Before departing on his extended travels, Dumbledore had formally entrusted the final remaining piece of Hogwarts' foundational territory—Gryffindor's power—directly to Erwin's stewardship.
Thus, Erwin now controlled the entire Hogwarts castle's fundamental magical infrastructure.
Another significant change occurred shortly after Dumbledore's departure.
Hermione informed Erwin that Harry Potter had casually mentioned Snape was about to become his stepfather. At minimum during the recent holidays, the relationship between Snape and Lily had been progressing with remarkable rapidity.
Harry had even confessed to accidentally witnessing Lily and Snape embracing intimately in a secluded courtyard.
Erwin genuinely didn't know if this development stemmed from his own direct influence on events or if their relationship was simply developing naturally according to its own internal logic.
But regardless of causation, the genuine prospect of his godfather's hard-won happiness proved sufficient to bring a warm smile to Erwin's features.
During this transitional period, Snape was conspicuously no longer lurking around Hogwarts' corridors at night on mysterious patrol. His whereabouts and activities had become transparently obvious.
In summary, everything seemed to be moving in genuinely positive directions.
Meanwhile, Erwin himself was becoming progressively busier with each passing week.
Sunny Finch and her companions from Kunlun's academy had arrived at Hogwarts to formally attend school as exchange students.
Erwin understood Kunlun's underlying intentions with perfect clarity. No one possessed genuine confidence in the coming battle's outcome, so Kunlun desperately needed a viable backup plan.
Sunny Finch and her group of talented students represented that crucial contingency—a preserved bloodline and knowledge base should the worst occur.
Erwin had already visited China extensively before the new calendar year began.
Unlike the relative stability maintained in England, the Eastern magical world—particularly China itself—was beginning to display increasingly alarming signs of fundamental unrest.
Kunlun's disciples had been systematically dispatched abroad to distant locations, tasked with maintaining and reinforcing the ancient protective wards safeguarding the realm.
Since the last catastrophic disturbance of the dragon veins, it was as though Pandora's box had been violently opened. The entire region was experiencing progressive magical turmoil.
The sustained disturbance had caused varying degrees of severe damage to protective formations throughout the territory, necessitating the systematic dispersal of Kunlun's senior elders across vast distances.
Even the Sect Leader himself had been urgently summoned to personally stabilize the most critical dragon vein nodes.
At the windswept summit of Mount Kunlun, the Sect Leader stood beside Erwin, his weathered expression deeply troubled.
"Erwin, how much longer can you delay the inevitable confrontation? Kunlun is already struggling desperately to maintain stability. If we don't accelerate your preparations, the uncontrolled disturbance might actively harm ordinary civilian populations. If open warfare breaks out later while we're already weakened, it will have catastrophic impact on the entire realm. Have you considered a viable solution? Can we somehow draw the battlefield away from populated areas?"
Erwin shook his head with obvious regret. "No. Now that the dragon veins are actively reviving, both he and I must necessarily rely on their power. China is destined to be the battlefield—there's no avoiding that reality."
"Then what specifically do you plan to do?" the Sect Leader pressed urgently.
"I will exert maximum effort to contain the battlefield within a specific, limited area," Erwin stated with calm certainty. "The first decisive battle will determine everything. I won't permit the conflict to spread wildly or allow battle lines to stretch across the countryside. That approach will prove better for everyone involved and will minimize catastrophic harm to the ordinary populace."
He paused thoughtfully. "However, I still need to coordinate extensively with the national government. I require them to clear out a suitably quiet arena for this confrontation."
The Sect Leader nodded understanding. "I've already provided advance notice to the highest authorities. As long as you determine the specific location, they'll exert their considerable influence to evacuate and secure it. They understand perfectly that this battle cannot be underestimated—it will affect both supernatural and mundane worlds simultaneously."
Erwin waved his hand with focused intent, and a detailed geographical map materialized floating before them.
He pointed decisively to one specific marked location.
"This place will become the battlefield."
The Sect Leader followed Erwin's indicating gesture, then his eyes widened dramatically with obvious shock.
"This is an ancient city with documented history spanning thousands of years! Why specifically here?"
