From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

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The tattered cloak of the Black Knight shimmered with dark purple light, as if it were the presence of something from the void, and from within the facial armor leaked a faint green gas, resembling a life form from another dimension.

Each wielding a scythe and a spear, they were surrounded by a bewildering haze of black clouds, beneath which their skeletal warhorses trod upon the clouds in pursuit, and from the numerous clouds emerged pale skeletons, their bony hands reaching out viciously as if to grab Byrne.

Byrne kept fleeing, and when the skeletons drew close, he immediately controlled the flames to burn away a large number of skeletons, his heart filled with vigilance.

Those two Black Knights, summoned by powerful Monarch-level Extraordinary Exponents through Necromancy, possessed the powerful strength of mid-level Transmutation, and even dealing with one Death Knight would be difficult for him, let alone two.

He was very clear, his current situation was extremely bad!

And just as Byrne was preparing to fight to the death, he suddenly heard a voice calling out in his mind.

"Wake up..."

He suddenly felt the world beneath his feet trembling slightly, and immediately realized that he was about to wake up; someone in the real world was calling him to come back to consciousness.

So that was it, Byrne thought, suddenly enlightened, that had to be the backup left by Viscount Bast!

Although he didn't know the details, he could guess a bit in his heart.

Viscount Bast could communicate with someone in the real world in some way, and once any change occurred in the Spirit Realm, the people there would be responsible for waking the sleeping Extraordinary Exponents.

But waking up still took time, and although it might be just a few seconds or even an instant in the real world, in the Spirit Realm it would clearly take longer.

Suddenly, Byrne had a premonition and snapped his fingers.

"Snap!"

A Death Knight, full of the stench of death, swung its massive scythe, and in the next instant, a black crescent of pure death energy swept towards him.

"Whoosh!"

After shape-shifting to evade, the black crescent sliced through where he had just been standing, its power so great it carved a deep trench.

Byrne almost broke into a cold sweat, but before he could recover, the attack from the other Black Knight came as well.

It raised its spear, and hundreds of skeletons burst forth from the black clouds, accompanied by wails and desperation.

"Flames!"

He gathered flames in front of him again, thwarting the skeletons' assault, while the spear-wielding Black Knight charged towards Byrne's position!

Byrne was about to snap his fingers again, but suddenly noticed something terrifying!

Simultaneously, the other scythe-wielding Black Knight raised its black scythe again, but didn't immediately strike, as if waiting for Byrne to evade before launching its attack.

This is bad!

Fear rose in Byrne's heart, and he knew one thing very clearly, that he couldn't continuously teleport without interruption, and it was indeed dangerous being surrounded and attacked in coordination by two mid-level Transmutation monsters, he was very likely to die in the Spirit Realm!

"Wake up!"

Suddenly, Byrne's eyes shot open, and he took deep breaths.

He stared at the pitch-black unfamiliar ceiling, realizing he had woken up, the Black Death Knights, the black clouds, and the skeletons seemed as if they had never existed.

"Did you wake from a dream?"

An old, yet strong palm appeared before him.

Byrne saw Viscount Bast standing by the bed, smiling, the white-haired old man reaching out to him.

So he grabbed the old man's hand and slowly rose.

There were many other Extraordinary Exponents still in slumber, each lying on different beds, eyes shut, bodies occasionally trembling, and looking extremely unwell.

And some masked black servants were continuously bending over to use strange incense in the underground space, attempting to awaken those still sleeping.

Suddenly, a tall red-haired man woke up, howling in agony, his body shaking violently.

"I am Andersen! I am Andersen!"

Hearing "Andersen" again, Byrne was startled, knowing deep down that the man must have died in the Spirit Realm to be shouting "Andersen"!

Some who died in the Spirit Realm would dream of "Andersen," then become increasingly insane.

And then, he saw that man suddenly attack the still sleeping people!

"Hahaha!"

Frost erupted from the man's body, as if intending to freeze everyone around him, and his bloodshot eyes flashed with madness!

Byrne immediately realized something was wrong; the sleeping people had no capacity to resist, but he was too late to intervene!

Suddenly, he vaguely saw something like a liquid emerging from Viscount Bast's shadow, absorbing all the frost released by the man, devouring it, and then disappearing.

What was that?

Byrne was taken aback, feeling an ominous presence emanating from that entity.

"This fellow's in a bad way, eh!"

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Viscount Bast, while speaking, had already calmly approached the man and casually pressed him down, completely neutralizing any attempt by the man to struggle or resist.

"Ah, ah, ah, ahhhhhhh!"

The man kept wailing loudly, his eyes bloodshot, attempting to resist Viscount Bast's power, but it was to no avail.

Byrne walked over and couldn't help asking, "What exactly is Andersen?"

Viscount Bast released a stronger force from his hand, and in the blink of an eye, he had knocked the man unconscious.

The elderly man turned his back, calmly shaking his head.

"I don't know; it feels like some sort of mental contagion, or something similar... It's only occasionally contracted by those who have died in the Spirit Realm. Basically, once someone is entangled by 'Andersen,' that person gradually becomes more and more insane and eventually even believes that they are 'Andersen'."

