The Rise of the Black Plain
chapter-2782

'I see...' Minos parted his lips, sighing as a tranquil look shaped his face. 'Isabella has already been reincarnated. This is what she looks like now.'

He scrutinized the white hologram depicting Isabella's new appearance. While not identical to the woman he had known and loved, it wasn't entirely unfamiliar either.

Isabella still possessed red hair. Her form remained human, and her eyes evoked memories of their time together. Yet, many differences highlighted unfamiliar traits.

'I hope you're content in your new life, Isabella,' he murmured, gazing intently at the virtual image.

These changes didn't deter him. Even the living evolved during their spiritual journeys, so alterations alone weren't enough to make him abandon his wife. However, Minos had matured. Observing Isabella's peaceful figure, he sensed her current state: tranquil, not particularly powerful, but exhibiting a rare spiritual balance.

Comparing her to himself, Minos pondered whether re-entering her life would truly enhance her happiness.

He would certainly love to have her by his side. But he had learned not to be so selfish along his journey.

'I won't try to guess where you are.' He moved his hands and the Reincarnation Wheel obeyed his command, undoing the virtual image of Isabella.

'But I wish you good winds. May the malice of the world stay away from you in this second life and you find what I failed to give you.'

With his words, a mysterious energy leaked out of his body and passed through the Reincarnation Wheel, leaving Hell and traveling through the void. Minos couldn't say where this energy went, but he fully understood what had just happened.

Suddenly he felt an extra weight on his shoulders and he breathed harder, feeling married.

'Karma, huh?'

But he didn't regret what he had just done.

'That's the least I could give you.' An ear-to-ear grin formed on Minos' face, momentarily making him less diabolical, despite his shadows vibrating strangely, crown and Hell beings on their knees around him.

He let the subject of Isabelle rest in the back of his mind, settling it once and for all. He would never forget his fourth wife. He loved her in a totally unique way and had living proof of that in Uzira, Lily. But after so many years since Isabella's death and now with the knowledge that she was well, peace overcame his many sad feelings about her departure.

In dealing with this ancient subject, Minos almost felt as if the karma price of moving Isabella's fate had disappeared, while a white line had appeared on his crown.

He didn't know, however, if this change was because he had resolved this matter, or because he had conquered his first of the realms in Hell.

Faced with this spot where he had beaten his competitor from earlier, he looked at his surroundings and understood his new abilities.

One of his hands had turned black, looking like a rock, but he didn't even mind. His power had increased by 10% because of the extra black liquid he had acquired, while his undead horde had tripled in numbers.

Before he had only two Hellhounds, but now he had, in addition to those two, three more guardians, two horses and a new dog.

The terrain around him also came under his control, making him feel more or less a sensation similar to the one the Nautilus' Compass had allowed him to feel before. But there was something else. It was like a mastery skill, something that would make him stronger within his own territory to defend himself against invaders.

'I see... That's how Qhava managed to drive Devdar out, even though she was a level weaker than him.' He remembered the situation in the Mirror Dimension.

Apart from these abilities, he sensed a few other possibilities within his grasp now that he had his territory. First, he could create a new hellish crown related to his own from the one behind this territory and even have a subordinate. Secondly, he could use The Reincarnation Wheel to deal with souls, not only fulfilling the function of this phenomenon, but even fighting enemies. This also brought with it his ability to have general information about reincarnation, which had allowed him to know about Isabella's situation. Finally, he could feel that cultivating in his domain would bring him more benefits than outside this area.

There was something else, but it wasn't a special ability to cultivate or fight. It was something like a sense, a notion of his main competitors.

Minos hadn't felt anything earlier, but now he felt as if he had entered a game, perceiving individuals of similar size to his own, but also much larger not far from him.

Looking over the horizon, he couldn't see these enemies, but he could tell that if he headed towards one of the places he was sensing, he would enter the domain of some opponent and would have to fight.

He could also tell that others were sensing him and that they definitely knew that he had just taken this territory.

It was only a matter of time before challengers came to him to test whether he really was any good or whether Astrirun had made the mistake that caused his own demise.

"And so begins my infernal war," Minos muttered as he entered the palace within his domain, allowing the undead to return to the earth while the Hell Guardians remained vigilant.

Here's the edited version, maintaining the word count while improving fluidity and readability:

Upon entering Astrirun's former palace, Minos discovered no items he could remove from Hell. However, he found many books and artifacts useful for his hellish journey.

'I sense one of Astrirun's associates will seek vengeance for his death. I'll await them while studying his legacy,' Minos mused, proceeding unhurriedly. He understood that reuniting with his women would be neither simple nor swift.

Like Minos, Astrirun had a master. And akin to Qhava, this master had multiple disciples vying on their behalf. Undoubtedly, one would come to reclaim this lost domain—less out of vengeance for Astrirun and more to preserve their master's territory untarnished!