Reaper of the Martial World

However, how could these people possibly know of all his hard work? Of the fact that sleep was but a distant relative of his. How could they know that he never had a single moment to rest.

President Gallagher didn't seem too surprised by Dyon's answer. If anything, he seemed that he would have been more surprised had that not been what Dyon said.

Dyon's brow furrowed. This was no normal order. Martial Law was something written into the laws of America. In the case of a national level crisis, military law would rule over the country. It's putting the country under the control of the military. And very conveniently, there's only one man who benefits from that the most: General Mace.

President Gallagher chuckled bitterly. "Martial Law is only the second part of the plan. The first is my impeachment. The only reason this office isn't flooded with my personnel is because I'm technically supposed to be giving a talk right now."

"Don't worry about that. It's too much to explain, but let's just say I can clone myself. What we need to talk about is this impeachment. What do they have?"

Dyon nodded. Whether he cured G man now was irrelevant. For one, it wouldn't change his past medical records – records that still have to be released. Secondly, no one would believe that cancer was cured so easily. And, thirdly, if they did their due diligence in proving that Dyon could cure cancer that would be bad for a few reasons: it would reveal a national secret, that being Dyon's role in the martial world; it would lessen public morale, because that would mean that the martial world far exceeds them; and finally, but maybe most importantly, this would all put the country into a fit of chaos.

However, they had given President Gallagher an out. If he co-signed Martial Law under the guise of national unity against the martial world, it would unite the country and he wouldn't be impeached. Although there would be some chaos, it wouldn't be to the extent of all hope lost.

He racked his brain, trying to figure out why. The world tournament was a gathering of all the planets, yes, but only Earth had mortals… So why would they need other planets?

"How ungrateful." Dyon placed his hand on President Gallagher's shoulder. "You may start coughing up a lot of bad stuff soon… But, this is better than me reaching into your chest."

Before he could be confused, President Gallagher suddenly felt a warm and comfortable feeling wash over him. Dyon's aurora and celestial will poured in, gently cleansing Gallagher's healthy cells while slowly cutting away the malignant ones.

Suddenly, a violent fit of coughing hit President Gallagher. Gross chunks of mutilated cells fell from his mouth and into a side garbage can Dyon kicked under him.

Clara was about to protest, but she suddenly felt two soft hands slip into either one of hers. She turned to notice Madeleine and Ri by side, giving her ensuring smiles.

"This…" An Asian man dressed in black responded. He was an essence gathering level expert. He didn't know why the door wouldn't open for him either. And the worst part was that the door wasn't even dented or damaged under his onslaught.

General Mace was furious. He had requested martial experts to help expedite the Martial Law enforcing process so he could strong arm congress into being on his side. But, all of that was useless if he couldn't intimidate President Gallagher into signing as well.

On top of that, even with the media asking him to release medical records, because this had already been done before the inauguration, it would be seen as a political witch hunt to be forced to do so again. President Gallagher had the moral high ground… For now.

Clara shivered under the pressure General Mace brought with him. She was used to her father's presence, but President Gallagher always turned his off. General Mace didn't seem to have that habit.

The Asian men dressed in black, eyed Madeleine, Ri and Clara, seemingly liking what they saw. Dyon didn't say anything about it for now, but he had already noted them down. Without knowing the full scope of the situation, he didn't want to overplay his hand. So, he chose to stand protectively in front of the three girls instead.

Clara couldn't help but look at Dyon's broad back. She quickly glanced at Ri and Madeleine, but all she found were calm smiles filled with confidence in the boy who stood in front of them.

General Mace scanned over Dyon. He could care less about Dyon's women. But, what he did care about was wiping that confident and piercing look off of Dyon's face… It reminded him too much of General Sacharro.

President Gallagher's face had gained color the likes of which he hadn't had in years. Not only had Dyon removed his cancer, he had also flooded his cells with essence energy. President Gallagher felt ten… No, twenty years younger. He couldn't believe it.

"Congress and the House have acknowledged the threat of the martial world. In the past few weeks, the number of unidentified objects and energy flashes in our outer space territory has sky rocketed. It's clear that something on a large scale is happening and the country needs to be put under Martial Law. I don't want to have to use the media to pressure you, as that would cause undo chaos. It would be best if you decided to do this of your own free will." General Mace explained calmly.

Over the past few weeks, there's of course been an influx of space travel. Why? Because hundreds to even thousands of warriors were making their way to the world tournament.

"We have reason to believe that you've been hiding a grave illness from the general population. A sick president is not one fit to lead. There is a reason why things of this nature are vetted before the inauguration. Unfortunately for you, it's likely that you contracted this disease during your tenure. But, it has clearly impacted your mental health and ability to lead. Only a president affected in these ways would refuse Martial Law considering the current situation."

"Nothing of significance has changed on my medical records. There are a few things our government does not do. The first is negotiate with terrorists. And the second, is fold to baseless political witch hunts."

General Mace's lip twitched. He had been drawing this out, hoping to catch President Gallagher in a fit of coughing like his secretary had reported – or, more accurately, had been coaxed into reporting. At least then they'd be able to record and make use of it. But, he seemed… perfectly healthy?

At first, they had wanted to cut directly to the source and find President Gallagher's doctor. But, this aspect had clearly already been handled by the President. General Mace couldn't find whoever he or she was!

"Think about this carefully, President. I'm sure you have things in your life that you care for more than your tenure or your legacy. And considering the situation, it wouldn't be so hard for me to find them. You have no idea about the powers the back me. You cannot fathom them. I won't belittle your intelligence by continuing to pretend as though this is for the greater good of the country. But, if you want the greater good for your family, it's best you fold."

President Gallagher's gaze wavered. He couldn't feel anything different from those warriors, but Dyon had told him they had cultivation. That meant that he was no match right now… And the fact that General Mace had dared to come here likely meant that he either had warriors surpassing mortal technology, or he had already dealt with his security detail.

The Asian men suddenly started laughing. They had no idea that Dyon had come from the martial world because Dyon's cultivation was too pure for them to feel. He looked like an ordinary human.

One of the men in black walked up to Dyon, standing a half head taller than him. "You think you can protect these little girls from us? You think you're a big man? Do you?"

Dyon stroked his chin, looking General Mace up and down. "I doubt it would take much, judging. You're old and your best feature is that foul mouth of yours."

Dyon suddenly felt a tug on his shirt. Looking back, he found Clara. But her eyes, despite still being cold, held a deep apprehension to Dyon's words. She was trying to tell him to stop provoking the General.

"You left to the martial world for two years. With your mediocre talent, with that time you probably haven't even stepped past the fourth foundation stage. Even if you had a few more decades you wouldn't be at my level! And considering how weak you are, it's likely your wives are even weaker." General Mace released his cultivation, bearing down on Dyon with a menacing sneer. "Do you understand the difference between us?!"

Madeleine burst into laughter, holding sides. She couldn't believe she had felt so much pressure from this man before. It let her know that there had to be more to cultivation than just accumulated energy. Or else General Mace's presence wouldn't be so powerful.

The Asian warriors began to panic. They weren't like General Mace and didn't have the air of an expert. When faced with a situation like this, they could hardly control themselves.

Sending the arrays forward, the five of them convulsed, immediately paling upon contact. Seeing this, Ri released her wills. There was no longer a need for her to keep them in place.

"I think it's time you answer a few questions. You don't need to understand what it is I just did. All you need to know is that if you refuse to answer, or lie, you die."

Clara watched Dyon's back as he practically sentenced people to death with batting an eye. She didn't know how to feel about it. Was this normal in the martial world?

Dyon had never thought twice about killing those that needed to be killed. But, was the same true of anyone who came to the martial world from the mortal world? Could Clara step into the martial world and immediately kill without blinking an eye? She didn't know.

The truth was that Madeleine had never killed anyone directly either. She usually incapacitated her opponents because she didn't know how it would feel to kill. But, that said, she never bat an eye when Dyon killed. In fact, it was a sigh of relief for her because she felt like he was taking the burden of having to away from her.

So, when Madeleine wrapped her arms around Clara's shoulder and gave her a look. Clara immediately understood what that Madeleine felt exactly like she did.

General Mace struggled to glare at Dyon. But, he said nothing. He knew he had made a mistake. He wanted to contact the Daiyu, but whenever he thought of doing something that Dyon would clearly disapprove of, he felt this searing pain in his temple. It was clear that if he acted out of line, he would die.

"To begin, I'm glad you guys made this so easy on me. If I had to fight you celestial experts, things might have gotten dicey. Luckily, you're idiots who thought you could bully my uncle while I was here."

Although General Mace tried to fight it, the long her spent not answering, the more the pain increased. Eventually, he couldn't hold on any longer and nearly blurted his answer out.

"Martial Law is nothing other than compensation for my help. By putting the country in a perpetual Martial Law state, I can become the true leader of America."

"Egh –" General Mace struggled. "No. It's also a distraction tactic and a fail safe. The final step of the plan, for reasons I don't know, requires mortal cooperation. If the leader of the free world tells you what to do, people are more likely to listen than not. That minimizes those that fight back."

"Human world cultivation has been sealed. As you can see, I can only cultivate through the foundational stages. I don't know why, but I assume they want to use the accumulated kernels. Likely to give it to someone."

General Mace's eyes flashed with something imperceptible as he answered. "They want to make use of something called the World Tournament to harvest the kernels. I'm not sure what about this world tournament is important. But, what I do know is that we also used this world tournament to spread fear for Martial Law.

Dyon turned to her, a bit confused. "Madeleine?" Stroking her cheek, Dyon smiled, enjoying the soft feel of his wife's delicate features. "Is something wrong?"

"Don't be like that. You know what I mean. Why didn't you ask General Mace about your parents and what really happened to them?" Madeleine's purple eyes sparkled as she looked into Dyon's.

"Really?!" Clara leaned toward Ri, shifting her long blue-silver hair away from her ear. "You really are!" Clara snapped her head back, looking for Dyon. "Dyon! Why didn't you tell me you married an el –"

Clara's words caught in her throat when she saw Dyon hugging Madeleine. She couldn't see his face, not clearly anyway, but she could tell that it was a deep moment between them. At the very least, Dyon wasn't hugging her just for the sake of hugging her. That realization made Clara suddenly think of something else. Maybe Dyon had needed someone like Madeleine to open him up… If there had never been a Madeleine, would Dyon still be burying everything inside like he usually did?

Clara was quiet for a while, unsure of what to talk about while also not being in the mood to. Suddenly, she thought of something she couldn't help but ask. "How does it make you feel when they have moments like that?..."

Ri looked away, staring down the barren hallway. "Originally, I didn't think too much of it. When I met Dyon, Madeleine was far away. I was naïve to the concept of jealousy because it wasn't right in front of me."

Ri smiled, "Madeleine is the first truly selfless person I've met. I'm not sure if it's because of her bodily constitution, but when she says she only wants the best for Dyon, she means it. She jokingly says that Dyon can only have three more wives after her, but I have little doubt in my heart that if Dyon fell in love with five women right now, she would accept them all."

Clara giggled, appreciating Ri's honesty. At the very least this meant Ri and Madeleine didn't feel helpless to the situation. And, for Ri to feel so comfortable in dictating what Dyon could and couldn't do definitely meant that both Ri and Madeleine were equal in Dyon's heart… And he made sure they knew it.

Almost as though to confirm Clara's thoughts, Ri continued. "That said, if it wasn't for the type of person Dyon was, I would never accept this. I'd have been content with giving my virginity to him and then spending the rest of my life alone."

Clara listened quietly to Ri's words. In the Western reaches of the mortal realm, virginities were becoming less and less important to a lot of people. That said, Clara was not one of those. She didn't put importance onto the physical aspects of being a virgin, but she tied a lot of emotions to it – whether they were rational or not.

The fact Ri would have been willing to spend the rest of her life alone, despite the length of time martial artists lived, was a testament to how important she found her virginity to be as well. She hadn't given hers up on a whim. She had done it because she accepted that there was no one better to give it to than Dyon.

"But, I didn't have to leave. Dyon made me feel like my love with him meant something and that that something could be separated from his love of Madeleine and yet remain equal.

He doesn't talk about it a lot, but he doesn't need to. Because of the connection between the three of us, we're able to meld our souls together. Regardless of how hard Dyon tries, that's the only time we can really see what he's thinking." Ri spoke softly. "Before today, how long has it been since you last spoke to Dyon?" Ri suddenly asked.

"Normal people forget those they used to know in that length of time. They think about them less. They overwrite the memories they used to have with them – and that's probably especially true if you were ten at the time… And yet…"

"Dyon isn't like that. The guilt he holds over the matter is just as strong as the day you two stopped talking. It hurts him and cuts him up on the inside. But, he continued to hold on to the fact, and still does to now, that he can't accept you as his third wife."

"It's because of us." Ri said softly. "Regardless of what Madeleine and I say, he feels like he owes us more than he can give already, so he refuses to act selfishly. But, at the same time, it's for you too Clara."

"He wants you to find someone better than him. He wants you to live a life where you can have everything that you want. A life where he can watch you from a distance and smile – content with the fact that someone he loves is doing well."

Dyon was flawed. Truly and deeply flawed. He always thought that he knew what was best for people and somehow 'what was best' was always the path that caused him the most pain. He always feels as though the most selfless act was the best act, and for a moment, he was proven right.

The one time that Dyon decided to be selfish. The one time he decided to ignore the ramifications and act as he wanted. He ended up with an emotionally disparaged Ri – even he had no idea how close Ri had been to leaving. So, he said never again. Cutting himself off from his feelings, only willing to cater to Ri and Madeleine now.

But then, he would turn around and save Ava and Venus and Delia. And then he would come back home and show Clara a world she had never seen before – he would cure her father on a whim and fix a national crisis with a wave of his hand.

And to top all of that off, he cared for them so deeply that he was willing to inflict harm unto himself. He was willing to bring Clara's one-day-boyfriend along. He fought 11 geniuses for Ava. He challenged the head of a God Clan for Venus. He provoked a God sect for Delia.

Clara's sobs turned into a fit of giggles. "He's so arrogant so much of the time, then he turns around and has the audacity to believe we'll find someone better."

Away from Dyon, Madeleine, Clara and Ri, the World Tournament was still raging on. The third day was just beginning with the foundation stage warrior ranking having been finalized just the day before.

In typical fashion, youths of the God Clans completely dominated this ranking. Because they weren't able to participate for a spot in the overall rankings because of their weakness, they held nothing back in competing with each other.

In the end, Tau Aumen's younger brother, Ur Aumen, boasted the number one spot, bringing pride to the Aumen Royal God Clan of Planet Deimos – despite only being ten years old.

Not many were surprised by this though, after all, his elder brother was ranked third on the cumulative rankings. In fact, because Dyon's name had been practically ignored, many began to say that he was actually the second ranked. As such, the Aumen family became a highly respected name, living up to their multi-millennia legacy.

That said, everyone acknowledged that there was no large disparity amongst the top eleven, or true top ten, as they coined it. This was because campaign rankings tended to fluctuate wildly and often relied on luck. Just the campaign before last, Tau Aumen had been first. He only slipped to third this past campaign.

That said, there were also dark horses who ranked lower that simply didn't have enough years of campaigning to shine through on the cumulative rankings. These were people like Thor and Vidar, as well as Caedlum. Their faith seeds could not be ignored and their control over them only increased with each passing day. Many already accepted that they were likely already comparable to members of the top ten.

Aside from this, there was one pride of Earth that didn't use his age as an excuse. Prince Lionel Belmont was just barely 22 years old, and yet ranked as the undisputed first place on the cumulative rankings. No one knew how he did it, but from his third campaign onwards, he never ranked outside of the top five. People witnessed his feats with their own eyes, as such, they accepted it. Lionel Belmont was simply a genius amongst geniuses.

However, if you asked members of the Ragnor clan, they would point out that Thor and Vidar were only 20 years old. And members of the Pakal clan would be even quicker to note that Caedlum was only sixteen.

It was suffice to say that the raging crowd had a lot to look forward to. They hadn't forgotten about Dyon's performance, though. They remembered the domineering display they witnessed. The visual of thousands kneeling before one man was almost too impactful. In fact, the remaining 788 candidates had to be chosen by measuring whose knees hit the arena last. Even to right now those candidates weren't up to fighting.

But, some naively argued that Dyon's competition had been too weak. They claimed that any member of the top 30 or even 40 to 50 could have done such a thing. They claimed that they never said Dyon was weak, only that he didn't deserve to be number one. However… Those with any real shred of intelligence knew better. It was safe to say that the only cumulative rankers who weren't afraid to fight Dyon were likely in the top 20. Everyone else though? They shivered at the thought of facing him.

In the revamped demon sage area, Dyon's comrades were living a life of leisure. After Dyon's display, no one dared to bother them in the least. Even the heckling had stopped.

Delia, who had woken up, blushed as Eli's hand brushed up against hers while trying to hand her a plate of food. In typical Eli fashion, he pulled back a bit too quickly, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. But, luckily for him, Delia giggled at his antics, catching the plate before it fell to the ground.

She had woken up just half a day after Dyon, Ri and Madeleine left, and she was the picture of health. In fact, she was more than that now. The glow of her olive skin, the faint shine of blue that flickered in her hazel eyes, and even her long and flowing brunette hair, accented with beautiful golds and browns, brought her image together to one of near perfection. There was no question in anyone's eyes that she had become a beauty rivaling Ri and Madeleine.

Zaltarish, though, did not find this display cute at all. How many long weeks and months had he spent carefully and diligently plating food for Mithrandir? How was he supposed to know that all he had to do was drop it to gain her affection!

The pressure mounted as intent level wills clashed and distorted reality. The skies bent and twisted under an odd force until eventually… They tore in half.

The heads of the God level clans all had their eyes trained on that single space. They had no idea who was arrogant enough to interrupt something on the scale of the World Tournament. This was an event that housed all of the strongest experts in the universe, this wasn't a small get together.

In the Elvin Kingdom's section, Uncle Acacia stood violently as he was a tall man and a small Japanese woman descend as though they were a God and Goddess amongst mortals. The pressure they placed on the arena didn't matter even a little bit to him. All he saw were two people he loved dearly.

No one knew more than him how much his kingdom must have been in turmoil in his absence. So, he used the World Tournament as a stage. He proved that he didn't care to offend any other God Clan heads. In fact, he didn't care to offend any Royal God Clan heads. He had the confidence and arrogance of a King, and he was unapologetic about it.

In what seemed like an instant, Uncle Acacia had made his way to the front of the two of them, his heart beating wildly and the excitement on his face palpable.

Uncle Acacia, lifted his sister in law up, letting her small figure sit like a Queen on his shoulder. The smile on his face was bright. So bright in fact that he completely forgot that he had been hiding from someone's view all this time. That said, he was clearly in too happy a state to think about that right now.

King Acacia's smile faded a bit, his eyes training on Head Sigebryht in the distance. Their clash of wills lasted but a moment, but in the end, it was clear that King Acacia was still superior.

"My World Tournament isn't a place for you to settle your kingdom's disputes. Come." King Belmont turned, leading them to their sky box before closing them off to the public once again.

Queen Acacia was immediately greeted by Queen Belmont and Mistress Sicarius and had been playing with the little Belmont baby princess, but when she heard her husband ask about kingdom affairs, her head snapped back. "No. Nothing about the Elvin Kingdom until I see my daughter. Where is she and why didn't you bring her when you came up to us?"

"This…" Uncle Acacia scratched his head awkwardly, his long dark blue hair shifting ever so slightly as he glanced from his brother to his sister in law.

Queen Acacia's eyes sparkled, "Husband? My little girl has a husband now?" Tears threatened to spill out of Kawa's eyes. It wasn't that she was for or against the idea. It was mostly that she as a mother had already missed so much of her daughter's life.

King Acacia's face steeled. "What is that supposed to mean? How could you not monitor the movement of children?" Edrym didn't entertain for an instant that Ri's husband was a top tier expert. He was already having trouble controlling his temper, he didn't want to make it worse than it already was.

"What's being said?" King Acacia didn't seem to care about this glowing endorsement. Or, more accurately, he didn't let his true feelings on the topic show on the surface. He felt the need to make up for time he lost as a father, and that meant properly vetting his daughter's man.

Seeing that no one else wanted to explain, King Belmont took it upon himself to. After a few minutes, King and Queen Acacia had a solid understanding of the situation.

But, before they could make a decision one way or another, Uncle Acacia, aka Ajaar, also known as Jar Jar, made it a point to explain the happenings of the Elvin Kingdom as well. These were things even King Belmont hadn't known about. But, in that very moment, everyone became aware of Dyon's deeds.

"Well, I don't know whether he's a cheater or not." King Belmont responded. "But, I guess the other two descriptors are true… Considering his second wife is the first in line genius of the Sapientia."

Suddenly, Lionel spoke. "Father, you're giving him too much leeway. How is it possible for anyone to climb to first on the rankings after a single campaign? If you want to praise his array alchemy, I wouldn't say anything. But, to say that he might deserve his ranking is too much."

King Acacia sighed, "If I didn't have to leave, I would have married her to one of your sons instead. How could I have allowed this? And for him to marry their daughter as well? We've truly failed."

"You're letting your emotions affect your logic." King Belmont warned. "Don't ruin your relationship with daughter after already being away for ten years. If the first thing you do is reprimand her choices, you risk alienating her forever. And, from what I know about this boy, he'll care little for your threats. In fact, if you provoke him, it's likely that you'll be on the losing end."

At this point, even Queen Acacia was surprised by King Belmont's words. Regardless of how talented this boy was, he was still a child at the end of the day. Why would that ever be something King Belmont had to worry about?

Below their skybox, the next rounds of the World Tournament had begun. The contrast between the cheering crowd and the silent skybox was striking. But, no one understood how to take this conversation forward from here.

King Acacia's eyes narrowed as the Tower disappeared, revealing a smiling and handsome teenage boy surrounded by three laughing beauties. One with fair caramel skin and grey eyes. Another with striking purple hair and eye. And the final, one that made even his kingly demeanor shatter.

Queen Acacia stood quickly, almost forgetting that she had been holding a little baby in her arms. "Sorry, sorry small child. Aunty's sorry." She cradled the baby as she slowly handed her off to her mother.

"Dyon! Do we have to stand in the air like this?!" Clara clung tightly to Madeleine, unwilling to let go even though they stood on Dyon's array. She was clearly not used to this.

Dyon was going to respond when he sensed something quickly approaching. Even he didn't have time to think, he had never felt something so powerful before.

King Belmont said nothing, instead sipping his wine with an 'I told you so' expression. Even Lionel didn't know what to think. He couldn't see Kawa at all, but he knew fully well why Dyon was reacting as he was. It hadn't even been a split second since Queen Acacia had left the skybox.

Dyon's eyes were flashing with a dense purple gold as he pushed his aurora to the max. Suddenly, his manifestation bloomed, his humanoid figure tearing its way into existence as his eyes considerably reddened.

Suddenly, he could see. A beautiful Japanese woman was careening toward them with speeds he couldn't fathom. His sentinel was between them and her, but he wasn't sure if it was enough.

Dyon scanned the woman. But, the first thing he noticed was the surprised on her face when their eyes locked. She clearly hadn't expected for something like that to be possible. The second thing Dyon noticed was the softness in her eyes. And the third thing he noticed was how that softness became longing as her gaze shifted from him to Madeleine and Ri.

Seeing Dyon stop, the girls tried to catch their breath, looking up at him for an explanation. Everything had happened in less than a split second, but the drastic difference between the action and the stopping jarred them. If it hadn't been for Dyon using array alchemy to protect Clara from the violent changes, it was likely that she would have been injured.

"Dyon? What's wrong." Ri looked up questioningly. The three of them were still being held tightly against Dyon, and maybe if it was anyone else, they would have thought he was being a pervert. But, Ri was his wife after all, even if he was being a perv, she wouldn't mind too much. The problem was that she knew Dyon wouldn't have acted that way for such a petty reason.

"Little feu glace…" Dyon took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. It had been a split second for everyone else. But, in that split second, Dyon had pushed everything he had to limit. "It seems we were too worried about your parents."

"Too worried?" Ri stared into Dyon's eyes confused, until she slowly started understanding what he meant. "You mean?..." Tears glistened in Ri's eyes as she heard a voice behind her.

"Little Alex?" The voice was so sweet that Ri broke down. Her vision was so blurry that even when she turned to face the voice, she could barely see through the onslaught of tears.

"Come, come. Your father is waiting." Kawa wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked up to Dyon. "You went and got married behind my back, hm little girl?"

Hearing these words, Ri blushed profusely, "Mom, this is Dyon. He's my husband. This is Madeleine, she's my close sister and sister wife. This is Clara, she's Dyon's childhood friend."

Kawa was taken aback by the purity in Dyon's eyes. He didn't hesitate and confidence exuded from his every word. There was no way to fake something like this. It was clear that Dyon's arrogance seeped into his very bones.

"Such a sweet talker," Kawa giggled, taking her daughter's hand and floating toward the skybox. "I warn you though, Dyon. My husband might not be so easily convinced."

Kawa looked back to see how Dyon would react, but all she found was a small smile. But, it was clear the fire in his eyes were lit. Kawa could only sigh and let them figure it out amongst themselves.

King Acacia looked down at his daughter with a sad expression on his features. His large hand found a way to her hair, rubbing if gently. But, Ri didn't seem to buy any of that, so she leapt into his arms, hugging his waist tightly.

Clara had insisted that this was a family matter. So, against Dyon's wishes, he had handed her off to Venus and Delia below. He didn't want her to be in an environment like this without him, but her cold eyes had given him an 'I'm not budging' look, so he had no choice but to oblige.

Lionel came over to greet Madeleine. But, after a few stiff interactions, he went back to his seat. He hadn't bothered to say hello to Dyon, but on the same hand, Dyon hadn't spared him a glance.

In this room filled with outstanding lineages and powerful family ties, it was clear that Dyon was the odd man out. Even Madeleine, who thought she was in the same shoes as Dyon, was actually more connected to these people than she knew.

Ava wasn't present. Realizing that she wouldn't get her chance to fight Tammy, she had settled for fighting for a spot on the meridian formation rankings and was currently below improving her stock.

In the end, King Acacia offered Ri a seat by him and Queen Acacia, but Ri shook her head and instead sat to Dyon's right while Madeleine continued to sit on his left. It was clear that father's opinion or not, she chose Dyon.

King Belmont, his wife, child and two sons sat in one corner. Big Red, his wife, and eldest son sat in another. King and Queen Acacia sat facing Dyon, Ri and Madeleine. And last but not least, Uncle Acacia stood awkwardly to the side, conflicted. On one hand he loved and respected his elder brother. But, on the other hand, he had seen first hand the kind of man Dyon was. He had already proven that he deserved Ri. This was wholly unnecessary. Especially for a father who had been absent for more than ten years.

Ri's brows furrowed, clearly wanting to say something. It wasn't in her personality to hold back, even when it came to her own father. But, a strong hand found its way to hers.

Madeleine had to try and withhold her giggle. She had seen this smile one too many times. But, what she had never seen was this smile come out on the losing end.

Seeing Dyon's intimacy with his daughter, King Acacia imperceptibly leaks some of his cultivation. But, he could only pretend as though nothing had happened when Dyon didn't react.

King Acacia remained silent, scanning Dyon's features. But, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find any semblance of wavering confidence. In fact, when his gaze shifted to his daughter, all he found was a small smile and look that seemed to be almost borderline reverence toward this boy.

"Tell me." King Acacia spoke, "What would you answer have been should I be able to change my mind? And what would you answer have been should I be as stubborn as the other elders."

"If you had the ability to change your mind, though. I would tell you that I was only about as rude as a father who hadn't seen his daughter in eleven years, and yet insisted she come to greet him instead of the vice versa." Dyon's eyes flashed with a hint of aggression that disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. It wasn't lost on him that Queen Acacia was the only one to come out. In fact, his small smile had been one of pent up irritation. He remembered how many tears Ri had shed for this man, and yet he had never told her where he was going, never sent any messages, then just one day showed back up perfectly healthy and had the audacity to make them come to him? If Dyon was strong enough, he would have let his fists do the talking instead of his words.

Queen Acacia no longer giggled, but she didn't say anything. She too was unsatisfied with how her husband had handled the situation. He had even tried to make her stay behind too.

"To speak to your own father in law like this. It's clear why you're nothing but a commoner from the dregs of the mortal realm." Lionel spoke out from the side of the room, leisurely sipping on spiritual wine.

"Are you not going to respond? Or do you only talk big when you can use my daughter as a shield?" King Acacia asked, probing further. In his estimation, Dyon was only being so bold because he knew he would never attack him because of Ri.

"What a useless question. Why would I bother responding to either one of those Belmont boys? All they know how to do is drool over my women from a distance. Would you respond to such people?"

Elwing, Lionel's younger brother grit his teeth in anger. He hadn't said anything, but Dyon had still dragged him into this. But, he had witnessed Dyon's feats unlike his elder brother. He had a respect for Dyon that Lionel didn't have. As such, he said nothing.

King Acacia raised an eyebrow. "Where is all of this confidence coming from? Did cheating really make you feel as though you have the cache to say these things."

King Acacia' brow furrowed. But, he too thought it would be too much to keep his daughter from Dyon. So, he lowered his hand. That said, Dyon's last words almost made him regret that decision.

"Imagine that." Dyon turned back before he stepped into the skies with Ri and Madeleine by his side, his eyes burning with a dense black flame. "A supposed king so easily swayed by public opinion. It's no wonder it took a commoner to save your kingdom."

After returning to his section, Dyon greeted everyone with smiles. He sighed in relief seeing that Clara was doing well and even winked at Eli – he wouldn't mistake his good friend's glow as having anything to do with something not Delia related.

But, when he saw that Ri wasn't having so good of a time, he couldn't help but check on her. After all, they had a full day until the real World Tournament began.

Clara seemed to have noticed this and looked over to Madeleine to find her smiling. Clara could tell that something had happened, but she had removed herself from the situation and didn't feel that it was right to ask. That said, she knew fully well that Dyon's personality was quite abrasive when it came to dealing with authority, so she had a pretty good idea of what had happened.

That said, her mind was easily distracted by the fighting she could see on the monitors. With her lack of cultivation, it was impossible to see what was going on from so far away. But, she was very thankful that the World Tournament organizers took this into account.

A sudden realization hit Clara, "My dad was always worried about how Dyon would take being at the bottom of the ladder for once… It seems he didn't spend a lot of time there." Clara pouted, she had wanted to make fun of him.

"What happened?" Clara asked. But, the explanation she heard only made her angry. "Dyon is a lot of things but he never cheats!" Clara's cheeks puffed, clearly agitated.

Madeleine smiled, "Dyon is the type of person that would rather lose or die than to let someone think he didn't think he was better than they were… He would never cheat." Madeleine confirmed Clara's thoughts. "But, they've made a mistake."

"Ah, don't think about that too much. Your dad loves you too much to get between me and you. And, regardless of what I say, I know he wouldn't have left without saying anything to you without a good reason. Just like he knows his daughter would never fall for a man who could cheat."

"Of course," Dyon smiled, "It's definitely not a coincidence that they came back for the world tournament. This wasn't on a whim. Everything is planned. I just don't know what that plan is just yet. That said, I'm sure they'll tell us when the time is right.

But, I'm still kicking the first prince's ass. He still thinks he's entitled to my Madeleine. Imagine thinking you could flirt with my woman in front of me." Dyon harrumphed, pulling Ri into his arms.

Dyon smiled. "I remember that there was a point in time where I thought your father's disappearance had to do with the destruction of the Celestial Deer Sect. After seeing how being a True Empath could burden a person's psyche with Jade as a prime example, I thought your father might have left because he had lost the ability to cleanse his thoughts and protect his mental health."

Ri nodded. She remembered talking to Dyon about this too. But, the reason he wasn't a hundred percent sure about the theory was because of her mother. She too had disappeared.

"I can't say for sure. But, I think your father likely reached a level of mastery that he unlocked the ability to turn his on and off. That said, it isn't a level of mastery that matches my grand teacher, so he likely keeps it off so that he can maintain his sanity for as long as possible. If he didn't do this, he would be at a loss for how to handle the influx of bad emotions."

The truth was that during Uncle Acacia's recounting of the Elvin story, for the sake of brevity, he had skimmed over a lot of the details knowing that Queen Acacia was eager to see Ri. But, right now, with time on their side, he had just begun going into the full details of the matter.

The more King Acacia listened, the more his blood boiled. His face turned such a dense shade of red that Queen Acacia and King Belmont nearly had their sides splitting laughing at him.

Queen Acacia rolled over on the couch laughing hysterically, clearly un-lady like. It was clear where Ri got much of her personality from. "It seems," She wiped tears from her eyes, trying to catch her breath, "You're going to need to apologize to your son in law if you want his help."

King Acacia was a very prideful man. In fact, judging by his entrance, anyone could tell that his arrogance reached the same heights as Dyon. Even in his youth, when he had yet to awaken his manifestation, he had a confidence many made fun of until he proved himself. So, it was no surprise to anyone that the day came and left without him apologizing.

Dyon, though, wasn't worried. He had spent a day of leisure with his wives. Laughing, joking and eating like he hadn't seen a meal in years. But, those who knew him could see the fire in his eyes. He was impatient for the day to end.

Ava coughed, seeing that she had been caught red handed. Although she had a very small impression of King Acacia, he was technically still one of her dad's best friends. And, she absolutely adored Queen Acacia. So, they were like an adoptive aunt and uncle to her. As such, when she saw how red King Acacia's face still was, and found out the situation from her elder brother, Riley, she thought she would try to help.

"Normally the way it's set up," Arios began to explain, "Is that the remaining thousand are split into ten brackets, one bracket for each of the top ten. Unfortunately, this year, they've been talking about the 'true top ten', so it probably won't be a surprise to you that they mean ranked two through to eleven."

Dyon sat up, nodding. He had expected as much. As soon as he participated in the final selection round, he had already renounced his right to the top ten.

"Essentially, everyone has practically already decided that the final round robin tournament will be amongst the top ten. But, in the essence of fairness to younger campaigners who might be just as powerful, these first sets of rounds are to gain the right to challenge a top ten ranker for their spot in that penultimate battle.

The idea is that as long as you manage to make it into the top nine of your bracket, you get to challenge any one of the top ten rankers. This is also for the sake of balance."

"Right. But, that's only in the case where none of the top ten are replaced. In very rare cases, some actually do beat out top ten rankers. But, in those cases, the replacement can also be challenged."

Arios nodded. "Imagine having just fought a top ten ranker. If you beat them, it's likely that it was not easy by any measure. Because, if it had been, you likely would be in the top ten yourself."

Arios sighed, "This is why, in year's past, the amount who chose to challenge the top ten rankers were very few. Unless you have supreme confidence in your abilities, it's just not worth it. Those who manage to earn the right to challenge instead decide to save their stamina so they can fight for a better position in the top 100."

It all made sense. If you managed to be among the 90 who gained challenge rights, you were already crowned as among the top 100 talents in the universe. Why risk death or crippling injury? It was better to make a safer bet.

However, this realization only made Dyon's blood boil. He was only now starting to fully understand the gravity of what it meant to have his top ten title stripped from him.

"Hmph. Just wait on it. But then what's the format for deciding the top nine of each bracket?" Clara suddenly asked. It was clear that despite her words, she was still worried.

Top 20, of course excluding the top 10 who aren't participating, are given 10 points. Then, it works its way down by 1 until those who aren't ranked start with a single point. So, top 30, or ranks 20-29 in this case, would start with 9 points and top 100, or 90-100, would have 2 points. Everyone from 101 and below will start with a single point.

Stock rules are used almost every time. Basically, the warriors with the lower number of points dictate what is being bet – this is to ensure that those with a higher number of points aren't always being challenged because the penalties are set to hurt the lower points holder much more.

If you have a single point, you can only fight to gain a single point. But, should you lose, you also lose a single point and are therefore out of the running. If you have two points, you can only gain up to two additional points, but, if you do this, you must also lose two points should you lose. Basically, you can only choose to gain, and therefore lose, points within your range.

In the end though, this is capped at 5 points. Only a maximum of 5 points can be exchanged in a single match when using stock rules. Betting rules, however… There is no such limit.

But, this isn't as simple as it seems. Betting rules are named as such because instead of the lower point holder dictating the amount, it must be agreed upon by both parties."

"Simple, really. In a single bracket, since you can only challenge warriors in the same bracket as you, there's a set amount of points. When a pre-decided amount of those points is held among nine individuals, the contest is stopped. If there are any ties, then those who have tied have a final battle to decide.

There are 990 people participating. There will be 10 brackets, so 99 to a bracket. The brackets will split the cumulative rankers up evenly – or, try its best to. Meaning each bracket will only have a single top 30 ranker, or a person ranked between 20 and 29. And so on.

Rankers 11-19 only have 9 people total. But, rankers 90-100 obviously have 11. This means that there'll be one bracket with no top 20 members at all and yet another with two 90-100 members. This could be a good or bad thing depending on how it shakes out.

"Ah, almost forgot. To stop the top nine from avoiding competition and picking on the weakest and avoiding the strongest, nine people from the non-rankers take up nine spots on nine stages. Then, people can begin to challenge them.

Those people can choose to stay on the stage the entire time and accumulate wins from challenges, or they can step down. Because you are only obligated to accept a single challenge in a row, you don't have to stay on the stage.

Those people can also choose to send out challenges. But, the difference is that if you're ruling a stage, your challenge can never be ignored, or it becomes a victory by default. The only exception is a person who just stepped off of the stage."

Dyon didn't even have to say anything. Before he even finished his last sentence, Ri and Madeleine were already by his side. He found the faint flicker of anger on their features adorable, but he didn't say anything.

"Good luck." Clara called out. She could only sigh back into her seat when all she got was a wink and wave from Dyon. 'That guy never shows his true emotions, tch.'

Zaltarish followed them out. He had made it into the top 1000 as well along with a few other elves. But, Dyon couldn't be bothered with the likes of Clarice Grimbold.

With speed too fast for anyone present to see, Delia stretched to the tips of her toes and planted a kiss of Eli's cheek before flashing away. It wasn't until she had already caught up to the group that Eli finally registered the faint wetness on his cheek. And it probably wasn't until the battles were underway that he moved.

Elder Den looked down from the skies at the remain thousand contestants. Aside from the top ten, they had all gathered at the center of the stadium, prepared for their final fights.

In the Clyte Royal God Clan section, though, their king was focused on something else entirely. "It seems your bastard child is a lot luckier than I gave her credit for."

The voice reverberated in Queen Clyte's ears, causing blood to drip from her nose again. But, she had learned her lesson. After witnessing her daughter almost die, she cut off her emotions entirely. They were only a detriment to her now.

"As you all know, there will be ten total brackets and only the top nine from each of these brackets will earn a right to challenge the top ten rankers and fight for spots in the top 100. This will be on full display for all to watch and there will be possibilities for cheaters to prosper." The monitors focused on Dyon, hoping to embarrass him. But, all they found was a handsome young man happily laughing with his wives.

In the Sapientia sections, Madeleine's parents were having a reaction not too far from King Acacia's. But, no one wanted to see Dyon fail more than Connery Sapientia.

He couldn't confirm it because his 6th sense was nowhere near as powerful as Dyon's, but he had little doubt in his mind that Madeleine was no longer a virgin. He wanted nothing more than to see Dyon killed.

The voice of a woman soon responded. "I think you have something misconstrued, Patriarch Sapientia. Regardless of the agreement we had before, I am still a genius of a Ragnor auxiliary clan. I hope that in your threat, you're willing to provoke the Ragnors. I'm sure with the information the Sapientia have access to, you understand how foolish that would be.

That said, I don't need your motivational threats to have enough incentive to kill him. For what he did to my little sister, he's already signed away his life."

In the crowd of 990, a beautiful woman with striking red eyes and long jet-black hair. Anyone who paid attention knew who she was. The undisputed genius of the Ipsum clan and top 4 ranker of Planet Earth. What did that mean? It meant she held a spot amongst the cumulative top 20. She was without a doubt among the most powerful experts taking part in this round and she only had one goal in mind – Kill Dyon.

"Everyone please turn your attention to the monitor before you. Soon, 99 names will appear. These will represent the members of our first bracket. If you pay attention to the number that will appear beside the name, these represent your starting points and over the course of the match, will represent your accumulated points." Elder Den spoke.

At the very top of the list sat a name everyone recognized. The number 14 on the cumulative rankings, number 13 on the true cumulative rankings, and a beauty that fell just shy of the 6 known throughout the universe. That said, she was still among the four junior royals of Earth, widely known as the second most powerful after Prince Lionel Belmont.

However, before Elder Den could even allow volunteers to take the spots on the nine stages, a very familiar figure had already flashed onto the one at the very center.

Ri and Madeleine looked at each before shaking their heads. He hadn't even said goodbye. In fact, no one should have been able to go through a list of 99 people so quickly, even as cultivators. It was clear that no one had anticipated these final matches more than Dyon.

Elder Den laughed uneasily. It seemed Dyon's actions had frozen the non-ranking contestants to the point where none seemed apt to volunteer. Well, that was until Dyon turned his gaze toward the crowd of them.

Dyon's words seemed to jolt the non-rankers into a sudden realization. In a near instant, 8 more warriors appeared. They hadn't even had time to think about how embarrassing it was for them to fold to Dyon's words so easily. But, there was an air to Dyon that made them feel as though he shouldn't be disobeyed… His demonic will was becoming tougher and tougher for him to reign in.

Without a shred of hesitation, Dyon had already picked his first opponent. He felt no need to wait for an explanation and his anger was definitely not going to allow him to do that. He had waited too long already.

When everyone saw who Dyon had challenged, a collective breath escaped the stadium. Not even the most ignorant found any room to laugh and everyone had only one thought: 'If you truly believed you were number one, isn't this how you'd act?'

Iris Ipsum's lip twitched. The crowd of warriors had separated from her, there was no doubt that Dyon had pointed toward her. Everyone understood what it meant.

For a person with only a single point to challenge a person with 10pts immediately was unheard of. Even if you had a grudge against a person, it was of little benefit to you. Even if you won, you would only take a single point from that person. But, if you lost, you would be out. That's not to mention how powerful a person with 10pt would be in the early game. Dyon's choice simply didn't make any sense.

Clara's heart seized when she heard these words. It suddenly dawned her just the kind of place this martial world was. Dyon's life was on the line here, she couldn't forget something like that.

The Elvin girls felt bad for Clara. They had gotten to know her well over the past day, and despite her cold eyes, she seemed to have a bubbly sense of humor to her that completely contrasted the feeling you got from looking at her. But, that personality was never more prominent than when she was interacting with Dyon… It was clear that she cared for him deeply.

Clara gripped her fists at her knees. Although she had been aware that it was likely that Dyon had killed before. But, hearing it stated so clearly… She didn't know how to feel.

Iris' eyes began to glow a dense read, her jet-black hair flaring outwards and fluttering in the wind. Dense red crystal veins began to appear in the air, as though they were living vines of themselves.

"Because of your senseless deeds, I missed a campaign year two years ago, tending to my sister. You are directly responsible for my not being in the top ten right now."

Rage built in Iris' heart. She too understood the importance of having a top ten spot when it came to the final rounds. To her, it was because of Dyon that she had basically lost her ability to compete for the spot. All she could do now was aim for eleventh place.

"You've disrespected me in challenging me first. You don't deserve to be in the top ten, so you think you can trick others into thinking you're more than you are by using me? How dare you."

Iris' cultivation released the full brunt of its force, a dense red aura cracked the arena beneath her face as features of pure rage colored her once delicate appearance.

A six-foot-long sword colored a completely light-immune jet-black appeared. Draconic cries of happiness rang through the stadium as a blood red aura began to drip from the sword.

The cries of happiness increased, beating against the ears of everyone in attendance. The spirit of Dyon's transcendent sword roared into the skies, cutting through the air itself as a black dragon spanning hundreds of meters manifested.

"You must be wondering why I bothered taking this sword out." Dyon stared into Iris' eyes, completely unperturbed by her output of cultivation. "I think I'll make a list of my own then."

"For one, your bullshit speech was so long that my mind wondered, and I just so happened to remember this sword of mine. At least you managed to jog my memory of the last time I needed to use it."

"Secondly. Your cultivation is at the 6th essence gathering level. And you also happen to be an upper 4th grade expert. So, to save your pride, I was going to go all out."

Dyon took yet another step. His veins bulged, coursing a dense gold blood through his body. Lines of gold began lining his skin as though they were tattoos etched just below.

"But then that leads us to the third thing on our list. After I had decided to be the good guy and spare your feelings, I then heard nonsense about me not being worthy of being in the top ten?"

Showered of red, purple and gold rained down on the arena. But, the beauty was lost on the crowd. They sat at the edge of their seats, intent to see the clash of geniuses.

There was nothing more familiar to Dyon than these crystals. He had spent months struggling under the pain they brought. But, that had given him an intimate understanding of just what this will was all about.

Blood flew from Iris' mouth, her body caving inwards under the pressure. Her vision went blurry as the sickening sounds of her ribs giving way reverberated through the arena.

Iris could do nothing. Her problem was lack of versatility. As much as she liked to boast, she only knew a single will. But, Dyon's celestial will was cutting through it as though it didn't exist. Why? Because Dyon had spent two months with this will living inside of him. No one knew its weaknesses more than he did.

Iris hadn't even hit the arena floor before Dyon's knee found its way to her face, sending her flying upward just as violently as she had crashed downward.

"NO!" Rose Ipsum, Iris' little sister cried from a distance. How could she have known her sister, someone who was so respected and feared would ever be on the side of a loss like this?

Dyon showed not a shred of mercy, flying upward and catching Iris by her long jet-black hair. Dense flames of black colored his eyes as a deep rage steadily built in his heart. This wasn't enough.

Iris stabbed both blades into her chest under the shocked gazes of the crowd, slicing downward violently and tearing her clothes away. She was naked for but a moment before blood coated her so quickly that she became like a different person entirely.

A long staff appeared in her hand, seemingly made of wood but holding a large red diamond at the front end of it as its body curled to the natural whims of the branches of a tree.

Both of her eyes had become an abyss of dark red as blood seeped from them. Whatever it is she was doing, was at a massive detriment to herself. But, she no longer cared.

In the distance, in the same section as the Ragnor and Cavositas, the Matriarch of the Ipsum auxiliary clan shook violently. She knew all too well what this technique was.

There was a reason Iris, despite being such a genius, only knew a single will. Red crystal will wasn't natural. It was fostered through blood sacrifice and often required rituals of untold pain to advance in. That said, in exchange for that, you were able to grasp a will that was infinitesimally close to being a supreme law.

But, that was only the case while it was still at the level of a will. When this will stepped into the level of an intent… It underwent a conformational change.

As a created will, red crystal will worked much like a technique. It had steps of mastery that provided better rewards. Unlike natural wills that often only improved in power output, red crystals changed their fundamental nature.

Unfortunately for Iris, that wasn't what was occurring for her. She had artificially boosted her will to an intent by using a sacrificial technique. As such, she gained the power boost associated, but, none of the fundamental nature change.

Dyon's two pairs of wings flapped in the skies as he looked down on Iris' still falling figure. His shirt had burst apart, revealing his bandaged sides, but he had grown used to ignoring that searing pain inside of him. After taking Madeleine's virginity, the pain at his side has severely lessened due to the increase in his body cultivation. But, it seemed a full heal would only be possible if he broke into the saint body level. Something that was very much impossible for now.

In the Sapientia box, Ester snapped her head up. After centuries of working with music will, how could she not tell what was going on. "Intent level music…"

Iris didn't seem to be in a healthy state of mind. The bleeding from her eyes only increased as time passed and her crystal armor was beginning to crack and her demeanor was crumbling under Dyon's powerful voice. But, the staff she held in her hand seemed to be glowing more and more feverishly.

The veins of gold raged through Dyon's body, his muscles increasing a size before condensing. His skin seared red as the beating of his heart grew so robust that it could be heard by everyone in attendance.

"Of course not. My life was never in any real danger because I didn't enter the legacy tower along with the others. I was trying to learn demonic will because it was a good opportunity. Unfortunately, I failed. That said, it is because of him we found the whereabouts of the blood sacrifice technique."

The impact of the flap of his wings was unprecedented. A crater spanning hundreds of meters appeared below his feet, creating an abyss that one could barely see the end of.

"You know." Dyon spoke, his eyes flashing causing a brilliant purple gold defensive array to abruptly stop Iris' momentum as his will coated fist slammed into her again. "I find it funny when you nobles think your lives are the only ones that matter."

"And then you want to talk about how it's my fault you aren't in the top ten." Dyon didn't seem to hear anything. "You're at least 40 years old. Maybe even 50. You think after all those accumulated campaign years that a single year is the reason you aren't in the top ten?" Dyon's grip tightened on Iris' throat as her nearly lifeless body hung in the air.

Dyon's eyes flashed with gold as an array wrapped around Iris' neck and lifted her into the air. Then, with another flashed, the arena was completely fixed. It was as though nothing had happened.

An annoyed look appeared on Dyon's face as he suddenly noticed he had hair in his eyes. "How annoying." With a single sweep of his sword will, his hair was once again as short as it had been.

The person Dyon pointed at didn't know how to feel. Was he really supposed to go up now? It wasn't as though he was weak. He was number 97 on the cumulative rankings. But, how could that possibly compare with Iris?

Suddenly, the crowd understood what was happening. But, before anyone could say anything. Dyon began challenging those top nine rankers twice to take away the rest of their points. After all, there was a cap of 5pts per battle. But, did they dare to battle Dyon?

Everyone could only watch as Dyon made a fool of the proceedings. He wiped out the top 9 on his own and had practically gifted eight warriors a spot in the top 100 they didn't deserve. All to prove a point.

After accumulating 55 points to himself. Dyon turned his gaze back to Iris who was still hanging by her neck before snorting and dropping her. 'You crippled your own self.'

"Even if you had a grudge with Iris, why did you have to take it out on us too! Now we're eliminated!" Using the mob to gain courage, one of the rankers spoke out.

Dyon started laughing, "You want to be mad at me? How about you be angry with the organizers who saw it fit to put me here in a group with people at this level?"

The rankers froze. If Dyon had said these same words just a few minutes ago, they would have been taken as a joke… But now? Could he really have earned his number one spot?

The earth quaked and rumbled under his every step. He was a massive man, standing at four meters tall. His jaw line was so large that who looked almost like an ogre, having both the size and muscle mass to be.

Dyon raised an eyebrow as this massive figure stood before him. The earth seemed to want to pull Dyon in and his weight seemed to increase with the glare of this massive man.

'A pseudo gravity will? Interesting.' Dyon thought this even as his feet sunk into the earth below him, making him seem even shorter than he was already was.

But now Dyon was practically spitting in his face. Calling the organizers clowns was just like saying him being in the top 10 was nothing more than a joke. That he hadn't earned his spot. And that if the Cavositas were intelligent, he would be kicked out.

"I came here to make sure that I was the one you challenged for a spot in the top ten." His voice was deep and coarse, as though there were rocks rubbing against each other in his throat.

Dyon scratched an itch on the back of his neck, "Why would fighting someone who doesn't deserve to be in the top ten prove my bravery one way or the other?"

Suddenly everyone understood exactly what Dyon meant. He had never planned on attacking the top ten's weakest link and hoping for the best. No. He had wanted to crush Lionel Belmont from the very beginning. He didn't want to hold anything in suspense nor did he care to.

King Belmont sent a glance toward his son but could only sigh when he saw the same deadpan expression he always did. At first, he had wanted Dyon to prove himself worthy of Madeleine by beating his son. But, Dyon had not only proven that he had no need to fake rankings, he had also slipped away with Madeleine right under his nose. King Belmont had little doubt in his heart that Madeleine's virginity was gone and he had no control over the matter.

And now this child had no qualms about publicly slapping the royal clan in their faces. But, could Belmont blame him? As a king all he had done was allow his subjects to slander someone who was just a boy at the end of the day. King Belmont had little doubt that had he been Dyon back in the day, or had King Acacia or Big Red been, they would be reacting in this exact same way.

Femi suddenly felt as though he had fallen into an abyssal hell. But, as an experienced warrior, he wouldn't let a look perturb him to the point of showing visible proof.

"I just mean that their brackets are coming up soon. And sure, they're very powerful. But, this system allows for chain challenges, no? Planet Deimos has quite a few in these later rounds. It would be a shame if they didn't make it to the top 100 because they were too tired to."

"And say they get hurt." Femi's eyes get a sinister glow. "Accidents happen after all. A few small cuts. And maybe they end up more than hurt. Maybe even dead."

Dyon suddenly held out a finger. No one knew what he was doing, but for those paying attention, he was clearly pointing toward the Belmont-Sicarius skybox that housed his in laws.

Queen Acacia's blue-silver tails slowly dissipated in the air. Had Dyon not done what he had, she would have flown out with speeds even faster than she had before. She hadn't seen her daughter in eleven years. She didn't care what war it started, but she wouldn't let anyone threaten Ri in front of her.

With a flash, Dyon's body disappeared from its position behind Femi and appeared Ri and Madeleine, a smile gracing his features. He didn't seem anything like the man he had been just a few moments ago. Instead he was caring, warm and even a bit worried.

It was at this point the crowd began to overlook Dyon's cheater label, to a certain extent. Whether he cheated or not, he had just made a very good case for why he should be in the top ten regardless. And, as they all knew, the top ten was a single tier unto its own. The disparity between ten and one wasn't so large as heaven and earth… Or so they thought.

Femi Geb's lip twitched. Unbeknownst to him, Dyon's words had him frozen in place for a split second too long. But, he quickly recovered. He didn't know what it was about Dyon that seemed to constantly suppress everyone around him, but what he did know was that he had no intentions of losing. And since this Dyon had insisted on provoking him, his allies would suffer too.

What Femi didn't know was that Dyon's suppressive abilities were because of his soul strength. Even elders much more powerful than Dyon always felt a constant pressure from him because a part of them would always be weaker than him.

Dyon didn't know it, but he was tapping on a door to something new. At Focus Academy, the very first confrontation he had ever had was with Akihiko's younger brother, Kami Mayumi. During that confrontation, Dyon directly damaged Mayumi with a single shout, suppressing his soul and injuring it. Because Dyon now had the habit of suppressing his own soul level, he hadn't used this ability since, even to the point of having forgotten about it entirely.

However, the larger problem with using this ability was the vulnerable position it placed Dyon in. The act of attacking with the soul, as Saeclum's passing would attest, was highly dangerous. The only reason Dyon was on the winning side was because he had been severely underestimated – no one had thought he had any cultivation to speak of at all.

Another problem that was probably just as important was the fact that an attacker had to either prepare for an extended period of time as Saeclum had, or, if you had enough talent – as Dyon did – to skip over the preparation time, you still needed a soul several levels higher to be successful. And even then, you would still be at a severe risk.

It was many confounding factors like this that often made creating soul type techniques completely impractical. This was why the movement toward more supplementary soul type techniques like manifestation and array alchemy were created. By using mediums like manifestation and the aurora, you had a shield to the direct damage of the soul.

Top flight manifestation could have a direct impact on the user's physical body or had a physical form of some sort. For example, Dyon's wings. These were a physical representation of his manifestation. This same logic was also true of his weapons.

Because of his soul strength was connected to wings, Dyon could reach speeds comparable to lower level saints should he choose to. That said, it put a ridiculous amount of strain on his soul considering that was his upper cap. At the same time, the rest of Dyon's body didn't make fighting at that speed viable. Why? Because even if he could flap his wings that hard, the rest of his manifestation didn't lend to attacking with speed suitable for that. At the same time, because he didn't have a saint level body, flying at that speed put a massive strain on him.

Another example of this was how the strength of his weapons directly correlated to his strength. Because he had a saint level soul, he could manifest grandmaster level weapons. However, this was yet another example of how the rest of Dyon's cultivation restricted his soul's full potential. After all, just having a grandmaster level weapon didn't mean you were as strong as a saint. Just like Dyon's transcendent sword didn't make him as powerful as a celestial level expert.

All of this to say, that unlike body and energy cultivation, soul cultivation always came rife with caveats, exceptions and limiters. And unfortunately for Dyon, he was by far the most talented in this aspect with both his body and energy cultivation being completely average. In fact, if Dyon's set of meridians hadn't come already tempered, who knew how many months to even years it would have taken him to reach the middle of the meridian formation stage? Never mind 108 open meridians.

In the end, this was why Dyon had suppressed his advancement to the essence gathering stage. He needed more of an understanding. And, if he couldn't get that, he needed to at least gain the most solid base possible. Unlike body cultivation, energy cultivation was highly sensitive to the most minute of changes.

That said, this was Dyon after all. Just how many possible solutions did he already have in mind already? How could he possibly be like everyone else in thinking that the soul was the most useless of the three disciplines?

Did body or energy cultivation directly increase your intelligence like the soul did? Did body or energy cultivation allow you to write the laws of the universe? Did body or energy cultivation allow you an understanding of the universe few could ever dream of reaching?

"Are you okay?" Ri asked worriedly, reaching for Dyon's bandages. They had been partially torn off because of Dyon's wings, but because of the position they were in, they had mostly survived.

The crowd seemed to be watching Dyon's every action. And it seemed like with his recent wins, his fan club was growing out of proportion. It wasn't as though no one had noticed how handsome Dyon was before, but that was a trait that was normally ignored for males in the martial world unless they were powerful – something females didn't normally have to deal with. However, having now proven himself, he wasn't short of admirers much to Ri's admonition.

Madeleine giggled, "It seems they want to add our husband to the male suitors list." Her smile was bright even as she helped Ri clean Dyon's wound and bandage it again.

Dyon though only had eyes for Ri and Madeleine. "You two need to be careful, okay? I can threaten him as much as I want, but I doubt that would change anything. Regardless, for his words alone. He's dead."

Dyon nodded. As much as he tried to rein in his actions to lessen rippling effects, there would always be people out there that cared more for their own glory than even the lives of collateral. What did Ri and Madeleine ever do to this Femi character? Wouldn't he have been able to fight Dyon anyway if he waited?

Ri nodded affirmatively. Neither her or Madeleine had gone all out yet. And, that was on top of the fact that dual cultivating with Dyon had major benefits to them as well. After all, how could dual cultivating with a saint not?

It wasn't lost on the experts how amazing that weapon was. To manifest its own soul, and for it to be so large, there was no question that it was extraordinary. But, no one dared to speculate about the rank of this weapon… Because if they did… It would cause chaos.

Daiyu Chenglei had had a transcendent weapon, yes. But, how many others had a weapon of this caliber? Without a deep family lineage and legacy, how was it possible to such a thing? Even the Elves had lost all of theirs.

Down below, it seemed the monitors were randomly selecting the next group. Luckily, that next group had no one of note, so Ri and Madeleine were safe for now.

King Acacia shook his head, "They should have long since fallen from that level. But, it's clear they're still in the celestial realm. The worst part though is…"

It was one thing to be a celestial expert. But, to be a first-grade celestial expert was completely different… Even in this room now, aside from Kawa, they were all at most third or second. This was because although they were all geniuses, they were capped by the poor cultivation in this universe. Kawa was lucky enough to be raised in a different universe entirely, as such, her talent wasn't capped.

But, even they were the exception. Most celestial experts in this universe were extremely old 4th grade experts who managed to stumble onto some luck to break through.

There was a massive difference between just being a first-grade expert and a peak first grade expert. But, that wasn't what really pissed King Acacia off. If the two of them were the only ones who happened to be of such a level, there was only one linking factor… Dyon.

King Belmont shrugged, "I'm not sure about his energy cultivation. He never seems to make use of it directly – it only seems useful to him for balancing out his body and soul prowess. But his soul…"

That said, Dyon had learned his lesson from Ulu. So, he lowered his soul to an even greater extent. But, this time, he had lowered it almost too much. It seemed his father in law was looking down on him.

Queen Acacia sighed, looking at her husband pitifully. King Acacia used to be a genius among geniuses and his perception surpassed nearly anyone. In fact, his battle prowess used to be far higher than his cultivation dictated because he could simply read everything his opponent wanted to do ahead of time. Even when he was a lower celestial expert, fighting a half step to dao formation expert wasn't a problem.

However, as he felt himself losing his mind, he had researched ways to cut off his True Empath abilities. Unfortunately, his method was no where near as perfect as Dyon's grand teacher. As such, his cultivation had to be supressed to the first celestial level. He could no longer manifest his soul. And without Kawa by his side, it was likely that he would have died a hundred times over in the past few years.

That said, she still felt guilty about accelerating her husband's mental illness. He had pushed himself so hard for her benefit. Now, though, there was a solution right in front of them. And, as fate would have it, it came in the form of their son in law – a son in law Kawa had a very good impression of.

King Belmont nodded. "It's likely even higher than that since he can hide it from us so well. Even when he was going all out against Kawa when he thought she was a danger to them, he still kept the leak of his soul power restrained. Despite his personality, it seems this boy is quite cautious."

The four of them looked at each other. They had each thought of an answer. But, they each knew very well that if they said those words, they would be severely punished.

"Ah…" King Acacia looked off in the distance. He couldn't help but sigh as he watched his daughter so diligently and lovingly tend to Dyon's wound and bandages. "I don't think describing it as just a sword is appropriate. But, I have no idea how he gained the approval of such a weapon…"

At the time, the sword had every intention of killing him. In fact, it had pierced toward Dyon so powerfully and with such killing intent that it had even projected Dyon's death to him. There was a moment where Dyon really felt that he was dead. Had it not been for his soul strength, he would have likely had a mental break down.

But, there was something else Dyon's soul had given him that day: affinity for weapons. Unbeknownst to even King Acacia, it would likely be harder to find a weapon that wouldn't accept Dyon than it would be to become a transcendent expert. And that was simply because of his weapon's hall manifestation.

"I'm not sure if the child has realized this yet," King Acacia continued, "But that weapon has the ability to change form. Whether that be its size or essence. And, most glaringly, it can hide its power. It's just that a transcendent level weapon is as far as its willing to belittle itself. The fact it allowed Dyon to hide its power even further is… I don't know…"

During Dyon's fight outside the legacy world, he had used his Demon Emperor's Will body technique. However, at the time, he hadn't mastered the perfect form. As such, he expanded to a 3-meter-tall version of himself. But, the surprising part was that his sword had grown with him.

Although Dyon was partially correct, he wasn't entirely so. The sword didn't have to increase in size to increase its power output. It had only done so to suit Dyon's increased size and maintain proportions. No other weapon had the ability to do such a thing. Or, more accurately, very few did.

Because of the lineage of the Celestial Deer was so robust and profound, this marriage was wholeheartedly accepted by the Demon Qilins. At the time, the Celestial Deer Sect was the most powerful sect in this quadrant. Well, it was among the most powerful, but was normally accepted as the best due to its array alchemists.

In fact, the 25th White Mother's husband jumped over many obstacles to marry her. Despite being a half step to supreme level beast, much like the 25th White Mother, the celestial deer had once been favoured as supreme beasts themselves. It was only that their blood was beginning to dilute with each passing generation. Because of this, they fell from the ranks of supreme beasts and into the ranks of the transcendent beasts.

However, there was only an infinitesimally small disparity between them and that next level. The lineages necessary to once again become supreme beasts were still being held in their blood. It was just that it was so diluted that it required more and more talent with each passing generation to reach that level. So, the solution that the Celestial Deer Clan, not sect, found was to marry their best and brightest to beasts capable of birthing children that could break through this barrier for them so they could once again become supreme beasts.

As you might guess, the Demon Qilin clan wasn't the best option. Not by a long shot. Despite not being Supreme beasts anymore, there were many other supreme beast level clans willing to marry into the celestial deer clan because their affiliated sect was that powerful. To have the backing of the celestial deer sect was something to be proud of.

Queen Acacia was starting to understand the direction the story was going. After all, although she hadn't known about the weapon, she was very clear on the enmity between the Daiyu and the Celestial Deer Sect. It was just that she hadn't expected it to reach so back.

But then she suddenly thought of something she hadn't been able to connect until just now. "If what you say is correct, husband, and the enmity between the Celestial Deer Sect and the Daiyu started over marriage and not their clash of philosophy… How was this even allowed? Qilins and Dragons are all under a single banner. They thrive together as a mix of transcendent and supreme beasts. Shouldn't they be together?..."

Kawa didn't pull this ideology out of thin air. Kitsune's were divided into thirteen distinct factions, and yet they were sill together as one. The same should have been true of Qilins and Dragons. They both originated from the same tight knit blood lines. Usually their decisions should have come together. So, why then were the Black Jade dragons allowed to war against a sect one of their own had married into? That should have brought backlash from the other Dragon and Qilin clans. Especially since that alliance should have benefited them all as a whole, no matter which of them married the 25th White Mother.

A sad expression appeared on Kawa's features as she really thought about what she said. Were the Kitsune really so united?... If they were, how would her husband ever be in such a state.

Seeing how his wife almost immediately regretted her words, King Acacia thought nothing of it. Instead, he lovingly covered her hand with his. How often had he let her know that he would do it all again a hundred times over? But, it seemed to still weigh on her heart.

"It's because of this that this weapon is even here now." King Acacia continued. "Because of their culture, the Drago-Qilin universes place emphasis on your own strength. Because they're so promiscuous, family lineage takes a backseat to acute power. So, the demon qilin was given a chance to prove himself.

However, this was a tall task. The Black Jade dragons were supreme level beasts with access to supreme level legacies. But, the demon qilins were a step below that, being only transcendent. And as such, they were capped in their capabilities.

King Belmont nodded, "Unlike us humanoid beings, meaning humans and elves and the like, beasts are often born of necessity. They fill in a need of universe. Our totem beast, the ice and fire phoenixes, are responsible for life and reincarnation. That is what they were birthed into existence for and that's the role the fulfill. Even though they are now gone along with dark phoenixes due to their inner warring, their will is still very much alive.

This role is also true of beasts like Kawa. Her Kitsune bloodline is specifically linked to the rivers and streams of the world. It's a tranquility that her personality doesn't exactly match." King Belmont coughed, averting his gaze from his long-time friend.

Queen Acacia rolled her eyes, ignoring the statement and continuing, "Dragons though… They have an innate wildness and power. They're meant to rule over everything. It's not that they're the most powerful. It's just to say that the perfect dragon would be unmatched under the heavens."

What Ri's mother meant was something you had to have a nuanced understanding of. Just because a beast tribe was meant to represent something, doesn't mean they could without any boundaries. Dragons were meant to be kings, but that didn't always mean they could rule. By the same token, despite being masters of life and reincarnation, phoenixes are extinct.

Beasts were meant to maintain a natural balance. They were almost like footholds for laws that fundamentally connected with what the nature of things wanted to put into place. This was exactly why beasts could practically cultivate without any more effort than eating and sleeping entailed. They were already created to grow along a set path and only the greatest among them reached that peak height.

King Acacia nodded. "That peak level of sovereignty and reverence was something that only a few dragons and qilins in their long and storied history had matched. But, none were more polarizing and arrogant than the Dragon King."

"Like I said, he was arrogant. He was so sure that his life would place him among the legends and so sure that no one would surpass him, that he gave himself an easily replaceable name. And, even to now, no one has dared to name themselves as such."

"Well, as his legend would attest to, he transcended. But, because of his arrogance, he absolutely abhorred the idea of anyone ever obtaining his faith seed. As you all know, dragons are promiscuous, and the Dragon King was no exception. So, the possible landing spots for his faith seed were far too numerous and would only increase as generations passed.

However, he thought of a solution to this. On the day he transcended he sealed away his faith seed. The demon qilin, knowing he needed to become more powerful, had one goal. And that was to unseal the Dragon King's faith seed and take it for himself."

"You don't mean…" King Belmont nearly jumped in surprise. No wonder King Acacia had said that Dyon had no idea the kind of thing he had brought out. But, there was something off. Something like a faith seed… It should be much more obvious and much more powerful. The presence of a transcendent level weapon was far below the type of presence a faith seed should have.

King Acacia sighed, "Like I said. The Dragon King was arrogant. The weapon acts as a seal not only for his faith seed itself, but also the power it wields. It's just that his arrogance didn't allow him to seal any more of his power than he did."

From King Acacia's explanation, anyone could tell just how eccentric such a personality was. The Dragon King didn't want anyone seeking to use his power, but at the same time, he couldn't stand the idea of anything attached to his being, being too weak. As such, he sealed himself away, but not completely. He wanted others to know that even in a weakened state, a mere piece of his cultivation was still at the level of a weapon others could only dream of having.

"This can't be blamed on the Dragon King. The reason Amethyst trusted the Belmont's in protecting her temple before it disappeared was because faith seeds cannot be hidden. Think about it, even death and reincarnation cannot erase a faith seed from existence. No matter how many times the seed is passed along from generation to generation, it will always manifest again. How can something like that ever be perfectly hidden?" King Acacia replied. "So, the Dragon King never bothered to hide the fact that he sealed his faith seed. What he did do was set up a trial, much like what I assume Amethyst did."

Before the time of the demon qilin, many had tried to surpass the trial. But, the problem was different than you might assume… Every single one of the succeeded."

"That's right." King Acacia confirmed. "The trial was a joke. Or, more accurately, it seemed to adjust its difficulty just enough that you would have to try your best but would succeed in the end regardless. If ten people took the trial, ten would pass. If a thousand people took it, a thousand would pass.

So, you're probably wondering why the demon qilin would try this then. How would he prove himself by passing a trial anyone could? Well… The problem lied with the weapon.

In a weapon to master relationship, there's a soul bond. This is how it works with beast companions as well. For convenience, Kawa and I also have this soul bond. It allows us foresight into each other's thoughts, information about each other's whereabouts, and a connection few others can reach. Normally, the reason why this isn't possible from human to human or elf to elf is that humans and elves don't have a strong enough connection to the natural order of things. But, that's a complex topic for another time.

The problem with the Dragon King's weapon was that it would take advantage of this soul bond to take hold of the relationship. A large part of the reason why the Dragon King's legacy lives on even millions of years after his transcendence is because he's essentially forced his consciousness upon hundreds to thousands of hopeful warriors.

That said, the demon qilin still tried his luck. As one might expect, he was ridiculed as a wishful thinker. Many in the Drago-Qilin alliance wrote him off as a dead man and began to prepare to choose the best suitor for the 25th White Mother among the Black Jade Dragons – who, at the time, had three geniuses that were of very similar stature, talent and potential.

Down below, as King Acacia was speaking, the second round was raging onward. Zaltarish and his elder sister, Akash, were a part of this round, and they seemed to be doing well.

It had been years since Dyon had even thought of his jet-black sword. In fact, the most time he had ever spent with it was likely right now. In their previous interactions, it was strapped to his back. And, he had only used it to fight a single time. Neither were occasions like this one.

Then, the handle began to warp as well. Its foot-long length twisted around Dyon's wrist, sliding around his fingers and almost becoming a liquid in the process.

Dyon suddenly felt as though an entirely new world had been opened up to him. Where before, it was difficult for him to sense energy cultivation energies, it was almost too easy now. Where before he could hardly sense the demon sage blood within him, it was almost too easy now. Dyon's body had undergone a qualitative change. If he had to guess what it felt like, he would describe it in just a few words.

Madeleine, having seen Dyon use this weapon before, was the more astonished of her and Ri. She had never heard of a transcendent level weapon changing form. In fact, she had never heard of any weapon changing form at all.

Dyon shook his head, still surprised by all the information being filtered into him. It wasn't just about the history of the Dragon King, but also the world that was just opened up around him.

The truth was that even with the set of meridians his grand teacher gave him, his energy cultivation was still poor. The meridians were no different or any more special than any other set of meridians. The only thing that made them stand out was that they were perfectly tempered and opened by Gama energy. This tempering allowed Dyon to be more powerful even compared to other peak first grade experts, but it didn't improve his ability to energy cultivate. This was why he repressed his cultivation.

Dyon fully understood just how difficult his energy cultivation technique was. When his grand teacher called it the best in existence, he wasn't exaggerating. But, the problem with using the best method was that it often came with the best difficulties – as ironic as that may sound.

[Inner World: Sanctuary], Dyon's energy cultivation technique, was perfectly tailored to fight in a world made for wills. In the future, when Dyon needed to conquer universes, that would often mean entering the domain of others. This would put him, as the aggressor, in a disadvantage position. Why? Because the ruling experts or clans would have a monopoly on the wills in that universe. If Dyon suddenly stepped into a universe that didn't allow him to use his wills to their fullest extent, wouldn't he be handicapping himself?

In the past, experts leaped over this hurdle using two methods. The first was to make sure that your ubiquitous wills were powerful. These were wills available in large quantities in any universe. Simple wills such as wind, fire, water, etc.

However, this energy cultivation method provided a third solution. Why allow yourself to be suppressed at all? By using your meridians as a map to construct your own inner world, you could maintain your wills in peak condition no matter where you were. In addition, I also came with the added benefit of allowing much more energy storage than any other energy cultivation method – aside for a select few like Ri's void cultivation method.

That said, imagine the difficulty of constructing your own world. Now imagine the difficulty of constructing that own world, when your energy cultivation talent was so poor?...

The first and second steps of [Inner World: Sanctuary] were the same as any other cultivation method – with the caveat that its foundation stage was much more thorough than many others. But, its third stage, the beginning of the essence gathering stage, was entirely different animal… If Dyon was correct, had he entered that stage without the Dragon King's help, it would have taken him centuries to construct his world – maybe even more than a millennia.

That in itself wasn't the problem, though… The real problem was what sacrifices were necessary to construct this world. In that time, Dyon wouldn't be able to use his wills, his soul strength, or his energy cultivation. He would only have access to his body's strength while everything was diverted to the creation of this world.

The truth was that it was only because his soul was involved that creating that world would only take centuries. His soul's prowess was able to make up for his lack of energy cultivation talent. But, even still, it would take that long...

However, this treasure he had just stumbled upon changed everything. Coupling the boost in his energy cultivation talent with his ridiculous soul talent, it would only take five years – ten years at the most! That cut down the time needed for his world construction by fractions of the original value.

This made Dyon sigh a breath of relief. He had been warring with himself recently about this. He had even spoken to Ri and Madeleine about it. To them, they would rather deal with centuries of Dyon being weak by their side, than a less amount of time with him hibernating. But, if the time was significantly shorter, even they might find it to be worth it.

Dyon suddenly grinned, picking up Ri and Madeleine in his arms and twirling them around happily. He didn't seem to care about the gazes of jealousy he was receiving.

In the distance, though. There was another character watching this scene angrily that Dyon had long since erased from his mind. He didn't think this person was relevant anymore, but maybe that was a mistake…

Evelyn Niveus. The first in line genius of the Niveus God Sect – a sect that only accepted women with God and Heaven level constitutions and was previously Delia's home.

She was currently stewing in her anger. Because she knew she was too weak to compete in the overall rankings, she, much like Ava, had chosen to partake in the meridian formation rankings. However, who would have thought that she as a first in line genius would lose to a girl two years younger than her?

She sat at second place. And, just when she thought she could watch Dyon fail miserably to make her feel better, he had broken out and outshone her yet again.

Evelyn had a God Level constitution. In fact, it was in the top 10. Although it wasn't as powerful as Delia's or Ri's or Madeleine's, if Evelyn was placed in any other universe, she would be an unprecedented genius. But, she had given up her virginity to her fiancé – now husband. And because she had been cultivating a technique that required chastity, it had ruined her entire foundation. The mere fact she was still powerful enough to place second was a testament to how truly talented she was.

However, she wasn't stupid. She had done all of this for the benefit of her future, and there was no future in this universe. All she needed was a cultivation cleansing pill and she could start over. And, because she had stolen Delia's pill, she would cultivate even faster with a fully awakened constitution.

King Acacia nodded, "In a way, yes. Have you all never wondered why despite the fact celestial will is so rare, even across all of the universes, that it still isn't classified as a supreme law?"

Usually, a supreme law was assigned as such based on its complexity, power and by proxy, its rarity. After all, if it was very complex and powerful, it would without a doubt also be rare. It was even weirder because celestial will originated from peak supreme level beasts – the celestial deer. Although they had fallen from those past heights, that didn't belittle the origins of the will itself.

However, celestial will was never classified as such. In fact, Dyon was aware that despite its potent levels of purity, celestial will was actually second to another unnamed will when it came to purification. Many thought that this was the reason why it wasn't labeled as a supreme law. After all, a supreme law should be in a category by itself. There was a reason space will wasn't a supreme law, and that was because void will existed.

King Belmont scrunched his brows, he didn't seem to agree, "Why would there be such a restriction. There are plenty of supreme laws that are restricted to certain people. For example, our neighbors, the Uidah. We had many battles with them in our youth. Over that time, we came to understand that their Ethereal Permeation was a supreme law, albeit even the best of them only reached the 5th or 6th level of it.

That aside, the Uidah have a special blood line that allows them to learn ethereal permeation. No matter how often we battled them or studied them, we were never able to learn such a will. But, isn't ethereal permeation still known as a supreme law?"

"You aren't wrong," King Acacia continued, "But, it doesn't apply exactly as you'd assume. Celestial will and ethereal permeation are similar in a few ways. For example, they are both exceedingly difficult to learn. If you don't have a person willing to give you a kernel of it and don't have the affinity or genius for it, you will likely never learn it."

King Belmont and the rest of them nodded. They all assumed that Ri and Madeleine learned celestial will because Dyon was of course willing to diligently guide them. They also knew that with Madeleine's constitution, it was no wonder that she raised it to the levels it was at. After all, her constitution was purity incarnate and her personality matched it to perfection.

It was also fairly obvious that as the primary and only disciple of the 25th White Mother, that Dyon would have been guided by her. In fact, they even sensed her essence blood within him.

"However, that is where the similarities stop. If someone is willing to guide you in ethereal permeation, you too can come to understand the first level. It's just that no one of the Uidah clan would ever do such a thing for an outsider – that, and it's punishable by death to do so.

But the difference is that when guided for ethereal permeation, you come out with the entire supreme law. However, when you are guided in celestial will, whether you can manifest it into its true supreme law status or not depends on you and no one else."

A sudden realization came over those listening. Celestial will could be learned by anyone. Just like anyone can learn any will. But, what separated it from others was that a set affinity was needed to bring it to its optimal level.

Surprisingly, King Acacia shook his head no. "No. She couldn't. Or, what I should say is that she only could for a brief moment in her life and she never reached that peak level again."

King Acacia sighed, "What I'm trying to say is that there was only one moment of perfection in the 25th White Mother's life that led her to having the perfect mental state.

When the demon qilin needed her most, the White Mother was willing to give up her life for him. She had no regrets or qualms, in fact, she believed herself to have reached the peak of what it meant to live.

In that one moment between the two of them, the Celestial Deer bloodline reached supreme levels for but an instant. And in that instant, her celestial will became a supreme law."

The demon qilin passed the trial with ease. In fact, his trial was slightly more difficult than the norm because he was already talented to begin with – and as you all know, the trial adjusted just enough to make it a difficult task, but not beyond completing.

But, when the demon qilin finally got the sword in his hand, he lost himself. He was no longer himself – but had become the Dragon King reincarnated yet again."

King Acacia sighed, "The demon qilin's gamble failed. He had thought that his one chance to win over his competitors was to use the talent of the Dragon King. But, the Dragon King ended up making use of him."

The problem was that there was nothing the Dragon King hated more than peace and unity. Or, more accurately, he didn't want peace or unity unless it meant that he was the ruler of all things and things went his way. However, being in the body of the demon qilin, he obviously didn't have the power to do such a thing – not yet anyway.

So, he bid his time, pretending to be the demon qilin. Surprisingly, despite being arrogant, the Dragon King was also intelligent. He didn't mind pretending to be something he wasn't for the sake of his survival. After all, if people found out that he was here to sow chaos yet again, they'd kill his host and send him back to the body of his weapon.

The truth was that the real Dragon King had already ascended. But, as Dyon's grand teacher would attest, being ascended only meant constant warring between factions. The Dragon King loved conflict, but only if it meant he had a clear path to victory. It was like he wanted the game mode on difficult, but not impossible. And, when you were stuck in an all-out war against those equally as talented as you, that was exactly what the game mode was on – impossible.

Much like Dyon's grand teacher, he enjoyed projecting his mind to the lower the planes of existence and asserting himself again. As such, the demon qilin was the perfect opportunity.

Covertly, he began to sow discord. He slowly revealed his talent and raised himself up in the demon qilin clan before asserting that they should have more power in the alliance. All the while, he was also proving himself to be one of the better candidates for marriage with the 25th White Mother. But, with the life span of martial artists – and beasts especially – no one was in a hurry to marry her off. So, the Dragon King had plenty of time.

Soon, wars began to break out. They were small at first, just between lesser transcendent level beasts – something the upper echelons would never pay attention to. But, soon, it began to grow in scale. And, it seemed that only one clan was winning time and time again: The Demon Qilins.

Many didn't understand what was happening and why their once peaceful alliance was breaking apart. But, the more astute began to connect events back to the demon qilin's wish to conquer the Dragon King's weapon. The problem was that by now, the Dragon King had already cultivated the demon qilin into a formidable mid level dao expert.

That in and of itself wasn't so impressive – the cultivation level, that is. After all, these were peak level existences. Even half step to transcendent, although rare, did exist. What was a mere mid level dao expert to them? But, that was only if you were referring to a normal dao expert…

Not only had the Dragon King made the demon qilin and peak first grade expert, the cultivation methods, wills and techniques were all so far past what they had access to, that even those peak experts didn't dare take him lightly.

The Dragon King came from a time even millions of years before even that day and age. The knowledge he had was untouchable. And, when you consider the insights to cultivation he had as a transcendent, it was like inputting cheat codes to a game you had already played hundreds to even thousands of times.

By the time everyone realized that the Dragon King had won yet again and was about to rule them all, the 25th White Mother was already in despair at having lost the love of her life. What was the use in having his body if the person inside wasn't the same?

The Dragon King had a habit of taking multiple wives, but he would always have one trophy wife. Usually, he chose the most esteemed and talented woman of that generation and would swap her out as long as someone better was born or came along. In that generation, it just so happened that the 25th White Mother was the best there was. There was a beauty beyond words and a talent the Celestial Deers hadn't seen in millennia. So, the Dragon King wanted her.

On their wedding night, the 25th White Mother resigned herself. She had no intention of losing her virginity to a man that only looked like her love – not without a price. At the same time, she didn't want to leave this world without ensuring that he regained himself – even if that meant it would be in her absence.

"As you all know," King Acacia continued, "There are two wills that celestial deer excel in more than nearly anyone else. The first is celestial will. And the second, is the not as rare, but very powerful, crystal will.

Crystal will is meant to amplify and celestial will works to purify. The 25th White Mother devised a plan to use the celestial will infused with a celestial deer's virginity, coupled with a crystal encasement technique to amplify its effect to the extreme…" King Acacia took a deep breath.

"The problem with this crystal encasement technique is that the 25th White Mother just wasn't powerful enough to seal the Dragon King. If she was, this would never have been a problem to begin with. So, she had to make a sacrifice. For the sake of saving who she saw as her true husband, she planned to use her life force to fuel the technique. Something that would without a doubt lead to her death."

They all remained silent. This was truly a sacrifice etched with deep unselfishness. If she became the wife of the Dragon King, her life would be prosperous. After all, he was the most powerful man in the universe at that point. What worried would she ever have? It wasn't as though the Dragon King was a cruel man, he only sought power. Even if he replaced her in the future, he would never treat her poorly.

The 25th White mother had seen all of this. But, she still chose to give up her life because she knew there was at least one person that wouldn't be able to ever be at ease… her love… The demon qilin.

"But, before she could sacrifice herself, something amazing happened." King Acacia continued, "In the instant she lost her virginity and she prepared herself to give up her life, her celestial will broke through the barrier and became a supreme law.

In that instant, her celestial will, which was already at the 9th level of an intent, one with dao, suddenly became a supreme law… One cannot fathom the level a supreme law of that level brings. We had enough issues with ethereal permeation and it was only at the lower will levels. The Dragon King's consciousness didn't stand a chance and was completely cleansed from the demon qilin.

"If what I feel is correct," Dyon secretly messaged with using his wind will, "Then it might only take me about ten years instead of the centuries it would have before."

In typical fashion, they had already understood why Dyon's master's memories had no information on the weapon. It without a doubt had to do with the destruction of the Celestial Deer Sect.

Ri and Madeleine smiled. They knew how taxing it would have been on Dyon's psyche to not be able to protect them. If that feeling was extended for centuries, who knows if their husband would have come out the same on the other end. But, if it was only such a short time, then even Dyon would find it acceptable. After all, they could spend all of that time cultivating in the Epistemic Tower. They wouldn't have to challenge other universes until Dyon was ready.

Suddenly, though, their smiles froze into bitter ones. Looking past Dyon, the second bracket had just concluded. Akash, who was ranked within the top 80, managed to keep her spot and move on. Zaltarish had also managed to replace the top 100 ranker and take his place in the final rounds. However, what left Ri and Madeleine feeling bitter was the fact their names were set for the 3rd bracket.

On the surface, this was good. The fact they were together meant there was less pressure. If Planet Deimos wanted to work together against them, they would have to split their forces. But, what wasn't so good was the list of names aside from them.

The truth was that there was little to no one who could rival Madeleine outside of the top 20. Even when she fought Ri, she was handicapped. After all, one of her most powerful wills was sealed.

Music will was something that Madeleine based much of her combat on. Before she earned Amethyst's faith seed, all of Madeleine's attacks were a combination of celestial will and music will – usually with music will amplifying the former. So, when she had that stripped from her, her combat prowess dropped to Ri's level.

That wasn't to say Ri was weak, of course. After all, Ri was still a meridian formation expert and Madeleine had long since stepped into the essence gathering level. This was because Ri had restarted her cultivation twice and she was also two years younger than Madeleine.

The problem was that Dyon's enemies also knew this… So, they faced a dilemma. In a system where only one expert per rank tier was allowed into a bracket, how could you possibly pressure someone as powerful as Madeleine? And the answer they found, ironically connected to the "True Top Ten".

Because Dyon's name had been smeared, the top ten was actually taken to be as the top eleven. But, the problem with this system was that it resulted in one less top 20 member and one more top 100 member. This meant that no matter what, there would be at least one or two groups that did not follow the normal rules.

Suddenly, the booming voice of Elder Den filled the stadium, "As you all know, there's been an imbalance caused in the bracket due to some unforeseen cheaters."

Boos rained down at Elder Den's words. Curses began being flung at how rigged and biased the Cavositas 'Clown' Clan was. The crowd had clearly had enough of being manipulated and were tired of being seen as stupid. They had seen for themselves how powerful Dyon was, even if he did cheat, it wasn't so blatant a difference between him and the top ten for the Cavositas to keep revolving the matches around his mistake – a mistake they didn't even have proof of.

Hearing his clan being called a clown clan, Elder Den broke out into a mix of a cold sweat and anger. If he lost control of the crowd, especially like this, he'd be dealt with just like the previous announcer. He had to quickly remedy the situation.

"Please, Please, Understand. By unforeseen cheaters I only meant those who mislead others into falsely assumed the great Demon Sage was a cheater. Unfortunately, we cannot undo what has been done and the tournament must move forward!"

Seeing that this appeased the crowd a bit, Elder Den seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. But, Dyon wasn't taking this so lightly, because he too had seen the names on the list. Regardless of what they said, they were clearly still plotting. An they had brought his wives into the situation.

"Because of the imbalance of the brackets, and to make up for our mistakes, we've decided to spice things up a bit. We won't insult your intelligence by saying that this was the most efficient way to do things, but, what we will say is that this is the most interesting way to do things."

The interest of the crowd was clearly piqued. They were only in this for entertainment after all, if these new rules gave them more entertainment, they'd be quick to forgive.

"It's clear that we've made a few mistakes." Elder Den continued. "So, it's become even clearer that there may be those ranked highly that simply don't deserve their spots.

"Worry not," Elder Den continued, "In consideration of the brave warriors who will be undergoing this final test, we will make sure to hold this as our last bracket. We only introduce it now to build up anticipation and allow those participating time to prepare."

By now, Queen Acacia was boiling in anger. She had previously seen Dyon's signal to allow him to handle it, but how could he possibly handle this one? They were essentially sending off her daughter to die!

The crowd though, could care less. This twist was something they found entertaining and Elder Den's explanation was good enough for them to accept. Although, in reality, the explanation meant little to them.

Calling this a death bracket left the title with little exaggeration. The Cavositas had decided that to solve the imbalance of rankers per bracket, they would flood a single bracket with every remaining top 30 ranker – come the final round.

Essentially, of the remaining seven top 20 rankers, every one of them would participate. This of course excluded Iris, who had been defeated by Dyon in the first bracket, and the top 20 ranker that participated in the second bracket along with Akash and Zaltarish. In addition to that, Ri just so happened to conveniently be the final top 30 ranker left to complete the brackets, and as such, was also placed into this death bracket.

This shouldn't have been a big deal, in reality. This was because if there were so many powerful foes at the top, there shouldn't have been a need for them to fight each other. Just by leisurely challenging non-rankers, they could have made it into the final nine.

However, there-in lied a problem… This wouldn't have been a death bracket unless there was actual competition, so the Cavositas played a very underhanded trick. As an "apology" to those who were eliminated by Dyon, that should very well be in the top 100 finalists, they were allowing those who had failed in previous rounds to participate.

In the end, the death bracket was organized to place all rankers on the stage. Unlike in previous brackets, the stage rulers were put in place rather than volunteered for. But, maybe the worst change was that stage wielders would no longer have the right to priority challenges. Instead, as they again tried to mask as an "apology", only those not ruling a stage would be allowed to challenge – challenges that couldn't be ignored.

Many of the following bracket parameters were the same. However, instead of top 20 rankers getting 10pts, it was number 12 on the rankings that received 10pts. Then number 13 would receive 9pts. And, finally, Madeleine received 4pts as the 7th lowest ranking ranker, and Ri received 3pts as the 8th lowest ranking ranker. In this bracket, there were no other rankers unless they lost in other brackets and chose to participate. But, even then, they would only be given 1pt.

"Belmont, are you just going to allow this?" Kawa's bestial aura was already threatening to tear the skybox apart. If it wasn't for the fact she was restraining herself, everyone's attention would without a doubt be on her.

King Belmont sighed, "The worst part about being a king is that you never have as much power as you think you do. I'm a monarch, but if I unilaterally make decisions, it will shake the balance. We've spent so many years making the Ragnor think that we care very little for things outside of cultivation, it wouldn't be good to alert them of our power now.

The only reason I didn't stop Edrym from doing his little display when he arrived is because we're all aware that his cultivation has fallen to the first celestial level. That isn't something the Ragnor Patriarch would put in his eyes.

You should know that the Cavositas never act unless with the approval of the Ragnor. It's not just the Geb God Clan boy that's seeking to prove himself, they're only using that as an excuse to deal with Dyon. Like I said multiple times before, he's dangerous."

Lionel lightly snorted in the corner before going back to meditating. In his eyes, Madeleine should be his and his father was being much too lenient. Even knowing how dangerous the origins of this boy were, King Belmont was still willing to test him. That made Lionel angry despite the fact he didn't show it.

"Don't give me bullshit about how dangerous my son in law is." Kawa responded. She wanted to continue, but that was as much as she dared to say. Anymore and even she didn't know if she could hold off the action of the treaty.

To Kawa, much of the superstition around mortals was baseless drivel. In fact, there was a reason why even in all his anger, King Belmont, despite knowing the truth, didn't use Dyon's mortal status against him – although he did call him a commoner, or, more accurately, he agreed to Lionel calling him a commoner.

The truth was that Dyon wasn't the one who was dangerous. It was the bastard who sealed the mortals in the first place that was dangerous. Some so powerful that even celestial experts like them, and former dao formation experts like Elder Daiyu, could do nothing in the face of his treaty.

But, who cared how dangerous that entity was? Were they not trying to find a way to fight him right now? Did King Belmont not want Madeleine's virginity for his son as a way to bolster their clan's power to then fight this entity? Was their goal of sending their young talent to the Epistemic Tower not set in place in order to groom the future to be able to fight this entity?

"That said, we can't shelter them if we hope that they'll supersede our accomplishments. Look at Dyon, despite his boiling anger, he still has ever intention of letting the two of them fight.

He'll let his rage sit and simmer, but he also wants them to be great in their own right. Then, when the time is ripe, he'll unleash that rage, and set fire to his enemies."

Thor and Vidar made the Ragnor look strong and capable as usual. Thor with his stoic and firm martial arts and Vidar with his savage and often tasteless torturing of his opponents.

Caedlum treated these rounds no differently than he had the previous few. He used no weapon, preferring to use his fists as his main tool for combat. His red skin seemed to glow with every punch he through as he effortlessly glided his body through his fights with an elegant ease. However, this elegance was very clearly backed by powerful and robust bursts of energy, giving his style a shift from hard to soft and a snappiness that made him unpredictable.

Delia, who Dyon had been the most worried about in the non-death brackets, seemed to have the easiest time. Dyon could tell that she was being targeted by some Planet Deimos rankers, but they had been much too low tier to handle her. Something had fundamentally changed about Delia, and although Dyon didn't know exactly what it was, he was happy that it seemed like it was for the better.

Surprisingly, the reason Dyon had been the most worried never manifested itself. He had been apprehensive not because he doubted Delia, but more so because from what Ri and Madeleine told him, she had had her psyche attacked by an elder during her last fight. However, it seemed that that elder was either being held at bay or had forgotten about Delia. There was also the possibility that they were biding their time for something else… But, Dyon didn't want to think about that too much. All he could do was keep Delia by his side.

That said, although things weren't too out of the ordinary, there were some odd occurrences. For one, a few top rankers never challenged during their brackets. This led to the top 9 accumulated 108 points and excluding them from moving onwards.

"They're stacking the deck," Dyon said softly. He was proven even more correct after the occurrences stopped at three. Why? Because if you excluded Madeleine and Ri from the death bracket rankers… There just so happened to be three top nine spots remaining.

