Zhi Leng——
The elemental spirits immediately shivered.
Trembling, they lowered their heads and said, "Yes... yes, we thought you were already dead..."
But who could have imagined...
Lynn's lips curled into a smile as he fanned himself gently, saying, "Am I not sitting right in front of you, alive and well? What, just because I haven't paid attention to you for a thousand years, you think your wings have grown strong enough to fly solo?"
"No! Absolutely not!!" The elemental spirits were so frightened they almost flew away.
"Once a father, always a father! How could we ever entertain such a rebellious thought!!"
[Hehehe, don’t I know your nature?]
Lynn immediately recalled the events of the past.
Back then, in his quest to find a way to resurrect his beloved Blue Dragon wife, he had studied all kinds of knowledge and power across the world, and the elemental spirits naturally caught his attention.
As the primordial beings that had existed since the dawn of this world, the elemental spirits, along with the Source King, had laid the foundation for the magic of this world.
But these spirits did not share the same temperament as the Source King.
After being unified by a powerful Elemental King at the time, they monopolized the world's elemental forces and even took control, establishing numerous factions among humans, elves, and other races.
Their growing greed and ambition led them to meddle in the mortal world.
Many mages were forced into unequal contracts by these elemental spirits, becoming slaves to their dominion on the continent.
Those who once manipulated the elements were now manipulated by them.
And Lynn was one of the strongest mages on the continent at that time.
If it had been a minor issue, he might have let it slide.
But what infuriated him most was that the Elemental King had directly set his sights on Lynn's immense magical power.
He still vaguely remembered the moment when that Elemental King descended into his dreams, arrogantly and condescendingly demanding his submission.
"Puny and ignorant human, standing before you is the true king of all elements, the master of all magical energy and elements. I offer you a chance, a chance to submit to me. If you willingly become my slave and acknowledge me as your father, I will grant you the power to rule over all living beings. But if you dare resist, I will reduce you to ashes."
Hearing this, how could Lynn let it go?
At the time, Lynn was already in a foul mood after failing to find a way to resurrect his wife. And now, this fool had the audacity to provoke him? How could Lynn let him off easily?
You want to be my father?
Fine!
Very well!
Then I'll be the father of all elemental spirits!
What happened next goes without saying.
Lynn fought his way through seven battles, trampling the Elemental Throne, desecrating their ancestral graves, and personally sending all the Elemental Kings of that era to their demise. He even strung their elemental cores together and hung them in his home as a talisman against evil.
Lynn glanced over at the wall nearby.
Hanging there was a string of dull beads, which to the untrained eye might look like cheap trinkets from a flea market.
As for the long string of true names, it was quite simple.
After Lynn had eliminated those Elemental Kings, the mages controlled by the elemental spirits continued to cause chaos, plunging the entire continent into turmoil.
So Lynn adopted a slightly longer true name.
And then...
Then there was no more.
The long casting time was a fatal flaw.
Even some of the more powerful elemental spells required repeated invocations of the great Elemental Sovereign's true name to be cast.
And even if they chanted, Lynn wouldn't respond.
If he did, it would be with a simple reply.
"I didn't hear you. Say it a few more times."
Thus, over time, mages bound by contracts with elemental spirits gradually faded from the era.
They were replaced by the rise of magisters who could directly manipulate elements without relying on elemental spirits.
To distinguish themselves from other mages, those bound by contracts with elemental spirits were given a more prestigious title at the time.
Shamans.
Lynn smiled faintly, taking a sip of milk as he gazed at the trembling elemental spirits.
"This is quite troublesome. Why don't you tell me, now that you've discovered I'm still alive, what do you plan to do? Are you going to report my survival to your new king?"
The elemental spirits shivered and immediately denied it.
"Absolutely not! If you're alive, then you are our one and only father. How could we possibly acknowledge a new king and forsake our true father? That would be utterly unthinkable!"
Juejuezi, stunned, muttered, "Huh? Didn't you just say he was a heinous demon..."
"Shut up!!" the elemental spirits shouted.
Lynn chuckled.
He stretched and stood up.
The title of "Father of Elements" had almost slipped his mind until now.
During the Divine War, when defeat seemed inevitable, many of his vassals were not summoned to preserve their strength.
Aside from the demons of the abyss, the elemental spirits were also among them, though they were of lesser importance.
But now that he would have to face the gods again, he needed to reclaim control over the elemental spirits.
"Don't worry," Lynn said with a smile. "You are all my vassals, and I won't harm you. But I don't have time to deal with your trivial matters right now. When the time comes, I'll visit your plane personally, and then I'll let you know..."
"Your Father of Elements is still alive."
A gust of wind blew past.
Lynn looked down at them, and though he was still wearing an apron, an overwhelming aura of dominance emanated from him, making one feel the urge to kneel.
Juejuezi was utterly captivated.
She had read many fantasy novels before, often filled with descriptions of the protagonist's aura.
For example, "with a single shake of his mighty frame, the aura of a king was revealed."
She had always thought those were just exaggerations, but now it seemed there was some truth to it!!
Her eyes widened.
She quickly opened her backpack and pulled out a thick fantasy novel.
Her eyes scanned through a few passages.
"Indeed..."
"Is this the kind of aura only a protagonist can possess...?"
The novels didn't lie!!
Juejuezi hugged the book, stunned.
On the title page of the book, the author's name was clearly written in bold letters.
—Shuang Mu (Double Wood).
Then, Lynn's gaze fell on Juejuezi.
"Little girl."
"Eep—"
Juejuezi instantly froze, sitting up straight in a panic. Her hands fumbled, and the cup in her hand flew out, spilling its contents everywhere.
Sticky, white liquid splattered all over her.
"P-Please guide me! Juejuezi is here!"
Juejuezi's eyes were wide, her body stiff, as the sticky white milk dripped down her chin.