Mage Manual

Of course, it’s necessary.

First, collecting the Gate of Truth requires large-scale rituals, so the location needs to be fixed, and mages can’t just be chased around indiscriminately;

Second, although there are no hints, they all feel that interfering with the Time Continent this way is already at its limit. If they dare to personally massacre Two-winged Mages, the Void Realm might very well bring disaster upon the Heavenly Kingdom; don’t forget that the Void Realm has a temper;

Third, collecting the Flowing Gold River isn’t a one-time transaction, they will need to activate the "Flowing Gold Gate" many times in the future. If they ruin their reputation, no mage might be deceived again;

Fourth, Ash is not very willing.

Thus, the three Divine Lords humbled themselves to come to the Time Continent for a charity event, truly sending warmth to the countryside.

They always speculated why the Divine Lords chose to establish Heroic Soul Main Cities on the Time Continent; was it to experiment with troops, research magic, or compete for concepts? Only when they became Divine Lords and ruled the Heavenly Kingdom did they realize these reasons were merely incidental, with only one true reason for the Divine Lords’ interference in the Time Continent—to channel the Flowing Gold River.

For the Phase Heavenly Kingdom, the Flowing Gold River is the most important resource, without exception.

The witch closed her eyes, changing the phase’s foundational parameters with her consciousness, making the Flowing Gold River rapidly dry up, consuming thirty meters long to leave only five meters.

"Time flow becomes 5:1, which means every day in reality equals five days in the Heavenly Kingdom, but it can only last for one real day." Diya said weakly: "It feels like the profit margin is really low... We even specially spent ten Source Crystals to prevent the White Bull from moving!"

"It’s the first attempt, after all." Weiser chuckled: "If we permanently fix the death match arena, we can obtain stable Flowing Gold River revenue, forever accelerating the Heavenly Kingdom’s time flow."

This is the significance of the Flowing Gold River water: to accelerate the Heavenly Kingdom’s time flow!

For phases like Dazzling Star’s, the time flow rate is at least 3:1, 4:1, or even 5:1; while a thousand years pass in reality, several thousand years have already gone by in the Heavenly Kingdom!

As Divine Lords and Angels are eternal beings, elongated time poses no harm to them; it only grants them more time to research magic. For the Heavenly Kingdom, accelerated time flow equates to accelerated resource production. Ash and the others assume they are facing the Divine Lords’ thousands of years of accumulation, but in truth, it may be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years!

If a crisis arises in reality, accelerating the Heavenly Kingdom’s time flow could be tremendously beneficial. For instance, knowing Uroboros will attack after 24 hours, a Divine Lord could choose to exhaust the Flowing Gold River water within a day, accelerating the time flow to 100:1, which is not impossible!

In every sense, Flowing Gold River water is an essential strategic resource, so Sonia and the others went to great lengths to activate the "Flowing Gold Gate." Interrupting it naturally means something more important has happened.

Sonia didn’t even feel like discussing anything with Diya and the others; she organized the ritual and immediately flew to the Sky Garden’s main hall. Interestingly enough, although they had only been apart for a day, even the joy of meeting after half a year didn’t compare to the current anticipation, it felt as if she had turned from a wildcat into a housecat, increasingly clingy.

Entering the main hall, she saw Ash and Vishi, and her joyful mood instantly clouded, thinking if Ash didn’t come rushing over she would punish him by making him sleep alone tonight. However, as she moved closer and saw what they were doing, she suddenly froze in place.

The witch and Silver Lamp followed into the hall, saw the Sword Maiden stunned at the front, and then noticed Ash and Vishi in the distance, thinking Vishi really couldn’t wait even a second longer. But as they looked closely, their shock sent chills down their spines.

"Ash," Diya stammered: "What...what are you doing?"

They saw Ash’s hand pierced into Vishi’s chest, with Vishi limp in his embrace, her Void Wings gradually becoming phantom-like, as if she might vanish the next moment.

In contrast, Ash’s Void Wings behind him grew ever more intense, with Vishi’s Void Wings gradually merging into his own, as if taking all that was Vishi’s to fuel his eternal brilliance!

Vishi remained silent, her tearful eyes fixed on him, biting down on her lower lip, lifting her feeble hand to gently caress his face.

"Observer."

Ash sighed, speaking to a nonexistent presence: "No wonder everyone loathes you. Bonds...they are your trap after all."

He re-tied the severed bond between himself and Vishi, and her Void Wings swiftly returned to her, spreading freely. Moreover, she shared Ash’s Supreme Tail Wings, resplendent and dazzling, enchanting and glamorous.

Ash held Vishi in his arms, like two phoenixes embracing. He used his thumb to wipe away the maid’s tears, turning to Sonia and the others, saying:

"I know you have many questions. To put it simply, Filly taught me how to establish and break bonds."

PS: 8000 words, not easy to divide into Chapters, please forgive my stubbornness.