Ri and Madeleine, though, were much more care free. They didn't seem to mind. While Dyon felt like his arrogance had brought trouble to his loved ones again, Ri and Madeleine felt different. To them, they didn't want Dyon to have to lower his head to anyone. They had been more angry than even Dyon was when his named was being smeared. So, how could they possibly trade a bit of safety for their husband's pride? They would rather face the dangers with him. And, should anything happen to them, they knew fully well that he wouldn't rest until those responsible paid.

"Ri, I understand the sentimental value of the sword your mother left you, but would you like another one? I have plenty of transcendent swords you could use." Dyon asked.

The truth was the he had a whole armory of transcendent level weapons. In his first visit to the Celestial Deer Sect, he had found a special door using his innate aurora that led him to their most valuable possession.

An ancient God clan like the celestial deer sect, who had experts as powerful as half step to transcendence, wouldn't have a lack of transcendent level weapons. In fact, considering the demon sage had a supreme level tower, it was almost disappointing that the celestial deer sect, as an array alchemy sect, didn't have even more powerful weapons.

But, the truth was that even for them, supreme level weapons were a bit much. That said, Dyon's spatial ring and the Dragon King's weapon likely surpassed even that grade.

Ri's hand flashed as a sword appeared. It was normal in every way. In fact, it was the lowest of the common level weapons. Ri had always hung onto it because it was the first gift her mother had ever given her. Because she missed her mother, she refused to switch – she wanted it to act as a piece of the mom she remembered.

Kawa Acacia seemed to notice when Ri took out the sword nearly immediately. Tears welled up in her eyes as her sharp eyes trailed along the length of its common metal body.

As a martial expert, she could see the amount of work Ri had put in with this weapon. She saw the chips on its body and the wear of its handle. She even saw evidence of it being repaired again and again.

If Queen Acacia knew that Ri had fought for months on end with this weapon as her only protector, words would not be able to express her level of guilt. Without doing so intentionally, she had placed a cap on her daughter's potential.

Why did Ri insist on learning the sword? Because Kawa was a swordswoman. Why did Ri insist on learning ice will? Because it was Kawa's best will. Why did Ri fall in love with Dyon so easily? Because her mother told her it was okay to trust anyone who could survive in the cave she left behind.

Ri dressed in a silver and crystal lined armor, resized to her perfectly. It transitioned into robust white leather that clung tightly to her curves, sculpting around her immaculately. But, her most standout feature was the new belt around her waist.

It was a striking silver of interlaced chain, reflecting the sunlight to perfection. Its center held was looked like a miniature Ice Petal's Dance fruit that doubled as a buckle. That said, it was the 3ft sword to her waist that shined.

It had a frosty white handle wrapped in a soft but comfortable leather. But, when Ri pulled it out, its blade erupted in a dense darkness, adjusting to her affinity immediately.

But, there was nothing the couple could do. It was clear that Ri wasn't surprised by this. They had been away for too long. That said, what they were about to find out was that their daughters wasn't so simple as just not being a river type kitsune… She was the peak most of all Void Kitsune.

"The time for the final bracket has come!" Elder Den's voice boomed before his eyes trained on a certain triplet family. "Please come to the stage, rankers." His eyes narrowed with an almost unconcealed glee as a sneer colored his features

Suddenly, a piercing and rumbling voice entered his ears, "Watch carefully. Let your anger stew. I want to defeat you at your peak so I'll be sure to tell me juniors to slowly tear your wives apart."

But, he kept his emotions locked within himself. How often had he tried to allow Ri and Madeleine to grow on their own? He had trusted them during his first campaign. It was time to do so again.

Almost immediately, their plan was put into motion. There in no time, there was a line of eager challengers waiting – and it was no secret to anyone that most stood before Ri and Madeleine.

However, the crowd didn't think anything of it. After all, Ri and Madeleine were 7th and 8th ranked. Seeing as there was no 9th for this bracket, they were the weakest by rank. To the crowd, it only made sense that they had the most challengers.

Madeleine calmly took out her lyre. She remembered the day that Dyon had first gifted this to her – it was the same day she had decided that she always wanted him by her side.

In response, her first opponent stepped onto the ring. He was a no-name and completely unranked, but Madeleine hadn't expected anything different. After all, they likely wanted to tire her first.

On Ri's platform, she too prepared herself as her first opponent stepped onto the stage. Because she was ranked last, it was likely that even more challengers would come to her. But, she was ready.

Madeleine's opponent laughed, looking at her weapon. "My senior brother told me that I should have a nice time playing with you. But, from what I see, your husband seems to favor one of his wives more. Her weapon is clearly much better than yours."

They were clearly trying to agitate Madeleine and Ri, grasping onto whatever they could to make them spend more energy than they needed to. Ri and Madeleine knew this, so they didn't say anything.

Her opponent felt his legs weaken as all the strength seemed to leave his body. The soothing nature of Madeleine's music filled the arena and it also quite subtly boosted Ri too, but not too much less they be accused of cheating.

The words of Ri's opponent were caught in his throat. He had just said nonsense about how Dyon favoured one over the other, but it was very clear that he had provided them both with high level weapons. Although he couldn't tell of what level, it was clear enough that what he had said was completely ridiculous.

Ri didn't bother to transform as she flashed forward, she wanted to maintain her stamina at its peak for the longest time possible. Well, the truth was that with Ri's cultivation, it was almost a joke for them to want to tire her out. Who could match a void kitsune in stamina? It was ridiculous.

Ri's sword felt like an extension of her hand. Without her previous handicap, she could flood her energy into her weapon without reserve. Her once crude and clunky sword play became fierce and ferocious.

Madeleine's opponents fell to his knees, his ears bleeding. The tune that was so sweet to everyone else was nothing but a death sentence to him. From beginning to end, Madeleine had not moved a single inch even as Ri's sword cleaved downwards.

From beginning to end, the first matches lasted but an instant. In the time it took, none of the other rankers had even accepted challenges yet. There was not a single pair of eyes not focused on either Ri or Madeleine.

And then, Ri's opponent too collapsed to his knees. A clear line of blood ran down the center of his face as shock colored his features. He hadn't even been able to see his demise. All he felt was an endless abyss of darkness and the feeling of everything being torn from him. He hadn't even had the time to comprehend the fact that he had been cut in two.

Dyon watched this scene, an anger still boiling in his heart. Ri didn't mind killing, but he knew fully well that this was Madeleine's first. She had never taken it so far before, but she, just like he had thought, realized that there was only one clean way out of this mess.

The most important people in Madeleine's life were Ri, Delia and Dyon. Although she avoided killing whenever possible, she never turned away from it. From Dyon killed, she supported him. And now, in order to prevent those most important people in her life from suffering, she too killed.

Dyon's voice rumbled through the arena, a clear and deep anger reverberating as his music intent stomped on the hearts of those who had queued and eager to challenge Ri and Madeleine.

Madeleine and Ri's actions showed little hesitation. They, along with Dyon, had long since come up with the best solution to this problem. Dyon didn't have to say a word, he knew how intelligent his wives were and that they too would understand.

Madeleine's personality wasn't one conducive to a killing spirit. In fact, she very much avoided such things. This was why much of Dyon's anger had to do with Madeleine being forced to do something she didn't like. This was Madeleine's very first kill!

During her campaigns, it was often her job to protect her comrades and weaken the enemy, but any of the killing was done by her supporting cast. It was why she heavily emphasized her celestial will to the point where it became an intent long before her music will. But now, there was no choice.

Ri and Madeleine didn't have ambitions of spreading their names far and wide like Dyon did. But, what they did have was a drive to stay by Dyon's side and to do him proud. They understood that Dyon didn't care about such things, though. Dyon didn't care for how powerful or well looked upon his wives were, he just wanted to be with them and protect them. However, that wasn't how they looked at things. To Ri and Madeleine, they wanted to reach the peak of perfection so that everyone knew how special their husband was. Why? Because only he had been able to grasp their hearts.

Before this, everything had been laid out before them. Simply challenge the weakest rankers in hopes of continuing onward. But now what were they meant to do? Was risking their lives worth it?

The truth was that only a small percentage of the challengers were lining up with malicious intent. After all, Planet Deimos only made up a fifth of the participants and Femi Geb wasn't even their undisputed leader – that title was left for Tau Aumen, a man Dyon had a run-in with at the Chaos Tower.

With all of these factors considered, the only people who were staunch supports of Femi were members of the Geb God Clan. The other – the Horus God Clan members of the Aumen Royal God Clan members – were mostly acting as normal participants: it just made sense for them to challenge the weakest rankers.

In fact, anyone who understood anything about Planet Deimos knew that the Horus and Geb God clans were always butting heads. This was because the Geb specialized in Earth and the Horus specialized in the skies – they had deep and fundamental philosophy differences that didn't foster a good relationship. This was why Ode Horus and Eboni Geb were always at each other's throats despite both being in the top 30 for their Planet.

However, that was only under normal circumstances. There was one clan capable of keeping the Horus and Geb in check. And that was none other than the Aumen Royal God Clan.

Tau Aumen, a man with fiery golden hair that looked more like the reincarnation of the sun than a human, was a young master that was constantly mediating the interaction between these two clans. In fact, in Dyon's short talk with him at the Chaos Tower, he had warned Dyon that attacking Eboni wouldn't be as easy as it had been to attack Ulu. Implying he had no intention of allowing Dyon to hurt his underlings.

Elder Den watched awkwardly from the skies as all of the challengers stopped moving. This was supposed to be their ultimate death match, but they had overlooked one thing: with the rankers taking their place on the stage, why would weaker non-rankers risk their lives when they knew very well that they didn't deserve to be in the top 100?

In reality, this was exactly why the past rules dictated that stage rulers had priority challenges. It was to stop this stall tactic. But, they had deliberately changed those rules to pressure Ri and Madeleine. Now it was back firing!

"What are you so angry for? It's unbecoming of a supposed beauty." A woman with caramel skin had stepped onto the stage. By every measure, she was like an Egyptian Goddess descending from the skies. She was without a doubt a beauty beyond words and among the six peak-most beauties of the Universe. Eboni Geb.

Ri, though, had every reason to be angry. This Eboni Geb was nothing short of a snake disguised as a beauty. From the very first moment she met Ri and Dyon, she antagonized and attempted to lord over them as though she was great. When, in reality, her greatest feat was sneak attacking Ri and causing her womb to be sealed.

Ri still remembered that helpless feeling of her feet being fused to the floor as a dense black array was shoved into her. There was little doubt in her mind that had it not been for Eboni, Ulu's seal would have never touched her.

Eboni didn't seem to care for Ri's gaze and she leisurely took out an Egyptian sceptre. It was a mere two and half feet long, but it had twin cobras wrapping along its length.

"I just thought I'd make it clear that I'm not here to please my elder brother," Eboni spoke, clearly referring to Femi, "I'm here to make sure that fake rankers don't make it into the top 100." Eboni snorted, "Your husband thinks he's a match for the top ten because he beat that old bat pretending to be part of the younger generation? Well, let me tell you and everybody else something."

Eboni's black eyes set in and sharpened as a crystalline will rained around her. "While everyone's distracted by the fact your husband ranked first in his very first campaign. I'm more interested in how his wives magically ranked so high after so few attempts too.

Seeing as their plan to tire Ri and Madeleine out first had failed, Ode and Eboni chose to attack much earlier than expected. But, they still hadn't given up on the rest of their plan. Regardless of what they said, they had witnessed Madeleine and Ri fight before. As such, they knew that they had no certainty of winning.

But, what Eboni did know was that Ri would be very angry with her. Because of that, she may utilize more energy than she should. With the Geb clan's specialty being based in the Earth, their stamina and defenses far outmatched most. This meant that Eboni could stall until Ri tired – banking on the fact Ri would be angered into trying to finish her off quickly.

Madeleine saw this, but there was little she could do. If she tried to communicate with Ri now, the judges would pick up on it because her cultivation didn't match theirs. They would use any excuse they could to kick her and Ri out so she could only focus on her own opponent.

In reality, Ode had drawn the short end of the stick. Despite being just in the top 30, she now had to fight Madeleine, who was in the top 20. None of them were stupid enough to think that Dyon had manipulated Madeleine's rankings for real. For one, Madeleine wasn't even on the same planet as Dyon for this past campaign and even before then, Dyon obviously had never campaigned before. This meant that both of Madeleine's campaigns had no influence from Dyon.

But, Ode could only accept her fate. As a Horus God Clan member, she specialized in something she knew Madeleine was weak in: Speed and her sky specialties gave her a special advantage over music will users. All she had to do was evade for long enough to tire Madeleine out. She didn't have to win, she just had to make sure that the second phase of their plan was easier.

There was an unfettered wild aura to Ri's swordplay that she hadn't tapped into before. Her movements were fluid and her instincts were sharp. It seemed almost unnatural at times, and yet so fitting at others. It was as though a cunning fox had picked up the blade.

Eboni's crystal will followed a completely different path than Dyon's. While Dyon focused on amplification to compliment his array alchemy, Eboni was entirely focused on defense. It was known as the hardening path – a path that was known as being a step up from the shield path.

This was because hardening effected both offense and defense, it was just that Eboni had yet to use its offensive capabilities just yet. She wanted to first understand the extent of Ri's will.

Surprisingly, though, Ri didn't seem bothered by Eboni's constant avoidance. Ever since the initial provocation, Ri's anger had faded. Instead, she saw Eboni as prey. A mouse caught in a trap. Nothing more and nothing less.

As a specialist of the hardening path, Eboni could manipulate her crystals into any structure she chose. Utilizing her Geb clan's analysis techniques, she was confident that she could create the best structure for blocking any will path as long as she was given enough time and her opponent was within her scope. But… There was something off about Ri's will. No matter what she tried, it was like an insurmountable wall!

Eboni grit her teeth, if she kept running away like this, what was she proving? In fact, it was even worse that she was aware that if she kept running, Ri would corner her. She felt like she was scampering away from a predator.

Every time Madeleine plucked a string to attack, Ode would vibrate the air violently, causing distortions in Madeleine's notes and thus disrupting her technique.

However, despite this, Madeleine still stood elegantly at the center of the arena, gently plucking the strings of her lyre. A beautiful melody seemed to be building, but it lacked any attacking or killing intent. It was almost as though Madeleine was playing just to play as opposed to fight.

Ode didn't know how to feel about this. But, she was much too wary of Madeleine to approach too closely. So, she maintained her distance, becoming one with the wind as her clan was so famous for.

'Speaking in a vacuum is impossible. Without a medium, sound can't travel. As long as I take full advantage of our Horus clan's dominance in the air, her music will never reach me. I'll let her waste her stamina. Then, I'll attack when she's given up!' Ode thought quickly as she vibrated the air particles around her again.

The arena began to tear apart under Ri's feet as massive spikes of crystals threatened to impale her. Eboni had finally switched to an offensive tactic, unwilling to continually look so week.

Eboni said nothing. She was fully aware that she was throwing everything out, but unlike Ode, she was in this battle and had a feel for what was going on. She knew that if she kept avoiding Ri, she would only be playing into her hand. The only way to tire Ri would have been to make shattering her defenses difficult, but it was clearly much too easy from Ri's perspective! How could Eboni know the reason she couldn't analyze Ri's will was because it was a domineering supreme law?

Ode could only throw Eboni's actions from her mind. If she let up on Madeleine for even an instant, she could lose. She had had a feeling that something was off from the very beginning, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Madeleine just continued to leisurely play at the center of the arena, causing Ode to vibrate the air again and again, distorting the sound around her and not allowing it to reach her.

On Ri's stage, she had begun to dodge herself. But, with every flash of her step, she inched forward. That was when something dawned on Eboni: 'Her beast form… She hasn't used it yet…'

"Kawa…" King Acacia's words escaped as nothing more than a whisper. How many years had he spent fighting to get his wife back? He had even given up much of his power for her. But what would they do if they ever found out about Ri?

The memory of eleven years ago when the Kitsune had descended upon the Elvin Kingdom and taken her away was still fresh in her mind. They had wanted to take Ri away too, but after realizing she had little to no bestial qualities to her, and listening to Kawa's pleas, they had let her leave her daughter behind. Of course, in Queen Acacia's mind at the time, she would never see her daughter or husband again.

But, King Acacia had long since prepared for this. How long had he spent knowing that there could come a day where they came to take his wife away? The only reason Kawa was even in this universe in the first place was the same reason the Ragnor were likely here. Everyone knew there was something special about this formally powerful universe and everyone knew there was a mystery behind why such a potent power had fallen so far – so everyone wanted to find out why.

Back then, they had sent the young Kawa here to investigate. But, after hundreds of years and her still being nowhere to be found, the Kitsune had sent their elders to retrieve her. After all, Kawa was a holder of one of their 13 faith seeds, and a destined faction leader. How could they let her roam free so easily?

But, in the grand scheme of things, Kawa was still much too young. She wasn't ready to take up the mantle of the River Kitsune, so many treated her as such. So, thinking the worst had happened, elder Kitsune came to this universe only to find out that Kawa had settled down with a family.

Many of the Kitsune factions had wanted to sentence King Acacia and Ri to death for tainting their supreme beast heritage. However, doing something like this was futile. Kawa was already tainted and her growth hadn't been too stifled, much to their surprise. As such, they simply took her away.

As a beast clan, the Kitsune valued power above all else. They never took Kawa away with thoughts of her never returning to King Acacia and Ri. They only took her away until King Acacia earned the power and the right to have his wife and daughter by his side.

In the turmoil of the martial world, it was much too selfish of Kawa to hide away in a universe, doing nothing for the greater good of the clan. As a beast, she had benefited from a long line of heritages gifted to her directly through her blood line. As such, in the eyes of her ancestors, how could she not pay them back for the talent she was gifted?

What Kawa didn't know was that King Acacia had never resigned himself to such a fate. He had given his all during their centuries together to raise his power and further his cultivation. Eventually reaching a point where he was powerful enough to pass the trials laid out by the Kitsune to earn Kawa as his wife.

In the Kitsune clan, they had a tradition for marrying members of their clan. Trials separated by the power and talent wielded by both their males and females were given to those willing to risk their lives.

This was a win-win for the Kitsune. Why would they turn away someone powerful enough to match their best talents? Wouldn't this bolster their clan's power?

So, that was what King Acacia did. He fought his way through the universes, eventually making his way to the Kitsune ruled Kingdom. Then, he lay his claim to Kawa.

It was no surprise that with Kawa's talent and power, he was forced to undergo one of the most stringent trials available. But, in the end, he succeeded. It came at a heavy price… But, still. He succeeded.

This normally wouldn't be a problem. The trials, after all, were based on talent. It didn't matter how young Dyon was, he only had to have talent at the peak most of his age group – something he without a doubt had.

There were 9 levels of trials. Ninth level trials were for the weakest and least talented kitsune. These were still difficult because Kitsune were supreme beasts after all, but still, they were comparatively easier.

The lowest stage had a 1% survival rate. Considering only the most talented of suitors would even attempt the first level trials, this was a ridiculously low pass rate to begin with. This included the wind, earth, fire, river, ocean, mountain and forest Kitsune. This was the stage King Acacia was forced to undertake.

The middle stage had a 0.001% survival rate. In the million upon billions of years of history of the kitsune, less than 100 men have passed this trial. That also shows how few have even thought to attempt such a thing. This stage was reserved for the music, spirit and thunder faith seed kitsune.

However… The highest stage. Had a survival rate of 0%. In the history of the Kitsune, not a single Kitsune that has wielded these faith seeds has been allowed to marry. They were forced to spend their lives giving back to the clan in thanks for the talent they were gifted with.

"Ajaar." Queen Acacia quickly looked up to her brother in law who was still standing respectfully to the side. She couldn't blame Uncle Acacia, after all, Edrym hadn't told his younger brother anything about his disappearance. But, she was too worried to be rational right now. "How long has it been since Little Alex awakened her bestial bloodline?"

Uncle Acacia was stunned by the question, he didn't expect this to be so surprising. After all, Ri was half Kitsune. What was the problem with her awakening her bloodline?

"About 3 months prior to the start of this year's campaign." He quickly remembered how Dyon had been in a coma for 4 months, causing them to be about a month late to the campaign. So working backward, it should have been 3 months prior. "So, just a few months from a year now."

A small sigh of relief escaped Queen Acacia's lips. Less than a year gave them a lot of time to work with. And, if their plan to send the children into the Epistemic Tower worked, even the Kitsune wouldn't have an ability to infiltrate such a thing. By the time Ri was ready to come out, it would be solely to campaign from gate to gate and universe to universe to conquer and earn the right to enter higher levels of the tower. With so much movement and how difficult it was to move from universe to universe, it would be near impossible for the Kitsune to find Ri.

If their plan worked as they wanted it to, the children of this universe would grow into an empire that exceeded even the Kitsune. By that time, would they dare offend her Little Alex?

In the grand scheme of things, it took King Acacia little more than 5-8 years to find and bring back Kawa. However, that wasn't because it was a simple task.

That said, it had taken the Kitsune hundreds of years to come for Kawa. The amount of resources necessary to find and track a member of their clan, even one with a faith seed, was a heavy investment. Kawa went on a mission that should have only taken a few decades, yet never attempted to return. By the time the Kitsune realized and actively attempted to find and bring her back – eventually succeeding – centuries had passed.

So, one may wonder, why was there such a disparity? It was simple. As King Acacia had mentioned in his recounting of the Dragon King's story, he had his soul bound his wife. He never needed to spend any time searching for her whereabouts at all, he could feel where she was. In the end, it was only a matter time because when it came to a bound soul, distance meant nothing as long as you were in the same plane of existence.

That final caveat is also of utmost importance. To be in the same plane of existence simply meant to be in the same dimension. This meant that searching for someone became near impossible when you crossed dimensional barriers. This was why Little Black was able to sneak into the gate with Dyon's knowledge – he had entered the storage ring, therefore entering an entirely new dimension. And this was also why Ri would be safe if she entered the Epistemic Tower or if she spent time campaigning in the gates, they were also completely different planes of existence.

Both the Epistemic Tower and the Gates, along with the spatial ring, were newly constructed dimensions created by Dyon's grand teacher. It was nearly impossible to bypass them and search within.

In the end, King Acacia just remained silent as he allowed his wife to slowly think things through. He had been very calm after the initial surprise, so he knew he just needed to give his wife some time for her to reach his state. Kawa still blamed herself far too much, so it made sense for her to react so strongly.

She had already been centuries old when she arrived here. After all, it had taken her time to find this universe just like it had taken the Kitsune time. But, she had believed her task to still be simple. Search for great power sources, sweep through a weak universe, and help bolster her clan. But, what she found was a feeling of love she had never felt before. Instead of being a tool, she had finally become a person – and she hadn't been willing to give it up.

She still remembered how she had clashed with her husband. At the time, he had been a mere peak saint and she was already well into her celestial cultivation. And yet, he read her so easily. To this day, she had never fought a tougher opponent. King Acacia was just that talented.

The trials tested talent, but King Acacia had lost centuries of cultivation time trying to awaken his manifestation. As Ri had lamented before, had it not been for Dyon's help and the awakening of her aurora to 100%, it too would have taken her centuries to awaken her manifestation – just like her father.

Because of this, although King Acacia's battle prowess was shocking for his cultivation, in terms of his age, it could only be considered above average because of all of that lost time. In the end, King Acacia could only blame being born in a universe with such poor resources. Had he been in any half way decent universe, how could they not invest in a genius like him? Imagine if he had awakened his manifestation as early as Dyon had? Or as early as his daughter had? He wouldn't need to rely on the younger generation now… He would have conquered the Epistemic Tower himself.

After all was said and done, he was forced to sever his tie to his True Empath abilities so he could stay by his wife's side… And that came at the price of much of his cultivation.

Kawa took a deep breath, trying to settle her emotions. She had already promised herself to spend the rest of her life by her husband's side. It was all she could do as a repayment. But, was a solution to their problems not in front of them now?

If King Acacia reclaimed his battle prowess and could now use his True Empath capabilities freely, their alliance would gain a nearly unfathomable boost. The kind maybe only King Belmont and Kawa could match up to. And even then, when had King Acacia ever lost to them? Not to mention the fact that that was when he was still holding back his true empath abilities! There was no telling how easily he would beat them if he no longer held any reservations.

'I have a good son in law…' Kawa smiled. She knew Dyon and King Acacia weren't the best of friends right now. But, she trusted her daughter's judgement. And because of that, she knew that Dyon would never sit back and watch his father in law suffer for too long just for a petty conflict.

However, there were two tangible reasons. For one, Ri was a Kitsune. Worst yet, she was among the three most powerful Kitsune in existence. She was even more inherently prideful and feisty than her own mother!

Secondly, Kawa knew from the moment she saw how Ri kept her sword, that her Little Alex held the values her mother had instilled in her very near and dear. Which meant that there was no way Ri would have promised herself to Dyon unless he survived her cave.

This was of course a test Kawa had given to King Acacia in their younger days. Although he could no longer pass now because his True Empath constitution had eaten away at his purity, it remained that he had once passed.

'Get revenge for my two baby girls son in law. I'm afraid if I do it myself, I'll get booed for bullying the younger generation.' A small smile rested on Kawa's lips as she once again began to enjoy the events below.

Ri of course had no idea about the inner turmoil her mother had just gone through. What she did know was that she was closing in on her prey and her bestial aura was only growing.

Eboni's sceptre waved out from her. It was made of a special will amplifying material very much similar to array alchemy wands Dyon had seen in the Celestial Deer Sect – although he had never felt a need to use them.

Because the Geb clan specialized in all kinds of Earth type wills, it wasn't surprising that many of them also specialized in the amplification path. Eboni would of course try and take full advantage of this. But, nothing seemed to be working!

With each spike that threatened to pierce through her, her wrist would flick in an effortless motion, releasing a suppressive and bestial aura that shattered it in an instant.

Ri's affinity for void will was so high that it was unmatched through history. In fact, her mother had been so distracted by her manifesting her bestial form that she hadn't taken the time to realize that Ri had ten tails!

What they didn't know was that this was a mutation exclusive to Ri. Why? Because she was a one in a trillion trillions birth. To be naturally born with both a God level constitution and a faith seed, just what kind of concept was that?

There were many ways to reach absolute zero, even in the cultivation. Why? Because when facing experts, they would always be able to output at least some semblance of energy to maintain the temperature just above that limit.

To Ice will experts, maybe the only real way was to become a master of the absolute path. Only in this way would your ice will reach such a level of purity that even the most potent of warriors wouldn't be able to maintain their energy output.

What would happen if a genius among geniuses fused the very essence of the abyss with ice? What would happen if that genius dug deep, reaching into the depths of cold and pulling out its potential?

Elder Den had no choice but to take action, if the participants around the arena froze to death too, wouldn't his competition be over? But, before he could, a message entered his ears.

The deep voice was commanding and left no room for debate. How could Elder Den not recognize this voice? It was none other than the Patriarch of the Ragnor Clan.

Her fingers stuck tightly to her sceptre, and unwillingness in her eyes. But, that was before she realized that her fingers were stuck under her own power… Her limbs had frozen over…

There was no chance for them. Whether their lives were still intact remained to be seen, but what was clear now was that there would be no opportunity for them to fight. Maybe intentionally or unintentionally, Ri had eliminated much of the competition.

The truth was that Dyon wasn't the only one who benefited from dual cultivation. It was obvious that both Ri and Madeleine had benefitted as well, to the point where even defeating a member of the top 30 was nothing but a joke to Ri. After all, how could this universe's so-called geniuses be prepared to deal with the overbearing nature of a supreme law. By definition, such things reigned undisputed and unchallenged.

Ode, however, didn't seem to be having as great a time. She was supposed to be the one tiring out Madeleine, but every time she distorted the air to divert Madeleine's music, it was her stamina that was draining!

'Dammit! How much longer can she go on attacking! Why isn't she tired yet?!' Ode grit her teeth, clearly frustrated. 'And that damned bitch Eboni! You couldn't even last as long as I could against a top 20 ranker and you claim to be a stronger?! Why haven't you activated it yet?! What are you waiting for?!'

Its intensity was still steadily building, increasing with each passing second, but Ode was too distracted to notice. Or, more accurately, she couldn't hear the music at all. After all, she was constantly creating a vacuum around herself, isolating her from all noise. The truth was that Eboni had already tried to send her a message, something Elder Den had conveniently ignored, but she couldn't hear it!

Dyon though, had heard this message very clearly. And its contents made his blood boil with rage. 'How dare they…' How could Eboni ever hope to get anything past Dyon's senses with just her level of cultivation?

Elder Den turned a sly eye to Dyon. In his estimation, with how hot headed this child was, if he had heard Eboni's words, he would have already flown into a rage. But, seeing that Dyon's features hadn't changed, he inwardly sneered.

He really didn't have to do anything in this scenario. After all, what did the actions of the Geb have to do with the Cavositas? Dyon, Ri and Madeleine could only blame themselves for having too many enemies.

In the end, because he hadn't interfered when Ri had frozen the observing participants, it wouldn't be seen as biased if he didn't intervene in the plan of the Planet Deimos geniuses. He couldn't help but praise the foresight of Patriarch Ragnor.

'It seems this Femi character is very much interested in making you as angry as possible," Elder Den laughed to himself, 'Even going so far as to use such treasures? Well, I guess these girls would be forced to anyway. After all, even I didn't expect these girls to be so overwhelmingly powerful.'

Madeleine's smile, though, was oblivious to all of this. Ri was intentionally not finishing off Eboni to disguise how quickly she recovered her stamina, and the truth was that Madeleine was playing around with Ode too. How? Because not once had she sent a true attack toward Ode.

Because of Madeleine's level of expertise in music will, she could manifest a melody as a will without even attempting to do so. To everyone else, her music will was merely at the first level currently… But in reality, her music will had long since broken into the intent level.

Ester Sapientia froze, her grip tightening on her chair as her disciple manifested a theory she had spent her whole life studying. 'Can I even think of you as a disciple anymore…' She thought to herself.

Without being able to master high level music will herself, Ester Sapientia had still spent a lot of time trying to find ways to amplify music. One path led her down the opposite direction with her silencing pills. But, there were a few successes as well. And one such success was the technique Madeleine was making use of now.

The music will she had layered in the air suddenly began to vibrate violently. It was almost like pressing the pedals of a piano, the cacophony of sounds built onto each, magnifying and continually building.

Ode's features shook. 'She's been toying with me…' A bitter laugh escaped her lips as the music she thought she had been blocking all this time bombarded her ear drums, tearing through her "safe" vacuum in an instant.

Ode's eyes seemed to become dull, almost as though she was being lulled to sleep by the music. But, the blood seeping from her ears and mouth painted a completely different picture. She was dying…

A thin layer of crystal will coated Eboni in the final moment before she was encased in ice. However, Ri shouldn't be blamed. Even with this layer of crystal, Eboni could still not muster enough power to leave the encasement on her own! If she had stayed there for a few more hours, even as a cultivator, she would have died!

"Are you just going to fall and die?!" One of Eboni's messages finally reached Ode's ears. With her vacuum shattered by Madeleine, and her being a step from death, Eboni's words finally weren't being obstructed as she sent them in through essence energy. "You know how important it is for us to claim as many spots in the top ten as possible! If we don't help my elder brother anger Dyon, you'll face the wrath of Young Master Tau alone! We have to execute the plan together or else that elder likely won't be able to turn a blind eye without being obviously biased! Hurry up!"

Ode seemed to finally understand as her body was continuously battered with music will. The reason Eboni hadn't acted was because they needed to do so simultaneously!

'This… Saint energy?!' Ri and Madeleine picked up on the fluctuations immediately. How could these girls be erupting with saint energy?! What was going on!?

Celestial level experts could make cover the distance in but an instant as well, especially someone as formidable as Kawa, but Dyon had said he would handle. So, Kawa trusted him.

Blinding pillars of saint energy cracked the arena beneath the feet of the two girls as they began to power their techniques. In all of this, how could the crowd not tell what was happening? Even though many of them didn't have talent comparable to the participants, that didn't mean they didn't understand cultivation and the martial world. Being able to manipulate saint energy was difficult but being able to recognize it when it was placed so blatantly before you was a simple task.

The "technique" Ode and Eboni were making use of could hardly be called that. After all, they were mere essence gathering experts, how could they possibly manipulate saint energy?

The Geb God Clan specialized in all sort of paths related to earth. Some were more useful than others, but there was no doubt that all of its resources stemmed from this single will.

Dyon was already familiar with three. The first was one he himself used in the amplification path. The second was one that Eboni had tried but miserably failed at using in the hardening path. The third was the leeching path Iris used, which was in many ways a variation of the path being used now. But this was still a different path. It was known as the absorption path.

This was a path that had many applications. It was very useful for defense and could also be used in very low-level storage rings. But, as it was being used now, was as a power source for the weak.

As a life protection treasure, the Geb were capable of providing their geniuses with an absorption path crystal capable of powering their techniques in a tight situation. This was nothing like energy crystals.

Energy crystals contained essence, saint, celestial, or higher forms of energy in their raw and unrefined forms. However, absorption path crystals provided already processed energy to fuel attacks. All one needed to do was cast their technique within the energy pillar provided by the absorption crystal. This would result in the crystals absorbing said technique, melding it with the higher level of energy, before blasting it outwards in a direction dictated by the user.

It went without saying how difficult it was to refine these crystals and how rare those who mastered this path were. After all, in battle applications, absorption path experts could absorb the attacks of opponents and reflect them at a higher power!

This difficulty was exactly why saint energy was usually the cap of these life saving treasures. To find an expert with masterful enough absorption will, capable of absorbing celestial or an even higher energy, was simply too difficult.

Serious expressions colored Ri and Madeleine's features. They needed an instant to realize what it was they were dealing with. Anger boiled over in their hearts.

The truth was that Planet Deimos had already thought this through. Everyone could see that Madeleine's relationship with the Sapientia had been severed regardless of whatever flowery words Connery used. And, everyone had just witnessed the power display of King Acacia.

To the crowd, he was an untouchable expert. But, to the God and Royal God Clan heads? He was a mere first level celestial expert. They didn't put him in their eyes at all.

Femi Geb knew all of this well. Or, more accurately, Tau Aumen had calculated all of this. So, they went forward with their plan. A place in the top ten was simply too important for reasons even Dyon didn't know just yet. Because of this, they couldn't afford Dyon taking up a spot. They needed to find a way to throw him off his game.

A blazing violet phoenix blocked out the skies as Madeleine's purple hair fluttered in the wind. Her transcendent level dress blossomed, radiating out and amplifying her aura as her arms spread from herself.

Ri's manifestations descended. A dark fox crowned itself with a blinding crown. Vicious growls filled the arena as her ten tails whipped around violently.

Ri's ice will boosted itself powered by her manifestations, tearing through the intent barrier as she did something she warned Dyon never to do. She stepped into the level of an intent without being an essence gathering expert!

"Ice Petal's Dance. Third Petal." Ri's delicate skin reddened as dark golden hues raged around her even as a massive lily appeared above her fox manifestation.

Eboni and Ode sneered at Ri and Madeleine's attempts. In their eyes, how could they ever match up to an attack powered by saint energy. It was futile. They would die where they stood!

"Geb's Might, Third Pillar!" Eboni's voice screeched as she pushed her technique to the limit. Never before had she had enough power to see this set of techniques through to the third pillar. But, with the help of the absorption crystals, she felt invincible!

Three pillars tens of meters thick descended from the skies. They were almost works of art, shining through in a crystalline light even as fires of the atmosphere burned around their fast approach.

"Horus' Sky, Fourth Compression. Heaven's Eruption!" Ode didn't lag behind. The skies violently shook as a violent tempest of wind condensed again and again, spinning viciously around itself.

Barely a fraction of a second had passed. But now, there was a pillar of untold might bearing down on Ri and a sphere of condensed air ready to detonate at any moment.

If others were to hear this, they'd find it ridiculous. After all, this was a heaven level technique, and Ri had already learned the third stance of nine at just 15 years old, and yet she lamented her slow pace!

But, Ri could feel it. And, it had become even more clear when she awakened her faith seed properly. Ice wasn't her path to take. However, what could she do? She hadn't had enough time to practice the void kitsune legacy techniques.

Because she had erased her cultivation, she had spent her entire eight-week training time energy cultivating. In the end, she had raised her cultivation to the near peak of the 12th meridian formation level! She only had three more meridians to open to reach the absolute peak. But, that had come at the expense of techniques.

She had already lost once, and she was still holding onto that anger. It was this woman that had nearly caused her to never be able to birth her love's child. What if Dyon wasn't a soul expert? What if he hadn't been able to cure her?

Her dark gold aura raged more and more violently. The once bright blue ice lily began to darken, blackening without reserve as the temperature continued to fall further and further.

As mad as Ri was, how could Madeleine not also be angered? The martial world had never ceased in disgusting her. From her birth and her every interaction with Connery Sapientia, she had been taught again and again how much emphasis these sick people placed on their own benefits. And now they were willing to kill her and her sister simply out of spite?!

Ode's attack careened forward. From the beginning to now, her and Madeleine had been warring for dominion over the air. Back then, she had thought that she was winning, but it was clear in the end that Madeleine had only been toying with her.

Air molecules were volatile, especially at high pressures. If they were compressed enough, they could erupt with power few things could match. Even worse, Ode was utilizing this technique's fourth compression!

Madeleine's flames heated the air, agitating Ode's technique. In an instant, the challenge of maintaining the fourth compression as it descended increased to that of the fifth compression. And then the sixth!

On the other platform, Eboni's laugh filled the stadium as her pillars smashed into Ri's black ice lily. The sound was nearly unbearable, and the shattering of Ri's defenses happened near instantaneously.

"DIE!" Eboni's snicker was as though she was proud of her accomplishment. As though it was her and her alone that had earned this victory. She was truly disgusting. Her beauty meant next to nothing.

Ri had acknowledged that Ice Petal's Dance wasn't matched well with her affinities. But, she moved forward anyway! If it wasn't suited for her, she would just have to make it so!

One beauty with long flowing jet black hair and the eyes of a beast stood tall even as her eyes bore into a pillar that had stopped mere inches from her delicate features.

And then there was nothing. There was no sight. There was no hearing. There was no feeling. There was only an eruption of untold magnitude. And with it stood two women with backs straight and proud.

Ode's technique erupted. Air particles rushed outward so quickly that anything in its way was violently bombarded with heat that could melt the bones of even essence gathering level experts.

It was as though a meteor had crashed down from the skies. The heat threatened to burn everything in its wake and the patches of cold threatened to freeze you down to your core. The blast was unforgiving and relentless, spreading outwards hundreds of meters.

The crowd didn't know how to feel. One moment, they were enjoying a battle of beauties, and the very next, an explosion of unprecedented magnitude had blurred their vision to what was going on.

Many lost limbs and maybe even more died. The blast was unforgiving and didn't discriminate. Those that died were already among the weakest to begin with. These were the warriors given a second chance, and as such, they were many of the warriors not powerful enough to be worthy of the top 100 ranks. How could they possibly survive such a blast?

Elder Den stood in the skies completely unfazed. A thick shield of saint energy covered him, leaving him completely untouched. After all, how could a blast caused by lower saint level energy ever effect him as a peak saint?

That said, he still chuckled to himself silently. 'Maybe if I'm lucky that Dyon eyesore will die in this explosion too. After all, he was fairly close to the arena to being with.'

The dust began to settle, and only then did Elder Den begin to compose himself, trying to adjust his features into the proper level of condolence. He at least had to pretend as though he cared about these deaths, anyway.

Aside from Ri, Madeleine, Ode and Eboni, there had been six other nearby participants that made up the rest of the top 20. However, from beginning to end, none of them had fought a single battle. Unlike the weaker warriors though, they had immediately sensed the danger and left the radius of the blast as soon as they had sensed saint energy. To them, those four were without a doubt dead!

The Horus clan's air condensation technique made used of compressed air to reach atomic bomb level of blasts to even beyond that. However, that relied on the air's innate want to be separated and free – a property that would become even more violent as the air heated. This was why water became a gas. The hotter an area was, the more agitated particles became, and the more volatile they acted.

While the heat pushed it to the sixth level of condensation, something that should have only been possible after Ode truly stepped into the saint realm, the music will vibrated the air even more violently to push it to the eighth level of condensation!

The original form of the technique was meant to combine the blast with a sheet of protection so that only the target would suffer. The higher level of condensation, the stronger this layer had to be. But, Madeleine had completely destroyed this layer of protection, causing the blast radius to expand violently.

In the end, the time it took for the dust to settle took longer than even the end of the battles itself. The crowd could only look down at a massive crater spanning hundreds of meters. But, the truly awe inspiring part was that it was just as deep as it was wide…

Elder Den took a deep breath, shaking his head in practiced sympathy, "It is a shame that the final preliminary rounds had to come to a conclusion in such a way."

"However, this is the way of the martial world," Elder Den continued. "Those who aren't fated must make way for those who are… It is only a shame that they were so talented and beautiful and yet died so young…"

There stood Dyon leisurely, a small smile playing his features. Ri stood to his left, her face a bit pale at the strain of pushing herself so far, but very much still alive. To his right stood Madeleine, her face the picture of serenity despite the thin layer of sweat that covered her delicate features.

Femi breathed a sigh of relief, his anger dissipating somewhat, but his resolve to kill Dyon still very strong. He didn't seem to realize that it was because of Dyon that his sister was alive at all. Or, more accurately, he didn't care.

'Saving her isn't going to save you. The fact you even did so shows that you're scared of me. Do you think you're doing me a favor? I'm going to stomp your head down beneath my feat!' Femi sneered as he looked at Dyon in the skies.

Eboni's smile twisted into a frown as she looked up at Dyon. "Why are you asking the obvious? It's clearly because you're afraid of my elder brother's retaliation. You're nothing but a fake ranker and you're willing to do anything to maintain that façade for as long as possible. Heck, Iris is from your planet, you probably gave her some benefits to lose on purpose."

Ode sneered to the side, clearly agreeing with her enemy's sentiments. Why else would Dyon save them? He was scared of the retaliation of their planet's geniuses, obviously. Ode's elder sibling wasn't in the real top ten like Eboni's, but they were still ranked high in the top 20. It's clear Dyon didn't want to face him.

"It's simple really," Dyon continued, "Had you died in the explosion, and I only saved my wives, people might think it was because I had an inability to save more than two people. If people thought that, then they wouldn't know that I had deliberately let you die."

Ode and Eboni only had time for despair and unwillingness to flash in their eyes. Femi didn't even have the time to move an inch. He couldn't rage like he usually did. And he certainly couldn't stop what was happening.

Saint energy slowly descended from the skies, crushing the two at a leisurely enough pace for them to hear Dyon's final words to them before their eyes dimmed for the final time as their bodies were grinded into paste.

How overbearing was what Dyon had just done? Before everyone, without thought of manipulating the evidence to his benefit, he had stepped out in front and boldly made his revenge as clear as possible.

These were two women that had dared to attempt to take the lives of his very own wives right before his eyes. And then had the audacity to not even show any remorse or regret. As though it was their right to toy with whatever lives they wanted, and it was Dyon's job to just accept it.

Well, he had returned the favor in kind. They learned very quickly what it felt like to have their own lives toyed with and ended with the flip of a hand.

In their final confrontation in the Chaos Tower, Tau had warned Dyon. He had said that Dyon shouldn't have thoughts of attacking Eboni or Ode because they were under his protection. And yet what had Dyon said in response? He had said he cared little for Tau's ranking… Something he had just repeated before everyone.

Dyon immediately made a guess as to who they were. In all likelihood, they were the Geb and Horus God Clan Heads. The other two voices were probably Femi and likely someone else that had a strong connection with either Ode or Eboni. He didn't know. But, quite frankly, he didn't care.

Dyon's cultivation was much too weak to react to such experts. But, his soul strength and observational abilities allowed him to easily see up to celestial level speeds. So, he could clearly see Patriarchs Geb and Horus charging through the skies and toward him.

That said, it seemed like they were focused on killing Thadius first who had stepped out in front of Dyon as his trident appeared in his hand. After all, to them, Dyon was an ant and Thadius was just a slightly larger ant they wanted to crush first.

Patriarch Horus' long silver hair whipped behind him as the air that was shoved due to the speed of his flight continually condensed into a larger and larger sphere bomb.

Patriarch Geb was like the mirror image of an older Femi, even right down to his protruding jaw and rough features. In a moment of tranquility, Dyon laughed to himself. 'How did such an ugly clan produce as top six beauty like Eboni?'

The truth was that not many if any God Clan Heads had strong bonds with their children. Celestial level parents like King Belmont, King Acacia or the like, were rare. The reason why was because these experts simply spent too much time cultivating and had too many children to form strong bonds with all of them. They would normally choose to focus on building relationships with their strongest spawn to groom the future rulers of their clans.

So, it was clear to anyone intelligent that their act of rage now was more out of spite for Dyon slapping them in the face rather than anger at the loss of their daughters. After all, Ode and Eboni were talented, but not so talented as their elder sons. And, being women, many saw them as tools for marriage alliances as opposed to legacy bearers. It was quite rare for a female to be so talented as to be given the first in line genius title like Madeleine had. You either had to be overwhelmingly talented like her, or part of a women's only sect like Evelyn.

Seeing Dyon laughing to himself, the anger of the celestial experts burned. They assumed that it was because his cultivation was too low and thus he hadn't realized they were aiming to kill him. But, seeing him really not put them in his eyes was enough to set such experts off.

Connery Sapientia had already noticed King Belmont's reaction to the situation, but he sat back with a small smile playing him lips. He knew very well that just a few weeks ago, King Belmont had been willing to sell his tombs for Madeleine's hand in marriage to his son. So, in Connery's shallow light, King Belmont had a bottom line he would push for the right benefits.

As such, the way Connery saw it, as a King, Belmont had the obligation to defend the actions of his citizens considering Eboni and Ode had cheated. But, on the other hand, it would only be an act before he disciplined Dyon. With any luck, Dyon would be crippled, then he would forcefully take Madeleine away at a later time.

It wasn't that he wanted Madeleine. He was sure that her virginity was gone, and she was therefore useless to him. But, he wanted to make her suffer for causing him so many losses.

In an instant, the patriarchs were a mere hundred meters from Dyon, a distance that was akin to a single step for a celestial expert. They could almost taste Dyon's blood already and a deep satisfaction had begun to seep into their very bones.

But then, they froze. As God Clan Heads, they were mere lower celestial experts. At most, they had filled a handful of meridians with celestial energy. However, a Royal God Clan Head was on another level, usually being at least the third celestial level and far above what they could match up to.

Connery Sapientia had immediately noticed the actions of King Belmont because his soul was so strong. But, it was only when the patriarchs had nearly reached Dyon that they noticed the heat permeating the air made even them as Celestial experts uncomfortable.

King Belmont stood leisurely in the skies with his purple hair flowing and his arms clasped behind his back. "Were you two really planning on attacking my junior in my presence?"

Junior? Since when did a king refer to a child as his junior? This was a Celestial level expert! Unless they shared the same master, saying something like that was ridiculous.

The truth was that King Belmont had wanted to call Dyon his nephew. With his close relationship with King and Queen Acacia, not to mention how he was nearly 90% certain that a pair of friends he hadn't seen a long time were Madeleine's true parents, Dyon really could be seen as his nephew.

But, he couldn't reveal such a thing, not now. With how vigilant they were against the Ragnor, even the fact they had invited King Acacia into their sky box was almost too much of a give away. Had they not been confident in Dyon's ability to conceal himself, King Belmont would have never allowed him to come to their skybox.

There was a reason why no one reacted when Kawa charged out of the skybox and appeared before Dyon, Ri, Madeleine and Clara. Even though Dyon released his soul to its utmost, even to the point of unleashing many of his manifestations for fear that Kawa was an enemy, no one in the crowd had said a thing about it.

If the God Clan Heads had seen how powerful Kawa was and seen her relationship with Ri and Madeleine, would they have dared to allow Ode and Eboni to attack them?

Luckily for them, Dyon had learned to be more cautious about certain things. Something he was clearly willing to throw out the window when it came to an attack on the lives of his wives.

"You as members of the elder generation just stepped into a dispute between the younger generation. How could I not intervene?" King Belmont replied calmly.

"This is the kind of disrespect you allow you proliferate on your Planet Earth?!" Patriarch Geb had always had a petty reason for hating Earth. It was always among the weakest planets, especially since half of its population was mortal. And yet, it took the name of a will he found to be the greatest! He found this to be nothing less than a slap in the face of his clan.

"We're laughing because you're an idiot. Thadius isn't even 40 years old yet. Iris, my opponent from just a few hours ago is already a decade plus older than him. How is he not part of the younger generation?" Dyon chuckled lightly.

It was near impossible to tell by the naked eye alone how old an expert was. Without inspecting them with a 6th sense of sorts, or probing them with energy, it was impossible.

That said, when experts trained their eyes and senses onto Thadius, Dyon's words were found to not be lies. His life force was to pure and new to be anymore than 37 years old.

Many seemed to remember in that instant that the world tournament used to consist of four cultivation levels. The foundation stage, the meridian formation stage, the essence gathering stage, and the saint stage. It was only after years of decline, where saint experts became rarer and rarer that they were removed. After all, if it took you hundreds of years, were you still a member of the younger generation?

The truth was that in many outstanding universes, even being thousands of years old was considered young. But here, living centuries often placed you in the middle of your life.

'This…' Even King Belmont and Acacia didn't know how to feel. Queen Acacia wasn't fazed because she had seen many saints even younger than Thadius. But, the same couldn't be said for her husband.

How could these people understand that the demon generals were geniuses among geniuses? How could the demon sage ever choose any less to lead his armies? To be a demon general was an acknowledgement that not only your talent, but also your combat prowess, was in the top echelon of your cultivation rank.

In fact, in the year since Dyon had awakened the demon generals, they had already improved in their cultivation vastly. Even the slowest of the saints had filled at least 4 or 5 more meridians in the span of a year. A pace that was otherworldly to this measly universe.

Maybe the funniest part in all of this was how River and Ronica always toyed with Thadius. Why? Because even with all his talent. He was nowhere near the strongest of the demon generals.

That said, if you paid close attention to the reactions in the arena, there were a surprising amount of people that took this new piece of information in stride.

The first was maybe not so surprising. Lionel Belmont was always deadpan. After getting over his initial shock at Dyon's actions, little else could perturb him.

After their initial surprise, though, anger began to boil on the features of the patriarchs. They were completely blinded, and quite frankly, were about to make a very stupid move.

If they were at all intelligent, they would begin to think about where a genius like Thadius could possibly come from. Then they would think about how said genius, despite having every right to stomp over the entirety of this world tournament, was instead playing subordinate for Dyon.

Without a full host of information, anyone willing to think that far would immediately think that Dyon's genius was also linked to this young man. And just one step further and they'd conclude that Dyon and Thadius must have a master capable of raising disciples on that level.

In any other universe, the God Clans here wouldn't barely be fit to be Focus Academy level existences. But, these old farts were so used to reigning supreme over everything that they couldn't even be bothered to think that far.

However, before the patriarchs could say another word, yet another wave of heat threatened to melt away the stadium. This time though, it held none of the beautiful violet that came with King Belmont. No… This time, it was like the golden blaze of sun descending the horizon.

In an instant, a middle-aged man with golden hair that looked like the fiery mane of a lion descended from the skies. To his sides stood two young men. The first was someone everyone recognized – the first rank of the foundation stage, Tau's younger brother, Ur Aumen. The second was someone even more famous. The true rank two of the cumulative rankings, only behind Lionel Belmont, Tau Aumen.

Heaven's Wine wasn't an establishment held to only Earth. In fact, it was found throughout every planet in this universe. Many even speculated that it just might be found elsewhere in the quadrant as well.

Many had been looking forward to seeing the performance of this expert's students, but none had seemingly chosen to participate. Or, maybe none had made it clear that they were his or her disciple.

The only true disciple of the Heaven's Wine owner that Dyon knew was Iaachus. However, although Dyon hadn't been out to look for him, he hadn't noticed his presence at the world tournament either.

To everyone in attendance, if Thadius was truly a disciple of this expert, then it made sense why his other disciples hadn't participated either. After all, if they were such high-level saints at a mere 30 to 40 years of age, this tournament would be nothing but a joke to them!

Thadius didn't have much patience for people like King Aumen. Thadius' previous actions had made it clear that he listened to Dyon's commands, and yet this King Aumen still asked something so obvious. It was obvious that he was only asking because he couldn't wrap his head around Dyon being so great.

King Aumen turned his attention to Dyon, boring his golden eyes and scanning someone he thought he'd be able to see through easily. 'No cultivation? 2nd stage soul? That can't be right…'

After witnessing Dyon fight Iris, King Aumen knew that it was impossible for this to be true. It was a fact that understanding wills boosted your combat prowess, so technically speaking, if you were masterful enough with your wills, even a foundation stage expert could beat an essence gathering expert who was weak in his wills.

In fact, it was possible to match up to even celestial level experts at that low of a stage, theoretically speaking. This was because will level fusions, if on a high enough level, could trump intents often times just like how even low-level supreme laws were worth investing in even if you grasped intents.

However, even if King Aumen accepted the possibility of Dyon having no energy cultivation, having such a weak soul would have made it too difficult to learn the wills he knew. Which meant only one of two things. Either Dyon's body cultivation was that tyrannical, or, he had the ability to hide things even from him as a mid level celestial expert…

The heart of Patriarch Pakal seized. This was a name written in the annals of Pakal lore. How could he not recognize such a name? The man who had sacrificed his everything for the hope of a better future.

Caedlum and his elder brother both looked toward their father. When had they ever seen their father react in such a way? He was their rock, an anchor that had held their small Pakal branch family up even in the face of being essentially cast away to these lands. If it wasn't for him, how many times would the Ragnor clan have trampled all over them?

Unlike the Ragnor God Clan, the Pakal God Clan had not come to this universe on a mission. Instead, under the enmity of opposing branches and due to permeating inter-clan warfare, Patriarch Pakal had fled with his family.

He alone reached this universe. He had been young and green. In fact, he had relied on the disunity of this universe to grow in the shadows before fully establishing the Pakals again. And now he had a ray of hope in his youngest son to raise their branch back to their former glory.

All his life, ever since he had been found to hold their Pakal family's faith seed, his father had given him the responsibility of bearing their future on his shoulders. But now he was saying to share that burden?

Because he had been so focused on trying to learn demonic will in the legacy world, Caedlum had never met the demon sage. As the saying goes, that's what fate held for them.

Had the Demon Sage seen Caedlum, he would have immediately recognized the bloodline within him. How could he not? He was among the most formidable Pakals in history. Although he, himself, never transcended to leave behind a faith seed of his own due to the unfortunate circumstances of his life, that didn't stop his legend from being among the most pervading. All he would have had to do was see Caedlum and he would have never even given Dyon a second glance.

Everything would have lined up perfectly. In fact, the Demon Sage might have even been happy about giving his legacy over to Caedlum. After all, the story behind why Caedlum's Pakal family branch was kicked away would have deeply resonated with the Demon Sage. Why? Because it was partially the Demon Sage's fault.

"Father… Are you sure? Why? Does it have to do with this Demon Sage he mentioned?" Caedlum was quite intelligent in his own right. Considering Dyon had only stated two names, and one of them was from the completely unrelated celestial deer sect, the logical conclusion was this demon sage. But, Caedlum didn't know Pakal Clan history to the extent his father did. He spent all of his time cultivating to live up to his father's expectations, so, how could he?

"After the conclusion of today's event, I'll tell you everything. But, he needs to be there as well." Although Caedlum didn't know it, his father had already decided to wholeheartedly protect Dyon as though he was a son of his own. If it came to it, and King Belmont didn't go far enough, he would have no qualms about stepping in for Dyon should he need the help.

That said, considering what Patriarch Pakal had seen from Dyon, he was too intelligent to do anything that left him at a severe disadvantage. That likely meant he already had a degree of certainty that King Belmont would act. 'What an interesting boy…' For the first time in decades, Patriarch Pakal smiled. He could finally see a road.

'What do you want, Ragnor?' Pakal had little patience at the moment. And he definitely didn't want to deal with such an enemy invading his private space. The Pakal and Ragnor's were not on good terms. If it wasn't for giving face to King Belmont, they wouldn't even be in the same arena right now.

The Ragnor had stolen one of the very few legacy techniques Patriarch Pakal had been able to salvage in his trip across the universes: The Blood Sacrifice Technique. Even when Dyon had revealed the location to them, another bloody war had erupted that resulted in the Ragnor, again, taking possession of it.

Patriarch Pakal never understood why the Ragnor wanted the technique so much. He knew the history of it. In fact, it was because of this very technique that the Pakal Clan had been split. Some had wanted to make use of lives to increase the strength of their clan and thus finally force the Ragnor into submission. While Patriarch Pakal's faction had been wholeheartedly against it. Although that was merely a single point of contention, with there being many others, it was a point nonetheless.

However, the problem with the Ragnor using it was that they didn't have the leeway in this universe to use the lives of its citizens as they pleased. The Belmont would never allow such a thing, lest they lose public favor. So, the Ragnor wanting it was absolutely ridiculous because they'd need to use it on a much larger scale than the Storm family of Focus Academy had. A scale which would never go under the radar.

'Can't I just catch up with an old friend?' Patriarch Ragnor's voice was suave and gentle. He came off as a refined man. But, those who knew his ruthlessness would know better.

Pakal froze. 'Could he possibly know? They're just a Ragnor branch family who should be far removed from the main branch. How could he know such deep seeded lore? Even my own sons don't know…'

King Aumen's eyes constricted at Dyon's words. This demon sage? He had never heard of such a person. But, how could he be from this universe and not have heard of the famed Celestial Deer Sect?

That said, Thadius had called this boy the successor. And then Dyon had stated that he was the successor of the demon sage. Which only meant one thing… King Aumen wasn't qualified to know who this demon sage was.

He briefly thought for a moment that maybe this demon sage was weak. But, how could that be possible with Thadius' talent? A large part of him still believed that his son would be more than a match for Dyon. But, he knew fully well that his son was already within Thadius' age range and yet he had not a single chance against this Thadius.

Those listening to Dyon's words couldn't help but be stunned again. What did he get out of revealing such a thing now? Was he trying to toy with King Aumen? Or were they really dead? And if they were really dead, why would he remove all doubt like this? Wouldn't it be beneficial to him if King Aumen thought they were alive?

"Regardless of whether they're alive or not," King Aumen replied calmly, "I am a King, and I rule a planet. If I bowed my head and allowed my subjects to be so easily bullied just because of the power of my enemy, I wouldn't be much of a good king."

"For one, it's probably in your best interest that those two girls aren't under your rule anymore. After all, a King is only as good as his subjects. They're who really uphold your kingdom. And yet, you were letting two cancers infest your sturdy foundation. I was only helping."

"Secondly, there's your reputation," Dyon continued unperturbed, "Two of your top 30 rankers, the equivalent of the top 10 your planet has to offer, were willing to cheat under the eyes of all these people. Imagine that, 20% of your best 10 talents were cheaters. What does that say about Planet Deimos?"

Tau and Ur Aumen, King Aumen's two sons, watch silently by their father's side. Their temperaments were nearly identical, even right down to the intelligent glint in their eyes. It seemed they appreciated the route their father was going with this.

Dyon laughed, "So from my understanding, two matches my wives were dominating from beginning to end just abruptly changed for the worse the instant the two of them no longer had a chance?"

King Aumen continued unperturbed, "I can't speak for your wives, but I can say that Ode and Eboni were both very hard working and diligent. In fact, they were both promised to my eldest son in marriage. While your wives remain safe, my son's wives are gone. How do you plan on compensating us for this?"

King Belmont, although he had arrived, stood to the side quietly. He wanted to see exactly where this would go. Was this Dyon really relying on him? Or did he have something else?

"In two ways," King Aumen's aura blazed, his golden flames seemingly distorting the space around him, "One is for my son and the other is for Planet Deimos.

The second, for the disrespect you've laid upon my planet, is your own life or your cultivation. You can decide. From what I hear, you come from a people of cripples, so maybe you don't have the pride of a martial artist."

The way Dyon had gone about this was entirely too domineering. He had done nothing less than slap the face of King Aumen, killing his subordinates right before him.

Dyon's smile faded away. Had only his life been threatened, he would have been apt to continue this game of cat and mouse. But, to threaten the lives of his wives, especially when someone on the level of a celestial expert should have very clearly seen Ode and Eboni cheat, was unforgivable.

"Interesting. So, let me get this straight. Just for the record. You, being the celestial expert you are, saw no foul play committed by Ode or Eboni. Is that correct?"

"I've already spoken as such, is there a need to ask that question? It would be better for me if you three commit suicide. I wouldn't like to sully my hands with such a matter."

Away from the scene, Femi Geb was still fuming. The earth around him was quaking with such madness that the cracks erupting from his feet had shattered the accommodations he had been given as a member of the "true top 10".

"You two want to watch a show? You must be tired." A sad look appeared on Dyon's face as he stroked the cheeks of his wives. He could have saved them much earlier than he did, but he knew they could hold out to the final moment. Only then would it be clear just who between the four of them was the best. In the end, it was without a doubt his wives.

Ri and Madeleine looked to Dyon. They could only see concern in his eyes. It was almost as though he hadn't just been threatened by the head of a Royal God Clan.

"Here," With a wave of his hand, the Demon Sage's Tower expanded, dropping directly before the arena Femi stood on. The aura was so stifling that even the head of the Royal God Clan's froze for an instant. They could all feel that this wasn't a normal treasure. In fact, King Aumen knew instantly that even as long as Dyon powered it appropriately, he would have no chance of breaching it.

A large panned glass window of the tower opened to allow them in, letting everyone see Dyon kneel before Ri and Madeleine. "There'll come a time where no one even dares to threaten you two." He said softly.

They knew very well the treasures Dyon had access to. Even more, they knew how powerful Ri's mother was. By all measures, Dyon shouldn't be taking this as seriously as he was. King Aumen's threats had no chance of coming to fruition. But, the sincerity and gentleness in his voice made it clear that this was still weighing on him. He had a drive that few people if any could match.

To everyone watching, it almost seemed like a goodbye between lovers. Only the three of them knew what it truly meant. Dyon was angry, and he was about to wreak havoc.

Kawa Acacia watched this scene from the skybox. The anger in her heart was so dense that she wasn't able to withdraw her Kitsune form. If it wasn't for the arrays protecting the skybox, her aura would have long since shattered it and blasted into the arena.

But, she kept holding onto that image of Dyon holding out a hand to her. Regardless of how arrogant he was, Kawa could see through this child. How many years had she lived? How many things had she experienced?

Again and again Dyon did these outlandish things. Time and time again he succeeded in executing them, cutting down the obstacles in his path. And yet they continued to doubt, to look down on his accomplishments, to try and take away the loves of his life, to treat his life as though it was a toy for them to take away and play with as they pleased.

Dyon had already told her that she would unfortunately never be able to meet his mother. The moment those words left his mouth, Kawa could feel a deep and reverberating pain that still hadn't left him. In that moment Dyon had ceased being the picture of absolute confidence, or even a man. He had become the boy he really was.

Seeing this pained Kawa. Not only because she had taken a liking to Dyon, but also because of what must have meant for the pain Ri went through without her. She was a mother that had never gotten the opportunity to truly be a mother, and she wanted nothing more than to protect not just Ri, but also Madeleine and Dyon.

Dyon flashed out of the, landing without a sound on the arena floor. Despite its constant quaking under Femi's feet, the ground seemed to be completely still under Dyon's. However, Femi didn't seem to notice this, even as he angrily glared at Dyon.

"I'm going to rip you apart." His grating voice permeated the arena. "Then, I'll ask to be allowed to execute your wives as well. It's almost a shame that you won't be alive to see it. Maybe I should cripple you first.

Or maybe, it'll be more interesting if I just tell you what I'm going to do. So I can watch you despair and fight desperately, only to lose in the end." Femi's sneer looked particularly disgusting with his protruding jaw.

They had dared to put the lives of his wives at risk, and then they asked him for payment in return. What for? To save face? To not admit that they were wrong? Because they thought they had the power to trample over people as they please? Was this really what it meant to be a martial artist? Was this even a world he wanted to stand at the top of? What was the point?

"Today your Planet Deimos has made quite a few mistakes," Dyon spoke frankly. But his voice, there was something wrong. It was as though it had fallen into an abyssal darkness. It was a low and hoarse. "You'll be the first to pay for them."

The veins on Femi's forehead bulged. He couldn't believe that Dyon still dared to talk to him in this way. There was no room to hide, no room to fake and definitely no room to avoid the truth anymore. Femi believed that he would crush him right here and now.

Patriarch Geb couldn't help but nod in satisfaction. To cultivate their clan's Geb's gauntlet's to the fourth layer meant to step into the saint level of the technique. Although Femi wasn't yet a saint, he was but a step away and had thus grasped the technique most suited to a saint level expert. This meant his battle power was far above that a normal essence gathering expert.

Dyon stood with his shoulders square. His chest was bare, but his torso had clean white bandages wrapped tightly around them matched with his usual black sweat pants.

There was a reason Femi was so big despite being a human with relatively low cultivation. He was born with a God level constitution that granted him innate strength at a level that scaled to his cultivation. If his cultivation was at the essence gathering level, his body would be able to cross into the saint level! And even worse? With every clash, he would become stronger because he could make use of residual energy from clashes to improve his striking power.

Femi roared, relishing in the feeling of his blood boiling. But, he soon realized that something was wrong… He still felt Dyon's fists connected to his…

"Impossible!" Patriarch Geb didn't know how to feel. Who could know more than him how tyrannical his son's body was? Just how many treasures had he spent on opening up his son's constitution to the level it was at now?!

Dyon's face was completely neutral, deadpan even. His eyes weren't flashing. He wasn't using his energy cultivation to replenish his stamina. And he had cut off his 6th sense. He wanted to brawl. He wanted to bury this Femi beneath his feet using the same tactics he used. He wanted to feel his bones crunch under his fists and watch as blood flowed from his body.

Femi's anger boiled. His fists became heavier with each strike, increasing in strength. The gauntlet's that graced his arms were of the saint grade, their hardness could not be underestimated. Even a mid level saint with have issues cracking them. And yet, Dyon didn't wince even once as he used his bare hands to fight back.

He threw a fist at Femi's arm as it flew by his rotating body. The fist was sharp and although Dyon could have aimed for Femi's flesh, he still hit the gauntlet's.

Dyon sensed danger. His muscles twitched even in his awkward handstand as his body twisted, narrowly avoiding the strike. But, the quake flowed through the air, bombarding his sides and agitating his wound.

"I'LL ONLY GET STRONGER!" Femi's voice boomed as his body seemed to be glowing a fiercer and fiercer red with each passing moment. His strength was climbing, and rapidly at that.

How could anyone know the limits of Dyon's power more than them, and yet they could clearly see him handicapping himself. He wasn't even replenishing his stamina!

Femi flashed forward, his body moving much too quickly for his size as he appeared above Dyon. His fists slammed downward, causing Dyon's crossed arms to once again display their uselessness.

King Belmont and King Aumen watched from the air. Dyon had accepted this battle, so King Belmont didn't see it fit for him to intervene and King Aumen could hardly care about this battle any longer. What true great existence would accept such a pathetic disciple?

Tau Aumen was maybe the most pissed. Not because Dyon was losing, but because his losing so easily meant that he had wasted his time planning all of this. What was the use in his effort if Femi would have just won the battle anyway? Everything seemed completely useless now and he had lost two wives out of it.

It wasn't as though he loved either, but who wouldn't want a member of the six beauties as a wife? And Ode may have not been at that level, but she was only a step below. She would have done nicely when he was bored of Eboni.

And yet, he had lost them both because of this Dyon who couldn't even beat the worst among the top ten. People liked to say they were all in the same tier of strength, but Tau found that to be ridiculous. If that was the case, their rankings would fluctuate more than they had.

Over the past two or so decades, with the exception of Saru Shruti and Zabia Jafari who had come out of nowhere, their rankings stayed practically the same. It was only this campaign that Lionel had passed Tau, and from what Tau had heard, that was because Lionel had found a legacy temple – something that garnered bonus points. After all, campaigns were all about contribution, and what could contribute more than the power boost provided by a legacy?

The fact that Femi had consistently been at the bottom of the top ten wasn't a coincidence. Maybe if they only had a one-year sample size, it would make sense to say such a thing. But, over decades, with at least one attempt a year, weren't they pretty much set in stone?

That said, there were some in the top ten that were decidedly younger than the rest… Lionel was barely over 20. And Saru and Zabia were just approaching 30. That was how you really told the difference between them.

Femi's fists finally stopped, his breathing was labored as he turned a sinister eye to Ri and Madeleine. "King Aumen, would you allow me to execute them as well?"

Suddenly a steady and unlabored voice rang out that froze Femi's advance, "Your punches could hardly scratch an itch. Is this your so-called tyrannical strength?"

Femi sneered, "And here I thought this little mouse was already dead. Did you like getting beaten up so much that you stayed silent? Let me accompany you then!"

Dyon's hand shot forward as a red-black aura began to drip from him. Crystal covered scales sprouted along his body as his height expanded again and again.

His skin was permeated with robust black scales and his eyes were a blood red. Veins of gold pumped even more vigorously as Dyon's hand clenched Femi's hand even tighter.

Dyon wasn't masochist. But, he wasn't entirely rational either. He had been dead set on crushing Femi with his body, to the point where he had refused to use his soul or energy cultivation. Even when he was losing, his eyes flared with an anger that never ceased.

Demon Emperor's Will was divided into three acts with three stages each. The first act was a power amplification of two, then four, then eight. With Dyon's peak essence gathering level body, anyone could see how formidable that was.

But, the second act was fundamentally different. Although it too started with a power amplification of sixteen, there was an aspect of will comprehension needed to reach it and it required intent level demonic will!

This was why Dyon had allowed himself to be beat. He was relishing in the anger. He was delving into his fury. He was embodying was it meant to be a demon as he allowed his killing intent to build to a nearly unbearable level.

Although he had yet to reach the perfection stage of this act, it was more than enough. He would slowly come to understand that Act Two of Demon Emperor's Will was much more than a power amplification. But for now, all he wanted to do was brawl.

Dyon's music intent laced taunts made Femi's roars of agony amplify. It was as though a demon had climbed into his body and begun to violently quake all of his inner organs.

Blood gushed from his shoulder, but he didn't even have the proper consciousness to realize such a thing. The pain was too much and all at once, all at the same time. He didn't know what he was feeling, where. He just knew despair.

Femi's tyrannical body meant nothing in front of Dyon! A mere punch had ripped a hole so large in his shoulder that his beating heart shone through his side.

How Femi managed to remain standing, no one knew. But the breath of the crowd had been taken away. Was this Femi really within the top ten? Was it really so easy to beat someone on that level? Just what was going on?!

"Stay your hand! This was meant to be an execution, not an opportunity for you to gain freedom!" King Aumen's voice boomed through the stadium as celestial energy descended upon Dyon.

"You dare?!" King Aumen roared. Everything here was nothing less than a slap to his face. This was exactly what he didn't want and something his very own son had been plotting to stop! A spot in the top 10 was too important for their planet to lose, they had already had two other members of the former top 10 booted out by Saru Shruti and Zabia Jafari, they couldn't afford to lose anymore! The award for this tournament was too important!

King Aumen felt his soul shake and threaten to shatter! He quickly protected himself, flying backward tens of miles at a time, completely forgetting that had he just attacked Dyon's soul in that instant, despite their soul strength difference, he would have severely injured Dyon.

But, he was too shocked to think about something like that. No one had soul strength so powerful to even dare to outright attack with it! It was the reason why the soul was so vulnerable, it was too fragile even if it was powerful. And yet, Dyon had nearly shattered the soul of a celestial level expert with a mere shout.

The silence in the was palpable even as Dyon's fists rained holes into Femi. Dyon seemed oblivious to the commotion he had caused and the truth was that his state of mind was too clouded. He would never have risked such a thing if his demonic will wasn't slowly taking over.

Dyon's entire body became layered in Femi's blood. In fact, Femi had long since died, unable to sustain his life force with so many holes running through him, and yet Dyon kept punching. His anger just wouldn't dissipate.

There were no protective arrays. Why would there be? The arenas were so far from the crowd and the contestants were mere essence gatherers at most, how could their attacks have a chance at reaching so far?

The powerful experts in the stadium didn't know how to feel. How long had they cultivated for? And how long had Dyon? And yet his music will was clearly a hair's breath away from a second level intent and even before that, he had already comprehended yet another intent!

No saint in this entire universe had comprehended more than one intent. And even among the celestial God clan heads, they had comprehended two at most. Maybe only the Royal God Clan heads and Kawa would know more than two. But even then, with the exception of them, the number who broke through to second level intents were nearly non-existent!

Dyon though could hardly care about their feelings right now. Femi's lifeless corpse hung from his hand, but it wasn't enough. He was too intelligent to think that Femi could coordinate this on his own.

"This I swear," Dyon voice rang out, laced with incomparable malice, "The Aumen clan has made an irredeemable mistake today. I'll lay waste to your entire planet."

To them, it was only their right as the powerful to treat the weak as they saw fit. Dyon was in their way and he had no backing, so they had no issue with sweeping him to the side. If that meant dealing with his wives as well, so what?

King Aumen was embarrassed beyond belief. How many people had just seen him retreat from the roar of a mere child? He was thousands of years old! This Dyon was barely sixteen! How could he accept something like this?!

"King Belmont. If you don't allow us to seek retribution for this matter in a prompt fashion, don't blame my Planet Deimos for cutting all ties of cordiality." He immediately appeared by his sons once again, reclaiming his previous demeanor and burying his previous fear. Now that he had calmed down, he knew that Dyon had made a massive gamble at attacking him like he did, and he also knew that Dyon wouldn't be able to do it again because he would be prepared this time.

Truth be told, King Belmont was in a tough position. It wasn't that he was scared of King Aumen – how could he be? His planet had the strongest existences in the universe if he didn't count the recent anomalies of Planet Nix and Mino. But, there was a reason why he hadn't campaigned to become a King God Clan in all this time. His goal was beyond this universe and toward the existence that loomed over all of their heads. If he diverted his attention in such a way, he'd waste away his years on something that was ultimately meaningless.

However, this King Aumen was truly taking things too far. What Celestial expert here didn't know that Ode and Eboni had cheated? Despite their actions taking less than a split second between the onset of their techniques and the massive eruption, it would never escape their senses as true experts. And yet this King was pretending as though this hadn't happened.

If King Belmont called King Aumen out on this, he would simply deny it. He would say there was no evidence, and then it would be a matter of he said she said. But, it would end up badly in Dyon's favor because while Ode and Eboni cheating was up in the air, there was no doubt that Dyon had in fact killed them. Everyone was witness to it. Simply the act of killing without proof or within the confines of a match was grounds for severe punishment.

As for the other planets, what incentive did they have to step in? If Dyon died, that would be an extra possibility for one of their own to join the ranks of the top ten. In fact, they were all silently thanking Dyon for killing Femi.

"Did I not make myself clear?" King Aumen's golden flames blazed, "Now tell me. Are you willing to have a falling out between planets for the sake of a cheating murderer? Or will you do the right thing in the eyes of the people and rule righteously?

For you to accept a citizen under your wing that so blatantly called for the destruction of our planet, does that not mean you agree with his sentiments? Maybe we should cut off all ties now!"

King Belmont's brows furrowed at these words. It was indeed true that Dyon had just threatened them. Everything King Aumen said, to the laymen, was air-tight.

Below, Dyon's body was severely trembling under the pressure of the second layer of Demon Emperor's Will. He had no choice but to release it before dropping to a knee, breathing heavily.

He was truly too stubborn. Had he utilized his soul in fighting Femi, even if it was just to use his 6th sense, how could Femi had even touched him? Plus, he had insisted on attacking Femi's gauntlet's again and again, trying to shatter them completely. In the end, he had succeeded. But, it required a technique that was truly too taxing on his body.

Ri and Madeleine rushed to his sides. A gentle ice and a comfortable purity filled him with a calm feeling. His red eyes cleared, and the pulsating of his muscles slowed.

"Honestly speaking King Belmont, you've recently been shielding one too many offending parties don't you think? You happen to have a Father and Daughter pair housed on your Planet Earth that my Planet Naiad wants dead. You wouldn't want to have a falling out with two planets, now would you?"

In an instant, a man with flowing light green hair appeared in the air with a dignified expression. This man was none of than King Clyte. Patia-Neva's mortal enemy.

During all of this time, Patia-Neva had been silently watching with a space concealment technique. He couldn't reveal himself for the same reason Kawa hadn't done so. Letting the Ragnor Clan and their other allies know of their power was a detriment to their larger goals. So, he could only watch as his first love continued to suffer.

At first, Patia-Neva had left his wife, naively pursuing the path of the absolute. He knew of their greater purpose, and thus he cast everything away for the sake of greater power. Because his path required coldness to one's depths, or so he thought, he had severed even familial ties.

The problem with his decision was that his wife had been pregnant at the time, unknown to him. Because of his cold demeanor, and an inability to explain the situation due to the treaty, Patia-Neva's former lover had thought that he wanted nothing more to do with her. So, she never told him about their child, lest he feel obligated to stay because of that.

Her love was youthful and naïve. Even at the risk of being a single mother for the rest of her life, she was willing to let Patia-Neva pursue the path he wanted. Maybe one day when Delia was strong enough, she'd be able to follow him.

However, Patia-Neva's actions went further than anyone would have thought possible… He went so far as completely neglecting his clan, ignoring his duties as their first-in-line genius and then eventually, King.

How could a Royal God Clan survive without a mid-level celestial expert? After Patia-Neva's father passed away, it was up to him to uphold until he reached that level of strength, but he had never tried to do so.

Seeing the clan crumbling, the current Queen Clyte didn't know what to do. She knew of the temperament of the former Clyte God Clan, and current Clyte Royal God Clan's, first in line genius. He had unceasingly pursued her in his youth, and now knowing that Patia-Neva was out of the picture, he would never let her go.

The problem was that Queen Clyte was already pregnant! Due to the turmoil of their Planet Naiad, she had used special treasures to prolong her term of pregnancy and slow Delia's growth. But, that was only a temporary solution. It was only a matter of time before King Clyte found out and killed her child!

But, Queen Clyte had no hope in sight. She had no way of contacting Patia-Neva who seemed to have completely disappeared, and King Clyte was steadily growing more and more frustrated that hundreds of years had passed without her giving birth to his child.

As time continued to pass, King Clyte eventually began to completely neglect his Queen. It couldn't be said that he ever truly loved her. The truth of the matter was that Patia-Neva was always a rival that stifled him throughout his life, and thus, he wanted something of his. The problem was that he never truly felt fulfilled because it was clear to everyone that Patia-Neva had thrown her away.

The constant sneers and talks behind King Clyte's back were things that got to him in the beginning. But, as more time passed, he simply killed all those who offended him, eventually reaching a point where his Clyte Clan was the undisputed ruler and the Patia-Neva legacy was completely wiped.

Through all of this, Patia-Neva stood above his home planet. He watched as his people died. He watched as the love of his life lied with another man and cried herself to sleep every night. He let his emotions boil and rage, before they simmered and tempered. Eventually, his heart reached such a cold peak that his ice intent had torn its way all the way to the ninth level – a peak that not a soul in this universe could match. Even King Acacia had never reached such a level of intent. But, neither had he sacrificed so much either.

It could be said that Patia-Neva had reached the extremity of the absolute path. With his methods and the help of the ice belt, he could be said to be unrivaled in the ice will cultivation among those below the dao formation level.

He felt a constant itching, a doubt that wouldn't leave him be. His methods and sacrifice had succeeded, but why did he feel as though he was missing something? Why couldn't he evolve his intent into a dao?

But where would this pain come from? Hadn't he already given up his everything? He couldn't even form new relationships to tear apart, his heart was too cold… Too broken.

All he could do was continue to observe, trying to decide whether he should bloody his hands with his love's blood. If he killed her, would it be enough? If he looked her in the eyes, and gave her the glimmer of hope that he had returned, before taking her life away, would that be enough?

In his heart, Patia-Neva had already decided that he would do it if it was his final resort. But, the problem was that this was his last chance. What if it didn't work? What if he killed her and his intent remained at that level? He only had a single one of her lives to use, he couldn't afford to squander it.

He didn't even notice when he had stopped seeing her as his love. Somewhere along his path, she had become a tool for his cultivation – a life he could end whenever he wanted.

But then, after even longer of lying in wait, trying to decide whether to make use of her, he finally saw a glimmer of something he could make a solid bet on.

Queen Clyte, after so many centuries, had lost her ability to continue to hide her pregnancy. If she pushed it any further, Delia would die. But, if she gave birth to Delia, King Clyte would know immediately that she didn't share the Clyte bloodline. She had reached a dead end and Patia-Neva was nowhere to be found.

As the days passed, Delia's lifeforce continued to grow, and who else but Patia-Neva would have been the first to sense this? Who watched over Queen Clyte more than he did? And who could be more powerful than he was in this universe?

On a fateful night, Patia-Neva moved. He had no fear of King Clyte detecting him. The Clytes were too weak. They had only become the new Royal God Clan by default. King Clyte himself was only marginally stronger than a normal God Clan head, only being at the peak level of the first celestial stage. So, even if he did detect Patia-Neva, what could he do?

Queen Clyte could not have been more hopeful in seeing Patia-Neva descend into her room. There were a mere few days before she gave birth to Delia, and here came her past love at the perfect time. The only way she had held out for this long was because King Clyte had continued to completely neglect her, instead choosing to toy with his other wives.

"Ramiro," Sofia pleaded, "I know you want nothing to do with me anymore, and I tried to protect our child to the best of my ability. But, I can no longer do so. Please. Not for me, but for the sake of Little Delia. Please take her away."

Sofia didn't care where her love had been, all that mattered was that he was here now. With her having lived for so long, her cultivation had reached a high enough level for her to be able to tell that somehow, Patia-Neva was far stronger than King Clyte.

She cried tears of happiness. Happy that her Ramiro had succeeded in his cultivation path and the path he had chosen had worked for him. And, even more happiness that with his strength, saving Delia would be easy.

She didn't dare to hope that he would take her away. She saw herself as a tainted woman. Someone who had laid with a man other than her love, simply for the sake of survival. She had done so to save her child, but she only wanted the best for her love… And she felt like she wasn't it.

These days were the happiest that she had had in centuries. She had begun turning away all of her maids for decades in preparation for this day, so when she continued to do so, no one found it suspicious. They simply left her alone.

Patia-Neva didn't speak a single word the entire time, but Sofia happily narrated things lovingly. She kept speaking about how with Ramiro took Delia away, that she must treat her well. How girls were different from boys and needed a gentle hand early on, before a more firm guidance later in life. She laid out all of the little dresses she had sown for Delia in her decades of seclusion and she spoke about how much she would love for Delia's favorite color to be green, like her mother.

"I want her to be as firm and determined as you are," Sofia continued, a bright smile on her beautiful features, "But, I want her to her to have a little piece of me too. I won't be able to be by her side, but I hope you teach her some of my family's sword techniques. We were never too strong, but that was our one pride. And –" Sofia frowned, bringing her hand to her large belly. A strong contraction sent waves even through her powerful body as the backlash of years of repressing her pregnancy hit her all at once.

Liquid fell as she stood abruptly, holding her stomach as she stumbled to her bed. She didn't have anyone to rely on, she had to get through this on her own. But she refused to allow herself to pass out, if she did, wouldn't her child die? How many centuries had she spent protecting Delia? She wouldn't give up in the final moments.

Patia-Neva immediately noticed this change, and he opened his eyes from his meditation and watched silently as Sofia pulled a basin of water from her private bathroom before waving her hand to fill it with her water will, lacing it was its innate healing properties and many herbs she had prepared for this moment.

The years of suppressing her pregnancy had truly taken its toll. But, at the same time, Sofia didn't dare to output too much of her power in healing herself so she didn't alert anyone to her labor. Plus, even if she could, giving birth put even martial women in such a vulnerable position that controlling their energy was nearly impossible. If Sofia used even a strand of saint energy, it could very well kill Delia!

Soon, it became clear that she couldn't hold on any longer. Even as the days of agony raged onward, Sofia just couldn't manage to push past her final hurdle, and she knew that if she took any longer, it would be Delia that suffered.

"Ramiro, please. Cut her out of me. Don't care for my life," Tears streamed down Sofia's cheeks, "It's not worth living anyway…" The emotion of her child's birth had completely torn her outward resolve. How could she continue to hide the pain in her heart now? It was too much.

Patia-Neva walked over, slowly lowering his hand to Sofia's large belly. His eyes were so cold that Sofia couldn't even find it in her to continue crying. Was this really the love of her life? Was this the same man he cried over every night?

With one swift motion, Patia-Neva did exactly as Sofia had asked. It was but a moment before the cries of a new born child filled the room. Bloodied? Yes. But very much alive.

Seeing this, Sofia could no longer hold one. Centuries of fatigue washed over her as she passed out, her lower stomach bleeding profusely. In a few more moments, she would lose too much blood for even a saint to continue living.

In one arm, Patia-Neva held a blood covered baby as he looked down at his past love. She lay with her head at the end of a tub of water, but a dark red was very quickly thickening the once herb filled liquid.

Delia's large hazel eyes blinked as she looked up curiously at Patia-Neva's hand. Her wails had paused for a moment, but when a faint energy started accumulating on the tips of her supposed father's fingers, her fit of tears came back fiercer. Her large eyes flickered, going back and forth between a warm hazel and a cold blue.

Patia-Neva hesitated. The cries of his daughter hadn't gotten through to him. But, the flicker of warm to cold reminded him of a Patia-Neva mantra that he had long since thought he had come to comprehend.

It suddenly dawned on Ramiro that the child in his hand was a Patia-Neva. The only Patia-Neva in existence other than him. Everyone else was dead. He had watched them die. He had the power to stop it all, but he had just watched. And now he was about to actively end his bloodline himself.

'Did I misunderstand?...' He felt his whole world crumbling. He didn't know what to think. His cold heart felt like it was shattering, crumbling apart as each moment passed.

His cultivation began to plummet. His peak intent rescinded itself, falling to the 8th level, and then the 5th and then the 1st, until it once again became a will before dissipating completely.

The pain was excruciating. There was no doubt that Patia-Neva was undergoing a cultivation deviation. His path had gone awry… He didn't know what to trust anymore…

How could King Clyte not have sensed something at this point? The birth of a God Level constitution was already impossible to hide. And now Patia-Neva had gone into a rage!

The pain in Patia-Neva's head was too much to bear. He could barely hear himself think as he felt everything he had built up shattering. He knew he needed to leave. In a state like this, even a lower saint could kill him.

He had every mind to throw the child in his arms away. He could barely protect himself now, let alone a newborn! But, something in him snapped when he saw his past love's content smile… She had fought so hard and for so long…

How had he spent so long observing without being discovered? His second most proficient will was his space will. In his centuries of cultivation, he had managed to evolve it to an intent, which allowed him to hide himself in space – although this was also due to yet another treasure he had been brought to courtesy of Kawa and Edrym. While his ice will had completely crumbled, his other wills were intact.

King Clyte could only roar in agitation, blasting the walls and destroying the once elegant palace. He killed anyone who got close, washing this day clean from history.

He stomped forward, picking up Sofia's naked and unconscious body by its neck. "YOU WANT TO DIE?! WELL IT WON'T BE SO EASY! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU WITNESS THEIR DEATHS FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME!"

Patia-Neva only continued to flee, holding a still bloodied baby in his hand as he tore his way toward the Elvin Kingdom, the only place he could be safe…

No one would feel bad for Ramiro Patia-Neva. To many, he would be more malevolent than even the worst of enemies Dyon had met till now. A man who was willing to watch his family suffer horrid lives and deaths just for the sake of power… Only to watch it all come crumbling down around him…

In the coming years, he was withdrawn and contained… To make himself feel better, he had even fed Delia lies, even to the point of giving her fake memories of the past…

To Delia, her father was a weak man that had met the cruelty of the Clyte God clan… But, in reality, he was a man who had brought all of this upon himself. A man solely responsible for all of the suffering of his daughter and past love.

It had been a decade and a half since then. There was no doubt that Ramiro hadn't reached the same heights of cultivation he had in the past. In fact, it was only recently through the success of his little girl that he was able to see that there was a path in the absolute… He had just chosen wrongly.

He was prepared to forever lose the favor of his daughter. Prepared to never have the right to be called her father again. In fact, he almost wanted that level of punishment. The guilt tore him apart more everyday… He didn't know if he could handle a smile as warm as the one Sofia had given him… He didn't deserve it.

In his spatial pocket, Patia-Neva watched King Clyte coldly. Without his cultivation going berserk, Partia-Neva knew he could kill this man as easily as waving his hands. But, he also knew he couldn't show himself.

That said, how many centuries had Patia-Neva spent sacrificing for duty? For a strength to fight along side his allies? How many had he given up all in vein?

If this King Clyte dared to make a move against his daughter so publicly, he wouldn't hold back. He was almost begging for an excuse to show himself although he knew how detrimental it would be.

Dyon stood, rolling his neck as a blaze of purple gold flames danced around him. He pushed his aurora to the max as he speedily healed his external wounds and some of his more severe internal wills.

Dyon knew the story behind Delia's story. Or, he knew the fake story Patia-Neva had fed her. But, that was enough. With the slight of hand he had just used, he had already sent a 75% clone under a concealment array toward the Planet Naiad area. With King Clyte moved out here, saving Delia's mother was a simple task. He just needed to stall for time, something he was happy to do.

King Aumen, though, remained calm, "As you can see, King Belmont, he doesn't seem intent on reflecting on his actions. Younger generation members like this should be weeded out to begin with. This tournament is meant to decide the future leaders of our universe. How can someone like him lead?"

"King Belmont, you don't need to worry about much, to be honest. Since I said I would be destroying Planet Deimos. I will be. But first, shouldn't I make it clear to everyone why they deserve such a punishment?"

King Belmont turned a gaze over to Dyon. He kept aggravating the situation, and he was unremorseful. How were they going to get anywhere? These celestial experts had been geniuses in their own right, or else they would have never become celestial experts in such a trash universe! So their pride didn't lose out to Dyon's at all.

"How could you possibly make such a thing clear? We've already heard your lies. But now, you've killed not two, but three of my subordinates. You will pay for it with you wives and your life." King Aumen replied coldly.

Dyon turned a gaze to the boy who much have been somewhere between ten and twelve years old. To win the foundation stage competition at that age was quite impressive. But, not impressive enough.

"I'm not a fan of bulling children," Dyon said, "But, I do have a seven-year-old little brother who would have placed first in the meridian formation rankings. Let along your foundation stage rankings. You Aumen's are a bit too prideful, tsk tsk." Dyon mused.

"Nonsense!" Ur raged. But, Dyon had already stopped paying attention to him. If he got angry arguing with a kid like these Kings did, wouldn't that make him one of them?

"You know I asked you if you were sure you didn't witness any cheating. And you answered yes. Problem is, that was pretty stupid of you, because now you're on record." Dyon smiled lightly.

"All anyone has been saying since the start of this world tournament is that I'm some wold famous array alchemy expert who abused his skills to shoot himself to the first-place spot. And yet, when it comes to everything else, you conveniently forget about these skills of mine? Tell me, did you just come out seeking to get your face slapped?" Dyon laughed lightly as his eyes glowed with gold.

"Do you know how monitors work, shit King Aumen? Ah, don't answer that, I'll explain. In the mortal realm, it's a series of pictures interwoven using three colors: red, blue and green. Using a combination of these colors, it's possible to recreate nearly everything to perfection.

In the martial world though, they use arrays. They're able to record even the laws of the universe used, and project images that look so realistic, it's almost as though you're there.

King Aumen could only watch helplessly as this all unfolded. Even King Clyte could only frown. The momentum he had come in with was completely squandered. Instead of helping a potential ally, he had stepped into a mess.

Trust me. I killed Femi because it was convenient for me to do so, not because I was scared for my life. I could have chosen to show this whenever I want."

Dyon turned and started to leave, his mission complete. "I'm sure this should be evidence enough, no? It's unfortunate that the Clyte and Aumen have Kings that can't even sense the movement of saint energy. That's a shame. Hey, maybe your younger generation will be better. Fingers crossed."

Tau Aumen's eyes sharpened as he looked at Dyon's back. He had just disrespected Planet Deimos to the extreme. And in the end, there was a little they could do. Before, they at least had the semblance of a moral high ground. Optics were highly important to how politics played out in the martial world.

Originally, King Aumen saw Dyon as an ant that King Belmont wouldn't bother to step out to defend. This was especially true considering how Dyon had made a mess of the proceedings. From his information network, he found that Dyon had not only taken a wife King Belmont had put in line for his son away, he had also continually antagonized that very same Lionel Belmont - very publicly. Why would King Aumen ever consider the idea that King Belmont would defend such a child? It didn't make sense. He thought that as long as there wasn't any solid proof, King Belmont would put on an act of protecting his young genius, then allow King Aumen the face of killing him after 'struggling'.

"Where do you think you're going! How is this proof at all!" The little boy, Ur Aumen seemed furious with Dyon's disregard of his family, "For all we know, you manipulated the images to show what you wanted!"

Dyon looked back as though he was looking at a complete idiot. "You're a kid, so I won't be too difficult on you. That said, when I was your age, I would never think to say something so stupid.

I very clearly explained that arrays record the laws of the universe. The only way I could have faked those images is if I was not only a saint capable of manipulating saint energy, I would also have to have the ability to use Horus family techniques and Geb family techniques. That's on top of being a capable enough refiner to recreate the tools they used, all while also being able to use the techniques of my wives as well.

It is possible for me to create a fake image that simply copied the look of those techniques, but then it wouldn't feel real. Which is why your father is so ashen faced right now.

