Half an hour before the appearance of the Jialan Emperor's Decree.

...

In the depths of the Jialan Imperial City lies a garden where countless flowers vie for attention, surrounded by the murmuring water, and filled with the scent and sounds of nature.

At the center of this garden stands a low, humble bamboo house.

Compared to the surrounding opulent buildings adorned with carved dragons and painted beams, this bamboo house appears somewhat out of place.

Bright sunlight pours over the flower fields where colorful butterflies flit and frolic among the blossoms.

Elsewhere in the Imperial City, squads of fully armed soldiers patrol back and forth.

Yet, in this place alone, solitude prevails, bringing a sense of peace and serenity.

It's truly like a Peach Blossom Spring amidst the bustling city, captivating all who behold it.

Suddenly.

A mischievous laughter shatters the tranquil atmosphere here.

Frightened, a cluster of butterflies enjoying the scene takes to the air.

Next, a tender white foot lands on the grassy ground, emitting a crisp sound.

At that moment.

A playful remark, spoken in a slightly childish accent, emerges from a small cherry mouth:

"Old fellow, still sleeping, huh?"

In the next moment.

An old, hoarse voice suddenly resonates from the simple bamboo building:

"Hehe~"

"Do you believe everyone can continually resurrect like you and ignore death?"

Then the tightly shut bamboo door of the bamboo house suddenly opens:

With a creak

An emaciated old man, looking frail and worn, slowly hobbles out from inside.

Yet, the profound look in the old man's eyes conveys an air of inscrutable wisdom, quite unlike someone nearing death.

In the old man's gaze, a naive and carefree little girl twirls amidst the flowers, revealing a row of white baby teeth.

If Lin Yi were present, he would immediately recognize her as the so-called Dragon Envoy from Rafam Continent's Dragon Tomb Island.

The elder looks at the girl before him and, perhaps because he hasn't spoken for a long time, his voice carries a bit of hoarseness:

"Haven't you already left this dimension?"

"Why did you suddenly come back?"

"There are some matters I can't rest assured about, so I came personally to take a look."

The little girl nonchalantly walks to a vine chair beside the garden, sits down under the sun and says:

"With such commotion outside, haven't you noticed even a bit?"

The elder looks up in the direction towards Lin Yi, showing a hint of surprise on his worn face:

"Another one whose fate I can't discern?"

"No!"

At this moment, the skies above the Jialan Imperial City suddenly change dramatically.

A giant dragon's roar abruptly descends from the sky, amid flashing lightning and thunder.

Under the old man's watch, an Elf Dragon slices through the void, its massive body suspended over the Jialan Imperial City.

"Elf Dragon!"

The old man's face suddenly lights up with a stunning expression.

Then as if thinking of something, he opens his mouth with disbelief:

"It's him!"

Subsequently, the old man murmurs to himself:

"I should have known long ago."

"In all these thousands of years, only his destiny remains outside the Five Elements."

"He finally came."

Sighing as he speaks:

"It seems another millennium has passed while I idly let time slip by."

At this time, the little girl sitting on the vine chair teases:

"You're the lucky one, sleeping for a thousand years and not having to worry about anything like I do."

The elder chuckles, shakes his head, and says:

"Well, among the four of us, you're the only one with endless energy."

After speaking, the elder can't help but stretch and yawn:

"Since he's here, seems like I'll have to abandon my nap."

Suddenly, a man exuding the grandeur of a ruler appears in the corridor across the garden, respectfully addressing the old man:

"Ancestor, you wanted to see me?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

As he bows his head, a flash of shock crosses his eyes, inwardly astonished: 'He's awake!'

Not long after, the Jialan Emperor's Decree echoes throughout the Imperial Capital's skies.

...

"Why are you here?"

In the plaza before the Linlang Pavilion, Lin Yi looks at the little girl before him in utter shock, unable to fathom how she could appear here.

Wasn't she supposed to be guarding the Dragon Tomb?

Lin Yi then turns his gaze to the man beside her, wearing a crown and draped in a golden robe, his visage full of unparalleled majesty.

Is he the Pope of the Light Church?

Truly an existence impossible to overlook wherever he goes.

Lin Yi didn't expect the commotion here to even draw his attention.

With the appearance of Pope Frederick, the entire plaza immediately plunges into a peculiar atmosphere.

Almost everyone looks at Frederick with eyes filled with fervent admiration and wild enthusiasm.

It's like arriving at a massive fan gathering site.

Helena merely offers Lin Yi a gentle smile in response to his perplexed expression without providing an answer.

Instead, Frederick looks at Lin Yi, his gaze containing something that feels quite odd to Lin Yi:

"My Church is selecting a new Divine Son, would the Jialan King be interested in this matter?"

Lin Yi freezes at the words.

Unexpectedly, the Pope personally invites him to participate?

Coincidentally, Lin Yi originally came here for this very reason.

Now, since the 'organizers' themselves have issued an invitation, it saves Lin Yi the trouble of signing up, so he naturally agrees at once:

"It is indeed my honor to participate."

These words stir a commotion on the scene.

Lin Yi's strength has previously been evident to everyone.

Initially, people speculated that Lin Yi's appearance might be to compete for the Divine Son position.

But that was merely speculation.

Now that the Pope has personally extended the invite, this matter appears to be a certainty.

People couldn't help but feel excited.

Especially those forces openly and covertly fighting, as well as the Three Great Empires.

Lin Yi's sudden appearance has completely disrupted all their plans.

Seeing Lin Yi agree, an objective achieved, Frederick looked at Lin Yi with a hint of a smile:

"It's also my honor."

"In that case, we shall meet again in two days."

Just then, Grand Venerable Jiang suddenly said:

"Farewell Your Majesty."

The surrounding people then join in shouting in unison:

"Farewell Your Majesty."

Except for Lin Yi.

Because from start to finish, Lin Yi's gaze remained fixed on Helena in the guise of a little girl.

What exactly is the identity of this little girl whom even Sigmund, the Divine-level Black Dragon on Dragon Island, must respectfully call the Dragon Envoy?

And how has she come to be here?

Could it be that, for her, traversing dimensions is merely a simple task?

At this time, Ling Yuwei suddenly approaches Lin Yi, curiously asking:

"Don't tell me, do you know His Holiness the Pope?"

Lin Yi is stunned by her words:

"The Pope?"

Immediately realizing, he shakes his head and says:

"It's my first time meeting him."

Ling Yuwei looks at Lin Yi with skepticism:

"Really? Strange."

"Why does it seem to me that the Pope appears to know you?"

Then Ling Yuwei mutters to herself:

"Did I misinterpret?"

While Lin Yi recalls the fleeting sense of familiarity when the Pope appeared:

'Is it really the first time we've met…'