"If it comes to that final stage, then the case is completely hopeless."

Viscount Bast looked at the still unconscious people, including Renzo and Abel of the Lion clan and his own two younger brothers who had not yet awakened.

Yet, there was no hint of worry in his gaze.

"Let's leave this place first, Byrne. I have something to discuss with you... As for them, who knows how many will eventually wake up."

"Don't worry; I've already taken precautions. Even if another madman emerges from this group, there won't be any problems."

After speaking calmly, Viscount Bast then left the underground space, with Byrne following him.

After leaving the underground space, Viscount Bast led Byrne into a study room in the mansion, which was very luxurious and spacious. There were more than a dozen huge brown bookshelves, each seven or eight meters high, filled with all kinds of books, and even special wooden ladders for the servants to use for fetching the books.

At this moment, there were no servants in the study—just the two of them.

Viscount Bast took out a black crucifix brooch and showed it to Byrne, then said with a smile:

"Byrne Fischer, thank you for your sacrifice. At last, I've gotten hold of this 'Time Crucifix.' It contains the potential for further advancement, offering additional time for cultivation. Originally, my talent was not enough to reach the Monarch level, but with it, I now can!"

Byrne, gazing at the black crucifix brooch, was well aware deep inside that this Spirit Realm secret treasure was the most important gain from this foray into the Spirit Realm.

"Chris Fischer from your family also has a good chance of reaching the Monarch level, and even you might have a slight possibility."

Viscount Bast paused for a moment, his tone suddenly shifting, becoming more exuberant.

"Once I truly achieve the Monarch Level! Byrne, I will help you reach higher levels as well. Then, I will lend this Black Crucifix Brooch to the Fischer family for their use…"

Upon hearing this, Byrne couldn't help but be filled with gratitude and immediately nodded, saying, "Lord Bast, the Fischer family, and I, will be forever thankful for your generous help!"

Viscount Bast chuckled, shaking his head as he continued.

"Simply being grateful isn't enough, Byrne. What do you think of our nation, Siyat?"

Byrne was silent for a long while before he finally said:

"Our nation can only be considered a weaker one among the Eastern Four Kingdoms, unable to compare with the mighty Carnia to the far north, and gradually falling behind Vallere, Lorne's 'pawn'."

Indeed, Carnia, the northernmost of the Eastern Four Kingdoms, was undoubtedly the most powerful, and although the founding Monarch of Carnia had retired behind the scenes, he still held a god-like prestige in the hearts of the people.

Below Carnia, Vallere, originally the weakest among the four nations, borders the western Lorne Empire and has rapidly risen in the past thirty years with the support of the Lorne citizens.

As for the old nemesis Rhea, there is no need to mention them; the Cyart people still believe themselves to be stronger, although the Rhea People also think they are stronger than Siyat.

Viscount Bast sighed deeply, a look of helplessness in his eyes, and said, "You probably don't know, but back in the day, I was a classmate of 'Black Hawk' Viscount Zavier, and with the support of the Royal Family, we once studied in the most powerful Lorne Empire on the continent."

Byrne couldn't help but recall Robert Taylor and his message, "The dumbest moment for a person is when they ask, 'But you promised me'."

Viscount Bast looked towards the distant west and spoke slowly, "Those years of studying abroad, both of us will probably never forget, the gap between nations is just too large!"

"The strength of the Lorne people is at a level of civilization; they can make cities float in the sky and build huge cities underground. They can even expand into other continents or even other worlds, and nobles can enjoy the fruits of labor produced by the lives of countless sub-humans without even leaving their homes."

"Even what sets us most apart isn't something as straightforward as 'power'."

"If it weren't for the gods' constraints, they would have easily unified the entire Ouden Continent, and I fear those constraints won't last much longer..."

Byrne fell into deep silence. As someone who enjoyed reading, he had long heard about such matters.

Lorne had long been not just the most powerful empire on the Ouden Continent but also a colonial empire that made people in various places throughout the Claud World tremble at the mention of its name.

The old man's eyes seemed to flare with fire as he reached out and grabbed Byrne's shoulder, his tone filled with power and determination!

"Byrne, you are a smart man, and you can see the various predicaments of Siyat. The history of Siyat is already determined, but its future is up to us to change together!"

"I want you to help me become king!"

Byrne looked up in astonishment, seeing Bast Leone silently staring at him, his eyes devoid of their usual casualness. In their place was dignity and pride, and the lofty ambition of a lion!

"Byrne! As long as I can reach the Monarch Level, my lifespan will increase greatly, and the future we desire won't be impossible to achieve!"

It was at this moment that he finally understood the terrifying ambition that lay at the very depths of Bast Leone's heart. Somewhere deep inside, a passion and ambition of his own began to surge forth.

Byrne also looked intently at the aged Viscount Bast, and with certainty, he gave his response:

"The Fischer family will always serve you, clear the path for the Leone Lion clan, and I, Byrne Fischer, will look forward to the day you become the new King of Siyat!"