I admit that I'm pretty impressive. But, I'm not that impressive." Dyon snorted, waving good bye. "Oh, and King Clyte. You'd better give up all thoughts of taking away Delia. She's my wife's little sister, and so she's mine as well. She's not under Earth's protection, she's under mine. If you'd like to play a few rounds with my demon generals with your pitiful cultivation, you're free to try your luck."

Although Dyon didn't say any more words after this, his anger was far from sated. When he had signed off Planet Deimos to death, he meant it. And there was no doubt that Planet Naiad was a close second.

However, at the same time, he knew he needed more control. He had handicapped himself in order to improve his body cultivation prowess in his fight with Femi, but he also understood that that wasn't something he could sustain for a long period of time.

The Demon Emperor's Will technique was an odd one of give and take. In the beginning, as long as Dyon increased his body's strength by absorbing more of the demon sage's blood, he could use higher levels of the technique with increased ease. However, there was a limit to this. Why? Because the technique itself is an amplifier to your body's power. If Dyon was making his body stronger, to then use higher levels of the technique, the problem became clear. If his body was stronger, wouldn't it be even more strenuous to amplify it?

This was why higher levels of this technique didn't require a stronger body, but rather better understanding and higher efficiency. Dyon could breach the second act, true, but at what cost? In the brief moment he had used it, his bones had nearly collapsed in on themselves and his muscles had almost ripped from their tendons.

In the end though, Dyon wasn't worried about the final stage of the tournament. The so-called geniuses of this universe were far too weak. If he hadn't refused to use his energy and soul cultivation against Femi, he would have won with absolute ease. He simply had too much of an advantage, especially when it came to his techniques. While his opponents might be lucky to have learned a lower heaven level technique, Dyon had whole libraries of divine level techniques to choose from. There was simply no competition here, and he had made that clear.

Little Lyla's playful giggle filled the dining room hall as she played in Madeleine's lap. She had long since heard of this other big sister of hers, but this was her first time meeting her. That said, they seemed to form an instantaneous bond. After all, with Lyla's abilities, it took little effort for her to see through people and in terms of Madeleine, who wouldn't immediately fall for such an adorable little girl?

Zaire grinned brightly. He was currently sitting on Clara's lap, but it was clear that Clara was decidedly worse at dealing with children. She felt uncomfortable and awkward. The truth was that she was very much used to children crying when they saw her cold eyes, but Lyla and Zaire didn't seem to mind at all.

That aside, the rest of the room was filled with familiar faces. They had chosen to come back to the mansion that Dyon had rented instead of stay behind to see how the Cavositas decided to clean up the mess that was the last round.

In reality, everyone who had meant to take part in that final round had died with the except of Ri, Madeleine, and the remaining top 20 members who had flashed away in time. Unfortunately for them, that left one spot unaccounted for. In fact, if you counted Femi's death, there were two spots.

So, it was likely that they'd decide to round up those who had lost in previous rounds, and had forgone participating in the death round, to battle for these two remaining spots. That said, many hardly cared, they were only eager for the final day.

However, everyone sighed a breath of relief when a familiar boy walked out with a light smile on his face. That said, the fact there were now two of them in this room still left a confusion on the faces of many, and considering he had a beautiful middle-aged woman to his side who was looking around with just as much confusion, their reaction was very much warranted.

"Delia?" The woman spoke in such a soft voice that even them as cultivators hardly heard. It was as though she was scared if she said it too loudly, that her guess would be wrong.

Just an instant before, she had been a world of cold ice, sitting on a throne that was little else but a prison. And now she was in front of her daughter? Nothing seemed real anymore.

When Eli had brought Delia to him, thinking that she was dying, he had examined her to be perfectly fine. But, the problem with that was that there was an unfathomable energy that had held her together, thus allowing her constitution to act. The question was, who could have placed that unfathomable energy within Delia?

Dyon didn't know how exactly to sense celestial level energy. This of course made sense, considering his boundary was far too low for such a thing. But, what he could tell was that the energy within Delia had been of a much higher grade than saint energy.

Originally, Dyon had thought that this was because of Delia's mother. After all, he had already met Patia-Neva, and he hadn't given off the air of a celestial level expert. In fact, he was nothing more than a meridian formation expert, just like the other heads at the time… Or so Dyon had thought.

However, Delia's mother was very clearly still a saint! By all rights, the energy that had saved Delia couldn't have come from her. So the question remained…

If it wasn't Sofia, the only person it could have been was Patia-Neva. Or, that was the person who made the most sense. But if it was Patia-Neva, that meant he was strong enough to hide his presence from even Dyon… So why hadn't he saved Sofia himself?

Dyon was a person who could hide himself from even King Belmont and Connery Sapientia of all people. He had such a powerful soul that even the celestial experts of this universe were beneath him. And yet Patia-Neva had to have been right under his nose with him being none the wiser.

"Patia-Neva." Dyon's voice filled the room. But, he purposefully manipulated it so that Delia and her mother couldn't hear him. If he was wrong, all he'd be doing is ruining their moment together. "If you're there, now's as good a time as any. I don't need an explanation. But, your family does. I know you have a good reason for not saving your wife earlier, so I promise that I'll protect both her and Delia while you can't."

With a wave of his hand, Dyon sent a teleportation array to an empty room upstairs before sending Delia and Sofia away. At this point, teleporting small distances like this for him, as long as he could make use of a relay station – a technique he created himself for his first campaign – was child's play. Larger distances would require more intricate arrays and more time, but his proficiency now was more than enough to help a mother and child have some privacy. It was also more than enough to save Madeleine and Ri.

Within his spatial pocket, Patia-Neva had been shocked to hear Dyon directly address him. But, after thinking things through, and seeing how Dyon wasn't sure if he was there, he began to understand.

A moment later, an awkward looking King Acacia and his beaming queen walked in. Dyon, of course, let them in through his barrier and into the dining room hall.

Ri immediately got up and hugged her mother. They had been separated too abruptly before, and Ri, although she supported Dyon then as his wife, still dearly missed her mom.

"Aw, Little Alex, don't be like this." Kawa smiled warmly, rubbing her daughter's head, "You're a grown woman now! I expect little grand children to be running around soon. Since I couldn't raise you, I have to redeem myself!"

Dyon got up, offering a seat to his in-laws. He seemed to be treating King Acacia as though he had never said a bad word about him, but that only made the complicated feelings in Edrym's heart permeate even more.

They had only come here because they noticed odd movements from the Pakal clan. Although Dyon seemed confident in apparently handling the world himself, Kawa had insisted on them being protectors.

Dyon immediately shook his head, "I can't have my father in law apologizing to me. Pretend as though it never happened." Dyon smiled, as long as King Acacia had the intention to apologize, that was enough for him. "This, by the way," He continued, turning to Little Lyla, "Is your successor."

Dyon turned a meaningful gaze to his little sister before rubbing her head. "Alright. We'll see what we can do." Dyon had already had every intention to help his father in law. Dyon couldn't sense celestial energy, in the strict sense, but gauging the cultivation of celestial experts was within his ability. After all, he had been able to do so even with Elder Daiyu.

From what he could see, his father in law was much weaker than he should be. Even weaker than Head Sigebryht, something that shouldn't be the case. Clearly something was wrong.

Moments later, even Dyon was sitting in unbridled confusion. His home had brought together a mix of people few ever assumed would be able to share a dining room table.

Because of the animosity between the Ragnor and Pakal, in the strict sense, Kawa and her husband didn't need to hide themselves considering they were only wary of the Ragnor knowing of their power. But, to be safe, they had hidden themselves, leaving just Dyon and his wives and friends.

But, the problem now was that even Dyon was becoming overwhelmed by all of these crisscrossing and interlocking stories. Is this what they meant by fate? What were the odds that the legacy world he conquered, his very first, mind you, would be the legacy world of the creator of the technique that sparked everything to begin with?

If it wasn't for the blood sacrifice technique, the Storm family would have never come to be and in all likelihood, the Pakal v Ragnor rivalry would have stayed out of this universe.

Even further, what were the odds that he would have entered that very same legacy world with Caedlum, someone who was clearly much more suited to the legacy than he was? If it wasn't for Dyon's soul talent being so overwhelming, thus letting him grasp true demonic will instead of the artificial will of the legacy world, he would have never succeeded in becoming the demon sage's successor to begin with!

"Truth be told," Dyon started, "I had a very special opportunity for Caedlum to be a part of. I just never thought you'd have taken the initiative to come to me…" Dyon turned to Arios, "The demon sage was really a Pakal?"

Patriarch Pakal sighed, "To the world, Sargeras was an unprecedented talent destined to transcend. Had he not sacrificed his future for the greater good, causing him to ultimately lose his mind like he had, there was no doubt that he would have transcended."

Patriarch Pakal shook his head with regret, "Our ancestors were too short sighted. Sargeras had always been talented, even throughout his youth he was unmatched in the Pakal clan. However, there came a day where a young man that was likely the second most talented in our clan arose to find that he had a faith seed within him.

At that time, long before my birth, the Pakal clan was very small. Nothing compared to the Emperor God Clan it is now. So, in our history, there had only ever been a single transcendent, so you can imagine how much importance was placed on this single sign.

So many young masters and mistresses walked around with their heads held high for nothing more than being lucky enough to be born into the right families. Did they even deserve such a thing? Did they work to prove that they did? In many cases, the answer was no. And clearly, this was another one of those.

Dyon nodded, remembering back to the first tales Arios had told him about the demon sage. A main reason why he had had so many enemies to begin with was because of his arrogance!

Arios had then warned Dyon to not follow down the same footsteps, but Dyon had responded by saying he just couldn't lower his head. Everyone only saw how arrogant he was and refused to see how much hard work he put in to be worthy of being so arrogant.

"In his youth, it was no different. After being slapped in such a way, he immediately cut all ties with the Pakal clan. Swearing to one day prove them wrong." Patriarch Pakal smiled bitterly, "And that he did… So wrong.

In a mere few hundred years, Sargeras had built his own empire to a level far surpassing a regular Emperor God Clan, to the point where he ruled more than half this quadrant alone! And our pitiful Pakal Clan, still clinging to our so-called faith seeded genius, were barely counted as a God Clan…

You may not know this, but the requirements for being a God Clan in various universes and quadrants varies greatly. Reason being, God, Royal, King and even Emperor God Clans are decided based on territory owned and ruled, not cultivation level.

God Clans rule a percentage of a planet. Royal God Clans rule an entire planet. King God Clans rule at least one entire universe. And Emperor God Clans rule at least 25% of a given quadrant. So, while our faith seeded genius had managed to bitterly cultivate to high levels of celestial cultivation and could even match some weaker lower dao formation experts according to our clan records, we were still pitifully weak.

Dyon could only shake his head, "There's no medicine for regret. But, from information I have now, your Pakal clan has become an Emperor God Clan. So things worked out in the end, no?"

Patriarch Pakal clenched his fists, "The strength of our Pakal Clan now can only be attributed to the kindness of Sargeras. And yet," Patriarch Pakal's jaw grinded his teeth together, "They betrayed him again. This time in the worst of ways! What they've done is nothing short of destroying the legacy of a legend!"

"Destroying his legacy?..." Dyon frowned. The demon sage had already been through so much in his life, and the fact of the matter was that he was selfless in spite of his arrogance.

Unlike other experts who tried their luck with the Timeless Library, the demon sage was almost guaranteed to transcend without it. Which means he had no need to risk losing his kingdom and everything he built. He had done so purely for the greater good.

A person with a faith seed could tap into the experience and talent of another past expert to speed up their cultivation to unprecedented levels. But, in order to cultivate, you had to come to an understanding of your own path of cultivation, thus creating your own faith seed.

If until that faithful moment, you spent much of your life relying on the talent of another to advance, one can imagine how difficult it would be to break away from that path and forge your own.

At the same time, having the path laid out for you made it easier, but it also didn't mean it was a foregone conclusion that you would become a great expert. Take the first-in-line genius that replaced the Demon Sage as an example. He barely cultivated to a high celestial stage, something that was pitifully weak in the grand scheme of things, despite having a faith seed at his disposal.

In the same vein, the legacies of the Timeless Library worked much in the same way. They would serve as a temporary boost in power, yes. But, it would only hinder your transcendence by clouding your own path with the paths of others.

This wasn't to say that faith seeded martial artists couldn't transcend, because they could. It was all about making use of your faith seed intelligently. This was because while faith seeds provided you a path of cultivation, it also provided a boost in talent and a library of possible techniques, akin to what a beast species would have access to.

So, if one focused their use of their faith seed in those latter options, as opposed to allowing it to guide your thinking and influence your path, you might even end up with a higher chance that a normal martial artist at transcending. The problem was that this was easier said than done… How many could resist the temptation of quick and immediate results? The answer was too few.

Patriarch Pakal seemed to be trying to gather himself. Caedlum and his elder brother could only sit there, astonished for what was the second time that day. They truly had never seen their father act in this way.

What they didn't know was that Patriarch Pakal's whirlwind of emotions wasn't just due to his reverence of the Demon Sage… It was also a reflection of the pain and frustration the now Pakal Emperor God Clan had put his branch family through under the guise of their ignorance.

Dyon nodded. The fact was he likely knew more about the real secret behind the Time Library than most anyone in this plane of existence considering the talks he had with his grand teacher.

Much of the specifics have been lost, but from what I understood during my studies all those years ago, is that despite the demon sage being the most powerful expert within this quadrant, he couldn't very well battle armies of trillions on his own.

Knowing this, his enemies completely decimated his empire in the hundreds of years he spent absent… But did you ever think about how ridiculous that was?"

Dyon pondered. It did in fact make little sense… If the demon sage had built his kingdom well, his absence shouldn't have been enough for it to crumble. After all, he controlled 50% of the quadrant at one time. With his faith haven't spread so far, those loyal to him were numerous. On top of that, a few hundred years, which was what his absence amounted to, was a mere blink of an eye for experts at the highest level… and there was no doubt to be had that the demon sage at one point had myriads of celestial and dao formation level experts under him. Dyon wouldn't have even found it surprising if there had been a handful of half-step transcendent either.

However, to his surprise, Patriarch Pakal responded with, "The truth is, I don't know. The records aren't clear on this at all. There's definitely something important that's been lost to us in the stream of time. All I do know is that some way… Some how… tens of experts on the level of the demon sage descended into our quadrant, and laid waste to everything he had built in a matter of decades… His empire never stood a chance."

Tens of experts on the level of the demon sage? Them choosing to act only when they knew he would be gone? Or maybe, they even coordinated with those of the Chaos path that lay the trap that was the Timeless Library…

Dyon's grand teacher had already told Dyon about the competition between Epistemic Towers. Every quadrant of a hundred universes shared a single Epistemic Tower. But, there were ten thousand universes left after the collapse of the other quadrants…

It was no secret that the demon sage was the best of the best. He was only a single conquered universe away from breaching the final level of his Epistemic Tower and completing the final trial to achieve transcendence.

The demon sage had known his enemies were watching. But, he wanted to do something for humanity before he transcended above it all… and his enemies had crushed everything he cared about in response.

A man tried to do something for the greater good of everyone, and he was rewarded by being stabbed in the back by pathetic cultivators who couldn't hope to beat him on their own. Were these the type of people who transcended? Were these people really worthy of opening a path of cultivation of their own? Was the universe really so unfair?

That said, it made sense that Patriarch Pakal didn't know where such powerful experts had come from. This quadrant had completely forgotten about their Epistemic Tower. Dyon had little doubt that the other quadrants were laughing away while watching the self-destruct.

"The rest of the story is as you know it," The Patriarch continued, "The demon sage lost himself in endless savagery, letting his demonic will completely taint him.

His empire was gone and he was in the state of mind to rebuild it. He kept trying to lay waste to kingdoms under his own strength, but was forced to flee again and again.

Maybe if he specialized in another form of cultivation, it would have been possible. But, as you know, we Pakals specialize in body cultivation. I dare say that we're unmatched, at least in this quadrant… And much of that has to do with the legacies the demon sage left behind.

Unfortunately, while this made the demon sage nearly unbeatable in one on one battles and small scale group battles, when it came to attacking hundreds of thousands, to millions, then billions to even trillions, he lacked the versatility to do so…

If he was allowed to just stroll into a kingdom and begin brawling, and his opponents were forced to face him with nothing but their own strength, he may very well have won… But, his enemies weren't so noble.

They used killing arrays and formations, they combined their cultivations in fostering powerful attacks, and even teamed up with neighboring armies to thwart the demon sage at every turn…

With each passing day, it was becoming more and more clear to the demon sage that this was impossible. In fact, this went on for decades. He would fight without rest for months to even years at a time. He knew nothing or rest or reprieve…"

"What changed?" Dyon asked. He was fully away that the demon sage eventually pulled out of his severe path deviation. But, Arios had never told him the specifics of how.

"Well, if the records are to mean anything, it likely has to do with his daughter. I'm not sure what happened to her, and as his successor, you may have a better guess than I do, but from my conjectures, it's him finding his daughter frozen in time that snapped him out of it.

A man who thought he had lost everything finally found something to cling to in his moments of desperation… Because of that, he was able to pull himself up and repair his heart."

Although Dyon hadn't heard the story behind Patia-Neva's actions, he already knew the importance of cultivating the heart. Well, it was more accurate to say that he had a superficial understanding of it while not truly understanding what it meant…

Dyon couldn't be blamed for this. After all, he had spent less than three years in the martial world. How could he be expected to understand such a complex concept already?

That said, Dyon's soul talent was so overwhelming, that even with such a shallow understanding of what it meant to cultivate the heart, he was able to make use of it to improve his wills already.

For example, when Dyon sunk into his feelings of anger and savagery in his battle with Femi, that was him using a crude form of cultivating the heart to gain a deeper understanding of a will he wanted to break through in.

Patia-Neva, however, had taken this to an all new level. He had been willing to spend centuries tempering his heart to gain the results he wanted. Although this backfired on him in the end, it couldn't be said that his path was wrong… It was only that he himself never truly believed in the path, which was what led to his cultivation deviating.

The truth was that there were some in history who used Patia-Neva's exact methods to reach even to levels of transcendence. The problem was the Patia-Neva had never truly cast away all of his feelings… Which meant that the path of cultivation he took, was never suited to him in the first place.

That said, the point was that the heart and how well you cultivated it were very important to your progression in cultivation… It dictated your will power, as well as your own personal path to transcending. If you let it run wild like the demon sage had, or to a lesser extent, Patia-Neva, the consequences were clear.

Shaking his head, he continued, "Due to his experience, the demon sage grasped just how important cultivating his heart was. He opened himself up to a completely new path of cultivation, focusing solely on his will power and temperament.

Because his cultivation had plummeted due to his drastic change in heart, the demon sage didn't dare to awaken his daughter. It wasn't that he didn't have the power to as any saint could do so, it was that he didn't want her growing up in an era where his enemies would still be able to attach her name to his.

Ironically, he had lived up to his name. Half his life he spent as a true demon, lording over everyone. And in the second half of his life, he became the embodiment of wisdom and patience. He even began to take in many ostracized children with high levels of talent to groom for the future," Patriarch Pakal turned a subtle glance toward Arios. He didn't really understand how a demon general could be here so long after the demon sage's death… But, there were many oddities of the cultivation world. So, he didn't ask.

"In the end, the ultimate test for him was putting aside his arrogance and forgiving the clan that had tossed him away all the centuries ago… Thus, the demon sage began to raise up the Pakal Clan…"

"Maybe the worst part was that the demon sage had hoped that if he helped the Pakal Clan enough, then he'd eventually be able to bring back his daughter and die in peace, knowing that she would now be a part of a clan that could protect her… But as you can probably tell, things didn't end up working out this way…" Patriarch Pakal once again began having issues controlling his temper. But, he slowly reined it in.

"The demon sage began to impart his old clan much of his knowledge. He spent much of the last of his days transcribing legacy techniques and traveling across the quadrant to gather the necessary resources that he had hidden before he entered the Timeless Library.

With his help, successive generations of Pakals became stronger and stronger, passing on better and better bloodlines as their parents continuously reached greater heights in their cultivation.

However, despite the change in the demon sage, there was a deep seeded discontent. The Pakals seemed to think that this was what was owed to them… The Demon Sage was a part of their lineage, so of course he should be helping them, they thought.

What didn't make the situation any better was that the demon sage was in fact holding out on the Pakals. He would only slowly increase the quality of techniques and daos he imparted as the clan became stronger, not divulging everything at once.

To them, this was because the demon sage needed their protection. If he gave everything at once, then they'd have no need for him. So, by their logic, he only released some of the things he had so they'd always have reason to ask for more."

Dyon sneered. What kind of ridiculous logic was that? Even in his weakened state, the demon sage was capable of facing up again peak dao formation experts. He was a person who had access to countless methods, and clearly endless wealth considering what he had given the Pakals. Why would he need the protection of a clan so weak he had to raise them up in such a way? It was clear that they were all blinded by greed.

Patriarch Pakal sighed, "The demon sage was intelligent though… He saw the changing of the tides and thus changed his tactics as well. He opened up a Pakal sect to act as a branch clan wherein they'd educate the youths with his resources. However, the caveat was that they now had to pass tests of the heart to share among his spoils…

While our Pakal clan was rising, there was another clan that was rising as well under the leadership of a man who called himself Oden Ragnor. However, it was becoming very clear to him that he couldn't match the speed of the rise of our Pakal Clan… so, he took advantage of the discord that had already been festering."

Patriarch Pakal laughed bitterly, "The Ragnor offered to help the lagging branch of the Pakal deal with the demon sage's faction if they gave away some of the benefits the gained from the demon sage and those ungrateful bastards actually accepted!

The demon sage was too weak to help us. He had stripped down all of the daos and intents he had built to cultivate along a new path despite knowing he didn't have the time left in his life to do so properly… He had simply done so to ease his soul… To assure himself that he had at least done something right in his life, even if he couldn't see it through to the end…

After the first war ended, the traitors won. But, Oden was much too intelligent to allow the Pakal an equal chance at rivaling them in the future. So, he backstabbed those traitors and took away a vast majority of the body cultivation notes and legacies the demon sage had accumulated… Eventually using it to create the Ragnor Clans famous Lightning Deity Body Technique… A peak divine technique that has helped them lord over our quadrant only to be matched by us Pakal."

Patriarch Pakal sighed, "That is of course because this Oden could never have outsmarted the Demon Sage. How long had Sargeras campaigned for? How many schemes had he seen? He could see through the Ragnor clan from a mile away. On top of that, he had still yet to give us Pakal the best of his resources and legacies.

However, at this point, the demon sage was truly at the end of his life… He could no longer afford to wait generations to release better techniques slowly. But, at the same time, he knew that because the opposed branch had stolen much of the resources and techniques, even when the Ragnor's scheme were taken into account, his Pakal Sect was still at a disadvantage… But, if he left things as is, it was only a matter of time before the Ragnor came back to destroy us.

So, the demon sage took a gamble. He handed his favored branch the rest of his techniques, knowing fully well we would likely have them taken by the opposing branch. He then took away all of the talented orphans he had been grooming over the years and opened up his own legacy world, leaving us with a final strand of hope.

He told us very clearly what would likely happen, and that we should be prepared for the inevitable. But, he also said that after he had chosen a successor, he would lead his army of demon generals to take back the Pakal Clan for his Pakal Sect."

Patriarch Pakal's hopeful gaze bore into Dyon. He, a celestial level expert, was putting the final strands of his hope in a boy with cultivation that hadn't even stepped into the essence gathering level yet. If his ancestors knew, they'd probably roll in their graves.

In the end, the demon sage had truly changed. His old self would have just let the Pakal clan die out. After betraying him, not once, but twice, and even knowing they would do so a third time, he still left them his legacies. And in response, they had likely erased his memory from history completely…

And then, those same people had the audacity to turn around and breed hate with the Ragnor clan as though they Ragnor hadn't only committed the same atrocities they had.

It was suffice to say that Dyon was pissed. He had to conquer at least half of this quadrant to reach the top floor of the Epistemic Tower anyway… And taking the territories of the Pakal and Ragnor Clans would do just fine.

After a few more moments, the Pakals decided to excuse themselves. Patriarch Pakal had said all he needed to say and had established the fact that he would do his best to help Dyon when possible. But, he also made it clear that he would only do so at a critical juncture.

Few cared for Dyon's celestial deer sect legacies. Why? Because few believed the soul was useful, and even fewer believed in the practicality of array alchemy. Which was ironic considering how they swarmed for Dyon's Queen Fairy pill.

However, the demon sage was much different. Although energy cultivation was without a doubt the most followed path, unlike soul cultivation, everyone recognized the practicality of body cultivation. The only problem was that the available body cultivation techniques were so few, and those that existed were too poor to make any large difference. So, one could imagine what would happen if a successor suddenly appeared with access to the peak-most legacies in the discipline.

Ironically, Dyon only had one body cultivation technique at the moment. The reason was because he hadn't had the time to unlock higher levels of the demon sage's tower, let alone find his way to the Chaos universe to inherit the remaining portions.

That said, the body cultivation techniques Dyon needed were supplementary. Meaning, he had no use for a cultivation method. Why? Because he had the demon sage's blood essence… The work was already done for him.

To put things in perspective, an expert on the demon sage's level would never give the entirety of his blood essence to a single person. Often, clans would withhold portions of their ancestor's blood essences and hand out very small bits as rewards to outstanding younger generation members. This would provide small boosts to cultivation over time and lengthen the impact the ancestor had.

But, not only had Dyon gotten the entirety of the blood essences of his master and her husband. He had also gotten the entirety of the blood essence of a man who was known as the greatest human body cultivator in this quadrant.

This wasn't to say that as long as Dyon integrated 100% of the demon sage's blood essence, that he'd reach the demon sage's level, though. There were many things he still needed to learn. For example, the Demon Emperor's Will technique was merely a single one of the techniques the demon sage had access to. In addition, aside from techniques, there was a dao of body cultivation Dyon had yet to comprehend. This dao covered things like body control, power output and even extended to things like vibrational laws and bloodline suppression.

"One last thing Dyon." Patriarch Pakal turned back for a last time, "You likely don't know how important being in the top ten is. From afar, it seems like you're only participating to prove yourself – or else you wouldn't provoke so many enemies."

Dyon shook his head, not responding. Whether he knew what the prize for being in the top ten was or not, he wouldn't allow anyone to just walk all over him. Those who deserved death, would still die.

Dyon had a hard time believing that this universe could provide him with anything he didn't have, especially if you counted the Epistemic Tower as one of his resources. After this world tournament, he wouldn't even bother coming back to this universe for a long while. As long as he had his wives and friends by his side, he didn't see the point.

'Patriarch Pakal's goal right now is likely for Caedlum and I to grow enough to conquer Earth's gate and move us into the Uidah universe. He doesn't know that I already have the means to manipulate the gate as I see fit…'

The Epistemic Tower key, as long as it was conquered before the field of spatial tears was deactivated and the defenses disappeared, gave you more power than just the ability to teleport to any connected gate within this universe. It also gave Dyon full control over the gate the Epistemic Tower was found in. Technically speaking, Dyon had already conquered the gate, this was why he was number one. The tracking system that the celestial deer sect had put in place already recognized this. But, clearly these people hadn't.

Dyon couldn't help but wonder if it should really be like this. To someone less intelligent, this seemed like a useless ability. After all, so what if you were able to teleport to another gate? The amount of people you could take with you was limited, on one trip that is, and just teleporting to a gate didn't mean you could conquer it. On top of that, even if you did conquer the gate, you'd then be stuck between two hostile universes who had no idea where you came from.

However, Dyon had already seen how useful this would be if he used it cleverly… His grand teacher seemed fond of games, and who was more fit to play this strategy game than Dyon?

Patriarch Pakal suddenly laughed, seemingly seeing through Dyon's thoughts, "I know what you must be thinking, child. You're someone who took out billions of dao stones to casually bet on yourself. On top of that, you're the last disciple of the former strongest sect in the quadrant, and the successor of one of the most talented cultivators in history. However, whether you know it now or not, there are many places in this universe that even your master or even our very own demon sage would risk life and limb to take part in."

"There's a reason why this universe was once the strongest." Patriarch Pakal looked off into the distance, "There was a point where even those with the weakest of talent could become peak meridian formation experts just by eating and sleeping – the energy really used to be that dense. There were countless places of will manifestation that would take the form of the essence of cultivation paths. Places that housed the purest forms of ice will and lightning will and demonic will…

His mind began immediately working things together. It wasn't as though he had any concrete evidence for his thoughts, but if he were to assign percentage points to his ideas, in his estimation, the likelihood that he was wrong was negligible.

In his trip back to his home realm, he had learned that General Mace was coordinating something behind the scenes, something he needed, for one, needed human world help to accomplish.

The second thing Dyon knew was that this was all revolving around this world tournament. At first, he had been confused. Why this tournament? These people had been alive for hundreds to thousands of years before Dyon's birth, what were the odds that it was just this year they decided to act?

There was of course the possibility that Dyon's grasping of the soul kernel had pushed up their time table. After all, they may be scared that other mortal children might break through the seal as Dyon had. If they suddenly had an unparalleled body and energy cultivator to deal with, all of their plans would be in ruin.

The world tournament cycled its hosts and only occurred once every hundred years… This meant that the last time it had been Earth's turn to host was 500 years ago!

Why was this significant? Because Dyon now knew what the prize for being in the top ten was… They'd be doing something they almost never did… Opening Earth's own inner world! A reward that no other planet could provide.

What were the odds that the population of sealed people would be from Earth? That the expansion of Earth was tied with the dramatic dip in quality of the universe? That Dyon's enemies would choose the exploration of this phenomena to execute their plans?

In the end, he hadn't told Caedlum about the opportunity he planned to provide. The secret of the Epistemic Tower was truly too sensitive. For now, he'd keep the information to only those he trusted the most.

"What do you think of Patriarch Pakal's story? You must know a lot more about the landscape of the universe than I do, mother in law," Dyon had never had anyone, who was alive anyway, that could talk to him about the way of the martial world. He was very much interested in this.

The existence of the Epistemic Tower had been erased from common knowledge after the destruction of the celestial deer sect. That meant that the demon sage had to have lived before the celestial deer sect was destroyed.

However, by the same token, during his prime, the demon sage controlled almost 50% of the quadrant and he was the closest to transcending. By this logic, the celestial deer sect couldn't have been the most powerful in the quadrant as they had come to know. Or, more accurately, they hadn't been yet.

At the same time though, this same demon sage had come back and built of the Pakal clan with was currently vying for most powerful with the Ragnor clan – each controlling about 25% of this quadrant. But, this obviously had to happen after the celestial deer sect was destroyed.

This meant that the demon sage had to have lived for a ridiculously long time… He had to have been born well before the celestial deer sect established itself. And couldn't have died until well after the celestial deer sect had been destroyed.

"It seems you understand this as well," Kawa said, nodding with approval. As cultivation increased, intelligence and computational abilities did as well. For Dyon to be able to keep up with her thought process was beyond impressive. "That said, though, the Kitsune were once allies with the celestial deer sect during their reign, and we never heard of this demon sage. But, Patriarch Pakal said that he was running rampant and attacking entire empires on his own. With the information network of the celestial deer sect, it's impossible that we wouldn't have known of him. This only means one thing."

Dyon nodded, "His enemies were from other quadrants. Which meant that the demon sage level existences that came out of nowhere, came out of nowhere because they were never part of our section of the cosmos."

Kawa smiled. It seemed the more time she spent with this son in law of hers, the more fond she grew of him. "You must be wondering how the other quadrants could have formed resentment for this demon sage. Although I can't claim to know for sure, I do have a pretty good guess. In fact, this guess is something I know because we Kitsune relocated to another quadrant."

"Ah, patience, patience," King Acacia suddenly interjected. "One problem at a time. We'll of course tell them when they're ready to know. But, for now, they should focus on first making it into the top ten to earn a right to travel to Earth's inner world."

It was no secret how difficult it was to break into the top ten from the bottom ninety. Because of the system of challenges, a member of the top ten could receive up to the maximum of ninety should the challengers feel so inclined.

But, the problem with this was that even if you fought and won a battle with a member of the top ten, you'd then have to immediately start accepting challenges as well. This meant that despite what looked like an unfair setup to the top ten rankers, it was actually the more desperate for the bottom ninety. This was because if you managed to win a spot, it would have without a doubt been a hard fought battle, leaving you tired and vulnerable – the perfect target.

That said, many of the bottom ninety were hopeful, many just wanted to test themselves against the best of the best, and there were a select few that felt they deserved to be in the top ten and were only missing the accumulated campaign points. And maybe that last group would be the most troublesome for the top ten rankers…

First in line geniuses like Thor, Vidar and Caedlum all fell into this category. None of whom were even twenty years old, but all of whom had a faith seed and unlimited untapped potential.

In addition to them, there were some black horses that may very well have taken their shot at the top ten. But, them being black horses, very few even noticed them.

Dyon had been the most surprised out of much anyone else. Never had he expected the Cavositas would cave as they had and given him his top ten spot back, albeit at the bottom. This surprise was especially odd considering how domineering and disregarding Dyon had been. It smelt…. Fishy.

The truth was that the Cavositas had no real choice. Dyon had displayed too much power. And, if he was in a setting where he could wantonly challenge, then he would likely destroy the proceedings again. Their safest bet was to tuck him away in the top ten and in hope he didn't find a way to do anything to cause a ruckus.

That said, they still hadn't given Dyon his top one role, instead handing him spot ten reluctantly. Dyon didn't know how this subdivided the rewards. But, one could assume that the higher your rank the more benefits you received.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Elder Den's voice boomed. "As you all know, Earth has the great responsibility of hosting the world tournament this century. And, make no mistake about it, we've prepared the open up our most sacred of places.

Many of you are too young to remember a time where the Earth was small, but know that Earth is still among the great anomalies of the world. This inner world of ours is rarely explored due to the danger it poses, but when has fear of the unknown ever deterred us cultivators?!"

However, do also remember that Earth's inner world is not made for everyone… You'll be guided by experts, and yet still the chance of dying is very real. This is why we can only allow the top ten in and this is also why the investment we place with you is directly correlated with the rank within the top ten you achieve."

Ever since he had sent the Patia-Neva family away to talk, Dyon hadn't seen a trace of them. And, with Patia-Neva's cultivation, Dyon wouldn't be able to unless he deliberately allowed him to. So, Dyon could only accept it.

Just yesterday he had had Sofia in the palm over her ands, to stress and torture to his heart's content. But, now she was gone, right from under his nose! He couldn't stand it!

According to those who were there, Sofia had been there one moment, then gone another. He knew fully well her cultivation was too low to accomplish something like that. Someone had helped! But he had no idea who!

'Patia-Neva… It has to be you! You're probably also the reason that feeble of daughter of yours managed to survive the onslaught between Aiko and Elric.'

"I hope you're all ready," Elder Den grinned looking from the warriors to the crowd. "This will be among the fiercest competitions to have ever taken place. The top ten vs the bottom ninety. We've already proved once today that maybe not everything is as it seems…

Dyon scanned the neatly arranged rows of warriors before him. He sat, hovering in the air on a stage made for him. However, anyone who knew Dyon would know that a simple place in the top ten wouldn't erase all wrongs he had felt – especially since it was so far below what he deserved. In fact, he was feeling quite angry at the moment, despite the small smile on his face. Because they had put him in the top ten, he couldn't fight Lionel as quickly as he wanted.

'So sad. Ri and Madeleine wouldn't let me fool around with them last night because they wanted to spend time with mother and father in law. Such injustice…'

Seeing Dyon's demeanor, quite a few of the bottom ninety rankers were angered. How important was this event to them? And yet this Dyon was pretending as though their challenges didn't matter at all!

However, they were smart enough not let their anger influence their decision. To them, Dyon was a masochistic bastard with sadistic tendencies. He had allowed Femi Geb to think he was winning, even going so far as to get beat within an inch of his life, just to win easily in the end. How could such a person be normal? They were beginning to think the Demon Sage title suited him almost too much…

Elder Den casually scanned the crowd of warriors. This was supposed to continue until every one of these ninety either relinquished their right to challenge, or every one of them used their singular challenge. But, it seemed that they were just as apprehensive as they were every year.

Truthfully speaking, despite the top ten being in a tier to their own, you could still make rough estimates on their power by taking a few things into account. The most important was age and amount of campaigns undergone. But, this world tournament was truly an anomaly.

In past years, it was simple. The top ranked would usually be someone on the older side, like Tau Aumen. He was a person who had accumulated almost 20 campaigns and thus deserved to be ranked first. People would then usually have it as consensus that he was the strongest simply by virtue of having cultivated the longest and having the most experience.

This year, though, it was different. Because of discovering a legacy, Lionel Belmont had leaped to the first place position. This legacy had even affected the ranks of other who had entered, like Madeleine for example. However, unknown to everyone else, the only reason Madeleine wasn't within the top ten herself despite having actually inherited the legacy was because Amethyst's flames had destroyed everything on her person aside for her spatial ring and Dyon's gift to her. This meant that Madeleine's tracker hadn't recorded the final acceptance of the legacy.

As if that wasn't convoluted enough for everyone to wrap their heads around, there were other strange occurrences in the top ten. Saru Shruti and Zabia Jafari had come out of nowhere to break into the top five despite both having less than ten campaigns to their name. And, the most shocking part was that they had purposefully skipped some campaigns, tracking no points at all on several occasions!

Then, the greatest wrench in this entire system was Dyon himself. Those who were truly intelligent were starting to doubt whether he had really cheated at all. Maybe he had a similar interaction with the gates as compared to Lionel? In fact, considering how many treasures he had on his person, many were truly beginning to believe this. After all, why would someone as powerful as Dyon ever feel the need to cheat and sustain such a stain on his name?

Everyone here knew that there were many other bottom ninety rankers that had strength that might rival the top ten despite being on the younger side. There was no shame in being too young to rank highly. Everyone was aware that Dyon was only sixteen years old and they all knew that it was his first campaign. No one would have looked down on him even if he didn't manage to rank at all. It just didn't make sense for him to take such a risk…

In the end though, Dyon was fully aware that the only reason people were beginning to change their minds about him was because of the power he displayed. There was no sympathy or logic. They only acknowledged him because he had the power to force them to do so. It was that simple.

Suddenly a loud boom and the crackling of lightning snapped everyone out of their thoughts. Dyon felt the array holding him up nearly shatter, but his eyes quickly flashed with a golden light as his array reinforced itself.

Raising an eyebrow, Dyon remained reclined as he tilted his head to the side to find a familiar figure standing on a few stages down from his. Dyon couldn't help but inwardly chuckle, 'You're not even challenging me, yet you felt the need to make sure I knew you were stepping up? If you're so scared, don't bother me.'

How much blood, sweat and tears had he put into his training so that he could put Dyon in his place? And yet his father had gave him expressed orders to not challenge Dyon and to first secure his place in the top ten. He felt his pride was being completely trampled over, and yet he didn't dare to disobey his father. Patriarch Ragnor was not a man who liked to repeat himself twice.

It wasn't a secret to anyone how weak this universe was. Even they had celestial experts that couldn't claim to have transcendent level weapons. At most they might have a few high-level master weapons. Maybe the luckier ones could claim to have lower grandmaster level weapons. And yet, now, there was first Dyon and his wives, and now this child too? What was going on?

Many had thoughts of taking Dyon's treasures, they just didn't dare to lose face so publicly. But now it seemed they had another target as well. The leaders of the Royal God Clans couldn't help but snort to themselves. They were the true leaders of the universe, and yet this genius of a mere God Clan and another genius of a dead and gone sect dared to be so brazen before them. As ridiculous as it sounded, they took it as a slap to the face.

Vidar's opponent turned a slight glance toward the silver spear, immediately deducing that it wasn't normal. In truth, he hadn't expected to be challenged so early. After all, he was ranked seventh currently. The safest bet for anyone would have been to challenge the ninth ranker, thereby avoiding Dyon, but still taking on a relatively weak opponent. But, it seemed that Vidar's pride had gotten the best of him.

If the seventh ranker was aware of this logic, most others would be aware too. His father had already told him to avoid Dyon, but he couldn't bring himself to choose the easiest opponent either. So, he went up as far as he could to a point where he thought he could still take an easy victory.

He was a member of Planet Nix, thus he had a very strong animosity toward Dyon. He hadn't been there when Ulu was disrespected, but it was enough for him to know that their queen had been. He had no intention of losing before he could face Dyon.

The final competition between the top ten would be a round robin. This meant that Planet Nix would have plenty of opportunities to cut Dyon down before eventually allowing their King to seal him. He was stronger than they had expected, but very few had any awareness of how powerful their King Zabia Jafari was. This Dyon was nothing before him.

"Your pride will be your downfall," His words were simple and to the point. He didn't like to waste his time or energy. He would quickly dispatch with this person and be on his way.

In an instant, nine swords appeared in the air, hovering in a seemingly random pattern. But, those who were experts could feel the slight fluctuations in space and time around those swords… Their formation wasn't so simple.

The faint ripples in space gave the swords a sharpness that shouldn't be underestimated. However, what was truly scary were the wrinkles in time. Even Dyon frowned at this, looking toward Yazid Jafari with a serious expression.

The swords seemed to fade in an out of existence. In one instant there would be nine, at others there would be one, and in others there would be as many as 81!

They all seemed real, and yet ethereal all at the same time. There was simply no ease in explaining the phenomenon… And neither did Yazid bother to explain it either.

His spear pointed forward, glowing brightly as it heated under the pressure of his will. The transcendent weapon immediately reacted to its owners change, sending terrifying undulations through the arena.

Yazid stood, completely unmoved. His swords glided through the air, glistening with odd blacks and silvers. Each movement seemed deliberate, and slow, and yet just fast enough regardless.

Vidar was shocked. He should have reached Yazid's position in an instant of time – they had only been separated by a few hundred meters at the most. For a lower essence gathering expert like him, especially with his main will of lightning being at the ninth level, it should have been child's play. And yet… one… two… three breaths of time and he was still half way to his position?

'What?...' Vidar's eyes narrowed as he took a look at the space around him. Other than faint and odd ripples that almost looked like the sky on an extremely hot day, there were no other oddities. If he hadn't felt his lightning arcs being sliced through, he would have never sensed the sword coming. He may very well have lost in a single move!

Vidar stood from his kneeling position, his energy much more focused. He spread his lightning outwards, using it as an extended nervous system to boost his reaction time. This was a good passive ability of lightning and was coming in handy now.

The bleeding of his arm didn't seem intent on stopping. In fact, it was getting worse. The wills Yazid had used were too profound for Vidar to heal it on a whim.

"Your body is quite tough." Yazid said nonchalantly, "I was trying to take at least an arm before making you quit. Consider yourself lucky. Take this opportunity to get off of my stage."

"Kill me, hm?" Vidar mocked, "Everyone seems to think that lightning is all our Ragnor family is known for. You can blame that on an overly famous for nothing ancestor of mine."

Vidar's body began to slowly expand. "However, I'm not Thor." His voice boomed through the arena. "I am the embodiment of vengeance. The Giant of the Ragnors. The silent god, who frankly, is quite tired of being known as such."

Vidar's hulking figure stood tall in the fluctuating space Yazid's formation provided. His spear hadn't expanded along with him, but it seemed he was prepared for something exactly like this.

In an instant, the spear that had become nothing more than a toothpick in his hands was replaced by another one that could be more accurately described as a massive pole that just so happened to have a blade near the top of it.

Yazid's eyes narrowed, 'This is a problem. His expansion wasn't superfluous… His mass increased along with his size – he quite literally made more of himself. How is that possible?!'

Usually with expansion techniques, they would be exactly that – simple expansion. The mass of the person wouldn't change, despite what the perception was. Originally, Yazid had assumed that Vidar's technique was exactly that with the usual simple strength boost. If that was the case, it would be easy to handle.

However, the reality was well beyond his estimation. Vidar's body had become akin to a dense white star an instant away from collapsing into a black hole. The amount of matter he had condensed into himself nearly made gravity bend toward him instead of the planet!

Yazid's worse fears had been realized. His technique relied heavily on manipulating the space and time laws around a given space. However, such things came with a limit.

If there was too much energy output to control, his formation would fail. If the energy quality was above his ability to manipulate, his formation would fail. If the area his needed to control was too large, his formation would fail.

Yazid tore through space, attempting to get away from the attack his knew was coming. But, a sharp pain suddenly permeated through his entire back even as he did so.

The skin of his back tore apart, charring and burning under the relentless lightning. Yazid grit his teeth, closing himself within space and appearing hundreds of meters away.

Vidar's rumbling laugh filled the arena, "Seems my spear couldn't reach you. I was trying to take your life, to be honest." Vidar sneered. "You can consider yourself lucky. Take this opportunity to get off of my stage."

It was clear that his formation wouldn't work anymore. His understanding was far more superficial than his younger cousin, so he could never hope to manipulate the space around such a large mass. But, regardless, he still had to win. Even if he couldn't make use of his illusory-like techniques, how many could match the sharpness of his swords? All he had to do was make use of his experience and cultivation advantage to dispatch this Vidar character.

His massive spear arched forward, bending under the strength of his arms. The speed of his strike was much too fast for the size of his body, and yet he did it. The most shocking part was that Vidar had yet to comprehend spatial laws, and yet the simple movement of his body sent ripples and cracks in space. No… That wasn't all. All the laws of the world seemed to crack under his presence. Quite simply put… He had the body of a god.

Yazid's body flew through air, his bones crushing under the weight of the impact. He had managed to stop the sharpness of the spear from reaching him, mostly because Vidar couldn't control his use of space, but that didn't stop the endless lightning from searing his skin and paralyzing his muscles.

Not once in this competition had Vidar used his faith seed. And yet, in the moment he had, he brought out a domineering display that belittled Dyon's accomplishments.

How could Vidar not recognize his own father's voice? Even he didn't know what his father's plans were, but he, much like every other Ragnor, had no choice but to follow.

Settling down, Vidar took his spot at the center of the stage that was now his. Surprisingly, the cuts that Yazid had inflicted upon him were healed but hadn't disappeared. Instead, they formed new scars along his body. Scars Vidar wore like badges of honor.

Sure, Dyon had demolished the 11th ranker… But Vidar had just done the same to the 7th… Just where had all these outstanding young men come from? The crowd cheered loudly, all the more excited to see the next rounds. How long had it been since a member of the top ten was dethroned? And now they had gotten to see it twice already!

Truth be told, the crowd was shocked by Vidar's performance. He was so young, and yet had already managed to become so powerful. Vidar had even found his way onto a list compiled by the Uidah universe due to the potential his faith seed bestowed upon him. After all, even if he was a Ragnor, it wasn't as though the Uidah could just allow them to take over the entire universe.

That said, Dyon had inadvertently found his way to the top of that list. Initially, it wasn't his fault. This was because Alidor had disguised himself as Dyon before killing the 5th son of the Uidah. That action alone had birthed the Uidah's scorn for Dyon – it was no surprise to anyone that they were currently preparing a revenge campaign for when next the gates opened. However, the second reason Dyon could only blame on himself. After all, he had single handedly chased an army led by their second daughter alone!

There was a reason Dyon didn't place Vidar in his eyes. Even with his short time cultivating, he had come to understand many things, one part of which couldn't have its importance understated: and that was the importance of finding your own path.

The entire path the Ragnors took was ridiculous to begin with. They even went so far as to name themselves after the originator of their faith seeds. You didn't see Caedlum renaming himself, nor did Madeleine do so. However, what was quite worrisome for Dyon was that his mother in law had changed her name to Kawa, something he was sure wasn't her name to begin with considering he recognized that name from legend.

Now that he had an understanding of this quadrant's history, and he had come to know about the rise of Ragnors and more about the demon sage, how could Vidar's body not catch his attention? In fact, Dyon wouldn't be surprised if the original Vidar had cultivated that body the current Vidar was so proud of using the teachings of the demon sage.

'It seems the path of body cultivation is more complex than I gave it credit for… To foster a body capable of distorting the laws of the world itself… Amazing.' It was just a shame that Vidar was barely using it properly.

He had expected them to try and tire him out by using their challenges. After all, there was probably only a single planet, Planet Mino, that Dyon didn't have any enemies from. But, it seemed they had learned their lesson. If they dared to use such a tactic, Dyon hoped they were prepared to pay with it with their lives. Since they didn't care about his life, why should he care for theirs?

Dyon always found it funny that all of the Ragnors used spears, he had been half hoping that Thor would come out with a mighty hammer so he could joke about it with Clara. But, he fully understood that if such a hammer really did exist, a mere branch family of the Ragnors wouldn't have it and it would have to be at least a supreme ranked treasure, much like the demon sage's tower.

In life, there were very few things that Thor wanted or expressed, but that didn't mean he didn't have a fire burning inside him no one had seen. Well, mostly no one.

This was a man who had once been the entire hope of his branch family, just for that all to be taken away in an instant. True, it was his own little sister that had betrayed their newly formed Storm family, but what choice had Tammy had? If she didn't take initiative to act, who's to say that the Ragnors wouldn't have stolen her brother's faith seed and given it to another? In fact, who's to say that they didn't still have plans to do so?

They were a brother-sister combo that had no one to rely on but themselves. They were too intelligent to ever truly trust Patriarch Ragnor with their lives… But they were also too smart to ever disobey him…

To everyone, the Ragnors here were a mere branch family. An insignificant piece of the larger clan sent to spread their influence to weaker and lesser established universes.

To the slightly more intelligent, the Ragnors were here on a mission. To do what? They didn't dare to speculate… But to invest so much in sending a family here, the goal couldn't be normal.

But, to the very members of the Ragnors themselves? They were little else than caged animals, bent to execute on the whims of a man they were sure couldn't be a simple God Clan patriarch.

That said, Thor knew that he only had one job. And that job was to get into the top ten. He didn't have to be flashy. He didn't have to flex his muscles. He just needed to do what he needed to do so as not to have the ire of their clan patriarch pointed toward him… Or worse, his little sister.

Dofi Nuru, another member of Planet Nix, was ranked ninth overall, just above Dyon. She was the clear best pick for anyone seeking to join the top ten, and it seemed that Thor acted knowing this. He was no Vidar.

However, seeing Thor's calm demeanor, Dofi had no intention of belittling her opponent. Their Planet Nix had worked covertly to gain so many top ten spots. In the beginning, they had been happy to secure three, but now that number had suddenly been cut to two. Although members of the top ten who were booted also had the right to a single challenge, it was obvious that Yazid was in too much of a sorry state to challenge anyone. She couldn't afford to lose her spot!

A dense and dark fog started to seep from the edges of Dofi's dark flowing dress. She was a dark-skinned beauty in her own right, although her looks fell short of Ulu's. However, she had a sinister and dangerous aura to her that was much more refined and alluring.

Seeing that Dofi was prepared, Thor's entire demeanor changed. His blue eyes sparked with arcs of lightning, but unlike Vidar, his ranged wildly along the color spectrum. Dangerous reds, bright blues, eerie greens, and even conventional golds erupted from Thor, threatening to crush everything in its path.

This was the difference between Thor and Vidar. Vidar learned lightning will because that was just the way of the Ragnors. However, Thor was little else than the very embodiment of that will. He was lightning, and it was him.

What kind of concept was it for a person who was barely 20 to already have a second level intent? Let's just say even some saints who had lived for hundreds of years couldn't claim such a thing!

'I can't let him get close, he has too much of an advantage in close combat.' Dofi's mind raced as her dark will spread, covering the arena in a shadow land.

Darkness will was a high leveled will as well, placed on about the same level as celestial, time and space will. Time will was never labeled as a supreme law because its use simply had too many restrictions. However, it fell a step below along with darkness.

Everyone was beginning to notice a similar pattern with all these Planet Nix warriors… Their use of wills was simply on a complete other level. Time, space and darkness wills were supposed to be rare, and yet they used it to such a high level.

Dofi had become one with her shadow land, her silver eyes darkening over into abyssal pits. The path she had taken in her darkness will wasn't strictly offensive, in that it didn't increase her attack power. But, what it did do was increase her attack savviness.

Plumes of darkness erupted around Thor, seemingly unbeknownst to him. His sight had been cut off, but with it had gone his hearing as well. Even more interesting, the darkness had offset his lightning's ability to act as an extension of his nervous system because it was constantly sending signals along every arc Thor sent out. It was felt as though the darkness was a tangible object, feeling along his lightning strikes and stopping him from sensing minute changes in the realm.

Dofi held her breath, trying to withhold her excitement. 'These Ragnors are all brute strength. That Vidar character, if it wasn't for his overbearing body, how could Yazid have lost? They have no finesse and little understanding of wills!'

A sickle appeared in Dofi's hand. She was a top ten ranker. She had earned her place. She was no pushover. Dofi had no intention of losing so easily, but she was shocking that she couldn't feel Thor even within her own domain!

What would have shocked Dofi even more was that from an outsiders perspective, her domain had already collapsed. The only part that remained was a small cloud of darkness left around her! To the crowd, Thor was visible, standing in the air with his spear brandished and ready.

Dyon watched this with a newfound respect for Thor, 'His understanding of lightning will far surpasses my understanding of anyone of my wills… It not just about the power, it's also about the way he uses it. He's comprehended no less than ten paths for that single will! Maybe more!'

Thor raised his spear into the air even as Dofi felt around frantically with her darkness will, trying to prepare for the incoming attack she had no clue would be coming from above.

And then, a blinding flash of light tore through the air. Thor's spear careened forward, intent on taking his victory. But, much like Vidar had, Patriarch Ragnor once again told him not to kill.

Dofi's chest nearly caved in as lightning sent her flying from her domain. Blood flew from her mouth, staining her already dark dress with a crimson as robust as Thor's lightning.

Thor could have used force to destroy her domain directly, before clashing with her head on. But, he knew that would have been a waste of strength, and he might even end up losing. Thor's cultivation was still at the higher meridian formation levels and the only reason he could bare using an intent was because of his faith seed. Using lightning will simply placed little burden upon him.

He hadn't grown up with great resources, as the member of a branch family of a branch family. However, he wasn't willing to become an essence gathering expert unless he was of the first-grade level, something nearly impossible in this universe.

Because he was painfully aware of the weakness in his cultivation, Thor usually tried to avoid direct confrontation. In this case, Dofi was a peak essence gathering expert much like most of the other top ten rankers. She had been weary of Thor's high level lightning will, and thus decided to use an indirect approach. But, that had been her downfall.

Thor realized that using his lightning will as an extension of his nervous system was impossible to do in Dofi's darkness domain because although she hadn't grasped it at the intent level, darkness will was still a step above any elemental type will in terms of quality. However, he also knew that directly destroying it would cause an one on one battle he wasn't too interested in fighting.

Even without mortal realm knowledge, Thor had grasped the concept of every object withholding its very own electric and magnetic field due to the particles that made them up. Although lightning couldn't conduct through everything with ease, this was the martial world. If Thor wanted his lightning to go through something, it would go through it!

All Thor had to do was make use of the fields in the arena tiles to check for anomalies. One anomaly would be where he stood. And the other anomaly would be where Dofi stood!

During their campaigns, three faith seeded geniuses had emerged. The first was Vidar. The second was Thor. And lastly? There was Caedlum. After all, not many knew of Ri and Madeleine's faith seeds.

Uma was a female, but she seemingly held none of her gender's stereotypical qualities. She stood at two meters tall, was as thick as a wall, and her side burns were much too prominent. Dyon had half a mind to be reminded of Akash, but even that Elvin commander hadn't been so masculine.

By Uma's side was a thick pole of about a foot and a half in diameter that was black along most of its length, but at a tip of pure white. It was suffice to say that her hand couldn't wrap around it, even with her large figure, so it rested in the crook of her elbow.

Seeing that Caedlum had challenged her, a wild grin appeared on Uma's features. All of the planets had seemingly wanted to take the spotlight away from her Planet Mino, maybe it was time she won it back.

Uma took hold of her long brunette hair, sliding a band from her wrist and doing her hair up. Her side burns seemed to grow more prominent with her actions, revealing just how thick they were. But, soon, everyone watched in shock as they realized it wasn't a mere optical illusion… Her sideburns really were thickening and growing!

Primal growls escaped from her lips and fur matted her body. Her arms lengthened and her back curved, leaving the remaining exposed skin to darken into a richer shade of brown.

Uma fell forward, a singular fist slamming into the ground and sending a reverberating boom throughout the arena. She hunched into a position, ready to explode at any moment all while keeping her massive pole to her side.

The calls of a primate sent a wild aura crashing through the air. Uma had become an ape… But, as much as many spectating wanted to laugh, she only continued to grow more massive…

The location was the Belmont Holy Land, but, instead of being the luscious boon of nature it was usually, it was shrouded in a dense darkness from within. However, from the outside, nothing had changed at all.

"Have you not contacted King Belmont yet?! He was prepared for an instance like this?!" A Belmont with flowing purple hair raged as his peak saint cultivation raged as he faced off against something that shook him to the core.

The Belmonts that had remained to defend their land were in despair. Just this morning, everything had been perfect, and yet it had all changed in an instant.

They couldn't believe how easily their communication had been cut off. They had reserved arrays for centuries, dating back to the time of the celestial deer sect, in order to ensure that this never happened. And yet somehow these enemies they had never see before still cut them off. Just what kind of power did it take to cut off arrays created by foremost experts of that level? They couldn't even fathom it!

The lifespan of celestial level experts could be expanded by tens of thousands of years as long as they induced deep sleep within themselves. The concept was very simple. In a mortal body, over time, damage to the body and, namely, DNA, would lead to aging. However, when one reached the level of a celestial expert, that damage was slowed to such a considerable degree that you could live up to ten thousand years as a human and even up to thirty thousand years as an elf or beast.

But, there was a level of control over the body that peak expert reached that allowed them to stop their cells from dividing, thus shutting down their whole bodies and stopping the progression of this DNA damage. This would only be done once a celestial or dao level expert reached the very end of their lifespans, unable to transcend. This provided clans with an extra layer of protection from their best experts in times of distress.

Depending on the level the expert reached during their normal life span, they could be awakened anywhere from a single to tens of times without death. And then, after performing this duty for their clan, their good karma would increase, thus allowing their chances of reincarnating with higher talent much better.

This concept of karma was quite complex, and often something one needed to reach a high level of cultivation to come to an understanding of. But, it paints the perfect picture for how difficult it was for an enemy to interrupt such a sacred system. It was simply unfathomable.

Furious booms of fist colliding with stone was grating on the ears, lasting exchange after exchange with blurs of red skin and dense fur flashed across the stage.

Dyon's eyes flashed. The first thing he noticed was the similarity in technique. But, he had already guessed that his Demon Emperor's Will was shared, at least in some portion, with the Pakals. What caught his attention more was this Caedlum's fist movement.

Uma flipped in the air, landing softly on her hind legs before leaning her forward to slam her fist into the ground again. But, this time, the shock wave was on an entirely new level.

Suddenly, the arena cracked under her weight as she tossed her pole into the skies. If anyone was paying attention, they would have noticed that the upward force needed to throw her rod was so much that it cracked the stage beneath her feet! Just how heavy was that weapon?!

Even Caedlum's normal calm expression turned serious at this moment. The amount of power in this strike was something her previous attacks couldn't match up to a tenth of!

His body flew backward, sliding across the arena floor. However, this was by design. The shortest distance for him to go in dodging was downward, so he made the decision as quickly as possible.

How rare were weapons that changed form? So rare that even King Acacia himself had put that on the top list of abilities Dyon's Dragon King sword could do. And yet, here was yet another!

With the previous defeat of two Planet Nix warriors, thus kicking them out of the top ten, he had felt slightly relieved. It wasn't ideal for those spots to be taken by the Ragnor family, but, the Ragnors were at least a variable that the Belmonts could account for. The Nix and Mino planets were complete anomalies!

The World Tournament only took place every hundred years. But, that time was a drop in the bucket even for a saint level expert. For the power structure of not just one, but two entire planets to be sent into complete upheaval in just that time was unprecedented. And yet, it had happened.

In fact, the first inklings of the new Jafari Royal God Clan of the Nix, or the new Shruti Royal God Clan of the Mino, only started popping less than two decades ago.

What event set them off? Even the culprit was unawares. But, just under two decades ago, there was in fact an event that shone a beacon on this universe. And it was that same beacon the sped the plans of the Daiyu forward.

In an instant, Uma's rod had extended itself back under her arm. Now an expansive hundred meter long rod lay horizontally under her control… Hovering just above Caedlum's figure as it skipped along the stage tiles!

A mist of blood erupted from Caedlum's position. His body cultivation technique heated his body up to such an extent that even when he bled, it came out in a gaseous form. However, that only made this worse, increasing his blood lost by manifold as his veins pumped vigorously.

There was no doubt about it. Uma's body cultivation had reached such a frightening level already. But, with the boost of her beast form and her fur reddening technique, she had pushed her upper limits from essence gathering to the outer fringes of sainthood!

The problem with body cultivation techniques that amplified strength was that simple amplification didn't allow your body to reach saint levels unless it was by a ridiculous amount. Even if your body was at the peak essence gathering level, it didn't necessarily mean that any minute change could bring your body up to the saint level.

This was the same principle as will amplification. You could use manifestations and constitutions to boost your will to levels your comprehension didn't match, but you would always be weaker than a person who had truly reached that level.

The Demon Sage had understood this, this was why he created the Demon Emperor's Will amplification technique. Instead of relying solely on simple amplification, it also used aspects of comprehension. This was why Dyon needed to master intent level demonic will in order to breach the second act of the technique. This was the only way for his body to truly reach the level of a saint!

However, almost too shockingly, Uma's technique had nearly accomplished the same thing! Her body was already at the level of a pseudo saint, and was but a hair's breath away from truly reaching that level even as she lifted her rod to slam downward again!

Another gush of blood mist escaped from Caedlum as he coughed. He knew he couldn't afford to lose, but he was truly too young. He was the same age as Dyon, but he didn't have world breaking soul talent to make up for his short time cultivating.

Vidar had lucked into an opponent that his faith seed could directly counter. Thor had such mastery of his wills that he was able to take advantage before his opponent realized her mistake. But, Caedlum's opponent's strength was his strength… The only difference was that she had cultivated for much longer!

'Damn… I guess I have to use it…' Caedlum thought bitterly. The problem was that he knew good and well that if he did, he could forget about competing for a better spot in the top ten. He would forever be slotted into the tenth position. But, maybe he'd have to be happy with that. Because, quite frankly, if he was in such a sorry state, someone could very well challenge him and boot him out of the top ten entirely!

The rod began to slow move upwards, completely out of Uma's control. She tried to stand her ground, but she found herself nearly losing her footing entirely.

Caedlum roared, sending a reverberating boom throughout the arena as he yanked Uma's rod from her before throwing it with such velocity that the rod itself cracked under the pressure.

All this time Planet Mino was trying to stay lowkey, they had disguised their weapons as simple master level ones, which was why no one noticed the oddity of Uma's rod until it expanded in size. But, Uma knew the truth behind the weapon's strength! It shouldn't be possible to crack it like this!

Patriarch Pakal sighed. He knew very well the state his son would be in after using this technique, but, it seemed he preferred to win this battle and injure himself than to lose his old man some face. 'I've truly burdened you too much… You're just a child yet you carry such a weight on your shoulders…"

But, reality was cruel. In the face of absolute power, Uma's rod had forgotten who its master was. It didn't slow, nor did it stop in the face of Uma's rage. It only carried forward, snapping the bones in her arm and causing a blood curdling scream to fill the stadium.

Caedlum leaped in the air, the dark abyss of his eyes entranced on Uma's weak figure. She had managed to stop the rod in the end, but it had clearly cost her the use of both of her arms. But, just how domineering were the healing capabilities of body cultivators?

Just how ridiculous was it for Caedlum to reach such power? Uma's technique had taken her from the peak essence gathering stage, to a pseudo saint level. And yet, Caedlum had started at a mere lower essence gathering level and brought himself all the way up to a true saint!

Roars of anger filled the stadium as Caedlum's fists became coated in blood. In what seemed like an instant, Uma's fur dimmed to brown, and then disappeared entirely, leaving her naked and muscular body complete exposed.

Caedlum seemed intent on slamming his fists downward again, but that was when a sharp pain filled his senses, causing him to stumble backward and fall to his knees.

The previous battles had been obvious, so his judgement wasn't necessary. But, here, Caedlum was severely injured and Uma seemed to be trying to get up as well.

There was no question that a glint of expectation was in the eyes of the bottom ninety contestants. No matter who won, they were severely injured! If they were quick to challenge, they just might earn a spot in the top ten!

This was especially true of the top 20 contestants. If a normal bottom ninety ranker won, they would be immediately challenged. But, if one of them, as high rankers to begin with did, then it might act as enough of a deterrent for others to not challenge then at all.

'You can do it.' Dyon thought resolutely, silently supporting Caedlum. He hadn't had many interactions with the guy, and the few he had had were quite cold, but he had a small respect for Caedlum after hearing about the burden his father had placed on him.

Even if Dyon had initially held a grudge against Caedlum for not helping him when he had to fight one versus eleven at the Legacy World opening, something Dyon of course hadn't done, he definitely wouldn't now. Caedlum had his family's future to think about. His father quite literally placed all of their hopes and dreams in him. How could he risk his life for a person he had only met just days before?

Caedlum brandished his fists, prepared to fight as he looked into Uma's dark brown eyes. In fact, they were almost too dark for brown at all… But, that was when Caedlum noticed that it wasn't because of the color of her eyes that it was so dark… She had lost consciousness!

At this time, the city of the Cavositas was completely empty. After all, there was no fee for attending the World Tournament. Anyone who could be there was… Which was why the figure of a lone girl, raggedly dressed, running down the barren streets was so odd…

Her clothes were torn in many places, and she had blood streaking down her leg, but she had a determined expression on her face as she clutched a box tightly to her chest.

Caedlum's shoulders slumped as a small smile played his features. He was happy that he had won, but he was truly too fatigued now. Unlike Dyon, he didn't have replenishing techniques, he could only rely on his body. However, because he had used his Asura transformation, even though it was only to a minor level, his recovery rate had significantly slowed despite his body cultivation expertise.

He stood, to the best of his abilities, and watched as Uma was taken away by members of Planet Mino. It seemed they were stunned by their loss, but at the same time, there was a measure of respect in their eyes for Caedlum.

She couldn't be said to be a peak most member of this bloodline, but she had been deemed worthy enough to be sent on this mission along with the rest of their clan. That said, she wasn't their main hope, because that rested on the top 6 beauty, Saru's shoulders.

Many started looking at the top 6 beauty after this display. Although Uma was part of a different clan, the fact she had turned into an ape made them quite apprehensive as to what Saru might be. If a beauty like her turned out to be an ape as well, wouldn't that just be too sad?

However, Saru seemed oblivious to these gazes as she remained a picture of perfection frozen in time. She knew that although Caedlum had won, he was very much vulnerable right now. They had other members ranked highly in the top 20 that could take their place back forcefully. So, she wasn't too worried about their position weakening.

Saru's thoughts seemed to be reciprocated by the crowd. Ferocious gazes seemed to pierce Caedlum's heaving back as he tried to catch his breath. It seemed they were all waiting for the moment Uma was gone to be the first to step on stage.

The time passed almost too slowly, but as soon as the final member of Planet Mino left the stage, a surging crowd of young warriors pushed and shoved toward Caedlum's stage, jockeying for position as they sprinted forward.

Caedlum turned around, laughing bitterly to himself as he watched this scene. His muscles were completely torn, and his energy was depleted. He might as well forfeit to the person who stepped up first.

However, the first to land on the stage was someone no one had ever expected. Even Caedlum was surprised, a questioning look appearing on his usually stoic features.

Someone roared from the crowd, turning their ire onto the figure that landed leisurely before Caedlum. The crowd of warriors completely agreeing making their grievances known as they continued to make their way toward the stage, convinced that this person's challenge didn't count.

Suddenly, a massive wall of gold and purple appeared around Caedlum's stage, completely blocking out the coming challengers and causing Elder Den's brow to furrow.

"What exactly is it that you're doing? We've given you a spot in the top ten already, are you not satisfied? You want to use a fallen comrade as a chance to climb up the rankings? How pathetic can you get?" Elder Den sneered.

"Either way, members of the top ten aren't allowed to challenge each other in this stage. But, I do appreciate you making your character quite clear to everyone in attendance." Elder Den concluded.

"I don't know what you mean," Dyon smiled lightly, "I'm not in the way. As long as they step onto the stage, they can be considered to have challenged Caedlum. But, it doesn't seem like they want it enough, so I'm just having a leisurely chat with a friend of mine."

Dyon's hand clasped Caedlum's shoulder, which at first caused him to wince, before an inexplicable feeling of relief and comfort washed over him. Caedlum's eyes couldn't help but widen in shock – he immediately understood Dyon's intentions… But, just how powerful was Dyon to be capable of causing such a drastic change in his body so quickly?

Who didn't know that the more powerful a cultivator's body, the harder it was to heal? After all, the quality of material making up your body was greater, which means what it took to damage it was greater, which also meant what it took to heal that damage was obviously also greater. And yet, Caedlum could feel his muscles mending at a noticeable pace even as his to-be challengers pounded against the array he created.

"Move." Elder Den's eyes sharpened, "Or I'll be forced to move you myself." His hand waved, immediately destroying Dyon's array. But, to his frustration, before the warriors could surge forward, yet another barrier appeared. He felt silly playing this game of cat and mouse with a junior. He was a peak saint! Destroying these barriers were child's play, but he had no way of stopping Dyon from creating more. And something told him that if he tried to attack Dyon directly… That puppet might make a reappearance.

King Acacia and Belmont, who were of course in the skybox, could only shake their heads at this point. This boy had shocked them one too many times… They were almost numb to it. Him learning the Acacia Family Manifestation technique? Sure… Why not.

King Acacia sighed. He was one of the very few experts who managed to keep up his soul cultivation with his energy cultivation. It was only that he had sealed away his power, especially his soul power which his True Empathy was based in, in order to preserve his sanity. But, now that he was cured and even guided to a first level celestial will by his son in law, his soul had once again slowly bloomed back to its normal height.

This meant that unlike his wife Kawa, he could now see through Dyon's soul cultivation completely. In fact, he could scan Dyon without Dyon even noticing at this point.

Before, Kawa was already sure that Dyon's soul power was past the 5th stage. However, she couldn't be sure because beasts usually had poor soul talent – with only very rare exceptions like the celestial deer sect. This was why Ri's soul talent was lacking and also why Kawa's soul cultivation lagged behind her body and energy cultivation.

'To have a mid 7th stage soul at sixteen… What kind of monster are you…' King Acacia sighed. He really liked this son in law of his. He had never seen a mind so pure before… He truly felt that even if he couldn't cleanse himself, if it was only him and Dyon in the world, he would never go berserk.

The thing that truly shocked King Acacia though, was something even Dyon hadn't noticed. Dyon's soul was constantly improving passively without the need for him to use a soul cultivation technique!

That in itself wasn't the truly outstanding point. After all, if an expert completely ignored soul cultivation, but focused on energy or body cultivation, their soul would slowly, over time, catch up. However, Dyon's soul was already far past his body and energy cultivation!

That said, King Acacia didn't know if this was a good thing… When he spoke with his good friend King Belmont, he had found out that Dyon's soul break through had caused a massive commotion. In the end, Dyon had forcefully absorbed saint stones to raise his body cultivation to survive!

Sure, that had worked for a saint soul… But what about a celestial soul? The qualitative change wasn't something Dyon could fathom. But what if he survived that, would he survive creating a dao soul?

King Acacia almost felt ridiculous that he was practically confirming Dyon would reach that level, but he would feel even more ridiculous not concluding that! What kind of concept was it to be a saint at sixteen? Even through the entire cosmos there might only be a few talents that achieved such a thing. But, those talents would have done so in body or energy cultivation! Two paths that were significantly easier to advance in.

'I have to talk him about this… I'm not sure if there's a solution, but if he keeps improving at this rate, he's going to die because of his own talent. If you let my daughter become a widow at such a young age, I'll reach into the stream of reincarnation and revive you just to kill you again!' King Acacia harrumphed.

That was, of course, something completely impossible for him or anyone else in existence for that matter. Even transcendents couldn't do such a thing. The laws of the universe were too solid and set in place. But, that didn't stop King Acacia for swearing such a thing for the sake of his daughter.

Below, Dyon was practically force feeding Caedlum the fruits that fell from his Tree of Life and Death as his game of cat and mouse continued with Elder Den. He had even begun mixing in concealment arrays so Elder Den didn't know where to direct his power and what to shatter. It was quite funny watching those eager warriors think there was a free lane only to run into an invisible wall.

The time that had passed was barely half a minute, but Caedlum already looked hundreds of times better than he had. The surrounding crowd could only watch in awe as Dyon practically worked a miracle.

Even Caedlum couldn't help but look down at himself as his body seemed to be renewed. Inwardly, he was aware that he had only recovered about 60-70%, but only 30 seconds had passed!

"Dyon, thank you." He said with a resolute look in his eyes. Even though him at 70% wouldn't have been enough to fight for a spot in the top ten, it was more than enough to fight these bottom rankers. Especially since they didn't have to know he wasn't at 100%.

Dyon laughed, "It's no big deal. We're allies now. I'll always have your back." Dyon looked up, "Sorry for the intrusion Elder Den. I was just have a quick chat with my friend. I'm sure 30 seconds hasn't delayed things too much, right?"

Elder Den nearly lost it at the grin on Dyon's face. But, before he could say anything, Dyon had already removed all barriers and flashed back to his stage.

All of the rankers could only watch helplessly as Caedlum's once slumped back straightened. His aura once again became sharp and stifling, and his gaze seemed to pierce to everyone of them who had been eager to take advantage of his weakness.

Madeleine and Ri, who had obviously not taken part in the stampede, only giggled to each other. It seemed their husband really enjoyed stirring up trouble and he wasn't at all remorseful about it.

Dyon leisurely reclined on his array, laughing to himself, 'I'll have to use devour on the next opponent I get if it's soon, that is. Who would have thought Caedlum's body would be so strong! With my soul being at the saint level, and his body only being at the lower essence gathering level, it should have been much easier than it was to cure him… I guess I should pay more attention to the demon sage's techniques…'

In the end, the top 20 rankers from Planet Nix and Mino had no choice but to try their luck and regain the positions their planets had lost. But, there was a reason they, themselves, hadn't been a part of the top ten to begin with. They were far inferior to those of their planet that had lost, so how could they succeed?

Caedlum was capable of leisurely taking care of two such wishful thinkers, and thus made it clear that his new health wasn't a façade – Dyon had truly cured him.

This raised Dyon's cache with the crowd even further. There wasn't a single person in the universe, who was currently watching, that didn't know Dyon's name by heart. But, it was no longer because they saw him as a coward. Instead, they saw him as an undisputed genius who had earned every right to be as arrogant as he had been.

Whether or not he cheated was something they had long stopped debating. It just didn't matter. In fact, there even came a faction of people who were a proponent of it being perfectly fine even if he did cheat. They believed that since it was his expertise in array alchemy that had benefited him, it had technically been his very own power that he relied on to rank highly. As a result, who were they to say he didn't deserve his rank.

The challenging of the top ten had concluded. Dyon had been challenged a few times by the end, but those challengers had never expected to win, they only wanted to test the waters and temper themselves. So, Dyon had gladly obliged. He hadn't even needed to get up, making use of his array alchemy to build defenses and send out spears was more than enough for him to secure his consecutive victories.

Aside from that, many had tried to test their luck with Vidar and Thor, just to see if they were tired from their battles. But, they had come up empty handed.

Or would it be yet another new comer in Zabia Jafari? A man with an outer appearance of a brute, but such fine and well tuned control of his wills that he would be noted as a genius wherever he was?

"I don't understand, grandfather. What was the point of waiting all of this time if we were just going to infiltrate without the Belmonts anyway? Don't tell me we were worried about a measly King Belmont enough to wait for him to be gone to attack?"

A familiar sharp Asian teen stood clad in black. His aura had seemingly completely changed in the past year, and although he had begged his family for a chance to participate in the World Tournament, they had turned him down.

"I know that you're feeling restless about not being able to participate in the tournament, but that's no reason to start doubting your elders boy." Elder Daiyu reprimanded. "Do you know how vast this cosmos is? What use is there in ranking in such a small universe? There are competitions you may participate in for the future that are across entire quadrants! There are even inter quadrant competitions, and you're worried about this little world tournament?

"We attack now, while King Belmont is away for many reasons. One, he isn't to be underestimated. Or, more accurately, his allies shouldn't be underestimated. The celestial deer sect paid a heavy price to shatter our daos and severely weaken us, so even our strongest are stuck within the realms of celestial experts.

You have no concept of how powerful the Elvin King is at his peak. But, even he isn't the one we really must worry about." Elder Daiyu paused, shaking his head. "There's no use in speaking of this. In all likelihood, they're aware that this is the best time for us to attack too. The only reason they aren't pressing us right now is because they know we also need them."

"Yes. We need to be in position for when the Belmonts do something only they can. But, the only reason we can do this is because –" Elder Daiyu looked around, "Where is Little Meiying?"

"I sent her away." Chenglei responded, "She's served her purpose of finding the entrance for us. She's just a trophy wife for me now, she has no use here. Once I complete my technique, I'll consummate our union."

Elder Daiyu shook his head, "You should value that girl. You have no idea how rare and powerful a feng shui compass will is. I dare say she may be the only one in the quadrant with such an ability. You saw for yourself, even that Jade girl's True Empath abilities weren't able to find the entrance. And yet Meiying succeeded easily."

Chenglei harrumphed, "That's why I sent her away first. She was already tainted by another. Since she's no longer of use, I don't see why I can't just directly kill her." Chenglei felt nothing but disdain when he thought of Jade. Not only was she now incomparably ugly, she had even boasted to him about time she spent with Dyon. Ridiculous! Chenglei's current impotence was a very sore spot for him, and she felt no qualms about pressing it.

"You should adopt a nicer tone with me. Or else you'll never know what happened with that spatial ring of yours… nor will you find that box." Jade giggled lightly, relishing in the power she held.

The ranking of the bottom ninety was really nothing to speak of. Maybe the most entertaining event were Ri's fights, but that was mostly because she was angry beyond belief that she didn't get an opportunity to fight Ulu and take revenge how she wanted. After she had so easily suppressed Eboni, Ulu was intelligent enough to understand that she was no match for Ri, and thus directly conceded their bout.

Truthfully speaking, this was because Ulu didn't care much for Ri's animosity. The only thing she had in mind was the success of her Planet's goals. She hadn't attacked Ri out of any petty hatred or jealousy, although her means had been despicable and unforgivable. At the time, she had seen an opportunity to drastically increase the chance of their plan's success, so she had acted – not hesitating to attempt to trample over the futures of both Ri and Dyon. Unfortunately, she had paid for it … The only hope she had of curing herself was Dyon's sympathy or Dyon's submission.

After realizing this, she decided to no longer fight with his wives. Because, if Zabia somehow failed, building any more animosity would only burn more bridges for her.

Ulu was intelligent. Despite the hopes and aspirations her grandmother and the clan elders tried to butter her and the rest of the younger generation up with, she was fully aware that they were nothing but pawns. There would be no pity for her. If her husband couldn't win, she would have to resign herself to never again think of continuing her or her husband's bloodline.

She had acted knowing that there was a certain ruthlessness required to succeed in the martial world. Thus, she had to be willing to accept that reciprocated ruthlessness.

General Mace nodded, "Today is the day. In fact, I'm quite sure they'll be sending over someone much more powerful than me quite soon once they realize I haven't completed my end of things properly…"

The truth of the matter was that Dyon had left General Mace there, knowing full well the likelihood of his seal working on a large scale was nearly 0. These were the plans of celestial beings. In fact, they were celestial beings who used to have the horizons of a dao formation expert! How could their plans start and end with a measly mortal who couldn't even cultivation through the foundation stage without their hands-on help?

On the day Dyon reluctantly sent Meiying away with the Daiyu, he had implanted within her a few things. The first and most important was the key to unlocking her consciousness from her deadened state. With the use of it, she would be fully aware of everything going on around her, while maintaining the outer appearance of being sealed.

The problem with his third implanting was that his soul had been severely damaged at the time. He had even had to use Ri's help to even must enough soul strength to complete the task. This meant that the teleportation array was nowhere near his max at the time – or 10km. In fact, it was barely a few hundred meters. In addition to that, his concealment array was pitiful as well. Let alone celestial experts, even an essence gathering expert would be able to see through it.

"It's quite simple really. Well, maybe not so much for someone who hasn't cultivated… But, the intuitiveness is there, at least to some extent." General Mace didn't seem bothered by having to answer yet again, it was as though he was certain they had won anyway, "There were multiple seals placed on our people. Those seals have been accumulated power for hundreds of thousands of years now. Quite frankly, our recorded history doesn't go back so far, so I'm not sure exactly how much time. But, it's at least that much.

The purpose of these seals is for the benefit of a being on a plane we can't fathom. It's best you don't ask, because if I'm forced to answer, I'll die. Then, they'll know that something is wrong."

"My job was to ensure that during the transfer process of these seals to this individual, that there was no backlash. The will of the universe is quite vast and powerful, it's something that even this powerful existence is wary of. To steal the destiny and talent of so many individuals for yourself isn't something the universe would be fond of. In fact, there'll be quite a large disturbance when it happens."

You're saying that we still have a chance to fight back and regain our talent from this individual?" President Gallagher asked his first question in all this time.

"Good. Then we fight." President Gallagher said with a serious expression on his face. "If they think we mortals are so easily bullied, they'll be in for a surprise."

General Mace stayed silent, but he was inwardly sneering. He knew more than anyone in the mortal world that his role in all of this had long since been fulfilled – any importance he had was gone.

He hadn't lied, of course. His purpose, now, was to ensure that the will of the mortals didn't fight back for their talent once it was time for that individual to absorb them. But, his role was truly nothing but an after thought… In fact, he had lied about more powerful experts coming… They wouldn't care enough to come.

This individual could hardly care about whether or not they fought back or not. Why? Because 7 billion mortal wills couldn't match up to even a percentage of his own will.

The smell of blood and sweat permeated, creating a stifling atmosphere that the crowd couldn't bring themselves to cheer under. However, the slow rumbling of stomping feet had replaced it all, sending vibrations throughout.

"This is the final round. What you've all been waiting for." Elder Den's voice filled into the stomping of feet. Even he had begun to be affected. Days of battles, thousands of eliminations, hundreds of deaths, all led to this very moment.

"You are the top ten." He said, sending a heavy gaze toward the final ten. "You are the future of this universe. People will speak of you in legends for decades to come, and should you live up to your potential, you can be written into the annals of history of millennia to come.

There was no need for Elder Den to explain anything. Everyone knew the rules. The remaining ten would each fight against each other once for a total of nine fights each. Whoever had the highest ranking in the end would be crowned as the best.

Vidar grinned in anticipation, seeing the name come up before Elder Den's voice sounded off. 'Ten moves, hm? We'll see! You think I used my best against a measly 7th ranked?!'

Without so much as a small bit of hesitation, Dyon's two pairs of wings tore his shirt away, causing a gust of wind so powerful that the ground beneath his feet shattered completely.

The top ten rankers standing around Dyon looked at him in shock, but he didn't have any time to explain himself. Only he knew exactly what was going on, and if he delayed for even a moment, she'd die! He couldn't have that guilt on his shoulders.

He wasn't an essence gathering expert yet, so he couldn't send messages with the much more efficient essence energy. All he could rely on was his wind will to do so, but over a long distance, especially when he was moving so quickly, it was a pipe dream to get a message to his mother and father in law.

Dyon didn't have time to care. Madeleine and Ri could only watch with worried eyes, having no idea what was going on as Dyon disappeared into the distance.

Vidar was stunned before he suddenly started laughing so hard that clenched his stomach, unable to control himself. "I've seen cowards in my day," He said between labored breaths, "But, this is just a new level."

No one understood how to react. Did he really just cower?... But, that didn't make sense… Even if he would lose, it shouldn't have been by a large margin…

Bai Meiying sprinted with every bit of speed her meridian formation cultivation allowed her, stumbling along the way with a shoddy concealment array practically falling apart around her.

She had been able to continue to train under her imprisonment, but the Daiyu barely had any cultivation resources. Just like Chenglei's father had lamented, they needed to use all of their remaining pieces to maneuver and garner allies. They simply couldn't afford to divert any away to the younger generation.

In the sky, three experts scanned the empty city. They couldn't understand why they hadn't found her yet, the streets were so barren than one lone girl running should have been easy to spot. Even if she entered one of the buildings, as experts, they should have been able to sense her.

Bai Meiying was truly worried. She had already used Dyon's teleportation array to cross the natural moat around the Belmont Holy Land, after all, she couldn't fly and she couldn't very well swim – that would be too slow! But, that meant if she was found now, she would have no chance of escaping.

She had been sending help signals out using Dyon's communication array all this time, but she had no idea what the range was. Judging by Dyon's other arrays, and the state he had been when he gave these things to her, it couldn't be that far. But, Dyon had to be in this city! The World Tournament was taking place, he couldn't miss that given his personality!

"Haha, you'd never guess. I have no idea how she did it, but she probably stole one of our concealment array plates. No wonder we didn't detect her immediately. Too bad that concealment array is much too weak to hinder my senses. This way."

A sudden realization hit the other two, before serious expressions appeared on their faces. Indeed, how could she have even regained consciousness without the help of someone with extremely powerful array alchemy? Someone capable had helped her, for sure.

Meiying's heart seized as her head slowly turned to the skies, 'It's over…' Tears fell from her eyes as she looked down at the box she was holding against chest, 'I'm sorry…'

"Now, come along obediently. You're still the young master's favored wife, he'll definitely treat you well." One of the experts smiled, trying to coax Meiying into returning willingly. After all, should their plans succeed, their clan would rise to unprecedented levels. At that point, even should another Meiying come along and offer herself up, even they might not give her a second look.

Suddenly, the sound of whipping air and breaking glass resounded. The experts turned pensive gazes toward the distance to see a young man with two pairs of wings flying toward them with speed that shouldn't have been possible for someone his age. Little did they know he was severely torturing his body by flying at this speed. After all, his wings were spurred by his soul cultivation, but, his energy and body cultivation couldn't keep up.

"Dyon?" Meiying's eyes turned misty. She had a sensitivity to the truth of things only True Empaths could match. Despite Dyon's speed being far beyond her cultivation's ability to see, she could just feel that it was him.

Dyon's ring flashed, causing ten saint level Demon Generals to appear. This was overkill, considering the three experts were only at the lower saint stages, but Dyon wanted to ensure that they knew that they had no chance whatsoever.

In an instant, Dyon had appeared before Meiying. The usually domineering and oppressive wind will that circulated his wings became a gentle gust that wrapped around her protectively.

Dyon's Demon Generals stood in the skies above the cowering experts. The familiar and graceful figures of River and Ronica stood at the forefront, leading their oppressive aura.

"Don't be like that. I saw first hand how tired you were that day. The fact you gave me any at all is the reason why I made it here. If I didn't have your teleportation array, I would have never made it across that moat fast enough. And if I didn't have your communication array, I would have likely been forced to go back before I even helped and all of this would have been for naught." Meiying suddenly shook her head, "We don't have a lot of time. The only reason I was able to escape is because they're busy executing some of the most important parts of their plan. Although, hehe, they may find that they'll struggle to do even that."

"Oh?" Dyon looked up, seeing the box clutched to Meiying's chest. "You didn't do anything too dangerous, did you? You know Madeleine just about killed me when I told her what I let you do, right?"

The only problem with Dyon's plan was that to the Daiyu, every member they had was a precious existence. In the end, he was still too inexperienced about the martial world.

As a clan living in poverty for the sake of their future, how could they afford to lose saint level experts so easily? This was why, much like the Sicarius clan with Arios and Ava, the Daiyu had soul tied stones to their members. The instant those experts died… Elder Daiyu knew.

Meiying nodded, "Most of what I know is limited to what Chenglei would know, so I'm not sure if I have a whole picture of things since Elder Daiyu is very close to the vest even with him."

The truth was that Meiying was sure that she had slowed them significantly. Without what she had taken from them, it was likely they wouldn't even be capable of executing their plans.

"The first thing I should probably explain is what this box is," Meiying started, "If it wasn't for Elder Daiyu being worried about losing his life in the battle to enter the Belmont Holy Land, he would have never passed it on to Chenglei. But, luckily, he did. So, I was able to use that opportunity to steal it."

"It's – It's gone…" Meiying's eyes reddened. She had thought that she had done great. How proud had she been? Even while running for her life. And yet, everything she had worked for… It was gone!

Two beautiful feathers lay in the box. One was an ice blue that had flames cold enough to freeze a meridian formation expert in an instant. The other was a feather of some of the purest flames and heat in existence.

"Meiying wait! You'll hurt your –" Dyon's words stopped mid-sentence. The next sight he saw was truly sickening, even with all the blood and gore he had become accustomed to.

"Grandfather… I –" Chenglei didn't know what to say. He knew that his grandfather only intrusted him carrying out such an important task because he had no choice.

Although the Belmont family only had two celestial experts, one of which was King Belmont, and the other of which was their protector, Head Sicarius, their protection arrays were on a level that couldn't be looked down upon. This was exactly why King Belmont had felt it fit to focus his attention on the world tournament, keeping his eye on the movements of not just the Ragnor, but also the oddities of Planet Nix and Mino.

Elder Daiyu knew that if he lost his life, his possessions would fall under the control of the remaining Belmont – something that would make all of their previous effort useless. As such, he gave them to Chenglei, who was obviously too weak to participate.

As for why Chenglei was there at all, it was for the same reason why the World Tournament was being held to decide who entered. Chenglei's father, and Elder Daiyu's son, had said it once before. Chenglei's talent was enough to match up almost anyone. The problem was that the Daiyu had diverted all of their resources toward their plans away – focusing instead on building up allies and setting their plans in motion. This was meant to be how they repaid Chenglei for all of his sacrifices and patience. He was their future!

Chenglei was without a doubt someone who was calm and collected. But, for some reason, whenever it came to this Jade, he couldn't seem to withhold his temper.

At the end of the day, he was a teenage boy with a wife he couldn't make use of. Day in and day out he would see Meiying's beautiful countenance. And then there was Jade, ever since she had started to wear that mask to hide her scars, she had become more and more alluring to him everyday. Despite her face being ruined, it didn't change the fact her body was near perfect.

The worst part was that Jade didn't see a problem with flaunting her body around Chenglei. She constantly kept her scars covered, but that didn't stop her from wearing skin tight clothing and trying to seduce him at corner. Then she'd giggle, knowing fully well he couldn't act on it even if he wanted.

Whenever he lost his cool and fondled her to his heart's content, she wouldn't even give him the satisfaction of reacting the way a normal woman would. There was no resistance in her eyes, nor were there any signs of her hating it. In fact, she invited it. However, in the end, Chenglei would inevitably be unable to finish his deed, causing Jade to once again laugh at him.

The Black Jade legacy that Chenglei practiced was unforgiving. It channeled all of his yang toward power in the initial stages, super charging his comprehension ability toward yang type techniques and wills. After he stepped into the last stage, which should coincide with him becoming a saint, he'd reach an all new level and also regain the freedom of his yang. In fact, that would be a point where dual cultivating would give him benefits few others could match.

If Chenglei was more versed in the ways of people, emotions, and namely women, he might have noticed that Jade didn't show any adverse reaction to his sexual harassment because she practically lived for it. A woman like her, who had placed all of her worth in her looks because that was all anyone ever cared about… For her to suddenly lose all of that… The moments Chenglei lost himself in lust were the only moments Jade didn't feel an undying pain in her heart.

"I'll answer for you then," Jade said, her smirk nearly penetrating her mask, "The impotent young master thought that this was as good a time as any to have some fun with his one and only loving wife. So he did so. Unfortunately… That loving wife of his wasn't exactly so loving."

Elder Daiyu was a former dao formation expert. Although his cultivation had plummeted, he was still much smart and sharper than most. Although he couldn't see through Dyon's soul cultivation at the time because of his damaged dao – something highly connected to the soul – that didn't stop him from understanding how great of an array alchemist Dyon was. After all, he had been there when Dyon showed how he had sealed 14 sub families on his own to protect his secrets!

"Ah, my first love," Jade said reminiscing. But, given her tone. No one could tell whether she was serious or not. "Yes, it was likely him. But, that hardly matters now, because… Let's say I've helped you out quite a lot."

Elder Daiyu's eyes narrowed. He had brought along this girl because she might have been useful. In the end, he was right. But, she was also out for herself. And he knew that. He also knew that if she was confident enough to step to him like this, the items they needed were likely hidden. In a time sensitive mission like theirs, they couldn't afford the time to look for it!

The truth was that she had always known that Meiying had the ability to unseal herself. In fact, it was partially because Elder Daiyu knew that Jade would be able to see through something like that that he hadn't even considered the fact Meiying might have gotten help from Dyon. That said, the other reason was because he had personally witnessed Dyon's soul fatigue – he didn't think that, at that point, Dyon could do anything about the array even if he had the mind to.

"You definitely knew all of this time. Even if your True Empathy isn't perfect, it's enough to tell something like that!" Chenglei immediately deduced that they had been played. His anger exploded and he nearly lunged toward Jade, but, his grandfather's withered old hand clamped his shoulder.

"Stop. What's done is done and we're running out of time." As an elder, he had already regained his calm. How long had he spent in the Martial World? He was very much used to things like this already.

"You're quite smart grandfather in law. I appreciate that." Jade said lightly, "However, my first condition is that I am no longer a concubine of the Daiyu family."

"No, no. I'm not asking to be a true wife. I'm asking to be released entirely. I wouldn't mind if you burned all records of me ever having married into your family too."

Elder Daiyu raised an eyebrow. He didn't understand the movements of this girl. By all rights, she should need backing. She can't go back to the Elves for obvious reasons, and she was a young girl with weak meridian formation cultivation. What could she possibly do on her own?

