A barren land stretches beneath them, covered in black rocky soil, where jagged mountains rise like broken blades, dark forests swallow light, and ancient ruins lie scattered among winding rivers and silent lakes.
Across this desolate expanse, portals flicker in unstable space, each one connecting directly to the Wizard World, with the largest of them anchored within the city below.
At the eastern edge of the land, a vast violet river flows in a straight, endless line, its surface calm yet suffocating, while an invisible barrier separates the land from its waters.
As Kaelan senses the river, its name forms naturally in his mind.
Void River.
A unique phenomenon of the Void, where it is said that destroyed worlds first drift before eventually falling into the Ruin Mill.
The river before them is not the main body, but merely a tributary of that incomprehensible flow.
As Kaelan continues to explore the Void Battlefield with his perception, understanding gradually settles in his mind.
Their objective becomes clear.
They must defend their portals, preventing enemy transcends from entering the Wizard World, while at the same time seeking opportunities to invade the Sword Immortal World through opposing portals.
The Void Battlefield resembles a vast game of chess.
They stand on the western side of the Void River.
Which means…
On the eastern side lies the Sword Immortal Civilisation.
Kaelan's attention shifts back to the city.
Below, wizards begin gathering, one after another, their figures rising into the air or climbing from the ruins.
He speaks, his voice spreading across the entire city.
"Everyone…"
"From now on, the Void Battlefield will be managed by the Federation."
His gaze turns toward the council members.
With a thought, he transmits the complete map of the Void Battlefield directly into their minds.
Then he continues.
"You all should understand what needs to be done."
Green Lightning Wizard steps forward slightly, his expression calm.
"Lord, we must construct defensive structures to protect the portals."
Kaelan nods.
"Magic Sun Wizards can also create spiritual clones."
"They should send them back to the Wizard World and begin preparations for war there as well."
His gaze shifts again.
It lingers briefly on the familiar faces.
His three wives.
It pauses slightly longer on his second wife, who has yet to reach the Magic Sun stage.
Then moves to his two children.
At the same time, calculations form in his mind.
His third wife, Ariel.
Veena.
And several innate lifeforms.
With sufficient resources and his guidance, they all have a high chance of advancing to the Great Wizard stage within fifty years.
A decision forms silently.
Once stability is established here…
He will call them.
Kaelan turns toward Isla.
"Let's go."
Without waiting, they rise into the air and leave the city behind.
They travel across the barren land before landing atop a lonely rocky mountain far from any movement.
Silence surrounds them.
Isla speaks first.
"What are our chances of winning this war?"
Kaelan does not answer immediately.
He stands still, gazing toward the east.
Toward the Void River.
As if trying to see beyond it…
To the other side.
After a moment, he speaks.
"I don't know."
A pause.
"But it doesn't matter."
"We have to win… by any means possible."
His voice is steady.
There is no hesitation.
Because there is no alternative.
In a normal invasion, even if they failed to defend the Wizard World, escape would still be possible.
But this…
This is a Void War.
The Sword Immortal has invoked the will of the Void itself.
There is no retreat.
No escape.
Only victory… or absolute annihilation.
Not just them.
Everything.
Everyone.
All that they know will vanish if they lose.
Isla nods slowly.
"We have to win."
She exhales softly, then her expression shifts slightly.
"Still… there is one piece of good news."
Kaelan glances at her.
"I can perceive new paths within the Law of Light."
Kaelan nods faintly.
"I can sense changes as well… within the Seven Element Laws."
He looks toward the horizon again.
"The battlefield connects our world with the foreign world."
"So their laws… may also be leaking into this space."
A faint smile appears on Isla's face.
"Then we can improve our cultivation by comprehending these new laws."
Kaelan falls into thought.
Deep.
Silent.
Comprehending laws strengthens the physical form.
The improved body nourishes the soul.
And the soul, in turn, elevates the True Spirit.
A complete cycle.
A path forward… even in war.
