Sovereign of the Ashes

"It seems this world has more than just the two Rank Four creatures mentioned in your intel. There should be three of them," Lorianne said, glancing at Sein as their space fortress hovered above the white planet.

White Sand World actually had two Rank Four creatures, but there were technically three in total because of its guardian.

Orethorn was not a true Rank Four being. But by relying on its status as the guardian, the nourishing spiritual qi from deep within the plane's navel, and a lifespan that defied common sense, it had reached a level of strength comparable to a Rank Four creature.

That was the wonder of the Astral Realm and other planes.

No one ever truly knew what strange species or unusual lifeforms existed in any given world.

Elementals were generally believed to live longer than creatures of flesh and blood.

But for someone who was, at best, a demigod to live tens of thousands of years... even Lorianne and Berecca had never seen anything like it.

Demigod-level mages in the Magus World had a theoretical lifespan of only ten thousand years, just like Rank Three mages.

However, with certain body modifications, they could extend their life by a few thousand more.

And if they took things further—say, turning into a Lich or transforming into an elemental—then thirty or forty thousand years might still be within reach.

Still, Orethorn's life force was on another level. It surpassed what Sein and the others thought was even possible.

It also proved that beings from top-tier planes did not necessarily live longer than those from medium-sized or low-level worlds.

Different species evolved in different ways. Theoretical lifespan was never a good measure of superiority.

Ordinary humans in the Magus World who could live up to a hundred years were already considered impressive. Yet, ordinary elves from the Grand Elven World were said to have average lifespans nearing a thousand years. Even half-elves with diluted bloodlines could live for several hundred years.

This had little to do with life level—it was entirely due to bloodline and genetic makeup.

Despite its age, Orethorn was still forcing its body to manifest the aura of a Rank Four combatant just because it sensed two groups of unwelcome guests outside the plane.

All the native powerhouses of White Sand World were trying to repel Sein and the others by unleashing their own aura.

Yet, the two space fortresses remained motionless.

In fact, the appearance of the guardian only served to spark more interest in both Sein and Lorianne.

"If we capture that elemental for study, decipher the mysteries of life within it, and create a specialized life-enhancing potion tailored for geo elemental creatures... We'll be rich by just selling those potions to Amethyst Plane," Lorianne said excitedly.

Through the faction's connection, Lorianne had met a few Rank Four geo elemental kings from Amethyst World back during the Wild Gorilla World War.

Amethyst World was another large plane within the Magus Alliance. Its name might not carry the same weight as Titan World or the Elven World, but in terms of wealth, it easily surpassed the Beastmen World!

As a large-sized geo elemental plane, it was rich in elemental crystals and all sorts of rare minerals.

The Amethyst Clan, though, was a conservative and introverted bunch. Only those truly accepted by these geo elementals could be considered friends.

Normally, they would not sell their energy crystals to outsiders.

And these straightforward geo elementals were not exactly the hedonistic type either. Making money off the Amethyst Clan was never easy.

Still, plenty of allied planes shared good ties with Amethyst Plane, and many of them had borrowed magicoins from those simple-minded elemental kings.

This reputation helped Amethyst Plane earn a solid standing within the Magus Alliance.

Just as Sein and Lorianne were discussing this, a screen lit up in front of them.

It was a call from Berecca, who was stationed on the other space fortress and clearly getting impatient.

"Are we moving in now? The planar barrier of this world looks pretty thick," she said.

One way to gauge a plane's prosperity was by examining its barrier.

The more thriving a world, the stronger its planar barrier.

On the other hand, planes that had been overexploited by their native creatures often had barriers as thin as a membrane.

The Gallant Federation, a top-tier technological civilization, reportedly had no planar barrier left at all.

That was because its heavy industry had completely polluted the planar will, which was known as planetary consciousness in their world.

But the federation had since developed its own protection force field known asDF Field, and planetary energy shields in place of a planar barrier.

This technological civilization could even transform broken planes and demiplanes into habitable planets that could support life.

Just as Lorianne was about to nod in agreement after exchanging glances with her apprentice, Sein offered a different take.

"In addition to having both space fortresses use their main cannons to break through the planar barrier, I can also help by casting a forbidden spell," Sein offered.

"Using a forbidden spell? Isn't that risky?" Lorianne asked, frowning slightly.

"With Tourmaline and both of your protections, what danger could there be?" Sein asked.

"My forbidden spell can also help speed up the conquest of this low-level plane. The surrounding star domain has not been fully explored by our Magus Civilization. If we delay too long, we might run into unforeseen complications," he added.

Lorianne nodded, agreeing with his reasoning, then sighed. "You Pyromancers really do have the upper hand in these situations. My dendro elemental forbidden spell does not do much when it comes to breaking planar barriers."

Sein smiled at his mentor, then flew toward the exit of the space fortress.

At that moment, Tourmaline was still fast asleep on Sein's bed.

Sein had expected all three of them to be protecting him, but in truth, only Lorianne and Berecca had stayed by his side.

Magus World mages became significantly more vulnerable when casting forbidden magic, but their destructive power was also far beyond that of regular area-of-effect spells.

As ominous chanting and intense elemental pressure began to build around Sein and the tip of his magic rod, Berecca flew out with her longsword, positioning herself in front of him.

At this point, even the creatures living within White Sand World could feel the oppressive force pressing down from above.

Sein was not the only source of that fear.

The two space fortresses surrounding him began to shift, revealing pitch-black cannon barrels at their fronts.

White beams of energy began to gather at the mouths of the cannons.

For White Sand World, which already had two suns, the arrival of Sein and the two space fortresses felt like three more suns had suddenly appeared in the sky.

The overwhelming aura of impending disaster and blinding brilliance were enough to nearly blind every creature in White Sand World.