Jade only continued to wait for an answer, unperturbed by Elder Daiyu's doubt. After all, as a talented True Empath, the last thing she was worried about was surviving in the world. She'd be able to see threats coming far before anyone else.

"Okay. We'll release you from your responsibility. What else?" Elder Daiyu decided to just let it be. Although Jade's abilities were useful, she was no longer a necessity. And, as an ancient family of this universe, how could the Daiyu not know about the Epistemic Tower? After all, much of the reason they were willing to groom Chenglei was to conquer it!

Once their Chenglei conquered the tower, they'd then be able to take their time in finding someone who had the affinity to take the True Empath trials and gain those abilities. That person should have been Jade, but since she didn't want it, they were in no hurry to force her.

Jade giggled, "Your grandfather loves you very much. In fact, the whole Daiyu family sees you as their future. Don't belittle yourself just because I have no interest in being your wife. Why would you assume I meant Elder Daiyu and not you?"

Making a soul contract was little else than tearing away a piece of your soul to bind it to a set of conditions. In the grand scheme of things, it only took a few hours to restore your soul perfectly with no adverse effects – the speed was even faster if your soul talent or soul cultivation method was better. The reason why Chenglei hadn't wanted his grandfather to do it was because this was a process far more excruciating for someone whose soul was already damaged.

However, that wasn't why Chenglei was hesitant. The process was very painful and, he was essentially putting his life on the line. Should the Daiyu fail to meet any of the conditions, he would die.

"Haha, I'm beginning to think that taking that pound of flesh from that little girl is the best move I've made in my life." Jade giggled to herself. "Now we can get to business. Shall we?"

He gently cradled Meiying's head, giving her a much-needed hug. He didn't need much thought to figure out whose flesh that was… It was none of than Meiying's own.

Her leg injury was much more severe than she was letting on. The fact she had even managed to run so far was a testament to her tenacity and grit. Dyon couldn't imagine what she had been through all this time. But, what he did know was that just because she had kept her virginity, didn't mean that she hadn't gone through horrible things… Forced to do… Horrible things…

And yet, she had done them without hesitation, because she felt like she was doing something good. But to see her hard work mean nothing… It hurt her beyond belief and everything she had been holding in, flooded outwards…

Meiying continuously shook her head, furiously rubbing her tears away on Dyon's shirt and trying to stop them from falling. No one knew more than her how important time was. 'I can't be crying right now!'

Dyon didn't press her. At this point, he cared little for what big moves the Daiyu were making and what the ramifications would be. What would happen would happen, but there was no reason why a girl just about his age should have to carry such a burden on her own. She had earned every right to cry as she pleased and Dyon dared anyone to say otherwise.

As for the World Tournament? That was even further from his mind. He hadn't hesitated to abandon it when he knew Meiying's life was on the line, and since he was already gone, whether he came back sooner or later didn't matter to him.

"There's nothing left you need to do." Dyon said softly. "Even if you want to wash your hands clean of this and pretend it never happened, I wouldn't blame you. The day Madeleine became my wife is the day you and Delia became my little sisters. Do you understand?"

Time passed, but eventually, Meiying was able to grasp a hold of her bearings. The past two years of her life were a testament to how mentally tough she was, she refused to let something like this set her back for too long.

"Heh," Meiying laughed through sobs, "I think I ruined your shirt more than Madeleine did on her wedding day. Speaking of which, you didn't have a wedding ceremony without me, right?"

"You know Meiying, the very fact the object you stole were what they were told me a lot… In fact, it told me a lot more than you know…" Dyon spoke seriously, he meant what he said. The fact those objects in particularly were so key to the plan of the Daiyu let him know a lot. He never thought he'd say it, but he had to thank Elwing for that.

"Of course. And, considering how much time you spent with them, I have no doubt that you know other things of importance. Anything you can think of, no matter how miniscule or seemingly unimportant might help greatly. The time you spent there won't have been in vein. I promise."

Meiying nodded, smiling light, "There was a lot I learned… But, much of it was about Daiyu history and how they came into conflict with your celestial deer sect."

"Yes. That was the start of the animosity, but in the end, that was only a drop in the bucket… The sad truth is had that event not happened, the Daiyu might have even sided with the celestial deer sect. Unfortunately, the Daiyu Patriarch at the time, and my former grandfather in law, was one of the three Daiyus who were claimed to be the best fits for the 25th White Mother … So, you might guess that he had little will to cooperate with the celestial deer sect."

"Truth be told though… I don't think this is as black and white as choosing the side of good or evil," Meiying added softly. "Elder Daiyu had no reason to explain himself to me, especially since he thought I was sealed. And yet, he did so anyway…"

Hearing this, Dyon's eyes could only soften. Elder Daiyu was still, at the end of the day, someone who treasured the life of his grandson. And, for better or worse, he had tried to leave a warning for Dyon about trusting the Martial World. If Dyon had known that leaving that warning had cost him decades off of his already shortened life, he might have felt even more sympathy.

The Martial World was a cruel place where people often had to do cruel things for the sake of their families. Elder Daiyu had chosen his side based on dignity, and it was likely that the side he chose might have given him great benefits. In the end, hadn't he been right? The celestial deer sect was gone, and although his family was greatly crippled… They had survived.

"Why is that?" Dyon asked. It seemed like Meiying was leading up to something… It didn't make sense otherwise. Why wouldn't the Daiyu be able to turn back? Their enemies were gone?... No? The Elves were greatly crippled too. The celestial deer sect was gone. And the Kitsune weren't even in the quadrant anymore. So, what was the problem?...

Truth be told, Dyon had many theories for why the celestial deer sect was destroyed – much of which were derived from the trail of clues his master had left him. By picking apart what weren't in her memories, that should have been, he was able to compile a few possible stories.

In the end, the one he had settled on that was the most likely was a combination of what his grand teacher had told him and the clues left by his master. And that was that the celestial deer sect was destroyed because of array alchemy.

The chaos factions of the cosmos saw array alchemy as a threat. This was why the disciplines were separated. In fact, had Dyon never met Uncle Ail, he too might have subscribed to the segregation of alchemy and formation theory.

Dyon's senior brother, and the originator of array alchemy, had created the discipline as a direct counter to the coming chaos. The theory was that if you reached a penultimate level of array alchemy, you'd be able to recreate every law in existence for yourself, thus becoming a being who could form a universe from your own thoughts. If you ever reached that level, what use would there be in worry about "heat death". You could directly reverse it on whim.

However, reaching such a level was just a pipe dream. It was clear even its creator hadn't – and that was with millions upon billions of years at his disposal. Dyon didn't know exactly how old his grand teacher was, but he had an idea of how far back the history of the gates went. And since he used array alchemy to create the gates, that directly meant that his senior brother had been alive before the creation of the gates.

This meant that a genius far above Dyon, capable of creating array alchemy from the ground up, had an unfathomable amount of time to grasp the peak levels of array alchemy, and had still failed to do so in all this time.

And yet, the shrewdness of their enemies didn't take any chances. They directly chose to stifle the spread of array alchemy, to the point where the combination of the two was looked down upon.

"I can't be exactly sure," Meiying continued, "But, from what I can tell – some of which comes from my eavesdropping and some of which comes from my will's abilities – a lot of what Elder Daiyu can say is sealed. He'll often have very roundabout ways of explaining things, or he'll avoid topics he should probably otherwise explain.

At first I thought that was just him. Old experts often have quirks about him… But, then I realized he only acted this way when he was talking about very specific things… Namely their plans for the future. The truth is I don't even know what they're using the Belmont Holy Land for right now. It was clearly another thing he wasn't allowed to say.

But, what really let me know that this entity wasn't something they could break away from was the fact that Elder Daiyu didn't seem to be the only one effected. In fact, aside from the younger generation which was practically limited to just Chenglei, every other member of the Daiyu seemed to have this seal on them as well."

Dyon thought for a moment. His grand teacher hadn't told him any specifics… All he had asked Dyon was whether or not he'd be able to handle the truth in the future, or if he'd become just like the demon sage – losing his mind for millennia.

Truth be told, Dyon found that to be complete rubbish. He had too great an understanding of array alchemy to believe something like that. The ability to effect a person through the actions of his grand teacher was no different from binding his grand teacher. Something which his grand teacher himself had said wasn't possible! It was clear he just hadn't wanted to tell Dyon.

"As for the bits of the plans I have understood… It seems they still need King Belmont for the last step. Their goal was to first infiltrate and lie in wait for the Belmonts which is probably why they sent saints to chase after me despite how important they are to their plan."

Dyon's eyes flashed. This was good. This was really good. It wasn't as good as it could be, because Dyon had no doubt that the death of the saints would be noticed – although it had happened much sooner than he anticipated. That said, they wouldn't be sending any more out to chase. They were smart enough to know that if 3 saints died, Meiying had made her way to some powerful experts.

"The only problems is that because you've escaped, they'll likely know that we might be ready for an ambush… Because whether or not they know of my connection to the Belmonts, they'll notice the fact I've made it into the top ten."

"Don't be ridiculous. What is a ranking compared to your life? I'd leave a hundred world tournaments if it meant saving you." Dyon grinned. "Come on, your sisters are probably worried, they miss you."

Dyon scooped Meiying up, his wings flashing as he flew toward the arena with his demon generals trailing him. He knew that since the Daiyu were lying in wait, there was no point in speeding over there. There were too many other variable and Dyon still didn't know how the Ragnor and the other planets fit into all of this.

Meiying looked up at Dyon's side profile, a faint anxiety playing her heart strings. But, the more she thoughts about it, the less she could bring herself to tell Dyon.

Behind him, there was a battle raging. It was between Tau Aumen and Zabia Jafari. Truth be told, it was quite interesting, but Dyon couldn't be bothered to care.

He didn't think he had been gone for long, but, martial battles could last hours, but they could also last a few seconds. If the battles he missed erred on the side of seconds, he might have missed much of the event already.

"But, that Caedlum guy and Thor directly resigned. They happened to be two of your opponents, so right now you have two losses and two wins." Clara finished.

Caedlum he could understand. But, Thor was a nice surprise. 'It seems I didn't misjudge you. I'll leave it up to Ava whether she forgives your sister or not. But, you two deserve my help.'

"Alright. No big deal. To be honest, with this line up, I can probably still get top three." Dyon looked over his shoulder again. He noticed something odd about the fight between Tau and Zabia, almost like it was being stalled. But, he thought nothing much of it.

Meiying nodded, allowing Dyon's eyes to flash gold and change her features. Her eyes dimmed to a calm brown and her face became sharper, in contrast with its usual delicateness.

"Sure, sure." Clara was seemingly having a lot of fun with this. She knew that Dyon would never hesitate to give up his prestige to save any one of them, but that didn't mean he like having his name trampled over. "You never gave me those books on array alchemy you promised."

Initially, Dyon was shocked. 'Is Lionel that strong?...' But, when he looked over, he noticed that Thor had simply resigned again. It seemed he had no interest in placing in the top ten at all. Either that, or he was saving his strength.

There was little else Elder Den wanted to call Dyon other than a coward, but even he knew how ridiculous that sounded. Dyon ran from Vidar yet came back to face the opponent that had beaten him in a near instant? He didn't feel like walking into a verbal trap again.

Elder Den's face twitched. What was he talking about?! Martial Artists past the foundation stage had no need for such things. In fact, as soon as you tempered your inner organs at the 5th and 6th stages, you would never again have to. Who was he trying to fool?!

"Ah, Elder Den, you have such a perverted mind. Nature calls for many things. I'm just a bit too embarrassed to share. But, I'll take my losses in stride. You won't stop me from participating from now on, right?"

Suddenly, a beauty gently landed onto the stage. She was truly worthy of being known as a member of the six beauties of the universe, although they had now lost one of their members.

Her delicate brown skin was flawless and unblemished. She wore a beautiful sky-blue Saree dress with long and flowing sleeves, but had a body that clung tightly to her curves. Her hair was a long jet black, but her eyes shone a piercing sky blue… She was truly perfect.

Vidar, who was on the sidelines, gritted his teeth. He didn't know where Dyon had gone, but, for him to come back at this very moment when he had just taken a devastating loss truly irked him.

How sensitive was Dyon to music will? It could be said that he was nearly without match in this regard. It had been the very first will he grasped and that was when he had no real concept of such a thing. So, how could he not tell what Saru was lacing her voice with?

The air sung along with her melodic tone, trembling and dulling Dyon's senses. He couldn't help but stand there blankly for an instant, mesmerized and enraptured.

Vidar suddenly grinned on the sideline. This was how he had lost! Although Saru hadn't spoken to him, she had seemingly been able to effect change in the atmosphere, stunting his inner ear. He was disoriented and before he had the opportunity to do much of anything, he found himself kneeling in submission with his life under the full control of the beauty.

Dyon's eyes dulled, darkening from their bright hazel green to a murky blackness. It was almost as though he had lost consciousness – losing a tangible understanding of what was going on around him.

A strange vibration began to compress on her small and delicate palms as she rapidly closed the distance. Her eyes were calm as a lake and her facial features didn't fluctuate. But, if you paid close attention, one could almost notice the small semblance of loss … No, it was more like disappointment.

All of her actions were graceful and seemingly without killing intent. However, any expert could see the danger of this attack. Despite all of the great warriors they had seen, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Saru Shruti still boasted the strongest attack power!

Blood flew from Dyon's mouth as his chest almost caved inward. His body flew backward with such velocity that the back of his clothes were sheared off – first by the wind, and then from the friction, burning them to nothingness.

"Dyon!" Ri, Madeleine and Clara covered their mouths in horror. They had become so used to Dyon having everything within his control, so used to him being able to figure things out before he ever entered any real danger … and yet, he had failed this time!

Even when he fought Femi, although there was a point where it seemed like he might lose, he had at least been able to put up a fight first! What was going on?!

Saru watched quietly as Dyon's body catapulted through the air. In her eyes, there was no need to attack again. She had no malicious intentions against Dyon. In fact, she cared little for this tournament in general. The only reason she fought was to sharpen her skills. She had thought that Dyon would be someone she would be able to do this against, but it seemed as though she had overestimated him.

In these tournament rules, there was no such thing as out of bounds. In reality, although the stage was quite large in and of itself, fights at this stage were no longer so restricted since they were occurring one at a time.

Saru looked toward Elder Den to call the match. There was no reason to continue. In her estimation, there was no way Dyon had maintained his consciousness. The way her technique worked, it made powerful bodies obsolete. It didn't matter how powerful Dyon's body was. In fact, as long as it was within Saru's range, having a more powerful body might be more of a detriment than a help.

Dyon's body crashed to the ground, skidding and skipping as though he was a flat rock gliding across water. The tough arena material even broke apart and separated as though it, itself, really was a liquid!

Noticing Saru's gaze, Elder Den frowned. He had been told, very strictly, by Patriarch Ragnor to maintain absolute fairness because they had been embarrassed enough times. He simply couldn't call the match even if he wanted to, Dyon still had his consciousness!

The flow of energy within a conscious versus unconscious expert was very clear an obvious. As a peak saint expert, how could Elder Den not be able to tell the difference? If he called the match prematurely, he'd become a laughing stock.

Saru Shruti raised an eyebrow, but, noticing that Elder Den had no intention of calling the match, a rare bit of surprise rippled across her features. "Oh?" Her voice was light and detached as she looked toward the crater Dyon lied in.

Dyon stood slowly, still coughing. He winced a bit, stretching his back and spitting away the last bit of blood from his mouth. "That was some attack," He said, laughing bitterly. The dullness in his eyes had faded, giving them back their previous sharpness.

Madeleine and Ri giggled at Clara's innocent reaction. But, what was maybe more surprising was the fact even Saru blushed, averting her gaze in such a way that it didn't seem like she was embarrassed, but rather that she couldn't be bothered to look at Dyon.

Looking down at himself, Dyon didn't seem too embarrassed. The sound of screeching females in the audience, though, awoke him to the fact that Ri would probably kill him if he didn't put on clothes soon.

Dyon jumped, propelling himself with wind will until he gently fell back a few meters before Saru. "I have to say… Your technique is quite dangerous. It's certainly not simple to counter. But, if that's all there is, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint another beauty today."

On one hand, it made no sense for him to have seen through her technique in only a single instant. It was much too complex, layered, and quite frankly, too high level for this universe.

But, on the other hand, he was clearly standing before her, perfectly fine. Had she underestimated the strength of his body? Or was there another problem with her calculations?

"I'm surprised, honestly." Dyon said, still stretching out the kinks in his body from being sent flying so far, "For such a dainty woman to be primarily a body cultivator. That's quite interesting."

Truth be told, Vidar's understanding of wills was shallow. It was his major flaw and a reason why his father hadn't hesitated to bring in Thor as a second first in line genius. Had he not been his son, Vidar might not have had that position to begin with.

That combined with the fact that Saru wasn't exaggerating when she said that her technique was far above anything from this universe, and Vidar simply stood no chance. He didn't have the experience, nor did he have the talent.

The atmosphere around them began to gain that heavy and illusory feel it had in the beginning. Bells suddenly appeared along Saru's sky blue dress, causing a corrosive whistling sound to fill the atmosphere. There was no question that the level of this attack on the senses had reached an unprecedented level.

Members of the nearby audience began to lose focus in their eyes, becoming disoriented. Some of the even weaker began to bleed from their ears, seemingly oblivious to what was happening to them.

At this point, the damage to the audience could no longer be ignored. Just what level had the younger generation reached to be able to do such a thing? This had never happened during previous world tournaments!

Elders of the Cavositas family had no choice but to flash outward, acting as protectors to several sections at once. This universe simply didn't have array alchemy on the level necessary to provide such protection. Providing arrays for voice amplification of image projection were about their limit. Had it not been for the previous Celestial Deer Sect, even interplanetary travel would be near impossible!

For a moment, it seemed as though they were evenly matched. Both Saru and Dyon stood in a deadlock, palms seemingly touching, but really, they were separated by a thin film of volatile air.

Suddenly, the skin of Dyon palm sheered, splitting open and erupting in a volcano of blood as his body was once again sent flying without remorse. And yet, Saru was not the least bit happy as she watched him once again skid through the air and ground.

Vidar stood on the sidelines, sneering on one hand, and sighing in relief on the other. So what if he had lasted a bit a longer? Vidar thought. Even if he had, it just made Vidar look smarter for resigning much quicker. One knew his limits, and the other didn't.

That said, the growing frown on Saru's face told an entirely different story. In fact, if anyone was really paying attention, they would have noticed that she had long since stopped trying to use her confusion technique at all. Why? Because it wasn't working!

Saru and Dyon's palms met. However, this time, there was no pocket of air between them and there definitely was no one sided affair. Even Saru's odd wide energy cracked under the pressure, slamming their palms together.

A light smile played Dyon's lips. But, inwardly, he was still quite surprised. He had boosted his body cultivation by eight and yet he had only managed to make Saru stumble a step or two. Maybe the most troubling part was the fact he was sure that as a body cultivator, her techniques weren't limited to this.

Not to mention the fact his palm was still trembling from their contact, 'I won't be able to beat her with just body cultivation.' Dyon thought to himself silently.

"Your technique is fairly clever, but I have too much experience in the wills you use for it to have taken me a long time to figure it out." Dyon responded.

"You don't seem to understand," Saru said, her face serene even as their mighty strikes seemed to cause the world itself to collapse. "You're not normal."

An array appeared behind Dyon in an instant as wings burst from his back. A violent wind will sharpened his palm strikes and he sent wave after wave of compressed air toward Saru's retreating figure.

"Your first technique was a simple trick. You disorient the senses by using a combination of essence energy sent messages with real world messages. Something as simple as making a sound that really comes from the right, actually seem like it comes from the left, can cause an odd sense of imbalance and confusion." Dyon slowly explained even as weapon's hell array spun into existence, hundreds aiming directly at Saru.

"The inner ear itself is already important toward balance. So, if you add an extra level of complexity by disrupting its function, then you have a technique that leaves a person in an uncomfortable daze."

Saru leisurely dodged Dyon's attacks, slipping by them with ease. Her clan had its own sensing type technique that once again made use of vibrations and music will. She could dodge these attacks even with her eyes closed if she chose to.

But, despite her outward appearance, the shock in her heart was truly too much. She had expected Dyon to have a surface level understanding of her technique considering her had been able to adapt so quickly, but this explanation was truly too in depth! At Saru's level, that was exactly how the technique worked!

"Your palm strikes though," Dyon continued as he layered his javelin with piercing sword and wind will before pumping it was such pure demonic will that his skin reddened even further. "Those are quite special and are what really took me a bit of time to counter."

"Shruti's Stomp, First Performance." Saru's curved body quivered, her hands clapping together as he foot rose before gently falling. There was no force in her actions, and yet a light ripple of blazing white took form, meeting Dyon's javelin head on without fear. Saru didn't even feel the need to dodge

"Every object has a certain frequency to it. The reason why a voice can shatter glass is exactly because of that. But, it's also what makes you quite dangerous," Dyon said, admiring Saru's defenses as they stopped his javelin.

This was why Saru had attack power among the best and why powerful bodies meant nothing to her. Saru had such mastery over the vibrational path of music will that she was capable and keying in on an object's internal frequency. She would then use that information to send palm strikes at this frequency to shatter her attack target in an instant. By all rights, Saru's first palm to Dyon should have completely crushed his inner organs to minced meat.

The only way to counter this technique was by either using overwhelming energy to supress the attack, have a body so strong that it was outside of Saru's capabilities to match the frequency of, or, as Dyon had done, counter her wave frequencies with your own!

A massive animal's foot stomped down on Dyon's javelin, shattering it in an instant and leaving behind Saru's immaculate figure in the center of the ring.

Dyon's wings flapped leisurely in the skies as he looked down. He was confident, but he was also being cautious now. Although Saru had displayed more than enough talent to warrant the top ten, she was definitely still withholding more of her power. The question was… Just what were her limits?

Her body disappeared behind the blinding lights, sheering her clothes away as her skin began to be coated from toes to neck in a beautiful white leathery skin.

In the next moment, a five headed white elephant manifested ethereally above her head, roaring into the skies with a domineering might that shook the very foundations of the stadium.

Saru Shruti stood completely unperturbed. It was as though she had swapped her dress for a tight-fitting leather body suit, however, the partial scale covering on her nipples and treasured area made it clear to everyone watching that this was in fact her very own body.

She was like a she-devil. But her beauty had been brought to such an oppressive level that it was becoming difficult for bystanders to control themselves. It was as though a beauty beyond words had put on a skin-tight body suit that left so little to the imagination that she might as well be naked.

"You should be proud," Saru said lightly, her voice seemingly layered with the airs of a queen, "Although this will be over before you get to enjoy the feeling, know that you are the first of my generation that I've had to use this transformation on."

Dyon looked at the majestic elephant in the skies. There was only one way for a body cultivator like Saru to display a manifestation… Whatever her bloodline was, it was at the level of a transcendent level beast at a minimum!

The world became clear in an instant. Everything was so clear that even with the raging sound of the crowd, Dyon could see and hear the robust beating of Saru's heart. Her blood pumped so vigorously and with such vitality that her power could not be questioned.

Suddenly, all Dyon could hear was the beating of his own heart. It wasn't that the crowd had silenced itself, or that he had entered some kind of zone. The sound quite literally could not make it to them.

Her speed was blinding, something that even lower level saints couldn't match up to. She blurred on the monitors, disappearing from sight. And yet, her movement were incomparably clear to Dyon.

This time, the air in her palm not only held the ripple of vibrations and her oppressive white energy, but also a flurry of lower level wills, boosting her power directly.

Dyon's movements were slow, but deliberate. His sword swung with a qi fused perfectly with her sparkling space will, sheering space in half with such power that the distinct sound of tearing filled even their vacuum-like space.

In an instant, blade met palm. And yet, there was no sound. The wills let a muffled groan loose as they both retracted their attacks before immediately continuing in a burst of exchanges.

Saru's speed was only matched by her nimbleness. Dyon's sword play didn't seem to have a style of its own. In fact, it was basic and simple. And yet, every strike held an ease of movement and a calculated lethality that seemed to cut off Saru's plans multiple steps ahead of them taking action.

The crowd almost wanted to laugh at Dyon's simple and reserved swings. Was this really what you'd call a sword master? And yet, as their exchanges continued, the less the waves of laughter came.

There was no doubt that Saru was much faster than Dyon, and yet, she had yet to land a solid hit. She felt stifled and stuffed into a box. Dyon sword play wasn't an art. It was a science.

A simple first level sword and space will danced along Dyon's blade as he continued to minimize his movements. What few noticed was that as time passed, his movements became more minimalistic. And with every swing of his arm, the wills on his blade became thinner and sharper.

Saru's features remained calm, but her heart was dancing about wildly. Any one of the things Dyon was doing to her now seemed ridiculous. And somehow, she got the lurking feeling… That he was still learning!

Dyon raised his sword above his head, causing a reverse pulse of space to accumulate as though it was a heart beat. The air vibrated and oscillated violently, trembling under the pressure.

"Maybe if you were as old as you said you were, you would have won." Dyon said lightly, taking advantage of the fact their noise was isolated. "This is the first time I've met a woman who willfully added years to herself."

How often did Dyon get to fight someone on his level? The sad truth was that it was rare for him. Quite frankly, as his soul strength continued to sky rocket, he found fighting people in and around his cultivation tedious. Their movements were so slow, and his mind calculated so quickly that even if his energy and body couldn't keep up, he could take shortcuts to succeed.

But, Saru was different. She was the first that he had met since he awakened his energy cultivation that truly pushed him. And because of that, he was able to refine himself and learn.

Suddenly, the barrier of sound completely shattered. An incomparably large gash of space and sword qi twinkled with a dangerous light, prepared to halve Saru's perfect body.

Suddenly, three massive elephant feet appeared in the skies, layering atop of one another and sending a tempest of air rushing outward from itself. Its movements seemed slow, and yet maintained an air of suppression and dominance that threatened to shatter even Dyon's level three fusion.

Much like the soul and meridians, the body tires. When a body cultivator like Saru makes use of a manifestation, she was tapping into an innate technique of her bloodline, namely her defensive technique 'Shruti's Stomp'. However, the problem with doing such a thing, especially when Saru was so young, was that it worked to heavily fatigue her – she lacked the stamina and efficiency to use this technique for an extended period of time, let alone having the ability to use it to as high a level as she was now.

Dyon stretched out his hand and shattered the sword qi. It was clear that Saru had lost consciousness, but, he flashed forward as his eyes shone a purple gold. Before anyone could see, a concealment array blossomed around Saru's still figure, but the glimpse of perfection Dyon saw caused his nose to redden before he turned away.

Saru had, of course, been relying on her transformation to hide her naked body. And, now that she had lost consciousness, it was suffice to say that that transformation hadn't lasted.

It was clear that the reason Saru had lost consciousness was because of the shattering of her manifestation. Since it wasn't soul based, Dyon couldn't use devour on it, but, that didn't stop him from overwhelming it anyway.

In the end, it became clear to Dyon that with greater talent and techniques, risk came along as well even when learning them was easy. Manifestations couldn't reach their peak usefulness unless they could materialize into the real world. And yet, almost ironically, it was that very materialization that put them at the most risk.

Dyon's eyes dimmed as he looked at Saru, but he quickly averted his eyes, placing the blanket he had created over her before shattering his concealment array and walking away.

It was clear to everyone in that instant that Saru was in the nude, and yet, there were mixed feelings about Dyon so quickly covering her up. That said, it was a clear sign of respect. Especially considering he hadn't extended the same courtesy to Iris Ipsum.

Looking back, Dyon smiled lightly before flashing away from the stage. Coincidentally, he landed beside Vidar who was apparently fuming in anger. It shouldn't have been so easy to beat her! Even if he understands music will, there shouldn't be anyone alive who could conquer her so quickly.

Seeing Vidar's face, a light smile played Dyon's feature, "Forget ten moves… A single swing is probably enough at this point." He said lightly before walking away.

By the time Vidar had realized what was just said to him, Dyon was long gone, of in the distance and leisurely sitting cross-legged with his focus focused. However, he couldn't say anything. He could only watch and accept…

Arivata was already on the stage, gingerly helping her cousin down from the stage as her name was called. In the next moment, she had stepped forward, prepared to battle.

In the skies, Dyon had closed his eyes in meditation. He had truly learned a lot from his fight. Namely, he had learned that with his increased soul strength, he could finally fuse wills beyond just the first level!

In addition, he was able to control the output of his sword-space fusion into finer and finer detail, such that the sharpness would be concentrated and therefore all the more potent.

Time and time again, he found that his soul gave him an unprecedented advantage in terms of comprehension ability. And yet, he had yet to fully grasp just why that was as the battle between Arivata and Jace erupted.

The soul was of unprecedented importance to the martial world despite its being neglected. Despite what the pursuit of energy and body cultivation might tell you, both of those were just a means to an end, and both were just as fleeting. What truly connected you to this world was your soul.

When ancestors of clans slept to increase their karma during reincarnation, it was their soul that tethered them to this world and gave them an opportunity. When you reached the pinnacle of mortal cultivation, it was your soul that aided you in forming your dao. When you transcended above it all, it was your soul that housed your cultivation, forming faith seed and passing it along as you saw fit.

Dyon's meridians trembled during his meditation, but he forcefully supressed it once again, unwilling to have a break through in his energy cultivation right now. He could almost sense his individual meridians slowly becoming a bottomless depth… As though they were approaching a limit of infinity. But, he calmed himself, knowing that the process would take much longer than it seemed.

Arivata and Jace's battle seemed to last the longest. Arivata was a body cultivator, much like Saru. But, she didn't have the same bodily transformation Saru did. It was either that her bloodline wasn't potent enough, or she hadn't tempered herself enough to be able to.

On the other side, though, Jace was clever enough to use his own form of counter. As a wind will expert, he was capable of copying Madeleine's methods in creating a vacuum to not allow the oscillations in the air to effect him. It was quite possible that had Jace never seen Madeleine's battle, he would have never understood this point. But, on the other hand, he deserved credit for being clever enough to figure out just what Madeleine was dong, why she was doing it, and how she was doing it.

In the end, though, Arivata managed to outlast Jace. Because of her body cultivation, her stamina was just that much better. Jace wasn't used to Madeleine's technique, and as such, was much less efficient and wasted a lot of energy. In the end, it was a recipe for his failure.

The battles continued until everyone had fought five total battles. Because Dyon had been called so frequently to begin with, he was conveniently not called up again. It was becoming very clear to everyone that these "random" matches, weren't so random after all.

Vidar boasted a single win against Dyon forfeit, and another against Thor's forfeit. However, he was clearly unhappy with it because aside from those two forfeits, he couldn't seem to buy another win. Even Caedlum who had conceded his other four matches decided to fight him and won!

After his fight against Vidar, Caedlum took that opportunity to pre-emptively forfeit his remaining matches along with Thor, leaving the two of them as the tenth and ninth ranked for the tournament. Thor, of course, being tenth and Caedlum being ninth.

Coming into the final stages, Jace Clyte had 3 wins, having been lucky enough to receive three forfeits since he was one of Dyon's opponents during his absence.

Because Dyon had held back, Saru was able to fight again after receiving treatment. Although she didn't seem to be in tip top shape considering her manifestation had been shattered, she had already been running through the competition even without her body transformation. In her current state, she was still confident in ranking within the top 5. But, her gaze seemed to shift over to Dyon much more often than she'd like to admit to herself. She couldn't help but think about not just the battle, but also Dyon's pointed statement about her true age…

The top contestants had yet to meet each other aside from Zabia and Tau. However, that match had been quite lack luster, resulting in Tau's win. Dyon had found that match odd himself, but he was busy trying to consolidate what he had learned.

Among the remaining contestants, only Tau Aumen and Lionel Belmont remained unblemished by losses. With there being a 4 ways tie for wins between Dyon, Vidar, Jace and Arivata, many thought that the rankings were fairly set when it came to the very top.

However, that was only until Arivata and Dyon were both called onto the stage and Arivata directly conceded in gratitude for Dyon protecting their young mistress' dignity.

Then, Saru and Zabia fought. It was a great battle, but it was once again odd… Saru won, moving ahead to five wins. But, Dyon couldn't help but once again feel as though there was something off about Zabia. His eyes seemed cold… Too cold. And yet, his killing intent wasn't being unleashed on his opponent… He seemed to be waiting for something… No… Someone…

The wins and losses no longer mattered to him… Again and again he ran over in his head what he had learned just earlier that day, but he couldn't seem to focus his anger… Not when it was on the wrong person.

Just earlier that morning, Zabia had been elated. His mother had accidentally let it slip that a few months earlier, she had sensed life within his wife, Ulu. However, she had chosen not to say anything because that was a moment a husband and a wife should share together. Often times, married couples would withhold such information from the public until a proper amount of time had passed – only then would they share it with family and friends.

But… Zabia's mother was beginning to get antsy. 'It's been almost three months now.' She had said. 'Why haven't you two let me know I have a grandchild coming along.'

Her words had been so cheerful and teasing. It sent Zabia into a frenzy, complete happiness overwhelmed his senses as he too playfully berated his wife for being too cautious and reserved.

'You're too calculating little Ulu. How could you not tell your husband!' He had laughed so uproariously, playfully putting his ear to his wife's stomach.

He hadn't noticed Ulu's lips tremble. He hadn't noticed her countenance pale. And by the time he had, and the stinging pain assaulted his senses… It was too late to take any of it back…

Dyon stood silently across from Zabia. It wasn't lost on him that this man had some sort of connection with Ulu, but Dyon wasn't the type to transfer the sins of one to another. As far as he was concerned, Ulu had already paid dearly for her mistake and would be paying for the rest of her life. Whether the relationship between Ulu and Zabia was close or distant was irrelevant to him.

The Nuru God Clan was won born of darkness. Although failing to reach the pinnacle of a supreme law, the power of a wielder of darkness will could not be underestimated. The numerous paths birthed a versatile and dangerous will that left little weaknesses when mastered.

The Lebna God Clan was a clan of soul and spirit experts. Their seals were their trademark, capable of tying down even the most powerful of experts with a single thought. Their control over a battle field was near unmatched, and their manipulation was uncanny.

There was reason that time will wasn't listed among the supreme laws. Not only was it a will just as difficult to learn as any supreme law, it also didn't provide any of the benefits that should come with one. Legacies related to time will were too rare, and the use of time will was so constrained and limited by the laws of the universe that wielders of it would be seen as those wasting their time…

And yet, despite understanding this, the Jafari still continued to take pride in their speciality, still continued to pass down their wills… Still continued to hold on to this seemingly useless will.

Even Dyon only maintained his time will in order to make use of its fusion with his space will. It simply took too much stamina without enough pay off to wield time will… It wasn't worth it…

However… Somehow, the Jafari continued to survive. An ancient and stubborn clan, yes. But, one that had lasted through the torrent of the ages nonetheless.

The crowd didn't dare to say a thing. If this was any other match, they would likely have begun to boo by now. But something seemed different about this match… There was a story they didn't know about.

Ulu watched silently from the Planet Nix stronghold. Her expression was dead, and her eyes were hollow. A dense darkness filled the space as everyone's mood seemed to sync in unison.

Her hand was placed lightly on her stomach as her chest beat slowly – almost too slowly – filled with endless regret. Why had she even done what she had done? Was it worth it in the end? Was the potential increase in power their clan might receive worth the life of her child?

Ulu couldn't even delude herself into thinking that had she known she was pregnant, she wouldn't… No, couldn't have thought of doing those things to Ri.

She wanted to believe that maybe if she had had a little bit more motherly instinct… A little bit more sympathy and foresight… She would have been able to avoid all of this…

And yet now all she had was a baby in her belly that she had little understanding of… Was her child already dead?... Did it matter if their child was alive?... With her womb sealed, how would she ever give birth?...

Ulu was a part of the Lebna God Clan. By all rights, with her sensitivity toward sensory type techniques, she should have been the very first to realize that she was pregnant. But, it seemed that their elders were just that much more powerful. Until this morning, she hadn't even known she was pregnant at all… And now she wished she never knew…

Maybe if it was just her womb that was sealed, Zabia might have been able to maintain enough rationality to put their plan first. But, how could he be expected to do so in this situation? Ulu hadn't even attempted to calm her husband down. She hadn't bothered to remind him that he was meant to seal and not Dyon. In fact, she hadn't even been able to speak or think clearly for the entire day.

Elder Den stood in the skies with a confused expression on his face. Now more than a minute had passed and yet neither warrior had made a move. He was quite clear on the fact that he had long ago said begin, but there was little he could do now.

Dyon continued to stand silently, his eyes trained on Zabia who had yet to look up from the ground this entire time. Judging by his demeanor, Dyon had long since come to understand that this man's relationship with Ulu wasn't so simple. In fact, it was so close that Dyon could see his soul blackening more with each passing second.

"I don't care what your reason were. I don't care what you think my wife did or didn't deserve. For the price of playing with the life of my child… Today is the day you die."

Dyon's eyes flashed with a sudden realization. This technique was the same one used by Yazid against Vidar, and yet, it was on a completely other level. It even incorporated the darkness domain used against Thor!

Dyon had no time to think about what Zabia meant. And, quite frankly, he didn't have the time to care. He immediately bloomed his humanoid manifestation into existence, boosting his soul to its full extent while awakening the Mathilde family technique.

Dyon had been very much impressed by this technique. It combined the use of time will and space will in a unique way, making use of their ability to distort reality in the perfect way. The only issue he had seen with the technique was the stamina needed. To use time will as a simple illusory technique buffer was like the waste of all wastes.

However, that was only what Dyon had thought before he saw the final attack that hit Vidar before he was forced to activate his faith seed's constitution.

At that time, Vidar had been standing completely still with his nerves prepared to react at any moment, and yet, in an instant, tens of swords wounds appeared on his body without any warning. There was no sword qi. There was no spatial fluctuation. In fact, the illusory and ethereal swords hadn't been anywhere near him.

This multi-plane path of spatial will was something that Dyon had only thought of in theory before he found notes on it within the celestial deer sect's library. It was a path capable of hiding things in space. However, with enough mastery, it would become to separate the image of something from its effects on the laws in whatever space you wanted.

Essentially, you could hide the body of a sword within a different plane, effectively hiding it from sight and perception. But, you could keep its sharpness within this plane. Thus meaning that you could make you attacks nearly undetectable.

This was on a completely different level than simple invisibility because while invisibility hid you from only one sense, this path hid you from all of them!

Dyon's ear twitched in agitation as his head dodged to the side. He hadn't heard anything, but the uncomfortable feeling of blood dripping from his ears had alerted him to something even his eye technique had missed!

Dyon could no longer see Zabia, and although he had the means to tear this darkness domain apart, he didn't want to play all of his cards all at once. He wanted to see just what Zabia wanted to do first.

A man who had delved so far into his emotions wouldn't be content with killing his prey from afar. No. Zabia wanted to feel Dyon's flesh crumble beneath his palms, he wanted to see Dyon cry out in agony from as close as possible, he wanted to tear Dyon's soul out himself. This was nothing more than foreplay. Zabia was coming.

The crowd could only watch as the faint echoes of blades clashing against blades sounded. All they could see was a dense black fog, and yet the anticipation they felt hadn't died down not one bit.

It wasn't long before Ri, too, understood just what Zabia meant. Unlike Dyon, she didn't have to focus on a battle. So, when she heard Zabia mention a child, it was suffice to say that she was conflicted. She didn't know how to feel…

Yes, she absolutely hated Ulu down to her very core. Had Dyon not been strong enough to save her, wouldn't they be slaves right now? Would Ulu feel bad about Ri no longer being able to have children? Would this Zabia character even give them a second look? And yet, she was supposed to feel pity?

Ri clenched her fists so tightly that blood began to soak her palms. But, that was when a soft hand clasped over hers and she looked over to find Madeleine smiling gently.

Madeleine at Ri for a good long while before shifting her gaze to the dome of darkness in the distance… A dome where their husband was without a doubt fighting for his life.

"Let's trust him with the answer." She finally responded. "Because I think you've already made up your mind." Madeleine smiled, gently circulating her celestial will to ease the pain in Ri's palm.

A half laughing sob escaped Ri's lips. She really had already made a decision. How could she allow a child to pay for the sins of their parents? It wasn't fair. But, at the same time, what if her and Dyon had been with child at the time too?

Bloody wounds continued to accumulate across Dyon's body. His mind was racing as he continued to calculate again and again to make his sword swings more precise.

He had come to the conclusion that this likely wasn't the multi-plane path… Or, that it wasn't it alone. The reason being was simple. Dyon's space will was on a higher level than Zabia's, having already reached the 9th will level. There shouldn't have been anything Zabia could hide in space that Dyon couldn't detect.

Regardless of whether Dyon used his spatial will to its peak level every time or not was irrelevant. The fact that his comprehension of space had reached that level meant that there was nothing Zabia should have been able to get past him. And yet, his wounds continued to grow.

However… The second possibility that Dyon had thought of was much too frightening… If the Jafaris were really capable of such a thing, they were too heaven defying!

Unbeknownst to Dyon, Zabia was slowly edging toward him. He had long since understood that Dyon had senses that were far from the norm, or else he wouldn't have been able to deal with the disparity in speed between him and Saru. In addition, his grandmother in law and matriarch of the Lebna God Clan had already warned him that Dyon's soul level was ridiculously high.

Knowing this, he had decided to be cautious. Despite his anger reaching a fever pitch, Zabia had spent all day tempering it, even going as far as to lose battles that were well within his ability to win just for the sake of hiding his power.

Blades began to appear from nothingness before Dyon, slicing passed his defenses and digging into his once unblemished skin. He already brought his Demon Emperor's Will to the peak of the first act, and yet he still found his reaction time to be too slow.

Dyon tumbled forward, his back searing with pain. Suddenly, his Demon Emperor's Will fell from the third stage to the second. And then from the second to the first. And then it stopped rotating entirely!

He could feel the seal trying to worm its way toward his soul cultivation, but it shattered entirely. However, his energy cultivation didn't have the same luck – being sealed completely.

Blood ran profusely down Dyon's arm as it hung limply to his side. He immediately diverted his soul power from observation to healing, but that was the instant danger flashed through his senses again.

How could someone Dyon's age create a seal capable of hindering his energy and body cultivation? If his soul cultivation hadn't been so domineering, wouldn't he be completely helpless right now?!

There was no doubt in Dyon's mind that this was an external aid brought in by Zabia. It's no wonder he had used the darkness domain even knowing that it was useless against Dyon. It wasn't for the sake of Dyon, but so that no one could see what was going on!

Anger built up in Dyon's chest. He didn't care if this Zabia wanted to get revenge for his wife, but what he did care about were those who used despicable means even when they were clearly in the wrong.

All the while, this Zabia was using his darkness will to hide his deeds from the crowd, while using another technique entirely to hide from Dyon. It wasn't a space technique. No. It was a time technique. One that would have been enough to frighten anyone in existence if used by the proper expert. But right now, Dyon could hardly care.

Zabia's figure was revealed in an instant, but seeing that Dyon only had an injured arm, he frowned. He had no idea how Dyon had dodged with all of his cultivation sealed… Unless…

"I don't feel like wasting my words on you." Dyon said through a sneer so fierce that it was almost as though he treated Zabia as a shit stain beneath his feet. "You think you've known despair? I'll show you true despair."

Dyon's humanoid manifestation roared into the skies, causing the protector elders to once again have to take action, shielding the audience from the permeating music intent laced with Dyon's new comprehension of the vibrational path.

Dyon's sword morphed in his right hand, growing steadily into a ten-foot-tall rod. In the next moment, a blade curved from its edge, glistening in an eerie darkness as it loomed over Dyon's figure.

There was not a single pair of eyes not trained on Dyon. Whether they understood just what it meant for him to have mastery over such a will or not was irrelevant, the very feeling he was giving off was enough for the hearts of the masses to be moved in a way they had never felt before.

Supreme Laws were known as such not just for their power, but for their necessity. The world itself couldn't function without them, and yet, that didn't mean that some weren't still superior to others. And how many could possibly be superior to death itself.

The universe trembled in agitation, groaning in complaint. The only place that Dyon had used this form was within the Epistemic Tower – an isolated world. Even he hadn't been aware of what his power would do within the real world.

He suddenly felt unprecedented control over the stream and flow of things. He felt as though he had comprehended one portion of a cycle, and yet just that small portion was so vast and all consuming that he felt unstoppable.

He felt everyone's vulnerability. His Mathilde family technique suddenly upped its level of lethality, no longer just helping him see through techniques, but now also helping see how to most efficiently kill the one he was using it on.

Everything around him seemed to erode, even to the point of the strain on his own body being constantly fought against decaying in an instant. But, Dyon knew he could hold such a thing off for quite a while. Whether it be the purity of his energy cultivation, or the power of his soul, both helped him greatly in this aspect.

Ulu trembled looking at Dyon's transformation. With her sensory type abilities, how could she not understand the increase in Dyon's power? Not to mention the fact that their seal had failed! That was impossible unless his soul had been comparable to her own grandmothers!

Matriarch Lebna could only sigh. She had known that this was had a large chance of happening as soon as she noticed that even she had the inability to see through Dyon's soul cultivation. However, what could they do now? Even when she had warned Zabia, he was inconsolable. He wouldn't listen to reason. In fact, the look he had had in his eyes had scared even her.

She treated Zabia like a grandson, but in reality, he had the power and cache in their clan to command for even her death. However, today was the very first day that she had ever felt that if she pushed him too far, he really might use that power.

Dyon's scythe twirled across his palm as he felt his power steadily rise. Controlling a supreme law didn't end at just the will itself, but it gave you a fundamental boost in all aspect by connecting you to the true nature of things. Dyon's body suddenly felt one with world, a state completely impossible to reach with any less than will. A state that should only be possible once a will reached an 8th level intent!

With a single step forward, Dyon was instantly before Zabia's angered figure. In reality, Zabia was nearly a meter taller than him. And yet, he felt so very small. He was but a leaf in a stream controlled by Dyon.

Zabia's eyes flashed. Dyon's one weakness had been his lack of cultivation, which gave him a severe speed and reaction disadvantage. He had been forced to constantly calculate tens of steps ahead of his opponents in order to maintain a semblance of competition. And yet, all of that had changed.

Dyon's space will reached a new level, making use of his one with world state, he could use his space will to step through the void, something that would only be possible before had it been an intent or had it been the supreme law of void itself!

Ripples of darkness emanated from Dyon's bare feet as they slowly touched down. His movements were slow and deliberate, and yet Zabia couldn't make a single move.

The crowd watched in horror as the systematic dismantling of a top 3 ranker took place directly before them. Was such a competition truly meant to be so easy?

Zabia's efforts at retaliation never reached Dyon. The ripples in space and time that set up his sword formation were completely sheered apart and eroded away by Dyon's sword will. His attempts at hand to hand combat were met with a blade and shining blackness, ending only in endless agony.

Blood poured from Zabia's body. But, he refused to give in. He constantly climbed back to his one leg, propping himself up be his single arm, even as fogs of black spilled from his wounds along with his blood.

His once dark and flawless still looked sickly. It began to flake and fall off with his every struggle. His black hair greyed, then whitened – with every passing moment, the domineering effects of death were taking their toll.

Ulu had become hysterical. Screaming out with tears streaming down her face as she was held back. She squirmed and pleaded, but her cries fell on deaf ears.

Dyon's face was deadpan. His skin had paled to such an extent that it had lost its tanned and healthy color, but he was so lost in his feeling of power that he had yet to notice the price he was paying.

The celestial experts couldn't stop trembling. The shock they were being given by just this one boy was too much. Just how could a child with less than three years of experience in the martial world reach this level?!

"NO!" Ulu shrieked, her voice straining so much that her throat sheered against the force of her voice. Blood flew from her mouth before she passed out. Her psyche could no longer handle what was happening. This wasn't how it was meant to go. They were meant to be the King and Queen of their generation, moving their clans forward to a new level of prosperity.

In the martial world, there were plenty of techniques capable of enhancing your abilities for an instant, but some came with more of a toll than others depending on the quality and the power provided by the technique.

However, there were two techniques anyone could use should they be willing to do so. These techniques gave a power boost beyond even words capable of explaining such things, and yet the price they cost would be high… It was a price you should only be willing to pay should your life be on the end of its rope.

The first, and milder of the two techniques, was the burning of blood essence. During cultivation, whether deliberately by body cultivation, or not – by simply focusing on energy cultivation – blood essence would increase. Much like the soul, should a person choose to place all of their efforts into energy cultivation, blood essence would slowly lag behind by a few stages, gradually increasing, but at a much slower rate.

Should one want a temporary power boost, it was possible to burn your cultivation in this way, using your blood essence as a catalyst. This would result in a permanent drop in energy cultivation, as well as a severe weakening of the body for an extended period of time. Depending on how much blood essence was burning, one could increase their instantaneous power by as much as an entire stage, giving a first level essence gathering expert, the power of one at the second level and so on.

But… There was a much more severe technique. One that there was nearly no coming back from even if you had the best medicines in the world… One that would put your life on the line itself… And that, was the soul burning technique.

So often people underestimated the power of the soul, but little did they understand just how important it was. The soul was a fundamental connection to the world itself. It was what truly gave mortals the right to forge their place in the world and it was the gift of the heavens to the weak so that they could one day become strong… The idea of burning such a gift away from temporary power was unheard of… And yet, that was what was happening now…

"You want to show me death? I gladly accept! But before I step away from this world, I'll show you the pride of my Jafari Clan!" Zabia roared into the air.

Suddenly, sparkles of silver and black overwhelmed the black fog that leaked from his wounds. And then, before the eyes of everyone… His limbs grew back!

This was the price necessary to use time will as a supreme law. This was the price detailed and explained in the Jafari legacies. For the power to control the universe as you saw fit, to bend it to your will and see what you want done, done… The cost was your life!

All of this time, Zabia had been using a technique that was already heaven defying. By restricting his time will to an infinitesimally small distance above his skin, he could control the time for him and him alone. He could extend this principal to his swords as well, controlling just the time flow of them as objects. With this loophole, he was able to use time will to the capacity of a supreme law within that finite space.

That was how he was able to sneak up on Dyon in an instant and why Dyon was being cut by swords that were seemingly appearing from nowhere! The swords and Zabia had both been in the future while Dyon was still in the present! How could you possibly react to something not within your timespan?

The problem with this technique was that it was a ridiculous stamina drain. In addition to this, the more Zabia used it, the more damage his soul took. In a short battle, he could slowly heal himself over the course of a few weeks. But, in one as long as the one he fought with Dyon, he found himself struggling more and more as his stamina and soul depleted.

Seeing that his technique was no longer working, Zabia made a decision. As a man, he refused to not have the capability of protecting his own family. He hated himself for not having been there for Ulu when all of this had happened. And for what? To go on a bullshit mission he hadn't even really done anything during anyway? For the sake of increasing the power of a clan for what? For the future? What future was there if he couldn't protect it?

Zabia roared madly into the air as a heavy sword weighing hundreds of kilograms appeared in his hand. It was without a doubt a transcendent weapon. However, the aura it gave off being flooded with endless saint energy was something that Dyon had never been able to match.

"Die!" Zabia's figure disappeared completely. He was within a stream of time completely separate from everything, and yet his range had increased to such an extent that Dyon felt his reaction time significantly slow. Even the erosion ability of his death qi came to a full stop.

Clara raised a shaking hand to mouth, tears falling without end. Ri's bestial roar shook the arena, her kitsune form bursting forth as all she saw was white. Madeleine paled, unable to move…

Zabia looked into Dyon's eyes cruelly, pulling his sword out to reveal a hole so massive that it shouldn't be possible for any meridian formation expert to survive.

The soul burning technique should have lasted much longer than this, but what he had done with his time will was too heaven defying. All of the power he had gotten was used in an instant…

He had sacrificed for power once, and that had ended up with his wife's chances at having a child being shattered right before him. And then, at the end of his life, he had done it again… How laughable.

In all his anger and rage, he had insisted he was protecting his family, and yet now that he would dead, who would do so now? Would the fate of his wife and children change? What exactly had he accomplished in killing the only person he knew could cure her?

Kawa Acacia sped out from the Belmont skybox, intercepting her daughter and disappearing in space before anyone noticed her. She held Ri's head tightly against her chest as she shook violently.

In previous matches, it was very much possible for celestial experts to intervene. In a battle of such weak warriors, in their airs, it was as simple as waving a hand to interfere. And yet, in that instant, the battle had far surpassed that of the younger generation.

Dyon was using a supreme law! A will on the level of which none of them had managed to even remotely breach. It was a level of will that gave the Uidah an unprecedented advantage over them during each and every campaign, and that was without sending out their best!

Even worse, Dyon death will with without a doubt at the ninth level. The Uidah at most had ethereal permeation at the 3rd to 5th level. Just what kind of concept was it to have a supreme law at the peak will level? That was the equivalent of having an elemental will at the 8th intent level! It gave you access to one with world, something even they hadn't touched as experts.

It was at that point that there was little doubt in anyone's mind that Dyon was number one. It was simply impossible for any other members of the younger generation to match him. His power was too outstanding and his star shone too brightly. He was unmatched!

The thoughts of the crowd flashed back to their very interaction with this young man. They remembered the chorus of boos they had greeted with him and how unperturbed his confident smile had been as he swept two otherworldly beauties into his arms without a care for the world.

Zabia had used the sacrifice of his life in order to deal a fatal blow to Dyon. A fatal blow that utilized time will to a scale that shouldn't have been possible for any expert in the world… A skill so heaven defying that it had made the supreme law of death look like little more than child's play.

On a battle of that scale, even the celestial experts couldn't intervene. It had reached a level where even their thousands of years of cultivation meant absolutely nothing in the face of these children!

Zabia slumped to the ground, panting heavily as he held onto his heavy sword with the last of his power. His hair had whitened, first because of Dyon's death will, but then because of his own sacrifices. He battled hard, trying to keep his soul from dissipating, hoping against hope that maybe he had cut himself off from the power in time to salvage the last bits of his life… And yet, with every breath, his life seemed to slip further and further away from himself.

King Acacia looked down at the arena, his face such a harsh shade of red that everyone around him was afraid to say a single word. 'Didn't I say that I'd bring you back from the dead just to kill you again if you made my daughter a widow?!'

Suddenly he paused, a message entering his ears, 'Now huh?... This is actually quite a good time. But, to think the diligent Elder Daiyu would make such a big mistake. It seems to me that you've gotten senile in your old age.'

On the arena floor, all pairs of eyes still rested on a handsome young man who remained standing tall. His scythe remained firmly planted on the ground even as blood dripped from the gaping hole in his chest…

The crowd remained silent. Even Elder Den wasn't entirely sure how to proceed. Although he had played his part in labeling Dyon as a coward, that was little more than because it was what he was told to do. However, if there was one thing that was always respected in the martial world… It was strength.

It had become clear to everyone here that the likelihood either Tau Aumen or Lionel Belmont could survive the onslaught of Dyon's death qi was minimal. The idea of a sixteen-year-old having access to a supreme law, a supreme law that hadn't appeared in the world in thousands of years, and the fact he had somehow managed to learn it to the peak of the ninth level, was nothing short of ridiculous… And yet, hadn't that been exactly what occurred before them?

Iris Ipsum's younger sister after losing the love of her life to Dyon, had sent her very own blood of a fool's errand. In the end, her sister had ended up crippled and listless. The fact of the matter was that although Iris Ipsum was alive, she might as well have been dead. Her dignity had been stripped from her and it was all to protect a younger sister that had never been in the right to begin with.

Madeleine's family breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Dyon was dead, there didn't seem to be a reason for Madeleine to avoid them anymore, and she could reassume her position as the Sapientia first in line genius. Much like the rest of the naïve crown, they took the words of Head Sapientia as law. So, when he had said that Madeleine was only allowed to go with Dyon if her virginity remained in tact, they had believed it wholeheartedly.

'She's free…' Madeleine's former master squeezed her fists with excitement. She had been forced to watch as Dyon began to output power that even she would have problems matching again and again, and she was becoming helpless to the situation.

Connery Sapientia smiled lightly to himself. He was already thinking ten steps ahead. With Dyon gone, not only would there be no one to obstruct him in taking Madeleine back, he could also use Madeleine's status as his widow to take the items Dyon left behind! Using the status of the Sapientia, he would not only have the moral high ground, many would concede that allowing the Sapientia to house things would be the least confrontational arrangement.

And, even beyond that, items in this universe capable of ascertaining virginity were practically nonexistent. Their rarity was on a completely different level. So, Connery could very well marry Madeleine off as he pleased!

All of this time, Madeleine hadn't moved a single inch. With each passing moment, her face seemed to grow a new shade of white as it became more and more clear just what had happened.

Tears fell from Clara's eyes uncontrollably. She couldn't remember the last time she had lost control of her emotions in this way, and yet, it was as though a flood gate had been opened. She wanted to speak, to say something… Maybe it was to scream out her hatred for the world… And yet, nothing would come out.

Meiying, with her changed countenance was stunned. Wasn't this the same boy that had saved her just a few hours ago? A boy with arrogance and pride seeped so deeply within his bones, and yet he didn't hesitate for a moment to throw it all away for the sake of her life?

Even worse, Meiying knew something no one else here knew. There was something attached to the death of a mortal that she couldn't even fathom bringing to light. It hurt too much. The pain in her chest only seemed to grow until she too felt tears streaming down uncontrollably.

However, in the midst of all of this, there was something those on opposing sides of the spectrum had yet to notice. Despite being dead, Dyon's array on Meiying's features had yet to disappear. Unlike his creations, something like that would have to be constantly powered by his soul and aurora.

There stood tall his humanoid manifestation, along with the Tree of Life and Death Dyon had used to tear apart Zabia's darkness domain, and even still there was his weapon's pagoda…

Within an odd cut-off world, Dyon swore to himself for probably the millionth time. He couldn't believe how ridiculous this situation was, and the more he thought about it, the more pissed off he got.

'I'm in this situation because people can't accept responsibility for their actions? Really? This bullshit martial world. I swear to god if I don't wipe this entire place beneath my feet, I might as well not be Dyon Sacharro.'

What probably pissed Dyon off the most was how he assumed his wives were reacting. And what about Clara? They shouldn't have to go through this. 'Fucking Hell.'

His first instinct was to immediately use his soul power to the maximum level to heal his body, but there were a few issues with that. But, none were more important than the fact the only reason he hadn't died was because of Zabia.

During Zabia's last attack, he had stopped time flow completely around Dyon. This was because without time flow, death qi became completely useless. As Zabia had thought at the time: How could there be any death without time progression?

This was an absolutely domineering and heaven defying technique that was currently costing Zabia his very life, despite the small scale it was being used on.

However, even with the sacrifice of his life, Zabia was still completely unable to lock Dyon's soul in time – although he had been able to slow it significantly. Which meant that if Dyon so wished it, he could tear through this film of time-stop by exerting pressure on it with his soul. But… There-in lied a problem…

As soon as Dyon removed this time-stop, his body would speed toward death immediately. He didn't have the confidence to ensure that he could preserve his life before that occurred. He would have to reconstruct all of his inner organs first, at a minimum! With how powerful Dyon's body was now, even with his saint soul, that was too tall a task. It would take him at least half an hour, even if he was minimalistic and quick.

In the end, this meant that Dyon's one saving grace was also acting like a ticking time bomb. The more time that passed, the more likely the time-stop would shatter without Zabia's power backing it. Then Dyon would have no choice but to try his luck… and likely die.

Clones were useless. Even if he created a 75% clone, it still had to be powered by his original soul, that was simply how the technique worked. If he tried to stuff his soul into the body of a clone, it would implode. Dyon's body was already strained enough carrying a saint soul, let alone if that body was suddenly 25% weaker.

And that was not to mention if that idea would even be feasible. Dyon didn't have the experience separating his soul from his body that Arios had. He had no idea if it would be possible. And, even if it was possible, would his clone really survive such a process? Such a risk was ridiculous to take.

Dyon's next thought was the demon sage's technique. Hadn't he extended the life of the demon generals by thousands of years, even to the point of stopping their aging completely, in exchange for their sanity and looks? Maybe he could use that technique?

But then, Dyon shook his head again. That technique required a level of body cultivation expertise maybe on the demon sage had ever had. That was not to mention the fact he didn't know the technique, nor was he powerful enough to execute. Such a heaven defying technique, even with the concessions that were needed to be made, could definitely only be executed by a half step transcendent like the demon sage.

Dyon's next thought was even wilder than the next. Wasn't the Dragon King's faith seed still here? He had been flooded with images the moment he formed a true connection with his weapon, but the Dragon King had fully submitted to him. However, that didn't meant that the dragon king wasn't capable of taking over his body if Dyon wished it… right?

The reason the Dragon King had submitted to Dyon, despite his otherworldly pride, was because when he forged his remnant into a weapon, he had taken on the aspects and aesthetics of a weapon soul. In every way, shape and form, no matter how much he remembered his previous life and glory, in the moment now, he was nothing but a weapon – one difficult to control and win over, yes… But, still wholly a weapon.

This was the price the Dragon King had to pay in order to continue to play his games in this plane of existence. Usually, the Dragon King was able to ignore its nature, because by all rights, it really never came across a worthy owner. As a man who had transcended and forged his faith seed into a weapon, how many could really be worthy to own him?

However, Dyon was a complete anomaly even the Dragon King couldn't have ever thought of. This was a young man with the accumulated weapon talent of billions of people across millennia. The will to submit by the Dragon King so far outweighed his ability to fight back, that Dyon had barely had to fight back against him. It was even to the point where Dyon had never even felt the presence of the Dragon King.

But… There was a problem with this approach too. If Dyon allowed the Dragon King into his body, he would definitely cease being tied down by the laws of a weapon! It would have a completely new bridge by which to operate… Dyon's body!

The other option was to do what his master had done… If Dyon allowed his soul to reach a severely weakened state, he could house his soul in the body of someone he trusted until they then came across a technique capable of reconstructing a body for him. In fact, that process might be easy for him considering how many body cultivating resources he had access to. In fact, considering who the demon sage was, he might, himself, already have a body construction technique. In fact, wouldn't a powerful sect like the celestial deer sect have access to such a technique as well? Considering he wouldn't be in shape to take the trials of the demon sage to earn that technique, his master's sect was a good alternative.

The more he thought about that last possibility, the more it seemed to be the best route for him. However, there was still a problem with this… Like Dyon had thought previously, souls couldn't exist without a body until it reached the celestial level. So, the question was could Dyon even do this? His master could house herself within him without having to rely on his body's strength because her soul was strong enough, but would the people Dyon trusted enough to do this with be able to carry the burden of both his and their soul?...

"It'll be okay Little Lyla, you don't need to watch this at all," Uncle Acacia tried to shield Lyla from the image of the boy she called big brother being skewered. He didn't know how effective something like this would be against a true empath, but he had to try even though his heart was hurting.

He was quite fond of Dyon, and even more fond of his relationship with his niece. He couldn't think of a better young man for Ri. And yet, there he stood with his life ended much too soon…

"The movements of the Ragnor's are reading attack and it seems they won't be alone in it. But, more importantly, my son in law still hasn't given up yet."

Although Lionel Belmont wasn't in the skybox any longer, Elwing was. When he heard those words, he was shocked before he looked down toward Dyon. 'Can you really survive this?...'

In the next instant, King Belmont's order rang through the arena. Out of respect for the deceased, since they were two geniuses of unprecedented talent, there was be a pause of half a day. But, that was where the order became weird and those with intelligence began picking up on the fact that something weird was occurring…

Patriarch Ragnor chuckled at this order. He had long since known that King Belmont was wary against him, but even he was surprised that the usual passive king had acted so unilaterally for once. It seemed he had his hands-on information that was fairly tangible.

Either way, it didn't matter. Patriarch Ragnor's job wasn't on a time constraint. All he had to do was bring the necessary pieces to the location because their planned sneak attack would no longer work. As such, pre-emptive action was needed. As long as he acted before the world tournament was over, it would be fine.

Of course, Patriarch Ragnor was only reacting like this because he had gotten word just a few days ago that King Acacia's true empathy wasn't functioning properly. The Ragnors information network wasn't to be underestimated.

Unfortunately, he had yet to be informed of a change. Or else, maybe, he would have reacted differently. After all, even he couldn't predict just how heaven defying the scope of Dyon's abilities were…

Why did he always settle on this? It wasn't as though he needed a reminder. He was always chasing after becoming stronger. Even his wives didn't know how hard he worked. Or, more accurately, they knew but decided not to comment.

Dyon's obsession with cultivation was bordering on psychotic. Why? Because at the end of the day, the only way to avoid situations like this was to become more powerful.

Would he be worried about not being able to construct his body in time if he was more powerful? No. Would he even have to reconstruct his body if he was stronger? No. It just all acme wrapping back around to the penultimate measure of your worth… Your power…

A thick scent of death started invading Dyon's senses. For the first time, he really felt like he was on death's door. If he delayed any longer, he really would die… And everything he had built until now would be for naught.

Dyon knew that this scent wasn't really a smell. It was just his soul being invaded with his imminent doom. A looming fact of life and an inescapable reality for all… death…

Dyon's sensitivity to it far surpassed the normal human. He couldn't help but think about why, of all the supreme laws, this was the first he had stumbled across. Why couldn't he have stumbled across life instead? Wouldn't it be a simple matter to save his life then?

Dyon focused his mind, trying to slowly sever the connection between his soul and body even as the death qi flooded him, sinking him further and further into the feeling of dread. The time-stop was clearly becoming weaker, and time went from a complete stop flow, to slowly inching forward.

At first, it was a tiny leak. Maybe a second would move forward for every ten minutes as Dyon strained to learn to control his soul in a novel way. But, even with his soul talent, dealing with flood of death qi made it difficult to focus. That coupled with the fact he was beginning to feel pain now that the time-stop was losing its effect, and it wasn't a great recipe for success.

'Focus.' He reminded himself. His praise of Arios reached to a completely new level in this instant. Severing such a connection while maintaining your consciousness was nearly impossible. And, it was starting to become clear that the only source of pain wasn't from Dyon's body… But also the sheering of his soul away from it…

The crowd looked over, still solemnly contemplating the past day's events. But, now they felt as though a miracle was about to happen. And yet, what really happened was beyond the expectations of everyone…

King Acacia's eyes widened in shock. His kingly demeanor was completely shattered. He suddenly understood everything, but it all felt like it was too late.

But, what stabbed King Acacia's heart with pain was the fact that this would only happen if the key felt that it no longer had an owner… Something that would only happen if its previous owner died…

In another plane of existence, an old man's brow furrowed. He sat in a rocking chair, looking out onto a war that had already raged for hundreds of thousands of years. And yet, this was the first time his features had fluctuated from his normal calm smile in just as much time.

It was absolutely impossible for any one entity to keep tabs on the going-ons of ten thousand universes at once. However, what this old man could do was keep his mind tethered to 100 specific towers. This allowed him to anchor his mind in the lower planes much like the Dragon King had done with his weapon – except this was on a much grander scale.

The rarity of a chosen losing their key could not be understated. These were usually warriors that were coddled and groomed to perfection by their universes. And, even in cases where they weren't, the advantage that an Epistemic Tower key gave you in hiding and biding your time was unprecedented. If you had been talented and clever enough to conquer the tower, there was no doubt that you were also smart enough to use the key effectively.

This old man was Dyon grand teacher, of course. How many young geniuses had he seen die in his millions of years of life? He had lost count, truthfully speaking…

But, that didn't mean that some didn't pain him more than others. Although he had plenty of geniuses he favored, and none of them would surpass his first disciple in his heart, Dyon was one that had left a lasting impression on him.

To the old man, the words of a genius meant little. With his abilities, he could delve so far into the mind of a person that he would likely know them better than they knew themselves in a mere breath of time. And yet, Dyon seemed to have a depth that even he couldn't see all the way through.

Because of this, he had had no choice but to ask Dyon directly how he would react to knowing the truth of things. In any other situation, that would have been a waste of his time. He had become so lofty and otherworldly, that he had begun to see the thoughts of lesser beings as predictable and pattern driven. But, somehow, the thoughts of a child who had an age that wasn't even fit to count as a mere second to him had caught his interest.

'And here I was hoping to give him some guidance when next the gates opened…' The old man sighed. Truthfully speaking, the gates only needed to close because he himself was gradually losing the power to keep them open. Realistically, if he continued to pour his soul strength into the gates, they'd never need to close for 'maintenance'. But, even he had his limits – limits he couldn't help but hate right now.

The old man closed his murky eyes, ready to cast his mind away from that universe. 'Maybe it's time 100 Epistemic Towers became 99… That way, maybe I'll last a little longe –' The old man paused, 'Hm?'

With Dyon's grand teacher's level of True Empathy, if Lyla and King Acacia could tell he was still fighting, how could the old man not? However, given the oddity of the situation gave him, even with all his experience, cause to pause.

He closed his eyes once again, and used the Epistemic Tower of Dyon's universe as a beacon to project his mind outward. If the experts in that universe were on a high enough level, they would have felt a formless presence of unprecedented power descend onto their world… The likes of which they had never, nor would ever feel again.

The old man sighed again when he noticed the floating key and Dyon's upright form. 'Don't tell me you died in this garbage tournament. You'd make all my hope in you seem like a joke…'

But, when the old man noticed the residual soul of Dyon's opponent still slowly dissipating, his brows furrowed again, 'Soul burning technique… Your personality is truly infuriating Dyon. To make someone go so far just to kill you.'

Despite his thoughts, the old man still continued to ponder the situation. Even if Dyon's opponent had done such a thing, with how many life saving measures Dyon had, it should have been possible to survive for the length of the burning…

'This young man is an upper grade 2 expert, but that's still a far cry from Dyon's grade 1 peak level… Although it is quite rare for someone to reach such a level in this universe, just what is going on here?...'

The old man, out of curiosity, spread his mind outward, scanning the rest of the arena. Everything was happening so quickly that it was as though everyone was locked in place, when in reality, the old man's processing speed was just that quick… Miles ahead of even Dyon's. No. It was more accurate to say light years. Even light millennia.

The old man turned a pensive gaze toward Dyon and sighed again. He had more or less figured out what was going on, and was quite impressed that Dyon was still fighting. Even the fact that Dyon hadn't once thought to rely on someone other than himself was impressive – having thought of the Dragon King for but a moment before tossing away the idea entirely.

'Hm?...' At this point, the old man was tired of being surprised, and yet, another overwhelming shock came to him. 'Peak 7th stage soul?... How is he still alive?...'

As Dyon had expected, his grand teacher had not once thought of the possibility of Dyon's soul reach the saint stage so quickly. Even with understanding just where Dyon's soul talent came from, seeing it in action in front of you was the only way to truly understand the level of domineering it was…

'He won't survive a celestial level soul… He'd have to permanently separate his body and soul and operate his flesh as though it was a puppet – but then it would become impossible to energy or body cultivate anymore. That's the only way… Actually, there's another.' Suddenly the old man smiled, 'You're quite lucky to have the inner world sanctuary technique…'

The old man sighed, 'Sometimes I can't tell whether this child is a genius or an idiot. He has the most robust thinking I've ever seen in someone with such weak cultivation, and yet his knowledge of the martial world is so limited that he can hardly put it to use.

He has access to so many wills, and yet his use of them is so shallow and one dimensional. He uses wind will as a simple speed boost. He only sees sword will as an attack qi. His death qi is only used to erode. He doesn't even know what that black and white flame in his manifestation mean. He's simply wasting heaven's treasures.'

Truthfully speaking, Dyon had only caught the end of his grand teacher's thoughts. The old man processed things so quickly that even with his one with world, Dyon had only just caught onto the fact that he was here. That said, it was only because his grand teacher hadn't bothered to hide his presence, nor his will and voice.

'What you're doing isn't going to work, you know. It's not that you have less soul control than that Arios character you're thinking of. It's more so that your soul is simply too difficult to control. In a lot of ways, even my Aurora technique isn't able to make full use of it, quite shameful really…'

'And? So what? Who asked you to pretend as though you didn't know this Ulu was pregnant? Who asked you to let him think that you wouldn't save his child? You put yourself in this situation because you're too arrogant. Always trying to one up people. Even if I couldn't read your mind, you think anyone on my level would believe that someone with a 6th sense as sensitive as yours wouldn't have sensed life in her womb? Dumbass.'

'Had you just chopped his head off in an instant, instead of playing around with him to make him reform himself, your wives wouldn't be crying right now.'

'Speaking of your wives,' Dyon's grand teacher continued, ignoring Dyon's comment, 'You're quite lucky to have the virginities of both Amethyst and Kukan. Usually, faith seeds don't contain primordial yin considering those who formed them lived entire lives of their own. But, Kukan and Amethyst were both abstinent. Technically speaking, you have 4 primordial yin seeds within yourself.

Even in Dyon's state, he couldn't help but shiver. 'Why can't people tell me things like this in advance… I don't even know what having primordial yin means…'

'Of course you don't, you know nothing. You have no idea how valuable a powerful woman's virginity is. How you stumbled onto two amazing wives like this is beyond me. How they fell for such an idiot is even further beyond me.

You have access to a ridiculous amount of power in you. Goddess' disposition primordial yin. Elvin Queen's Reign primordial yin. Violet Phoenix primordial yin. Void Kitsune primordial yin. And you probably just thought it meant an immediate boost in your cultivation, but that was nothing more than the effect of dual cultivating for the first time.'

'Don't even think about it. Yes, the ice phoenix is the phoenix of life. And the fire phoenix is the phoenix of reincarnation. But, you simply don't have the time to comprehend such things right now. Not to a level where it'll be of any use anyway…'

'Oh…' Dyon barely understood what happened. But, the shuddering of the skies and the arcing black lightning told him all he needed to know. 'One with mind… Intent level death qi…'

The moment a Supreme Law tore through to the intent level, the universe would react as violently as it would during a break through in cultivation. The idea of a being grasping the power of a supreme law wasn't something the universe was willing to accept. This was the same as allowing a person capable of bending the most important laws of the universe to their whim!

Truthfully speaking, Dyon hadn't even been trying to comprehend intent level death qi. All this time, he had been trying his best to control his soul separating from his body.

Time was still moving much too slowly in comparison to the reaction of those in the arena, so only Dyon and his grand teacher noticed the change. And, it was suffice to say that Dyon's grand teacher was shocked.

'A sixteen-year-old, without an affinity, capable of learning a supreme law to the intent level… Your soul's ability to connect with the universe truly surpasses everyone else at your cultivation level… Maybe I was wrong, if I helped you, you might really be able to grasp life will using your wife's primordial yin as you once used Lotus Tower's environment to learn death will.

Dyon furrowed his brow, he suddenly felt like he could last longer in this near death state than he had before. He had such a grasp of death, that it innately came with an ability to avoid it. But, it wasn't enough to get out of this situation completely. That said, he suddenly felt that if he improved his death comprehension enough, he would be able to survive… There just wasn't enough time!

'The near death state you're in right now is a rare opportunity… It would be a shame to waste it learning the opposite will… Not to mention, the only way you were able to learn a supreme law so quickly, even with your soul's advantage taken into account, is because you used your clones to experience death again and again. Even with your wife's primordial yin, it'll be exceedingly difficult without that hands on experience. In fact, if you tried to do so, your death qi would interfere heavily to the point where it would be nearly impossible.'

Dyon took a deep breath, feeling like he had some breathing room. Even if time unfroze now, he felt like he had at least ten minutes of life with his death qi comprehension. He could divert death from looming over him.

'One with body,' Dyon's grand teacher responded without hesitation. He had long since known this, it was just that he didn't believe that even if he helped, that Dyon would be able to reach such a level. 'That level allows you an undying body as long as your head and soul aren't destroyed… There are other limiters like having the necessary energy to heal the rest of your injuries, but with your soul strength, that shouldn't be a problem.' The old man snorted. 'Imagine thinking that death couldn't also grant you life. Your understanding is so shallow I could puke.'

Dyon sucked in a breath. It wasn't that he hadn't seen that level of intent before. In fact, many of his demon generals were at that level. However, there were major differences between him and his demon generals.

For one, his energy cultivation was far below the saint level. Even if he could push it to the essence gathering level anytime, that would make him unable to use anything but his body's power for at least a decade. And, if he couldn't use his wills or his soul was locked away, he would immediately die.

Without saint level cultivation, the connection to the universe was hampered. With each increase in energy tier came a higher sensitivity to the laws of the universe, which made learning wills easier. This was why a saint could learn even wills they had poor affinity with when their cultivations reached a high enough level, like Madeleine's master and music will.

This universe was nothing but an anomaly. One exceedingly weak when compared to others. Even in other lower level universes, mastering a will to the ninth level as an essence gathering expert was seen as no big deal. It was Dyon's ability to fluctuate his wills from level to level that was truly seen as impressive – that and the ability to master multiple paths per will.

That said, Dyon had only two years of cultivation time, was still a meridian formation expert, and had multiple wills mastered to the 9th will level… Not just one. That was in addition to having now grasped three intents!

All in all, Dyon's ability to learn wills was still marginally inferior to saint level experts with talent comparable to his demon generals, although not by much. But, ridiculously impressive for those of his standard.

Unfortunately, that meant that he would need at least as much time as they needed to learn wills to the one with body level… That meant at least 5 to 10 years! And, considering the fact his body and energy cultivation lagged so far behind his comprehension abilities, it was unclear just how long Dyon could maintain a supreme law of that level should he succeed.

That said, if it was completely focused comprehension, without being distracted, the time could be severely lessened. However, that would still require one to two years – and was also something warriors weren't willing to do, that being because there was more to cultivation than just will comprehension.

'Wrong.' Dyon's grand teacher interjected. 'Like I said, I'm ashamed that my aurora technique is actually holding you back. Everything you use your soul for, you use your aurora as a medium of action. Whether that be your sixth sense or your will comprehension.'

'By normal measurements, yes. But, considering the fact it was because I used normal measurements that your saint soul almost killed you, it's safe to say that it's best that I throw that out of the window. You don't need to use your aurora as a medium to comprehend wills. After all, not everyone has awakened their aurora, and yet don't they also comprehend wills?

Truthfully speaking, if the aurora was perfect… The soul wouldn't be looked down on so much. At the end of the day, it's just a technique I cheated to make seem as though it was a natural part of the world's laws. As such, it's flawed like every other technique.

There's another thing that separates you as well. Most people have wills that they simply cannot learn, no matter how hard they try… But, I don't think you have that problem. That said, this isn't necessarily a good thing either. You have almost too many paths to follow.'

'I'll help you. But, in exchange, when next the gates open, you must listen to exactly what I say for twenty years. You don't get to have an opinion of your own in that time frame.'

In reality, his grand teacher was his best shot. Why? Because his grand teacher had 5 abilities, but there was one in particular that caught Dyon's attention.

'Truth be told,' Dyon's grand teacher started, 'You're quite a fool for putting hope into this technique. But, considering I can see your thought process, it's on the borderline between insanity and genius.'

Dyon had no real idea what his grand teacher's Temporal Lock did, but if the name was any indication, as the old man seemed to imply, he had the ability to change the flow of time in a given space. However, there was a problem that Dyon was very much aware about when it came to time locked areas.

This wasn't Dyon's first interaction with changed time flow. In fact, the celestial deer sect's remnants had many such cultivation rooms although they required an exorbitant amount of energy stones to use. That said, the reason why Dyon hadn't been able to use them because time distortion came with it distortion of laws themselves. Unless you had a high level of time comprehension, it was impossible to simultaneous slow or speed up time and comprehend other wills.

However, this was a very different situation… In theory. In this case, Dyon wasn't trying to grasp a law outside the scope of the time lock. No. This time, he himself was dying! In theory, this should alleviate all potential issues with distortions. Or, more accurately, lessen them enough that it would be a feasible use of time – that being because this distortion was inevitable.

That said, to increase the chances as much as possible, the first step would be dangerous… Dyon had to be as infinitesimally close as possible… To death…

'Before you take this chance, there are a few things I need to tell you.' Dyon's grand teacher started. 'For one, I can't only give you half a year at the most. I'm not all powerful and am much too far away to give you any more time than that.'

Dyon inwardly raised an eyebrow. It was well within his power to stop Zabia's soul from dissipating. In fact, whether the old man said anything or not, he would have if Zabia was able to answer one of his question to his satisfaction.

However, if Dyon used his method, Zabia would still be crippled for life. His soul would take so long to recover that properly cultivating would be nearly impossible.

'I'm quite surprised that you planned to save him… Maybe I didn't misjudge you then…' The old man sounded sincere for the first time since Dyon had known him, as though he was reminiscing about something.

Dyon's mind was something that always made odd conclusions much too quickly. In fact, he often leapt over tens of steps to reach an answer without even often times knowing what those steps were. But, something was telling him that maybe the Jafari's time specialty and his grand teacher's Temporal Lock ability weren't so separate after all…

With a wave of his hand, an endless pain invaded Dyon's senses. Time began to move forward, and the crowd of the arena suddenly noticed the changes in the sky.

The crackles of black lightning and vortex and torrents of winds picked up. And yet, all the celestial experts had their eye on was the key floating in the air just in front of Dyon. They all seemed to think that this phenomenon had everything to do with the key. After all, to them, Dyon was dead.

"He lost ownership…" Madeleine's shoulders trembled. Her eyes were listless, it was as though her soul had been taken from her body. She wanted nothing more in that instant than to trade her life for Dyon's, and it was in that very instant, that her celestial will evolved…

Dyon's pain increased, but in the very next moment, he felt nothing at all… In fact, it was as though he was disconnected from everything, sent away into a vast sea much larger than himself…

Dyon's once golden soul had become swathed in an eerie black aura that seeped into it deeply. There was no time to waste, Dyon, for maybe the first time, sat and truly began to think and comprehend a will.

He was immersed in the feeling of death, but at the same time, he was contemplating the most efficient way to reach past a state of one with mind to a state of one with heart.

It wasn't long before Dyon realized he would have to do the most counter-intuitive thing he had ever done… He would have to accept death with his very being…

Like the receptionist had said all those months ago, often times, clues to comprehending intents were tied to the name given to their level. One with mind was exactly that, it was a state of comprehension that allowed your mind to accept the will. However, it was still much shallower than one with heart.

You could think of one with mind as a state of understanding, while one with heart was a state of acceptance. But, it was obviously very difficult to come to a compromise like this with a will such as death.

However, Dyon felt that boiling down one with heart to acceptance was simply too shallow. He needed to think deeper. There had to be a reason why higher cultivation, lead to higher comprehension, which lead to quicker will advancement. Dyon couldn't accept the idea that higher cultivation would help you 'accept' a will with greater efficiency. If anything, wouldn't being a greater expert make you even less likely to accept death?

He thought about Darius Storm for the first time in months and how Ava had had to save his life then… He thought about his one vs eleven fight, and how he nearly died then as well… He thought about his fight with Chenglei… He thought about his first run-in with Alidor… He thought about how death qi had almost killed him at Lotus Tower… He thought about how many times he had thought of dying when he accepted his new set of meridians… He even thought of how Iris had attacked him and nearly taken his life. In fact, had Iris not wanted him to suffer, maybe that would have been his last day on Earth…

How could he accept death? He needed to protect his friends and family, he needed to spread a name for himself so his parents would be proud of him, he needed to live! Too many people were counting on him.

By this point, Dyon wasn't even thinking about himself anymore. He had been trained on the idea of his parents and their death for the better part of a month now.

They were probably his largest barrier to accepting death. Dyon couldn't help but admit to himself, that the more he learned about the martial world, the more he hoped to one day find something to help his parents come back to him. Whether that something allowed them to be back permanently or just for a few moments, he would accept it.

Everything Dyon did was in hopes that they were somewhere, capable of seeing him and watching him do them proud. He hoped that the essence of their beings were being held somewhere in a stream of something in the unknown. With how the laws of the universe and wills seemed to dictate everything, why wouldn't there be some sort of formula that made a person who they were? And why couldn't Dyon find this formula? Find his parents?...

Dyon had lost track of how many times he had combed over those same exact words. With how quickly he thought through, he must have reached that same dead end thousands of times by now…

'So stubborn,' Dyon's grand teacher watched quietly. When it came to the comprehension of an intent, no one could help. Dyon currently had access to the most potent helper there was – he was being faced with death itself. By all rights, with his comprehension abilities, crossing over to one with body should have been as easy as blinking an eye.

When he hadn't been focused on it at all, his soul had crossed the barrier without him even being aware. And yet, now that he was actively trying he seemed to be putting up barriers for himself. It wasn't as though Dyon wasn't intelligent enough to understand what was going on, but how could he bring himself to change the very foundation of his personality just to live?

He wanted nothing more than the sacrifice even his very values themselves – not for himself, but rather his loved ones. He didn't want to see his wives in pain, nor did he want to think about how his little sister would fair without him. What about his little brother? What about his promise to his master to protect him? Weren't they supposed to turn the lands of the Drago-Qilins upside down together?

Flames of dense blackness began to dance around Dyon as his defiance only seemed to grow stronger. Yet another month passed, leaving only a single one left.

Time continued to trickle as Dyon's black flames pulsed, but his mind still refused to give in. No matter how hard he tried, he could get his mind to accept and understand death, but he couldn't do it to the depths of his heart…

Dyon was on the same forked road Patia-Neva had tread… The question was whether he should build his dao upon a fake version of himself? Or his real self…

But, if he built his dao of death upon something fake, the backlash of a supreme law crumbling from its base was far more profound than an elemental will… If there came a day where Dyon's stubborn personality shone through again, there wouldn't be any redemption… There wouldn't be a chance to build up again… There would only be death…

The first step in mastering a dao, and the first real journey in understanding a will, was to first reach a state of one with mind. Dyon knew this, he understood this, and had long since taken this step.

However, the second step increased to an all new level of difficulty. This was why affinities existed and also why said affinities often influenced your personality.

Madeleine had an unmatched affinity for purity path type wills even before she gained new affinities with her faith seed. As a result, much of her personality revolved around being caring and selfless. Although having a Goddess' Disposition didn't automatically mean that you would be a magnanimous and benevolent individual, it still meant that your personality would lean toward such things.

Ri's beast blood heavily influenced her personality even before the clash between her faith seed and God level constitution was settled. And, once that conflict was resolved, her domineering traits became more pronounced, because that was simply what came with the Elvin Queen's Reign constitution. Let alone the innate superiority provided by being a prideful supreme level beast.

It was clear that the wills one could comprehend, depended on what their heart leaned toward. And, what their heart leaned toward, also decided just how powerful a dao could be…

Patia-Neva's failure and the near crippling of his cultivation was a perfect example of this. His heart leaned toward the more natural aspects of the Patia-Neva bloodline, and yet, he threw all of that away for power.

The ice belt had been too much of a temptation… The progression in Patia-Neva's cultivation had been so staggering that he was almost willing to throw away everything he loved just for the benefits he thought he would receive. But, what he noticed much too late was that his thinking was twisted and contradictory….

Why had Patia-Neva wanted to grow stronger in the first place? Wasn't it so that he could repay Kawa Acacia for saving his life? Wasn't it so that he could perform meritorious deeds for the universe? Wasn't it so that he could help forge a better place for his wife and future child to live?

From the very beginning, Patia-Neva's one with heart had been built upon crumbling ruins. His foundation was so shaky that it would have been near impossible for him to form a dao. He was driven so mad that he nearly did something unforgivable…

Patia-Neva's story was just a single example. The journey of cultivation was rife with warning tales like his. Dealing with and manipulating the laws of the universe wasn't meant to be easy. It was meant to be an uphill battle, and trying to learn something you had no compatibility with… Well… Simply shouldn't be done.

In one way, Dyon's grand teacher was right. Dyon didn't have any affinity barriers… With his intelligence, he knew exactly how to break through to the next will level, it would only take some time, patience, and coaxing. If he slowly tempered himself, he would eventually have a break through and reach a new level of understanding.

However, where Dyon's grand teacher was wrong was in assuming that Dyon would be okay with acting on that knowledge… That he'd be okay with laying down and allowing death to take over… That he'd be okay with bending to the whims of the universe…

Dyon was arrogant to the extent that even his manifestation's mere potential tore apart a weapon of the 33 heavens. It used its own residual energy to write letters so fiery and so corrosive, that even celestial level experts couldn't last beneath them for too long. And yet, the old man had somehow expected this very Dyon to accept death for what it was…

In the past 6 months, Dyon's comprehension had long since reached the one with soul level, surpassing both one with heart and body. However, he hadn't even broken through one with mind yet… Not in any tangible aspect…

Dyon understood why he had felt that death was simply part of a cycle… He understood that it lay at the end of the inevitable road everyone had to walk… He understood that the one will that would never erode was death, because in the coming times where there would be nothing, it was inevitable that something had been there first – and for that something to be gone, could only mean that it had died…

Dyon understood that death was in itself its own form of chaos, and that as the organization of life decayed and broke down, death would inevitably come to scatter what used to be…

Dyon understood that sometimes death was necessary… He understood that if there was no death, the drive that pushed people would be lacking… If you could live forever, could you say with any certainty that your motivations would stay the same? Even things as fundamental as the beauty of raising a child would seemingly become meaningless… If you could live forever, was there any use in passing on your genes?

Dyon's soul could no longer be said to be gold. It had become a dense and dark black… Almost as though it was a single step away from crumbling entirely…

His wife was likely consoling their daughter, trying to get Ri to calm down and not do anything too reckless. It was up in the air whether she had even noticed what was going on. And, even if she had, it was another question mark as to whether she would act or not. To Kawa, there was nothing more important than her daughter. After being away for eleven years, it was unlikely that she'd be willing to fight for such a worldly matter while Ri was in pain.

The other problem was whether or not it was worth it to reveal themselves now. He knew that despite their best efforts, Patriarch Ragnor knew of their connection with King Belmont, but, the larger issue was whether or not he saw them as a threat.

Very few knew of Queen Acacia's origins, and by proxy, very few knew of her power. In addition to this, with King Acacia's entering display, many of the clan heads would have come to an understanding of his power – and have also likely concluded that he was fairly weak. Which meant that if they waited, they could still bide their time and use the element of surprise.

Yet another problem was seen in the choice of whether to act at all. With King Belmont's order in place, everyone understood that they weren't meant to move. There was a possibility that that might be enough to hold people back from charging toward Dyon's treasure. However, if King Acacia acted, it would be like putting up a beacon, letting everyone know just how important that key was.

Whether those who came to this universe knew or not, that key was essentially every single one of their goals. With the information the Epistemic Tower held, there were no cultivation resources in the quadrant that could be hidden from their eyes, and that wasn't even to mention the cultivation resource the Epistemic Tower itself was! After all, the creator of the tower was a man with a will so strong that his very own techniques became new laws of the world to the point where everyone was born an with an aurora. He had even created his very own supreme level law!

'He truly didn't cheat to become number one…' King Acacia thought this for maybe the hundredth time since the appearance of the key. But, even he could still not believe it.

Silence reigned. No one knew how to proceed from here. With the natural phenomenon booming through the arena right now, shaking the very Earth itself, who would believe that this was a normal item?

King Belmont had a mind to allow those closest to Dyon the ability to head to the stage and take him away, but in the cultivation world, when it came to situations like this, no one had an inkling of respect for the dead. How many would really listen to a decree like this? It was likely they were already itching to break his moment of silence command, and barely a few minutes had passed!

It was suffice to say that the temptation for the geniuses closest to the battle were even higher. After all, they had been the top ten rankers, so they were on standby for when next their name was called. They hadn't expected for two of their own to die before their eyes, but they were still quite close to the arena… And many of them had eyes shining bright as they eyed the key.

The truth of the matter was that normal Tower keys were illusory. They would be given 'in spirit' to a clan that conquered the tower and would only appear within the gate. When the rules deemed that the tower had been sufficiently conquered by another party, then the ownership of the illusory key would shift. However, this key was tangible! It didn't take a genius to understand that there was a massive difference. For a key to manifest itself in solid form outside the gate could only mean that it was extraordinary.

Suddenly, Patriarch Ragnor's voice boomed as his laughter filled the stadium, accompanying the rolling thunder of the skies. "Let's let the younger generation fight over it, then."

The faces of Caedlum and Saru twisted in disgust. This was a person who had just died, and yet this supposed member of the older generation was trying to sow chaos.

Tau Aumen's eyes flashed with something imperceptible as wreathes of golden flames spread from his long golden hair and outwards from him. He arrogantly took a step forward, walking slowly and deliberately toward the key. He didn't seem to see a need to rush, he felt that Lionel's first place was nothing but luck considering he ran into a legacy temple. In terms of combat power, he was unmatched.

King Acacia frowned. He didn't understand why Ragnor would say such a thing. Vidar and Thor were clearly too weak to compete with Tau or even Lionel. What did he get out of this? Unless…

'Are they in an alliance?...' King Acacia's True Empathy wasn't omniscient. It wasn't possible for him to peer into someone's brain and extract whatever information he wanted. If you wanted him to tell whether or not someone was lying? It was possible. If he had to tell an enemies motives in a heated battle? It was possible. If he had to read the surface intentions of a person? It was possible. But, something as complex as understanding whether or not two clans were in an alliance was too much, there were too many nuanced threads of thoughts to sift through.

Ri trembled with rage. "I'm not going to let them do whatever they want to do!" She suddenly disappeared from her mother's arms, much to Kawa's shock. Ri's figure flashed through the skies, her anger bearing down on Tau.

"Move." He said plainly. "For the disrespect your deceased husband has shown my planet, taking away his things is the least of what I should do. If you don't want to follow him in death… MOVE!"

A cyclone of golden flames rose into the air, combating the eerie darkness with a blinding light. The head of a lion rose above it all, roaring into the skies with an arrogance that matched its pride.

Lionel's figure was bathed in red and blue flames, dancing along his feet as the drastic hot and cold caused small explosions that increased his speed even further.

