Aino City.

The Royal Palace.

BZZZT!

A beam of azure spiritual light shot into the sky like a firework.

The spiritual light soared to its apex.

WHOOM!

An array’s restriction, rippling like a watery membrane, spread outward.

It was as if an enormous azure bowl had been inverted over the sky, enveloping the entirety of Aino City!

The City Defense Array!

"The Water Shadow Heaven-Linking Array... it’s complete."

Clad in a black robe, Su Ye’s eyes flickered with a silver light.

BZZT.

His Divine Sense flowed out like silken threads.

It wove through the array’s various restriction nodes, calibrating them.

After a thorough inspection revealed no errors or omissions, Su Ye couldn’t help but nod slightly, a satisfied smile gracing his face.

He had independently deployed a Tier 3 City Defense Array!

’My mastery of arrays seems to have improved again?’

Su Ye muttered to himself.

By analyzing the profound mysteries of the Dao of Arrays.

And using that knowledge to modify the onboard arrays of the Ghostly Flood Dragon.

This highly difficult work had imperceptibly raised Su Ye’s skill level in the Dao of Arrays!

Furthermore, he had benefited greatly from the many advanced techniques in his scrapped designs—techniques that could be universally applied to other arrays!

Su Ye was no genius when it came to arrays. His rank as an Array Master relied more on the principle of ’brute force breaks all barriers,’ using his formidable Divine Sense to perform high-precision work.

But when it came to ’inspiration’ and the need to adapt on the fly, he had always been somewhat lacking, his performance mediocre...

Now, however, that weakness had been partially remedied!

Su Ye’s innate talent for arrays hadn’t changed.

But now, when faced with a technical challenge, he could draw upon the profound mysteries of the Dao of Arrays and apply the principles to other problems!

—If you can’t solve the problem yourself, can’t you at least copy the answer from the top student?

’This is great.’

’Maybe, while I’m in the Crystal Realm, I can even get my Array Master rank to catch up to my cultivation progress?’

Su Ye’s eyes sparkled with an unusual light as he mused.

He had never dreamed of having his cultivation-related skills surpass his Cultivation Realm, like Luo Xiyin.

But... catching up? Perhaps that wasn’t so difficult!

Realizing this, Su Ye’s mood brightened even more.

...

The array was now deployed.

Su Ye pondered.

’With the Water Shadow Heaven-Linking Array for protection,’

’Aino City should be safe even after I return to the Yaoguang Islands.’

’Even if a Tier 3 powerhouse attacks, the city can use this array to fight back. Holding out for a year or two should be simple...’

’Besides... with the Tewa Kan people as a cautionary tale, I doubt anyone in the Northern Territory would dare to attack Aino City, right?’

Su Ye broke into a grin, a mocking smirk playing on his lips.

Tewa Kan City was one of the three major cities in the Northern Territory!

And yet, before Aino City, it had suffered a crushing defeat, its army utterly annihilated—even a Divine Incarnation had been slain!

Under such circumstances, even if the natives temporarily checked their brains at the door and started thinking with their knees, they should still be able to reach the correct conclusion, right?

’Of course, there might be some... accidents...’

Su Ye thought.

After all, the Far South Continent was a theocratic society.

The will of the gods held absolute sway in this world!

Su Ye still remembered it clearly.

Before the Eternal Hunter Incarnation fell, it had shrieked the words ’Old God’ in terror.

A heretic is more hateful than an infidel!

By the same token...

To the gods of the Far South Continent,

was an ’Old God’ more of a target for hatred than a ’cultivator’?

’Could the Eternal Hunting God be calling on its friends right now?’

’Getting ready to summon eight or ten gods to descend as incarnations... to start a holy war?’

Su Ye’s thoughts wandered as he speculated.

That possibility... wasn’t entirely out of the question, was it?

Of course, the probability was extremely low, infinitesimal even.

Given the state of the gods on the Far South Continent, they likely couldn’t support such a grand endeavor.

"But still..."

Su Ye gave a wry smile.

’Even against a single Divine Incarnation, I’d probably have to flee for my life...’

Of his five God Seeds, four were on cooldown!

’No skills!’

’How am I supposed to fight like this?’

Compared to when he was at his peak, Su Ye’s current combat potential had plummeted!

’So, to be safe,’

’I’d better return to the Yaoguang Islands as soon as possible...’

Caution!

Su Ye decided to follow his gut—and his gut told him to be cautious.

...

Then, Su Ye sent out a Communication Talisman, summoning Marina and Genvieve.

"My Lord."

Marina arrived quickly.

She wore the robes of a bishop, a feathered ornament in her hair. Her lips were a rich, cherry red, and her wheat-colored skin seemed to glow with a warm, ivory-like luminescence.

For men and women alike, power is the ultimate aphrodisiac!

Compared to before, after successfully taking her revenge and returning to power in Aino, Marina’s entire aura had changed for the better. She was brimming with vigor and radiance!

"Your Highness, the Divine Son."

Genvieve arrived.

She curtsied gracefully, dressed in a pearl-adorned gauze skirt trimmed with shimmering gold tassels. Her natural beauty needed no enhancement.

As she bowed, the white fabric of her collar, pulled by gravity, dipped slightly, revealing an alluring sight.

It brought some wonderful memories to Su Ye’s mind.

These two beauties of the Far South Continent each had their own unique charm.

But at this moment, they were both respectfully submissive, bowing their heads in wait for Su Ye’s instructions.

Su Ye smiled and began to give his orders.

"I’m preparing to leave for a while."

"During this time, decisions in Aino City will be primarily up to the two of you..."

As Su Ye spoke, he used his Divine Sense to inscribe the details onto a jade slip as a written backup for them to follow.

In truth, there wasn’t much to delegate.

Su Ye didn’t like to stir up trouble unnecessarily.

He had no grand ambition to ’liberate the Far South Continent and enlighten the minds of the natives.’

His goal was simple and clear—acquire resources!

His strategy for the Far South Continent was based on one thing: profit!

Therefore, the administrative policies he laid out for Aino City were also quite simple and pragmatic.

"First, rest and recuperate."

"Focus on recovering from the wounds of war left over from the past five years and rebuilding the territory..."

"Rebuilding villages and strongholds can wait. These few resource points that produce special materials need to be restored as soon as possible!"

"Second, build a port on the coast..."

Su Ye explained.

This port would become the central link between the Far South Continent and the Yaoguang Islands.

It would also be the starting point for future expansion and colonization!

...

With his instructions delivered, that night, Su Ye stayed in the royal palace and engaged in some... recreational stress-relief activities.

A two-for-one deal is very effective at relieving stress.

「The next day.」

BZZZT!

The hull of the Ghostly Flood Dragon came to life.

In its Sky Battleship form, it turned around and departed from Aino City!

The ship’s hold was laden with Spirit Stones, treasures, books, and rare artifacts... The thousand-year collection of Aino’s royal family had become Su Ye’s reward for this trip!

Then, the Ghostly Flood Dragon transformed into a black and red meteor, speeding north!

WHOOSH.

After about half a day, the Fog Sea Gray Wall, a barrier connecting heaven and earth like the wall of the world itself, appeared before Su Ye’s eyes!

The Ghostly Flood Dragon descended, its sails and masts rising as it transformed into a seafaring vessel.

HUMMM.

The ship’s bow touched the gray wall.

And at that moment, Su Ye looked back at the silhouette of the Far South Continent and gave a small wave.

"Goodbye, Far South Continent."