TOP SECRET: Adventures in the Dark Continent Chapter 500: Leaving the Wild Region

"Hey Liu Yang, you're incredible!!!! I can't believe you actually pulled that off," Lida exclaimed in praise. She had never imagined Liu Yang could truly aid the dryads.

"Liu Yang, you're hands down the most incredible person I've ever encountered," Zily chimed in with admiration. She found it utterly astonishing.

"I just got fortunate. Without Fantina's assistance, it would've taken me over twice as long. Ten years was quite a stretch..." Liu Yang let out a sigh. He noticed the women had shown some signs of aging during the decade he'd been gone.

Traces of passing youth marked their faces and figures. Time's passage had altered them considerably.

Some of that change stemmed from their worry over Liu Yang's well-being. Sleep had eluded them often.

His homecoming felt like a long-awaited dream realized.

Thus, guilt tugged at him for his actions.

These women had endured the wait throughout those ten years.

To regular folks, such a span felt enormous.

"Liu Yang, no need to fret over it. Your real concern should be fathering my child. I've waited ten years already and refuse to wait longer," Lida grumbled. Past thirty, she still lacked a child.

"I'll fulfill my duty as your man on that front, but first, we must escape this place and return to the continent. Elraden has to be fretting over you," Liu Yang wasn't sure if communication with her souls was possible.

"Liu Yang, don't concern yourself. My adoptive mother reached out when she arrived here," Lida maintained ties with Elraden, or rather her soul fragments at least.

"Which one visited?" Liu Yang knew Elraden possessed multiple soul fragments, though he'd only encountered Rosella.

"I met just one. She mentioned you're acquainted with her."

"Ohh... That has to be Rosella then," Liu Yang recognized only this soul fragment.

"Yeah. She's resting in another room now. Liu Yang, you ought to meet the adoptive mother."

"I'll handle that, but first I must speak with others. I need to announce my intent to depart from here," Liu Yang avoided lingering in the Wild Region, deeming it too perilous for child-rearing. Departure was his choice.

"Liu Yang, will you escort everyone away? Or leave certain women behind?" Lida was unaware of the others' views, yet she yearned to flee this hazardous zone for a peaceful existence.

Beyond Xinia Continent, Lida had lived as an assassin, slaying countless. Normalcy had escaped her.

At present, motherhood and an everyday woman's life beckoned. She aimed to fulfill that aspiration.

She wasn't alone; numerous women shared this desire.

Yet achieving it proved challenging amid perils. Only the mighty enjoyed carefree lives.

"It hinges on their decisions. I'll bring those who choose to follow. For stayers, I'll respect that. But I must acquire skills for clones. I won't let them suffer loneliness without affection," Liu Yang had schemes in motion.

Skills such as Shadow Clones or Blood Clones remained somewhat scarce, yet obtainable without excessive effort.

Not every woman would accompany him outward, so measures were needed for their intimate fulfillment. Clones served as his remedy.

"That's thoughtful. You're stepping up as their man, even via clones instead of your true form."

Upon Liu Yang's entry into the city, uproar erupted since he resurfaced after a decade's absence.

Influential factions initially panicked at his return, soon welcoming him with a grand feast honoring the city's founding.

Young males brimmed with jealousy and envy toward Liu Yang, ever surrounded by stunning beauties. Each could topple a kingdom.

Incidents arose aplenty, though none escalated gravely, as few dared confront Liu Yang.

His backing proved immensely formidable.

Various kingdoms backed him for the women's sake, alongside groups preferring alliance over hostility. Liu Yang emerged as a dreaded presence in the Wild Region.

Not solely him—the other six leaders shared that status. They ranked as the Wild Region's supreme powers.

What disheartened the seven leaders most was two others hitting level 500 and departing Xinia Continent. They ventured to some superior realm or similar.

Tales of this stayed murky, complicating knowledge of their post-level-cap destination on Xinia Continent.

During the dryads' challenge, Liu Yang received this alert twice.

"One of the village leaders left the Xinia Continent." It implied much, yet unraveling the events proved elusive.

The pair vanished before ever making an appearance.

The remaining seven leaders gathered once more in hopes of uncovering clues, yet they found nothing due to the absence of the other two. Thus, the identities of the missing duo stayed shrouded in mystery.

With those two leaders gone and not due to return for thousands of years, the seven village chiefs decided to shelve the task awaiting them in the Wild Region.

All nine had to be present for the mission, and only the nine could undertake it. No one else.

Thus, the mission slipped from their minds.

Every leader pursued their own desires across the Wild Region, with many venturing out to claim new territories and form their own factions. Others simply lounged in idle luxury, savoring a carefree existence.

For Liu Yang, Zayaa, and Fantina, the trio spent their days at home indulging in passion and feasting on the mouthwatering dishes Liu Yang whipped up. That was their entire routine.

This routine defined their lives over the last six months.

Liu Yang used this period to converse with every one of the women.

Those women who turned down his invitations to leave would keep overseeing the city and basking in opulence, though at a cost: they must stay his lovers forever, per the agreements with the powerful factions.

At the very least, they posed no threats. Moreover, the organization grew stronger, boasting its own formidable force of guards safeguarding both the city and the estate. They performed their duties flawlessly.

The sole issue lay in their relations with the clone he left behind. Still, it beat having nothing at all.

Clone or not, it possessed the ability to impregnate them. Hence, it wasn't a terrible deal, especially since some women yearned to become mothers.

Once all affairs in the Wild Region were settled, Liu Yang geared up to head back to the Xinia Continent, though a trial loomed first.

This trial affected not just him, but his women too.

Given the sheer volume of people involved, the difficulty surged hundreds of times over.

Luckily, it didn't drag on forever. Just five years.

Liu Yang and his women devoted five more years to conquering the challenge, at last escaping the Wilderness and making their way back to the Xinia Continent.

A grand celebration greeted his return.

Elraden along with her fragment souls, the Valkyries, Zilyana with her Royal Guards, and all his women from various kingdoms and organizations had assembled, eagerly awaiting him.

Time flowed by at a leisurely pace ...

Liu Yang settled into palace life within one of the kingdoms, surrounded by his women and children. Throughout his existence, he had fathered hundreds of offspring with his wives and lovers.

During his years in the Wild Region, his women loyally awaited him, aging gracefully while striving to preserve their allure. They longed to dazzle him upon reunion.

After Liu Yang departed the Wild Region, the gateway to the Xinia Continent sealed shut as the deadline expired. Now, for the nine races to access the starting villages again, thousands of years must elapse.

Liu Yang went back to the original village, taking every one of his women to share life in the palace.

He had cautioned them that the portal would close, teleporting everyone to the Xinia Continent after six months, so the women opted to journey alongside him.

Whereas the doubters chose to bide their time.

Much like the rest, Lida Aoi, Anna, and numerous other women from the starting village bore children with Liu Yang.

In the wink of an eye, fifty years flew by ...