The rest of the rankers stayed back… They simply didn't have the strength to take part in this battle. Even Saru, who should technically have, was so heavily wounded by her fight with Dyon that she had lost too much of a step.

The once domineering clouds separated, cowering in the face of a sound so arrogant that the heavens seemed to bow down. The crackles of black lightning struck into the ground but felt like mere whimpers in the face of the growing wave of black flames.

The laws of this universe are meant to be used. The path of cultivation is meant to be in defiance to the heavens. What would I look like if I folded to the will of the universe? Why? Because that's what it wanted? Ridiculous.

You won't dictate my death. You won't dictate the death of my loved ones. There'll come a day where I'll rewrite your laws with a wave of my hand. A time where even the cosmos itself won't be able to dictate my actions.

In an instant, the black flames that once coated the arena disappeared in a flash, replaced by such a strong purity that Madeleine nearly felt inferior. But, in her heart, all she felt was an endless happiness.

Dyon hadn't reached one with body. In fact, he had just barely stepped into one with heart, increasing his life by just a few seconds and extending the time he had by a fraction. He had forged a path even his grand teacher hadn't seen. He tossed away all conventions of how death intent should be mastered. No. Dyon wouldn't become a puppet of death. He would become a reaper. This martial world would come to know his wrath.

The crowd watched with baited breath as Dyon's death omens fluctuated wildly. Every time his death seemed inevitable, he would extend his life by just a few more seconds, before the cycle repeated itself again and again.

The white flames caressed Dyon's wounds, fusing with his aurora and pushing his soul's prowess to the limit. With Dyon's soul talent, and how long he had spent using his soul to sense the laws of death, how could its power not increase? He had managed to jump an entire stage in 6 months! With just one more step, he would have a celestial soul!

King Acacia's eyes snapped away from Dyon's heaven defying feats toward Madeleine. His sensitivity to things matched what Dyon's 6th sense would be like once he reached his level of cultivation. Except, instead of it being because of an innate aurora, it was because of his True Empathy! How could he not understand the substantial change in Madeleine?

Suddenly, Dyon's life began being extended by minutes instead of seconds. And then it was hours instead of minutes. And then it was days… Then weeks… The months… Then years…

In an instant, no one could see the end of Dyon's lifespan. It wasn't that he had become immortal, but rather, he had returned to his youthful self. Just like every other youth, the looming presence of death was too far away to calculate.

A hand tore through the pillar of light, grasping onto the key that hung in the air. There was no resistance. In fact, the key sung happily, disappearing in an instant.

Stunned silence filled the arena as a handsome young man stepped out of the dissipating light. His looks had gained a dark edge to them that only seemed to make his appearance more captivating. This was a man that had seen the edge of death and fought his way back. Defying the heavens themselves.

The sound of clapping made Dyon's brow furrow. He looked up in the skies to find a man with long blond hair and striking blue eyes strolling in the air, his hands clasped behind his back. Shockingly, this man was lean in stature, yet stood at least five meters tall!

"Truly spectacular." The man spoke with a barely perceptible pressure. And yet, he managed to fill Dyon with a feeling of unease that he had never felt before. This was the first time in the martial world that anyone had made him feel a need to take a step back.

"For me to see such an outstanding young talent in my life has truly broadened this old one's horizons. I can only hope that my sons manage to become a tenth the talent you are."

"This old one would like to broaden his horizons even further," A small smile played on the man's chiseled and handsome features, "Won't you take that treasure out again? I would love to take a few moments to analyze it."

He would never tell Dyon this – partially because of his pride, and partially because that brat was too serious when it came to things like this – but something like projecting a technique through so many dimensional barriers was too much for him in his old age.

Even worse, when he had felt like Dyon would die, he had extended the time past his limit. That small extra fractions of a second may have seemed like nothing in the face of 6 months, but that was only if you didn't consider how far the old man was already pushing himself to match that 6-month total in the first place.

In fact, because of the old man's kindness, Dyon was able to reach a state where he thought his death was inevitable, and yet it didn't occur. Because of that extra split second, Dyon was able to grab onto life, deepening his understanding of death and increasing his life by increments.

'He's laid down a one with heart for himself that will make it exceedingly difficult to move forward in… His comprehension is already at the one with soul level, and yet his intent is still stuck at one with heart. The universe isn't so easy to toy with Dyon… There may come a point where it's impossible to move forward, even with all the arrogance in the world…

If that isn't the case, I'd very much like to take a look at your clan's lightning tribulation technique. I hear it makes the heavens so angry that stepping into the saint realm is nearly impossible for you all, that must be quite the grand technique. How about it?"

Dyon had heard about this technique long ago. When he eavesdropped on a conversation between Elder Daiyu and Elder Kami at Focus Academy, they had spoken about how the Ragnors likely placed so much importance on the blood sacrifice technique because their lightning techniques made it nearly impossible to survive the lightning tribulations of stepping into the saint realm and beyond.

Tribulations often came hand in hand with increasing cultivation. Although the heavens ignored body and soul cultivation in terms of these trials, energy cultivation was never ignored in such a way.

The reason was simple. As Dyon had lamented during his fighting for his life, his demon generals had higher comprehension ability than he did because of their saint cultivation. This was because higher forms of energy gave way to better connections with the universe. This was why it was necessary to comprehend an intent before you could become a saint!

With each successive step up in energy quality – from essence to saint, from saint to celestial, and from celestial to enigmatic – the connection with the universe deepened again and again. And, no step gave a deeper connection than becoming a transcendent being!

As such, martial warriors underwent four tribulations. One for saint hood, one for the celestial stage, one for dao formation, and yet another for transcending.

In addition to this, the universe would often become angry and cast down tribulations for mastering supreme laws. However, it would only be a showcase of anger. There would be no real trial unless a warrior attempted to form a dao on the basis of a supreme law. That is when the universe would truly act. This was also what made the tribulation of dao formation among the most dangerous.

Of course, these tribulations were based on talent. Dyon was quite lucky to not have to face tribulations for his soul, or else his likelihood of survival would be near non-existent. But, this was where the problem for the Ragnors came into play.

Because of their techniques, lightning was essentially the most comfortable thing in the world for a Ragnor. This meant that if they faced trials that were similar to those on their level, it would be much too easy, and the universe understood this.

As a result, Ragnor trials were something of a death sentence for many of them. The cruel reality shaped much of the Ragnor culture, making much of them twisted and depraved – after all, they were basically sentenced to death from the very start of their lives. Dyon would never have sympathy for those who handled their fate like Baal or Vidar did, but that didn't mean he didn't understand.

Patriarch Ragnor's eyes flashed with something imperceptible, but other than that, his smile didn't change, "I would be more than willing to show you the technique, if it was under my power to do so. However, as you know, we are a mere branch of our lauded family," He sighed, "I simply don't have the power to make such a decision. That said…." Patriarch Ragnor smiled, looking toward Dyon with piercing eyes. "If you joined our family, I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem."

An uproar sounded through the arena. Very few here had an understanding of the overall landscape of their quadrant, but, what they did understand was that the Ragnors were an unprecedented power house. To be invited to an Emperor God Clan was unheard of! Even if it was by a mere branch!

"I say we're a mere branch family, but as you can see, we've birthed two faith seeded geniuses through our humble lineage. A meritorious feat like this would of course sky rocket us into the good graces of the main branch. With an endorsement from us, you'll be valued just as much as either Vidar or Thor!" Patriarch Ragnor's voice boomed.

As quickly as her cultivation would allow, without daring to delay, a petite girl with blond bob-cut hair and light blue eyes shuffled her way onto the stage below Patriarch Ragnor as he touched down. Her usual bubbly personality had completely disappeared, and although she was clearly trembling, she didn't dare to disobey orders.

I cannot say that she is as beautiful as your wives, nor is she as talented, but she is quite unique in her own right. She's a survivor of a meridian transplant technique my family stumbled upon, so her affinity for lightning is even higher than most of us – I dare say that the only one who beats her in this aspect would be my nephew, Thor."

'Meridian transplant?...' Dyon's mind flashed back to his own dealings with such a technique. But, the difference between him and Tammy was that he was crippled – it made sense for him to undergo such pain. But, her? Was it even her own wish?

Their auxiliary clans were nothing but human puppets. The Saeclum clan was practically bred purely to be used as sacrificial pawns to see the future. The Ipsum practiced an artificial will that required bloody sacrifices on their own part. The Ragnor were willing to use the lives of innocents to further their own power with the blood sacrifice technique. And now they were experimenting on their own people too?...

Dyon's eyes flashed and he suddenly realized that when he thought Tammy was moving particularly slow, it was because that was all she could muster… Her cultivation had fallen to the peak of the foundation stage. All of the work she had done on her meridians were gone! Replaced by a completely new set. Except unlike Dyon's, they weren't already tempered.

Tammy's energy seemed unstable and imbalanced. But, she did her best to shyly smile, staring at the ground as though Patriarch Ragnor's wish to give her to Dyon was her own wish as well.

Ava, who was in the Belmont skybox, suddenly felt something inexplicable well up inside of her. This was a girl that she had once seen as her best friend, someone she shared everything with. This was a girl that she had thought might one day be her sister in law because of how much she loved Arios. But, this was also the girl that had betrayed her that day in the forest. This was a girl that put her own survival ahead of the dignity and life of her friend…

In the end, Ava realized that the feeling in her chest was pain… Pain she couldn't tell if it was out of pity while looking on to the plight of a stranger, or heartfelt agony at watching someone you love be treated like a toy.

It was only now that Ava realized that Tammy didn't participate in the tournament not because she was running… But because she no longer had any free will of her own…

"I won't bore you with the details," Patriarch Ragnor continued, completely unperturbed by the odd silence in the arena, "But, essentially, her ability as a dual cultivation partner for those who are interested in the lightning arts can't even be matched by transcendent level lightning beasts!"

The idea of a lightning type constitution was simply unheard of – it didn't exist. The model of trial that the heavens used to test cultivators was lightning, so it made sense that they would never choose to bestow upon said cultivators the ability to circumvent said trials. That said, much like how every important law had its own beast representation, lightning was no different.

That said, these lightning beasts were a joke. The lightning that Thor wielded, or any other lightning wielder might, was of a far inferior grade to tribulation lightning. As a result, these 'lightning beasts' had no supreme beasts among their kin. In fact, they could barely count as transcendent beasts at all.

This was why lightning was seen as a mere elemental will. It still had frightening destructive power, even in its severely weakened state… But, they'd never match tribulation lightning.

However… Wasn't cultivating about defying the heavens? From the very first observation of this truth, martial warriors have been trying to find their own way to leap through the hurdle. They wanted to form their own lightning techniques and their own lightning affinities and constitutions, and none were more adamant about this than the ancestors of the Ragnors.

They threw everything away in pursuit of their own with true lightning state, experimenting with wills and their own people in hopes of one day evolving elemental lightning will into the supreme law it was meant to be. But… Defying the heavens came with a price…

The Ragnors became cursed with their lightning affinity bodies, being destined to pass on those same genes from generation to generation. Instead of giving them the power and immunity they wanted, it ended up increasing their trials hundreds of times over, to the point where the mortality rate of the Ragnors reached unprecedented scales…

And now, because they had experimented on Tammy even more, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that it would be impossible for this fragile girl to survive her saint hood tribulation.

Patriarch Ragnor rubbed the top of Tammy's head, seemingly with love, before gently pushing her toward Dyon. "Since you were interested in our lightning arts, I gift you my niece as a concubine. With her as a dual cultivation partner, coupled with your talent, I doubt you'll ever have to face many hurdles in the pursuit of the dao of lightning."

Tammy did as she was told. In an awkward walk, run and skip, she made her way to Dyon. But, she never once met his gaze, acting every bit a part of the servant she was meant to be.

She politely bowed to Ri and Madeleine who were still stunned about the situation. They weren't the type to place themselves loftily above others, so it never crossed their mind that Tammy was or was not worthy of Dyon because of how good they were. All they felt was an endless pity for the girl in front of them… A girl that was just as young as the both of them…

On the one hand, he had read through Ava's memories of her betrayal. He found it sickening that a friend could do such a thing to someone you supposedly cared about. Even worse, she had done so not once, but twice. Because even before she co-signed Ava to her fate, she had been the reason why Arios was forced to fake his death.

On the other hand, though, he had caught a glimpse of her true personality, on untainted by the pressure of the Ragnors. In that light, she was a good person… But could you really judge someone by how they acted in the good times?... Weren't the genuine people distinguished by how they acted in times of adversity?...

That said, in an odd way, Dyon owed Tammy his life. During the Legacy World opening, it was because Tammy had alerted the Ragnors of where to find the blood sacrifice technique in exchange for her and her brother's life that Thor hadn't seen a need to attack Dyon. Because Thor didn't attack, Dyon was able to escape with his few wounds… At the time, there was no doubt in Dyon's mind that he stood not a single chance against Thor. In fact, with Thor's current will mastery, even Dyon didn't dare to say he had no chance of losing even now.

Tammy tried to maintain a shy smile as she looked down to the ground, but inwardly she was trembling violently. As twisted and depraved as it was, Tammy didn't care if she taken in by Dyon to be used as a sex toy. The sad part was that she was technically a ticking time bomb. The more she dual cultivated, the closer to saint hood she would be. Eventually, there would come a moment where she would no longer be able to suppress her cultivation, and she would inevitably die. She knew just as much as anyone else that with this new set of meridians, she would never surpass her first tribulation.

However, she still found that fate better than what would happen if Dyon rejected her. Patriarch Ragnor didn't care for her life. In fact, he had only used her to experiment with the assumption that she'd die in the first place… Tammy was the very first to ever survive had true tribulation lightning infused with her meridians. But, none of that mattered.

If Dyon rejected her, Ragnor wouldn't find fault in Dyon, he would find fault with her. If Dyon rejected her… She wouldn't be alive by the end of this day…

Dyon opened his mouth to speak, but just as an inkling of sound came out, Tammy suddenly spoke in a voice as soft as the flapping wings of a butterfly. "I'll serve you to the best of my abilities. I'm not very useful, but I have at least protected my virginity – you don't have to worry about me being tainted. And when you don't want to use me, I am perfectly trained as a servant girl. I won't ever bother you. And – And I –"

Suddenly, the light sound of feet meeting the stage caused Tammy to shiver to silence. She was well aware that she had just spoken out of turn, and yet she had said that she was perfectly trained. Nervousness had gotten the better of…

Patriarch Ragnor didn't say anything, looking off into the skies with his hands clasped behind his back. It didn't seem to be his problem whether Dyon accepted or not.

"You've had it hard…" A male voice spoke out. But, the moment Tammy recognized a voice she definitely shouldn't have, a wave of emotion overcame her. Her shoulders visibly trembled as she tried to stop herself, she even bit into her cheeks so firmly that blood began to fill the insides of her small mouth. And yet, no matter what she tried, she couldn't seem to control herself.

The sight of Arios caused the tears Tammy had been holding in to spill out uncontrollably. 'He's dead. I killed him. I killed him with my own hands. I must be seeing things….'

Dyon had personally told Arios was Tammy put his sister through, knowing fully well that with Ava's personality, she would have died before telling him such a thing.

Arios hadn't known how to feel. Ava was his little sister, and Tammy was a girl he had been willing to sacrifice for. They were two separate kinds of loves, and he just couldn't come up with the right answer for it. In fact, for a long time, he had been angry – angry enough to feel as though he might kill Tammy the moment he saw her next.

But, that was all. Arios barred himself from any relationship with Tammy that passed that line… There were just some things that couldn't be forgiven… But, there were also some feelings that couldn't be forgotten or erased…

Dyon looked toward Arios' strong back as he stood before him. With a wave of his hand, Tammy and Arios disappeared from sight, before he secretly sent them into his ring under the influence of his concealment array. Dyon barely noticed the now black gold tint of his arrays.

"Oh?" Patriarch Ragnor seemed amused about Tammy's disappearance. But, somehow, Thor felt relief… He inexplicably felt that maybe his little sister was truly safe now…

Dyon's expression didn't change. Before all of this, he thought all he had to do to get Thor to his side was rescue Tammy, but, Patriarch Ragnor had willingly handed her over… If Tammy was truly the only means he had of controlling Thor, he wouldn't have handed such a chess piece away so easily…

Suddenly, Dyon smiled. Waving his hand nonchalantly in the air, he laughed. "Nothing of the sort, Patriarch Ragnor. Arios is a good friend of mine and happened to have a long-time crush on your niece. I couldn't bare to steal the love of someone so close to me, so I only allowed them some time to chat.

Patriarch Ragnor thoughtfully stroked his chin despite it being devoid of a speck of hair, "You make quite a good point. The boy is barely 20 and yet he had already progressed so far into the essence gathering stage. Truly commendable. I would indeed accept such a union. And since he is such a good friend of yours, this also strengthens our relationship too, no? Haha, truly a brilliant move."

"I'm glad that you approve. That said, I should make it clear that it's impossible for me to join any clans. I have heard many things about the power and prestige of the Ragnors, but, I have an obligation to my master to rebuild the celestial deer sect, I hope you can understand." Dyon smiled lightly.

However, I still must insist on seeing this treasure of yours. My curiosity has been piqued. Won't you allow me this small service? Think of it as a betrothal gift for my niece to your good friend. Just a small bride price." Patriarch Ragnor's smile didn't fade, but the tension in the air seemed to multiply.

And maybe the worst part? More began to pour in from every which direction. The skies became blotted out with experts as Patriarch Ragnor casually strolled through the air.

Now is when you guys will finally begin to understand why the first Ragnor family characters I introduced were so terrible. In the first volume, it may have seemed like I created Baal or Darius just for shock value, but in the coming chapters, there's going to be a lot of wild things revealed .. I'm sorry in advance my beloved characters

Dyon looked up into the sky. He had known that something was odd about Patriarch Ragnor's movements, but to think that he was biding his time for his warriors to get into position…

All this time, Dyon had been wondering just how the Daiyu would react to Meiying's disappearance. Regardless of the fact he killed their saint experts, after enough time passed, they would have noticed that something was wrong. However, Dyon didn't think that it mattered because Meiying didn't end up returning with the important piece of the puzzle she thought she had. Because of that, Dyon felt that it was likely that the Daiyu would continue forward with their plans, disregarding Meiying entirely.

The reason Dyon hadn't been worried about that change, is because of how obvious it was that the Daiyu were targeting the World Tournament. If it was just about seeking out the Belmont Holy Land, there were a million other times to do this. The only feasible reason might have been to take advantage of the time that King Belmont was away. But, that clearly didn't make sense considering they were attacking King Belmont right now!

Taking a deep breath, Dyon calmed himself. In the grand scheme of things, he had too many trump cards to be worried in this situation. But, he had the sneaking suspicion that a clan of people willing to bide their time for thousands of years… and yet another clan willing to pay the cost to send their branch family across tens of universes… wouldn't be defeated so easily.

He immediately contacted his warriors. Having been preparing for this for so long, to the point where he remained in secluded cultivation for decades at a time, how could he not have been ready? Ever since the Ragnor conquered the Earth Gate last and stepped into his domain along with elves in tow, he had been ready.

"They're ready too…" King Acacia spoke softly. Part of his words were meant to comfort his friend, but the other was to let them all understand a striking reality. Maybe, just maybe, they had underestimated this threat.

They were completely disorganized and disjointed. They had been so focused on this ethereal entity that they had forgotten about the very real current and tangible threat. Even worse, it was likely that many of their subordinates had no idea what was going on.

"We can't try and explain the full situation, that would be impossible." King Belmont immediately regained his composure. This wasn't the time to fold, he had to be a king. "Keep the message simple and straight forward. The Ragnors are attempting to seize hold of Earth's Royal God Clan position. We'll rally everyone in this way."

Immediately, streams of celestial will began branching outward from the Belmont skybox, attempting to inform all clans of just what was going on and to prepare themselves thoroughly.

The Cavositas showed no response, but, at the very least, that was partially expected. But, when King Belmont realized that the Niveus God sect wasn't responding either, his throne shattered beneath him.

'I've been so blind!' Earth was meant to have a supportive group of God level clans to back the Belmonts in case another Royal God Clan attempted to take control of the universe. And yet, in just an instant, Earth had lost half of their power to the Ragnors.

Patriarch Ragnor stood in the skies with an amused look as he studied Dyon's face, but then his gaze shifted over to Ri and Madeleine with a disgusting gleam in his eye. While everyone was focused on Dyon's treasures and just who his secret master was, Ragnor had locked into something else. 'How could a warrior not be powerful with such talented dual cultivation incubators!'

The truth was that Patriarch Ragnor had experimented on many girls before he succeeded with Tammy, attempting to find himself the perfect partner. However, the problem with Tammy was that her cultivation was too weak. Unless she became powerful enough, regardless of her affinity, she would be useless to him.

But, Ri and Madeleine were different. With their talent, and the fact they weren't Ragnors practically sentenced to death, in as little as ten years, they'd be powerful enough to be of great use to him.

At this point, Dyon's treasures were almost secondary to him – a cherry on top if you will. He almost couldn't refrain from licking his lips. But, he had to maintain his amiable outer appearance, so he persisted in smiling lightly as more and more warriors organized in the skies above.

Dyon had little time to think about what disgusting plots Patriarch Ragnor was thinking of. To him, he had to find the most efficient way to not only ensure the safety of his wives, but to also find everyone else he needed to care for.

It was such a shame. His soul was only a half step away from breaking into the celestial stage. At that point, he'd be able to repair his puppets to reach the peak level of celestial cultivation. With that kind of power, if he used them cleverly enough, it was likely that even a lower dao formation expert might have trouble dealing with him.

That said, Dyon fully understood that if he tried to push his soul to such a level now, he would die. His body was simply too weak. Then there was the amount of time it would take to repair such complex arrays. Not to mention the fact that Dyon hadn't studied any array alchemy theories past the grandmaster level.

From his understanding, array alchemy reached a massive watershed when your soul stepped into the 9th stage. Even with his genius, he'd need more than just a moment to fully grasp it…

'I could bring out the demon generals… The most talented amongst the saints can last at least a few bouts against this caliber of celestials. If they team up, maybe they can even last longer than that. But, is it smart to reveal the demon generals now…? Just because they could survive, doesn't mean they'd win… At this point it would be hundreds of thousands against three thousand. But, unlike the gates, they aren't capped to our level…'

Dyon had to be smart about his movements. He was their leader. He couldn't just rely on their power while putting them at risk like this. It would be easier to maneuver with less people for now. His top priority was to protect Ri and Madeleine and make his way over to Clara. Then he'd go and get Little Lyla and Zaire.

"Look at you, planning." Vidar suddenly sneered, walking up to the stage Dyon stood on casually to stand beside Tau who had previously paused his pursuit. "Can't you see that this is inevitable? If you return Tammy to me now, though. I can let you have a little bit of dignity in death."

Had anyone else said this, maybe they may have fooled those listening into thinking they actually cared for a family member of theirs. But, Dyon knew better.

After hearing how good of an effect Tammy would have as a dual cultivation partner, Vidar's eyes had shone with jealousy. He wondered why his father hadn't just given her to him if he hadn't wanted her.

"I'd like to pound his face in." Ri growled, a dense black void aura manifesting itself around her as ethereal tails whipped about, destroying the already damaged stage.

She still hadn't recovered from the past ten minutes of emotional upheaval. In fact, these were the first words she had spoken since Dyon's drastic recovery. But, she had to step forward now. While everyone else was in awe at Dyon's sudden recovery, her and Madeleine felt something completely different. No one knew more than them how tired Dyon was right now.

He had just faced a battle against the universe itself. Then, he pushed his soul to the absolute limit to treat a wound that should have been untreatable. And, even worse, he was still diverting some of his soul power right now to keep the soul of the man who gave him that wound from dissipating.

'How do I deal with this…' Dyon thought. He wanted to just send Ri and Madeleine into his ring, but if something like sending a person in against their will was so easy, Dyon would never have to worry about an enemy ever again. And, it was very much clear that neither of his wives would agree to being sent in.

'They're too powerful for me handle. The puppets could work, but I would have to use the stronger one as well… Alright, that's fine. I'll do it. But, it has to be at the right time. When the stronger one appears, it has to kill one of them for sure, or else it would be a waste. Also, the puppets need my guidance to be the most effective. If I let them fight on their own, they're susceptible to being tricked…

Suddenly, something happened that made Dyon realize that all of his previous thoughts had been silly. He was so used to fighting alone, so used to scratching and clawing through the world by himself, that he had almost forgotten that for the first time, maybe everything wasn't on him…

King and Queen Acacia appeared in the air, right along side King Belmont, Big Red and Patriarch Pakal. They faced off against their enemies with their heads held high.

To Dyon, it had been a long time since he had seen backs broad enough to stand in front of him and it had been even longer since he felt that same warmth well up inside of him.

Their opponents had nine celestials on their side. Two Royal God Clan heads, and their two subordinate God Clans, along with Patriarch Ragnor, Patriarch Cavositas, and the Matriarch of the Niveus sect. Anyone could see how lopsided this affair was… Well, it was until the Elvin Head Sigebryht and Grand Elder Deryth made their appearance.

Inwardly, Dyon was hopeful. Despite the two-celestial difference, Dyon was well aware that his mother and father in law had battle prowess that far outweighed their cultivation. This wasn't as hopeless as it seemed.

However, there was something else that Dyon was worried about. According to the information he had, Planet Mino with their Shruti Royal God Clan, and Planet Nix with their Jafari Royal God Clan weren't the same clans that had represented those planets in the previous world tournament…

"Well then, I'll leave them to you." Dyon grinned, "And as for them." Dyon turned his head toward the rankers he had been competing with just moments before. "I'll handle them just fine on my own."

"Lionel." King Belmont's voice boomed. Violet flames danced around him, flickering sometimes in red and blue, before they retreated to their normal violet. "Set aside your angst. You are a Belmont."

Tau Aumen's face twisted in anger as flames of red and blue raged toward him. "To dare use flames against me? I'll be sure to show you Belmonts what real fire is!"

The initial stages of the battle was a disgusting and cowardly showing of backstabbing. The Niveus, Cavositas and Ragnors took full advantage of the unknown betrayal and by the time the rest began to catch on, many had already died!

The Shruti and Jafari still seemed to be in an odd state of limbo. The Jafari seemed to still be at a loss, unknowing of how to move forward with the death of their young king. But, the Shruti seemed more focused on ensuring that Saru made it back safely with getting accidentally pulled into a battle that had nothing to do with them.

Dyon looked to black band on his wrist. Somehow during the whole process, his scythe had disappeared. But, luckily, since his soul was still fighting, he hadn't lost connection to his weapon. In fact, it was because of this that Dyon was confused about why the key had severed its connection with him at all. Ownership of beasts or treasures was always done via the soul. So, just because he was on the verge of death, shouldn't have meant that the key would disown him…

Suddenly, a voice filled Dyon's head. It was so ancient and deep that it startled him. 'Hmph. You should be grateful that I severed the connection. If it wasn't for me, that old man would have never known to help you. You're welcome.'

Before Dyon could answer, King Belmont suddenly spoke, "I'm sure you're all aware that we can't fight here. Whatever it is you want would be long destroyed. It's in all of our interests that we don't."

Something in Dyon couldn't help but think about how cool what he just saw was. In the middle of a life and death battle, and yet all his only thoughts were of how amazing it would be to fight in space.

"To think you'd get distracted now." Vidar didn't wait, he immediately burst into his strongest form. A 20-meter tall mammoth of a man came careening toward Dyon, accompanied by the lightning strike of a deadpan Thor.

Dyon turned a casual gaze toward Vidar, almost giving him an incredulous look. 'Really?... Truth be told, my soul is feeling a bit tired. But, you're too weak to help it!'

Dyon's skin reddened as he immediately jumped to the peak of the first act of Demon Emperor's Will. His fist shot forward, accompanied by a piercing space will.

However, before his fist connected, he sensed danger he shouldn't have. His senses were on another level now. With his soul having reached the peak of the saint stages, it was suffice to say that there was little his 6th sense couldn't pick up… And right now… It was screaming to not underestimate Thor.

Dyon immediately retracted his fist, taking Ri and Madeleine by the waist and leaping backward as an arc of red lightning blasted into the spot his had just been at.

'There's got to be another way Ragnor is controlling them… If it was as simple as an array, I would have sensed it a long time ago! He has no reason to attack me so viciously when he knows I have his sister with me.'

An instant later, Vidar fist crashed into the same spot, causing the whole of the arena to shake under the weight of his fist. It wasn't that his attack was more powerful, or else Dyon would have dodged because of him instead of Thor. It was that his control was near nonexistent. He had so much power yet had no idea how to focus it!

Dyon frowned. "Ri, Madeleine. I think the two of you can handle Vidar alone. I can't afford to be distracted by him while fighting Thor because I'm much too tired to use my death intent right now…"

The stamina required for using a supreme law was ridiculously high to begin with. It was a heavy drain on your concentration and soul. But, to couple that with the passive corrosive effects death qi had to begin with, and you were left with a law that was almost more trouble than it was worth. And that was not to mention the sheer strain an intent level supreme law would cause.

Dyon simply didn't know whether his body could handle his second intent level death qi right now. Technically, he shouldn't even be using an intent before the essence gathering stage to begin with. If it wasn't for the solid foundation of his cultivation, it would be impossible.

The thought of using his demon generals to subdue Thor crossed his mind. But, something was telling Dyon that if he didn't fight Thor personally, he would never be able to tell what was tying him down right now.

Ri and Madeleine nodded, looking toward Vidar with clear disgust on their features. Maybe alone handling a top ten ranker would be too much, but together, they found no issue with it.

However, unbeknownst to Ri and Dyon, Madeleine was hiding her own fatigue… With the evolution of her celestial intent due to her unselfish nature, Dyon wasn't the only one who had to deal with the strain of a supreme law recently. But, even worse… Madeleine's supreme law had been on the level of an intent, and her lack of stamina currently was showing it…

With a flash of his ring and concealment array, Zabia's limp and unconscious body disappeared. This, of course, didn't go unnoticed by the Jafari, despite the chaotic situation. But, that was exactly what Dyon wanted.

"You!" The voice of an old woman boomed into Dyon's mind, but it was immediately rebuffed by Dyon's soul strength, causing the voice to begin violently coughing just as Dyon clashed with Thor in the air.

'It's best you thank you me old lady.' Dyon sent his voice with wind will, diverting his attention just enough to dodge Thor's furious spear attacks. 'If not for me, he wouldn't be alive.'

With his new soul strength, Dyon found that his will control had become so much more refined. He had little doubt that he could maybe even reach a fifth level will fusion now.

Matriarch Lebna was stunned by Dyon's words as she watched the two young men clash. But, from the looks of it, Dyon was only casually dodging, unwilling to directly attack or harm Thor just yet.

Her gaze shifted to Ulu's lifeless figure. The clamouring of war was taking hold of the arena. Cries of innocents and the scraping of metal on metal filled the air. And yet, Ulu didn't seem to take note of any of it. She hadn't even noticed Dyon take Zabia's body.

Dyon's feet shifted with calculated precision, never lifting off the ground. He had never fought a lightning will wielder on the caliber of Thor before, but what he knew was that it was important for him to keep himself grounded – only then would he minimize the damage resulting as much as possible.

"You… You can save him?" Matriarch Lebna didn't dare believe what she was hearing. She turned to her fellow celestial elders, allowing them in on their conversation. But, they too were incredulous.

From the way they saw it, Dyon's allies were in a predicament and they were a variable. Dyon had no clue whether they sided with the Ragnors or not. Coupling that with the fact they knew that their appearance in this universe was odd and reading Dyon's thoughts were easy. Not a single one of them didn't think that Dyon was using Zabia as leverage to seek their help – or, at the very least, their neutrality.

Quite frankly, anyone at or near Dyon's level of cultivation moved too slowly to him. It was as though he was watching a movie at half the normal speed. And, the fact his processing and thinking ability had reached otherworldly levels only served to facilitate that.

Of course, the only thing that held Dyon back from using this advantage to win every battle instantly were the limitations of his body. His reaction speed was just too slow compared to his computational speed.

Dyon felt lightning will course into his body, but with a simple shift of his feet and the overwhelming control of his soul, he would always divert it into the ground.

'I'm sure you all have a means of telling whether he's alive or not. And, you're also smart enough to know that under normal circumstances, he would long be dead. Stop wasting my time.' Dyon replied firmly. He was quite annoyed at this point. Whether he felt bad for Zabia and his child in this situation or not, the fact still remained that Ulu had brought this pain unto herself.

"No need." Dyon said, looking into Thor's eyes. Somehow, emotion had yet to flicker across them. Even with the pressure of Thadius standing behind Dyon. Something had to be wrong… Unless he was confident in beating Thadius too?... 'Ridiculous.'

Behind Thadius, Little Black had gone to his beast form. The swirls of white fur that graced his thick black coat, the patches of beautifully arranged black scales covered in crystals, and the patented singular white scale on his forehead were still all there. But, maybe the most striking change to him was the fact he had already grown to over ten meters long, standing at about 7-8 meters tall!

Dyon chuckled bitterly, 'It really pays to have a great lineage… a seven-year-old essence gatherer…' Dyon no longer had any doubt in his mind that the fusion of his master and her husband's blood had given Zaire access to his supreme beast level bloodline.

Little Black's paws softly landed on the stadium. He growled as he looked toward Ri and Madeleine fighting the now cowering Vidar – that said, it came out as an adorable yipping sound. But, he didn't dare help because Little Lyla clung to his back.

'We need a base to regroup everyone.' The ferocity of Dyon's attacks increased. The snaking of his hands started to come coupled with piercing strikes toward Thor's torso, pushing him backward all while trying to catch the flicker of emotion. But, nothing came.

Dyon felt much better have the demon sage's tower to his back. Even if he didn't use energy stones, the tower could within stand the attacks of peak saints without a scratch. However, to survive attacks of a higher grade, it would need an energy supply to do so.

That said, technically speaking, if there was enough energy, even a dao formation expert wouldn't be able to dent the tower. That said, one could hardly fathom the amount of transcendent stones that would be necessary to protect against a dao formation expert for an extended period of time.

Vidar immediately noticed the changing of the tides. He never imagined that he would struggle this much with two women, especially in his released state. But, the reality was right before him.

Pillars of light collided with his fists while Ri seemed to teleport around him in an instant, slashing deeply into his tough skin. If his body wasn't so robust, he lost count of how many times he would have died by now.

His head tilted backward as a roar projected from his lips. Warriors in the sky immediately noticed that their first in line genius was in trouble and took action without delay.

'Ri, Madeleine. Enter the tower for now. We'll find a better opportunity for you two to fight, now is not the time!' Dyon frowned. He knew it wouldn't be so easy to take out Vidar. Him and Thor were too important to the Ragnors for them to be completely without protection.

Madeleine's face was flushed red as she breathed heavily. She had no idea what was wrong with her. She used to be able to call upon her celestial will so easily, and yet it felt like such a burden to her now.

Before, Madeleine had been completely neutralizing the ability of Vidar's body. But she suddenly felt a wave of fatigue that she had been trying to ignore.

Dyon's eyes flashed with anger, but Thor's spear kept him at bay. He wasn't worried, with him having told Thadius to watch their backs, nothing would happen to Madeleine. What troubled him was how out of it Madeleine seemed.

Ri wrapped her arm around Madeleine's waist, skipping backwards to avoid Vidar's blow. But, the shock wave of the fist sent them flying back faster than they were ready to.

If it were up to Ri, she would have teleported away with Madeleine. But, void will had a dark and chaotic nature to it that didn't leave her feeling confident in taking another person with her. This was especially true since her comprehension was still at the will level.

It didn't make any sense. With Dyon's array alchemy, he was too skilled to make a mistake like that. On top of that, it had been less than half a week since she lost her virginity – how could she forget the day? Even if she was pregnant, even considering the grandiose nature of her and Dyon's bloodlines, it was too soon for her to be weakened so much.

Having eliminated that idea, Madeleine felt an odd mix of relief and sadness. But, her thoughts immediately switched to focus on the new feeling she had when she utilized her celestial will. The only problem was that Madeleine had no concept of a will's ability to evolve to a higher stage…

He looked to attack Vidar but settled for a glare when he noticed the tens of saint level experts that had appeared around him. With a flicker, he took Madeleine and Ri both to the tower, leaving them inside to rest.

"Kill them!" Vidar roared viciously. Bloody wounds ran along his already heavily scarred body – so deeply that his bone shone through. He had thought that space will was the sharpest will there was. But, whatever it was that Ri was using… Shook him to his core…

The saint forces split, a large portion headed toward the tower while a handful sneered from above at Dyon's figure. However, before they could do anything, Thadius appeared to Dyon's back, looking toward the saints arrogantly.

With a flash of Dyon's ring, he brought out the same ten saints he had used to rescue Meiying, ensuring that he didn't reveal any more of his trump cards than he had to. If he took out too many saints, their enemies would be too focused on this portion of the battle – putting his severely undermanned demon generals at a disadvantage in both cultivation and number.

The aura of the eleven demon generals shook the saints to the core. Those who had had thoughts of attacking the tower immediately forgot about it, not daring to turn their backs to such experts.

In an instant, his fist twisted as his fingers flickered out, sending a beam of sword qi toward Thor's fingers. 'Can't hold a spear without fingers, now can you?'

'Let's just say that I can offer your clan much more than the Ragnor can. But, I'll leave that aside for the moment, because I'll only give you those things should you be a worthy ally.'

The Matriarch frowned, watching Dyon pursue the retreating Thor. Their height difference was at least half a meter, but she had seen this boy attack things far greater than himself time and time again. "What are you offering if not that…" She finally spoke.

'Well for one. A chance to be my ally. Two, my grand teacher seems to know quite a bit about your Jafari clan. Three, how about the fact I can save your king and his heir?'

The truth was that the flames of the phoenix only had temperature as a by-product of their true essence. In reality, the red flames were meant to represent reincarnation, and the blue flames were meant to represent life. However, other than some crude healing possibilities when the two were used together, the Belmont's didn't have the capabilities nor the affinity or legacies to tap into such power. It was akin to being given the delicacy of a god, but only being able to watch from afar and smell the distant aroma.

That said… The power of these flames could not be underestimated, even in their handicapped state. Even in the face of Aumen's domineering golden flames, Lionel lost out in no way.

Blazing golds, reds and blues scorched the skies, blasting against each other in almost artistic form. This was a battle the crowd would have anticipated with baited breath, and yet they had simply lost all chances of truly enjoying it.

Within the demon sage's tower, Ri lay Madeleine down to rest, circulating her ice will to try and help her stamina. But, she too didn't have any idea what was happening.

"She's just tired. She's not injured at all… She'll be fine." Ri didn't like Madeleine's family very much because of how they treated Dyon, but, they were Madeleine's family nonetheless.

A middle-aged man stepped forward, "You must let us take her away from here." He had received a message from Connery Sapientia that he couldn't ignore. After all, he was a mere Head of a miniature branch family. How could he ignore the orders of their Patriarch?

"You have to understand." Madeleine's father continued. "The Sapientia are completely neutral. We care not for wars and will never participate. Even if the rulers of this universe change hands, we won't say a thing. Our only goal is research. Madeleine staying here not only taints the image of the Sapientia, she's also in more danger. If you care about her, shouldn't you let her come with us? She's clearly already heavily effected by this!"

Seeing Ri still hesitating, he continued. "I appreciate the fact that Dyon thought to send someone to save us from the chaos, but I'm sure you understand the logic of my words."

Ri sent a glance to Madeleine's sleeping figure before she shook her head. "Madeleine wouldn't accept it if she was awake, so I won't accept it in her stead.

Secondly, no one cares what you are outside right now, it's complete chaos. If you felt that you were so safe as Sapientias, why did all of you follow Thadius? Dyon's expressed orders were to ask if you were willing, Thadius wouldn't have forced you. Just one of you is enough to send this message to me."

Head Sapientia froze. It was true. In the span of time they had spent outside, they had already been attacked by a few clans on their level. They hadn't cared that they were Sapientia, they had just wanted to use the chaos to their advantage to gain some benefits.

"Even more reason why my answer is no. Did you already forget what they did to your daughter? They muted her! They all but shackled her against her will and you want me to allow her to go back to that?!" Ri growled. Who hadn't witnessed the Sapientia's treatment of Madeleine? Whether they twisted public perception or not, how could Madeleine's own family not be aware of her pain?

Madeleine's father frowned, but there was nothing he could do, how could he fight against a top 100 ranker? Let alone two of them. Not to mention that beast looked formidable…

However, even as the thought crossed his mind, a sharp sword qi cut the ring in half. In fact, it cut all of their rings causing a shower of items spring up.

Head Sapientia eyes flashed as he tried to catch the array plate, but it was suddenly swallowed into a darkness. In the next instant, it appeared in Ri's hand.

Anger coursed through Ri's features as the array plate corroded to non-existence. All she could think about was what might have happened had they not have Little Lyla by their side. What if she had failed to read their intentions in time?

Ri spoke through gritted teeth. "Because you're Madeleine's family I won't kick you out or kill you. But. You had better be very well behaved lest you feel my anger."

Dyon's battle with Thor raged onwards as his demon generals protected him from the onslaught of saints. Vidar had tried to join the battle, but after being blown back by the sheer impact of their strikes, he had been forced to retreat and treat his injuries.

Planet Nix have been dealt with for now but… Planet Mino was still an oddity. He had fought and beat Saru, and they seemed like an amiable sort of people – people who knew how to pay their debts and show gratitude – but, Dyon couldn't be sure.

Sparks of lightning rained across Thor's body, but Dyon continued to punch relentlessly. Often times he would be blocked. But, on a few rare occasions he had slammed into Thor's body for himself.

However, Dyon was at a dead end. While he himself wasn't being pushed to the limit, he felt as though neither was Thor. He was simply going through the motions, completely unwilling to turn this into a life and death battle… It was almost like a spar…

Suddenly Dyon leaped backward, breaking their exchange. "I can't seem to understand you…" Dyon said faintly as the sounds of waging war raged around them. "But, maybe that's because I'm not trying hard enough."

Thor's eyes flashed as he watched Dyon's black band morph into an eight-foot-tall jet black spear. Delicate black flames and a dripping red aura danced along it, although they didn't seem to be emitting from Dyon, but rather the spear itself. But, its blade was truly spectacular. A simple swing caused no distortion in the air whatsoever… It was so smooth and sharp that wind gave way without resistance.

Ri's gaze found its way to Delia who sat in the corner speaking with her mother, a light smile on each of their faces. She didn't know when they had made their way back from their short disappearance, but she felt better knowing that they were here. At the very least, that meant that her mother and father would also have Patia-Neva by their side.

Despite the loud crashing going on outside, the tower itself was perfectly isolated. They could watch everything that was going on as though it was a sick and twisted movie. And much like everyone else, they could only wonder…

The moment the spear formed in Dyon's hand, he seemed to breathe in its very essence. Without ever having used a spear in his life, his comprehension immediately broke into the first will level.

Thor watched as Dyon's aura slightly shifted to balance out his weapon. Although Dyon had yet to move, an expert of spearmenship like Thor could immediately sense the shift in Dyon's demeanor. He had instantly gone from a person who had never before wielded a spear, to a trained novice – and he hadn't even pierced forward yet!

Without meaning to, a breath of disbelief escaped Thor. He was at the point where a first level will meant next to nothing to him, but when had anyone ever witnessed the scene before him now?! Dyon's affinity for weapon's was simply without equal.

"Just to be clear, Thor." Dyon started, lowering his stance to mimic Thor's two-handed grip. "I'm not fighting you to beat you, nor am I trying to mock you. Since you refuse to tell me what it is that tethers you to the Ragnors, I'll have to understand for myself!"

Thor's silver spear became snake-like, coiling with the effortless twisting of his wrist and completely bypassing Dyon's strike. The tip became nothing more than an optical illusion and a sharp light, bending at angles that shouldn't be possible regardless of how flexible the spear was.

It wasn't possible for Dyon to react with expert spear technique. However, his 6th sense was far too good to not pick up on the change in Thor's spear-play. He had switched from a domineering striker, to a crafty specialist. He was clearly displaying his superiority in the way of the spear.

A smile played Dyon's features as his black spear spun in his hand. Its shaft connected violently with Thor's snaking spear, sending it off course and just above Dyon's shoulder.

Piercing spear qi flew just past Dyon's ear, narrowly missing him as a tempest of winds blasted upward from Dyon's strike. Newbie or not, Dyon would never lack decisiveness and raw power.

Dyon's movements became more flexible and less boxy. They still maintained the same calculation, but he had added a new fluidity to his movements. Although Dyon's grand teacher was crude, Dyon was intelligent enough to take his words to heart – no matter how insulting or seemingly useless they were.

Dyon's spear began to snake like Thor's. Suddenly, Thor's spear no longer bypassed Dyon's, but instead clashed directly, diverting and canceling each other perfectly.

Dyon's grand teacher had told him that his use of wills was much too shallow and that his understanding was striking. But, what had caught Dyon's attention was when he berated him for using wind as a simple speed boost and for using sword qi as a simple attacking will.

It got Dyon thinking about what more wind will could be. The truth was, he didn't have a firm understanding just yet, but, what he did have was a talent for weapons. It wasn't lost on him that although he could cut right to the heart of how a weapon should be used, that he also lacked with that a certain style and unpredictability.

Before, Dyon didn't have any idea how to fix this. But, when he first felt the state of one with world, he had gained a perspective on the world usually only celestial level experts reached. And with that, came a newfound appreciation for wind will.

Dyon and Thor's figures flashed as they sent out strikes in quick succession. The ferocity of Thor's aura only grew. He was slowly becoming a beast as his arms reddened and bulged. There was no doubt that he was pushing his strength to its upper limits to match Dyon's Demon Emperor's Will, but he didn't feel pain nor did he feel any hesitancy. He only felt the need to vent.

"Show me more!" Suddenly, Dyon's spear seemed to fuse into the air. It became formless as the tattoos on his bare back glowed fiercely. The speed of his strikes reached a new level. Despite his spear qi only being at the third level, the sudden boost by a ninth level wind will cause Thor to stumble, not knowing how to respond to the drastic change.

Thor roared, the arcs of green lightning under his skin increasing tenfold. His biceps pulsed violently as red lightning coursed along the body of his spear.

"What do you think we should do?" A group of Planet Mino elders sat around, seemingly discussing something as though they were in a world separate to the chaos of the outbroken war. However, interestingly enough, all of their attentions were focused on a young girl. That young girl was, of course, none other than Saru Shruti!

"Of course, Princess." An elder responded quickly. "But, there seems to be too many variables at play here. This may not be the right universe to use for your coming of age ceremony. Not to mention it's far too early for you to take such a test anyway… You know your father didn't want you to leave until –"

"I was far too cooped up in that place. Don't you think coming to this universe was fruitful though? How else would we have learned what we have…? To think that the dysfunction of this quadrant was seep so far to its roots… You are right about one thing, it isn't safe to remain here anymore…" Saru's eyes glistened with something imperceptible as she looked off to Dyon's figure in the distance. "I like him." She suddenly said.

"But… He's sixteen years old. He's much older than you! How can he be considered a talent?!" The elder was hyperventilating at this point. Without King Shruti here, there was no controlling Saru's actions. What if she really chose this man? By the time they got a message back to their quadrant for help in stopping this, it would be too late and their princess would be tainted!

Even worse, a sixteen-year-old with a mere meridian formation cultivation? He's be laughed out of their clan and forced into a servant role. So what if he could fight above his station, at the end of the day, that was only against these subpar beings. He was clearly the very best this universe had to offer, and yet he was so pathetic. If he hadn't injured Saru, how would she have placed so poorly.

"Cousin." Arivata interjected. "You know they're right. That's not to mention, how could you be the third wife of anyone? I agree that he is a good man. But, good is not enough."

"Wrong. We as body cultivators know little of array alchemy, but you should at least comprehend the basics. How often have you see him use an array laced with purple and gold?"

"Although I don't know what level he's reached, he's at the very least capable of drawing a master level array, which means his soul can't possibly be at the second stage like you think. And, despite the fact we're body cultivators, our souls grow along with our cultivation over time, so the fact that you, as a celestial expert, can't see through his soul, means that his soul strength far surpasses yours."

"This… But, Princess. Even if his soul talent is exceptional, you understand as much as anyone how that isn't translatable to true strength. The soul is simply too fragile. He'll have an advantage in comprehending wills and stamina in using them, but at the end of the day, if his energy and body lag too far behind, he won't be able to make use of his wills past a certain point. Didn't you see how much strain using a mere first level intent placed on him? Even you're capable of using an intent without struggling that much!"

Saru sighed. "How can you all be so blind?... How is that soul useless to him when he comprehended a supreme law! And you dare to say that the benefits are minimal? With his use of death qi, even if he met up against our best sixteen-year-old geniuses he would at the very least be in the top 50%, and that's without access to the same teaching and resources they have."

The elder's lip twitched when Saru said top 50%. Was that supposed to be impressive? This was a Princess of a Supreme God Clan! Not some commoner slave girl!

However, they could not deny how impressive it was to understand a supreme law at such a young age… Even their princess had yet to, and the amount that had at Dyon's age wouldn't be a mere top 50%... It would be more like 0.1%. That said, with how many trillions of life forms there were, that number was still quite large.

"You think top 50% isn't impressive? Well, let me tell you something else… You all understand that the sutra I have mastered allows me to comprehend my opponent the more I battle him, correct?"

The elder nodded solemnly. It was one of the reasons Saru was looked upon so favourably by their king despite the hundreds of children he had. She was simply the most talented.

"Then you know I'm not lying when I say that he has cultivated for less than three years. Before he was thirteen, he knew nothing of the martial world. Nothing."

Three years to reach the upper meridian formation stages was within reason, although it meant they would have to admit that he was a genius. When corrected for the lack of resources in this universe, it was a ridiculous feat, especially when his soul and body were taken into account – not to mention his array alchemy.

The elder took a deep breath. "Okay. We've doubted the Princess, and I truly apologize. However, Princess much still think very carefully about this. You know as much as anyone being a perfect grade warrior at the meridian formation level doesn't necessarily mean that you will be at the saint or celestial or dao level."

The elder would never say that Dyon's feats weren't impressive, especially considering the circumstances. However, what he said was also correct. At every level of cultivation, there was an obligation to fill all of your meridians. You could only be said to have the perfect foundation if you continued to do this at every level.

You must temper all 108 meridians at the meridian formation stage. Then you must fill them all with essence energy at the essence gathering level. Then do the same with saint energy. Then celestial energy. Then enigmatic energy. Only then would you reach the level of a perfect grade warriors.

As rare as it was to become a peak first grade warrior. It was even rarer to become a perfect grade essence gatherer. And even rarer to become a perfect grade saint. And so on and so forth simply because many were forced to give up and move on to the next stage without completing it to perfection.

For all Saru's glorified body guards knew, Dyon had stumbled onto some treasure for the meridian formation stages that wouldn't help him later on. He could very well have a perfect foundation now, then stall at only 7 essence gathering stages. This was very possible.

Maybe most ironically was the fact that they were correct. Dyon's grand teacher had gifted him already tempered meridians. So, it couldn't be said that their worries were groundless.

Saru could only sigh. As much as she wanted to say more words to defend Dyon, they seemed to always have an answer for her that wasn't completely unreasonable.

"You all take things too seriously. I said I liked him, so I thought I'd defend him a bit. It's not to the point where I'd toss away everything to marry him. I have my own pride, you know."

Although Saru said this, she was really only protecting herself. She understood Dyon's personality after fighting him, and he wasn't someone who would marry her just because she showed interest, regardless of how beautiful she was. That was not to mention the fact that she had aged her appearance and figure to this level… In reality, she was much younger – something Dyon had picked up on, much to her shock.

And… what she hadn't told her elders was the fact that even she wasn't 100% certain that she deserved to be his wife… Ri and Madeleine, talent wise, were even more outstanding than her.

That said, the other thing she kept to herself was the fact that Ri was a kitsune. Luckily her elders didn't care too much to watch any fights other than hers. If they had noticed… There may have been some trouble…

"At the end of the day, though," Saru said in a soft voice as she lifted her hand before her. "He's done something only 99 other people among trillions have done…" Her hand flashed with a golden light as a key appeared.

Dyon was completely oblivious to Saru's true origins as his spear danced in his hands. His after images had almost become real, sending attacks of their own as sharp wind spurred Thor's attacks on.

The truth was that Saru had only come here for her coming of age ceremony. It was meant to take place when she turned 18, but she had insisted on leaving much earlier. Since she was powerful enough, it was allowed.

This coming of age ceremony wasn't reserved for the Shruti. In fact, it was a practice of many quadrants and clans, although the scales drastically varied. That said, since Saru was a Shruti royal in line for the throne, her ceremony entailed conquering an entire universe. She had chosen this one because of an interesting phenomenon that occurred sixteen years ago that had piqued her interest. That said, considering she wasn't even born at the time, many had beaten her here, including the Jafari.

'What still has him so angry…' Dyon thought, taking the full brunt of Thor's strikes. At this point, his arms were quivering under the strain despite his use of Demon Emperor's Will.

Thor was frustrated. Dyon thought that this situation was over just because his sister was saved? He had never heard anything so laughable. That man never took a loss. Everything was well within his calculations. He would never. NEVER. Start a war he didn't have 100% certainty in winning. Never.

The moment Patriarch Ragnor decided to attack, was the moment that the fate of everyone here was sealed. Everyone seemed to think that the Ragnor clan sent here was a mere branch, but Thor knew the truth.

Patriarch Ragnor wasn't a mere foot soldier, doing the bidding of the Ragnors. No. He was a key figure among their ranks, a dreadful and powerful man even among the main clan. The reason he was sent here wasn't because he was expendable. It was because they trusted him the most.

Dyon's eyes narrowed, leaping backward from Thor. 'Matriarch Niveus?... But… She should be fighting. Why would they give up their numbers advantage… With Patia-Neva joining, it would be even if Matriarch Niveus stopped fighting… Wha – '

Suddenly, Dyon felt a dense energy lock onto him. Matriarch Niveus turned a cruel eye toward him. Ever since she had heard about how Dyon slapped her first in line genius, she had wanted to kill him slowly… In the worst possible way…

Dyon frowned, but before he could make a decision on what to do, a smiling Connery Sapientia appeared in the air too, looking down toward Dyon condescendingly.

"You're forcing my first in line genius to fight a war when you know the way of the Sapientia is strictly non-confrontational. You'll have to forgive me for taking her back now, won't you?"

Matriarch Niveus lightly tapped her cane in the air, a sneer wrinkling her features further. "It pay to be so old, makes me realize all the time I've spent on cultivation hasn't been useless."

Dyon sighed looking at the state of affairs. The fact that Matriarch Niveus saw it fit to come here – or, more accurately, that she had been able to break away from the fight taking place in the skies – meant that the situation was worse than Dyon would like to admit… She didn't even look like she had struggled!

It was no secret that the elves were formidable. Most clans only had a single celestial expert, but then elves had four if you counted Kawa and the return of King Acacia. Unfortunately, that advantage was immediately sapped by the alliances the Ragnor had formed.

'Do we have to worry about ancestors?...' Dyon's mind was running on overdrive. 'No, many of these clans haven't been in this universe for long enough, nor do they have powerful enough ancestors capable of lasting through an extended slumber… The Belmont have been here for long enough. The Clyte have been. But, the Ragnors haven't. Neither have the elves or Pakal. The only problem is that Meiying escaped from the Belmont holy land, which likely means that they've found a way to deal with the Belmont ancestors?... Is that possible?'

The first scenario for why Matriarch Niveus was here was that the Clyte ancestors had been awoken. It was a heavy price to pay for such a weak royal god clan, but if they deemed this endeavor important enough, they just might.

Truthfully, Dyon only thought of the Clyte royal god clan as weak because he didn't feel the same strength from King Clyte as he did from the other Kings. And he couldn't have been more right. The Clyte didn't have a strong enough legacy to be a royal god clan. If it wasn't for Patia-Neva's folly, they would never be in this position.

But, the second scenario may be even worse for that reason specifically. Because the Clyte were weak, their ancestors might be relatively easier to manage. However, if the reason Matriarch Niveus was able to break away was because Patriarch Ragnor's power was just that overwhelming… That was a problem not so easily solved…

"Still searching for hope when you see death in front of you?" Matriarch Niveus interrupted Dyon's thoughts with a sneer. She saw the demon generals, but she could hardly care about a couple saints. "How many times do you think you can cheat it? We can take this slowly. Let's find out how big we have to make the hole in your chest for you to not come back."

The veins on her wrinkled face bulged, amplifying the creases in her distorted features even further. But, she soon calmed down when she thought of the situation.

"No problem." Dyon responded. "You can do that away from here. There's no one you care about with the Sapientia name here. Don't tell me that the docile Sapientia allow anyone to join but won't let those who entered by birth the right to leave? That doesn't sound very peace loving to me."

Connery's lip twitched, "Unfortunately, things aren't so simple. No one knows what Sacharro name. To anyone who's worth anything, Madeleine will always be a Sapientia. If people could just leave and marry into unknown clans like yours, that would be a major problem for us."

Unfortunately, Connery had a point. If the Sapientia spread across the universe, as they were, suddenly started marrying their members into unknown clans, and then allowed those members to break the laws the Sapientia abided by, then that would be seen as a dangerous loop hole to powerful clans who were currently allowing the Sapientia to permeate.

Think about it, the Sapientia might start fake clans, then use their members as lynchpins of those clans to do things that wouldn't be allowed should they be Sapientia. That way, the Sapientia would have the protection of being pacifists, all while secretly not being pacifists themselves.

Madeleine may be an insignificant existence now, but her talent was unprecedented. Couple that with Dyon's ambitions, and she would be part of no shortage of wars. As she grew more powerful and Dyon conquered more lands and universes, what if her past as a Sapientia was dug up? Suddenly, many questioning gazes would be turned to the Sapientia. As such, it made perfect sense for the Sapientia to not allow marriage unless those clans were handpicked.

That said, Dyon knew fully well that Connery wasn't thinking so far ahead. That was all an excuse to him. He never once believed that Dyon would reach a high enough level that this would become a problem. But, he only cared about how to maintain the moral high ground.

Connery's eyes sharpened. "There are very few instances in our laws that allow for violence." He said slowly. "And unfortunately for you, this is one of them."

The puppets are the equivalent of first grade experts. Matriarch Niveus is a fourth grade expert. So is Connery. Both lower grade. That should be a large enough disparity for my first level celestial stage puppet to do well enough against them….'

Dyon had thought of this long ago, but technically, puppets were a sort of solution to the soul's inability to translate its full potential into strength.

Puppets required your soul to control. The better the puppet, the higher the requirements. Technically speaking, before his soul reached the peak of the 8th stage, Dyon would have struggled to use the full force of the puppets for an extended period of time. Although this was still true now, it was much easier than before. The only problem was that Dyon's soul was already tired…

'I need to end this quickly. Which means I can't reveal the 4th stage celestial puppet unless I can ensure a kill. Neither of their souls are at the celestial level, so I don't have to worry about them surviving out of body.'

With a flash of his ring, a 20-meter tall obsidian warrior appeared before Dyon before it instantly pulled out two swords, causing a gale of winds to open up a space on the arena floor.

Dyon didn't want his demon generals getting needlessly injured. He didn't even have a full scope of the situation. Regardless of the fact he knew that something like this was coming, that didn't mean he was ready for it now. By all accounts, everything pointed toward nothing happening until the tournament had ended. But, clearly Meiying had changed all of that…

He had attempted to teleport to the tower so that he could control the puppet within safe confines, but Matriarch Niveus had locked the space in the area. The bombardment of clashing space wills caused a viscious backlash to his Dyon, resulting in some minor damage.

In reality, he couldn't be blamed. He knew little of the full extent of a celestial's ability. But, in retrospect, it was naïve of him to believe he could teleport freely in the face of one. Matriarch Niveus didn't even need to understand space will. However, because she was so powerful, she was able to shatter said space with a wave of her hand. If she really had understood space will instead of using her power to overwhelm it, Dyon would have suffered even more!

Luckily, despite the matriarch's prowess, Dyon's arrays were still powered by a peak saint soul. So, while she could still disrupt them, it wasn't so exaggerated that Dyon's life had been on the line.

However, this exchange gave Matriarch Niveus all the more confidence. She had been wary of the puppet Dyon pulled out. But, now it just seemed like a desperate plea.

From within the tower, Ri watched this scene nervously as she grasped onto Madeleine's hand. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Madeleine had slipped into a deep sleep and thus couldn't witness this.

With a single leap, Dyon landed on the head of his puppet. His eyes flashed a dense purple, gold and red as he lasered in his focus. He could see and feel everything, and yet, he blocked it all out, focusing on the movements of just two.

A formless barrier wrapped around Dyon as an extension of his puppet. He had little doubt that without this shield, he would die very quickly in such a battle.

"Come die a slow and painful death then boy!" The old lady flashed forward with blazing speed. This was a celestial expert of no normal degree… She was at the mid-levels!

As a lower 4th grade expert, for her to emit the aura of a mid-level celestial, meant that she was at the 4th or 5th celestial stage. She could not be underestimated.

Matriarch Niveus extended a clawed hand. It held no technique, nor did it hold any profound laws. She wanted nothing else but to crush Dyon's puppet in a single blow, but she didn't feel the need to strike heavily to do so. From her knowledge, this puppet was only capable of dealing with saints. She was on a completely different level!

Her body cut through the earth like a hot knife through butter, until eventually, she flew in so deeply that the eyes of a normal human could no longer spot her.

Connery stood in the air with a shocked expression as a cold sweat permeated his back. In that instant, he understood one thing… If it had been him… He'd be dead…

Dyon suddenly understood why celestials didn't do battle on the planet. A puppet didn't even have access to wills, and yet it was this devastating. Dyon couldn't help but wonder… If the earth hadn't expanded by millions of times its original size… Would it have survived the blow he just gave it?...

Without a shred of hesitation, Connery turned and fled. The Sapientia within Dyon's tower could only watch in awe as the man they revered so highly was actually forced to flee by a child they continued to look down on.

Dyon felt his soul strength draining by the minute. Every moment he held a connection to the puppet was another he lost stamina with. He was so fatigued that he hardly noticed the astonished gazes of Tau and Lionel in the air. Clearly they had stopped their fight just in time to see what had transpired.

Planet Mino's section once again received the shock of a lifetime. Saru had just been trying to convince her protectors to help Dyon when she realized her help truly wasn't needed.

Although puppets were extinct in this universe, the same couldn't be said to be true elsewhere. However, what did remain to be true was the fact that a celestial level puppet was nearly impossible to find. And, someone who could use a puppet of that caliber was even rarer.

The practicality of a puppet was nearly nonexistent. Unless a human controlled one, it would never reach its full potential – although, theoretically, it could should an array alchemist be skilled enough. That aside, this meant that in most cases, a puppet was severely handicapped without a controller. And yet, the demands for a wielder were so high that that person would be able to fight the threat on his or her own.

This meant that, usually, puppets were used to explore newfound lands and natural phenomena – places where risking human life was seen as a waste. It's either that, or you make a puppet just powerful enough that when it was on its own, it would fall to a power level you deemed suitable.

As an example, someone might make a lower celestial stage puppet knowing that it would only be able to fight a peak saint on its own. Which is exactly what Dyon had done when he attacked Elder Er a few days ago.

However, this situation was clearly vastly different. Dyon was capable of making full use of the puppet on his own. And even more shockingly, it was a celestial puppet!

Dyon stood above the hole breathing heavily. An instant later, his eyes flashed with gold as he appeared within the tower. He had no choice but to take advantage of the situation to catch his breath and protect himself. If he suddenly lost connection with the puppet, so too would his protection go.

Right now, the puppet would only have the combat power of a peak saint, however, its defenses would still be at the level of a 4th or 5th grade celestial. Dyon knew this because when he studied the arrays of the puppets, he noticed that although their enigmatic energy accumulation arrays were too damaged to be used, the celestial arrays of one was fully intact, and the celestial array of the other was damaged, but not enough to be unusable. But, the best news was the fact that the defenses of the puppet heavily relied on the material it was made of with only a few still intact arrays acting as a supplement.

This meant that if Matriarch Niveus was injured enough from that strike, the puppet might be able to finish her off on its own. And, even if it couldn't, its defenses meant that she wouldn't be able to hurt it too much, if at all.

Dyon plopped to the ground and instantly began to meditate. Replenishing soul strength was, unfortunately, much more difficult than replenishing body or energy strength. It wasn't so simple as flooding the soul with more energy. The soul was tied to the world around you, and it also had very much to do with things like focus and will power, it wasn't so straight forward.

Sometimes when you found you couldn't concentrate very well anymore, the only thing you could do was take a break. That said, there were also drugs that helped people stay focused. Unfortunately, Dyon didn't have any of those soul replenishing pills on hand. Even the celestial deer sect pill repository lacked such a thing. They were simply too much more expensive, so when they were attacked, they were likely stolen along with much of the other valuables.

Even more ironically, the strength of pill Dyon would need to replenish a soul on his level was so exaggerated that even he doubted if he could form such a pill…

Dyon's best bet was to use devour. But, it would have to be on someone with a powerful enough soul… It would have to be from a celestial at the very least.

Matriarch Niveus was truly a sad sight to see. Her previously white dress was soaked in blood. Her arms hung limply and awkwardly shaped to her sides, clearly having been used to block the strike. Her wrinkles seemed to have increased…

Dyon's eyes flashed in all seriousness. Waving his hand, a massive amount of dao stones flooded the tower's arrays, causing blinding shields to erupt all around them.

Matriarch Niveus' laughter only increased as she lifted her disfigured arm to point out two fingers. A ball of darkness and another of light began to dance about each other, spinning viciously as they grew slowly in size.

Dyon thought she was going to attack the tower. But then, almost inexplicably, she twisted and slowly moved her arm toward the horizon, her laughter reaching a fever-pitch.

"You like to play celestial with your little puppets… Let me show you what a real celestial can do!" Matriarch eyes shone with a savagery that could only match a wild animal.

But, what Dyon didn't know until an instant later, was that Matriarch Niveus didn't care. In order to survive the blow Dyon had just given her, she had been forced to burn her blood essence in that instant. The price for letting her guard down was nothing less than her life. To use such a technique at such an old age, she knew that only death awaited her…

And yet, she did so anyway because she wanted revenge. She wanted revenge for the fact that after all these millennia of living, it would be a child that ended her life.

In the white house oval office, President Gallagher sat quietly, looking at a picture of his wife and daughter on his desk when a scorching heat suddenly caught his attention.

Matriarch Niveus sneered in her final moments, watching the blade cleave her in two as she whispered her last words. "Immortal Balanced Arts. Final gate."

"Dyon…" A soft voice came out from behind him, causing his shoulders to freeze even amidst his coughs. Clara had to ask. She didn't have the senses they had, and she couldn't follow the movements of Matriarch Niveus' last moments at all, but she had heard her last words very clearly… It didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened… But, she couldn't bring herself to say the words or fully form the thought…

Dyon's jaw clenched so tightly that blood began to seep from his gums. His breathing quickened as he tried to calm himself, but his aura was very quickly becoming frightening.

Clara's words snapped something within Dyon. In an instant, he disappeared from his position and just as quickly, he appeared before Matriarch Niveus' cleaved body.

The power of a celestial was something that Dyon had never put into perspective until this instant. He had witnessed Elder Daiyu fight with the Elvin celestials, but that didn't do their power justice… Not at all…

In such a battle, Celestials were very much capable of focusing their power, thus transmitting it directly to their opponent. This kept the damage to the surrounding environment at reasonable levels. However, Dyon hadn't understood this. He simply didn't have the skill nor the time cultivating to focus the power of his puppet in such a way. As such, his strike against Matriarch Niveus had torn a stadium that spanned tens of kilometers in half and created a hole of such depth that it easily dug thousands of kilometers into the crust of the Earth.

"You're not allowed to die so easily." The rage in Dyon's voice shook the very skies themselves. His eyes were bloodshot as he thought about all of the lives that had just been lost – how many lives had been snuffed out in a petty bid to get revenge before death.

A soul had to be at the celestial level to survive without a body. But, that didn't mean that a soul at a lower level than that couldn't be contained and halted from disappearing. This was a technique that Dyon's grand teacher had given him in order to help Zabia escape death. It had only taken him a few moments to learn because of his soul talent and was of course the reason that Zabia was still breathing.

"Your soul won't dissipate until I want it to." Dyon's eyes burned with rage. They could no longer be described as bloodshot. His vision had gone completely red.

Souls below the celestial level lacked the ability to communicate. Matriarch Niveus had no means of voicing anything. But, as soon as she noticed that Dyon had stopped her soul from dissipating, a crippling fear overtook her. How could she had ever thought about a possibility like this? How could she know what she had just brought upon herself?

With Dyon's level of senses, how could he could feel the chaotic changes within Matriarch Niveus' soul. Without realizing it, he had gained enlighten to the most rudimentary forms of what it meant to be a True Empath. He couldn't read a normal being, but with Niveus' soul directly being confined by his own, he could see through her emotions as easily as he could his own. Little did Dyon know that this was the very way his grand teacher had begun developing the path of the True Empath…

Matriarch Niveus' soul cried out in agony as devour began to eat away at her soul. It was an indescribable pain, something incomparable to bodily and fleshly wounds. The attack of the soul ate away at one's fundamental connection with the universe. Dyon was essentially severing everything it meant for Matriarch Niveus to ever have existed.

He had never gone this far when using devour before. Nor had he ever used it purely for torture. Even when he attacked that Planet Nix warriors for the sake of Ri, he had still been clear headed enough to sift through his memories to find out what happened. But now?... Dyon completely lost any semblance of humanity he had. He wanted no part of this woman to ever have existed. He wanted her memories gone. He wanted her goals and aspirations gone. He wanted her body gone. He wanted her soul gone.

The world continued to tremble as the atmosphere on half of the planet burnt away completely, unable to withstand the force of the attack. But, Dyon felt none of it.

Matriarch Niveus' pain had reached such a level that her soul began to oscillate with the surroundings. No one could hear her screams, but they could feel them. No one could see her pain, but they could tell it was there.

The war had seemingly ceased as every bit of perception locked onto the horrifying agony of Matriarch Niveus. And yet, as the time passed, nothing seemed to sway Dyon into stopping… He had become a demon…

Dyon seethed, but he also understood that deep down, no amount of anger would ever change what had happened. The martial world just kept pushing his boundaries again and again, whittling down his resolve and flaring up his anger.

Dyon's eyes flashed with gold as the soul in his hand became encased in a spherical array. But, before Matriarch Niveus' soul could sigh in relief, dense black flames began to dance within, tearing away at her soul even further.

This was exactly when the changes occurring to the planet couldn't be ignored anymore. Matriarch Niveus had just set off enough energy to essentially wipe out an entire half of the planet. Had she aimed anymore downward, that's exactly what would have happened – such was the power of a celestial.

The atmospheric temperature had shot up to such levels that the speed of cooling couldn't keep up with the violent reactions of the air. The protective shield of the Earth against the elements of space were burning in real time!

Despite his anger, Dyon had to force himself to think clearly. The temperatures were increasing so quickly that he already felt an uncomfortable burning on his skin.

He didn't know what to do. There were too many people to save. He couldn't possibly get to all of his allies in time. Was he really supposed to watch as all of the elves below saint hood died? What about the Pakals? The Belmonts?

Dyon had read about this long ago. During a war that the history books called World War II, rampant studies on the atomic bomb were taking place. A major concern at the time was that should such a devastating bomb go off, it would cause a chain chemical reaction that would destroy the entirety of Earth's atmosphere.

A traumatic event such as this wouldn't only destroy the target of the bomb, it would annihilate the entirety of the human race along with it! Without an atmosphere, there could be no life. There would be no air to breathe and neither would there be protection against the harmful radiation of space.

Dyon knew fully well that only a person of saint cultivation could hope to survive without protection out there. The problem was, lower and even mid-level saints would only have enough cultivation to protect themselves. Even upper and peak saints would struggle protecting just one other person. Only a celestial could hope to protect multiple people without much strain to themselves. However, they were battling right now!

Even if Dyon used his crystal will amplification with the help of Little Black, and all of the cold path cultivators poured their wills in, not only would Dyon not have the ability to amplify such energy, even if he did, this was a celestial's final attack he was up against!

In order to cool the atmosphere, he'd have to nullify the heat generated by the last reserves of a celestial expert who had also burned their blood essence! That was a ridiculous ask! S

"FUCK!" Dyon roared into the skies. His anger was at such a ridiculous level that he was slowly losing himself within it. Whenever he tried to pull it back, to remember what he still had to live for, to fight for, a wave of despair would hit him. He felt like he was suffocating.

Dyon's psyche didn't seem to want to have to handle more losses. His entire home had just been burned to the ground and he couldn't even bear the idea of witnessing the devastation for himself. And yet, even with the soul of the one who had caused it being tortured in his hand, he was still losing!

Matriarch agonizing screams turned into maniacal cackles. It had dawned on her that in her moment of anger, she had caused irreparable damage to the Earth, which could very well mean that she had caused the death of her very own sect members. She lost her mind under the endless torture, but what really tore her to her core was her own stupidity.

However, in what seemed like an instant, those laughs of pain and self-deprecation turned into a feverish begging for anarchy – a want to see the entire world burn to the ground. As long as Dyon suffered, she no longer cared!

Caedlum, who had been injured during his bout for the top ten, had been being protected by a few Pakal warriors. Luckily, this meant that he was still relatively close to the arena where Dyon was. He, and those Pakals he was with, were the next to enter Dyon's ring – much to their surprise.

Gritting his teeth, Dyon understood that that was all he could do. Without understanding just what was tethering Thor to the Ragnors, he would never be so foolish as to let him into such a place. Even if he wanted to, it was impossible because he was currently surrounded by Ragnors. Tammy was different since she was so weak to begin with. Thor on the other hand, could cause problems.

The scorching heat of atmosphere seemed to be reaching all new levels. It was no longer a simple uncomfortable heat. Instead, it was a seething burning. Foundation stage experts were already screaming out in agony… It wouldn't be long until meridian formation experts were in the same situation…

Dyon teleported to his tower to find Lionel standing right beside the entrance. Without so much as a word to each other, Dyon opened the window way, allowing them both to step in and be shielded from the onslaught of heat.

Guilt ravaged Dyon's heart when he saw Clara's still listless figure being held by Ri. But… There was nothing he could do. Even his own rage was seething to the point where he could hardly control it…

Outside the tower, the world seemed to catch on fire. The loud booming in the air continued as the atmosphere crumbled away, causing the normal blue of the sky to lose its luster, replaced by blinding red and yellow lights.

In the skies above earth, a planet shaking and star destroying battle was taking place. The attacks were so ferocious that matter formed and collapsed with every strike.

Patriarch Ragnor stood leisurely, watching the scene with a smirk on his face. No matter how intelligent Dyon was, he could never have predicted this outcome.

Within his thoughts, he assumed that the only way Matriarch Niveus could break free was because the Clyte either called upon their ancestors, or Patriarch Ragnor was much stronger than he was letting on… Never would he think of the possibility of Patriarch Cavositas being capable of fighting both his mother and father in law alone! Patriarch Ragnor didn't even need to fight!

The battle of celestials had split into two phases. The first was the husband and wife pair fighting against a man they had clearly underestimated severely. The second were their remaining allies, including Patia-Neva, clashing against the Ragnor alliance.

Kawa Acacia couldn't believe what was right in front of her eyes. She was a supreme beast, among the most talented of her kind. Sure, she was still relatively young, not even a thousand years old yet, and yes, she had given up her more talented beast form in order to marry and be with her husband, and yes, this universe wholly lacked the resources necessary for her to make use of her still outstanding remaining talent… But wasn't this too exaggerated?!

Everyone knew and understood that full blooded beasts had to choose one of three paths as Zaire explained to Dyon. There was the beast path. The human path. And a path remaining for only those talented enough – taking both prior paths simultaneously. However, what Zaire didn't mention was that even supreme beasts weren't usually talented enough to take this combined path choice. And yet that was the path Zaire had chosen!

When Kawa came to this universe, she had already firmly stepped into the beast path. Choosing such a path didn't mean you couldn't enter your human state, it only meant that everything there was about you was beast. However, keeping along that path was a living nightmare for Kawa once she fell in love with King Acacia… Why? Because choosing the beast path meant that you could only ever have children with compatible beasts.

Unfortunately, this was the exact reason Kawa, despite being hundreds of years old and a supreme beast talent, was still not a dao formation expert. In order to share a child with the man she loved, she dangerously risked cultivation deviation to forcefully switch paths. This resulted in a drastic loss in talent as well as immediate cultivation, but she had never once regretted it.

Kawa blitzed Patriarch who gracefully wielded bright red halberd. It must have weighed as much as a small moon, and yet it was swung with such an effortless might that the destruction left in its wake was shocking.

King Acacia played a supporting role, using his soul bond with his wife to direct her to in battle. He could easily see through Patriarch Cavositas' intentions, but somehow, they still couldn't manage to get the underhand. Luckily, Kawa was fighting tenaciously, and had managed to remain injury free despite the situation.

Much like Dyon, King Acacia had dual manifestations. One was the Tree of Life and Death and the second was his mist manifestation – one he shared with his younger brother, Ajaar Acacia.

It completely lost its obsidian bark, replaced by a clear and crystalline body that sharpened its offensive capabilities. In combination with King Acacia's mist, it completely disappeared from sight, allowing King Acacia to launch attacks covertly while directly his wife.

Kawa's swords play had long since reached a formless state. Unlike conventional wisdom, it was her tails she used as her weapon, allowing them to whip about as her fist raged forward.

The halberd was heavy, but Kawa always make such to deflect it with at least three tails, optimizing her ability to block and attack all at once. But… The expression of leisure on Patriarch Cavositas' face, the fact that she sensed no killing intent, and even worse, the fact that Patrarch Ragnor had yet to make a move left her with a feeling of unease.

Having only been cleansed just a day prior, how could have King Acacia recovered his cultivation completely? He had managed to once again step into the second celestial stage, and he had thought that was more than enough if he had access to his true empath abilities, but somehow, Patriarch Cavositas had the battle prowess of a dao formation expert!

These words weren't actually sent between them. But, as husband and wife, after years of being together, and with the connection of their souls, they understood the gravity of the situation. No matter how wishful their thinking… They already understood that they couldn't win this battle…

The clash of celestials continued as Kawa and Edrym sought a way to break away. The problem, though, was Patriarch Ragnor. It was clear that he was taking a back seat not just out of conceit, but to also act as a barrier to their escape. With the husband and wife's pair level of battle experience, they could tell that even with his leisurely appearance, he was on full alert.

'Just what are they biding time for?...' King Acacia wracked his brain, but he couldn't afford to divert too much of his attention from Kawa. He hadn't recovered enough to battle someone as powerful as Patriarch Cavositas head on, so he had to make sure he put his wife in the best position to do so. All of his senses were fully trained on the two opponents before them.

That said, it didn't stop him from realizing that none of this made any sense. If they had any semblance of patience, they wouldn't have started this war so early. Why before the tournament even ended? Why at the time they did? Nothing made sense.

'Unless…' King Acacia's mind suddenly remembered an odd occurrence with Dyon. His son-in-law had rushed out of the stadium, mid fight. When he had come back, he hadn't been able to come directly to him and Kawa, but, he had allowed King Acacia to sense the fact that he had brought someone back with him.

It couldn't have been a coincidence. Dyon knew that direct contact with his mother and father in law would have been too tricky, but he knew that King Acacia's senses were back and sharp enough to put the pieces together himself.

And although King Acacia eventually came to the wrong conclusion, it was a conclusion that was close enough to the truth that acting on it gave the same benefits!

Immediately after reaching that conclusion, King Acacia mind diverted for a split second, checking the on the second fight that was raging. And, exactly as he had feared, someone was missing!

'Matriarch Niveus is gone!' King Acacia grit his teeth. The situation couldn't have been any worse. He was willing to bet that all this time, Patriarch Ragnor had sealed off the area entirely to not allow communication. With Kawa and him occupied, the likelihood of stopping Matriarch Niveus multiplied to near impossible levels!

The halberd changed directly by sheer brute force, dodging the tails. A vicious glint lit in Patriarch Cavositas' eyes as a dark destruction aura dripped from the end of the red halberd, cleaving space toward Kawa.

A sharp sense of danger invaded Queen Acacia's beastly senses. King Acacia's instant of mental deviation had resulted in a major mistake. In normal combat, as experienced as Kawa was, she would never lose her balance by putting the full brunt of her power in a strike. But, because of her full confidence in her husband, she didn't battle with any apprehension.

Luckily though, because of their soul connection, she had felt his mind become distracted just in time to realize a mistake had been made, so she was in full retreat almost as immediately as she missed.

Space groaned as gravity bent around the fall halberd, but Kawa was able to calculate that it was just miss her by a hair as long as she kept her backward momentum.

However… That was when an explosion that shook a planet that dwarfed most stars in size sent shock waves through the vacuum of space – erupting shards of rocks and hot air that catapulted in the abyss of endless darkness.

In that moment, Kawa's eyes widened in shock. An entire half of the planet was bathed in flames… Flames that were quickly spreading and threatening to burn the whole planet to the ground!

Even Patriarch Ragnor's calm face twitched slightly at this sight. He knew fully well that there were only three people left on the planet capable of this feat. One was Elder Daiyu, but he was within the Belmont Holy Land currently, it didn't make sense for him to do this. The other two were Connery Sapientia and the last was Matriarch Niveus… But, why would any of those two do such a thing?

'The treaty…' Patriarch Ragnor immediately noticed that it was the mortal side of the world that was the most effected. But, his face then regained its usual nonchalance. 'It's served it's purpose. After today, there wouldn't have been a use for it anyway. However…'

Kawa's shock and worry affected her speed, causing the halberd to just barely graze her. She grit her teeth, feeling the skin of her belly slice apart as the blade crossed her horizontally.

Blood seeped from Kawa's kimono as a fierce ice purity will blasted from her, pushing Patriarch Cavositas away as she leaped backward to King Acacia's side. Her will circulated, stamping out the destruction will and sealing her wound. And yet, despite dealing with the immediate danger to her life, the worry in her heart only grew.

She had no idea what was going on or how this had happened. But, even if Dyon managed to save Ri and Madeleine himself, she knew it was impossible to expect him to save everyone. How could Kawa not understand how important the elves were to her husband? It was her kingdom too! She was their queen!

'Edrym, you stop it. I'll hold them off.' Kawa spoke to her husband quickly. She was well aware that with King Acacia's mist manifestation, his affinity for water type wills was great. He was more than enough to cool the atmosphere and stop the chain reaction that was taking place.

But, they both knew there was another reason he had to be the one to go… Kawa was the only one that could stop Patriarch Cavositas and Ragnor directly…

King Acacia grit his teeth before shooting off toward the Earth. In order to not affect what was going on below, they had flown far above. Had they not, the residual impact of their battle would have been no different than had they been on the surface. However, that decision was proving to be a problem now.

Patriarch Ragnor chuckled as he appeared beside Patriarch Cavositas. Unbeknownst to Kawa and Edrym, the only reason why Patrairch Cavositas hadn't said a single thing was because all of his senses were cut off. He had essentially been turned into a machine for battle in that instant. The reason why was simple. Making use of power that wasn't your own was of a huge detriment to the body – Cavositas hadn't gotten a power upgrade for free. His inner organs were sheering apart, his muscles were hanging onto their tendons by a string, and the pain he would feel had his mind been conscious would have been too much for anyone to deal with. Including Dyon.

Even worse, the blood sacrifice technique came with it a major impact to the soul. The original technique was meant to be used as a power source for the inanimate. After all, it had only been developed by Sargeras as a means to time lock the Timeless Library – something the Ragnor weren't aware of. As such, he didn't care about it being tainted with the numerous wills of those who had been killed. However… That was completely different when the power was applied to a human or animal…

All at once, the wills of the hundreds to thousands you had killed for your benefit were tearing away at your soul. If Patriarch Cavositas didn't cut away his very self when using such a power, if he didn't essentially become an empty capsule without emotion or feeling, he would lose himself.

Kawa's brow furrowed, she couldn't understand why he was making idle chitchat right now. But, something was telling her that if she tried to go and help her husband, Ragnor would instantly attack.

"It's quite an interesting tale, if you can believe it. Usually, it would be extremely difficult to drain enough powerful cultivations to have this sort of effect – especially considering our King Belmont would never allow such a thing. Also, this friend of mine is still of poor cultivation, and the Cavositas aren't special at all except for having a small affinity for a weak branch of destruction will. So, why can he fight you?"

"You're all under the impression that Patriarch Cavositas is a celestial with battle prowess capable enough to fight you husband-wife duo. But, the truth is that he isn't even that." Patriarch Ragnor laughed as though he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "The Cavositas were nothing before I arrived here and brought them up. How could they have a lineage powerful enough to produce a celestial? This man is nothing more than a saint."

Kawa's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. A saint?! Capable of fighting on the level of a dao formation expert?! That was impossible!

"The reason we were able to gather up such powerful experts in the first place, is because of the stupidity of one of your own allies." Patriarch Ragnor all but wiped tears of joy from his eyes as a sudden realization dawned on Kawa.

"That's right." Patriarch Ragnor continued, holding his sides from splitting in his fit. "If it wasn't for Patia-Neva sitting idly by as the Clyte massacred his family, you would never have to face such a powerful opponent."

It was no coincidence that the Clyte were allies with the Ragnors… It was no coincidence that all of the Patia-Neva clan were decimated… It was no coincidence that Patriarch Cavositas was so powerful…

With every passing moment, all he could think about was how an entire population of people had been wiped out just for revenge. Innocent men, women and children, snuffed out because someone more powerful decided that their lives were a worthy exchange for their own petty feelings.

Looking out, Dyon saw the world reddening before his very eyes as the temperature continued to rise rapidly and without remorse. However, just as he was about to put aside his own feelings to try and do something, anything, to help the weaker elves, another large boom sounded off in the sky as King Acacia tore through the final layer of the atmosphere.

The cold spread and spread. Soon, a crisis that could have ended all life was ended on the whim of a celestial. And this stood as the second time that saw the freedom that unparalleled power gave you.

Rain began to pour downwards, sending a wave of relief over the masses that felt as though they were burning alive just a few moments ago. But, that was when a wave of unease came over Dyon and his allies, riding on the laughter of a man who stood among the clouds, a bloodied figure hanging from his hand as he clenched its neck.

"I see," Patriarch Ragnor chuckled in the skies, but there was a clear anger in his voice. "So Matriarch Niveus died… To think I underestimated you to this extent…"

Watching his mother in law dangle from the sky, another layer snapped within Dyon. He didn't have to rely on his emotional connection to his wife to feel something seeing this scene… In the short time he had known Kawa, she had treated him with nothing but love and respect. In many ways, she reminded Dyon of his own mother.

Ri, who had been trying to comfort Clara just moments earlier, suddenly felt her world crumbling apart. The tears had long since stopped, but a dense hatred started to fester in her heart. How long had she waited to see her mother again? To hear her voice? To finally be able to feel her embrace? She couldn't fathom those feelings being taken away again so soon.

In the skies, King Acacia's jaw tightened. He wanted to move and do something, but he knew very well that his wife's life hung in the balance. Kawa's soul strength hadn't reached the celestial stage yet, unlike his. If her body was killed… There was no chance…

He had thrown away the wellbeing of his kingdom, disappearing for ten years and traveling across dimensions to save his wife. Words could not describe the place she and Ri held in his heart. And yet that beautiful woman in his memories, that lively fire spark to his life, had hers hanging by a thread just before him.

"I'm glad I don't need to explain the situation." Patriarch Ragnor suddenly spoke, tearing across the rumbling thunder in the sky. "This was meant to be quite a leisurely exercise honestly." He sighed as though he was really lamenting something he had lost. "A martial exchange between clans, if you will. Things weren't meant to get bloody."

A burning heat threatened to tear Dyon's chest apart as he watched Patriarch Ragnor wave Kawa around by her neck as though she was nothing more than a prop.

"Ai." He continued, shaking his head in mock sadness. "Alas. A good friend of mine has died! Our friendly competition has crumbled and now an entire sect, of women no less, mourns her loss. Does that sound fair to you?"

"Tell me, Evelyn is it? What would alleviate the anger in your heart? Technically, you are the leader of the Niveus God Sect now, right? So, you are my ally and as such, I should take your interests into account, don't you think?"

Evelyn's white eyes flashed at these words. Anyone intelligent enough could tell that this supposed devastated first in line genius hardly felt a thing from her master's death. However, when she heard of an opportunity to exact revenge, a blaze lit in her eyes.

The hazel in Dyon's eyes had completely disappeared. He hadn't entered such a state since the destruction of the Elvin Orphanage. But… This time was different…

He had been trying to control himself all this time. Even when he saw his entire world destroyed, he tried to maintain his sanity. When he saw his mother in law dangling with her life barely a whisper, he tried to control his emotions. But, sitting here listening to this bullshit back and forth, listening to the play cat and mouse with his wife's mother right in front of him, Dyon nearly lost his hold on everything.

In the Elvin world, he had entered this state on purpose so he could hide his true thoughts from Jade. However… There was nothing voluntary about this time.

This man stood in the air, talking about fairness and an eye for an eye like an entire population of people hadn't just been eradicated. Did their lives mean nothing? Was their weakness enough for their deaths to be a footnote in history? Did the mortal world just not matter?

The place he had been raised in. The place he grew up and became his own man. The place where his two uncles had lived as the few supporting systems he had left. It was all gone now, and yet these people pretended as though that meant nothing?

Patriarch Ragnor sighed. "I do feel a bit hypocritical though. The reason we had sent Matriarch Niveus down from the battle was so that we could give one of you the opportunity to sacrifice their life for the greater good.

"I was worried before about how we would justify things to maintain absolute fairness. Originally, I was going to make this elaborate pitch. Tell you all about how this universe would once again reach its former glory, and how the expert you were aiding with your life was one that would repay his debts, but now that seems unnecessary.

The eyes of the man in the sky pierced downward, finding Dyon's gaze of dense darkness. And yet, he seemed completely unaffected by Dyon's anger. In fact, he found it quite amusing.

Originally, the world tournament was supposed to play out to its end, wherein the top ten spots would be mostly occupied by their allied members. This was why the Planet Deimos members like Tau and the deceased Femi had gone so far in breaking the rules. And, considering the Cavositas were allied with them all along, it was obvious why Elder Den had turned a blind eye to their cheating – he was in on their plans from the beginning!

King Belmont, despite his intelligence, had made mistake after mistake. He spent years in seclusion, improving his power while staying out of the limelight, all so that he could maintain an air of nonchalance in the face of the Ragnors. The entire point was that if he did this, the Ragnors wouldn't see him as a threat and therefore ignore the possibility of him ruining their plans.

All this time, King Belmont had thought that Ragnors were here in search of the Epistemic Tower. This was what he and his allies revolved their everything around. Never did they think that the entity that they were so wary of, had deeper connections to the Ragnors than even the Daiyu did!

Because of this miscalculation, King Belmont never thought the Ragnors plan would ever involve him directly. In his eyes, if he bided his time, he'd be able to deal the Ragnors a devastating blow while their backs were turned. This was why King Belmont hardly interfered during the tournament. This was why Kawa and King Acacia tried to remain hidden. This was why the Cavositas had been allowed to organize the tournament. All because of a mistake!

Had King Belmont known that the target of the Ragnors was never the Epistemic Tower, but rather the secrets that lay within the Belmont Holy Lands, he would have never taken this approach! Because he would have known from the very beginning that the Ragnors would always take him as a threat because their goal was something he was duty bound to protect with his life!

The Belmont Holy Lands was just a name to throw people off of the true purpose of the Belmont's strong hold. The truth was that since the beginning, the Belmonts, having been within this universe for the longest period of time aside from Dyon's mortal world, were aware that the origin of the expansion of the Earth laid within those lands.

Tunnels spanning millions of kilometers dug into the surface of the Earth, carving out intricate paths that none could find their way in, unless…. You had use of a True Empath or Meiying's Feng Shui Compass will!

Much like Focus Academy and the Big Sects, God level clans had the ability to open legacy worlds as well, and the catacombs of the Belmont Holy Land happened to be a hotbed for them. The reason for this was relatively unknown, however, this was the reason why the God Clan young masters who attacked Dyon on that fateful day had had an air of nonchalance about a legacy world the big sects had the capability of opening. After all, how could it ever match up to what they themselves had already witnessed?

The problem was that those tunnels were solely controlled by the Belmont Royal God Clan. The surrounding God Clans who took up positions around the Belmont Holy Lands' natural moat were barred to the residual effects these catacombs had. The only time they would become available to the public is as a prize for the world tournament hosted by Earth, and the enemies of the Belmonts planned to take full advantage…

By taking advantage of the fact their youths made it into the top ten, God and Royal God Clans would be able to send in their best experts with them. And this was something the Belmonts had no choice but to allow.

Think about it. The World Tournaments were used as a gauge of the younger generation. As previously expressed, if a clan's younger generation was overwhelming enough, it could often times decide future Royal and even King God Clans without a single drop of spilt blood! Why would any clan allow their best youths to enter an unknown land under the purview of a clan that could very well be their enemies in the future? What if King Belmont decided to wipe out the most promising youths on a whim and blame the dangers of the legacy world? If no one of his power was there, how could they prove he was guilty?

Using this logic, the Ragnors and their allies were going to use the world tournament as a peaceful means to enter the Belmont Holy Lands without resistance. By making sure that they occupied as many of the top ten spots as possible, they'd remove any unwanted variable. But! That was exactly what Dyon was! And unwanted variable.

How could anyone assume that such a child would catapult to the first ranking spot? Even when they tried to force him out through scandal and sabotage, he burst through their barriers again and again and made a joke of the tournament entirely! In the end, he had even managed to prove that he was unmatched. Only a fool would the Lionel or Tau stood a chance against Dyon's death will form after seeing how easily he took care of Zabia.

