The Guardian God took seventeen full years to escape back to the Guardian Land from the Luan Yu Dynasty.

In fact, if they could have used the Teleportation Gate, it would have taken less than half a year to return to the Guardian Land.

However, the allied forces were in constant pursuit, and for the army of the Guardian God, using the Teleportation Gate was by no means easy. Each use required a long time, and the allied forces often launched surprise attacks when they were about to open the Teleportation Gate, causing great frustration but leaving the Guardian God with no solution.

The Guardian God tried initially to use the Teleportation Gate, but after being ambushed a few times, they gave up the idea.

When attacked during the gate opening, the Guardian God became more prone to chaos, unable to fend off enemies, and thus their losses increased.

Finally, they simply stopped using the Teleportation Gate and opted for the ordinary method of space tearing for transportation.

With this method, it became harder for the allied forces to ambush them, and it was instead a safer option.

So, despite taking twenty years to return to the Guardian Land, the losses were significantly minimized compared to using the Teleportation Gate.

Even so, during this chase, another ten percent of the Guardian God’s forces were wiped out.

Tallying up, this expedition was indeed a heavy loss for the Guardian God. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The previous battle cost them thirty percent of their forces. On the escape route back, another ten percent were lost. That means the Guardian God’s numbers have now been reduced to sixty percent of their original count.

And, this pertains only to their numbers, not their strength.

Though sixty percent of the Guardian God forces made it back to the Guardian Land, they were gravely injured, their strength severely diminished. In such circumstances, though they still have sixty percent of their numbers, could their strength even reach several percent of what it once was?

Upon returning to the Guardian Land, the Guardian Gods remained highly uneasy. The allied forces had reached the outskirts of the Guardian Land, encircling it thoroughly with a posture indicating they might invade at any moment.

Su Yang and the Kunpeng Great Saint Emperor had also arrived outside the Guardian Land. This was Su Yang’s second visit; the first was for rescuing those Great Saint Emperors, when he came and left in haste. Moreover, he had only been to the periphery, so he hadn’t truly explored the Guardian Land deeply.

This time, Su Yang was able to carefully observe the terrain of the Guardian Land.

The map Qing Guang had given him showed the Great World’s situation, but only marked the Guardian Land with a circle, denoting it as such. As for the interior of the Guardian Land, the map showed nothing.

Kunpeng had entered the Guardian Land before, fighting a long battle with the Main God there, so he had a reasonable understanding of the place.

According to Kunpeng, the Guardian Land resembled a giant planet, vast in scope. Even someone with Kunpeng Great Saint Emperor’s power couldn’t see the entirety of the planet despite battling the Main God there for a long time.

Moreover, there was another crucial detail: the planet was continually expanding.

The Guardian Land’s size doesn’t remain fixed but grows larger alongside the expansion of the Great World.

Earlier, in the Land of Chaos, Su Yang heard other Saint Emperors discuss the Guardian Land’s state.

They said if the Great World is akin to the fruit grown on the Chaos World Tree, then the Guardian Land resembles the fruit’s core. As the Great World grows, this core expands, always remaining at the center of the Great World.

According to Kunpeng, the Guardian Land is divided into many cities, with factions among the Guardian God not entirely harmonious.

The Guardian God previously divided the Human Clan World with the Demon Beast Clan, taking most regions for themselves. But even within the Guardian God, regions were redistributed and subdivided among forces.

In the Guardian Land, aside from the Main God, true control lies with various family clans. These clans represent the major forces.

For example, Ling Yuzun belonged to the Ling Family within the Guardian God, ranking among the top ten families.

While there are many families, power is centralized within the Ten Great Families, with smaller families depending on them for survival.

These families aren’t entirely peaceful with one another; conflicts exist. So, within the Guardian Land, stability isn’t guaranteed, and wars often erupt between different families and forces.

Still, as long as these families and forces don’t break the rules, no one intervenes in these issues.

After all, with so many Guardian Gods, more people naturally means more conflict. Absolute harmony is unrealistic; having disagreements and fights is normal.

What Kunpeng mentioned about the Ten Great Families’ origin intrigued Su Yang.

According to Kunpeng, despite abundant Spiritual Energy here, it isn’t enough for the Guardian God.

In the Guardian Land are ten Spirit Liquid Lakes. The Ten Great Families originated because each controls one Spirit Liquid Lake.

The Spiritual Liquid within these lakes is inexhaustible; this is the main reason Guardian God can enhance their strength and advance quickly.

To illustrate simply: for a Guardian God to ascend from birth to Saint Emperor, relying solely on Spiritual Energy might take three thousand years for those with good aptitude. Those with poorer aptitude may need twenty thousand years to advance.

But with the Spiritual Liquid, those with better aptitude might become Saint Emperors in a thousand years, while others wouldn’t need more than five thousand years.

Thus, the Spiritual Liquid is crucial for the Guardian God.

With the Ten Great Families controlling the limited ten Spirit Liquid Lakes, they essentially grasp all Guardian Gods’ lifeblood. Thus, the Guardian Gods must follow the Ten Great Families, which is why these families hold such tremendous influence.

Of course, setting aside the Main God. Though the Main God lacks control over the Spirit Liquid Lakes, if they desire, they can easily seize them despite the families’ defense. Thus, the Main God remains the absolute ruler of the Guardian Land.