"I didn't personally choose the battlefield location," Erwin shook his head. "It's simply that when he inevitably returns, he will definitely manifest here. Haven't you noticed the pattern? The dragon veins are systematically moving in this direction. It means they can no longer effectively suppress his presence."
"Erwin," the Sect Leader said heavily, his voice carrying profound concern. "I desperately hope your strategic choice isn't fundamentally wrong. Even now, at this critical juncture, you still cannot tell me the complete truth?"
Erwin met his searching gaze directly and gently shook his head. "I'm genuinely sorry, Senior. It's not that I don't want to tell you everything, but even if I explained comprehensively, you wouldn't fully understand the implications. But when the great battle finally begins, you will naturally understand everything."
"Fine, I recognize you won't reveal more," the Sect Leader sighed with resignation. "Kunlun will cooperate fully with your plans, but Kunlun must preserve its legacy regardless of outcome."
"If we win this battle decisively, nothing will fundamentally change," Erwin replied with absolute calm certainty. "But if we lose..." He paused meaningfully. "To be completely honest, whether or not any legacy is preserved becomes utterly irrelevant. Because at that time, I will be dead. Even if Kunlun somehow manages to preserve a legacy, I won't be alive to protect it."
"Then how strong have you actually become at this point?" the Sect Leader asked with obvious curiosity. "Can you tell me that much at least?"
Erwin paused to genuinely consider the question. "How strong am I currently? I honestly don't know with precision. But I can state with certainty: I could break the protective formation we're currently standing on with just a focused thought."
The Kunlun Sect Leader reacted with visible shock. The formation Erwin casually referenced represented one of Kunlun's absolute core protective barriers—maintained and strengthened over centuries.
For Erwin to claim he could shatter it with mere thought proved absolutely terrifying.
A distinct chill ran down the Sect Leader's spine at the implication. This kind of power—is it truly approaching the power of genuine gods?
Even though the Sect Leader himself possessed immense cultivated power, he understood with perfect clarity he couldn't accomplish such a feat.
Erwin smiled faintly at the older man's reaction. "The stronger I become, the greater our collective chances of survival. So, Senior, what exactly are you worried about?"
The Sect Leader shook his head slowly. "Nothing specific. It's simply that your progression rate proves too dramatically fast to properly comprehend."
Erwin was preparing to respond when the ground beneath them suddenly trembled with violent intensity.
The two powerful practitioners instantly levitated smoothly into the air, stabilizing themselves as the dangerous tremors threatened to literally tear the mountain summit apart.
They simultaneously concentrated their respective energies and poured stabilizing power directly into the ground. As their combined magic flowed into the earth, the violent tremors gradually subsided to manageable levels.
"The dragon veins' movements are becoming increasingly frequent and severe," the Sect Leader noted with grim concern.
"Hold the stability just a little longer," Erwin requested seriously. "Buy me another two months maximum. After that critical period, we won't need to actively suppress the dragon veins anymore. Let them do what they need to do."
"I understand," the Sect Leader nodded acceptance. "We can manage two additional months."
"Senior, please," Erwin turned to face him directly, his expression deadly serious. "These two months are absolutely crucial. I need maximum time to complete more essential preparations."
"This isn't exclusively your problem to bear," the Sect Leader waved his hand dismissively. "With the great war genuinely imminent, no one can afford to stand idly by. China won't permit passive observation."
Erwin nodded gratitude. "Then I'll take my leave. I have numerous other critical matters requiring immediate attention."
The Sect Leader nodded acknowledgment, and Erwin's distinctive figure vanished into thin air through instantaneous Apparition.
The Sect Leader stared contemplatively at the precise spot where Erwin had disappeared. After a prolonged moment of heavy silence, he released a profound sigh.
He understood intellectually how much terrible burden Erwin was enduring alone. The entire world's fate rested on those remarkably young shoulders.
Although the Sect Leader wasn't privy to every minute detail of Erwin's plans, since Kunlun's original founding, his predecessors had begun systematically deducing information through various mystical means.
Sporadic glimpses of prophetic knowledge had been painstakingly gleaned over centuries, and by the time that accumulated wisdom reached his generation, he had learned sufficient context.
Therefore, he remained willing to gamble absolutely everything on Erwin's success. Even if it meant breaking his original alliance with figures like Merlin, he was willing to choose this new, uncertain path.