The Daiyu were meant to sneak into the Belmont Holy Lands ahead of time and 'fail' in their attempt. But, in reality, they would have long since snuck into the catacombs, utilizing the keys that Meiying had thought she had taken from them. This was the final way in eliminating all worrying variables. They knew fully well that there was no way they could have absolute control of the top ten, so the Daiyu were meant to sneak in an army ahead of time.

This 'fail' of the Daiyu would work in two-folds. The Belmont would never think that two attacks would happen so closely together because without the full scope of everything, the actions of the Daiyu would seem completely unrelated to anything happening in the tournament. In addition, the Belmonts would never think that anyone could enter their holy land without them.

Firstly, Elwing had offered it as a betrothal gift. If Ri became a member of the Belmonts, it obviously wouldn't matter if she was given a portion of their bloodline. Secondly, think of how close the Belmonts are with the Acacias. Such a betrothal was something even King Acacia had wanted.

In the end though, all of their plans of a sneak attack were thrown out of the window completely by Meiying. Had Meiying not taken the box, it might have still worked, because the Daiyu could still pretend to fail since Meiying had no idea about the connection between the Ragnors and Daiyu. However, because she knew the feathers existed, the entire plan was ruined!

However, there was yet another thing that had changed their plans. Something that had happened even before Meiying escaped. And that was Dyon's trip to the mortal world.

Sixteen years ago, a ground-breaking phenomenon shook the martial world as a baby was born. Because of the seal placed on the human world, the phenomenon hadn't manifested there. However, it shook the martial world to such an extent that their forgotten universe had become a beacon to others. All of a sudden, because of this birth, people began to remember just how amazing this universe had been.

But… Not everyone was excited about this birth. In fact, for the Ragnors and Daiyu, it was nothing short of a nightmare. Because the soul kernel had disappeared that very day!

Because of the lack of energy within the mortal realm, it was impossible to find where the soul kernel had gone. As such, the Daiyu could only enlist the help of the agent they had placed within the mortal realm long ago as an insurance policy: General Mace.

With the accumulated data and research, Dyon's parents found little reason for why mortals couldn't cultivate. And, found it even more troubling that the composition of the mortal realm and martial realm were fundamentally different. How could they not realize at that point that someone had designed it to be this way on purpose? And what other purpose could they have other than to use them?

After reaching this conclusion, Dyon's parents underwent a dangerous journey, digging up everything they could find on the mortal realm's connections to the martial world. And, in the end, everything pointed to one man. One man who had lived much too long… General Mace.

In exchange for helping the Daiyu make key changes to mortal history, General Mace was granted a life extended far beyond normal human capabilities. However, because of this, it was impossible for him to fully erase the imprint he had made on history.

In order for the seal on the mortal world to continue to function, the mortal world needed to be continually divided. This, of course, was only an extra measure, but it was one the Daiyu decided to take anyway. By constantly causing wars through the history of human kind, destroying successful empires before they could truly bloom, and piecing the world into boxes like 'race' and 'culture' and 'religion', General Mace ensured that mortals never truly came together… And thus, the seal remained as powerful as ever…

The importance of will could never be underestimated in the martial world. So, there was little to be said about the effect dividing a people could have on weakening a world's will.

That aside, General Mace was of course just one among a long line of succeeding General Mace's. He just happened to be the most recent, and the one the Dyon's parents caught on to.

Because of that, Mr. and Mrs. Sacharro were able to confirm that there was indeed foul play, and they began looking for a solution. Little did they know that that solution… Was their very own son…

By the time they realized this and basked in the irony, General Mace had figured out that they were on his trail. Catching them off guard, he killed Dyon's mother while his father was away… Although Dyon's father never truly knew who was responsible, one could say he was 99% certain…

Even for General Mace, killing General Sacharro was a much tougher task. With his prestige as a general, he was protected much more than Dyon's mother and he had the ability to protect his own self even when he wasn't. But… The end of that tale was just as tragic…

Just like that, two heroes of the mortal realm were gone, leaving the rest on the shoulders of their ten-year-old son… All Dyon had left of his parents were the necklaces he gave his wives, his father's watch and uniform, and a letter that told him to go to the martial world…

Dyon's parents had hoped that with the talent he had been birthed into, he would be able to soar to great heights in the martial world, and eventually break the curse placed upon them. They knew with their son's intelligence, it would only be a matter of time before Dyon figured out what they had, and then General Mace would kill him too… They couldn't stand for such a thing.

They wouldn't resign themselves to the fact that the life of their son would inevitably end in the same miserable way theirs did. They refused. They knew what Dyon needed was power, power that only he as a mortal could have… Power that could only be found in the martial world.

However, despite their hopes. They knew it was a slim chance. What were the odds of a mortal boy magically showing up with talent and also not being connected to the missing soul kernel? How could the Sacharro's not understand this? They just wanted to give Dyon a chance to fight. To give him a chance at life…

And now it had all come full circle. Elder Daiyu's message to Patriarch Ragnor just hours earlier wasn't just about the failure of their plan and Meiying… No. It was also about Dyon. It was about how Dyon held the last piece they were looking for all this time…

"NO!" Ri snapped out of her trance. Yes, she loved her mother dearly and had been longing for her for so many years but having to choose between two people you love was a cruel fate for anyone.

Dyon felt a soft hand grasp his arm. But, when Ri felt the level of agitated heat coming off of Dyon, a deep guilt flooded her. She had been so consumed by her own grief that she had forgotten how her very own husband had just lost the world he called him. Everything he used to know, the uncles he shared jokes and laughs with… Even the graves of his parents… All gone.

That cemetery and that church were places Dyon hadn't visited in truth for almost a decade. In fact, the last time he saw them, it was in an illusion fabricated by his grand teacher from his memories. He had lost count of how many times he thought of taking Ri and Madeleine there during his visit, but in the end, he didn't end up doing so… And now he would never get the chance…

The entire process took less than a second. Before Ri could even comprehend anything that had happened, Dyon was gone and her screams of agitation and unwillingness were deafened by the demon sage's tower.

Seeing Dyon step out without the slightest bit of hesitation, a complex look flashed across King Acacia's features. This was a boy he had all but cut away from his daughter just a day ago… Someone who he had looked down on as unworthy… Whether that had been because of the state his True Empathy put him in or not, he found this to be irrelevant.

In the end, even with how he treated him, this boy cured without batting an eye. He didn't ask for anything. He didn't make him plead. He hadn't even accepted an apology. How many in the martial world would forgive a grudge so easily after having their honor trampled upon? The percentage was so small that it was all but negligible.

King Acacia's lips opened as closed as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he was at a loss. What could he do in this situation? He was fully aware that he was much weaker than his wife in this state without having fully recovered. And, even if he was fully recovered, he was fully aware that he could never beat Kawa as easily as Patriarch Ragnor had. What if his actions led to the death of three people instead of just one?

'Wait… Where's Patriarch Cavositas?...' An eerie feeling came over King Acacia. He and Kawa could hardly handle him together, how could the rest of them? Especially since they were already outmatched enough to let Matriarch Niveus slip away?

Regardless of how confident he was and how much he thought he had calculated, everything this boy seemed to do was well out of his realm of understanding. No one in their right mind would account for the death of a celestial to a meridian formation expert, and yet, isn't that what happened? So, he didn't let go of Kawa too soon, something anyone would have guessed.

Saru's brow furrowed. She turned her head to her protectors, but when she noticed that they were already avoiding her gaze, her frown could only deepen. Regardless of how much they pretended to follow her orders, Saru was quite aware that her father had given them the flexibility to make unilateral decisions should the situation get out of hand.

Matriarch Lebna's eyes flashed with uncertainty, but Ulu didn't even seem to notice anything around her anymore. She hadn't moved in hours, just helplessly holding onto her belly.

"We can do no – " Matriarch Lebna started to speak. In her thoughts, she thought that Dyon would be coming to use his leverage to force them to fight for him. However, in their weakened state, it was impossible to do such a thing. Their Jafari Royal God Clan was already a taboo in the universe. They had come here looking for legacies to complete something their clan had long since sought after, but they had clearly failed.

Two of their members had been kicked out of the top ten, and then their king had seemingly died before he could fulfill the last bits of their goal. They were as helpless in this situation as Dyon.

Ulu looked around confused, but when she saw Dyon standing before her, a deep and reverberating anger lit in her eyes. However, before she could say or do anything, Dyon spoke again.

"Give me your life, and I'll save your child." There were no other words. He didn't explain himself. He didn't try and coerce Ulu. His meaning was simple. You can keep your life if you want it, or you can trade it for your child's. Which will it be?

"Release her." Dyon eyes burned with dense black flames. Although Patriarch Ragnor was much taller than him, Dyon didn't hesitate to draw an array in the skies just high enough so that he'd be eye level. There was no fear in his voice, and even less trepidation.

"You know we can't do that princess. Our first goal is to first and foremost protect you. As of now, this Patriarch Ragnor doesn't seem to have his sights set on you, and it's best it remain this way. Also, please do not take out your Epistemic Tower Key again. Although he ignored the temptation once with this Dyon child, he may not do so again.

"Remember that this is not our quadrant. Your key does not give you an advantage here. It took us many years of waging war to earn the key for our lineage away from those damnable kitsune. If you lost it under our watch, the King would have more than a little punishment for us."

Patrirach Ragnor's eyes narrowed at Dyon's clear lack of disrespect. He was a man who wouldn't even have to lower his head amongst the Emperor God Clan that was his home, and yet this boy that was nothing more than the last of a dead race of people dared to look at him with eyes of contempt?

You spent so long talking so much shit and spinning the tale however you wished. Don't tell me that your words are worth as much as the piss and shit that comes out of your mouth?"

Patriarch Ragnor's lip twitched at Dyon's words, this being the first time he ever lost any semblance of his care free appearance. But, as he went to retaliate by squeezing Kawa's neck, Dyon spoke again.

"Injure my mother in law any further and I'll start burning my soul right now. Release her to him now." Dyon pointed toward King Acacia, not turning his gaze over. "And after you do that, keep in mind that I have a soul bond with my wife. If your attacks don't cease after I go with you, I will, again, burn my soul."

Patriarch Ragnor froze. If Dyon burned his soul, it would be nothing less than burning away thousands of years of work. When this began, Patriarch Ragnor himself hadn't even been born yet.

The Ragnors were cursed, and this wasn't a secret to anyway. Because of their ancestor's attempt at defying the heavens and grasping a will no one should, their gene pool was forever handicapped. This entity was their bright light of hope for not only the Daiyu, but them as well.

This plan of theirs didn't just represent giving this entity accumulated power. No. It also represented the possibility for the Ragnors to defy the laws of nature as well. If Dyon really did as he threatened, all of that would be gone.

Patriarch Ragnor's frozen features morphed into a smirk. "Did you think that committing suicide in the face of a true expert that didn't want you to is so easy? If I so wished it, you wouldn't be able to move an inch!"

This was much like what Ester Sapientia had done to Madeleine. When someone had a higher grade of cultivation, especially when it involved a higher grade of energy entirely, this sort of suppression was very much possible.

Ri and Clara's hearts seized. Although Clara didn't know much about cultivation, she was smart enough to deduce the meaning behind Patriarch Ragnors words.

However, that was when a massive humanoid manifestation appeared in the air, shaking the already rumbling skies with a pressure that couldn't hope to outweigh Patriarch Ragnors, but had somehow formed a domain of its own.

"It seems your words really are worth nothing." The Clone spoke. "Unfortunately for you, though. Unless you use your soul to pressure my own, your suppression would fail. You have no ability of stopping me from doing anything I want to do with my soul."

In addition, using your soul to directly pressure someone was highly dangerous. If it wasn't, Dyon would do it all the time. How would the world tournament have been even remotely challenging to him if he could?

That meant one thing. Even if Patriarch Ragnor broke all of their former expectations, and somehow turned out to be an unprecedented expert that also had a soul powerful enough to match it, he still wouldn't dare use his soul to directly pressure Dyon.

Dyon's eyes couldn't help but narrow at this quick shift between demeanors. The level of danger this man presented was clearly larger than any he had ever faced…

"It seems I've ruined your trust in me." With a wave of his hand, Kawa was sent flying toward King Acacia who caught her and immediately began trying to treat her.

"Ai." Patriarch Ragnor sighed in mock sadness. "There was a treaty in place, you know. I can't believe Matriarch Niveus went so far as to do such a thing."

A light smile spread across his lips. "You shouldn't worry too much about it, though. That treaty ran its course years ago although very few knew about it.

It had only existed for the same reason shepherds protect their sheep from wolves with a fence." A dark light shone in Patriarch Ragnors as Dyon's anger threatened to erupt. "After all, whose talent would we accumulate if the mortals were to die out too quickly?"

Ri could only stare helplessly at the now empty skies. There wasn't even a moment to feel relief at the release of her mother… Because immediately afterwards, her husband was taken away…

No matter what nonsensical hopes she held, there was no logical path to victory. All signs pointed to their loss… How could Dyon, a mere boy of sixteen years of age, hope to survive against such powerful enemies? He was alone!

Ri listlessly nodded. She knew quite well that Dyon wouldn't have any thoughts of death. In fact, with the anger blazing within him right now, his only focus was giving them the most horrid deaths imaginable.

Within the Shruti section of the arena, Saru's emotions were agitated. She could hardly say she had any deep feelings for Dyon – that was ridiculous. But, she had an understanding about him in their exchange of fists due to her sutra. His being held a purity that she had only ever seen from her own mother. A soul like that dying would anger anyone.

"It's best that we go now princess." Elder Shruti tried to speak tactfully, but there was no room for delay. This wasn't their universe, nor was it their conflict. Since it was clear they wouldn't get the opportunity to enter the Belmont Holy Lands, what was the use in staying? Even worse, the experts of this universe may very well be too much for them to handle.

That was by design, of course. It wouldn't be much of a coming of age ceremony if Saru had too much help. In fact, it was because she was so young that she had protectors at all. However, this situation had clearly gotten out of control.

So, when she then considered the fact that it was her very own granddaughter that instigated the situation in order to gain their families a chess piece, she found it even more astronomically unlikely.

And yet, Ulu sat there smiling. The same girl who had cut off all her five senses just moments ago, seemed to have raised from a nightmare and into a dream. The beauty that made her among the six in this universe shone through fiercely…

Matriarch Lebna may never know how right she was. When Ulu dies on the birth date of her child, many might think it was a fluke or heaven's jealousy. But, Ulu would always know different.

However, that didn't matter to her anymore. She had lost her husband and child all due to her own selfishness. Everyone believed Dyon would die, there was simply no way out of this, so how could Ulu think he'd ever have the opportunity to save her husband? The mere fact he had gone out of his way to save her child before leaving was the only thing that anchored a feeling of pain and remorse in Ulu right now.

A man she had co-signed to a life of slavery… A man whose wife she had nearly taken the most important thing from… Still had the purity in his heart to not punish her child for the mistakes she made… And yet that was a man she had despised just moments ago…

'You may never find out just what kind of service you've given to our clans…' Ulu said to herself, 'I nearly ruined everything, and yet you still found it in your heart to forgive. Even if it costs me my life, this is a price I am willing to pay. It's a price I deserve to pay…

In the skies above the planet, a second group battle was taking place. Luckily, outside of Dyon's expectations, the reason Patriarch Cavositas hadn't appeared wasn't because he had joined that fight. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen!

Patia-Neva's fists raged with dense ice and space intents as he clashed against King Clyte. The rest of their allies were there as well, but King Belmont seemed to be struggling – dealing with three opponents on his own.

"Haha! To think the mighty Patia-Neva would struggle so much with this little Clyte!" King Clyte mocked his long-time rival. How many years had he felt stifled by Patia-Neva's talent? How many years had he lamented not having the strong legacy that the Patia-Neva's had? Even when he thought that he had finally ridded himself of Patia-Neva for good, and established the Clyte clan as the new rulers of Planet Naiad, he had come to find out his wife was pregnant by another man!

Unfortunately for Patia-Neva, recovering from a cultivation deviation wasn't so simple, and a mere decade and a bit more than a half wasn't enough. His cultivation had plummeted, and his ice will, his most powerful, had followed. Even now, after all these years, he could only make use of one with mind ice will, having completely lost his martial way.

However, his one with mind was built solidly. He hadn't been sitting idly for the past years. In fact, he had had to build his ice will from the very first level will to what it was now – a first level intent.

The truth was that King Clyte was still no match for Patia-Neva. However, after his first talk with his wife and daughter, Patia-Neva had settled on something…

Although he never thought of asking for forgiveness, and was perfectly ready to be cut out of both of their lives, the two most important women in his life had given him an ultimatum: to build his dao the right way.

There was Lionel, Dyon's wives, his siblings, Clara, the Sapientia, the Pakals, and even Ava and some Sicarius were there. And yet, the space was deathly silent..

Suddenly, Lionel broke the silence. "I have the ability to bring you all to the Belmont Holy Lands in the absence of my father, but, I won't do it if it's nothing but a suicide mission."

Ri's eyes glistened as she looked up. She didn't like Lionel's words, but she understood them. What was the point in going if they'd just end up in the same situation again? Dyon might even have to threaten suicide yet again for them to survive. Few knew more than Ri just how powerful a kitsune's legacies were. For her mother to lose… and so thoroughly at that… This situation wasn't normal.

"However, there's also no love lost between me and him. For me to do so requires payment." Lionel's eyes traced over Madeleine's sleeping body before he returned it to Ri.

"Ha. When everyone thought the world would end, despite your grudges, my husband allowed you to step into his treasure. He didn't have to do so, and he was even less afraid of not doing so. Yet, he allowed it anyway. And now you have the audacity to ask for payment?" Ri's growled, her canines growing in length with her every word. "If you were ever wondering what the difference between you two was, it's clear as day. You have no integrity, no substance, and no heart. For you to think you could ever win the heart of my big sister is quite simply the best case of insanity I've ever come across."

"As for your other point, your husband lost nothing allowing me to enter. However, I would actively be sending myself to death. In addition, my life is worth far more than his. He is the successor of a dead man and a dead clan. I am the prince of a Royal God Clan. How can these things be compared?"

Ri's baleful aura filled the lobby of the tower, "To stand there and have the gall to say those words. I'd really like to hear what Royal God Clan you're prince of? From what I see, your family's power structure has been completely shattered."

Surprisingly, Lionel still didn't react adversely. "That's a matter of perspective." He didn't seem intent on explaining as he continued. "I don't want Madeleine in the way you're thinking. I simply want her to return something that should have never been hers to begin with.

Ri's eyes suddenly flashed with a realization. She had assumed that Lionel was asking for Madeleine to fulfill some sort of sick and twisted power trip. But, it turned out that he was asking for her faith seed!

Because faith seeds were the fruit of external cultivation, they could be taken and stolen. This could leave the one losing the faith seed either dead or alive. However, more often than not, a person would rather die than separate with a faith seed for obvious reasons.

In addition to this, there was the added layer of protection added by clans once one of the members transcends. This protection allowed for clans to tell when their faith seeds left the possession of one of their own. In cases where this happened, all out wars would often occur which is was why it was practically an unspoken rule that such things were banned. It was highly taboo to steal faith seeds as a result.

However, Madeleine's was different… For one, Madeleine herself wasn't a member of any phoenix clans, so her having the seed should have already set off alarms. But! Amethyst's faith seed never had this layer of protection added because she transcended while hating her clan. Also, even if she had had this added layer of protection, the phoenixes were extinct… There was no one to detect such a thing.

This also made Madeleine a value that was nearly limitless. Why? Because she was the key to reviving two phoenix bloodlines. Her descendants, should they be talented enough, would be the only way for the faith seeds of the long extinct ice and fire Phoenixes to makes their reappearance in the world because the bloodlines the Belmont's had been simply too weak to do such a thing – they weren't even recognized by the universe as having Phoenix bloodlines.

Although others may not be fully aware of where Madeleine's faith seed came from, and would thus be too apprehensive to take it, Lionel and the Belmonts were different. They knew exactly what it was! In fact, many Belmonts saw themselves as the rightful owners after protecting Amethyst's temple for so long.

Ri's frown deepened. She couldn't believe the level of shamelessness of this supposed prince. Did he really think he was worth something while he acted like this?!

Many hours ago, as soon as Patriarch Ragnor's hand had fallen on Dyon's shoulder, a high level spatial intent had torn them through the air, allowing them to appear directly above the Belmont Holy Land.

From the outside, it looked just as peaceful as ever. Dyon stood straight and tall by the man he saw as nothing short of his mortal enemy. It seemed that Patriarch Ragnor was intent of using his hand on Dyon's shoulder to ensure that he was at least a few inches lower than him.

'There's something off here…' Dyon's 6th sense had reached ridiculous levels. Even with the shroud over the Belmont Holy Lands, he could tell that something just wasn't right. It couldn't be so peaceful.

Majestic mountains blazed in fire, green pastures lay coarse and unkempt, even the magnificent buildings that had once been the unmatched would make an artisan shed tears of sadness.

Without so much as a word, Patriarch Ragnor flashed forward with Dyon's shoulder still clamped in his hand. In an instant, they were before an odd entrance that seemed to have been quite important and well guarded until everything was thrown into chaos.

The surrounding warriors looked startled by the sudden appearance of two unknowns. But, before anything was said, a familiar old man and his grandson stepped out of the cave.

Chenglei burned with rage when he saw that it was Dyon who had come. He had suffered two massive losses because of this young man, and here he was pretending as though none of this had anything to do with him.

An uncontrolled sneer appeared on Chenglei's features. "I hope you remember your words when you stood arrogantly in the skies above that garbage Focus Academy at that bogus wedding.

What was it you said again? You wouldn't hide your identity as the celestial deer sect's successor because you wanted your enemies to know you existed and despair in the knowledge that they couldn't stop you?" Chenglei chuckled, losing his usual cool and indifferent demeanor, "How's that working out for you now?"

Dyon's eyes first rested on Elder Daiyu. He immediately noticed that he was significantly older and more decrepit than when last he saw him. Although he didn't know the reason why, it was an interesting enough point to take note of. In Dyon's experience, even the most minute of details could lead to the most important things. And in a situation like this, he needed whatever he could get.

The grip on Dyon's shoulder tightened so severely that his bones immediately crushed under the pressure, but it was too late and Dyon couldn't be bothered to care.

Dyon turned his head to gaze at his shoulder, an undisguised contempt for Patriarch Ragnor clear on his features. But, his arm could only hand limply to his side as his internal bleeding worsened with each passing second. With his movements cut off by Patriarch Ragnor, it was impossible for him to circulate his essence energy to speed his healing, but that didn't mean he couldn't use his soul and aurora flames.

Unfortunately, healing depended not only on the strength of the body, but also the strength of the attack that injured the body… With the stream of celestial energy entered his shoulder, it became far beyond his capabilities of healing.

Patriarch Ragnor's anger boiled as he watched Dyon look at his own shoulder seemingly nonchalantly. It had been under his watch that Dyon had humiliated Chenglei… It was nothing short of a slap in the face to him.

Elder Daiyu gently placed a palm to Chenglei's back. A secret burst of celestial will circulated, snapping him out of his stupor. But, the moment he realized what happened, his face became beet red with anger.

Dyon could immediately tell that this was no normal attack. It was clearly laced with spear will, and the crackling flames that spiked the pressure couldn't have been anything but fire will.

Whether he was able to move or not, Dyon was still an array alchemist of unprecedented levels and he had left Chenglei far behind in terms of combat prowess. Before, it would have taken multiple defensive arrays to stop this fist. But right now? Only one was necessary.

In that moment, how could Dyon's 6th sense not pick up on what happened? He had more than enough time to draw another array, but would it make a difference? Wouldn't Patriarch Ragnor just act again?

Maybe in a normal situation, the impact would have been lessened by Dyon flying backward. But, the grip Patriarch Ragnor had on his shattered shoulder was so strong that Dyon tilted to the side with such force that his arm was nearly torn out of its socket.

They felt like little else than an irritant, but because Dyon wasn't able to control and move his muscles, it was only Patriarch Ragnor's grip on his shoulder keeping him up.

He didn't care that Patriarch Ragnor was a celestial and he by all rights shouldn't win. He didn't care that Chenglei's punches felt like nothing to him. He didn't care that he was being forced into a corner by these people or that the odds were stacked against him from the very beginning.

However, he continued to watch every first, never closing his eyes. With his senses, Chenglei's every punch was incomparably slow, and everyone had its image burned into Dyon's mind.

"That's enough." Elder Daiyu finally spoke out after a few minutes passed. Whether he agreed with this or not didn't matter, when it came to the face of the Daiyu clan, no one could be allowed to besmirch it. However, in all the time he allowed his grandson free reign, he hadn't heard a single sound escape Dyon's lips, not had the coldness in his eyes faded. At that point… It was nothing short of a farce for him to allow Chenglei to continue.

Chenglei's fists stopped as he breathed heavily. Just like the previous Dyon, Chenglei was still waiting for his meridians to mature. As such, he had no cultivation, much like the last time he fought Dyon.

Just months prior he could remember vividly just barely losing to Dyon. And yet now, even after being allowed free ability to attack without retaliation, he hadn't even caused so much as a bruise on Dyon's face. In fact, if it wasn't for the small sliver of blood falling from his corner lip, it would almost be as though he hadn't been attacked at all.

How could Chenglei match up to Dyon's body cultivation? Even if his movements were sealed, that didn't change the fact that Dyon had a peak essence gathering body. Something Chenglei could never hope to match.

Dyon walked silently down the dark corridor. He knew next to nothing about the Belmont Holy Land, and even less about the catacombs, but he assumed that wherever they were bringing him now was the source of all the secrets that had been held for so long.

Understanding that the mortal world had been sealed for the sake of powering an entity was an obvious conclusion after everything he had learned for the past three years, but that information was surface and shallow.

If it really was about the war between the chaos factions and the old man's, how could his grand teacher sit idly by and allow this to happen? Was he not aware of what was happening? How could he not be?

This was a man who quite literally just reached his mind across dimensions and instigated a time lock that turned a mere split second into half of an entire year! This was a man who gave Dyon a technique to reverse the absolute death sentence of burning one's soul on a whim! This was a man with will so powerful, that his techniques were passed down through the ages as though they were the will of the heavens! How could Dyon accept an answer like 'he just didn't know'?!

By the history he knew, the Kitsune and Celestial Deer Sect used to share this universe and quadrant as one. It was one of the rare few instances where the two main Emperor God Clans of quadrant weren't quarrelling. After all, if they were, how could they share a single universe together?

But, if that was the case, where did Dyon's people come from? They couldn't have always been mortal, or else there wouldn't have been any talent to steal… Even more interestingly, human history only went as far back as about 5000 years, and yet that was only half the life span of a celestial. Considering the fact even dao formation experts wouldn't have been rare among this universe in the past, that amount of history is truly too pitiful to be the true amount… Something was missing…

Patriarch Ragnor suddenly laughed, "You overestimate yourself far too much. You truly believe that there is nothing in this world that can supress your soul? You think that if you continue playing this card that it will always work? For someone who claims to be intelligent, you're quite lacking." Patriarch Ragnor's eyes flashed with a dense killing intent.

Crackles of red lightning illuminated the dark tunnels, causing Dyon's breathing to become heavy and his eye lids to droop not being he was tired, but because they had suddenly become much too weighty for him to hold up.

In order to sense and manipulate celestial energy, one much first comprehend a rudimentary domain. Much like for one to sense and manipulate saint energy, you must first comprehend an intent.

These rudimentary domains were colloquially known as auras. Although that word was often tossed around in the martial world, when it was attached to a celestial level expert, it meant something entirely different.

However, a rudimentary domain was just that. It was the cusp of something great and would often be heavily tied to what you built your one with hearts upon. Because of this, it was often highly limited in true combat, only geniuses among geniuses would have robust enough cultivation hearts to manifest a viable aura…

The reason why was simple. The step above a rudimentary domain, or a true domain, was a space where the laws of the universe no longer bent to the whims of those laws, but rather to the whims of the cultivation expert. That meant that without a strong cultivation path one firmly believed in – on that you forged on your own – it would be impossible to even form this true domain, and by extension, your aura would be weak from the very start.

The very fact that Patriarch Ragnor's aura was so powerful... Powerful enough to even stifle Dyon's soul… Only meant that Dyon had vastly underestimated this man…

"Listen. Since it is unfair that you've been left in the dark about so many things, how about I tell you a secret? With you pitiful senses you'd never be able to tell."

What kind of concept was a 12th stage celestial expert? Nearly inconceivable! This man had not only reached the pinnacle of celestial cultivation, but he had also done so as a first-grade expert!

Dyon's puppet… The one he had hidden all this time… The one within the spatial ring he had so diligently covered in a concealment array resting on his fingers… It was all useless!

How could a 4th stage celestial puppet that Dyon could hardly control for a brief moment at its pinnacle, fight someone 8 stage higher than it!? Dyon didn't even know if his senses could keep up with Patriarch Ragnor at that level of cultivation!

Hours went by as they walked through endless tunnels. It was as though it was a purposefully constructed maze. But, the spatial fluctuations were some of the oddest that Dyon had ever felt. He couldn't tell what path they followed, but he understood it wasn't an ordinary one… If he had to guess, he would think that this form of space will didn't just allow travel through ordinary space, but rather, the space between dimensions themselves.

If that was true… Spatial understanding on that level would have to be at the level of a supreme law. But, the only type of space will Dyon knew only allowed for travel within a single plane of existence. Even when Patia-Neva, for example, hid in a spatial pocket, he wouldn't leave this universe in the strictest of sense…

Space will was just as odd as time. Both were seemingly overpowered and ground breaking wills, but in reality, the restriction of the universe on them was so heavy that they were little better than regular elemental wills. For space will, this was even more obvious.

There were tier separations for the type of space you could break through. For example, it used to be exceedingly difficult to utilize space will in this universe because the laws were so solid and the energy was so dense. However, with the decline of the universe came an added ease in using space will. This was why even someone as weak as Vidar Ragnor, although his faith seed's body was quite powerful, was capable of collapsing space with his fists. It wasn't that he was so outstanding, it was that this universe had truly fallen from its original heights.

Another facet that increases difficulty in the use of space will would be your opponent. Dyon teleportation abilities meant nothing in front of true experts because they had the ability to forcefully control areas with their energy. This worked in much the same way a universe with higher energy density would be harder to learn spatial will in.

With all of this in mind, it made sense how astounded Dyon was by this level of spatial will. To be able to comprehend spatial will to this level was definitely not easy. Dyon even dared to say that whoever forged these tunnels had spatial will comparable to void will!

Because of that will, navigating the catacombs increased in difficulty by a ridiculous margin. Dyon couldn't fathom how Elder Daiyu moved with such decisiveness. Was it because he too had such a grasp of spatial will? Or was it because he already knew the way?

'No, that doesn't make sense.' Dyon inwardly shook his head. Just 'knowing the way' wouldn't help you. In fact, it would have to be that you knew the way AND you understood spatial will to this depth. That was the only way you could accurately link the map in your head to your surroundings…

It was only then that Dyon remembered that Elder Daiyu had claimed to be a former dao formation expert. With his dao forcefully shattered, his cultivation had plummeted to low levels of celestial cultivation, but, much of his comprehension should be there, although they would be crippled.

Dyon wanted to silently thank the efforts of his teacher and former celestial deer sect members, but when he remembered how powerful Patriarch Ragnor was, he couldn't help but sigh.

'That's the other thing… When I spoke to my master for the first time and she went through all of my memories, she mentioned the Daiyu as a threat, but not the Ragnor. That means that they must have only become a true part of this plan after the celestial deer sect was gone, or, played a very small role during the war and vastly improved later.'

If it was the former, that meant that somehow the Ragnor had provided the Daiyu with help they sorely needed. It was likely another example of the Daiyu recruiting people utilizing every bit they have. They must have also done the same with the Clyte and the Aumens.

In each case, everyone got something they wanted… The Clyte became a royal god clan. The Ragnors found hope in transcending the laws of the universe. And the Aumens, if Dyon had to guess, likely received flame type legacies. After all, how many could match the Daiyu in such a thing? They were black jade dragons!

What seemed like ages later, they finally came to their first dead end. At first, Dyon thought that Elder Daiyu had finally made a mistake, but, in mere moments a dense double light began dancing around the edges of the 'dead end'.

Intricate patterns swirled as the space trembled. Then, flames of red and blue suddenly burst to life, illuminating the once dark walls with streaks of fire that hungrily dove into the intricate patterns of the dead end, swirling and following until they climactically meet in the middle.

The dreary catacombs opened way to a matchless lush greenery that extended for miles as far as the eye could see. The 'sun' hung high in the sky and precious flowers that were at minimum on the essence level graced the world with their beautiful presence.

However, there was a single thing out of place. Something that made Dyon's heart shake so violently that he froze, unable to look away at what he was seeing…

No. It wasn't just a hand… It was a behemoth of a hand chained to this world by bindings just as unfathomable. Dyon couldn't comprehend how far away it was, and yet it appeared so close and large that he could almost reach out and touch it…

But… Logic told him that if he was even within a thousand miles of this hand, the pressure it was giving off would kill him in an instant… The violent trembling in Dyon's heart… The uncontrollable sweat that poured from him… The near immediate shattering of his one with heart death will…

His knees that he had long since lost control of due to Patriarch Ragnor's influence began trembling violently. Waves of tremors tore through his soul, threatening to separate it from his body. Even his eyes turned a blood read color, struggling against his instinct to drop everything and run, even if it meant his death.

That's what Dyon was feeling. An emotion he couldn't remember ever experiencing in his life. This was the first time Dyon felt a pressure that surpassed his own father's by so much that his veil of arrogance and disdain for the world was completely torn from him.

Dyon had faced the martial world without any cultivation. He had boldly exposed the plans of a God Clan and provoked too many of them to count. He faced armies of hundreds of thousands with a smile on his face. He sacrificed his himself without hesitation and dove head first into torrents of death qi.

Patriarch Ragnor's hand involuntarily shivered on Dyon's shoulder, but he quickly stabilized himself. As for Elder Daiyu who was the closest, he showed no signs of trepidation. After all, he was without a doubt the firmest in his martial way, despite the shattering of his dao.

In addition, Dyon was correct. The distance between them and the hand was unfathomable. The fact it looked to be a hands length away was simply a testament to how absurdly large it was.

Elder Daiyu turned a gaze back to see Dyon's sorry state, seemingly having expected this. Sometimes with how he acted, Elder Daiyu would completely forget this boy's age. But, when you really put things into perspective, he really was just a sixteen-year-old child… Even if he was hundreds of years old, in any universe worth its salt, he would merely be a member of the younger generation.

There is a pinnacle of cultivation that one catch reach that surpasses a dao. It's a mythical state that seeks to trample over the laws of the universe themselves. What is a dao if not for a philosophy? And yet aren't there too many of them? Don't they often clash? How can a dao be an absolute truth if there are other supposed absolute truths that directly counter it?

Patia-Neva attempted to follow the absolute path, and yet stumbled and fell. To him, that sort of dao was a façade – nothing but a shallow construction. And yet, many others had formed a dao using the same principles Patia-Neva tossed away! So what was truth? What was the pinnacle of being? Of existing?

The answer to these questions were what true martial artist sought. The presence of this path was exactly why one couldn't hope to rely on the cultivation of another to transcend. It was why despite the shattering of his dao, Elder Daiyu's mentality was as calm as the surface of a lake.

When one approached this state, its said that their martial path becomes so fierce that it disdained the path of others. Upon approaching this state, with a simple thought, you could destroy the cultivation of another.

It was this state that made Dyon's energy cultivation technique so important. The suppression of stepping into some else's universe was far too great unless you had the power to look down on everything with disdain…

This suppression was what Dyon was experiencing right now – except on an entirely otherworldly level. It was a mere hand, and yet its presence threatened Dyon's very existence…

The entity wasn't even aware of their appearance. Would you be aware of an ant crawling thousands of miles from yourself? And even if you were, would you care?

Everything that he had suffered. That his parents had suffered. That his master had suffered. This his world had suffered. Everything. It was because of this person.

This person that saw his existence as so much more lofty than anything else that he didn't think twice before using the lives of billions for his own pleasure.

But, that was the moment that Dyon's fear turned to anger. The demonic blood within his roared, sending popping sounds through his body as his shoulder bulged out of Patriarch Ragnor's clamping hand.

The corridors violently shook under Dyon's anger. His only thoughts were of seeing that entity die beneath his feet. To show it that there was no arrogance above his in existence.

All of Dyon's wounds and fatigue were washed over be a dense saint energy, sending his blood vigorously pumping through him as his bones reached another level of toughness.

Dyon had touched upon what it meant to be a demon in his fight with Femi… He touched upon what it meant to be a sovereign in fight with death… And that all culminated in this moment where he did something very few could ever accomplish…

There was a reason ancestors didn't simply hand all of their essence blood to the most talented of the next generation… The amount of tenacity needed to defy heaven's laws in such a way was unprecedented… It wasn't a matter of simply having more blood to absorb, you also needed the comprehension and will power to do so, or else the blood with simply be wasted.

If you then realized you had given all of your essence blood to an unworthy genius, what solution would there be then? The only option would be to forcefully extract the remaining amount… But, that was a pain very few had the mental fortitude to survive. You'd get the blood back, but you'd lose the genius you thought was good enough for it all in the first place!

Patriarch Ragnor and Elder Daiyu froze. Before this moment, whether they said it out loud or not, they had both written off Dyon's talent as something unearned. As something he simply lucked into…

That was why Elder Daiyu, nor Patriarch Ragnor, had ever taken Dyon too seriously – nor did they feel that their younger generation members were inferior…

The only reason he was able to shield himself from the fear of this entity was not only because of the distance between them and it, but also because he had felt the pinnacle of what it meant to be right beside it… He would never forget that moment.

The entity hadn't released any technique, he hadn't manifested his aura or domain… No, all he had done was sweep a gaze over Elder Daiyu, and he broke down in an instant…

The most shocking part about that event was something Elder Daiyu himself was too ashamed to admit and it was something only he had a high enough cultivation to pick up on at the time… And it was likely a secret that he'd take to his grave…

Elder Daiyu could tell that, for some inexplicable reason, this child hadn't resigned to his fate yet. Did he think that because there were only two of them left that he'd find a way to escape? Even if he somehow managed to do such a thing, he'd die in these tunnels. There was no one in this universe with high enough space will comprehension to navigate these tunnels without a cheat. And Dyon definitely didn't have that cheat.

Elder Daiyu shook his head and took a step into the world, following closely behind by a Patriarch Ragnor that kept his hand clamped to Dyon's shoulder, effectively controlling his movements.

"Madeleine, no!" Ri refused adamantly. Regardless of whether Madeleine gave up the faith seed willingly or not, it would still severely weaken her for an extended period of time – it might even cause permanent damage!

The longer one spent with a faith seed, the more it integrated with one's self. Although Madeleine hadn't spent an exorbitantly long time with it, because of the talent given to her by her God constitution, her speed at integrating the once unfamiliar faith seed far exceeded most.

As an example, when Caedlum first met Dyon, the reason he didn't learn demonic will as quickly as Dyon, which resulted in him missing most of the events, was because he had yet to awaken his faith seed.

This same logic was applied to Vidar. Although he had known about his faith seed for a long time, he had tried again and again only to fail in awakening it – much to the disappointment and disdain of his father. In the end, he was able to forcefully awaken it using Ragnor family experiments. This was the reason for all of the scars along his body… However, this was also the reason he was so weak in comparison to the power his faith seed should provide…

In the end, this was why a faith seed wasn't the end all and be all of talent. It was the reason why the Demon Sage was able to look down on the Pakal clan with disdain for having chosen someone less talented simply due to a faith seed.

However, because of Madeleine's speed of integration, even to the point where she's already comprehended several legacy techniques, it was all the more detrimental to remove the seed from her. If she gave it up, especially in her currently severely weakened state… Ri didn't want to think about what the consequences would be.

Madeleine smiled weakly, still lying comfortably on cushions furniture. "He sacrifices too much for us, it's the least I could do… I know if you were in my position, you wouldn't hesitate either…"

Ri wasn't worried about the danger. But, how could infiltrating the Belmont Holy Land be so easy? Especially when that's exactly what they'll be expecting?

Just because Dyon often figured things out quicker, didn't mean that Ri and Madeleine weren't intelligent in their own right. Ri had witnessed how much importance the Daiyu placed on Meiying and Jade's abilities. From her understanding, they both had special abilities pertaining to searching for things. The only people they had here who could do such a thing would be either her father or Little Lyla. The problem was that her father was the only one powerful enough to stabilize and maintain her mother's health right now, and she would rather die before she sent a little girl into such a dangerous situation just because she would be of use.

"You clearly have a lack of understanding about the land they've taken your husband into. Why do you think a legacy the Belmont's were sworn to protect didn't appear at the Earth Gate, but rather the Naiad Gate?" Lionel said slowly.

"The Belmonts didn't lose charge of what we were protecting. All of the gates in this quadrant are connected by unfathomable space will. Earth's Gate just happens to be the center of it all for reasons I don't have an explanation for."

Lionel still seemed unperturbed. "Your husband hides it well, but I'm almost certain at this point that he has a treasure that is capable of holding human lives. It was just confirmed for me when these ten people showed up out of nowhere." Lionel looked toward the ten demon generals Dyon had left behind. "And, if he's as intelligent as he claims to be, he would have left such an important treasure to you before he left. I'm 70% sure you have it with you now. Use it."

"Keep whatever limit of people you can within that treasure, because only you and I can enter. When the time is right, they'll have to be the ones who save Dyon." Lionel continued. "Just to be clear, I am only a guide. After I do my duty and receive my payment, I'll be leaving. Whether you can navigate your way back out will be up to you."

Ri struggled with her decision, but in the end, she nodded. She had no choice but to hope that the strength of the demon generals would be enough. With any luck, they'll be able to at least help Dyon a bit…

Then, Ri crushed an array plate Dyon had made, causing the demon sage's tower to disappear from sight. With a sweep, Ri took everyone the entire tower into the spatial ring after they left the surroundings of the arena under the shocked gazes of the warring clans around them.

The closer they got to the hand, the less even Patriarch Ragnor and Elder Daiyu were able to keep their composure. It had been a long time since Elder Daiyu lost his nonchalance as it became more and more difficult to walk and breathe. However, their goal wasn't to reach the hand itself – that would be nothing short of suicide.

Their destination had been purposefully placed. It had to be close enough to the entity to mean something, but it also had to be far enough that they could play their part without dying.

Swirls of red and blue flames danced on Elder Daiyu's palms, seemingly acting like guides. They only pointed in the same direction simultaneously when they faced the correct direction.

For one, Dyon had a certain degree of certainty that this was a prison. Not only was the hand clearly chained, the entrance was sealed within a land that could usually only be accessed by a single family – a single family whose king was clearly opposed to this.

Dyon considered the idea of King Belmont being a traitor, but King Acacia wasn't Jade. His True Empathy was the true-blue form of the technique. He couldn't be tricked like Dyon tricked Jade. For them to have worked so close all of this time, King Acacia would have without a doubt been able to tell.

It was true that King Acacia disappeared eleven years ago, but they had clearly been close friends long before then. In addition, King Acacia's True Empathy was restored fully, although his cultivation wasn't. That meant if King Belmont was a part of this plan, King Acacia would have known as late as today! That's something important enough that he would have found a way to tell Dyon – because that would mean having to be wary of the entire Belmont family!

The seal should be of benefit to the entity while the prison was a detriment… So why would the flames of the people who wished to harm the entity, lead to a place that would help him?...

The temperature raised rapidly, burning away the large portions of the grass field and revealing a stone array hundreds of meters wide and so complex that Dyon couldn't see through it… The array theory was far beyond anything he had ever seen before… Even his master's memories didn't have a match for it!

The shifting parts of the array began to spin violently, changing the conformation again and again as the stone platform raised a meter from the ground before stopping abruptly.

An ancient bell rang, but the deep reverberation was something much more profound than heaven's chimes. It felt as though that its every sound resonated with the very world, causing the laws of the universe to sing along with it.

In an instant, the world shifted from a resounding happiness to an anger so deep and foreboding that it matched the feeling welling up in Dyon's heart. Everything screamed that this shouldn't exist, that it had no place in world, and here it was.

Down in the stone opening, lay three semi spheres radiating a power to vast and unimaginable that the hand in the far distance was completely forgotten…

Within one, Dyon's 6th sense felt a striking physical prowess. It was a path of dominating the universe with little else than one's body – the epitome of what it meant to be a body cultivator. However, there was no imbalance like what Dyon felt…

With the demon sage's blood running through him, Dyon constantly felt an unparalleled thirst for anger and revenge, but he also felt an unbridled lust – something he, himself could hardly control. If it wasn't for his overwhelming will power, and the love he held for his wives, it would have long broken him. This problem had followed him long since the Elvin Kingdom, however, he had continually suppressed the feeling…

However, this bulb reached a balance of pure perfection. It wasn't a prowess of just power and strength. It was also fluidity, and gentleness. It wasn't just overwhelming weight, capable of shattering space itself. It was also as light as a feather and as free as the wind..

The other bulb of light held a connection to the universe Dyon had never felt before. He could see that it was there with his eyes, but the level of energies it contained was so far beyond his comprehension that his 6th sense screamed to him that nothing was there at all…

"You're from the mortal realm of this planet," He had said… "Yet you protect those of the martial realm… I wonder if you'll do the same once you know the truth…"

Heat pumped off of Dyon's body as the burned the image of the sacrifice of his home into his memory, knowing that the people he had called allies… The person that he called father in law… And mother in law… The person he called master… Were all guilty of the same evil of the person he hated most in this world…

King Belmont furiously fought against three enemies at once – all heads of their own respective God Clans, but he held his own. He had spent years in seclusion, doing nothing but training for this moment, and yet he still felt so useless.

His flames of red and blue seemed to want to fuse to violet, but it was exceedingly difficult to do so in battle. Although his eyes had long since lost the patented Belmont double red and blue colors, his flames still struggled to do so.

Quite frankly, Amethyst was too much of an anomaly. Even when her mother became pregnant, she didn't dare to believe it. In the beginning, the ice phoenix that birthed Amethyst had resigned herself to never having children when she ran from her clan with her husband… This made the day of Amethyst's birth both an ungodly catastrophe as well as it being a miracle among miracles.

Truth be told, King Belmont had it easy. He wasn't trying to fuse the life and reincarnation aspects of the flame, he only wanted to do so for the most basic fire and ice properties of the flames, but even that was nearly impossible.

With this level of difficulty, one can only imagine the level the arrays of the Belmont Holy Land had reached to be capable of forcing these violet flames into existence…

'I have to hurry. There's no telling what could be happening!' King Belmont's attacks increased in speed as a fiery aura erupted around him, bearing down on his opponents with his rudimentary domain.

Auras had different capabilities, but all of them revolved around creating a space where an expert bent the laws of the universe to his or her whim. As one might guess, this used up a ridiculous amount of stamina, which is exactly why few bother to use theirs – mostly because the gain isn't worth it for many.

However, King Belmont was different. He had spent centuries learning to fuse his flames. But, time and time again he failed. So, he decided instead of bending to the will of the universe, he would bend it to his own!

The day he finally stepped into the celestial realm was the day he made this revelation and finally formed his own aura – allowing him to finally sense celestial energy! His rudimentary domain was one that broke the laws of the universe as we know it.

King Belmont's flames of red and blue, the very same flames that clashed, but never fused, instantly stopped struggling, combining into one seamless flame of dazzling violet.

Patia-Neva, too, was pushing forward with all of his might, knowing that time was of the essence. He didn't know what was going on below, but he knew that they were outnumbered and that one of his opponents had already broken away! Although he could see everyone he had begun to fight with, it had taken him too long to realize Matriarch Niveus was missing!

Even worse, the moment they had stepped out above the planet they called home, Patriarch Clyte had laughed sinisterly and called upon all three of the Clyte family ancestors! This was why King Belmont was being forced to fight three at once, while the Elvin elders and Patriarch Pakal split the rest.

The situation couldn't be any worse, but a fuel of hope was raging within Patia-Neva. He understood more than anyone that if he recovered his comprehension and rebuilt his one with heart with a foundation he believed in, his power would once again become unmatched! If he could manage to rid himself of his demons, saving everyone wouldn't be a pipe dream. But, doing something like this was as difficult as ascending the heavens.

The laughs of King Clyte as he continually summons wind will to compress and explode was sinister and dark. It was clear that in their collaboration as allies, the Clyte and Horus clans had traded legacies amongst themselves – why else would King Clyte be able to use a technique to eerily reminiscent of the dead Ode Horus?

"You seem to be struggling, Ramiro. What's wrong?" King Clyte cackled. "For years you were my most hated adversary, but now that I think about it, why should I be angry at all?"

Patia-Neva's focus threatened to waver under King Clyte's taunts, but this was what he needed. He needed to confront these things or he'd never be able to rebuild his dao…

"It was I who destroyed your family and slaughtered man, woman and child. And when you really think about it, it was I who stole YOUR wife, not the other way around," King Clyte laughed like a maniac as the explosions grew more violent. "I fucked her day and night for years, venting my every frustration. I didn't even miss a single hole! It was some of the best I've ever had, but it grew stale quickly, so I chose to forget about her. Who would have thought that you would come along and pick up my sloppy seconds? To even birth a child with such a slut? Have you no shame?"

Hearing those words, Patia-Neva's progress seemed to stall and shatter. He wanted to bury himself in the deepest abyss and face the worst kind of punishment for what he had done…

But then, the words of his wife and daughter rang in his ears… Sometimes the hardest thing to do was to forgive yourself, and maybe Patia-Neva didn't deserve even that…

He had sacrificed everything so that he could be ready and powerful enough for this very day, and yet at the last moment, he wavered, allowing his resolve to shatter. A small part of him thought that if he had just killed Delia on that day, he would have been powerful enough to stop all of the deaths that had occurred today… Wouldn't one death be worth saving billions?...

Patia-Neva had a faint inkling that he had no choice… Whether they survived this or not, all rested on his shoulders, because without an intent as powerful as his was at its peak, there was no chance in fighting a peak first grade celestial expert like Patriarch Ragnor…

A constant weight threatened to crush his chest… His eyes were bloodshot, yet black and dense flames danced within them… And yet he also felt conflicted and confused… Was there really no good in the martial world?...

This area was nothing like the entrance. They were many times closer and the pressure was so palpable that even they couldn't ignore it anymore. Even worse, when they opened up the stone monument, the pressure had increased again!

It felt like they were looking into the laws of the universe itself, as though they were wallowing in dense Gama energy. And yet, the only feeling coming from this boy wasn't fear, but anger.

Elder Daiyu, with all of his experience of the world, could tell that this boy was trying to cling onto his humanity with everything he had. He was fighting not for the sake of his enemies, or even himself… He was fighting for the sake of his loved ones…

How could Elder Daiyu comprehend the thoughts running through Dyon's mind right now? How could he know that the words he had said – words he had paid a heavy price to say – had finally resonated with the boy?

The land beneath Dyon's knees shattered as he met the ground. He tightened his jaw in rebellion, even to the point of blood seeped through his teeth, but he could not fight a celestial expert, let alone one of such caliber.

Although anger flashed through Patriarch Ragnor's features due to Dyon's words, he no longer dared to say to anything. Something was coming, and it was something even he wouldn't dare to give an iota of disrespect toward.

A black figure took form, sitting cross legged. There was no face, nor were there any distinctive features. Just like the hand in the distance, it was difficult to tell anything about it, other than what it was… This was a person, and that was a hand… That was it.

However, they shared yet another characteristic… And that was an unbridled and unfathomable pressure, one that was capable of forcing even Patrarch Ragnor not to look up.

Dyon felt Patriarch Ragnor's energy try to subtly make him lower his head to the ground as he and Elder Daiyu had done. But, because Ragnor didn't dare to use too much power, Dyon was able to grit his teeth as stare right at this forming entity. He anger was seething enough… If he was forced to lower his head to such an extent, he really might lose himself completely…

It should have been worth breaking. It should have torn through the void and beheaded Dyon for his arrogance and disdain toward it. It should have made the world since or want to destroy its next note just like the array that contained it did…

In fact, if one had to describe it, it would almost be like a young father, looking after his children. It was soft and tender, but also held an unavoidable manliness to it. But, there was no doubt hat this was the voice of an unmatched entity…

The nonchalance of his voice didn't serve to ease Dyon's anger. In fact, it did nothing but raise it to an entirely other level. This man did all of this, and yet seemed not to care about its success or failure at all! It was almost as though he could care less!

Patriarch Ragnor and Elder Daiyu kept their heads mere centimeters from the ground. However, it was clear that the reaction of the voice didn't put them at ease, if anything, the sweat on their brows increased with every passing second, until finally, Elder Daiyu broke.

It wasn't until that point that the shadow that seemed to be between worlds noticed that there were people around it. It was almost as though he couldn't be bothered to notice before…

Its head carefully scanned the beings before it. However, contrary to thought, he spent just as much time caring about Dyon's gaze of anger as he did acknowledging Patriarch Ragnor's and Elder Daiyu's bows – absolute none.

The figure paused, seemingly thinking over something. "Hardly matters." The two words were simple, and without effort. One could tell that he truly didn't care about the soul kernel at all… In fact, anyone listening got the impression that even if he lost all three, he would only return to his nap, not having a care for the world…

"But," The entity spoke again, "It seems like this person is intent on dying. Simply extract the soul kernel from within him and put it in its rightful place."

Patraiarch Ragnor and Elder Daiyu's eyes widened with shock. Patriarch Ragnor hadn't even bothered to tether his energy to Dyon after forcing him to kneel and trying to force his head down, initially, because the pressure exuding from this entity was too much! In fact, even if Patriarch Ragnor tried to talk right now it would be nearly impossible, only Elder Daiyu should!

"Oh?" The entity seemed amused and unbothered. He had noticed the anger coming from Dyon, but he hadn't cared. All emotions seemed quite useless to him, whether it was fear or anger, neither meant much. He hardly made the effort to tell the apart anymore.

Having the attention of the entity trained onto him was completely different than having a casual sweep. Dyon felt as though he was completely naked and laid to lay bare before this man. It was a feeling of absolute helplessness, and yet Dyon could hardly care as he stared daggers at this unsurpassable mountain.

Dyon grit his teeth, trying to wiggle free of Patriarch Ragnor's added suppression. He wanted nothing more than to lunge at this entity, to destroy its being. And yet he couldn't even muster up enough energy to just move!

"Hm? A familiar scent lies on you. How interesting, my pet tried to kill you and you survived? Haha, what an interesting tale you have." The voice continued to speak without a care in the world. It wasn't pressed for time, in fact, it seemed to have no concept of it whatsoever.

When Dyon was in the Earth Gate, utilizing the Epistemic Tower Key's ability to travel through the space pockets of the world, a massive being had threatened to kill him.

Dyon had no recollection of such events because he had never once felt its presence… Had it not been for his grand teacher, he would have died in body and spirit millions of times over. However, that massive entity was stopped at no small cost to his grand teacher.

"Faint. Faint." The entity spoke in nonsensical half sentences, but it was clear he wasn't mad. His mind just worked on a complete other level than what Dyon was accustomed to. "But, it's there. To think he was the one who saved you, how interesting. You have quite the interesting past.

At this point, you should thank me. Your heart is a mere step from walking a path you don't want to. If you die now, you'll never have to become the monster you so irrationally fear… It's a bit silly to fear a cultivation path, don't you think? In the end, no matter what means you use, cultivation is still cultivation. What does it matter what methods you use?"

Patriarch Ragnor and Elder Daiyu were shocked that the entity was willing to speak for so long, and to a mere boy at that. But, they didn't dare to look up – simply waiting for him to finish.

Dyon froze. There was only one person who could see through him like this… Only one ability in the world that could do what was necessary… The True Empath…

You claim to not want to lose yourself into demonic will, and yet you continuously use it to forcefully increase your cultivation, whether it be in that so-called World Tournament, or just moments before you arrive head.

You claim to build your dao of death on the promise of transcending it entirely, and yet you would rather die than concede a useless philosophy. How odd… What an interesting mind you have…"

Dyon felt like his everything was being laid to bare. Could his grand teacher really do this as well? Impossible, this man dug so deeply … Dyon somehow knew that this was something his grand teacher wouldn't be able to do with such ease…

"Haha, how funny," The entity laughed again, as though he was patting a child on the head. "Not only do you plan to get out of this alive, you also want to pursue the martial path to a level enough to revive all those lives you lost? To see your mother and father again and repay them for what they've done?"

"You've traveled so far in the martial world, yet know nothing about it. Something like reviving the dead is impossible, although I guess a powerful enough entity can find someone in the stream of reincarnation and speed up the process. You can then transfer the memories of their past life to them. At that point, they'll be the exact same person they were previously, with no changes whatsoever. I worked on a theory like this as well in the distant past. It works well, you only have to form a high level dao of karma, life, death and reincarnation. Quite easy if you ask me, but it seems to be difficult for others." The entity chuckled.

"It seems you get it now, how funny." The entity chuckled. "The soul is what connects you to the world. It's what allows you to exist. Energy cultivation might help deepen your comprehension, but it's not true connection. It's only a booster for this connection.

"Quite simply put, what allows people to reincarnate is their soul. But, because of your existence, the soul of everyone you're hoping to revive has been wiped clean of whatever special law that made them themselves in order for them to be the soul of a single person – you."

The laughter of the entity still remained light. There was nothing evil about it. It was as though he was talking about the weather and chuckling for small-talk.

When he had a hole through his chest, he persevered. When his home was completely destroyed, he persevered. When he learned that those he trusted might very well be the reason for his pain, he persevered…

But this, this was a final straw… A dam broke within Dyon. But, there was no eruption. There was no torrent of aura. There was no baleful scream of agony.

The shadow tilted its head as it watched the blood drip from Dyon's eyes. "Tut. Tut. That's no good. I thought you wanted to avoid this? You're not very intelligent if you didn't already understand."

Dyon didn't respond, and neither did Patriarch Ragnor nor Elder Daiyu dare to have any outward showing of emotion. Regardless of the way this man acted, there was a deep fear in their hearts, and it all revolved around him. People who were always so calm were truly the most unpredictable…

"You're quite odd. For people with such little intelligence and such a ridiculously small amount of talent, you should be following whatever martial path comes the easiest to you. Ai, maybe because it's because I've been in seclusion for so long, meditating on the laws of the universe and creating my own. I'd forgotten how much I like to talk. In fact, it would be a perfect world if everyone listened to my teachings. Unfortunately, there are too many beings with negligible amounts of intellect.

"For those who are truly talented in the martial way, emotions are completely unnecessary in comprehending laws. But, I acknowledge that of the trillions of souls I've come across, maybe only four truly fit into this category – not including myself, of course.

"This is why you're so odd. You have so much useless anger built up inside of you, and yet you suppress it. Then you build up this fake aura of arrogance and confidence that you don't truly have, and try to make that your martial path instead.

"If you acted like the scared child that you are. The child mad at the world for simply following its natural recourse, you probably would have traversed along the martial path much quicker."

Simple unbridled and unfiltered anger had completely shattered the body cultivation bottle neck he had reached simply because it was perfectly in line with the affinity of the demon sage's blood.

The martial world pressed him and prodded him. Continuously taking without giving, and hurting without healing. And yet, he endured. Again and again, because this was the final wish of his mother.

When the world tournament ended, and they came to extract the seals, only Dyon would have died, and then the future generations of mortals would have a chance to build their own legacies and their own strength with him gone.

He wouldn't have to deal with this pain in chest. He wouldn't have to worry about the life or death of is wives or friends. He wouldn't have to carry the burdens of the celestial deer sect and the demon sage on his shoulders. He wouldn't have to think about the war between the chaos path and array alchemy.

His soul would be erased from existence like his parents, but why should he care? It's not as though he'd be aware of it. He'd just be gone, and with him would go all his worries.

"See? Had you built your death one with heart on that despair, your erosion path would have been unmatched. Instead, you built it on something lofty and far beyond your station. Do you presume it to be easy to transcend the laws of the universe? Even I have yet to do so.

"You had the accumulated talent of so many yet failed so miserably. Only proceeding to the 8th soul stage with three years of practice and a peak divine level technique? Tsk tsk, your master must be rolling in her grave."

"Hm. It would do you good to know the truth of my words before you die, and who better to inform you of that than your own master? I quite enjoy puzzles… It's too bad that this one is particularly low level."

Dyon was a person who not only had access to all of his master's memories related to array alchemy, he had also personally studied the dao of array alchemy legacy he had received from dead kings valley. And despite all of his soul talent and intelligence, he couldn't make heads or tails of the seal at all. And yet, this entity said it was low level and fun?

A flood of memories invaded his senses. However, that wasn't the most fearful part… When the entity realized that Dyon wasn't bothering to filter through and incorporate the new memories like he wanted, a hand seemed to forcefully seize Dyon's mind before inserting the memories in with his consent.

I've noticed (from reading comments) that a lot of people aren't aware of the reward system. That's likely because my reminders are always in the author's thought box at the last chapter of the day and people may ignore that, lmao. No big deal.

The entity didn't seem to care too much about what was transpiring. He had only broken the seal for Dyon so that he could realize his teachings were right. He didn't only like to be right, he very much liked it when others realized he was correct too.

What amused the entity was the fact that this treasure was truly of no real help to Dyon, not now anyway. It only allowed his master to directly explain things to him.

The treasure was among the 33 heavenly weapons, part of the 11 of the soul category, and the third of its kind that Dyon had collected. The first was the tome that held his energy cultivation technique and the dao of array alchemy, as well as the death qi abyssal core. The second were the aurora steps that fully awakened Ri's aurora. And now this was the third, simply known as The Seal.

The Soul Tome was capable of cleansing the soul unlike anything else, washing away even the grievances of a True Empath. However, it was also capable of housing outstanding techniques. The energy cultivation [Inner World: Sanctuary] was first manifested within the tome when Dyon first formed his connection with it. This happened just after Dyon first manifested his soul. In fact, the tome had went out of its way to burst through its bindings to make its way to Dyon. Quite simply put, it was the wish of every soul weapon of the 33 heavens to be with a master of unprecedented soul strength. And who better than Dyon to fulfill that wish?

Over the years, the techniques that the Soul Tome housed had become numerous. In fact, there were many hidden in its pages right now that Dyon had yet to unlock. However, the scariest part about the Soul Tome was that it had the ability to convert everything into an array depending on the talent of its master. This meant that, theoretically, Dyon could learn techniques in an instant if his array alchemy was on a high enough level to do so. This was the same for wills and intents as well!

The reason the death qi was absorbed into the tome, and yet not turned into an array, was because Dyon's array alchemy wasn't on a high enough level to coax the tome into doing such a thing.

On the other hand, the reason why the dao of array alchemy and [inner world: sanctuary] were in the form of arrays, was because the previous master of the soul tome had had array alchemy abilities far beyond that of Dyon, and had thus been able to convert them.

The truth was, with a 8th stage soul, Dyon could currently learn ANY earth level technique in an instant, let along a common level technique. As long as he used the Soul Tome, it was within his abilities to do so.

Once he reached the 10th soul stage, he would be able to learn ANY heaven level technique in an instant, as long as he array alchemy matched up to his soul stage.

The ability to awaken auroras to 100% would be enough to build a kingdom from the ground up on the back of this single treasure, but that wasn't all it was capable of.

The aurora steps had the ability to exert pressure directly onto the soul of an opponent, bypassing the need for its user to put his own soul in danger. This pressure would, of course, scale off of the personal soul strength of its user as well as the level of awakening its master had reached. This quite literally meant that anyone with soul strength below Dyon would be helpless against him, and anyone with soul strength above him would be slowed to a certain degree.

The only downfall of the aurora steps was the sheer amount of stamina needed to use them. For most, even using it for a few seconds was something to boast about.

Because of this downfall, this secondary use of the aurora steps is often forgotten. However, its use in battle as a defensive treasure still helped it to maintain its usefulness in such situations.

The last treasure Dyon had accumulated was something even he himself hadn't known he had had. However, it was clear that this was something his master had left with him since the very beginning. In fact, maybe the very reason Dyon's master's memories didn't have anything about seals within them was because of this treasure!

In the martial world, there was few feared more than seal masters. However, often what decided how good a seal master was, were their legacies. The Sigebryht were so powerful, because their very bloodline allowed them a manifestation that defied the heavens, causing them to be capable of sealing even death qi.

But, on the other side, there was Ulu, whose seal was so weak that even Dyon, with little experience with them, was able to tear it away with little effort before creating one from scratch that even Ulu's elders couldn't do anything about.

That said, there was no seal legacy in the cosmos more feared than The Seal. It allowed you the capability of sealing solely based on soul power, without having to master sealing at all. However, that wasn't all. Should you choose to understand array alchemy or sealing arts, you would be able to improve the efficiency of the treasure to seal even things far above your abilities to deal with, without it.

The reason why the entity could do nothing to Dyon right now even though his array alchemy clearly overshadowed the 25th White Mother's by leaps and bounds? Even to the point where he shattered her array in an instant, calling it child's play? It's because of The Seal!

Within a sealed world of nothing but endless white, Dyon kneeled on the ground unmoving as a celestial beauty with long flowing white hair stood before him, a pained expression on her face.

All she had done for Dyon was hand him power, taking advantage of him while he was at his lowest point, before shoving endless responsibilities on his shoulders. And yet, Dyon didn't complain even a bit. In fact, he opened up his heart with ease, wanting to thank her for her kindness, although she knew quite well that it was a kindness at all…

Dyon had often wondered and speculated on why his master had sealed his memories… Little did he know that she had done so because if he knew everything from the beginning… Maybe he wouldn't have been so eager to help…

"You've done me so proud…" She said in a soft voice. She sounded exactly like the first time Dyon had ever heard her. A voice that made even nature itself want to sing…

"You fight with the pride of our sect on your shoulders. You treat Little Zaire just like he was your own little brother. You sacrifice so much… And expect so little… To have a disciple like you in my lifetime may very well be my greatest accomplishment…"

The 25th White Mother's eyes reddened. She wanted to reach down and comfort Dyon, but she didn't feel like she had the right to. The person Dyon wanted right now more than anyone was his mother, but it was impossible for her to give him something like that.

"The only thing I have left to give you is the truth. What you decide to do with it, is something I won't ask. I've manipulated you enough. The decision that remains will be your own and without interference.

"I only ask that you don't die." She pleaded, her beautiful voice growing hoarse. "I never got to treat you as a master should, but I've watched you grow silently all of this time. I love you like I love my own son. I haven't earned the right to be a mother to you, but I can't watch you die.

"Whether you become a demon, or you become something else entirely, just please, fight. Struggle. Live. This is the last request that I'll ever make of you."

A faint thought entered his mind. This woman in front of him, was she his master? Or was she his enemy? If he tore her apart, would it make the pain in chest stop? If he rampaged through the world, killing everything in his wake, would he be able to feel something again?

He wanted to know. He wanted to see if there was a reason to live. He wanted the beating of his heart to come with something other than a seething burn. No… He needed it…

The 25th White Mother could feel the changes coming from Dyon, and although they saddened her greatly, she could only nod her head. 'Live. Don't worry about your promises to me or anyone else. Just live.'

Her selfish request was what any mother would want. And although she wasn't who birthed Dyon, the place he had taken in her heart was no different than if he had been…

Lionel, having already broken into the essence gathering level, had flames of red and blue gliding along his feet, searing and freezing over portions of the water he traveled upon.

Ri had to make use of array footsteps. Although her array alchemy was much weaker and slower than Dyon's, it was still child's play to form common level arrays, and they were just strong enough to hold her weight before shattering, allowing her to move on to her next array.

Everything was much too quiet. Not to mention the fact that there were none of the signs of conflict you would expect in an area where battle had just taken place.

"We have to use a separate entrance. If we forcefully break the array, they'll detect it." Without another word, Lionel turned and dove into the lake behind them.

As martial artists, holding your breath for hours wasn't a problem. However, the depth to which Lionel was diving was starting to put untold pressure onto Ri. She couldn't help but wonder why a lake would be so deep, did that even make sense?

In order for water to affect a martial artist, let alone a half beast and elf like Ri – who obviously had a very powerful body – meant that it had to reach thousands of pounds of pressure at the very least.

The cave was an inexplicable oddity. Despite swimming up for far less time than they swam downward, Ri and Lionel soon popped their heads out of the surface of a fountain.

Seeing that the surroundings were silent, they both jumped out. There was no need to actively dry their clothes. The water had never touched Ri because of her water will and Lionel had his flames.

However, despite his worries, there was not a soul in the castle. In fact, they managed to navigate their way though the large maze the castle was and exit through a back channel, remaining out of sight as they inched their way forward.

There was no doubt in their minds that Dyon would be where the most people were gathered. At the very least, that was the best place to start their search considering they had come up with nothing in the castle. Plus, Lionel was here to specifically navigate through the catacombs. Unless he proved he could do so, he wouldn't receive Madeleine's faith seed.

Ri crushed another array plate, handily concealing the two of them as they silently made their way through the throngs of encampments and toward the entrance to the true Belmont Holy Land.

Ri's anger threatened to spill over as she looked over the Daiyu. These were the people who dared to harm her husband for their own personal gain. How could she not be angry?

In fact, when she recognized Chenglei's figure at the entrance of the cave, she nearly reached out and ended him where he stood. But, she knew that she had a higher purpose here. She couldn't afford to reveal herself now. There were too many Daiyu around, clearly ready to protect the cave entrance with their lives should their enemies arrive. Plus, Dyon's life was more important now.

Chenglei turned back to find Ri stunned figure, completely still. First confusion played on his features, but when he saw Lionel standing in front of her, a sudden realization hit him.

In an instant, hundreds of Daiyu surrounded the cave entrance. Even after their battle with the Belmonts, it was clear that they had invested heavily into recovery medicines for this war, and very few showed any signs of fatigue whatsoever. In fact, it was likely that they had raided the Belmont's castle itself for the resources they needed.

"Hand over Madeleine, and you might leave this situation with your dignity and life." Lionel said calmly, turning around to meet Ri's angered gaze. "Choose to fight, and I promise that the punishment will completely disregard the fact you're a married woman."

Void will was never just about a simple upgrade in space will, it also came with it an abyssal chaos that sought to tear through everything. Nothing could escape it, nor did it want anything to escape to escape it.

An amused expression surfaced on Chenglei's features. It was a shame that his black jade yang technique disallowed him from having too much fun, but with such a beauty in front of him, how could he keep such thought away? Even if he couldn't do the deed to its fullest, there were plenty of other ways to enjoy a such a perfect body.

His anger for Dyon clouded his noble air entirely. If anyone from Focus Academy saw him now, they would most likely be surprised by his sudden shift in personality. However, different people reacted differently to loss.

The Chenglei from then looked down on the world in its entirety. Although he took Akihiko as a friend, that was only to make use of him. The original plan was for Akihiko to steal Madeleine's talent, thus giving them more leverage with the Kami family. They didn't need this leverage for the Kami God Clan because they had long since placed the Clyte Royal God Clan in their allies – because they ruled the planet the Kami resided on, the Kami were as good as theirs.

It hardly matters now, but the Daiyu didn't like the idea of splitting their spoils with the Ragnor family, so they had planned to undermine them with the Storm family. Unfortunately, because of Dyon, that plan fell through, and they were forced to move forward with the Ragnor, which put them in a disadvantageous situation.

For one, Patriarch Ragnor was far stronger than their leader, Elder Daiyu. In addition, the Ragnor main branch was on the level of an Emperor God Clan – something the Daiyu didn't have the power to face currently.

If it wasn't for the fact that Elder Daiyu was by far the oldest, and thus had the most understanding of the situation, the Ragnor's may have long since cut out the middle man.

Knowing all of this, it was clear that the Daiyu hated Dyon for more than just his celestial deer sect affiliation. He had ruined their plans for true autonomy.

But now, his wife had delivered herself to them. And, if Lionel's words were to be taken at face value, his second wife was also hiding somewhere around here as well!

Even after punching him hundreds of time, the humiliation of being forced to his knees with a mere gaze still hadn't been washed away from Chenglei's psyche. The worst thing to him was knowing that Dyon would die still thinking he was superior to him. That filled Chenglei with an irrational rage that he wanted to unleash upon Ri!

'You dare look down on me, too?! We'll see how long you can keep that up! I'd like to see you maintain that gaze with all of your dignity stripped from you!'

Lionel's emotions didn't fluctuate. "My father spent all twenty plus years of my life in seclusion, training for some supposed higher purpose. And yet, he seemed perfectly content as a mediocre Royal God Clan – ruling mediocre clans – on a mediocre planet."

Lionel remembered his talks with his father. King Belmont had asked him where Lionel thought his strength fell when compared to the other Royal God Clan heads.

At the time, Lionel had feigned ignorance – claiming that he couldn't possibly know how to scale the power of celestials. However, the truth was that Lionel already had his own answer at the time. And from what he knew? The Belmonts had already fallen far behind whatever supposed protection his father could provide. And the potential of their universe? Was even worse.

Ri's frown deepened. She knew quite well that none of her allies would be coming right now. Her father needed to tend to her mother and wasn't even aware of the mission Ri had undertaken. That was not to mention the fact that, if it had been someone who was here to help her, they wouldn't have been allowed in so easily.

The fiery gazes of the Daiyu males had been trained on Ri's body this whole time. The domineering white leather and silver armor she was wearing clung to her curves perfectly. Coupled that with her bestial aura, and she gave off an irresistible vibe.

But, when the skies of the Belmont Holy Land came to be filled with endless beauties, they lost where to focus their attention. None of them were as beautiful as Ri, but they couldn't very well all share one. The hundreds of beauties in the skies broadened their horizons and also at least doubled Ri's enemies…

When Ri realized which sect had arrived, her eyes couldn't help but narrow. She could only watch as a beauty with long white hair and eyes walked noiselessly to Lionel's side, almost gliding with her every step.

"There are many things within my memory that I've hidden from you. But, there are many things that I chose not to as well. One of those things is quite important to the lore of this universe… The concept you know as heat death." The 25th White Mother began.

Over time, usable form of energy decreases, while unusable forms increase. The end result would be a world with no useful energy whatsoever… A catastrophe of a world.

Imagine no longer being able to make use of energy… Life would no longer exist because there would be nothing to power it. Even if you happened to be alive before this occurred, your death would be imminent, and there would be nothing you could do to stop it.

However, this Heat Death came with it another law of the world. With this ever-increasing useless energy, the cosmos would be constantly moving toward a more and more chaotic and lawless form. In the end, the laws that had formed the universe would cease meaning everything… There would be no life… No order… No beginning… There would only be destruction, death and ends.

"I know that you're aware of the story of the dark phoenixes, and how they traveled the universes, spreading their death qi. But, I want you to understand that the amount of universe the dark phoenixes destroyed pales in comparison to the number taken by heat death.

"The Cosmos is trillions upon trillions of years old. Life has existed for so long that there is no single record of everything from its beginning that I'm aware of. However, with such a long history, and with endless cycles in play… It must come to a conclusion…

"In the beginning, there was such an abundance of energy that universes sprung up spontaneously. Every day, thousands to even millions of new dimensions would spring into existence, gracing the cosmos with myriads of beautiful and unique species.

"This energy is something I'm sure you're familiar with by now. It's the very same energy used to temper your transplanted set of meridians. The very same set given to you by our grand teacher. Gama energy.

"It's the origin of everything that exists. It's the amalgamation of every law, will, intent, dao and energy in the world. Anything that has, is or will ever exist originates from this very energy. And because of that energy, a large portion of early existence was a paradise. There was no chaos energy contamination, there was no shortage, so there was a never any excessive need, and the path through life was smooth.

"However, even as people fought for and began to split resources more and more unevenly, there was still balance in the universe. Gama energy continued to be abundant and universes continued to be created at an astounding rate.

"In all this time, Gama energy and the balance of the universe remained happy, because although the perfection of its world had been lost, the very basis of its laws had not been encroached upon…

"No one knows who this person was. There aren't any records on if this person was an unprecedented genius who learned to defy the universe, or if they were just a lucky individual who stumbled upon something they shouldn't have. Although… Lucky may not be the proper way to describe this person's life…

"Many thought that their problems had finally been solved… That they could finally cheat death as long as they learned what this first cultivator did…

"However, it was impossible to pry secrets out of someone so powerful, and this first cultivator only shared their secrets with their closest family members, hoping that they would live forever by each other's sides…

"But, as you might have guessed, this first cultivator eventually noticed that after hundreds of years of health, that their life force was declining… Much like everyone else, they began to age, albeit much slower…

"It was clear that even as a cultivator, escaping death was impossible. However, the hope provided by cultivation was something no one could forget, and that hope began to fuel something else… What if there were higher levels? Levels the first cultivator didn't reach? Levels that would help you live even longer? Maybe if you reached a high enough level, even death wouldn't be able to chase you anymore!

"With this new hope, the first cultivator began to spread their insights, realizing that they were too close to the end of their life to care about protecting a kingdom they wouldn't be able to enjoy the spoils of in death…

"Eventually, with so many minds working on the problem, people began to succeed. The first stage became known as the foundation stage, and the next became the meridian formation stage… And so on and so forth…

"However, what people didn't understand was that this was not the will of the universe… The laws didn't want people to live forever, what they wanted was for everyone to live a short and greedless life – in complete peace.

"Then, when your time came, you would pass on. But, your life wouldn't end there! Using the seeds of karma, you would be able to reincarnate, and live another short and fulfilling life. Such was the true cycle…

"And soon, the repercussions came to bear as the first universe collapsed into non-existence… Taking with it every soul ever tied to its existence… Never to reincarnate again…"

"This was the very first case of Heat Death. The balance of the universe had been thrown into an imbalance with Gama energy being used in a way it shouldn't be… Because the life force of mortals were being forcefully extended, that usable energy wasn't being recycled into the reincarnation cycle like it should. As a result, it was very quickly becoming unusable as more and more cultivators came into being…

"Once energy becomes unusable, it's impossible to revert it back to its original form. As a result, the fate of a universe that accumulates too much of this energy is only death. It's doomed to collapse in on itself, erasing itself from existence.

"However, too few have the perspective to understand this… It takes billions of years for a universe to collapse from accumulation of this energy. The number of generations that pass through in that time would be astronomical, even in cultivation families. In fact, your mortal realm is the first time I've ever heard of a population of people grasping this concept so quickly… Your… 'science'… Is truly remarkable although this observation was facilitated by the circumstances your universe has been put through…" The strange light shone in the 25th White Mother's eyes as she seemingly struggled with something.

"By the time cultivators began to understand that they were responsible for the collapsing of their universes, the culture of seeking immortality was too firmly entrenched to root out completely..

"If a single family took it upon themselves to cease cultivating, it would only be a window for another to take advantage, reaffirming themselves as rulers for the sake of short term benefits instead of long term prosperity…

"Too many adopted this nonchalant 'I don't care' philosophy… Too many believed that since their heat death was so far in the future, they shouldn't have to care for it…

"In the end, the spread of cultivation couldn't be stopped. Those who wanted to stop, couldn't for fear of being unable to protect themselves and their family. And those who didn't care from the beginning continued to push themselves to greater heights still…

"However, Heat Death was a problem we all have to face eventually. For those families successful enough to survive to the final days of their universe, this became the biggest problem imaginable…

"Would they simply resign to their fate? Allowing the legacies they had built over billions of years crumble in front of them as the last members of their families died to the collapsing of their universes?

"These families began searching for an answer to their questions. They covered everything from researching methods to restore unusable energy to disgusting cult methods of sacrifice and suffering.

"Unfortunately, the solution that these families eventually found was a mere patch on the hull of a ship… It didn't truly fix anything, it only delayed the problem… And that was of course conquering universes…

"At the time, the existence of universes other than your own wasn't entirely proven. However, the moment it was, there was inflex of inter-dimensional travel and with that came universe shattering wars…

"However, as cultivators became more and more efficient in their martial path, shattering inter-dimensional barriers became as easy as breathing for some, causing these wars to become more and more frequent…

"Unfortunately, I am not aware of the history of how the Gates came to be. Although I was aware of the Epistemic Tower, I was never lucky enough to have grand teacher speak directly to me. But, as you know, that's because he only recently split his mind to perform this task."

Back in the Epistemic Tower, Dyon had asked his grand teacher why he hadn't warned the demon sage that the Timeless Library was nothing but a trap. At the time, his grand teacher told him that he only recently found it worth it to split his mind in such a way.

"The truth of the matter is that the most valuable universes left in existence are ones with populations of people who have yet to comprehend the martial way…

"Because the universe has yet to be slighted, things like abyssal cores, as you call them, are as plentiful as stars in the sky. The purity of the wills is on a completely other level. Even the world itself it relatively at peace…

"Your universe used to be as such… A world unblemished by martial matters. A world pure in the strictest of sense – untouched by the anger of the universe…

"To conquer a universe like yours would not only be easy beyond belief, it would also give untold benefits for billions of years… Resulting prospering clans and generations for ages to comes…"

"This universe… Your universe… is the youngest left of the ten thousand remaining. The day it was born was a celebration for the martial world because it was the first of its kind so trillions of years. It was a sign of hope that maybe, the laws of the cosmos had not forsaken us…

"As you know, it takes time for a universe to be inhabitable, even for us martial artist. So, in the years it took, much debate took place on how to make use of this new universe…

"It was selfish and greedy… But, I'm ashamed to say that no one thought of you natives and how we would be encroaching on your rights. The hope of millions of populations rested on this one remaining universe because one knew how long it would take for the next universe to manifest…

"In the years leading up to the moment your universe would become habitable, many wars took place… Too many to name and much too many to remember… A cycle of endless strife over the right to take something that was never ours to begin with… We were fighting over the right to stifle the growth of yet another universe…

"There's the chaos path. The path that assumes that the destruction of the universes is simply the will of their laws. This path seeks to seep further into anarchy and accept this fate, assuming that a new rise to martial arts will come as a reward.

"This path is filled with power… Although they claim to be in line with the laws of the universe, the very fact they wield the power that they do protests to that facts…

"You yourself had felt the domineering nature of that entity's body. Even while being so far away and having will power as firm as yours, if it wasn't for your deep seeded anger, you would have succumb to your fear…

"The only way to reach such a height in the martial way is by transcending the laws of the universe itself. By definition, they never cared about the way of the universe, they only want to seek an easier path to immortality, even if that means everyone else dies!" This was the first time the 25th White Mother truly lost control of her emotions, but she quickly tried to rein them in again.

The truth was, even those who didn't co-sign to the chaos path were trying to transcend the laws of the universe as well. It was just that their approach was vastly different…

If Dyon saw the true body of his grand teacher in person, he wouldn't feel as though his one with heart was ready to crumble at any moment like he had when seeing the body of the entity for the first time…

The decision of the entity was clear. If you ever tried to go against him without a firm martial way, all of your cultivation would simply crumble in his presence… But, even worse, this didn't just go for living beings…

"The path of chaos they take makes them vastly superior in the martial way… Through self-harm, debasing practices, and an overall lack of a moral code, they take the sanctity of cultivation and trash it completely.

"The create artificial wills. They experiment on their own people. They kill innocents for the sake of their own improvement… They ransack cultivation treasures, they horde legacies… They even set up fake worlds like the Timeless Library to stoke the hope of those who are selfless, simply to drain the universe of more and more of its resources…

"And they do this all in the name of chaos. They pretend as though they're following the path the universe set for them, when really all they're doing is preying on the weak and stacking power in their favor."

Even when the dark phoenixes rampaged through the universes spreading death, they were simply doing so because it increased their own power… There was no 'higher purpose' for anyone other than themselves and their own disgusting values… Even the lives of the people of a completely innocent universe was seen as nothing to them.

Dyon's master took a deep breath, calming herself. "I won't try to feed you some lie about my ancestors coming here to protect your people. Nor will I say that it was better for us to have come than someone else… Because the truth of the matter is that we came in order to make use of your universe as well…

"The second path that martial artists take is one of balance… The hope of this path is to treat every avenue of cultivation as sacred and put in place for a reason. To see every path as just as necessary as the one before it…

"As grand teacher told you, the eventual goal of our path is to help the universe… We believe that the reason why universes are dying isn't simply because we are using the energy at all, but rather because we are using that energy incorrectly…

"We're taking this sacred energy and using it selfishly, only seeking to increase the length of our lives. But, what if this wasn't the true martial way?...

"Because your universe was so young, it was a rare opportunity to study the laws of a universe being birthed in its infancy. If we ever wanted to reach a point where we could create universes ourselves, and transcend it laws in such a way, we needed an understanding of what universes were like in their youth… Unfortunately, your universe was the only option…

"By the time my ancestors fought their way here and established our sect, your people were already in their earliest stages of evolution and were quickly approaching a tipping point.

"From the history that we'd come to understand, this tipping point is usually where intelligent beings began to diverge onto paths of cultivation. By all rights, if your people were left to their own devices, they would soon being to tease apart the mysteries of the martial world and eventually reach a point of standing on equal footing with the rest of the cosmos…

"Your universe was more special than we had once assumed… Because it was the first of its kind in such a long time, we believe that it accumulated much more of heaven's blessings..

"The sheer amount of abyssal cores and cultivation resources far outweighed that of any other universe. As such, even after we celestial deer, and our kitsune allies, staked our claim to this universe, greed never ceased.

"By all rights, as the only Emperor God Clans willing to share a single universe as one, the celestial deer sect and kitsune alliance, later to add the Elves from their adjacent universe, we should have been nearly impossible to take down.

"The waterfall of terrible events started with my marriage to your martial father. The Drago-Qilin clans place strength above all and the truth was that your martial father never truly won based on his own merit. Although I once told you that he was shunned by his clan because he risked his life to help a human clan, that was only part of the reason. Those events only served to solidify his moniker as a coward and shameless individual…

"As you've learned now, it was actually the dragon king that technically earned the right to be my husband. But, by the time the events unfolded, the marriage was already completed, and my virginity was already taken. There was simply no reversing events, so my husband forever carried the label of shame his entire life and the dragon king's weapon became even more of a taboo…

"After that, the Daiyu took a stance of enmity against us, unwilling to forgive the slight on their dignity… Dragons have always been proud creatures, and these events pushed them to their edge… Maybe… Maybe had I not been so selfish in my love things wouldn't have evolved like this…"

The martial world was a cruel place. The most horrid of things from one's mortal realm were amplified by tens of times when strength became more important than anything else…

Dyon's master was one of the few cases where the girl got to love and live a long life with the weak man she chose… But, even that came with its own consequences…

Maybe this was why the Kitsune, having been allies with the celestial deer sect, were so set on their traditions. If these events had never happened, maybe Dyon's father in law wouldn't have had to go so far… Maybe he wouldn't have to go so far in the future…

Dyon's master shook her head. "The second event that shook us to our core was the destruction of the Elvin Kingdom… To this day, I have not a single clue what happened, or why only the Acacia family survived of the three ancient families, but, what I do know is that with the destruction of their kingdom, the flanks of our universe were exposed…

"As you know, currently, this universe is only connected to one other – the Uidah clan's universe. In the past, during these events, that universe was owned by us. However, during that time, there was another universe connected to this very universe – the current Chaos Universe. In fact, that connection is still there, although it is completely unused since it is now uninhabited – not to mention the fact the location is something we buried before our destruction.

"Because our ally in the Elves was now gone, there was suddenly an avenue to attack us at the heart of our alliance. Even more suspiciously, whoever it was that caused the swift destruction of the elves forced them to flee in the direction opposite to our universe. This meant the Elves had to go a roundabout way, eventually having to enlist the aid of the Ragnors before finally making it back here…

"You may be thinking that it's obvious who destroyed the Elvin Kingdom, right? I too once thought that it had to be the entity… He had the most to gain. However, what you don't know is that the entity had long since transcended before these events. As you've seen by the measures it takes for the dragon king to remain in this world, and the strain it puts on grand teacher to help you from afar, transcended beings cannot easily come back to our plane of existence, let alone wipe out an entire Kingdom of people.

"All I know is that whoever destroyed the Elvin Kingdom is the same group of people who found a way to shatter the plane boundary and summon the entity back to this universe. Without them, the catastrophe would have never happened… and our second betrayal of your people wouldn't have come to fruition…"

"Amethyst wanted nothing more than to wipe out the ice and fire phoenixes as revenge for her parents. But, the threat of the dark phoenixes couldn't be ignored either…

"She was truly the most powerful being to ever exist under transcendence. Her ability to fight was unparalleled and her recovery abilities were nothing short of godly… Many speculate on the kind of power the combined dao of life and reincarnation could have… Theories ranged from true immortality to having more than nine nirvanas.

"However, because Amethyst was so overwhelmingly powerful, no one ever saw her nirvana. Nor was she ever truly close to death. Whether she truly had more than nine rebirths available to her was something maybe only she, herself, knew.

"With her rage fueling her, Amethyst battled the already depleting phoenix population alone, through the universes. Because the number of universes was continually shrinking, the number of life and reincarnation phoenixes had likewise decreased.

"That said, dark phoenixes were obviously different. However, because their reproductive rate was far inferior even compared to other supreme level beasts, they could only grow more powerful while their population remained stagnant.

Dyon had heard much of this story before. However, when Elwing had told it, he distinctly remember Little Lyla tugging on his arm, letting him know that Elwing was lying about something.

When he had later asked Little Lyla about it, she had simply said that the details of the story were murkier than Elwing was letting on. Which simply meant that he had embellished the details he had no clue about…

"Beasts are different from humanoids. We have a connection to the universe that's deeper than any humanoid can match. And, although we lack comprehension abilities, we make up for that in leaps and bounds by the legacies engrained into us.

"However, the true purpose for the existence of beasts was as a counter-balancing act by the universe. Because humanoids were constantly sapping more and more energy away, it became necessary to establish representations of laws to keep them firmly rooted in reality… This was how we beasts evolved from our savage natures to become intelligent creatures as well…

"Amethyst is a bad person. But, she wasn't stupid either. She knew fully well the consequences of her actions, but she did it anyway… And no one could stop her… In the end, power is all that matters in the martial world, and she had almost too much of it – even to the point where she could forcefully resist the universe's will to push her to transcendence until she was satisfied with the end of the phoenix clans…

"That said, the phoenixes were mere representations – fail safes, if you will. Just because they were gone, didn't mean life collapsed as we know it… But, that didn't meant there was no effect either…

"With the barriers between life, death and reincarnation blurred by their extinction, the plane between this world and transcendence suddenly became fragile. And it was because of that very thing that the entity you saw chained in our Earth was able to come here!"

"Because the entity isn't meant to be hear, he was constantly met with heavenly tribulations he had to forcefully fight against, which severely weakened his power. Because of that, he knew he wouldn't be able to execute things as he pleased alone. And clearly, he didn't want to reveal the group he used to wipe out the Elves so soon, so he began to enlist others… Namely the Daiyu…

"Do not be fooled by the current appearance of the Daiyu… At the time of this war, they were nearly unmatched through the universes. They had countless dao formation experts and a staggering amount of half-transcendents. That was not even including their ancestors, waiting in the wing. Couple that with the entity and his pet… And we were backed into a corner that was nearly impossible to get out of…

"In our moment of absolute despair, we turned to our celestial deer sect's holy treasure. A treasure among the 33 most powerful not just in this plane, but also the transcendent plane. You may not understand the full meaning of a 33 heavens weapon – especially since you've inexplicably stumbled upon 3 – but these are weapons that even your grand teacher would salivate over. The requirements for their use are harsh, but their utility is unmatched…

"It was because The Seal that we were able to survive… We used it to shatter the daos of the Daiyu and many of their beast forms… We used it to seal the pet of the entity within the gate's spatial realm… However, when it came to the entity, we were simply not powerful to do anything to him alone… If it wasn't for the constant heavenly tribulations he was enduring, we would have been wiped out long before we could do anything…

"However, what we didn't know was the purpose tis entity came for. Why would a transcendent come back? What was there in this plane that he could possibly want?...

"Using the universes as a sacrifice, the entity wanted to artificially boost his talent to unprecedented levels… The reason he chose to start with your universe was obvious… It had the most potential and would return the most for his investment…

"As I said before, the souls of the people birthed in a universe are forever tied to it. This is why when a universe is destroyed, reincarnation is no longer an option for those who were birthed there. However, this logic works in other ways too…

"Because your universe had the highest accumulation of energy ever seen in one, by logic it would also birth the most powerful cultivators ever seen… You would be blessed with talent never before seen through the cosmos… All you needed was time to grow… Time you were never given due to the selfishness of others…

"However, with your talent came an opportunity…" Dyon's master grit her teeth, trying to make it through the toughest part of the story for her… because she knew that what they had done was despicable and unfair… But it was a choice they had to make…

"In the martial world, the concept of give and take has always been prevalent. When you reach a new height in cultivation, there's a punishment given for it. When you are birthed with extraordinary talent, your punishment is adjusted for it. And the more you sacrifice… The more you gain…

"However, the entity was too much for us, and his comprehension of array alchemy and seals far surpassed our own… In fact, I would dare to say that he is the number one expert in all of existence… He knew what we wanted to do before we even put it into action… and he inexplicably… Let it happen…

Dyon's master kneeled before him, taking his rough hands in her small and delicate palms. Dyon didn't seem to react to think, remaining listlessly staring off at nothing.

Rage had engulfed his mind and the boiling of his essence blood, balanced only be a woefully inadequate amount of celestial deer blood, was steadily overtaking his crumbling will power. His demonic intentions were overriding his rationality, and the grief in his heart seemed to be the only thing stopping him from doing something that fell in between ripping his master to shreds and ravaging her dignity – forever tainting their master-disciple relationship.

Dyon's master knew this. How could she not? But, she was willing to bear the consequences. If it meant even a sliver of a chance at saving Dyon's mind, she would allow it. As a consciousness, there was little she had left to offer Dyon. All that remained was the small bit of power she had left within, most of which she had had to use when saving Dyon from the demolition cube Chenglei had tried to use against him.

