed the Void Demon Clan by the Winged Folk of the Bright Domain.

Of course, theoretically, this Void Demon Clan bore no direct blood relation to the higher-echelon Demon Clan from the Demon Realm. However, the populace habitually applied the label 'Demon' to anything powerful, loathsome, and capable of causing catastrophic damage.

This illustrates that Aganna’s aspiration to pioneer a flight path was inherently perilous. While the Winged God Clan was mighty, the powerful entities within the Void Demon Clan were certainly no pushovers.

"Aganna, your spirit is commendable," the Radiant King praised, then sighed. "Regrettably, we cannot currently assemble an allied force to counter-attack the Continent of Dawn. Uncle has his difficulties."

"Uncle, what difficulties are those?" Aganna pressed, still earnest, unwilling to concede easily. "I am willing to—" [Book website]

"Aganna, the Six Domains and Nine Continents are not peaceful right now," the Radiant King’s expression grew solemn. "For tens of thousands of years since the Great Collapse, though there have been minor skirmishes and friction among the Six Domains and Nine Continents, no truly massive war has occurred. The various races have generally been focused on recuperation. But when peace reigns too long, races begin to believe their accumulated strength is sufficient, and restless ambitions stir. Especially the Human race of the Nine Continents; they were the ultimate beneficiaries of the Ancient War and have developed quite well since the Great Collapse. Humans, with their numerous flaws, become overwhelmingly ambitious the moment they gain a sliver of power. This recent unrest on the Continent of Dawn, superficially instigated by a clansman named Yikong under the guise of revenge, might very well hide the influence of Humans behind it. Furthermore, the Underworld Ghost Realm, which was constantly engaged in civil war among its four factions, has recently ceased fire, showing signs of unifying. If we allow them to consolidate, given their consistent strategy of aligning with the Asura Domain, they will inevitably pose a significant threat to our clan."

The Radiant King spoke all this in one breath, yet continued shaking his head. "The issues mentioned previously are minor matters. Our old adversaries, the Asura Clan, and the Abyss Domain, constitute our true, pressing concern."

"Uncle? Those fellows from the Abyss Domain are notorious for infighting, lack integrity and coherent philosophy, and are disliked and ostracized by almost every other race. Moreover, like the races of the Purgatory and the Glacial domains, their need for living space is highly idiosyncratic; they lack any outward ambition for conquest," Aganna frowned slightly. "I doubt those fellows pose much of a major threat, do they?"

"While that may be true, intelligence suggests that since the current Lord of the Abyss usurped power, he seems to have discovered a resource-rich Outer Realm. Utilizing this realm, the Lord of the Abyss has acquired vast resources and is cultivating his elite forces, harboring the ambitious desire to unify the Six Domains and Nine Continents," the Radiant King’s eyes flickered.

"What? An Outer Realm?" Aganna’s eyes widened in disbelief. "What kind of Outer Realm could possibly fuel the Lord of the Abyss with such ambition? Unifying the Six Domains and Nine Continents—he certainly dares to dream! Has his head been crushed?"

"Aganna, even if the resources from that Outer Realm are insufficient to forge an army capable of sweeping across the Six Domains and Nine Continents, they are certainly enough to inflate his ambition and make him excessively arrogant. It cannot be ordinary stuff," the Radiant King sounded worried. "If we wait much longer, even if the Lord of the Abyss cannot unify the entire territory, sweeping through one or two regions seems highly likely."

"Uncle, you mean to say?" Aganna’s brow furrowed as well. "The Abyss Domain, the one we pay the least attention to, is actually our greatest current threat?"

"Precisely. We cannot simply wait for the enemy to grow stronger; we must strike proactively," the Radiant King's gaze was intense. "We must extinguish the threat while it is still in its infancy. Moreover, if we can capture that resource-rich Outer Realm, this will be the time for the entire Winged God Clan to rise."

Aganna drew a sharp breath. She had initially intended to ask her uncle to mobilize forces toward the Continent of Dawn, but unexpectedly, he pivoted to the Abyss Domain. Yet, her uncle’s reasoning seemed sound. Still, she felt she couldn't simply abandon the Continent of Dawn. How could one deal with external threats when internal order was not secured?

"Aganna, I suspect the incident on the Continent of Dawn was orchestrated by our primary enemy," the Radiant King stated firmly. "Consider this: what if our main forces are bogged down in the Endless Void while the enemy gathers an army to attack our heartland? Aganna, the Abyss Domain is where we must go. The rise of the Winged God Clan hinges entirely on this battle."

... Book Net