349 Ancestor

Thorne turned his head in horror...

He saw an old person coming over with Patriarch Ofran, but this time, Ofran was slightly bowing as he led the way with a respectful attitude. The old man behind him seemed to be in his sixties, but was emitting frightening power…

"Heavens…" Thorne forgot to breathe.

Someone with such terrifying power that even Ofran showed such respect to...

He could easily guess the identity of that old man.

He could only be an ancestor of the Ancestral Land!

Thorne wasn't the only one who guessed that; the Elders who had been watching the battle prostrated themselves. The Merlin Family had stood tall in Okland for over a millennium. To outsiders, it looked like this was due to their countless geniuses, but the core of the Merlin Family knew that this was thanks to the existence of these old men.

They might not come out of the Ancestral Land for several decades, or even centuries, but every time they came out, they would make the Merlin Family shock the entirety of Okland...

They remembered the last time an ancestor entered the Merlin Family Manor, three hundred years ago. Santon Merlin had yet to rise and the Merlin Family was being suppressed by the Watson Family and the Charlotte Family, and it looked like they would fall down from being part of the Three Great Families.

At the time, the Merlin Family had started retreating little by little in various fields and the resources of three planes were divided by the other two Great Families. When they seemed to be at the end of their rope, an ancestor left the Ancestral Land and took away Santon Merlin, who had only been average at the time.

Ten years later, Santon Merlin quietly returned to the Merlin Family, and against everyone's expectations, he easily killed the prodigy of the Charlotte Family before continuing to progress at a rapid pace and reaching Heaven Rank within a century.

This story has already become somewhat of a legend in the Merlin Family.

Any child with a little understanding of the Merlin Family was familiar with this story, especially geniuses like Ross and Leon. They worshipped the ancestors like gods, hoping they would gain an ancestor's recognition and be led onto the path to Heaven Rank.

Now, one of the ancestors of the Ancestral Land had truly appeared, shocking everyone.

And let alone the others...

Even Thorne, one of the noble Sword Saints of the Merlin Family, changed his expression completely when he saw that ancestor.

However, unlike the others, Thorne was a well-known figure in the family. He had seen a few ancestors when he completed his bloodline ceremony.

And the ancestor that appeared just now was one that Thorne had met back then.

"Sir Ryan, How come you are here…" Thorne's voice was shaking, not because of excitement, but because of fear.

Among all the people present, only Thorne knew how frightening Sir Ryan was. Although he himself was now called Sir by everyone, Thorne knew that he couldn't be compared with Sir Ryan. He was like a mere ant in front of him.

Several decades ago, Thorne got the opportunity to enter the Ancestral Land due to his outstanding achievements in a Planar War.

Back then, Thorne was very young and impulsive. After entering the Ancestral Land, he didn't go to the temple to complete his bloodline ceremony and instead curiously pressed into the depths of the Ancestral Land, before seeing a scene he would never be able to forget.

There, Thorne was attacked by a Titan Python, a true prehistoric monster, which was said to be extinct in the 3rd Dynasty. Thorne cursed his luck. He had only gone exploring, yet he was attacked by a python that was several hundred meters long, towering like a mountain.

Thorne was terrified when the python opened its eyes and let out its tongue.

But facing a Level 36 Titan Python as a 9th Rank Expert Swordsman was no different than an ant attacking an elephant.

There was only one thought in Thorne's mind, which was to flee, to flee as far as possible.

So he did.

Even now, Thorne still felt that he had never again run so fast in his entire life.

But Thorne was only a 9th Rank Expert Swordsman back then. Even if he used all his stamina, could he outrun a Level 36 Titan Python? After a few minutes, Thorne heard a sound behind him and noticed a fishy smell.

The sinister, mountain-like head was less than five meters behind him. Thorne had felt his heart jumping out of his chest...

But at that time, a meteorite suddenly fell from the sky.

It was followed by an earthquake as the Level 36 Titan Python let out a blood-curdling screech and the meteorite smashed it.

And this wasn't over...

That meteorite was followed by a second one, and a third one, and a fourth one...

Thorne was completely terrified by what he witnessed.

He could only stare blankly as a dozen meteorites dropped from the sky and turned that Titan Python into mincemeat.

Even now, Thorne could clearly remember how shocking that scene was.

That wasn't power that people were meant to have...

Afterwards, the old man who had cast these meteorites appeared in front of Thorne Merlin. Thorne had been so frightened that he hadn't been able to say anything, he only remembered following behind that old man as he led him back to the temple for his bloodline ceremony.

Thorne only knew that this old man was called Ryan and that he was the Archmage closest to Heaven Rank after Santon Merlin.

Now, this Archmage infinitely close to the Heaven Rank was once again in front of Thorne.

Even if Thorne was already a Sword Saint and a Planar Legion Commander, his voice couldn't help shaking due to fear in front of this person.

"Ofran, you explain." Sir Ryan waved his hand as he called Ofran.

"Yes, Sir Ryan." Ofran respectfully nodded before turning towards Lin Yun and Thorne. "An hour ago, the Guardian Tower of the Ancestral Land made a decision. In three months, the Merlin Family and the Watson Family will work together to take control of the Raging Flame Plane's Ignition City…"

"What!?" Thorne had a complicated expression after hearing this 'Together with the Watson Family!? How could this be!?'

The struggle between the three Families had been going on for over a millennium, but because they had been restraining each other, that war was mostly happening in the dark, up until Santon Merlin's birth three hundred years ago. After defeating the Charlotte Family, the Watson Family and the Merlin Family stopped keeping up appearances. They fought who knew how many times in the dark and in the open since then, especially in the Raging Flame Plane. Both Planar Legion Commanders fought several dozen times, and countless people died in those confrontations. The hatred between the two Families had reached an irreconcilable level. 

For a long time, whether it was the Merlin Family or the Watson Family, even if they would sometimes cooperate with other forces, they would never work together. It was impossible for the Planar Legion Commanders to make the decision to cooperate with each other.

It wasn't because they didn't want to cooperate...

But rather because the two Families could no longer cooperate at all.

Thorne never dreamt that those ancestors who rarely got involved with the Merlin Family would actually make such a decision.

"I don't agree!" Thorne subconsciously opposed the decision.

But after saying that, Thorne realized that he had misspoken, so he hurriedly added, "I meant, I think the Watson Family wouldn't agree to cooperate with us!"

"Thorne, this is a decision from the Ancestral Land." Ofran glanced at Thorne, before looking at Lin Yun. "Moreover, you and Mafa will jointly command the Planar Legion…"

"What!" Thorne thoroughly forgot himself this time. After hearing Ofran's words, he stood up and demanded, "Patriarch Ofran, what do you mean!"

This felt like a joke!

Even if they had to cooperate with the Watson Family, half of the authority of the Planar Legion would go to the one who almost killed his son?!

'No way, definitely no way!'

"Again, Thorne, this is the decision of the Ancestral Land…"

"I have a question…" Lin Yun couldn't help chiming in after hearing this. "I want to ask, what if I don't want to go?"

"You have to…" The one answering to Lin Yun wasn't Ofran, but rather Sir Ryan. Strangely, that old man hadn't talked to anyone since he reached the Merlin Family Manor apart from the Patriarch. Yet, he smiled when looking at Lin Yun. "Mafa Merlin, I truly didn't expect that we would meet so soon, but I heard from Ofran that your temper isn't very good. Young man, you shouldn't be so impulsive. Your name is still Merlin, after all…"