"So many clans participated in the war under the coaxing of the entity that many of the most powerful clans of our quadrant were washed away completely, allowing the current Pakal and Ragnor clan to take root as the two ruling Emperor God Clans of this quadrant…

"All we were able to do for your people was to ensure that our wars never effected them obviously… And because the route of cultivation was completely cut off to you mortals, you developed something never before seen in the cosmos: science.

"Although faint concepts of such a thing can be seen here and there, your people were the first to take it so far. Even the Sapientia pale in comparison to your methods. If our celestial deer sect could have survived, we would have loved to learn from your methods…

"Before you all, everyone believed the only way to comprehend the universe was through philosophy and understanding. To slowly tease apart the daos and truths of the universe. But, the mortal realm began to understand the universe at a far faster rate than any other population in history…

"Your modern history reaches back a mere 5000 years, and yet you've already comprehended something like heat death – a concept martial world populations take billions of years to grasp.

"However, you've all paid a price that no one should have to pay… You carry the burden of having your future prospects chosen for you… Who's to say that with your superior talent that you wouldn't have even greater accomplishments had we not interfered?"

Dyon's master raised her small jade-like hand, gently wiping the tears of blood from Dyon's face. She worked slowly, as though Dyon was a fragile doll that could collapse at any moment. Many people forgot just how old Dyon was, but the 25th White Mother never would. She saw Dyon as her own son, she was more clear than almost anyone how brittle his mental state was.

She hadn't noticed when Dyon moved, but when she looked up, she found a pair of dark red eyes staring into her soul. Even as a former dao formation expert… Even as someone who had stared the dragon king in the eyes… Even as someone who had fought bravely against the entity… Never had the 25th White Mother felt such pressure.

His eyes were like calm crystals, reflecting no emotion at all. And yet, she could feel the deep seeded rage within him. She could feel the sorrow and despair…

In the next moment, the 25th White Mother did something that went against all of her instincts as a beast. Everything in her was yelling danger… Telling her to run away…

Tears sprinkled from her eyes as her soft lips planted a gentle kiss onto Dyon's forehead. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, cradling his head in her embrace.

"After everything was settled, the events were not a secret to the martial world. However, we soon found out why the entity allowed himself to be voluntarily sealed. He had placed his own seal on us, disallowing the harm and talk of what had transpired.

What Dyon and his master didn't know is that Elder Daiyu and those under the rule of the entity were subject to a completely separate seal. One that acted on them to this day. This was why Elder Daiyu suffered a penalty for alluding to the truth of things when he spoke to Dyon just months prior.

"The mortal realm became a taboo. Nearly untouchable. If it wasn't for mortal realm technology becoming so powerful that they could threaten even weaker essence gathering martial artists, all ties would have been cut from the mortal realm entirely, so as not to anger the entity.

"However, you all continued to advance at such a rate that you could no longer be ignored. As such, so as to bend to the pressure left behind by the entity, weaker martial academies began to have yearly ceremonies in partnership with the mortal realm. This allowed friendly trade between us and your world, which allowed our cultures to mix to a certain extent.

"This was all meant to be for show, of course. Everyone knew that it should be impossible for a mortal to have enough talent to be accepted by the martial world. After all, your talent was sealed away.

The more the mortals built, the smaller and smaller the meaning behind the large planet meant. It was only a matter of time before the human world realized that there was an entire half to their planet that they had never explored. And, even more glaringly, and entire population of people with a completely different culture as well!

In addition, with how human history had been, expansion had become the norm. Had the martial world not extended a hand of diplomacy first, who knows what might have happened?

With the mortal world intrigue about the martial world, the martial world would allow a yearly test for suitable mortals to teach their ways. This test was of course kept secret by individual countries, because what a martial artist loyal to a country meant was something the world wasn't ready to handle.

This partnership was only meant to be simple lip service. Only the martial world knew that it should be impossible to for a mortal to have any martial talent… And yet, after hundreds of years of this always being true, Dyon took the test!

Under normal circumstances, Dyon should have had no talent at all. After all, his energy and body cultivation abilities were sealed. However, his soul cultivation was so domineering that it tricked the test into thinking he had normal talent…

This caused waves among the older generation at the time and even caused the Focus Academy Elders to immediately try their best to get Dyon to quit and go back. After all, if Dyon was hurt in anyway, and the entity found out, there may be hell to pay!

The problem with this was that not everyone knew about the treaty – especially not the younger generation. After all, since their parents weren't allowed to tell them, how could they know?

The members of the older generation treated the mortal world like a taboo. But, the younger generation misinterpreted this as meaning that they should look down on Dyon, while what the older generation really wanted to do was to protect him.

However, when the first younger generation member almost successfully killed Dyon – that being Darius Storm – another possibility came to fruition for the older generation. They came to realize that as long as the one to attack Dyon had no idea about the treaty, there would be no punishment!

In the end, this was also why the Elves didn't seem to have any adverse reactions about Dyon being from the mortal realm. None of their members were present for the war because their kingdom was destroyed before it. It wasn't until the Ragnor made it here that they arrived.

On that same hand, this was also why Madeleine's master was so against her being with Dyon. Being a Sapientia, how could their clan have not been in this universe at the time of the battle and the treaty? They were based in nearly every universe!

To Ester Sapientia, Dyon's people were the most taboo thing in the world. From her perspective, Dyon being with Madeleine would only bring her endless pain… She would have just been a child at the time, but it left enough of an imprint on her to remember it to this very day…

"I've done many selfish things in my life." Dyon's master spoke softly. "I burdened you with the weight of our sect. I burdened you with looking after my child. And even worse, I sealed memories that would have helped you make a smarter decision for yourself… Even choosing my husband for love instead of for the sake of my clan was nothing but selfish on my part.

"However, in my last moments in this world, I want to do yet another selfish thing. I won't allow you to erase your mind to escape the pain. I want you to fight to live."

The 25th White Mother began to glow with the last embers of her life. The last bit of power she sealed away… Without it, she would no longer be able to hold onto this world, not in the true sense… Without any remaining aura, even The Seal would have nothing to seal…

"Be cleansed of this, my disciple…" The last of the 25th White Mother's consciousness slowly faded away as Dyon's skin began to glow with a fierce light.

The 25th White Mother only silently shook her head, her tears falling like precious crystals from her eyes. She didn't have enough power to fully cleanse Dyon, if she didn't go all out, it would be meaningless.

He had heard every word his master had spoken, although at the time, his anger disallowed him the ability to truly process everything. But, now that he had gotten a small bit of reprieve from that endless pain, he could finally start piecing things together like he usually did.

In the end, Dyon couldn't bring himself to blame his master. In fact, he was pained by her loss to the point he nearly fell back into the pit of despair she sacrificed herself to dig him out of.

The news of him never being able to even have a chance to fight to revive his parents had hit him hard. It was made even worse by the fact it really would have been possible had their souls not been wiped from existence.

Dyon wasn't used to giving up. When he saw an impossible task in front of him, he wanted nothing more than to leap over the barrier and look down at those who thought he couldn't do it. But this time… This was different.

If he died, how would Ri and Madeleine feel? What about Clara? He had left her in an unknown world without so much as a comforting goodbye. For all she knows, the last person from her world was gone now…

What a dangerous mind set to have. How was he as a measly meridian formation expert supposed to vent his anger against celestials? He might as well have been looking for death.

He didn't know when it happened, but they were almost as large as his father's now. The feeling of his master's small hands in his had reminded him of something.

For much of his life, Dyon had had his father right by his side. He was a man of few words, but strong resolve. And he had taught Dyon to be the same way.

Dyon almost felt ashamed to have let himself crumble so easily. He could allow himself to be pissed. He could allow himself to feel sad. He could allow those feelings to churn within himself and spur him onwards. But, allowing them to make him give up?

'Remember Dyon.' His father had said. 'The hands of a man are meant to be large not just so you feel strong. They're large so you can use that strength…'

Dyon would be lying to himself if he said his pain was gone. In fact, his anger was still boiling to a point where he didn't dare to finish his thought process on many things… Because there was still one glaring hole in all of this.

Dyon's grand teacher should have known that the seal was gone with Dyon's birth. And yet, instead of saying he wouldn't tell Dyon for fear that he would lose himself in anger, he said that telling Dyon would kill him – implying that although he could circumvent the treaty, Dyon couldn't.

There was only one explanation for why he would do such a thing, and Dyon refused to think about it. Because if he did… He would only lose himself in anger again…

Outside of the cave entrance, Evelyn Niveus giggled lightly as she held onto Lionel's arm, staring at Ri with contempt. It was pretty obvious by this point that the man who had taken her virginity was none other than Prince Lionel Belmont.

When Lionel was campaigning with Madeleine, he had fought against Mekhi Uidah, the fourth son of the Uidah King God Clan. At the time, the battle had been fairly even at the start. However, as soon as Amethyst's legacy temple appeared, that even battle turned completely one sided…

The first was that Lionel seemed to have long since prepared for the arrival of the legacy temple. In fact, he knew was it was without even looking and immediately disappeared from the battle field to search for a chance to enter.

But, the second thing was surprisingly even more glaring. The moment the temple appeared, the even fight became completely one sided because Lionel's red and blue flames combined into a violet flame!

This was something unprecedented. Even his own father could only do such a thing for a short period of time if he made use of his rudimentary domain. And yet, Lionel did this on a whim while barely being past twenty years old? Only very few understood just how ridiculous this was!

The truth of the matter was that Lionel wasn't some super genius, nor did he beat the fourth son and the subsequent third daughter of the Uidah King God Clan because of his own talent and merit. No, the reason he was able to do this was all because of Evelyn Niveus from the very beginning.

The primordial yin of a young woman is precious, especially to a cultivator. However, that level of value is raised ever higher when this primordial is attached to a woman with a God Level Constitution.

The reason Evelyn was willing to give her virginity to Lionel, knowing very well that it was ruin her own cultivation, was because her primordial yin was exactly what Lionel needed to finally surpass the barrier that barred Belmont after Belmont for generations!

The late Niveus God Sect Matriarch used a devastating attack to annihilate half of the Earth in her final breath. That legacy was called 'Immortal Balanced Arts' and was something that Evelyn was destined to be unparalleled in…

The primordial yin Lionel received from Evelyn was known as Eternity's Balance. It was a constitution that allowed one to build two diametrically opposing daos with great ease. Even more domineeringly, it allowed the combination of them to be as easy as breathing.

Suddenly, Ri laughed. Inexplicably, her first reaction to being surrounded by hundreds of enemies, all of whom were threatening her life, was to laugh. In fact, she did so, so freely that it forced those around her to double check the situation to see whether it was themselves who were in fact surrounded.

Ri held her sides, catching her breath, "Do you believe that this is a secret you held so tightly to yourself? Dyon figured this out ages ago. Do you think he'd let me walk into a trap just like this one?"

"No, no." Ri laughed, "Your little lovey dovey relationship is a surprise, I guess. Although that's more so because my husband couldn't bother to care about who you were or weren't sleeping with.

Lionel calmed his features. Analyzing the situation, whether Ri knew or not hardly mattered. She was still surrounded, and if she had called for reinforcements, they could easily use her as a hostage. All of that made Lionel think that she really was just bluffing.

When you put it together, it all made sense. Lionel wasn't satisfied with his father's way. It had to be a Belmont that helped open the Belmont Holy Land. It had to be a Belmont that helped the Daiyu pass the Belmont Holy Land defenses. And It had to be a Belmont that stopped the defending soldiers from awakening the Belmont ancestors! It all pointed to him.

"Ah, I know why you're confident." Ri mused, tapping her lip. "You think you know who and how many I having supporting me right now." An amused light flashed in Ri's eye. "Look at that, now you're trying to calculate how many more I could have than you previously thought."

It was true. Lionel had only taken these measures because he thought the limit was 10 demon generals at the saint level. As for the hundred essence gathering demon generals Dyon had used, he hardly cared for those. What could they do in the face of all of these saints?

The look in Dyon's eyes had completely changed. A dense black flame still remained, however, there was an intelligent flicker that hadn't been there just moments before. Dyon's motives had completely changed from mutual destruction, to seeking victory at all costs.

'You've trampled over my home, killed my family, and then dared to say that everything was rightfully yours to begin with…' A deep seeded anger sprung from the deepest recesses of Dyon's being. 'The loss you'll suffer today is one I'll make sure you never forget.'

To anyone else, the idea of a meridian formation expert facing off against two celestials and an entity of unknown power was ridiculous – nothing short of seeking death. However, Dyon's mind only allowed him to see paths to victory.

Elder Daiyu and Patriarch Ragnor still had not dared to move, but the entity's shadow was clearly still giving off an amused air. He didn't seem to care about what did or didn't happen within the sealed world.

Dyon stood, not being able to stand the idea of kneeling to anyone. The oppressive energy that had locked down on him thanks to Patriarch Ragnor, was easily ignored by making use of The Seal. Because his soul was already a single step from the celestial level, and The Seal provided an added boost, something like this was well within his power.

The range of abilities of this treasure was something even Dyon's master hadn't fully grasped, but if lower level seals from the Sigebryht could do away with even death qi, how could the emperor of all seals not deal with mere celestial energy?

The only down fall of the treasures of the 33 heavens was the amount of stamina they took to use. However, with Dyon's soul talent and accumulated prowess, he could already passively use The Seal in this fashion with negligible consumption. Quite simply put, the soul type 33 heaven weapons would all dream to have Dyon as their master even more so than normal treasures would!

Patriarch Ragnor immediately noticed the uselessness of his energy. "Kneel! How dare you!?" He couldn't help but tremble nervously. No matter how amicable the entity seemed, he and Elder Daiyu knew the truth. Dyon's rebellion wouldn't only cause punishment for Dyon, but him as well!

Dyon took a deep breath, looking into the sky. Even with The Seal greatly helping him, the pressure of the entity still bore down on him just as heavily as it did before. It was clear his soul wasn't powerful to negate that level of effect. He could only thank his master… In her final moments, not only had she cleared his mind, she helped him regain his soul stamina.

No one understood just the amount of fatigue Dyon's soul had been under until this moment. If he wasn't tired beyond belief, how could he only be capable of attacking a single time with his puppet? Remember, Dyon was someone who had taken control of that very puppet at dead kings valley, with vastly inferior soul strength, for months before collapsing. And yet that same Dyon, with vastly improved soul strength, could only attack once? Even if attacking and simply controlling movement required a large disparity in energy – attacking obviously needing much more – the difference was much too exaggerated.

Even before Dyon had a massive hole blown through his chest by Zabia, he had been making full use of his death will form. The use of a supreme law for an extended period of time, especially by someone who wasn't yet an essence gathering expert, was taxing to the extreme on not just the soul, but also the body.

For six whole months, Dyon did nothing but stretch his soul out to the extreme, trying to comprehend higher and higher levels of death intent. All that time, he spent stubbornly avoiding the easy path of cultivation, instead wanting to forge his own.

To make things worse, Dyon's soul continually improved during those 6 months. He had started off at the peak of the 7th stage when he entered, but when he exited, his soul had already stretched itself to the peak of the 8th stage. That was like going from the 6th saint stage all the way to the 12th!

This would normally be a great thing, but in a time locked zone where there was no flow of energy, this was devastating. It was like Dyon was continually exercising a muscle, and that muscle wanted to get stronger and grow, and yet it got no rest or nutrients!

Although Dyon stepped out with a peak 8th stage soul, his true soul battle prowess was likely more accurately around the 2nd or 3rd soul stage. At that point, you could imagine his peak 8th stage soul like a massive body of land you should find a refreshing lake in, and yet all you saw were dried and cracked patches of land with sprinkles of moist soul here and there.

That's what Dyon's soul was like when he tried to use his puppet and that wasn't even mentioning the amount of soul stamina he had to divert to save Zabia's life and stop his soul from dissipating. No wonder he felt so fatigued. Madeleine had used a supreme level intent for a few moments, and yet that had left her completely incapacitated. The fact Dyon was even standing right now was a testament to his will power and domineering soul talent.

Everyone wanted to talk about how Dyon took a power that didn't belong to himself… What they should be talking about was what kind of monster would it take to shatter a seal placed by The Seal itself!

In the face of The Seal, in the form the entity was in currently, there was nothing he could do. After all, it was the very thing that had put him in the situation he was in currently. He hadn't been joking when he said he could only wait when Dyon's master pulled him into the sealed world.

After seeing that Dyon had grasped the use of the seal so easily, he was fully aware that Dyon's next step would be to close the alter so that he wouldn't be able to interfere.

Dyon was fully aware that although the entity was restricted, he could very well tip the battle to levels that made an already slim chance at victory impossible. After all, even while sealed, the entity had shattered the array that was concealed within Dyon's mind. It was clear that he at least had some battle prowess.

Seeing the massive stone alter close and disappear into the ground, rage filled Patriarch Ragnor's eyes. As for Elder Daiyu, a complex emotion crossed his eyes before he stood to face Dyon.

"Your voice is quite soft for someone asking another to accept their death." Dyon didn't even look at Patriarch Ragnor or Elder Daiyu. He continued to look into the skies as though he was contemplating something. "However, I have no sympathy for you. Not after what I've been through. Today, either you or I will die."

The array that concealed the dragon king's form shattered on Dyon's wrist, erupting into brilliant black flames as a ten-foot scythe appeared in Dyon's hand.

The Mathilde family Asura's eye bloomed to full effect, reaching its peak with Dyon's manifestations appearing in the skies, turning the natural greenery and light atmosphere of the Belmont Holy Land into a dreary one – filled with anger and resentment.

Immediately afterwards, hundreds of white lilies bloomed in the skies. With celestial energy no longer being capable of locking down Dyon, he was free to teleport.

The amount of soul stamina needed to not only create hundreds of clones, but to also sustain so many weapons, all while utilizing a one with heart supreme law was something few could fathom. And yet Dyon did it as easily as breathing.

Patriarch Ragnor's laughter boomed through the beautiful inner world. "You truly are the best of the best. In terms of the younger generation, who could possibly have beaten you? To think that anyone doubted your first place position."

The praise coming from Patriarch Ragnor seemed completely out of place when compared to the savage light in his eyes, and yet he sounded so completely sincere.

"However…" The dark light in his eyes only grew with each passing second as arcs of lightning danced along his skin. "Even for you, it's thousands of years too early to challenge me!"

The inner world began to crackle with endless amounts of lightning. A stifling sense of danger caused the hairs on the back of Dyon's neck to stand, but he couldn't read what was going to happen!

It all happened in an instant and yet all Dyon could do was watch, wide-eyed, as every clone he had created – hundreds of clones! – disappeared right before his eyes, leaving only himself!

Patriarch Ragnor looked down on Dyon with contempt. "I can kill you as easily as I can snap my fingers. Did you really think such a petty trick would work?"

Elder Daiyu only stood to the side, shaking his head, but not making a move to interfere. To use two celestial experts against a single meridian formation child was beneath him.

The amused expression on Patriarch Ragnor's features quickly turned to that of annoyance. He couldn't lock onto Dyon in the distance because the seal was interfering, and now Dyon was using his clones like he did his army – except the coordination was on a completely other level because they were Dyon!

Thousands of tiny arrays flew from Dyon's body and appeared in the air every second, teleporting and changing the position of his sprinting clones every moment.

His Asura's eye almost gave him God-like perspective on the battle field. He could see the slightest twitch of Patriarch Ragnor's muscles, resulting in him changing the position of his clones just in time to avoid the arcs of lightning.

When the clones reached Patriarch Ragnor, they were almost like mosquitoes, sending stinging death qi through the lightning before they died. Regardless of how weak Dyon was, a supreme law was a supreme law. Although Patriarch Ragnor had master his lightning intent to an astonishing 7th level, one with law, it was a mere elemental will. How could it block a supreme law at the intent level?

However… That was all it did. Without powerful attacks to match his supreme law, all Dyon could do was irritate Patriarch Ragnor. The damage was so negligible that it could hardly be called damage at all.

Patriarch Ragnor roared in anger. He was a first-grade celestial expert! His talent could look down on nearly every martial artist with complete disregard and disdain, and yet he was being annoyed by a meridian formation expert?

His speed was simply blinding. Even Dyon's 6th sense boosted with Asura's Imperial Eye didn't allow him to see the movements clearly. At most his saw a blur of lightning streaking toward him with unprecedented speed.

"Since I can't kill you directly, I'll just cut off your legs and arms." Patriarch Ragnor's smile of amusement was back, almost as though he couldn't believe he allowed himself to be irritated by this child.

Brilliantly embroidered steps appeared in the air. It was a treasure shaped like a temple, with a set of stairs on all four sides, leading to an alter at the peak. This was none other than the Aurora Steps!

Dyon's soul pressure directly crushed Patriarch Ragnor to the ground. Even with Dyon's stamina, his face immediately paled by a shade, but the savage light in his eyes didn't fade as he watched the mighty Patriarch Ragnor fall to his hands and knees before him.

Elder Daiyu had been watching silently all this time, but that didn't mean that he wasn't always prepared. Unlike Patriarch Ragnor, he had long since learned to not underestimate Dyon from their very first encounter in the Elvin Kingdom.

To clear up any last bits of confusion, the ranking that decides the number of chapters for the day is looked at by me at 12pm EST (power stone reset time). If you see two chapters, even if the ranking at the time you're reading is above 41, it means that at the time I uploaded chapters, it was below that.

Dyon had little respect for people who gave up all of their morals for the sake of fear or power. Elder Daiyu was clearly remorseful about many things, but what did that have to do with Dyon? Remorseful or not, he still had every intention of killing Dyon.

That meant that this man was willing to not only toss away his own moral code, but he also wanted to cause irreparable pain to Dyon's friends and family? In fact, he already had! Dyon wouldn't forgive that.

Even more disgustingly ironic was the fact this man probably found it beneath him to team up against a meridian formation expert just moments ago, but as soon as he saw Patriarch Ragnor is a predicament, he didn't hesitate to jump in.

A sword of fire qi extended from his hand in an instant. All of his daos had fallen to the will level, but that didn't mean that his proficiency wasn't much more impressive than most others.

However, because of the damage to his soul, he often kept his wills to the lowest level possible and refrained from using them for extended periods of time. Since wills heavily relied on the soul for stamina of use, this made sense.

Just like that, Patriarch Ragnor could only watch as a scythe coated in unyielding death qi made way for his head, all while Elder Daiyu aimed to cut Dyon's scythe wielding arms off with a single swift motion.

A 20-meter-tall puppet with domineering aura appeared between Dyon's back and Elder Daiyu, shocking the old man. He had no idea that Dyon had a second! In fact, he didn't have any idea of Dyon having even a single one. When would Patriarch Ragnor have had time to tell him something like that? In fact, Patriarch Ragnor wouldn't have seen a reason to. To him, Dyon had left his puppet behind!

Because Dyon had been forced to divert his soul power to controlling the puppet, the pressure on Patriarch Ragnor had dissipated just enough for him to regain his senses and fly backward, panting heavily.

Patriarch Ragnor shook with rage as he raised a hand to the top of his head. He stared in abject shock as his hand came back matted with red blood and sliced blond hair.

Dyon immediately cut off his soul from the aurora steps. After just that brief exchange that should have only lasted a fraction of a second, he already felt like his soul was on the verge of being completely depleted again.

Usually this meant that the opponent he was facing had vastly higher soul strength as compared to him, and this would have made sense too. After all, as a peak celestial grade expert, Patriarch Ragnor must have spent hundreds of years, if not thousands, in the celestial level. With him having that much time, and being just a step away from dao formation, how could he really only saint or lower stage soul?

But, with how drastically he reacted to being pressured by Dyon's soul, he had to have a weaker soul. Which meant he was likely using a treasure to hide his true soul strength. Dyon had heard of these from his master's memories. Since one of the best ways to protect your soul was by protecting its true level from others, it made sense that experts would have something like this.

Blood seeped from Patriarch Ragnor's lips from the tremendous pressure his soul had just felt. "Ha…" He laughed to himself, "Good… Good… You've succeeded in angering me!"

In the distance, Elder Daiyu slowly stood, twisting the odd angles of his arms back into place. His arms were still broken, but he of course needed them to be in place properly so they can heal.

One might be confused. After all, Matriarch Niveus had higher cultivation than Elder Daiyu and had faced off against a weaker puppet, and yet she was only able to survive due to burning her blood essence. So, why was Elder Daiyu standing as though nothing had happened and casually shifting his broken arms? That answer was obvious...

Dyon laughed, mocking Elder Daiyu, "To think the mighty Black Jade Dragons would be the first of their prideful species to lower their heads to another. How pitiful. It's too bad my master sealed most of your beast forms."

Elder Daiyu said nothing as he calmly looked at Dyon from the distance. But, it was clear that despite his usual appearance, a rage was building in his eyes. The sealing of their beast forms was a complete humiliation!

"Since you said most, you should know that there were some beast forms that still exist to this day… And sometimes… It's best not to provoke those beasts…"

Dyon could only chuckle bitterly as he watched a majestic dragon snake through the skies for hundreds of meters, domineering horns protruded from its forehead.

"Well…" Dyon looked between the fuming peak celestial with arcs of red lightning dancing along his body and the roaring dragon. "Nothing about this is going to be easy…"

All of Lionel's plans had been predicated on Ri having little support to rely on. After all, the current Daiyu had enough to launch an attack on a Royal God Clan! Whether King Belmont was present or not was irrelevant, that didn't change the fact that the Belmont had hundreds of saint level elders, and thousands of essence gathering experts. Not all of them were of pure Belmont blood, but how could a Royal God Clan not have protectors?

And yet, the Daiyu were able to win. Why would Lionel ever think that Ri had a chance to put up a fight? He had even gone out of his way to stealthily send a message to his wife, Evelyn, to have her come as well. If he hadn't been afraid of King Acacia noticing something was off, or the war being tipped to far away from their favor, he would have asked the Aumens to come too.

Lionel was calm and calculating by nature. He rarely took risks. If they weren't currently fighting a battle, there's no question he would have called for more reinforcements.

But, regardless of how calculating you claimed to be, how could you ever consider the idea of a mere meridian formation expert having a thousand saints at his beck and call!? In fact, the number was even higher than that now. At the beginning, Dyon had a thousand lower essence gathering experts, a thousand higher, and another thousand lower saints. However, with all of the resources he had been pouring into his demon generals, and how they did nothing but train, eat and sleep all day – couple all of that with their unprecedented talent – and how could hundreds of higher essence gathering experts not have already stepped into saint hood? The number of saints Dyon had in his army was closer to 1500 as opposed to 1000!

"Priority number one is to capture him." Ri pointed toward Lionel, completely ignoring and not bothering to care for Evelyn. "The second is to subdue the Daiyu.

Unfortunately, there hadn't been a reason for Dyon to organize his saint demon generals into organized factions. However, because he had already chosen ten vice commanders, even if they were weaker, it was best that they continue to lead.

They were all practically a large group of brothers and sisters, there was no pettiness among them. No one batted an eye to Ri's order as a swarm of expert organized into a perfect formation of warriors in the sky, staring down at the disorganized Daiyu and Niveus with disdain.

As soon as Ri had made priority number one clear, a mass of saint energy had locked onto Lionel's position. Much less think of escaping, he couldn't even move his lips.

Because he had been so sure of himself, he had revealed himself in a disadvantageous position. He had the cave entrance to his back, but to his front was Ri. He was completely cut off from the Daiyu with only Chenglei and Evelyn by his sides!

The confused gazes of the Daiyu immediately turned furious. They were a former Emperor God Clan! The pride of dragons ran through their veins regardless of the fact it was sealed within many of them. Were they really being threatened by a 15-year-old girl?!

The truth was that Ri's position wasn't perfect either. Because of the area they were in, she had been forced to summon many of their forces in the air. She stood on a narrow path with nine demon generals to her front, and a single to the back, maintaining a lock on Chenglei, Evelyn and Lionel.

It was clear to everyone what the Daiyu would have to do if they wanted to salvage the situation. They could ill afford to divert much attention to the enemies in the air. If they wanted to win, they would have to take the head and force the rest to submit.

The heart of one's comprehension had to be built on your own reality. The entity wasn't lying to Dyon when he said that many had easier paths to follow, and those paths coincided with this reality and drastically changed on a person by person basis.

Some had talent so overwhelming that ignoring the easier paths to tread more difficult and desirable path was possible. Some were willing to sacrifice hardship and pain to forge ahead in a path with greater ease. However, there was no question that following your own heart made you the strongest version of yourself – and usually also did so on a much smoother path.

This was the kind of enlightenment that Patia-Neva was currently undergoing. He had forged this path before, all he needed to do was rebuild his foundation and he could skyrocket upwards.

He could think of nothing else than spending the rest of is life making up for his evils. He didn't want forgiveness, nor did he want sympathy, he only wanted the opportunity to work himself to the bone to give his wife and daughter the lives they deserved.

The Planet Nix members had closed themselves off, using darkness type treasures to enclose their area to lie in wait for Dyon. They had a feeling that the source they had come to this universe to look for would be found much easier with his help. The only problem was whether or not he would survive…

As for the Shruti, they were long gone. Not a single trace of their existence in this universe remained. In fact, Planet Mino, the body they claimed to come from, seemed to be uplifted from a dream life state. However, all memories of this mysterious Shruti clan disappeared as well…

Behind the warring lines drawn by the Ragnor, the auxiliary clans were in a heated discussion, completely protected by the Ragnor warriors as well as a good amount of slaves. Who else would they be fighting so adamantly if not the Pakals?

"What use is there in any of you if you can't do your job?!" Matriarch Ipsum raged. She had been in a terrible mood all week. After Dyon humiliated her granddaughter, how could she not feel this way? In fact, Iris had still not woken up from her coma – plus, even if she did, she would likely be crippled for life unless they took drastic measures!

She was currently screaming at a calm looking old man with long, flowing white hair and a moustache so white that it was almost transparent as it waved in front of his long robes.

This person was none of the Saeclum clan Patriarch – a clan of soul cultivation experts that were experts in utilizing the long lost Elvin technique to see the future… Although it ultimately cost their lives.

"I am fully aware that esteemed Patriarch Ragnor brought us two auxiliary clans to this universe for a reason, however, how many of my fellow clansman have died during this time? We have already divined this day's absolute victory, what else could you possibly want from us other than simple scouting support?"

After witnessing Dyon cause a celestial to fall into desperate straights, even he too questioned himself. But, how could a technique that required their lives to utilize be so easily proven wrong? There were too many interpretations possible to assume that not tasting defeat meant not losing powerful allies.

"All that matters is that the end premonition is clear. Victory for us. We never claimed to understand the inner workings of how we would achieve this victory.

Maybe it was for pride, or to save face, but Patriarch Ragnor and Elder Daiyu never seemed to use any real techniques. They limited themselves to simple wills and utilizing their superior cultivation to pressure Dyon.

This was also likely because they were wary of what treasures Dyon might still be hiding, in addition to the fact that if they killed Dyon, all of their work would have been meaningless. Since Dyon's soul had yet to reach the celestial level, and they didn't have access to the methods give to Dyon by his grand teacher, it was impossible for them to save his soul if he died.

However, the pressure placed on a meridian formation expert when facing off against even one celestial would be stifling to the point of despair, let alone two!

Dyon's stamina was rapidly draining as he was forced to push his 6th sense and Asura's Imperial Eye to their utmost to even be capable of reading Patriarch Ragnor's movements.

If it wasn't for the Aurora Steps that hung above his head, the sovereign roars of Elder Daiyu in addition to his claws would have long since torn Dyon to shreds.

With so many years of battle experience between the two of them, when they decided to be cautious, the consequences for Dyon could be imagined. He was like an animal caught in a trap. They simply were simply waiting until his stamina couldn't hold out any longer before they made their move.

Patriarch Ragnor no longer dared to get close to Dyon, but his arcs of red lightning constantly bombarded the celestial barrier Dyon used his puppet to put up. He was clearly holding back his power to force Dyon to pour more into repairing the shield. If he blasted all the way through, Dyon would simply die.

Even if Dyon was hundreds of times as fast, he wouldn't be able to dodge Patriarch Ragnor's lightning will. His face could only continuously drain itself of color as he tapped into his soul strength again and again.

"How pathetic." Dyon sneered through gritted teeth. "Two celestials using such tactics again a sixteen-year-old boy. Your ancestors must be looking down with proud eyes."

The relaxed expression on Patriarch Ragnor's face had long since disappeared. He too found this to be too shameful, but the fear of his soul nearly collapsing was weighing on his mind.

Because the Ragnors often used disgusting means to improve their cultivation – so as to avoid tribulation lightning – much of Patriarch Ragnor's cultivation was artificial. As such, he hadn't progressed naturally, which resulted in his soul being much weaker than those who achieved his cultivation by normal means. In fact, Dyon highly doubted that Patriarch Ragnor was truly a peak celestial. He was more accurately of some lower cultivation, but capable of outputting the power of a peak celestial. Those two descriptions were much different, and one was clearly much more impressive than the other.

Gritting his teeth, Dyon controlled the Aurora Steps to once again block, shifting his puppet to quickly attack Elder Daiyu at his seemingly vulnerable massive chin.

With a swipe of his ferocious claws, Dyon's barrier threatened to collapse as he was sent flying away along with his puppet… Right toward Patriarch Ragnor!

He had to force himself to stay focused. The Aurora Steps that had been blocking Elder Daiyu, whipped toward himself. If he lost the only method of keeping Patriarch Ragnor at bay, the consequences were clear.

Even within the celestial energy barrier, the force of being snapped about at speeds only possible by celestials was disorienting and jarring. Dyon felt his body nearly shearing apart as space around him threatened to shatter completely.

Dyon was forced to bring the barrier as close to his body as possible. If he lost control of his body and slammed against it, he would die from the very thing meant to protect him!

Patriarch Ragnor immediately noticed Dyon's desperate attempt to keep him in check with the aurora steps. However, as a celestial expert, his battle sense was nearly unparalleled. He knew very well how taxing it was for Dyon to use that treasure, and, even if he did, he would be leaving himself open for Elder Daiyu!

An arm of domineering lightning reached toward Dyon's flying figure. It was clear to anyone with half a thought that a barrier created by a mere 4th stage celestial would completely shatter under this oppressive power.

Even to Dyon, this arm was nothing but a blur, careening through space. To make matters worse, Elder Daiyu's blow was too fierce for Dyon to change direction quickly.

However, a strange glint flashed in Elder Daiyu's large reptilian eyes. His jaws opened, but there was no domineering fire blast. There was only a deafening rage that shook Dyon to his very soul!

In that moment, Dyon became clear on the power of celestials. He hadn't witnessed his world burn when Matriarch Niveus released her final attack. But right now, he was seeing this first hand!

Dyon lost control of not only his arrays, but his ability to use all wills. If his soul wasn't as powerful as it was, he would have lost consciousness as soon as the sound entered his ears.

'Hmph.' An ancient voice entered Dyon's ears, dispelling all of the ill effects and pressure. Unfortunately, that didn't change the fact that he had lost control of all of the surrounding space. He even felt his connection with the Aurora Steps severed for an instant, drastically slowing its speed! 'Such a weak dragon soul dares to roar at me?!'

The anger in the Dragon King's voice was nearly overpowered by his overbearing arrogance. To him, Elder Daiyu's Black Jade form might as well have not been a dragon at all. And yet it dared to be so arrogant in front of him, the Dragon King?!

Dyon didn't have much time to think about it. In the time it took for all of this to happen, he had flown a far distance and now he was only a body length away from Patriarch Ragnor!

The truth was that the defenses of the Puppet were far superior to its offensive capabilities. Even if ten Patriarch Ragnors attacked it simultaneously, he wouldn't be able to destroy it. But, the problem was that Dyon was sitting on its head! Regardless of the defenses of the puppet, it wasn't as though Dyon was inside of it!

The Scythe in Dyon's hand immediately morphed to his command, covering his entire back in a domineering scaled armor. In an instant, Dyon was covered from head to toe in a blazing knight's armor so dark that it reflected no light whatsoever.

Not even a fraction of a second later, Patriarch Ragnor's hand slammed through the barrier. He was certain that if he grasped hold of Dyon, seal or not, he would be able to lock him down. But, the truth was different than was he expected. His celestial energy wasn't able to pierce through Dyon's armor at all!

Patriarch Ragnor immediately moved to cripple Dyon. No matter how determined this child was, as long as he no longer hand arms or legs, what would anything matter anymore? They could then take their time to properly extract Dyon's soul.

The puppet beneath Dyon's feet spun with a vicious speed and endless killing intent. The green grass beneath it feet were burnt to oblivious under the torque, completely incapable of withstanding its movement.

Just when it seemed like the puppet was about to slam into him, he moved with speed Dyon only sensed as a blur. With a swift jerk of Dyon's arm, he used it to block!

A blood curdling roar escaped Dyon's lips. Everything had happened much too quickly for him to stop his puppet's motion. Patriarch Ragnor's movements were already difficult enough for him to follow, let alone dealing with such a subtle and small movement.

However, this only caused Patriarch Ragnor to frown… Because the armor that coated Dyon didn't have so much as a scratch on it! It took the full force of a celestial without even a white mark! If Dyon's body wasn't so weak, he would have been completely undamaged!

Elder Daiyu watched Patriarch Ragnor tighten his grip on Dyon's neck from a distance. He had relaxed because he thought there was no way Dyon could survive this. As long as Patriarch Ragnor caused Dyon to pass out, the Aurora Steps would mean nothing. But, who knew Dyon's armor would be so domineering?!

Patriarch Ragnor immediately knew that no matter how hard he pulled on Dyon's arm, he wouldn't be able to rip it off. His only option was to bludgeon Dyon and shatter his bones, it would take more time, but it was possible!

'The steps!' Patriarch Ragnor immediately released Dyon's neck, careening backwards to avoid having his soul slammed into again. By the time he realized it was simply a feint, he was too far to regret his actions.

The Dragon King's weapon had given off the airs of a transcendent weapon from the very first moments he had met it. But now? It was without a doubt emanating the energy of a supreme level weapon…

Under normal circumstances, Dyon could make use of even transcendent level weapons without much of a drain. However, this wasn't because transcendent weapons were easy to use. More accurately, it was because beings below the celestial stage couldn't use transcendent level weapons to their greatest degree.

There was no question that using a transcendent level weapon was better than using a grandmaster or lesser weapon. However, what was important to note was that this was mostly because of the quality of the weapon as opposed to anything else. For example, pouring a set amount of energy into a master weapon will always have better effects than pouring that same amount of energy into a common level weapon.

The important point to note here was that this was only the case for attack category weapons. Essentially, any category of weapons where you take the initiative to do something with the treasure. The problem was that defensive treasures were completely different. Yes, a transcendent defensive treasure would be far better at defending than a grandmaster defensive treasure. However, the difference lied in how much impact they could withstand.

If a grandmaster level weapon took the full brunt force of a 4th stage celestial like Dyon just had, it would have shattered on contact because it simply can't withstand that level of damage. But, a supreme level treasure could! The problem was that to do so, it had to take energy away from Dyon in order to support itself!

Dyon's Dragon King weapon had shattered one of its seal on its own in order to climb to the supreme level and block the attack that threatened Dyon's arm. But, it only dared to take enough energy to block a percentage of the attack, causing the rest to shatter the bones in Dyon's arm. If it had taken enough to block the attack entirely, Dyon would have lost consciousness immediately!

Only the highest levels of defensive treasures, powered by the best of cores, could defend without the need for its user's energy. However, in Dyon's experience, the only thing he had come across capable of doing such a thing were his Aurora Steps.

There were two main paths to weapon smithing. One was the common path, and the other was a legendary path. Those with blacksmithing talent were as rare as those with array alchemy talent considering they were two professions built on the soul and the use of an aurora. And yet, even in that rare population, it was even rarer to find those with talent capable of following the legendary path.

The common path was a path all of Dyon's weapons followed – except for the 33 heavens weapons. It was a path that necessitated the user to use their own energy to make use of the weapon. The legendary path was one that could rely on the power of the heavens to power the weapon. The weapons of the 33 heavens followed a pseudo legendary path. Part of their functions relied on the user, while other parts relied on the heavens.

In modern times, forging legendary path treasures was very rare – and even when they occurred, they would be lower level treasures on the master or grandmaster level. However, there were many who found a means of imitating this path by making use of 'cores'. These cores would replace the heavens by providing energy that made it seem like the user didn't need to make use of their own energy. However, the requirements for this core increased exponentially with along with the quality of the weapon. Finding a core capable of powering the Dragon King's weapon would be more difficult than finding another weapon of the 33 heavens.

The truth was that there would be practically no better core to use than the Dragon King's faith seed. However, why would the Dragon King have followed that path of weapon construction? After all, in the past, he would have wanted his faith seed free so that he could take control of the minds of those who dared to use him as a weapon. And with the Dragon King no longer corporal in this world, the number of weapon smiths capable of modifying a weapon of a grade even Dyon couldn't measure might be 0!

It should be noted that creating a legendary path weapon would be as difficult as becoming a transcendent… Even if it was a mere practitioner level weapon.

With each ascending weapon level, from commoner, to practitioner, to master and so on, the level of skill needed to create a weapon that followed the legendary path continued to transcend to more and more impossible levels. It wouldn't be surprising if a weapon smith that had forged transcendent level weapons before to have a common level weapon of the legendary path be their most prized possession.

Dyon, of course, knew all of this. This was why he wasn't surprised when his arm shattered despite the domineering nature of his armor. Because of how amazing the Dragon King weapon was, it could negate much of the celestial level cultivation. But, Dyon would still have to withstand peak saint power with his own body!

'Just how many seals are there on you?' Dyon thought. He could feel that although the Dragon King had shattered a seal to become a supreme level weapon in that instant, he still had more seals to go…

'If I undid those seals now, you would directly pass out. However, I'll help you out a bit because that arrogant little lizard in the air has succeeded in angering me.' The ancient voice boomed in Dyon's mind as he slowly stood.

Even Patriarch Ragnor couldn't believe what he feeling right now. It was much weaker than it would be if a true celestial released it… But, this was a rudimentary domain!?

'No… This is…' Elder Daiyu continued to tremble. His blood was boiling to the extent that he couldn't stand to stay in his beast form anymore. He had to grit his teeth to endure because without this form, he was far too susceptible to damage!

One might begin to wonder just how the Dragon King swept over the cosmos after reviving himself again and again. After all, often time, those who took the bodies of would be weak compared to the peak most experts of the time.

Even if you said the Dragon King simply had superior comprehension, that wasn't enough of an explanation. Why? Because comprehension is one thing, but being able to utilize it is a completely separate matter. For example, even if you mastered an intent, if you reincarnated into the body of a foundation stage expert, you'd be asking to die if you used it. Only the body of an essence gatherer, or someone with a body comparably strong, can withstand the use of an intent.

The truth of the matter was found in the ability the Dragon King just released. The very same ability that Elder Daiyu had used to seize control of the surrounding space and disallow the use of opposing wills and arrays. A domain exclusive to the mighty dragon race. The Dragon Soul!

A Dragon Soul wasn't an actual soul. Instead, it was a domineering domain caused by projecting out their unparalleled bloodline, imposing a suppression on all things in their range. The only reason it was called a Dragon Soul was because it embodied the very essence of what it meant to be a dragon. Arrogance without bounds! A philosophy that sank into their very bones and proliferated throughout all of their legacies.

When the Dragon King overtook a body, he had no problems unleashing this power in its entirety because he would no longer be bound by the laws that made him a weapon. However, as he was a weapon now and he had purposefully not forged himself toward the legendary path, he could only output power based on what Dyon could handle.

It was clear that his supreme stage form was too much for Dyon considering how he collapsed after blocking that attack. Therefore, the Dragon King reverted to a transcendent level, placing his domain to the rudimentary level.

However, this was massively beneficial to Dyon! The laws within hundreds of meters of him suddenly became tens of times for difficult for his enemies to use. And the added bonus was a direct suppression toward Elder Daiyu for being of inferior bloodline potency!

The Dragon King didn't respond. It was impossible for him to disobey Dyon's orders in his weapon form, but taking the initiative to help was something he didn't have to do because that required the sentience of his soul to come into play. He himself was still confused about why Dyon was able to wield him without resistance, however, words could not express how pissed off his main body was in the transcended plane. If the true Dragon King ever met Dyon, he'd incinerate him on the spot.

If Dyon knew this, he'd only be able to shake his head helplessly. Now he had three transcendents he needed to avoid. He had to make sure Kukan and Amethyst never found out he had their primordial yins, and he had to make sure the Dragon King never found him. Fantastic.

Before this, Dyon's death intent, despite being at the second level, could do nothing against Patriarch Ragnor's lightning will despite being the superior will. This was because Patriarch Ragnor's lightning was at the 7th intent level!

But this rudimentary domain… It made it fall to the 4th level! A supreme law could without a doubt make up for a 2-level difference if it was compared to a normal elemental intent.

There was no doubt that the strain on Dyon's soul had increased even further. In fact, he felt like collapsing where he stood. But, whenever thoughts like that crossed his mind, a deep seeded hatred would take over and black flames would burn them to ashes.

These were the people who destroyed his home. These were the people who caused the death of his parents. These were the people trying to take him away from his friends… His wives… He wouldn't stand for it!

Dyon's eyes flashed as he sent the Aurora Steps flying toward Patriarch Ragnor's stunned figure. Without a shred of hesitation, he spurred his puppet forward. He had to take advantage of this rudimentary domain while he could.

However, Dyon knew his weakness. Despite having a puppet the level of a celestial expert, it couldn't use wills on the level of a celestial expert. After all, it was a puppet!

Usually, it was nigh impossible to use the puppet's full attack power and use wills powerful enough to make a difference in its attack strength. But, if Dyon didn't go all out now, it would all mean nothing!

Elder Daiyu's body trembled under the domain, still trying to control the flow of his blood. It was almost like he didn't notice Dyon careening toward him at speeds only possible for a stage 4 celestial.

The twin swords of Dyon's puppets roared to life. One was coated with a blazing white flame, emanating unmatched purity, wanting nothing more than to cleanse everything in its path. The other came coated with a corrosive black flame, dancing with death qi.

Patriarch Ragnor wanted to blast the aurora steps away, thinking it was yet another faint. And yet, he was wrong! When Dyon decided to do something, he would do so without reserve. He was really holding nothing back in this attack!

The puppet's twin swords slammed together, causing light and dark to swirl around each other vigorously. A blazing tornado of domineering flames charged toward Elder Daiyu relentlessly.

Even Dyon himself had yet to fully understand exactly what the flames that flickered in his manifestation meant. However, what he did know was that somehow… His white flames far surpassed his celestial will in terms of purity!

A couple months ago, when Ri had first placed the soul tome on his chest, effectively cleansing his soul of the Ipsum family crystalline will, his body was still in a very tough position. Maybe if he had had the supreme law version of celestial will, he would have been safe. But, at the time, it was obvious that that wasn't a possibility – in fact, Dyon still didn't know that such a thing was possible.

However, Dyon's saving grace was the fact that his soul had broken into saint levels that very day! Because of that, his manifestation had unlocked the image of a white flame.

Over the course of that time, Dyon learned something else. Although his white and black flames were powerful on their own, they seemed to reach a next level of power when combined with wills that matched their affinity.

He became a perfect balance of yin and yang the very day his soul burst to the saint level. Because of that, he had even been able to combine wills with greater ease! During his fight with Saru, he seemed to be able to reach 3rd and 4th level fusions he had never reached before! Somehow, Dyon was able to replicate the effects of Evelyn's Eternity's Balance, without needing her primordial yin or having the constitution himself!

The path toward understanding one's manifestation was a long and arduous one. It's one of the main reason Unique Type Techniques were only used by the poor or absolute geniuses in the Elvin Kingdom. However, it seemed the more Dyon learned about his manifestation, the more in awe he became!

The combination of an ultimate cleanser matched with ultimate erosion can be imagined. Both wanted to erase, and both were backed by the powerful swing of a 4th stage celestial! Couple that with the fact that Elder Daiyu had been trembling under the Dragon King's rudimentary domain and the results could be imagined!

"AAAGGGHHH," Dyon grabbed his chest with one hand, grasping at his head with another. He felt as though his entire body was threatening to collapse on him.

His soul tore under the strain he put it under, causing the pressure that had been holding down Patriarch Ragnor to immediately dissipate. Even worse, it was no longer possible for Dyon to maintain the Dragon King weapon's armor form. Nor could he maintain the rudimentary domain anymore. Except for the puppet he had been forced to cut his connection from and the Aurora Steps that were currently flying back to his position, Dyon had nothing!

Dyon couldn't believe the excruciating pain he was under. He was someone that had endured his entire body being broken down and reformed. He was someone who had spent 2 months having his organs eaten away at by an artificial will. And yet it was this pain that made him want to never have to feel again!

This was the first time Dyon had forcibly fused such high-level wills. Death qi was a supreme law! By every bit of logic, fusing it with something else should be completely impossible! In fact, many supreme laws are already the fusion of many wills. Void will, for example, fuses space with various destructive and darkness type wills. So, imagine what level a will would reach if you were fusing an already formed supreme law, with another will that was a mere inch away from becoming a supreme law!

The kind of strain on the soul that placed couldn't be questioned… And yet Dyon went and did this all while using a weapon of the 33 heavens and while controlling his celestial level puppet. How he was still conscious was a testament to his mental fortitude and the stress his soul could undergo. However, truth be told, had Dyon not added devour with the last bit of his strength to replenish his soul at least in part, him maintaining his consciousness might have been nothing more than a dream.

In the distance, Patriarch Ragnor lifted his head up to look at the scene before him. The deep shock was evident on his face, but when he saw Dyon writhing on the ground, he relaxed knowing that this was all coming to an end soon.

Dyon was in so much pain that he completely ignored the fact the bones in his left arm had been shattered previously, instead using it to grasp onto his own head so tightly that blood ran down from his nails. He didn't know where it hurt. It just felt like every fiber of his being was in pain!

His lips could only twitch as the dust settled around Elder Daiyu. The mighty black jade dragon… Had lost an entire arm! In fact, that wasn't enough to describe what had happened. If not for the vigorous life force of Dragons and their robust healing capabilities, Elder Daiyu would likely be finished. Not only was his arm gone, a large portion of his shoulder and rib cage were completely mangled.

In all this time, neither the stamina of Patriarch Ragnor nor Elder Daiyu had taken even the slightest bit of a hit. They could go on for days if need be.

Elder Daiyu dragged his feet, hardly being capable of movement. But, for some reason, the fire in his eyes had been lit. He had felt that pressure once before. It was the pressure that started all of this! If it wasn't for that weapon, the Daiyu would never be in this situation because he would have been the one to marry the 25th White Mother!

"You… I kill you!" Elder Daiyu roared before falling into a fit of coughing up blood. The arteries and veined he had just closed seemed intent on bursting apart. If he didn't calm himself, he would lose control of his body.

He wasn't being even remotely rational at this point. Even Patriarch Ragnor was confused – but, he dismissed it immediately thinking that Elder Daiyu was just angry because he was so severely injured by a member of the younger generation. How could Patriarch Ragnor know anything about the legend of the Dragon King? To him, Dyon just had some amazing treasures.

To Elder Daiyu, though, they weren't struggling because of Dyon at all, because Dyon was gone the moment he took up the weapon. He wouldn't believe that Dyon grasped control of the Dragon King's weapon, nor would he listen to such an explanation.

How many thousands of dragons and qilins had once tried to conquer this weapon? All of them vastly more powerful than Dyon. Why would he accept such a thing?!

This was the first time Elder Daiyu lost himself in anger. This entire time, Dyon could tell that he was holding back and being apprehensive. His attacks weren't nearly as vicious and pointed as Patriarch Ragnors. But now? There was no sympathy in his actions.

During that time, just as King Acacia had said, there were three outstanding geniuses of the Daiyu who were competing for the chance to marry the 25th White Mother. And yet, there was only Elder Daiyu left.

That wasn't because of the passage of time. Nor was it because of the war. No. There was only him left because the Dragon King had killed the other two! Elder Daiyu's very own blood brothers!

Dyon writhed on the top of his celestial puppet, unable to grasp his bearings. His manifestations had shimmered out of existence, unable to maintain their forms. With them went his Imperial Asura's Eye. If it wasn't for Elder Daiyu being so heavily injured, Dyon wouldn't even have a way to see his movements.

"Black Jade Body: Stage 9!" Elder Daiyu had never once used an attack technique on Dyon. All of his movements had been for control and tiring him out. But, all he saw was red now.

The Black Jade body… A legacy technique exclusive to the Daiyu and one that Chenglei had previously used in his fight against Dyon. This was the very technique that required all of the concentration of one's yang to fuel not only their bodily constitution, but also their will comprehension.

Elder Daiyu had long since had his dao shattered, causing his cultivation to plummet in all aspects. If he hadn't diverted his obscenely domineering bodily cultivation into preserving his life force, he would have died centuries ago. This was why despite having formerly been a dao formation expert and a dragon, his body was so pitifully weak.

However, he no longer cared about such restrictions. Right in front of him was the man he hated more than the entity itself. A man he would give up everything to kill.

"I'll tear you limb from limb!" Elder Daiyu's body burst into larger and larger sizes. Domineering black scales erupted onto his body as the wound that housed the location of his lost arm began to furiously pump.

Patriarch Ragnor's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe that this was the very same man he had plotted and schemed with for hundreds of years. Not once had he seen him this angry, and not once had he seen him output this much power.

How long had Patriarch Ragnor spent looking down on Elder Daiyu? The amount of condescending comments he had barked out at the old man were too many to count. And yet, the man… No! beast in front of him was definitely capable of killing him with a single strike!

Dyon continued to scream out in agony. His vision was completely white. It was as though all of his senses were blanketed by static and noise that pierced through to his very soul. The consequences of using power you didn't have… was without a doubt dire…

Patriarch Ragnor couldn't help but take a step back. The searing rage coming from Elder Daiyu and his bloodshot eyes were enough to shake even a dao formation expert into feeling endless fear.

He couldn't understand why this form of Elder Daiyu gave him more pressure than his full beast form, but how could he? His understanding of beast legacies was lacking.

The human path allowed better comprehension. The beast path allowed faster and effortless cultivation. And the combination of both gave you untold benefits should you have the talent to grasp it.

There was no doubt that the moment he stopped caring about preserving his own life… Was the moment he once again stepped into the realm of a dao formation expert!

Dyon's puppet had long since lost its connection to its master, but it could follow simple and logical commands. It understood that Dyon was its master and therefore understood it had the obligation to protect.

In one swift motion, the puppet picked Dyon off of its massive head and cradled him into a pocket between its hand and chest, facing the coming Elder Daiyu with a single sword in its free hand.

"Elder Daiyu, keep your head. If you kill him, there'll be no hope for either of us." Patriarch Ragnor's frown deepened. With all of his years of cultivation experience, how could he not sense the endless killing intent coming off of Elder Daiyu? He had no intention of subduing Dyon, he wanted his death!

However, Elder Daiyu either didn't hear Patriarch Ragnor's words, or he couldn't bother to care. The only reason Elder Daiyu was forced to follow the orders of the entity was because of the arrays within him right now. But, if he disregarded his life completely, what reason should he have to care about such a thing? He'd put everything on the line to kill this Dragon King for good now!

A roar filled with anger, remorse and unbridled hatred filled the air. This time, the lock down on space was so domineering that even the arrays within the dead kings valley puppet shook, nearly shattering in an instant.

Patriarch Ragnor could no longer move, let alone speak. His own cultivation threatened to collapse in on itself under Elder Daiyu's oppressive might. He could only imagine what the results would be if that aura was focused on himself as opposed to that puppet!

The slits of Elder Daiyu's eyes flashed as his clawed feet dug into the earth, propelling him forward with speed so fast that he seemed to teleport to Dyon's position in an instant.

The puppet could hardly react within the tempest of winds that violently whipped around it. Even the screams of Dyon's agonizing pain were drowned out by Elder Daiyu's sheer movement speed.

A once mighty sword became akin to a twig being carried around on the whim of a tornado. Elder Daiyu's claw like fists careened forward, meeting the puppet's weak attempts at defense with a clash that destroyed the land beneath their feet.

Even if Elder Daiyu was half as rational, he would have still been just as surprised as he was now. Despite the anger burning in his chest, his senses were pushed to the max. How could he not immediately notice that his strike – a strike only capable of being matched by dao formation experts – didn't result in the puppet crumbling to ashes?! In fact, even the sword had not a single dent on it! Just what was this puppet made out of?!

However, none of this stopped Elder Daiyu from flapping his massive fifteen-meter-long wings, following the flying puppet with speed just as domineering as before.

At their peak, this battle would have been nothing but a joke to them even if Dyon didn't take control of them. These were puppets designed by the Elves to protect their most sacred lands, how could they not be the best of the best? In fact, these puppets were specially crafted by the Celestial Deer Sect for their Elvin allies. And at their peak, they could fight peak dao formation experts without the control of a master!

With a puppet so powerful, the materials that made it up couldn't be underestimated in the least. To be able to withstand the amount of enigmatic energy it once held, the obsidian-like armor that coated the puppet and the sword were without a doubt some of the highest quality materials in the entire cosmos!

Elder Daiyu's scaled fists slammed into the puppet again. There was no suspense, without being able to properly accumulate its energy with any sort of efficiency, its battle prowess had fallen to the level of a saint despite its defenses remaining robust.

Its massive body skidded across the ground, drawing crater after crater in this once lush inner world. Elder Daiyu's roars of rage only intensified with every pass moment, unable to contain his emotions. He blindingly attacked again and again, looking to shatter the puppet completely!

Dyon's cries of agony rang out even from his protected pocket. With every earth-shattering blow Elder Daiyu landed, even though his puppet absorbed much of it, Dyon's bones still continuously shattered, amplifying the backlash he was already suffering.

His blood curdling screams even managed to resound atop of the chorus of loud explosions, somehow outwardly projected by his music will despite his broken stamina. His emotions were conveyed so deeply that even the universe acknowledged it to be at the level of a will despite not having the backing of his soul.

Small fissures began to spread across the one flawless armor. The arrays within the puppet were so damaged that it seemed as though the only action it could take was to continuously protect Dyon.

He lifted it upward, swinging downward with such ferocity that one could almost forget that the puppet should have weighed an astronomical amount… Until it slammed into the ground…

The puppets mechanisms completely shattered on impact, sending Dyon flying through the air like a boneless doll… His limbs were bent in such inhumane positions that one couldn't help but to avert their eyes.

Dyon landed on the ground heavily. The pain was so much that he still couldn't see clearly, but knowing that he had lost the protection of his puppet, he could only force himself to focus. However… If such a thing was so easy, he wouldn't have been screaming in agony to begin with.

"Elder Daiyu!" Patriarch Ragnor tried again. He didn't dare to get too close because he could clearly tell that Elder Daiyu had lost his rationality. If he tried to approach such a monster, he might be the one to die first!

"Stay your hand! If you do this, think of the consequences! Your Daiyu clan will never rise up again without his help. In fact, if you push him, he may very well destroy your lineage as you know it!" Patriarch Ragnor gritted his teeth.

The veins on his enormous body continued to pump with such robust vitality that his mere presence caused the air around him to tremble. Even the flickers of flames that danced around his lips gave off an oppressive heat that seared Dyon's skin.

Ragged and shallow breaths escaped the thin opening of Dyon's mouth. He wanted nothing more than to take a deep breath, but every time he tried, the shattered mess that used to be his rib cage would scrape against his lungs.

He had thoughts of using the last slivers of his soul strength to try and heal himself, but that was nothing more than a pipe dream. Not only was the stamina he had left much too piss poor to even attempt such a thing, even if he had full stamina it would be exceedingly difficult now that his body had broken into sainthood. Unfortunately, such a powerful body was a double edged sword for Dyon right now.

"Do you know your crimes?" Elder Daiyu's voice was no longer calm, in fact it had dropped at least three octaves and was now deep and resounding. Every rumbling syllable he spoke caused his throat to light up, as though his words themselves were as scolding as molten lava.

Elder Daiyu looked down at Dyon silently, his eyes burning with rage. In this form, his pupils looked no different than the yellow slits of a snake. In front of anyone else, it should have elicited fear beyond belief. And yet, Dyon practically spit in his face.

"Two of my brothers. Two men who were rising into their own. Killed by a senior who should have been overlooking their improvement. For what? So, you could imprint your name on history some more? So, you could trample those who couldn't protect themselves? So no one would forget the name of the Dragon King?" Elder Daiyu's questioning became more and more pointed.

The Dragon King had long since become a taboo for the Drago-Qilin lands. He was still a man known as the strongest in their history – completely uncontested – but, with his reputation and stories came an inescapable blemish. This was a man who was so enraptured and engrossed in his own self-fulfillment that he didn't care to dominate era after era of Drago-Qilin history.

"Maybe if under different circumstances, I would have paid my respects to you. But you dared to kill my brothers! And with them went their futures! You shattered everything in the name of your own goals! And today you'll die by my hand!" Elder Daiyu's voice boomed with such force than Dyon's body sunk into the ground even further.

Suddenly, Dyon started laughing. His laugh was filled with such hatred… Such animosity… Such a killing intent that even Elder Daiyu's rage was cut through in an instant.

"To dare stand in front of me…" Blood seeped from Dyon's lips, "And talk about fairness… About people trampling over what they please… About your family dying?!"

Dyon's gaze pierced toward Elder Daiyu. Despite being the one being forcefully stamped into the ground, his eyes were so arrogant and lofty that it almost seemed as though he couldn't bear to lower himself to look at Elder Daiyu.

"Your cries of passion mean nothing to me. Your hatred means even less. If I saw your brothers die right in front of me I wouldn't bat an eye, in fact, I might laugh.

"For the sake of your clan, you shackled mine. For the sake of your survival, you want to sacrifice the life of a boy. And now for the sake of your anger, you want to throw all of that away? So you can feel fulfilled? So you can feel better about yourself?"

Blazing white erupted from Dyon with his every word. His anger had reached such a fiendish level that he couldn't even believe what he was hearing anymore. He couldn't help but laugh – laugh at this martial world that only seemed to see things from their perspective.

His words seemed to pierce through to Elder Daiyu, but he couldn't be bothered to care. This Elder Daiyu had done too much. He wouldn't be forgiven. Not in this life. And not in the next.

Dyon knew fully well what he was about to do was nothing short of a death sentence. Although he was able to save Zabia from this fate, that was only because he had access to his own soul strength. But, if Dyon did this, it would be his own soul dissipating… How could one use a damaged soul to save a damaged soul?...

His two pair of wings sprang from his back as he lifted into the air… But this time, the armor perfectly formed around them, turning his angelic feathers into black and shining metallic blades.

"Every bit of despair the Dragon King once made you feel, I'm going to make you feel it again. And then I'll make sure that your entire clan is wiped from existence."

Normally when someone burns their soul, they could jump as much as one entire cultivation level… A saint could become a celestial… or a celestial a dao expert…

Almost forgot to mention that patrons finished up this arc about a week ago. So, you're interested, do check out my ******* page. Other than that, hope you're enjoying, have a nice day :)

Ri held her hand to her chest, deeply frowning. Because of her soul bond Dyon, she could feel all of his emotions. She was clearer than anyone on the amount of agonizing pain that her husband was under right now, but she had forcefully pushed it down and ignored it so that she could focus on the task at hand.

However… Something was different now… Before, Dyon's pain was within her scope of understanding. But now?... It felt like his very soul was screaming…

Ri grit her teeth, her blue-silver eyes glistening with tears as a fierce aura leaked from her. Dyon was fighting with everything he had to survive, but the people responsible for his struggles were right in front of her.

Initially, the Daiyu had every thought of focusing their attacks of Ri, capturing her, and forcing the rest to surrender. However, there was a massive issue with their plans: the narrow path of the cave.

The entrance of the cave only allowed for 4 large bodies to cross shoulder to shoulder – being only about 3 or so meters across. As soon as the demon generals surrounding Ri noticed the focus of the Daiyu, they immediately retreated, anchoring themselves as the cave entrance. As a result, the Daiyu lost much of the advantage their superior numbers gave them.

At most, only two people side by side could attack comfortably. But, when those two people were facing two of the best saint demon generals Dyon had in his army, what chance did they have?

River and Ronica's beautiful and immaculate figures stood before Ri and the 8 other demon generals, facing the onslaught of Daiyu while somehow maintaining their elegance and gracefulness.

Although the demon generals behind them were prepared to step in should their stamina give way, with how used the demon generals were to fighting campaigns for months on end, it almost seemed unnecessary.

Having confirmed that Lionel was in fact a traitor as Dyon had guessed, allowing them to lead them through territory he saw as his own turf would be too idiotic.

The truth was that with Ri's soul bond to Dyon, she could find his general location. The problem was that the Belmont Holy Land was a maze filled with the highest forms of spatial energy.

The spatial energy itself meant nothing to Ri. No matter how high the quality of space will, how could it match her Void supreme law? Unlike most, the spatial fluctuations of the Belmont Holy Land were no more than a nuisance to Ri – one she could easily decipher if given enough time.

The real problem was the maze aspect. If Ri had to follow a straight line, finding Dyon would be easy. But, that was obviously impossible in a maze. Following Lionel into an unknown land like that was practically suicide.

If Lionel was capable of navigating the tunnels and finding positions of things within the Belmont Holy Land, why had the Daiyu needed Meiying or Jade at all? Couldn't they have just saved themselves the hassle by using Lionel? Had they done that, their plan might have unfolded seamlessly because Meiying would have never outed their plans.

Initially, when the Daiyu saw that two women were obstructing their path, being an attack force made up of a predominantly male lineup, there were plenty of raised eyebrows and lewd smiles – especially considering the beauty of River and Ronica. But, when their tough bodies started to sliced apart by domineering sword intent, and the bodies began to pile at the cave entrance, they couldn't help but shift in their assessment of these beauties.

The task of overwhelming the demon generals at the cave entrance only became more and more difficult as the bodies of the fallen began to obstruct their path. It became an added extra layer of defense of Ri and her protectors.

Even worse was the fact the Daiyu's decision to attack Ri first had placed them in a pincer-like situation. The 3000 demon generals, under the command of the vice commanders, were calm and collected. They fully understood that Ri was safe for the foreseeable future because of the communication arrays that had long since been implanted within them by Dyon. As such, they could focus on an organized attack of the scattered Daiyu and Niveus God Sect.

Although Evelyn had made it a point to only bring along higher essence gathering experts and saints, how could they hope to match up against the demon generals? If it wasn't for the sheer amount of Niveus God Sect members, coupled with the tens of thousands of Daiyu who attacked the Belmont Holy Land, this battle would have long since been over.

That said, underestimating the Daiyu would be foolhardy. This was a clan capable of wiping out an entire Royal God Clan. They also had access to some the bests legacies in the entire quadrants, and across quadrants in general. Couple this with their robust stamina and strong bodies – provided to them by their Black Jade Dragon bloodline – and they would be a difficult opponent to face.

The pointed and methodical advance of the demon generals was met by an odd mixture of beauties and testosterone. However, it was clear that the Niveus and Daiyu were slowly organizing themselves.

With the absence of Elder Daiyu, the Daiyu were a bit slow. But, they had vice commanders of their own. Now that the element of surprise was slowly fading, this would be a tough battle.

In the deep reaches of space, King Acacia desperately carried his wife toward the only place he knew might save her. He hadn't hesitated to leave Ri behind because he had a full understanding of the protection she had. The demon sage's tower alone couldn't be scratched by a saint level being. And, with how many energy stones Dyon had at his disposal, she would easily be able to power defenses to stop celestials. In fact, if Dyon had any transcendent stones, even defending attacks from peak dao formation experts would be child's play.

He had no way of knowing that his daughter would dive head first into danger. Before he left, he sent message after message telling her that he would be back and not to do anything reckless… But, maybe if he took some time to see how lost he was with his wife's fragile frame in his arms, he would understand his daughter's feelings too…

"Don't move, don't move." King Acacia grit his teeth, increasing his pace. He flashed forward hundreds of miles at a time, slicing through space and appearing to teleport with each step he took.

"Edrym… No…" Kawa protested. She could hardly open her eyes, but she could tell that her husband was getting farther and farther away from the battle. How could she allow their allies to lose such a strong supporter just because of her? This was about the life and death of more than one person.

When they had fought Patriarch Cavositas, before his untimely demise due to being pushed too far, King Acacia had determined that his fighting prowess was no less than the peak of the celestial stage. However, even then he knew fully well that his wife could last more than a few bouts against him.

And yet, King Acacia had used no more than a few seconds to cool the atmosphere and stop the chain reaction that threatened to destroy the earth, but Kawa had been beaten in that time? It made no sense.

In addition, if that was the case, why would he lie to Dyon about what his martial prowess was? Wouldn't it have been more impactful to say that he was a dao formation expert? Wouldn't that have made Dyon feel more despair?

None of this made any sense. If he was a saint, why hadn't King Acacia, someone known for his sensory abilities, been able to see through it? Even more importantly, why was this something Kawa was so afraid of? She had clearly just said that if King Acacia left, there would be no chance… What was going on?!

King Acacia couldn't split his mind to think about it. He could only hope that Kawa found enough energy to explain, or that she became healed enough to do so.

Hours had passed since the war broke out, at least half a day, in reality. And although the pace at with a celestial could cross the universe was quick, Kawa couldn't protect herself from the dangers, so King Acacia had no choice but to divert some of his own power. This not only slowed him, but likely put more strain on Queen Acacia's injuries.

With Kawa's Kitsune lineage, especially the fact she was the river Kitsune, her affinity for water type wills was nearly unparalleled. If she was a normal human with this type of affinity, it would hardly matter. But, remember that beasts are meant to be the physical representations of the will they represent for the sake of the balance of the universe. This meant that there was nothing in the universe more suited to healing Kawa than a bombardment of the strongest water type abyssal cores available to the universe!

Seeing where they were, Kawa could only smile weakly and bitterly. It was clear that her husband hadn't heeded her warning at all. Now, even if he hurried back on his own, it would take at least a few hours. They were hundreds of galaxies and countless solar systems away now much to her frustration.

Within her, something sinister was spreading… A poison Dyon was all too familiar with… Except not only was this on an entirely other level… Kawa didn't have the strength to fight it…

It looked like nothing more than a sheet of endless white. Blizzards carried all sorts of frozen precipitation, from large hail stones, to soft snow-flakes.

The canvas of whites and sharp blues chilled even King Acacia to the bone. He, himself, was a highly lauded water will expert, but even this part of the Ice Belt was too much for him to handle being thousands of miles deeper than the area Patia-Neva took Delia.

And yet, he did the unthinkable. Without any hesitation, he removed all protection from his wife, laying her bloodied and fragile body on a transparent sheet of ice.

She was only about three hand lengths long, and her small frame was trembling. But, King Acacia could tell that she was slowly healing as a blue gently wafted above her once flawless white fur.

The small fox coughed, causing red crystals to fly from its tiny mouth. A small smile spread across King Acacia's lips as he watched his wife's adorable nose twitch with her sigh of relief.

Kawa had once forgone her beast path to tread along the human path so that she could birth their little Alex. But, with that decision, went her ability to use the cold to heal as she was doing now…

The complicated answer was that nothing in the universe came free of charge… One couldn't just switch between disciplines with such ease and not expect repercussions…

Dyon stood in the skies with his metallic wings flapping slowly, and yet, their every minute movement caused even Elder Daiyu to feel pressure to take a step back.

The reason was simple. When others burned their soul as a final result, they would pour the excess energy into their body or energy cultivation. However, Dyon was different. In fact, he only diverted the slightest bit of energy to reconstruct the largest breaks in his bones, completely ignoring the near infinite amount of fractures.

Unlike everyone else, Dyon poured all of his power into his soul! He knew fully well that if he fueled his body or energy cultivation it would do next to nothing. If he boosted his energy cultivation, he would trigger [Inner World: Sanctuary], and if he boosted his body cultivation, at most he would reach mid celestial levels. That wasn't enough, not with the time constraints he had.

His breath was ragged, and his body was already bursting at the seams. He knew very well that he couldn't last long in this form. If his soul didn't crumble, his body would!

Seals burst from Dyon's armor, causing its grade to reach untold levels. But, what truly caused Elder Daiyu and Patriarch Ragnor to tremble was the overbearing domain that covered them an instant later!

The surroundings became filled with a pressure so domineering that Patriarch Ragnor immediately lost control of his wills. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't summon lightning to attack Dyon in the air.

As for Elder Daiyu, he was already feeling the ill effects of forcefully using portions of his cultivation he had sealed away. He knew very well that his life would be coming to end soon whether it was under Dyon's hands or the universes. Even worse, considering the situation, Dyon had no reason to continue lying about being the Dragon King, and yet he did… Through all of this, Elder Daiyu couldn't help but think that he had been in the wrong…

With the increase in his soul strength, his target no longer had to be directly below the steps. In fact, Dyon felt like he could cover hundreds of kilometers if he wanted to!

Dyon's mind raced. He could feel with his added sensory abilities that Elder Daiyu was on the last legs of his life. By logic, it would make sense for Dyon to then ignore him, and attack Patriarch Ragnor because Elder Daiyu would be dying anyway.

But, Dyon couldn't underestimate celestials. Especially one who was formally a dao formation expert. There was no telling how long he could last. And, Dyon would be completely helpless in less than ten seconds.

If Dyon went after Patriarch Ragnor and failed, then he'd have two injured celestials to deal with while being completely incapacitated. But, if he went after the sure kill, then he might be able to injure Patriarch Ragnor just enough before he ran out of time.

Thinking that far, Dyon immediately moved, no longer second guessing himself. He was dancing on the edge of a blade, and he knew it. But, the determination in his eyes had flared to all new levels.

Dyon's speed was blinding. By relying on his black knight's armor to protect his body, he could use his soul to freely power his speed to its peak levels.

It didn't take Dyon too long to notice that although his soul had been boosted in power output, the pressure it placed on Patriarch Ragnor wasn't vastly increased as he had hoped. A small portion of him clung to the idea that Patriarch Ragnor and Elder Daiyu's souls might directly collapse under the pressure the aurora steps put on them. But, clearly the aurora steps didn't acknowledge the hollow increase in his soul power.

There was no movement for Elder Daiyu. With the damage of his soul that the Celestial Deer Sect had caused, the aurora steps had an even greater effect on him than Patriarch Ragnor!

Thousand of weapon's hell arrays filled the skies, bombarding Elder Daiyu with endless death qi filled javelins. There was no hesitation or sympathy in Dyon's actions. He unleashed powerful attack after powerful attack. If he didn't do so, he wouldn't have any chance of winning.

Although Dyon's soul strength had been boosted to dao formation levels, allowing him to use his supreme law wills without reserve and allowing the use of the Dragon King's weapon to its fullest extent, his attack strength was still pitiful in the face of Elder Daiyu, even when he was unable to retaliate.

Patriarch Ragnor struggled to lift his head up. He had been worried about what was happening, but when he saw how Dyon's endless attacks were only causing flesh wounds, he couldn't help but laugh uproariously.

"Struggle! Go on!" Patriarch Ragnor could tell that this would last long for Dyon. Although he was upset by the fact that Dyon was burning his soul, which would cause trouble for their plans, it was better than him dying. The entity would likely punish them severely, but Patriarch Ragnor knew that he still needed them – so, his life was safe for now.

Dyon wasn't willing to divert his soul power from powering his armor, to powering his scythe. If he did so, one swipe from Elder Daiyu would be able to end his life. But… Dyon knew he had to risk it… There just wasn't enough time left!

The armor completely disappeared from Dyon's body just as he diverted all of his energy to the scythe in his hand, powering the Dragon King's weapon to total offense.

The effectiveness of the Dragon King's weapon was astounding. Although Dyon immediately felt a massive drain on his soul, despite his burning state, he couldn't help but feel respect.

When properly fueled, the Dragon King's weapon was likely the greatest in existence! How many weapons could boast having been forged by the cultivation of a transcendent?!

Dyon rushed forward, a vicious glint in his eyes. His arms were tired, his soul was crying out in despair, and he was mentally fatigued beyond belief. But, all he saw was victory.

A tempest of winds followed Dyon's swing as he poured everything he had into hacking at Elder Daiyu's neck, continuously pinning him down with endless weapon's hell arrays.

His weapon's hall pagoda appeared domineeringly in the air. Much like the aurora steps, it didn't acknowledge Dyon's superficial increase in power, and thus didn't produce supreme level weapons. But, it allowed Dyon to pump out near endless amount of grandmaster level weapons that were a mere breath away from becoming transcendent level weapons!

Explosions of epic proportions continuously raged across Elder Daiyu's massive figure, keeping him pinned down as Dyon swung toward his neck without remorse.

His arrogance poured out from his very being. In his mind, there was nothing in this universe capable of stopping him. Nothing in the universe worthy of stopping his strike.

A new will bloomed into existence at that very moment. It was a will that universe had never gifted to anyone… And a will only Dyon would ever be worthy of wielding…

At that moment, Dyon's sword and spear will disappeared from existence, being unworthy of coexisting with this will… A will that would become Dyon's second comprehended supreme law… The will of a Weapon's Master…

Dyon's scythe connected with the vein of Elder Daiyu's massive neck. There was a moment between the two of them that seemed to extend a split second into hours.

Blood spilled from wounds that constantly opened up on his body, his soul was screaming in pain, holding on by a final string that was only a breath away from being cut, and it felt like summoning any one of his wills was as difficult as lifting a 10 ton boulder…

The reason Dyon had previously been able to blow an arm off of Elder Daiyu and damage him severely was because in that state, Elder Daiyu was still suppressed to the realms of a celestial. In addition, his body and soul were greatly weakened, being more comparable to a saint – although a very strong peak saint.

As a result, Dyon was able to make use of the Dragon King's disruption of Elder Daiyu's focus, and a culmination of his most impressive wills to heavily damage him.

Elder Daiyu had completely ignored the consequences and blazed his cultivation to their former levels – or, more accurately, as close to his former levels as his body would allow. This allowed his body strength to once again step into dao formation levels! A level that was capable of damaging the material Dyon's puppet was made out of!

And yet, Dyon cut off not only his arm, but his head! The fact Dyon could have even scratched him before hand was a testament to the power boost his soul received to the peak dao formation level. But, to then take all of that power, and kill Elder Daiyu in that state?!

Dyon heavily breathed over Patriarch Ragnor as he raised his scythe as quickly as his arms would allow. It had taken him much too long to fly over here, but without the black knight's armor protecting him, and with how damaged his body already was, flying at peak speeds was no more than a joke.

He had no idea what would happen after this swing, but he put everything he had into it. His only thoughts were of killing the 5-meter-tall man in front of him… The man that had put him into such a situation of endless despair… a man he had brought to his knees…

Patriarch Ragnor said nothing as he watched the scythe descend. His eyes seemed to be less focused on Dyon, and more trained on the Dragon King's weapon. He knew as much as anyone that Dyon had only survived this long because of that weapon. Without its protection, Elder Daiyu would have killed him and without its strength, he would have a ghost of a chance to injure either one of them… And yet, he had killed one of them!

The truth of the matter was more obvious than anyone was willing to admit. It was common knowledge that the Ragnors had an exceedingly difficult time at transcending heavenly tribulations. If you were a Ragnor that managed to survive crossing into sainthood, you were already a miracle among miracles and a treasured genius.

If you managed to transcend two tribulations and become a celestial? You would be among the highest officials in Ragnor clan history. You would simply be of too much importance. How could such an important official be sent to this tiny universe?!

That was not even to mention the fact Patriarch Ragnor had claimed to be a peak celestial. Someone like that would have a chance to transcend their final mortal tribulation would never be sent on such a mission to wither away in this universe.

Dyon didn't think about it. All he could focus on was swinging his scythe faster and faster. He had locked down Patriarch Ragnor's ability to move with his aurora steps and he had locked down Patriarch Ragnor's ability to use wills with the Dragon King's domain. He refused to believe that he would lose!

Under the strength of The Seal, Dyon had no need for the Belmont family flames and the stone seal opened with ease. But, this time, the entity didn't come. He would be helpless in front of the weapon of the 33 heavens, so he remained hidden.

The two bulbs of bobbing light were taken up by Dyon and stored within the seal. Dyon knew from his master's memories that what was truly sealing the entity wasn't the mortals.

The mortals were simply used as a proxy to chain the entity with the laws of this universe. This was why the energy density of the universe had plummeted, it was all being used to seal him. This was the same reason why although Dyon broke the soul seal, the seal on the entity itself never weakened.

The reason the martial world hadn't simply given the mortal realm their talent back was because none of them had a means of breaking the seal after enough Gama energy was accumulated. By the time the seal on the mortals had fueled the gathering of sufficient Gama energy to properly seal the entity, Dyon's master was nothing more than a soul and there weren't any who were skilled enough array alchemists to make use of The Seal… Until Dyon.

With his task complete, Dyon sealed the stone array, feeling the last of his soul strength collapsing. If he didn't hurry and find someone of something capable of stopping this collapse… He would die…

Gritting his teeth, he began the long journey to the Belmont Hold Land catacombs, hoping he'd manage to find his way out through the spatial fluctuations.

"To think… Me… Ha…" Patriarch Ragnor's voice filled the space. He sounded half like a mad-man and half like a jokester. But either way, Dyon couldn't help but turn his head listlessly toward the sound of the voice.

Within Arena City, the battle of the Pakals and Ragnors was still raging. Many Elvin Sub-families had joined into the fray, leaving the defence against the other attacking Planet to the main branch families.

At this point, the arena itself no longer held a semblance to a stadium. The seats and skyboxes that once held citizens and the highest officials of the universe were in ruins, the fighting itself had crashed through and entered the once barren streets, and neutral citizens could only helplessly flee or hide, trying to avoid the destruction.

To most, the outcome of this war didn't matter to them. They had no investment either way. Whether the Ragnors or the Belmonts ruled, they would still remain at the bottom of the martial food chain. Knowing this, why would they put their lives on the line?

The Sapientia, in keeping with their neutral and peacemaking motto, worked under the command of a shaken Connery Sapientia to help evacuate the citizens. As part of maintaining their outward image to the world, this was a necessary part of Connery's job as their leader.

"Ipsum. Enough people have died." The Patriarch of the Saeclum clan spoke impatiently. His partner in crime had supposedly said she would do her job, but hours had passed without a single change.

"This can only be done once. If it gets shot down too quickly, it'll be us who pay for it in the end because you won't have the support of me and my sisters anymore. Can you bear that, with your weak constitutions?" Matriarch Ipsum barked back.

If anyone familiar with the Ipsum and Saeclum clans saw these two leaders barking at each other, they would only sigh and turn their attention elsewhere. It wasn't rare for this to occur between them, for the simple fact that their clans were really one in the same!

The Ipsum clan was made entirely of females. The Saeclum clan was made entirely of males. Both clans shared outstanding soul talent. This made the Saeclums best suited to utilizing the Elvin foresight technique, while the Ipsums were highly suited to learning their artificial red crystal will. The only reason they were separated as they were was by design of the Ragnors. They liked to maintain the strictest order amongst their subordinates…

However, the Ipsums and Saeclums had no choice… And, for that matter, neither did any of the other auxiliary clans under the command of the main Ragnor Emperor God Clan. For the same reason Thor could never hope to escape, they were forever tied to the that evil family.

"Hmph," Matriarch Ipsum looked away, satisfied with the silent response of acceptance she received. But, she immediately did something that made Patriarch Saeclum's lip twitch. "Let's go Ipsum pillars."

Caedlum's eldest brother had taken the commanding position, but in terms of orders, he rarely gave any out. He led by example, storming through the sea of blond hair, blue eyes, and endless lightning with his reddened fists.

He had lost count for the amount of Ragnors that had fallen under his fists, but he was intent on making his way to Thor and Vidar – both of whom were running nearly unmatched.

They were both surrounded by tens of saint level guards which allowed them to weed through to competition they could face. However, all of the Pakals knew how large of a blow it would be for them to take out two faith seeded members of the Ragnors.

Everyone knew that there was a massive taboo against stealing faith seeds. In fact, taking a Ragnor faith seed was little more than a death sentence to many – even if you were a part of the Ragnors. This was because the Ragnor had long since used special methods to control those who inherited these faith seeds… This was why despite being a sadist among sadists, Loki Ragnor never thought of stealing his son's nor Thor's faith seeds.

However, what everyone also knew was that there was a method to cripple a faith seed, causing it to take much longer to reincarnate as compared to the usual. If a faith seed was shattered before it could dissipate, it would take time to reform in the stream of reincarnation before it could be birthed along with the next genius.

That was the goal of Ire Pakal, Caedlum's eldest brother. If he could shatter both Vidar's and Thor's faith seeds, he would completely take out the number three and four most powerful faith seeds in Ragnor history! It could take upwards of hundreds of thousands of years for them to manifest again. By then, the Pakals could take advantage of the power swing.

The main Ragnor branch would normally never allow so many faith seeds to be away and in one location like this. Unfortunately for them, as fate would have it, both Vidar and Thor were born here.

Ire's eyes glowed a savage red as his muscles rippled. His every step left deep dents in the once sturdy stadium floor, and his strong back caused the warriors in his charge to roar with respect and increased morale.

Ire's frown deepened. He hated how unprepared they were for everything. This should have been a war that they were constantly preparing for, and yet the Ragnors attacked at the most inopportune time.

The truth was that had the Ragnors gone through with their initial plan of waiting in ambush at the Belmont Holy Lands, they would have had far less success than what they had now. There were simply too many things for the Belmonts and their allies to handle now.

The blinding red light only seemed to increase with intensity. Those who were conscious of what was going on began to feel an odd pulling force on their blood. It was more of an irritant, and was easily fought off, but it left many of them with an uneasy feeling…

Pillars of red light beamed downward from the formation. A panicked cry came out from the allied forces as they tried to fight these beams off, but they suddenly noticed that they weren't being attacked at all!

Confusion colored the faces of those around. However, the pointed response by the Ragnors to the situation let everyone know that the situation wasn't as simple as it seemed.

Array plate after array plate was crushed. In an instant, tens of thousands of Ragnors were perfectly coated in a thin sheet of red aura that smelt faintly of blood.

The hairs on Ire's neck stood up as an ill premonition flashed through his mind. "RETREAT!" He roared at the top of his lungs, using his saint energy to project his voice as far as it would go.

However, why would the Ragnors allow such a thing to happen so easily? If the Pakals turned their backs to them, they would simply slaughter them in pursuit!

The Pakals fell into chaos. Half wanted to follow the orders of their young master, but the other half couldn't understand the need for it. They didn't have the senses of Ire, and they let their anger get the best of them when they noticed the Ragnors shamefully attacking their backs with large smirks on their faces.

How could Ire not know that this would happen? Of course, he understood, but he also knew that he had no choice! And the next moments, would prove him exactly right…

When the Ipsum family crystal will evolved to an intent, it would reach the artificial supreme law levels in power… It was one of the many experimentations of the Ragnor family, and one of the very few that actually succeeded…

However, what few knew or understood was that the red crystals weren't just a will… They weren't an inanimate object left to be manipulated by martial artists… No… They were born of blood sacrifice. They were organisms that could never be satiated… They were always hungry…

This was why the Ipsum family could never afford to master more than a single will. It wasn't that they were less talented. In fact, they were likely among the most talented for having succeeded in mastering this malevolent crystal will to begin with. It was that if they didn't focus their entire being – their absolute everything – into controlling this will… They would be devoured…

The beams of red light increased in intensity as they began to bore into the dead… Grotesque squirms of their skin and boils filled with blood seemed to bubble the corpses to life.

When Ire saw that the Ragnors were using their fallen comrades, his anger boiled as his the pain in his chest threatened to tear in heart from his chest. How long had he hated the Ragnors and their despicable means? How long had he watched them continuously ignore the line was common human decency to step into another level of abyssal hell? And now he was watching it unfold, yet again, before his very eyes…

His anger told him to charge forward. To put everything on the line to kill them all once and for all… But, his rationality told him that this just didn't make sense… He knew that it wasn't smart to attack.

However, just how many Pakals would listen? Seeing their friends and family, those they had just mourned the loss of, rise up to be used by a scumbag family… How could they stand for this?

There was nothing Ire could do. Without his father here, there was no one of absolute authority. Maybe if the martial world was more organizes, maybe if they were more prepared, they could have avoided all of this…

The Pakals who lost themselves in rage relentlessly pushed forward, hacking down and punching through every Ragnor they found… But… That only lasted until they finally ran into the first line of undead…

Just like what happened to Dyon, everything slowed down for them… They couldn't use their wills… they couldn't speak… they couldn't see… Soon… Everything was dark… And then… They were dead…

River and Ronica continued to defend the cave's mouth with Ri to their back, having tied down both Lionel and Evelyn. All while the demon generals continued to pincer the desperate Daiyu from the other side.

The demon generals were outnumbered almost ten to one, but their talent and coordination was so far superior that the Daiyu could hardly take advantage of their number difference. This was, of course, because of a tactic Dyon had implemented specifically for non-gate battles.

A major problem found in martial world battles had to do with the proper matching of forces. Often times, those of lower cultivation would be forced to charge in first before those with greater contribution and cultivation came in later. However, this was only feasible for the beginning of the battle. By end game, or even sooner in cases of spontaneous battles like this one, the cultivations of the warriors would mix heavily.

Sometimes, those of higher cultivation wouldn't bother with those beneath them, keeping with an unspoken moral code. However, the number of shameless individuals in the martial world was on full display for everyone to see – there was no question that for every noble warrior, there would be three or more scum.

This would obviously be a problem for many armies and would also result in situations where man power would have to be diverted in order to ensure that promising geniuses weren't killed before they had time to develop.

In order to solve this problem, Dyon implemented a simple but effective formation. It allowed essence gathering and saint level experts to seamlessly switch battle positions depending on the concentration of experts. This shift would, of course, be manned by the vice commanders.

The army itself was split into five, ten- and hundred-man teams. However, the ratios of experts were expertly balanced using 3:2 ratios. This allowed for either a saint heavy, or essence gathering heavy unit. Each Vice Commander would be aware of what ratio they were responsible for and would thus coordinate to shift the formation according to needs.

In this way, essence gathering experts would never be left exposed to overwhelming odds, and neither would saints divert their power to opponents who were too weak for them, thereby wasting their potential impact on the battle field.

Within the cave, Ri turned her attention from Lionel and Evelyn. She was much too tempted to try and make use of Lionel to find Dyon, so she had to distract herself. There was no need for her to personally watch Lionel considering he was being monitored by a demon general.

Ri's eyes flashed with a dense black as she slowly formed the most basic weapon's hell arrays. Sitting cross legged and focusing her senses, they began to manifest at the top of the cave entrance.

Although it was be foolish for her to enter the battle personally, what she could do was cause chaos within the ranks of the Daiyu. Right now they were pincered between the demon general army and the cave entrance, so, Ri had many targets to play with.

The arrays began to slowly spin. As an array that required a lower third stage soul, it was tough for Ri to form them. In fact, she could only sustain two at a time. But, that was enough because Ri had her void will!

River and Ronica smiled as they noticed the arrays appear above them in support and their grins only got wider when the spears of darkness were finally unleashed.

Loud booms resounded through the Daiyu army. By the time they noticed what was causing it all and tried to destroy the arrays, they also noticed that River and Ronica wouldn't allow such a thing to happen so easily.

However, a good thing couldn't never last forever. With Ri's poor soul talent and strength, after she launched her tenth spear, she was already beginning to feel great fatigue…

But, that was when she felt a delicate hand touch her shoulder, infusing her with the added strength she needed. When Ri noticed it was the shy Kaeda that was helping her, she couldn't help but smile. Dyon had told her that had it not been for Kaeda's soul talent, he might have missed the World Tournament entirely.

Although few knew, Ri was right there when it happened. Had it not been for Madeleine's celestial intent, Dyon's struggle might have been for nothing. It was no wonder she was tired, she had literally brought their husband back from the brink of death.

Madeleine looked around and sighed when she noticed Lionel being tied up. She shook her head and sat right next to Ri, grasping onto her hand. She was tired, but she couldn't rest knowing everyone was fighting on without her…

Ri felt Madeleine's soul intertwine with her own, and she felt her shiver when she realized the amount of pain Dyon was in right now. There was nothing Ri could do at that point. After Madeleine realized how hard their husband was struggling, she would never be able to rest easy.

Madeleine's flames blazed with more fervor, but they weren't hot like the fire phoenix's domineering flames, nor were they cold like the elegance of the ice phoenix flames… They were just comfortable, and filled Ri with an endless warmth.

There was no questioning Madeleine's soul talent. As one of the very few capable of mastering music will, there was no doubt that she had an advantage in this category. But, when Ri felt the effect she had on her, her eyes couldn't help but widen.

Within the coldest reaches of the Ice Belt – in the very same solar system that housed Patia-Neva's former home – King Acacia watched silently as his wife slowly healed.

He couldn't help but absentmindedly stroke her soft fur, unable to forgive himself. He should have stayed instead, but he was too weak! He had been forced to let his own wife protect him, and look at the result? How could he be happy with this?

He was grateful that Kawa would be able to remain by his side, and with their soul bond, they could communicate just fine… But, to delude himself into thinking everything was okay when it wasn't… He just couldn't do it…

"Edrym…" A faint voice entered King Acacia's mind. It was weak, but it was there. "You have to go back, only you can deal with him… No one else can… If you don't hurry, everyone will die!"

King Acacia was a True Empath, and he could tell that his wife wasn't lying nor exaggerating, but that didn't mean he could read her mind to the finest detail. He truly was confused!

"Do you want to know why I lost so quickly? Why Patriarch Ragnor didn't dare to attack when the both of us were there? Why he only made a move after you left?" Kawa tried to explain things as quickly as possible.

"It's because if he attacked with you there, you would have seen through it immediately! He isn't a celestial, nor does he have the combat power of a celestial. He injured me by using Patriarch Cavositas, not himself! He only made it look like he was the one to injure me so that you all would hand him Dyon willingly!" At this point, Kawa's small body was shivering.