But Kaelan's eyes remain distant.
Because the first stage of cultivation in the True Spirit Wizard stage is the growth of the True Spirit itself.
By analogy, if the physical form is the hardware of a computer, and the soul is the software, then the True Spirit is the program, along with the stored information that gives the system its individuality.
Without that program and its data, the machine has no identity.
It is not your computer.
It can belong to anyone.
Improving the hardware, like expanding storage, allows more information to be held.
Improving the software, like designing better systems to organise and process data, also enhances performance.
But neither of these directly strengthens the program itself.
The fastest way to cultivate within the True Spirit stage is to directly refine the True Spirit, improving how information is encoded, structured, and processed, without relying on expanding memory or rebuilding foundational systems.
The growth of the True Spirit aligns more closely with the soul than with the physical body, because the True Spirit resides within the soul.
Improving the physical form nourishes the soul.
The soul then nourishes the True Spirit.
That is three steps.
If one improves the soul directly, then the soul nourishes both the physical form and the True Spirit.
That reduces it to two steps.
So if he cannot find a method to cultivate the True Spirit directly, then cultivating the soul becomes the next best path.
It will still be faster than advancing through laws alone, which adds an extra layer between effort and result.
Isla looks at him, noticing his silence.
"What are you thinking?"
Kaelan explains the relationship between the physical form, soul, and True Spirit.
He does not avoid the analogy.
After all, he had once recreated something similar to computers using runes and formations.
Isla listens carefully.
Then nods.
"You are right."
A pause.
"But we don't have the time to create a new cultivation technique."
A first-stage technique alone takes years to develop.
At their level…
It would take centuries.
Kaelan's expression turns solemn.
"You continue cultivating the laws."
"I will begin researching the soul and the True Spirit."
Isla considers it briefly.
Then nods.
"Let's do it."
Without hesitation, she rises into the air and disappears into the distance.
Kaelan remains still for a moment.
Then he moves.
A spiritual clone separates from his body.
The clone turns toward the city.
Kaelan himself flies westward.
Toward the far edge of the Void Battlefield.
What he intends to do is delicate.
And dangerous.
It cannot be done near others.
Especially when the war begins, because the westernmost edge will be the least affected.
Meanwhile, the clone arrives at the city.
It immediately issues orders to the Federation.
All serious criminals from the Wizard World are to be transported here.
Then the clone summons Kaelan's second wife.
He questions her.
Why has she not advanced to the Magic Sun stage?
After receiving his guidance, she enters a deep retreat without hesitation.
A day later, prisoners begin arriving.
Most of them are mortals.
Some are Wizard Apprentices.
The Wizard Civilisation is still young.
There are no complete systems yet to handle crimes committed by Official Wizards or higher.
Such cases usually end in death.
Because those individuals resist.
The clone gathers the prisoners.
A floating cloud forms beneath them.
The cloud carries them westward.
Toward Kaelan.
Afterwards, the clone visits Ariel, Veena, and other innate lifeforms.
Guiding them.
Helping them advance.
And while carrying out these tasks…
A question lingers in its mind.
How to strengthen the world itself.
Kaelan knows that the Sword Immortal World is also a small world.
Like the Wizard World.
But older.
More developed.
If both worlds were compared to a transcend's cultivation…
The Wizard World would be at the initial stage.
The Sword Immortal World… at the intermediate stage.
The difference in quality may not be vast.
But the difference in accumulation is.
Higher stages hold more energy.
Which means…
More transcends.
Kaelan, Isla, and the future Fourth-stage transcends will be occupied.
They will face the strongest enemies.
So the outcome of the war…
May depend on the lower-level transcends.
He does not consider the second clone of his main body.
There is no guarantee it will reach the Fourth Stage in time.
Or even able to come to aid.
Its situation is unknown.
So Kaelan must work with what he has.
And among his available pieces…
There is one he has not yet used.
His previous physical form.
The Crow.