She had been screaming and struggling the whole time, trying to tell everyone that it was nothing but a trick, but she had been forced to watch as her son in law traded his life away for hers.

Patriarch Ragnor was never a celestial, he had been relying on Patriarch Cavositas' battle prowess all this time as a puppet to make it seem like he had that level of power. At most, he was a peak level saint!

He didn't attack while King Acacia was present because King Acacia's True Empathy would have seen through it completely. His tricks would have been laid bare and King and Queen Acacia would no longer have to attack with reservation, wondering when he would act!

"Edrym, think about it. Do you think a person who can fool celestials into thinking he was a celestial is a normal person? Do you think someone capable of toying with planets and clans behind our back like this is a normal person?" Kawa struggled to get up, weakly balancing on her small and delicate paws as she looked at her husband. "If it wasn't for that man, the Kitsune wouldn't have found us so quickly. We could have watched Ri grow and fall in love together… Instead, it was ripped away from us all so that he could chase away the biggest threat to his plan – you."

Crystal like tears fell from Kawa's blue eyes. "If it wasn't for his manipulation, Patia-Neva would have never thought he had to watch the slaughter of his family to improve his dao, nor would the Patia-Neva clan have been used to fuel Patriarch Cavositas' cultivation…

"He never planned to kill me. Because if he did, you would automatically go after him. He tricked us all, knowing that you would take me here to be cured…

"You mean he's…" A sudden realization hit Patia-Neva. There was only one Ragnor capable of throwing an entire universe into chaos… Only one capable of fooling even the strongest of experts…

"He has the second strongest faith seed in the whole of Ragnor clan history," Kawa said softly, "He completely fooled me with his illusions, allowing Patriarch Cavositas to land near fatal blows on me. I was able to kill Patriarch Cavositas in the end but….

King Acacia suddenly realized that everything his wife had said was truly no exaggeration. If he wasn't there, Loki would simply run wild through their forces. While other Ragnor clan faith seeds celebrated power, Loki's faith seed was the only one among their rankings that celebrated cunning…

Loki's abilities were truly outstanding. They focused on a branch of cultivation very few had ever explored, something one might call magic in the mortal realm. Much like array alchemy, it manipulated the laws of universe, however, instead of using the soul as a proxy, it was much more efficient and used energy cultivation as its basis…

The use of magic was so rare in the martial world, that very few knew of how to counter it and even fewer could, even if they knew… This made Loki near unmatched as long as he stayed hidden… His ability to manipulate the situation and use illusions could not be matched.

This was how Loki made it seem as though he could manipulate celestial energy… In reality, he couldn't do such a thing at all, he just had to make it seem like he could…

Dyon's eyes seemed quite dead as he silently stared at Loki's bowing figure. He didn't have the normal despair one would expect, nor did they bear any resignation. He simply watched.

From the name Patriarch Ragnor used alone, Dyon had already guessed many things. He had wondered why his breakthrough into sainthood was capable of dispelling a wound caused by a supposed celestial so easily, but the answer was now laying bear before him.

The person everyone had been so worried about. The very same mighty Patriarch Ragnor that King Belmont spent centuries preparing and cultivating for. Was a mere trickster… A man who in terms of just combat power, probably lost out to his demon generals.

That said, something was telling Dyon that defeating this Loki mighty very well be more difficult than defeating a celestial. A man who could hide himself so well in the face of even celestial level beings as a mere saint was someone who could probably toy with a warrior on his level to death.

There was a savage light in Loki's eyes. No matter how at ease he pretended to be, Dyon had seen through him as a petty man long ago. He wouldn't allow Dyon's disrespect of him to slide so easily, not when he had been forced to his knees to the point of having no choice but to reveal his identity.

Seeing that Dyon had no change of expression, Loki casually clasped his hands behind his back, looking down with curiosity flashing in his snake-like eyes.

"Aiyah, I made such a big reveal to you and you don't even have the decency to look impressed or surprised. Sheesh, at least give me the chance to explain my glorious master plan to you before you die."

His heart felt like it wanted to be ripped out of his ribcage, his muscles were torn in just as places as his bones were broken, and none of that was to mention the fact his soul wanted to dissipate into nothingness. If it wasn't for the fact his soul grade was so abnormally pure, to the point where describing it as a first-grade soul simply didn't do it justice, maybe he would have long since collapsed.

Dyon's scythe morphed into a sword in his hand before he gripped it with both as tightly as his remaining strength would allow. There was no way he could make use of death qi anymore, so what was the use in sustaining his airs as a reaper? He had to focus his remaining strength in the most efficient way possible.

His brain ran through the possibilities. He tossed away any avenues that led in defeat and only searched out victory. His master wanted him to live. He knew his parents would want him to live. He couldn't leave Clara behind, alone in a world she didn't know or understand. He didn't want his wives to shed any more tears for him. He had a little brother and little sister who were both still relying on him… He had the legacy of billions of people riding on his shoulders!

Loki sighed, "This hurts you know. I can't decide what pains me more. The fact you don't care about the plans I so painstakingly laid out." The temperature suddenly dropped as Loki's playful demeanor disappeared. "Or the fact you have the audacity to still think you can win."

Dyon had no time to react. His soul was too fatigued to help him sense Loki's movement, and even if it could, his body was in no shape to act on that information.

Regardless of his tricks, Loki was still a true peak saint. Even in Dyon's healthiest state, it would be nearly impossible to beat him unless he brought out all of his trump cards. And that was assuming Loki didn't use any of his illusion techniques!

Soil, grass and crippled flowers flew into the air. Dyon's body skidded against the ground with no sign of him resisting. At this point, relaxing his entire body seemed to be the only thing that relieved the pain.

In an instant, Loki was over looking Dyon's sorry state. But, seeing the fire in his eyes still there, Loki couldn't help but want to do everything he could to extinguish it.

"Ha," Dyon's muffled laughter came of as an aggrieved sigh. He rotated Devour as furiously as his soul would allow, using the contact Loki provided as a set point.

Dyon didn't know what Loki meant and he almost sighed a breath of relief when he felt Loki's foot leave his chest. But, when he felt the next attacks, he almost regretted his actions.

Loki backed away, no longer giving Dyon the opportunity to take more of his soul strength before raining down bolts of lightning on Dyon's decrepit figure.

The truth was that Dyon hadn't even taken much of Loki's soul strength. Without much strength of his own, how could he? But, that didn't stop Loki from retaliating in the cruelest way possible…

King Acacia rushed through the skies. He had been forced to leave his wife before, mostly because of her insistence. If he had to divert his own power away to protect her from the harsh conditions, he would slow down drastically. As such, this really was the only choice.

Arena City had fallen into complete chaos. The red crystal organisms latched onto any lifeforms that dared to get close, and it seemed as though the Ragnors were the only ones with counters to this.

The original Ipsum formation had targeted the dead because they knew that those without will couldn't resist the pull of the red crystals. As such, it would take next to no energy at all to implant them.

However, as soon as that initial implant occurred, the red crystals would automatically have something to feed off of and grow stronger, which would allow them to gain enough power to start effecting living beings. This was why the Ipsums had waited until enough people had died from battle first. If too few had, and the Pakal managed to quarantine them or directly kill them off, none of this would have worked!

The ten Ipsum elders who had stirred all of this chaos were nowhere to be found. After activating such a savage formation, they were completely drained. If they used any more power, their own red crystal will would begin to devour even them. This let all one needed to know about how savage this artificial will was.

Unsurprisingly, the Ipsums were created as a unit perfectly tailored to countering the Pakals in war. Because of their robust bloodlines, they were the perfect targets for such a hungry will and were obviously the preferred targets.

It was a losing battle. The more powerful one's bloodline, the more fuel the red crystals would have to devour you. You would need exponential increases in will mastery and power in order to hold it off. And even then, it would be for but a moment!

However, in this war, the Pakals were not alone. Although the Belmonts were incapacitated because a large majority of them had remained in the Belmont Holy Land as a precaution, the Pakals still had the Elves. The only problem was that due to the alliances that Loki had formed, many of the elves were occupied and couldn't be organized quickly. Nor did the armies have the same communication measures Dyon's armies did.

Because of this, it took much too long for the Elves to see the spreading epidemic, leaving time for the red crystals to grow stronger and stronger. They even showed signs of wanting to combine into larger and larger entities! The sea of red on the battle field was growing larger and larger, and yet it wasn't blood at all!

The elves of those three families immediately realized that something big was happening. It was very rare for Grand elders to give out battle instructions and calling out three families at once was even rarer, but it was clear that this was needed.

There were very few capable of ordering the Elves in mass, but luckily the Elves had three grand elders who were capable of holding such authority. Their King and Queen were gone, and their eldest stateman, Grand elder Deryth was fighting with the other celestials, this left military decisions up to Grand Elder Cormyth and Kroak.

Grand Elder Cormyth had been the first to notice the problem among the Elvin highest officials and he automatically commanded for the most apt responders.

The Aedre were water will specialists. The Ingrams were light will specialists. And the Sigebryht were Seal specialists. Although Grand elder Cormyth had no way of knowing if this would be effective against the plague he was witnessing, he knew that the healing and control abilities of these main families far surpassed that of any other family and had to be relied upon.

As a poison master, how could he not tell just how potent this red crystal will was? In fact, describing it as a poison was probably the most appropriate comparison.

Swarms of sub family members rushed in to take their place. There was no question that the elves were undermanned. They were already a race with a low birth rate, so this was to be expected. Despite the fact they had the most families under their rule as a God Clan, they were still among the smallest in number. But, that didn't stop them from still being among the most powerful.

Their eyes flashed as beads of sweat poured from them, attempting to configure their seals to properly stop the flow of this odd will. However… Their manifestations were completely incapable of doing so!

In order to seal something away, unless you had access to The Seal itself, you needed a level of understanding just what you were sealing. This hurdle can be jumped over by having more sealers active to share the burden, or by having a stronger seal legacy that could make up for your deficiencies. But, this will was something they had simply never seen before!

Unlike the instance at the gate where the essence gathering Sigebryhts sealed away the death qi, this red crystal will wasn't tempered to a level that was capable of being withstood. The death qi at Lotus Tower was meant to be part of a game for mere essence gathering experts. As such, it was comparatively easier to seal as compared to true death qi. But this situation wasn't so friendly…

Grand Elder Cormyth grit his teeth when he saw the failure of the Sigebryht. Maybe if Head Sigebryht was here, their coordination would be much better, but how could they call him back now? He was also in the midst of fighting all out with those celestials above!

They could only rely on the Aedre and Ingram to try their hand. Maybe, just maybe, they'd have a possibility for success. If either were able to weaken the creatures, the Sigebryht might then be able to step in again to fully seal them.

The Aedre family formed raging rivers in the air. The Sigebryht were forced to protect them from the onslaught of Ragnors who sought to stop their attempts. This caused the battle field to split into two, the chaotic mess occurring on the arena floor, and the battle for the skies.

A flash of hope crossed the eyes of Ire Pakal and grand elder Cormyth. If the red crystals were afraid of purity, this would be helpful. The only problem was the light will wasn't the greatest source of purity… However, it was the best they had!

The blinding golden lights began to slowly merge with the raging rivers formed by the Aedre family, working together seamlessly to create waters of gold that washed over the battle field.

The red crystals shrunk away, almost shrieking in agitation at the new feeling of pain. They were continuously beat away from the waves, allowing the Pakals to hack them apart, dismembering their fellow dead clansmen to immobilize them.

However, there was a ray of hope now. With the combined efforts of the Aedre and Ingram families, the battle field seemed to shift its momentum once again.

This sudden change couldn't help but be felt by the Ragnor clan higher ups. They had hoped that this war would end easily with the use of this tactic, but the control of the Elves exceeded their expectations.

That said… The red crystals were an artificial will. In fact, one might even go so far as to call it a living parasitic organism… There were very few things in the world that could adapt as quickly as it, and even fewer things that had the strength to.

It only took a moment for the effectiveness of the golden water to drastically diminish, and the truth of the matter was that this was just as bad for the Ragnors as it was for their enemies.

"I get it, you must be worried about your wives? I assure you I'm not interested in little girls – ah, who am I kidding, they're two little beauties. But, I can promise to treat them well. I learn from my past experiences. I once had a couple of cultivation incubators commit suicide on me. That's no good."

Every time a bolt of lightning hit Dyon, his body was lurch, charring his skin and nearly stopping his heart entirely. In fact, sometimes his heart really did stop…

It was a vicious cycle of torture that made even Dyon wish he was really dead… But every time he nearly closed his eyes, his master's last words to him would ring in his ears, causing the fire in his eyes that was slowly dimming, to weakly flicker to life…

Near a dormant and forgotten gate, wild spatial fluctuations were oscillating. The air whined and groaned as it distorted and bent to the whims of two people much more powerful than it.

The man had sleek black hair that was combed back along with a well-kept and trimmed beard. His eyes shone a bright gold, and his handsome features were chiseled and gave off a stoic atmosphere.

The woman was a delicate beauty beyond words. There would be no doubt that had Dyon been there, he wouldn't have hesitated to acknowledge that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen…

Her skin was flawless and her legs were long and silky. Her curves were nothing short of perfection and her loose white robes could hardly hide her ample breasts and wide hips. Even her golden eyes gave off a sense of endless attraction and seduction very few could match.

King Belmont's opponents knelt in the skies, bleeding profusely. Under the might of the king's violet flames, the Horus, Geb and Kami God Clan leaders stood no chance. They had attempted to use their number to overwhelm King Belmont, but in the end, they had failed.

However, this victory wasn't without a price. Although King Belmont's three opponents were likely too injured to continue fighting, King Belmont's stamina was just about gone as well. The problem with that was that there was a man he had yet to defeat… The King of the Aumen Royal God Clan: King Aumen.

"I must say, your flames are quite impressive." King Aumen's fiery golden hair stood in sharp contrast to the Elvin Ingram family. Whereas their hair glowed and gave off a comfortable feeling, the hair of Aumen's was more like the mane of a lion – domineering and oppressive.

King Belmont's rudimentary domain cracked before falling apart. He stood with his hands trembling by his side, hardly able to stop his eyes from flickering between purple, red and blue.

He was very aware of the side effect brought about by forcibly combining his flames, but he had no choice. If he hadn't, victory would have been a pipe dream… Unfortunately, now even his red and blue flames would be nearly impossible to control.

King Aumen could sense this very clearly. Before, he hadn't dared to approach King Belmont to pit their fires against each other, but now that he was fatigued, he had all the confidence in the world.

He wasn't stupid. No matter how overly arrogant he was, he would never think that his flames could truly match up to phoenix flames… The kinds of flames that could would be as rare as finding a phoenix itself, and they were an extinct race.

The golden flames of the Aumen's had a proud origin, but if King Aumen was honest with himself, even he as King did not know the truth from the falsehoods. All he knew for sure was that through the universes, golden flames were special, and should anyone ever find their true source, they would also find with it the sovereign path of flames… the doubtlessly most domineering path possible for the will.

King Aumen walked forward. Such a blazing heat and light wafted from him that he was almost like a second sun. The sharp contrast between him and the depleted King Belmont was striking…

"Your subjects, your family's legacy, your wife, your sons, all of that must be causing a heavy toll on your mind." King Aumen mused as though he was silently thinking all of this to himself.

King Belmont's breathing continuously deepened as he tried to quickly gain his bearings. However, his most potent problem was lack of stamina, and there just wasn't enough time to correct that.

"I don't say this to belittle you, of course." King Aumen continued, "I even feel a bit shameful sneak attacking a single planet with so many allies. I only say this so you can rest at ease in death. Although you won't be able to carry out your family's legacy, someone else will." A knowing smile spread across the King's lips.

Up until this point, King Belmont hadn't been truly listening. In fact, he was hoping the King Aumen would continue to talk so that he could refine more celestial energy for himself in that time. But, those last words caused him to pause and look up.

Seeing that he had finally caught King Belmont's attention, King Aumen's smile widened, "Haven't you wondered why you have gotten any reports from your Holy Land? Haven't you wondered why your ancestors haven't come to support you in your time of need? Haven't you wondered just what our goal is in all this time?"

He had lost communication with the Belmont Holy Land. His ancestors hadn't awoken even in this time of strife. And the very thing he thought his enemies were working toward this entire time – the Epistemic Tower – isn't a goal that this attack would help them with at all!

With the intelligence of a celestial being, and their ability to quickly process things, King Belmont immediately understood that the goal of this pointed attack wasn't to find a reasonable excuse to gather all of their allies. No. The more logical goal was that there was something this tournament provided that nothing else could…

When you coupled that with the lack of communication with the Belmont Holy Land… The fact he couldn't awaken his ancestors… The way it seemed like from the very beginning, he was the most unprepared and foolhardy King in history… It all pointed toward a betrayal that his heart couldn't handle the thought of…

"I have to say, your son is quite intelligent. He still has cards to play that very few of us know about. After all, the reason you couldn't call on your ancestors, is because they're under his control. How could we dare to treat him so lightly when he holds the key to the tombs of a family as ancient as yours?"

King Belmont's visage darkened. He couldn't believe that thoughts swimming through his head, but the facts were laid bare to him… How could he not accept them?

He couldn't help but chuckle bitterly to himself. This was the very son he had once arrogantly proclaimed Dyon would have to prove himself better than… The very son he had placed so much of his pride in… The very son whose sole actions were about to lead to the ruin of his own father…

Just as feared, the red crystals will's adaptative capabilities weren't to be under estimated. In mere moments, the combined attack of the Ingram and Aedre family were rendered useless, immediately plunging the attacking forces into despair.

The Ragnor family continued to take advantage of the situation, attacking without sympathy and making full use of the red crystals – some even began to coat their weapons in the material, leading to the further spread of it.

At this point, Thor had ceased attacking. He stood amidst 'protectors', staring at the situation with a deadpan expression, but within his eyes, the flicker of disgust was clearly evident.

In the martial world, there were few things looked down on more than using poison. Ironically, the same was true even in the weak mortal world Dyon used to call world. And yet, a supposed Emperor God Clan was making use of exactly that to take care of a universe so decrepit and useless that even its adjacent universe hardly tried to conquer it? This was nothing more than a shameful act dressed up as something it wasn't.

He watched from the sidelines as Vidar's 20-meter-tall frame laughed uproariously, not hesitating to use the corpses of fallen comrades to push forward. He pretended as though it was his own merit keeping him alive on the battle field, when the truth was that he had already lost half of his original protectors to death, it was just that they were replaced as soon as they fell… An endless cycle of Ragnor clan puppetry.

In this same way, he had watched the personalities of his supposed Storm family twist. He had willingly left with his father and their faction upon realizing he had Thor's faith seed because he thought things might change for the better, but the very same culture permeated through their culture as well…

Those siblings of his were now dead, long since having succumb to Loki's experimentation. The fact that he was alive was only a testament to the fact that even Loki himself was much too scared to do anything involving a faith seed as powerful as his.

Thor couldn't help but chuckle bitterly and silently. He remembered when the Ragnor family claimed that they would only punish the older generation, promising to protect the younger since they couldn't control the actions of their parents and elders. He had remembered feeling surprised. Maybe, just maybe, the Ragnors would finally do something sensible…

But, that hope didn't last for long. The moment the former Storm family stepped foot into Ragnor clan territory, all but Tammy and Thor were shipped off to be slaves. Thor could still remember the endless screams he would hear whenever Loki purposefully took him for a walk outside his experimental labs. Ironically, Baal might have gotten the swiftest and more humane death, despite the atrocities that he committed.

In the end, Loki even turned on Thor's little sister… The very same little sister than put her life on the line the get the information the Ragnors needed… The very same little sister that continuously put her needs aside for the good of her useless elder brother… The very same little sister Thor still couldn't protect with his own hands…

The red in Thor's eyes seemed to reflect the sea of crystals and the screams of agony that filled the battle field. At this point, everyone wanted to do whatever they could to escape the situation. It was getting out of hand.

Ire's retreat order continuously sounded through everyone's ears, but the shamelessness of the Ragnors was on full display as the ruthlessly attacked the retreating backs of their enemies.

"Should we not pursue them?" One of Thor's protectors asked. In truth, he was anxious, as they all were. Although Thor could get away with doing next to nothing, they couldn't, even if they tried to use the excuse of being his protectors. Such was the harsh reality that each Ragnor faced…

While a universe only tracked their citizens during gate campaigns in hopes of rewarding them, Ragnors were branded from birth. Their every move was monitored and calculated, and the more valuable you were, the sturdier the chains that bound you were.

The Storm family was only able to escape because their chains were fairly loose to begin with. They were able to use treasures left behind by the celestial deer sect to remove their brands, which was exactly why the joined Focus Academy. This was why it took the Ragnors so long to find them…

Had Loki known that Thor had awakened in the Storm family previously, they wouldn't have lasted even a day. The reason why was something etched in the history of the Ragnors… A perfect match for their malevolent history…

Every faith seed was bound by karma to the clan it originates from. This was how clans knew when faith seeds were reincarnated, and it was also how they knew when faith seeds left their stream of control. This was why stealing faith seeds was taboo, because the victim's clan would immediately know what had happened. Losing something as important as a faith seed would not be tolerated and would almost always lead to all out wars even more severe than gate campaigns.

However, the Ragnors took this even further… They touched upon absolute taboo and sowed the seeds of karma so deeply with every faith seed formed that the tie to the Ragnor clan became so strong that even the life and death of the seed's wielder could be decided on a whim by a clan…

The truth was that the weapon's hell formations they used could hardly damage most of the Daiyu, but the simple disruption is provided was more than enough to be useful. And, in some rare instances, would also heavily injure some of the weaker Daiyu, allowing for a much easier time for the demon generals.

River and Ronica seemed to never tire. It was to the point where the demon generals who were waiting to switch in with them pouted, accusing them of stealing away all of the fun. However, with River's domineering personality, she simply harrumphed and ignored them, causing Ronica to giggle as she usually did.

On the same hand, the fusion of Ri and Madeleine's souls seemed to have a stacking effect on their stamina, allowing them both to last much longer than usual. This was also, of course, in part to Kaeda's added support.

In the back, Evelyn had long since lost her calm and collected smirk. She had thought that with her reveal, the situation would be too unexpected for anyone to recover from. And yet, that was exactly what Ri and Madeleine were doing now!

She had given up too much for this plan to work. Her dignity as a first in line genius. The woman she looked up to like a grandmother. And even her own chastity. All so that she could forge a brighter future for herself, a future where this universe's ceiling wasn't her own.

"Do something." Evelyn looked at Lionel who had barely a flicker of emotion on his face. If it wasn't for her self-control, she would have shrieked this at the top of her lungs. It was taking everything in her not to lash out at Lionel.

The truth was that Lionel was in this hot water just as much as she was, which was why Evelyn couldn't blame him too much – if she was being rational, that is. It was no secret anymore that if Lionel lost, it was quite possible that even his own father would want him dead.

As much as Lionel wanted to ignore Evelyn, he knew that she wasn't stupid. She didn't trust him with something as important as her virginity of an empty promise. If she had, Lionel would have long since ignored her after she outlived her usefulness.

No. Unfortunately, Lionel had signed a soul contract with Evelyn, much like the one Jade used to coerce the Daiyu clan. Except this one, tied their lives to one another. Lionel had to always keep Evelyn's best interest in mind, or he would die. He simply couldn't afford to ignore her.

In reality, a contract that only asked for Lionel to treat Evelyn well was a small price to pay for the reward Lionel received. But, in retrospect, it would become troublesome.

The demon general watching the two of them was a calm and stoic man named Thatch. He could hear their conversation clearly, but he couldn't bother to care. As long as he was here, he doubted that there was anything the two of them could do to escape.

Lionel could instantly tell that their 'guard' wasn't someone who they could easily trick. He seemed to have no emotions, and his eyes were constantly trained on them despite the vast disparity in cultivation.

'Using that could backfire…' Lionel's mind raced as he thought of possibilities. But, as minutes turned to hours, and the Daiyu forces just seemed to continuously get whittled down, he realized that he no longer had much of a choice.

Thatch's eyes narrowed as he noticed the slight shift in Lionel's features. His nerves stood on end. With his years of battle experience, sensing danger was something very few did better than him. But, never did he think he would be sensing such a thing from an essence gathering expert.

Something was telling Thatch that even if he alerted the allies to his back, there would hardly be a difference made. Even worse, it would distract them from the task at hand.

Many didn't know the purpose behind the spatial energy that coated the Belmont Holy Land. And those who claimed to, often thought that it was simply a safety measure for protecting the treasures within.

The truth of the matter is that the spatial fluctuations are simply a result of the copious amounts of legacy worlds that were attracted to this location by the flow of Gama energy.

In a land they needed to protect at all costs, it was important to be able to call reinforcements to any location with the Belmont Holy Land in an instant. To do this, they utilized the spatial fluctuations as a fuel to connect to their most sacred place… The Belmont family tombs!

Thatch's grip on his saber tightened as the air between him and Lionel began to distort, coming with it a calm purple-haired man adorned in pristine white robes.

Within the depths of Belmont Holy Land, Loki's laughter still rang through the once lush greenery that was now filled with endless craters and the smell of thick and slightly burnt blood.

Dyon had lost count of how long this torture had gone on for. In fact, he was fairly certain that he had shredded his own throat apart to the point where he could hardly whisper a word because of all of the screaming he had done.

The entity had accused Dyon of choosing a path built on something fake… But with each passing moment, that path only became more and more real… There was hope… Until that road abruptly ended…

"Well, well… I was wondering if your soul could truly withstand being burned like that, but it seems like even yours has its limits." Loki chuckled lightly to himself as he shook his head. To him, it was only a shame that he had lost another toy…

The summoned Belmont Ancestor stood silently with a lofty air to him. There was no doubt that suddenly awakening from a near death like state before being teleported to a random location you had no knowledge of was truly jarring, but as an expert of enough note to have mandated his clan spending enough to preserve him for such a situation, how could have a normal reaction to such a thing?

His eyes scanned the situation, but they immediately turned cold when he noticed the blade pointed in his direction. Considering the fact he could sense the blood of his clan running through the young man behind him, he felt like he understood enough. For a person so young to be able to call upon him under his own power, it was clear that this was an outstanding talent of his Belmont family. How could he allow him to be threatened?

However, he also immediately noticed a few more troubling things. They were obviously in the Belmont Holy Land at the entrance of their catacombs, a place he was all too familiar with, and yet there was an unfamiliar clan attacking? Even more odd, it seemed as though the people he had first labeled as enemies were defending the cave entrance? Were they enemy or foe?

This was the first reason Lionel hadn't immediately summoned his ancestor to aid him. Unlike Dyon's puppets, his ancestors had wills of their own. After all, if they hadn't consented to being used this way after their death, they would have long since reincarnated. It's because they wanted to sow greater seeds of karma that they remained available to be used by future generations.

But, that was the exact problem. Whether their sacrifice was worth it all relied on the whether or not they did good deeds in the name of their clan. This meant that ancestors would be incomparably cautious when taking action because any adverse effect they had on their clan would mean that they would instead sow bad karma, causing ill effects on their reincarnation.

Lionel, though, was immediately ready. He fully understood what it meant to summon his ancestor more than anyone. In fact, he hadn't planned on ever summoning them. He had only needed to use the threat of doing so in order to force the planets he betrayed his clan for to stay in line. But, now that he had, how could he not have a story prepared?

"Ancestor," Lionel quickly sent messages via essence energy, "Those who have captured me are defending this cave entrance because they've already sent in their allies toward that place."

The eyes of the Belmont Ancestor narrowed at these words, quietly warding Thatch off. So little time had passed since his appearance, and he had processed things so quickly, that only Thatch seemed to have notice his appearance. After all, everyone else was focused on the battle at hand.

"They have too many experts for you to make a difference alone," Lionel continued, "I only ask that you take me away so that I can alert my father to the situation."

In such a complex situation, choosing a side would be exceedingly difficult. So, Lionel didn't ask him to fight at all. He asked his ancestor to take one of the safest routes possible in protecting his karma: saving a member of the Belmont family, and alerting their current King.

Considering there were no other Belmonts present, this was in fact the safest route of action. This ancestor understood he could only be summoned once more after this time before he officially passed on, so he wasn't willing to risk sowing bad karma in the hopes that he was doing the 'right thing'.

Lionel's arm wiggled in his restraints, grabbing onto Evelyn's hand to ensure his ancestor understood they were together. And just like that, the three of them disappeared…

From start to finish, only a little more than a second past. And yet, the tension that released from Thatch's shoulders was so much that he nearly collapsed under his own weight.

The first thing he worried about was Dyon's puppet! He had seen with his own eyes when Ri took it with her before they left, and he had witnessed it kill a mid-level celestial with a single strike. The life force of an ancestor after being awakened was even less than the old Matriarch, and he was likely weaker than her as well.

It was too bad for Lionel that he too little knowledge about puppets. Had he known that there was no way that puppet could output that much strength without Dyon, he wouldn't have worried about that at all.

However, there was a second glaring reason for his want for a quick escape… Something that was completely irrelevant of the strength of the puppet at all… And that, was Madeleine.

The Belmonts were charged with protecting Amethyst's temple. This was the reason heir clan was gifted their bloodline in the first place, and the only reason their clan was even so powerful to begin with. Before Amethyst's blessing, the Belmonts were nothing…

This might have begun to mean less and less with each successive generation, but this would still mean the world to Belmont ancestors, especially because their only goal in this after life of theirs was to sow good karma. How could they sow good karma if they spit in the face of their benefactor?

If the Belmont Ancestor learned that Lionel was being held captive by the wielder of Amethyst's faith seed, there is no question what side he would choose! Even if he had to kill Lionel.

The world that had turned completely silent to his senses had once again regained its color and life, and the loud booms of the battle behind him finally resounded through his ears.

"Thatch?" Kaeda's gentle voice came from behind him. When she noticed the normally calm and collected Thatch trembling, it was suffice to say that Kaeda was truly surprised.

King Belmont coughed up blood so hot that it seared his throat. The domineering golden flames of the Aumen's were threatening to collapse his inner organs entirely. He had lost count of how many smoldering balls of gold had bombarded into him. If it wasn't for the slight resistance to fire his scant phoenix bloodline gave him, he had no doubt that he would be dead already.

If it was just about him dying, he didn't mind risking his life for the sake of his clan. But, the idea of the Belmont line ending because of his own inadequacies as a leader sickened him to his stomach.

How could he think of his son Lionel as a carrier of his bloodline? This was the same son that didn't mind causing the death of his own father! Lionel had a younger brother, a baby sister, a mother! And he had not cared for a single one of them throughout this whole plan of his.

The truth of the matter was that Lionel had already negotiated the safety of those three in exchange for his cooperation. But, at the point of rage King Belmont was feeling, even if he knew that, he wouldn't be calmed.

King Belmont could only try his best to hold on. He knew that if King Aumen grew tired of playing with him and joined the other battles, there would be no hope left… There was no one left to counter him!

Another ball of flames slammed into the bloody mess that was once King Belmont's chest, revealing the charred black of his rib cage and his barely beating heart…

In the distance, Patia-Neva's attacks were growing more ferocious. King Clyte's palms began to numb with a biting freeze with every strike that was landed.

He had long since stopped making remarks about Patia-Neva's family. Instead of leading to a pit of despair as he wanted, Patia-Neva seemed to be using it fuel.

Even in the vacuum of space, King Clyte's wind will worked seamlessly. If Dyon had seen the versatility of a supposedly simple will, he would have agreed with his grand teacher calling him an idiot for using it as a simple speed boost.

King Clyte's attacks seemed to take form as wind. They were aloof and almost illusory, but they could turn sharp and cutting in an instant. The flow of strikes all followed the path of least resistance, increasing the potency of his every attack.

Icicles formed in the air, glittering along Patia-Neva's arms as he glided through the air. His every thrust forward came with it the sound of cracking glass, as though his very presence was solidifying the air between him and his opponent.

Patia-Neva's hours of focus was beginning to pay off. How many years had he waiting to feel this feeling? The feeling of having your dao anchored in something you believed in, something you would strive to protect with your everything…

"You'll never lay a hand on my wife again." Patia-Neva spoke his first words of this battle. The dignified aura of a King finally flew back toward him as though he was snatching King Clyte's fate away from him. Or, more accurately… As though he was snatching back the fate he had given up.

With the acceptance of his wife and daughter, Patia-Neva had gained something back that he thought he would never gain again. And now, he could grasp what it meant to be a true man again.

The reason Patia-Neva was able to climb back up so quickly is because he never changed his path. He was still following the path of the absolute… But instead of absolute coldness, he would seek the ultimate retribution for his actions… The only thing that could truly cleanse him clean… Absolute purity.

Patia-Neva stood silently in the air, exuding a dignified aura. But, just as he was about to go and help the remaining celestial, his senses caught onto something sinister. Even more sinister than the life he had just ended.

Within the Belmont Holy Land, Loki leisurely approached Dyon's corpse. He mused to himself about how he might have gone a bit too far considering the size of the crater before him.

Just before he started, Dyon had been on flat land, and all of his lightning strikes landed directly onto his body. That meant that whatever crater was formed was directly because of Dyon's body slamming into the ground and taking the brunt of the damage. It was almost like Loki had used Dyon like a drill-bit.

Seeing this, Loki was almost impressed. How could any living being survive such torment for such a long time? It wasn't as though he had asked for much, he just wanted Dyon to give up. Whether that be the fight in his eyes fading, or him pleading for mercy.

"Aiyah. With such a strong will, he would have made a great experimental subject. He wouldn't have been as fragile as all the other ones that died from a little poking."

By now, Dyon's body was charred completely black. Aside from his face and neck that Loki has purposefully avoided to ensure he didn't die too soon, it could be said that it was a surprise if Dyon's body didn't fall to ash if you simply touched it.

A mist of red lay around him, some of which tainted the ground. One could imagine that this red was likely the blood the leaked from the cracks in Dyon's skin. Loki had almost forgotten that Dyon wasn't only dealing with the impact of the lightning strike, but also the blood boiling heat that was its after effect. Even though Loki hadn't used red lightning, the Ragnor's most destructive, it wouldn't have been surprising for Dyon's body to heat up to a few thousand degrees.

"Tsk, even I'm starting to feel bad now." Loki said to himself, hardly sounding sympathetic. At the start, he had held back from causing Dyon fatal damage, focusing on keeping him alive. But, as time turned to hours, the stubbornness in his eyes began to irritate Loki. At this point, Loki wouldn't be surprised if even Dyon's inner organs had turned black as well.

He leisurely bent his knees as though he was going to sit on a throne, causing his once empty back to manifest exactly that. An instant later, Dyon's body raised up and onto a platform, making it convenient for Loki to access.

The entire process was seamless, and there was seemingly only a small stream of saint energy used the entire time. This was without a doubt the rare magic that so few could use. One couldn't help wonder, just what Loki's backstory was.

In the mortal realm, the stories of him being a trickster and a powerful warlock seemed to be true. But, was he really the son of a Frost Giant? The Ragnors didn't seem like the caring type Odin was portrayed as in the origin stories of Loki… After all, according to the mortal realm stories, Odin adopted Loki to teach him kindness and morality before raising him like his own son. Were the real world Ragnors so magnanimous? Only a fool would believe so.

Loki excitedly began to slip Dyon's spatial rings off. Many of them had been formerly concealed, but with Dyon's soul death, they were all laid bare for Loki's eyes.

Remembering the ridiculous amount of wealth this boy displayed at the world tournament moved even Loki. Just his energy stones alone were worth a few hundred thousand transcendent stones. That was more wealth than a lot of lower level dao formation experts. Of course Loki was interested!

"Tch." Loki looked disappointed though. As soon as he started going through Dyon's ring and didn't find a single energy stone, he could only lament the fact that Dyon had left them behind for his wives. What Loki didn't know was that before he arrived, Dyon had poured all of his energy stones into the demon sage's tower because that was the only way for it to defend against attacks above sainthood.

However, when Loki remembered how many treasures Dyon had, and how he could always go and take Dyon's wives for himself now, he calmed himself. Everything would be his in due time.

Although Dyon made conquering these weapons look easy, the truth of the matter was that these weapons were exceedingly arrogant to their bones. Whereas Dyon never considered the fact that they might reject him for even a moment, the categorically and emphatically turned their nose up at Loki.

The aurora steps showed no sign of movement and didn't even willingly leave the spatial ring until Loki destroyed the spatial ring itself. And then there was an ancient tome that was so tightly latched that it would open no matter what Loki did.

To make matters worse, Loki tried to then find The Seal, knowing very well that Dyon had it, but if even Dyon couldn't find The Seal when it was within his own body, despite his ridiculous senses, how could Loki find it when it didn't want to be found by an inferior owner?

At this point, Loki was losing his mind in anger. He was the one who always played tricks on others, not the other way around. How could he tolerate this?!

Loki lashed out in a rage, violently kicking away Dyon's body without remorse and sending himself tumbling away. If Loki didn't think the entity might still have a use for Dyon, he would have directly incinerated his body.

Loki looked toward Elder Daiyu's corpse, about to head in that direction. After all, if he remembered correctly, the Daiyu had a pseudo weapon of the 33 heavens that would likely be much more willing to be conquered. Plus, Elder Daiyu had the only means other than The Seal to open up the channel to the entity. However, before he got far, he heard the clanging of metal meeting tough rock.

When he looked over, he noticed in all his anger, he had forgotten the treasure that had caught his attention the most. Because Dyon's body had been charred black, and it had been held so tightly against his body, it almost blended in seamlessly. But, Loki's kick finally caused Dyon to drop it.

With a new light in his eyes, Loki laughed himself silly. To him, he felt that although he had never heard of this weapon being on the 33 heavens list, it was in no way inferior. In fact, it might even be superior.

Madly grinning, Loki walked over and picked up a 6-foot-long jet-black sword. He almost lost himself in happiness when he felt no resistance from the sword. In fact, the sword itself was almost begging to be bounded, giving off the vibes that it was disappointed with its previous owner.

"Aiyah. For you to have chosen such a weak master, I can understand how you feel. Come, show me your power." Loki coaxed the sword, gently stroking it as though he had achieved the greatest thing in his lifetime.

In an instant, Loki was flooded with information of the sword's various possible forms. But, that hardly meant much to him. After all, unlike Dyon, he wasn't able to master any weapon on a whim. In fact, Loki rarely used weapons at all. That said, who wouldn't be attracted to armor like this? It was suffice to say that Loki was quite happy.

Seemingly in response to Loki, a faint light started to shine from the wrist band, causing a seal to break. In an instant, the wrist band went from a normal metal to giving off the airs of a transcendent weapon. This, of course, made Loki delirious with joy.

This was the feeling that he had felt from Dyon at his peak. He wondered if this was truly the best the sword had to offer. It wouldn't be disappointing, not in the least, but Loki somehow thought there was more.

Just as Loki was thinking this, a third seal snapped. Loki felt his knees buckle as a wave of fatigue overwhelmed him. But when he felt the aura of the weapon, it was no less than that of a pseudo 33 heavens weapons.

Blood flew from Loki's mouth. He fell to both knees, wheezing and coughing. He didn't understand what was happening, what kind of weapon didn't listen to its master?

The truth was that there were plenty of weapons that housed malevolent souls that often ignored the whims of their master. However, the difference between them and this weapon was the fact that they weren't powerful enough to actually lead to the death of their master by any direct means. However… The Dragon King's Weapon could!

Dyon weakly stumbled out of the crater. He didn't know how he found energy to climb out, but he had used every ounce of hatred he had for Loki for fuel him. Nothing would stop him from witnessing this man's death.

"You… How…" Loki spoke weakly. However, it was at this point he began to feel an attack on his soul. The Dragon King was trying to take over his body!

Dyon looked down, having expected this. He wasn't so naïve as to believe that the Dragon King would be loyal to him without their soul bond. But, he let it happen for now, knowing he could stop it in time.

"It's simple really, I just used the soul power I devoured from you to seal my soul with The Seal. I'm simply smarter than you, nothing more, nothing less."

This answer irritated Loki to no end. Smarter than him? He was the smartest Ragnor in history! Who dared to say something like that to his face?! All of the other faith seeded heroes relied on their overwhelming talent. Only Loki used his head and wits to survive in a clan that placed power over everything!

"Of course I did." Dyon stepped forward, crouching down with great difficulty and placing his hand on the black wrist band. In an instant, the Dragon King submitted without resistance. With Dyon's new found weapon's master will, it was even easier than before.

"I'll be taking my things back now, thanks." Dyon said nonchalantly. Although Loki felt a great relief with that soul sucking leech off of his wrist, there was no way he could recover in a short time. However, Dyon's next words sent him into a pit of despair.

"Give me the soul strength you took from him you stingy Dragon King. You didn't attack or defend against anything, so I know you have that power stored somewhere."

Hearing Dyon's order, the Dragon King could only oblige. In an instant, Dyon's soul began to slowly replenish itself. Although a damaged soul couldn't save a damaged soul, Dyon had something Zabia Jafari hadn't had. The ultimate soul replenishing technique: Devour!

The rate of Dyon's soul dissipation drastically decreased. Loki's soul simply wasn't powerful enough to fully replenish Dyon. And, even if it was, Dyon didn't know if that would be enough to stop the dissipation without his grand teacher's technique. But, it was enough for him to hold on for now.

Loki's screams began to fill the inner world. Although he had expected this as soon as Dyon filled the tables on him, the idea of the torture being inflicted on him was enough to drive him insane.

Even in venting his frustrations, Dyon was incredibly clear headed. He was fully aware that if he wasted too much time, Loki would recover and he wouldn't stand a chance. But, how could Loki do such a thing if Dyon slowly tore his soul to shred with every stab of his sword?

Dyon's eyes were deadpan, flickering slowly with a dense black flame. He calmly sliced apart Loki's thighs, separating the muscle as though he was a surgeon before slowly gliding the sharpness of his blade into his bone and twisting.

Dyon suddenly chuckled, "Do you think I can't tell the noises you're making are part of an illusion? It's a shame that you don't have enough power remaining to do anything else."

From the very start of Dyon's torture, Loki had done the best he could to fake as though he was helpless. Only this way would Dyon lower his guard and allow him to recover. Since Dyon had already taken away the very thing weakening him, survival was still possible.

However, Dyon's music will was much too sensitive for such a thing to work on him. He had long since mastered it as an intent. How could he be fooled by fake sounds?

The problem was that Loki didn't know that this was why Dyon had seen through him. To him, Dyon had become like some sort of flawless God. A person capable of planning so many steps ahead that even Loki the trickster was fooled.

Maybe if he wasn't so fatigued he would have tried a different kind of illusion. Maybe he would have thought of the truth… But unfortunately, Dyon had stomped on his hope and tore it apart without remorse. Quite simply put, the moment Loki revealed what he truly was, he had lost.

The truth was that Dyon hardly had the strength to stand up, let alone try and use his 6th sense to see through Loki's illusions. His only shot at healing his body would be to use The Tree of Life and Death to absorb the remaining power in Elder Daiyu's corpse, but that would completely deplete his soul. He wasn't sure if that was something he could afford.

However, he had to make this man pay. For all the pain he caused. For all the tears shed because of him. For all the lives lost at his whim. He had to pay.

His bones were shattered. His muscles torn. His face scarred beyond repair. And yet not a single time did he utter a word. After all the torture he had endured with the Ragnor family, until the day he finally awakened his faith seed, what did this little bit mean to him?

Surprisingly, Dyon chuckled as well, "I've long since noticed that slicing your skin and breaking your bones has been too easy. Since when was the body of a peak saint capable of being hurt this severely by a man who can hardly lift a finger?"

Even at his peak most strength, it had taken everything out of Dyon to even injure Elder Daiyu, and that was when he unlocked 5 seals on the Dragon King weapon!

Yet now, Dyon was disheveled and couldn't muster up any strength. Nor could he handle even a single seal being broken. At the moment, the Dragon King's sword was nothing more than a common level weapon in his hand.

He could feel that the bit of soul he had protected with Loki's was starting to fade away again, and there was no stopping it this time… There was no one to devour, no one to stop it… No one to help…

"Provocation won't work for you here. Although, pleading for mercy and signing a soul contract might. After all, having a puppet capable of using 33 heavens weapons would be greatly beneficial."

Dyon didn't respond. Ever since he had found out the truth of his parent's lives, something within him had changed. Although he was no longer at a loss for how to control his emotions because of his Master, that didn't mean he wasn't still heavily affected by those things.

He had accepted the fact he needed to let the memories of his parents rest, and that he needed to move on. But that wouldn't change his anger. The people who had put him in this pit of despair would pay.

In one swift motion, Dyon's sword morphed into a dark wrist band. Looking down at himself, he scanned over his cracked and charred skin. Pain was still wracking his body, but from his expression, one would think that it wasn't his body that he was looking at, at all.

What did Loki have to fear? No one would be able to find him unless they made use of that Meiying girl who disappeared, but his highest form of protection was Dyon's injuries. How would Dyon make it out of the catacombs? Whether it be his body's condition or his stamina, he was too lacking. It had taken hours to reach this place.

Even worse, even if Dyon was fully healthy, his spatial will comprehension wasn't high enough to not get lost! All of this pointed toward Loki having as much time as he wanted to recover. Then, he'd leave this place and go and end this war. With his presence, and his capabilities, he'd be able to greatly boost his allies before stealing back that Meiying girl to find a Dyon that would still probably be lost!

He thought about all the ways that he'd torture Dyon for revenge before turning him into a puppet. The sinister glow in his eyes only increased with each passing second.

"Tell me, Dragon King, how useful is the corpse of a dead dao formation expert?" Dyon asked. He had begun to realize that due to the Dragon King's personality, unless he directly asked questions using their master-weapon relationship, he wouldn't go out of his way to help. Dyon found this quite interesting, though. Because if it hadn't been for the Dragon King, his grand teacher wouldn't have known to help him.

"I only have a bit of soul stamina left and I need to use it properly," Dyon explained as though the Dragon King wasn't already aware, "I need to know if I can use my Tree of Life and Death technique, or not."

'Normally, absorbing essence from a dead corpse without the consciousness of that person present is a death sentence.' The Dragon King explained, 'A corpse automatically accumulates death qi. The only way that essence is protected from death qi is if the consciousness protects it either by separating it from its body before death qi becomes a factor, or by actively protecting it while the consciousness is still of this world.'

A sudden realization hit Dyon. So that was why he was able to accept the demon sage's, as well as his master's and her husband's essences. His master actively protected her and her husband's essences, likely for the benefit of Little Black, before she ended up gifting them to Dyon. The demon sage definitely did this as well.

'However, you're different because you've mastered death to the one with heart level. You can ignore this small bit of death qi because he's hardly been dead for a few hours. In fact, his soul hasn't even entirely dissipated.

'That said, this corpse has no essence remaining. He was a former dao formation expert that was forced to recede his own cultivation in order to preserve his life. The only reason why he burst with dao formation power at the end was because he burned his remaining essence. So, there nothing remaining of that to absorb, unfortunately.'

Dyon sighed. That meant that there was no possibility in absorbing the Black Jade Dragon bloodline. Although the Dragon King turned his nose up at it, Dyon was a human with a body much too fragile. The demon sage's bloodline was great and provided him with plenty of power, though. In fact, considering the Dragon King hadn't said a single word of bad about the Demon Sage, he may very well approve of the demon sage's bloodline – a truly shocking this for the King of all Dragons.

'He diverted all of his essence to burst with vitality. That energy is currently leaking from his muscles and being eroded away by death qi as we speak. He's essentially become an extremely digestible energy stone perfectly tailored to body cultivation. You can use your Tree of Life and Death to absorb this vitality to heal you wounds and boost your existing bloodline.

Dyon quietly stood beside Elder Daiyu's hulking corpse, calming himself. He had to focus on making the most efficient use of the Acacia family technique, or else this would all be useless.

Usually, using any of the Ancient Elvin techniques was child's play for Dyon. However, things are only truly put into perspective when observing how those with less abnormal souls handle utilizing the technique. Ri, for example, only uses the Tree of Life and Death in dire situations, not daring to use it as flippantly as Dyon.

Unfortunately, now that Dyon was in a position where his soul talent was whittling away along with his soul strength and stamina, he had no choice but to be as frugal with his soul as others were.

"Are you going to continue hiding? Or should I just devour your remaining soul now?" Dyon spoke directly to the corpse, using bits of his remaining stamina to hide his voice from Loki with music will. If he was correct in his assumption, he could afford to do such a thing now.

"What use is there in speaking with me, demon. Just hurry how and kill me." Elder Daiyu's voice sounded out, although it was much weaker than ever before.

Elder Daiyu was a former dao formation expert. As a martial warrior having reached that level, even if his soul lagged behind by an entire large cultivation barrier, he would have still managed to grow a celestial level soul. As a result, that soul would be able to survive even in the case of the death of the body for however long that person's remaining life span was.

Essentially, Elder Daiyu's soul had gained the necessary characteristics to survive independently of a body, but it no longer had the power to do so. As a result, he was in this odd in between where he was very conscious of himself slowly dying.

"I only wanted to here if the pathetic old man in front of me had any last words. The fact you still somehow think I'm the Dragon King is irrelevant to me. You've long since lost my respect, and I won't be sparing the Daiyu family. You can consider them gone along with your death." Dyon spoke calmly. To anyone watching, it was as though he didn't have the threat of Loki looming over his head. In fact, it was as though he was heavily injured at all even though few would even be able to be conscious under such harsh wounds.

Elder Daiyu didn't know what to say in response. Before, he had thought that the Dragon King was trying to lie to him. However, what reason did the Dragon King had to lie now? He was already dying and couldn't retaliate, by all rights if Dyon was the true Dragon King, he would be gloating right now.

However, how could Elder Daiyu be at ease knowing that he had not only died for nothing, his clan would too? He felt an endless regret, but there was nothing he could do… Even if Dyon did nothing, he would die a true death within a few days, and without him, the Daiyu were next to nothing even in this universe.

From the very beginning, Elder Daiyu had done nothing but act selfishly. Even if the all began because of his anger at the loss of his brothers, had he chosen to accept the fact the Dragon King was cleansed and done away with, none of this would have happened.

"Where's Jade." Dyon suddenly asked, pausing before he devoured Elder Daiyu's soul. Although devour could read memories, it required extra control and soul strength Dyon simply could not divert right now. So, he thought he was at least try his luck although it was unlikely that Elder Daiyu would answer in his current state of anger.

A bitter laugh inadvertently escaped Elder Daiyu. He sounded aggrieved and wronged, never thinking he would die in such a pitiful manner, but he answered anyway, purely because he knew the truth of the matter would leave Dyon at a loss.

"Even if I wanted to tell you, it would be impossible. Part of the soul contract she forced Lei'er to sign included erasing the memories of what she asked for. Even I don't know what we gave to her, nor do I know where she went."

Dyon's brows furrowed. It seemed like he wouldn't be able to deal with all of his problems at once today. He didn't know why, but Jade was the enemy that made him feel the most uncomfortable.

There was another reason Dyon didn't like the idea of Jade running around freely, though. The memory of Miss Everdeen was still fresh in Dyon's mind and he would never forget his promise to have all who harmed her in front of her tomb.

'You'd be wasting a good opportunity if you crudely absorbed his soul like this. Even though his daos are damaged, they were still once formed. Normally, it would be impossible to take advantage of something like this, but you're a special case. Use the Soul Tome.'

A sudden realization dawned on Dyon. A portion of the Soul Tome's function, aside from cleansing, almost worked like a seal. It was capable of taking things and inscribing them within its pages for future use. Also, by utilizing Dyon's array alchemy talent, within certain boundaries, it can convert those things directly into absorbable arrays which can be used to learn anything instantly.

Basically, while anyone would only be able to watch helplessly as those daos disappeared from the world, Dyon was likely the only person in existence with not one, but two methods of stopping that from happening. He could either use his seal or the soul tome!

However, using The Seal would require a constant strain on his stamina. In peak condition, this would be negligible to Dyon. But, right now? It was literally the difference between life or death.

Dyon's worry wasn't baseless. After all, he knew first hand the important of establishing your own dao heart. If he learned from the comprehension of others, wouldn't he be handicapping himself all while setting himself up for a massive backlash in the future? It all seemed counter intuitive.

'For one, there's weapons. Attaching a dao to a weapon is incredibly difficult, but it's also the main step in forging a legendary path piece of equipment. The dao supplies the energy so you don't have to.

'Secondly, all daos of the same vein originate from the same origin. Even if his path diverges from yours, utilizing his comprehension will still speed up yours as long as your one with heart is firm.

'And that leads to the third benefit. This is a very ancient and almost masochistic method, but it's one I believe suits you very much. You've seen how the strength of one's one with heart can be shattered by those with superior cultivation, right?'

Dyon looked off into the distance at the still chained hand and couldn't help but agree. They were still thousands, if not tens of thousands, of miles away, and yet Dyon always felt this formless pressure. He had always believed himself to be arrogant without bounds, and yet somehow this entity still made him feel like his will was nothing compared to its…

'Truth be told, the mere fact you can stand here without falling to your knees is already a testament to either your stupidity or arrogance. But, I have to say I like your attitude regardless. So, I'll teach you something.'

A look of interest surfaced on Dyon's features. He knew that the Dragon King had many legacies within it. In fact, it might reach into the millions considering how many life times it had gone through by taking over bodies.

'Impossible. You don't have any dragon blood within you. Your demon sage was so arrogant that he never mixed his blood with anything else than his own. Do you understand now why that thing said your arrogance is fake? It doesn't run deeply enough to compare to the man you're succeeding, let alone me.'

Dyon could only shake his head at this. He was arrogant, but there were things he placed above his arrogance as well. If it meant saving the life of people he cared about, he wouldn't hesitate to bow down. What was pride in the face of the death of a loved one?

Maybe in other situations, others might be 'more' arrogant than he was. But in a situation where it meant the life and death of those he cherished, there wasn't a soul who could compare to him.

"You mean I can't body cultivate to that point?" Dyon asked this, but he already knew the answer. If the demon sage – a man known as maybe the greatest body cultivator to ever live – hadn't been able to, then it was likely impossible.

'Humans simply do not have the connection to the universe we do. Dragons exist to embody arrogance and sovereignty. This is what the universe birthed us to do. You would have to create new laws for yourself in order to use Dragon Soul without dragon blood.'

Dyon nodded in understanding. It wasn't all bad, maybe in the future he could find potent enough dragon essence… Although he highly doubted it. That said, he still had the Dragon King. For a hefty strain on his soul, he could use Dragon Soul as well by relying on it.

"So, what did you want to teach me?" Dyon turned his attention back to the topic at hand. He hadn't forgotten that Loki was still some distance behind him, nor had he given up thoughts on helping to end this war.

'It's an ancient technique that likely no longer exists in this world. If you want to stand on the pinnacle of the world with an unshakeable dao, this is the only way to do it.'

'It will be impossible for you to end up with a shattered dao. The power it would take to do something like that to you, should you master this technique, would be more than the universe would allow a single person to have.'

The first aspect of the technique was the sovereignty path. In order to reach perfection in Will of Heart, one needed to form nine daos utilizing this path. At the moment, Dyon had his music, weapon's master, demonic, and death wills that all followed this path, but they were far from becoming daos.

When Dyon heard this, even he couldn't help but break out into a cold sweat. This technique was essentially asking its wielders to purposefully cause their cultivation to deviate! What ridiculous requirements.

This was why the Dragon King wanted Dyon to take in Elder Daiyu's shattered dao. It was a rare opportunity to absorb weakened daos… This wasn't a privilege previous wielders of the technique had.

However, Dyon also finally understood why the Dragon King had such a technique. Only the embodiment of sovereignty would have such an overbearing technique. But, that didn't mean Dyon would jump into this blindly.

The backlash for the shattering of a one with heart that served as the basis for a supreme law was death. And yet this technique asked him to continuously try and break that foundation to build it up. It was a tall ask indeed.

Elder Daiyu was someone who could no longer handle even something as simple as a soul contract. The fact his soul had even last this long was a testament to his tenacity and grit. There was no doubt that having a damaged soul meant you were in constant pain, but he fought through it… Only to meet his end to a teenage boy he hadn't placed in his eyes just a few months ago.

There was no screaming, nor were there any last words of hatred. Maybe Elder Daiyu decided to maintain the last bit of his dignity and leave the world silently…

Saying that he regretted his actions would likely be an understatement. However, maybe not for the reasons many would think. Although Elder Daiyu made the wrong decisions time and time again, what he was most ashamed of was how he disregarded his moral compass again and again. He had tried to sacrifice the life of a 16 year old boy, how could that sit well with any sane elder?

Dyon's parents would never returns to this world because they had no souls of their own. There was nothing anchoring them to this world and nothing for the universe to remember them by. Elder Daiyu and his allies had used the lives of his parents and people like they were mere tools to be discarded and never used again.

However, isn't this exactly what devour accomplishes? A technique capable of shattering daos and crippling souls… A technique capable of erasing an entire person from existence.

The end of Elder Daiyu's life was uneventful and was a hallmark in history no one would remember. Such was the cruelty of the martial world… Preying on the weak and snatching away what was never yours was the only way to survive…

Dyon's hand flashed as an ancient tome appeared. His mind stretched over Elder Daiyu's corpse, using the hints of the Dragon King to finally find the source of light he was speaking about.

Magnificent daos appeared in the air. Although they were clear cracked and broken in many places, unable to show their true power, Dyon could still feel a certain majesty that made the wills and intents within him ache for improvement. They too wanted to reach their own perfect state!

There weren't an infinite amount, only about three from what Dyon could tell. That said, because of their shattered states, it was difficult to tell. It would take time to decipher them, and even more to absorb them without dying… But, if it was just pain, Dyon would do anything for strength.

As the shattered daos slowly inscribed themselves into Dyon's soul tome and the Tree of Life and Death bloomed in the skies, prepared to replenish Dyon's body, Dyon couldn't help but muse about something that would become of utmost importance in the future…

After the shattered daos were absorbed into the ancient tome, the fourth page was no longer blank. Although the Dragon King had explained how the Will of Heart worked, Dyon simply didn't have time to do anything about it now. He would have to save them for later.

Outside of the Belmont Holy Land cave, the battle was still raging onward. But, in the center of it all, Chenglei, who was being heavily protected by Daiyu clan members, suddenly felt a sense of loss. However, it wouldn't be until much later that he understood just why…

After absorbing Elder Daiyu's soul, because Dyon made no attempt at scanning his memories, he was able to replenish his soul to the best of his abilities.

From the very beginning, Dyon understood that only the best of soul techniques could manifest physical forms. It required either outstanding soul talent, or an outstanding technique in and of itself. So, when Dyon saw that his Tree of Life and Death was more illusory than real, he could help but grit his teeth before sighing. He had no idea if he'd be able to absorb any essence from Elder Daiyu like this.

The Tree of Life and Death was quite frankly useless in this form. Its corporeal form wasn't just about piercing things, it quite literally represented its power.

It seemed that Dyon was too naïve in believing he could take advantage of this situation like this. He had been lucky to even be capable of using devour.

However, he could understand. Devour required his soul, yes, but there were no requirements for it to be complete in order to be used. But, Manifestations were different.

Manifestations were quite literally meant to be a projection of your soul. In learning the Acacia family technique, Dyon had to body cultivate to cause changes to his bloodline, that would then affect his soul directly. So, how could an incomplete soul project something complete? It was impossible…

Loki seemed to have sensed this and started laughing uproariously. "Just 4 more minutes. What could you possibly do with that sham of a manifestation. You should just be lucky that you haven't dropped dead yet!"

Even as Loki finish his words, Dyon's broke out into a cold sweat as an intense pain tore through his chest. He coughed violently, unable to stop the torrent of sweet blood from flying from his mouth.

In a way, Loki was right. Anyone else would have long since collapsed from burning their soul. Zabia had only managed to remain conscious for ten minutes before Dyon was forced to save him, and yet Dyon had managed to hang on, on his own for hours – even with Loki's torture!

Relying on the Dragon King was a fool's errand. Although it didn't particularly matter whether Loki was ready or not – because the Dragon King would win anyway – the problem was that if the Dragon King was the one to subdue Loki, Dyon would lose all control of him. Dyon wasn't so naïve as to believe that the Dragon King was some benevolent being. The only reason why he helped Dyon in his weapon form was because he was bound by the laws the universe set for weapons. This was the price he paid for leaving a part of himself in this plane.

As for Dyon's puppet, that was even more impossible. Elder Daiyu, before his death, had completely destroyed the arrays that kept Dyon's puppet together. Although the material could still be reused in the future, what made the puppet itself tick was completely gone. If it wasn't, Dyon wouldn't have even had to connect his soul to it in order to kill Loki because the puppet would have had peak saint cultivation even with being controlled.

The only other chance Loki could think of Dyon having would be force feed him some sort of poison, or to unlock some seals on his odd weapon. But, after seeing the toll unlocking those seals put on him at peak condition, how could Dyon handle it in his current state? As for poison, after being tortured for so many years in Ragnor clan territory, how could any normal poison effect him anymore? Not to mention the fact that carrying around poison capable of ending a peak saint's life was rare in and of itself.

For all of these reasons, Loki no longer bothered with Dyon, instead choosing to focus on his own recovery. At the moment, the only thing that stopped him from moving was the dangerous levels his soul had reached. He quite literally felt like his life was hanging on by a thin string.

If he didn't properly replenish his soul, his life could slip away at any moment. Thus, he had no choice but to take his time and soul cultivate, something he rarely did considering most of his power was based in his energy cultivation.

Unfortunately for Loki and many others like him, soul cultivation was a task that was exceedingly difficult, painful and slow. So, when he said he needed ten minutes to stabilize himself and stand, he was no exaggerating a single bit.

However, none of that mattered. All Loki could think about was how he could keep Dyon alive for the longest period of time so he could feel his body being ripped apart.

King Patia-Neva, having reclaimed his title and much of his power, stormed through the skies, careening through Earth's atmosphere with rings of fire blazing around him.

Although he didn't have King Acacia's True Empathy, he didn't need it to be able to tell something ominous was going on. The amount of blood lust he felt chilled him to his very bones, and he couldn't help but worry. His love and his daughter were in the arena now as far as he knew, and yet all he saw was a bloody massacre.

Red crystal humans that looked oddly beautiful as the reflected the heavily falling rain were actually death sentences for anyone who even thought of admiring them! A simple touch to a weak warrior would mean their blood essence being forcefully sapped. Patia-Neva watched in horror as countless allies fell, turning into skeletons as they were devoured from the inside out.

The screams of elves and Pakals alike filled the stadium. The red crystals may have looked beautiful, but they were drenched in the scent of death and blood so thick that even a celestial would feel their stomach upturn.

The gazes of the ten Ipsum clan elders snapped up into the sky when they sensed a powerful aura sweeping over the stadium. They were much too fatigued to do much of anything else, but they had no choice but to alert Saeclums. At this point, they no longer needed the formation to sustain this damage, this plague would spread without their support anymore – it had absorbed enough blood essence to sustain itself for a long while. However, they still couldn't afford to lose the formation either. Because if they did, they would have no way of harnessing the power the red crystals absorbed at the end of all of this.

Patia-Neva finally acted. He knew he couldn't risk attempting to cleanse whatever this was, because that would likely lead to more deaths. He could sense that he wouldn't be the first to attempt this cleanse, and although he would be the most powerful, he wasn't so conceited as to believe he could match the power output of thousands of combined elves. Although their cleansing ability was inferior to his, they made up for it with numbers.

In a flash, Patia-Neva appeared on the front line of the battle, drawing a line of ice that blasted away the enemy. The appearance of a celestial had drastically turned the tides, causing the Ragnors who had been shamelessly chasing their retreating allies to pause with fear in their eyes. Without a celestial on their side, how could they match up to Patia-Neva? It was a fool's errand!

"Run!" Patia-Neva roared. He could sense that even with his purity path, the red crystals were leeching the power that sustained his ice will. Even worse, he could feel an endless vitality coursing through the bombardment of crystals on the other side of his wall. He didn't have to think much to understand… He had seen this very technique used once before… When he had watched his clan be wiped out!

In the skies, King Belmont was continuously assaulted with blinding golden flames. Describing his state as sorry was an understatement, and the fact he was still alive only attested to his will to fulfill his duty as a King. He felt he had let everyone down… he should have been prepared for this, but he wasn't! And to think his own son…

"To have lived through this… I have to say, you're worthy of the title of King. I'm sure with the capabilities of your son, the Belmont name will be just fine, mm?"

King Belmont looked to the elves and Patriarch Pakal who were still fighting in the far distance. A pang of guilt assaulted his heart, but he knew he wouldn't be able to help them… This was likely where he would die… A fitting end for a useless king….

"No last words?" Seeing that King Belmont said nothing, King Aumen's fingers began to shine much more brilliantly than before. "I guess that's enough for now. I hope you raise a more filial son in your next life."

King Belmont could only watch as an overbearing heat swarm toward him. He could only sigh. Although he wanted to punish Lionel, he was his son after all. Could King Belmont really kill his own son as a traitor to his city?

However, the massive impact King Aumen expected never happened. In fact, the massive power of his attack seemed to have hit something soft and cushioned, making it completely unable to display its full power.

Just as King Aumen was going to act, a formless pressure descended onto the surroundings along with the clearing of his vision. When he saw what lay before him, his eyes couldn't help but widen.

There stood a couple, a match made in heaven. The woman was a beauty beyond reams who held a small white fox in her arms, but the man had an aura so stifling and domineering that King Aumen involuntarily took a step back.

An unsightly expression overtook King Aumen's arrogance. He could feel a pressure coming from these two that couldn't be matched up to anything he had felt before. They even surpassed the pressure Loki placed on him!

If King Aumen knew that this entire time, Loki was nothing but a peak saint, he might have shed real tears at this moment. That said, he didn't need to feel too aggrieved about the matter. Because of Loki's magic specialty, his illusions were nearly unmatched to the point where he may be able to fool even weak dao formation experts who weren't alert to his abilities. Since this was the case, how could King Aumen be any different?

"Little Belmont, I'm disappointed. Losing to inferior flames isn't like you at all." Nora lightly chastised, stroking the fur of the white fox in her arms.

"This…" King Belmont could only smile bitterly. He had to fight three celestials single handedly before fighting King Aumen, anyone else would have considered that he did his best. However ….

"Secluded meditation for 10 years. I can tell you haven't made any strides forward in your rudimentary domain. It's been 17 years since we last met, wouldn't this make me a laughing stock?" Nora continued to reprimand King Belmont as though he was a child, unwilling to let him be.

During this entire time, the cold sweat on King Aumen's back only continued to grow. Who in this universe had the right to reprimand King Belmont? Much less call him Little Belmont?! Who were these people?!

What King Aumen didn't know was that King Belmont's next words would send off millions of tiny explosions in his mind, causing him to stare blankly and listlessly…

"Yes, master. Disciple is ashamed." King Belmont did his best kneel and kowtow despite his injuries. Now that his master was here, it didn't matter if his injuries were ten times worse.

"And don't think I didn't notice you calling me by my first name. Consider that an added 5 years of seclusion." Nora harrumphed, before turning back to her injured disciple.

It had been his very master that told him to pretend as though they were friends to hide their true relationship. He hadn't understood the command when it was first issued, but he had always obeyed his Master no matter what. So, him calling her by her first name, Nora, was something she had personally asked for! And yet he was being punished for it.

However, despite her words, Nora lovingly kneeled before King Belmont and place her small and delicate palms over his bloodied wound without a care for her own cleanliness. In an instant, King Belmont was washed over with a feeling so pure that he nearly fell asleep in the skies.

"Congratulations master!" King Belmont couldn't help but say. Although Nora's array alchemy was far too advanced for him to put an accurate estimation on, he could tell that his master had vastly improved. But, what was more was the fact she had been gone for less than two decades!

To some, a master expecting improvement in 17 years would seem reasonable. But, one has to remember that the higher your comprehension and cultivation rise, the more even a single step becomes as difficult as climbing a mountain. So, the fact Nora could improve so drastically in just 17 years, despite having already been a monster before, was a testament to the fact she was an even more monstrous talent!

Nora smiled lightly, causing the world to seem as though it had frozen in time. She was such an otherworldly beauty that her even her slight movements could cause such a thing. However, King Belmont didn't dare to have such thoughts about his master. Not only would she see through such lewd thoughts in an instant with her intuition, her husband was an even scarier character…

In what seemed like an instant, the flames that had be rampaging through King Belmont were snuffed out by a gentle will and golden flames. If Dyon had been there, he would have been surprised to notice that it was celestial will! But, it was on a level of intent that he couldn't imagine… In fact, if Dyon was knowledgeable enough, he would have known that it wasn't on the level of an intent at all…

Nora's husband, Amell, scanned the situation calmly. His golden eyes seemed to pierce through everything and the feeling he gave King Aumen caused him to fall to a knee, unwilling to look up.

By now, how could he not understand what was happening? What he didn't understand was just how such powerful experts could ever be a part of this universe. What were they doing here? And the fact that such experts would take a disciple from here? Nothing was making any sense.

Everyone was aware that King Belmont was fairly young, to the point where he had yet to name a true crown prince. Many thought it was because of this that he never showed any ambition to become a King God Clan. With so much time ahead of him, he was just biding it well, ensuring that he had the largest chance for success.

That said, King Belmont wasn't so young that he was worthy of being a disciple for such otherworldly beings… Right? He was only young for his cultivation by the standards set in this universe. After seeing what other universes had to offer, King Aumen had long since started to see his own as pathetic.

King Belmont's face twitched as he heard this. But, Nora, having long since become used to her husband's personality, only giggled lightly, before continuing to heal her disciple.

"I really can't trust those little gremlins to run anything when I'm not around. Do they think money grows on trees? Who can even eat this much food in such a short time?!"

The more Amell scanned over the information, the more irate he became. This supposedly calm and otherworldly expert had completely disappeared, replaced by a business tycoon who felt wronged.

He didn't understand what was happening, the amount of food, even from the very beginning was much too much. Being aware of this universe and the landscape of its experts, there shouldn't be anyone who can eat this much without exploding. It wasn't that he didn't consider the fact the meals were feeding multiple people, it was more so that he had information on how often the meals ordered were eaten in a single sitting! When he corrected with that information, the amount of food that individual ate was off the charts! Even if he had 50 people with him at that time, it would have been too much.

"It seems greed has met glutton." Nora said with a knowing voice, not hiding her sin nickname for her husband. "However, if this person really eats as much as your calculations show, it seems we've overlooked a worthy talent. He or she should be of great help to our plans, no?"

A sudden realization hit the two of them as those words were spoken. They had done a clean sweep of the planet, looking for any and all worthy talent before they left, 17 years ago. And yet, they hadn't found anyone who would be capable of such a thing.

It may sound silly that such experts were putting such importance into a person who they only knew had ridiculous eating ability, however, one has to understand that often times, eating capacity reflected strength! The stronger you were, the more energy you spent, and thus the more you needed to eat.

Not only was this person definitely a talent worth nurturing, they had somehow been capable of stealing from Amell! This meant only one of two things, either he had defeated one of Amell's disciples and taken their ownership abilities. Or, this person's array alchemy had reached such an outstanding level that the arrays meant to protect Amell's assets meant completely nothing to them!

The shocking part about all of this was that Amell's youngest disciple was already over 20. And yet this person was without a doubt below the age of 17! To be able to beat a talent chosen by Amell, at an age younger than them… This talent… Amell almost forgot he was angry thinking about the truths of the matter.

Amell shook his head, "Even if he was like you and had an innate aurora, even if he trained from the moment he was birthed he wouldn't be able to circumvent Heaven's Wine's arrays. Although it was I, and not you who built the arrays, and I may be far less talented than you in that aspect, I don't think a child would already have the capability of ignoring me."

Even Amell and Nora had to abandon the idea. Even if that person somehow had an innate aurora, less than 17 years to reach such mastery was unheard of. And that was even if they were born the instant Amell and Nora left, and trained from that moment to now.

What was more, the first incident of this stealing occurred more than two years ago, which mean at the time, that person would have been 15 at the most – likely even younger based on simply probability. How could someone that young do such a thing?

Maybe if Dyon was in better condition, he would be sneezing at so many mentions of him. The truth was that Dyon's array alchemy hadn't been good enough to circumvent Amell's fail safes back then. He had been able to reach the top floor, yes. But, that was completely different from 'hacking' into the restaurant's arrays and forcefully making it bring you food.

However, what Amell and Nora didn't know was that the only reason Dyon hadn't been able to at that time was because up to that point, he had only studied array alchemy for less than three months!

In addition, the only reason Dyon didn't forcefully order food for himself now was because he had no reason to. Why would he when he had Iaachus' array plate?

Amell didn't have any objections. After all, his wife's soul talent far surpassed his own. She was among the very few whose soul was capable of keeping up with her energy cultivation. In fact, if it wasn't because she was so careful, her soul would have even surpassed her cultivation.

Nora rarely took disciples. King Belmont was currently her only one and that was because he showed exceptional talent in control, something Nora had always excelled in. After all, King Belmont did was no other Belmont had ever been able to do in fusing their red and blue flames into violet under his own merit. This was all done under Nora's guidance.

King Aumen trembled, facing the gazes of the three of them. Even if it was just a fully healthy King Belmont he would have felt apprehensive. It was because of this reason he had waited until after King Belmont was tired to step in. But now, he had to deal with a healthy Belmont and two experts whose cultivations he had no way of seeing through? He was doomed.

King Belmont, having already expected this, nodded. But, the problem was far more than just about his individual struggle with King Aumen. He had a whole planet to defend, he couldn't afford to waste time here!

Turning his gaze to the fiery haired King Aumen, King Belmont's eyes narrowed. "Piss off back to your planet and take all of your people with you, or else I'll kill you where you stand."

This was the only way. King Belmont had to weaken the opposition's resistance, or else things would get bad even more quickly. He could already tell that this situation on the Earth was getting out of hand.

This was especially so for Nora and Amell. With their senses, how could they not sense the dense blood and killing intent coming from the surface of the planet that rotated slowly in the distance?

King Aumen was startled by this, thinking that King Belmont would do any and everything to kill him and seek revenge. But, it seemed he put the safety of his people first.

A part of King Aumen wanted to say that King Belmont was scared, but he didn't dare to. Whether his master would really not intervene was up in the air. And, even if by some miracle King Aumen won and killed her disciple, what was stopping her from retaliating? Absolutely nothing.

As such, King Aumen no longer hesitated. He sounded an order for retreat among his most esteemed elders and blasted off into the distance as quickly as his cultivation would allow.

With Nora and Amell's senses, they had heard what King Aumen said about King Belmont's son while they were still miles away. After all, in the vacuum of space, the only sound that could be transmitted where those forced into existence by experts. That meant that in reality, it was easier to hear things at a greater distance.

"There are some things that even the strongest of people can't control…" Nora's voice threatened to turn hoarse, but she controlled her emotions. However, in the end she couldn't help but think of the sacrifices her and her husband had made. She had no right to judge King Belmont… At least he was there for his children…

Dyon breathed raggedly as he tried to catch his breath. He had only forcefully manifested his soul for an instant before it collapsed, and yet he felt as though he had just run a marathon.

His chest ached to the extreme, completely dwarfing the pain his charred body was sending to his senses. He even felt as though his mind would collapse at any moment. Almost all of the benefits he had received from absorbing Elder Daiyu's injured soul disappeared in an instant, leaving him in an even worse position than he had been before.

He couldn't help but call himself an idiot. He had wanted to cure his body, but in the end, he had ended up injuring it even more. There was nothing he could do… He couldn't very well eat Elder Daiyu's corpse. Not only would that be ridiculously disgusting, Dyon wouldn't have the energy to refine the meat properly.

'So much fighting…' Dyon thought as his eyes threatened to close. He had done the impossible, time and time again, and yet fate seemed to throw him to worse and worse situations. For an instant, Dyon wondered what it would be like to be oblivious of all of this… To not have to have his life on the line everyday… To live a life of peace…

It was these people who constantly sought to make his life miserable. It was these people that treated him like a tool to be sacrificed at their leisure. It was these who tested his limits, time and time again.

"Go on, vent out the last of your frustrations. In less than two minutes, it'll all mean nothing! I'll slowly kill you with my own two hands! I'll make sure you live hundreds of years just so you can be tortured for every day and night!"

Before Loki could sneer, Dyon took out The Soul Tome. On its 5th page, shun its new addition – Elder Daiyu's corpse. However, that wasn't what Dyon's hopes were hinged on.

However, its third page housed something that Dyon hadn't known was able to enter its pages until his grand teacher told him all those month ago – Death!

Dyon roared with the last bit of his soul strength, manifesting the death qi that had once been under Lotus Tower and pushing it out from The Soul Tome's pages.

He hadn't felt regret when he forced the Saeclums to give up their lives to divine the future for him. He hadn't felt guilty when he forced the Ipsums to undergo untold pain to refine their aritificial will. He hadn't felt any emotions when he constantly experimented on Tammy, even as he listened to her scream until she could no longer make a sound…

But as every disgusting and vile person in existence had ever existed, when Loki saw that it was his own life in the palm of another's hands… He collapsed into a miserable mess…

However, in those final moments, the Dragon King did something that should have been impossible… In the end, the 6th page of The Soul Tome was filled, unbeknownst to a sixteen-year-old teenage boy who had given his everything in this fight to honor the last words of his master…

Dyon's body lay completely unconscious, a single arm hanging limply from the side of a crater so deep that the bottom was impossible to make out. It was a miracle that he hadn't fallen in. With a depth so astronomical, if he wasn't conscious to fly out, his body would be turned to paste.

Unfortunately, Dyon's last attack had taken everything he had left. To seal things within the soul tome was easy as long as they were lifeless. However, to manifest them back into their true form took power Dyon simply hadn't had.

From the very beginning, Dyon knew that the death qi he had sealed within the soul tome would be his final trump card. In a situation like this, where others saw despair, he had tossed all thoughts of loss out of his mind and only focused on paths to victory. However, Dyon also knew that an attack that didn't land would be useless. Because the death qi within the soul tome wouldn't have any momentum of its own, for experts on Elder Daiyu and Loki's level, dodging it would have been a simple matter. Even worse, after killing Elder Daiyu, Dyon knew he simply didn't have the soul strength left to bring the death qi out…

This was why he had dragged himself over to Elder Daiyu's corpse, to pull away the last sliver of soul strength that lingered on within him. It had crossed his mind to take the soul strength from Loki, but with him fighting, and Dyon currently being so weak, it would have been a fool's errand.

Because Dyon knew manifesting the death qi would have taken the last of his strength, even after absorbing Elder Daiyu's soul, he had chosen to attempt to heal his body first, hoping that he would have enough in him to complete both tasks. But, unfortunately, he had underestimated the strength needed to use the ancient Elvin techniques… Quite simply put, Dyon had been spoiled by his overwhelming soul talent. It was difficult for him to put in perspective just the level of strain normal individuals would be under until he, himself, was in dire straits.

In the end, Dyon had no choice. With the last of his soul strength dissipating, he had to forcefully push past his limits… The consequences of such a thing were untold and likely more severe than usual considering his burning soul.

Now, Dyon had completely collapsed. His body lay naked – as it had been since Loki's endless torture – with the only interruption in dense black and charred skinned being the cracked of red and dried blood that covered him. His soul was dormant, a faint whisper of gold with only endless darkness as its protection. And his meridians… damaged beyond belief and dry, not even the smallest drop of energy remaining…

However, in that instant, just as the faint embers of Dyon's soul were about to give out, the cracking of a barrier resounded through the now quiet Belmont inner world.

The world trembled, almost unable to maintain itself under the shift in energy. The artificial skies shook violently, sending furious earth quakes throughout the Belmont Holy Land.

Dyon knew from the very beginning, that the amount of meridians you filled with energy during a break through often dictated your potential. Under normal circumstances, Dyon would likely not fill even a single one. His energy cultivation talent was simply too poor – he didn't deserve the universe's blessings. But, this time was different.

A faint and densely black aura emanated from the black wrist band that clung to Dyon's dangling arm. Its eerie and domineering presence completely overshadowing the deep abyss it hung above.

The moment that Dyon had first felt a real connection to the Dragon King, was the moment his senses were opened up in a way he couldn't fathom. All this time he had fumbled his way through dealing with the energies of the universe, completely unable to make full use of them. This had even affected the speed of the soul cultivation. After all, after sheering your soul apart, it was these energies you must rely on to grow your soul even stronger! If it wasn't for Dyon's overwhelming instincts when it came to soul related matters, who knows if he would have ever made any progress!

But now… The Dragon King's devastating talent had become Dyon's. The energies of the universe were irresistibly attracting to Dyon's unconscious body, constantly stimulating and extending what seemed to be his last breaths.

Even as Dyon's first meridian filled to the brim, overflowing with endless energy before pooling into the second… Dyon's soul benefitted in no way… If anything, the endless abyss that surrounded it got larger, threatening to snuff out the weakly flicker light.

At this point, it could be said that Dyon was destined to become a first-grade essence gathering expert. With the scant energy in this universe, even filled two meridians would name you an unmatched genius. After all, in order to accomplish this feat, you were essentially beaconing the energy of the universe toward you – something that was much harder, the less of it there was. The process of a break through was a time where the universe would cultivate for you! Why would the universe waste its time on useless talents?

Dyon had now reached legendary status… It was a well known fact that no matter how much the universe loved a talent, it would only ever cultivate to the peak of first stage for them. However, the rarity of such a thing could hardly be put into words! This was much more common in ancient times, when the energy of the universe was abundant and the restrictions were looser. But, for it to happen now?... Even among the trillions birthed through the universes, less than a few thousand could boast such a thing…

Dyon's energy cultivation sky rocketed to the peak of the first stage in a single leap. The universe groaned in agitation, wanting to help Dyon more, but its own laws seemed to reprimand it, giving it no choice but to recede, almost bowing down in apology.

The flood of pure energy had slowly healed Dyon body. His unsightly and sickly looking flesh flaked off as new and soft skin took its place. The wounds on his body slowly closed, chipping away the dried blood as though it disdained to be associated with it.

Dyon's soul continued to flicker weakly, but his body was slowly returning to its peak condition, removing even more of his flaws and enhancing his features.

His bones mended, and organs repaired themselves. In the end, Dyon breathing, although still heavily labored due to his soul, became slightly more relaxed. His muscles healthily rippled, bursting with newfound vitality that matched its sainthood level strength.

He grew in height once again. Because he wasn't conscious to supress it, Dyon's body grew past 2 meters tall, before filling in his larger frame with lean muscles covered in veins that pumped with endless life.

However, this was all akin to trying to cover the scent of dense garbage with a few puffs of perfume… Dyon's body had once again reached peak condition, his soul was mere seconds from disappearing…

Dyon had long since known of the restrictions that would be placed on him upon breaking through into the essence gathering realm. He would no longer be able to use his wills, and his soul would be locked away, leaving him with only his bodily strength to rely on.

In any other situation, this would have been completely devastating. Restricting a martial artist to be unable to utilize wills was like cutting off the hands of pianist and forcing them to play with just their big toes.

Because of his wills, even when Dyon had no energy cultivation, and pitiful body and soul cultivation, he had still been able to defeat meridian formation experts! This was enough to express the importance of wills to a fighter's overall prowess.

If you also take into consideration how heavily Dyon relied on his soul for fighting, the loss of this strength might have been even more devastating! He would no longer be able to use his awe inspiring arrays. It would be impossible to use the 33 heaven's weapons. And Dyon's opponents would no longer seem slow to him, because he would no longer have access to his 6 sense. Although this was an ability granted by his innate aurora, and not his soul, how could an aurora function without the source meant to power it?

All of this sounds absolutely horrible. Especially when it's considered that Dyon, even with the Dragon King's help, would be in this state for 5 to 10 years! If Dyon's battle prowess was only cut down by half, that would be something to celebrate.

From the very beginning, Dyon had only sought out paths of survival. Since that was the case, why would he ever burn his soul without a plan for handling the situation in the aftermath? From the moment Dyon decided to burn his soul, he had already thought of using his essence gathering break through to seal his soul away!

He knew it was impossible to do use The Seal to do so, because utilizing the seal in such a way required soul power. Even when Dyon had hidden his soul away from Loki, it had been siphoning away his soul strength with each passing second. He could hardly hold on, waiting for Loki to take the Dragon King's weapon from him.

That was when Dyon thought of another possibility. It was a gamble, which was why Dyon didn't burn his soul from the very beginning. He wanted to see if it would be possible to beat Elder Daiyu and Loki without burning his soul. But, in the end, that clearly became impossible. If he didn't go all out, he would lose!

In hindsight, Dyon should have used his soul burning to immediately utilize the death qi within the soul tome, but he had been unwilling to do so. The fact of the matter was that that was his plan originally, until he saw that breaking the seals on the Dragon King's weapon could actually help him kill Elder Daiyu. However, he hadn't wanted to do so because of how rare death qi was in the universe. Dyon had originally stored the death qi in the soul tome to study. If it hadn't been for it, in all likelihood, even with the 6 months his grand teacher bought him, Dyon would have never managed to reach the one with heart level because he was simply too stubborn.

The death qi that was once in the soul tome was far above Dyon's death comprehension… Dyon didn't know if he would ever find a cultivation tool like that again, which was why he was reluctant to use it in such a way…

In the end, Loki had forced him to do it anyway. Although he had lost a valuable resource, he had maintained his life. Now that his soul had been sealed by the [Inner World: Sanctuary] cultivation technique, it would no longer dissipate.

However, there was a trade off for this as well. Dyon's soul was meant to be building his inner world along with his wills, this was why they were sealed. With his soul being so severely damaged, unless he took restoration pills, it was impossible to guess just how much longer that 5 to 10 year span would take.

In the air above the shambles that was once a glorious arena, Amell, Nora and King Belmont stood with Patriarch Pakal and their other allies not too far behind them. Although they were bloodied, they had survived, thankful that Amell and Nora were able to dispel their situations so easily.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the couple was unwilling to be too hands-on with this universe's affairs, and only forced their enemies to retreat. It was clear to all of them by this point that Amell and Nora didn't originate from this universe… If this universe had managed to raise such experts, not a single person wouldn't know their name!

"So this is it…" Amell said under his breath. With all of the information he and his wife had, how could he not know that the Ragnors had been developing such a weapon all this time? It seemed that they had even managed to find methods of protecting themselves as well.

Nora's eyes flashed with a golden like as her aurora flames burned, her gaze seemed to be able to pierce through and analyze everything. "If it continues like this, even the Ragnors won't be able to protect themselves soon. What a stupid clan."

Although Nora said this, she knew the truth of the matter. It wasn't that the Ragnors were stupid, it was that they didn't care about sacrificing their own if it meant advancing. They would simply learn from the experience and move on. This was how Loki treated his experimental subjects, and the rest of the Ragnors were no different.

However, she was very right about the fact the Ragnors' protection would soon be inadequate. With every purification method their allies used, the surviving red crystals would get stronger, modifying themselves and adapting. This artificial will was truly horrible!

Down below, Patia-Neva wall of ice was continually being bombarded with red crystals, some of it even began to use its sharp nature to climb, seeking to get over its obstacle. Coupled with the endless attacks of the Ragnors, and the situation was seemingly getting worse.

That said, Patia-Neva had fulfilled his goal. The elves and Pakals had long since retreated, in fact, for some odd reason, more elves had gathered to form a defensive line. What Patia-Neva hadn't been able to divert his attention to notice was that many of the enemy had retreated. In fact, all of Planet Naiad and Planet Deimos were gone, having been ushered away at the fastest possible speed by their leaders. Only the Clyte family had lagged behind because of the death of King Clyte, but after they noticed the Kami fleeing, they made the smart choice in leaving as well.

This didn't go unnoticed by the Ragnors and Cavositas, however. But, because of their fear of Loki, they didn't dare to leave, even if it meant their deaths.

A brilliant array appeared in the skies. It was a white so pure that a the heavens began playing a soft melody to accompany it. This was no normal array, it looked like its central formations were really celestial bodies manifesting in the sky, and it didn't match the color an array should have. By all rights, as an innate aurora wielder, Nora should draw golden arrays.

The Ipsums could only watch in horror as their red array shattered in its presence. It was as though it felt much too inferior to exist in the same plane as Nora's might, and it acted as such.

A comfortable feeling washed over the battle field. The allied forces even began to feel even their heaviest of injuries being healed simply by being washed over by the light!

Hours later, Dyon rolled in his sleep, trying to stretch out his limbs. But, when he suddenly felt his weight give way to nothingness, his eyes snapped open and he instinctively grabbed forward.

"I really can't catch a break…" Dyon could only shake his head. Did life ending events really have to be what startled him awake? Why could he just have his normal mortal world alarm clock?

Black flames flickered in Dyon's eyes as that last thought barely finished itself. The events of the past two days flooded into his mind, and he was suddenly strikingly aware that he had done nothing but fight for the past two days.

Lifting himself up, Dyon leaped from the edge of the abyss, looking over to see if he could see the bottom. He tried to stretch out his senses, but he immediately felt a feeling of loss. His soul was sealed…

Dyon sighed, looking down at his naked body. He didn't carry around clothes because he always had the ability to form them whenever he wanted. But now that his soul was sealed, did he really have to walk around naked?

"And why am I so tall now…" Dyon could tell that he was at least 6'6 now, it was an odd feeling. He had always supressed his height. As a martial artist, one had pristine control over their body and its changes. It was only in very rare God constitution level cases that one's body height was out of their control. That and beasts, of course.

However, since his current height was still well within normal human world limits, Dyon didn't mind too much. As long as he didn't shoot up to 5 meters tall, he'd be okay with it.

Dyon turned his gaze toward the exit. Luckily for him, he had already taken the body and energy kernels, or else he would have had no choice but to leave them here. After all, how could he use The Seal without his soul? Unfortunately, that also meant that until Dyon's soul was unsealed, he wouldn't be able to use the kernels either.

'It would be a shame to not be able to use the body cultivation kernels when all I can do for the next ten plus years is body cultivate…' If that really was the case, Dyon could only shake his head. There was nothing he could do. Maybe his grand teacher would be able to use The Seal in his stead.

On his way to the exit, Dyon stopped by his puppet, sighing as he saw its disfigured state. He picked up a decently sized piece and held it over his crotch before putting the rest in his spatial ring.

Dyon couldn't help but sigh in relief when he noticed the treasures bound to his soul still worked for him. If not, he would have to carry the puppet himself.

After that, Dyon walked toward the exit with a 1000kg piece of material acting as his loin cloth, oblivious to the fact that he hadn't yet faced his last celestial being…

It was impossible for those of lower cultivation to measure the power of those above them, but that didn't mean those people could tell the obvious differences… And something was telling them that this person was much stronger than the Loki they so feared.

In an instant, the rampaging red crystals began to shriek in agony. It was only at that point that a horrible realizing hit many who witnessed this… The essence of the red crystals trapped their families and friends within!

Tears of rage poured, filling the battlefield with a wretched atmosphere that was only made worse by the booming thunder clouds and heavily falling rain. Even to now, the effects of King Acacia cooling the atmosphere had not rescinded…

Although Nora was hit with a wave of guilt, there was nothing she could do. Stopping now would give the red crystals time to adjust and adapt, and, even if she did stop, there was no guarantee that their family and friends could be saved. Even with all of her and her husband's knowledge, they had no ways among themselves to solve this situation in any other way.

By this point, Patia-Neva had calmed, sighing a breath of relief that he wouldn't have to fight this battle alone. However, when he saw the little white fox that lay on Nora's shoulder, a wave of pain couldn't help but overwhelm him.

How could he not recognize Kawa? For her to be in her beast form, and only have a single tail at that, Patia-Neva could only imagine the hardships she had suffered. Deep inside, he still loved Kawa and although he would never again act on those feelings, he couldn't help but hurt seeing her in this state.

The Ragnors panicked, unwilling to be trapped with their own creations. They ran and stumbled, doing everything in their power to escape Patia-Neva's reaches.

In the end, the only escaped because Patia-Neva allowed it. After all, as a celestial, how could he not deal with a few thousand essence gatherers and saints?

With their source of power being cut off, the red crystals had indeed forgotten who their masters were, springing toward the fleeing Ragnors to try and survive, shrieking in pain all the while. However, that was when Patia-Neva's actions showed their true benefit.

Because of their weakened state, even slightly touching the purity path ice that Patia-Neva formed made them shrink back in anger, unwilling to deal with the searing pain.

Cries and pleas of mercy almost seemed human, losing their blood thirsty edge, but Nora and Patia-Neva could only continue, burying their feelings of pity deep within.

King Belmont stood silently, watching all of this unfold. Maybe saying that he had the most emotional investment in the situation would be going too far, but this was his kingdom. He felt a level of culpability for everything that had happened… In fact, he blamed himself for everything.

He was incompetent, and overly confident. And in the end, he had allowed the enemy who made likely made the worst and the worst possible, come from his very self.

How long had he known the nature of his own son? And yet, he ignored it, seeing his talent as something irreplaceable and naively believing that as his father, he could change everything.

But now, it was likely that a true genius was dead. He couldn't even bring himself to mention Dyon to his master and martial father… The guilt he felt was weighing much too heavily.

All this time, King Belmont wanted to believe that everyone's attentions were focused on finding the lost Epistemic Tower, but, it turned out that their goal all along was the Belmont Holy Land, to unleash a secret that the Belmonts were meant to have held onto with their very lives.

How could King Belmont not know by now that Elder Daiyu and Patriarch Ragnor had taken Dyon to the depth of the Belmont Holy Land? How could he not know that the only way to open those lands were with the fire and ice flames that were exclusive to his family? How could he not know that without his son's involvement, none of this would have happened so easily for the enemy?!

Everyone in their alliance had sacrificed so much. His master and her husband had not seen their child since their birth. Patia-Neva lost his entire clan seeking the power to help. Kawa and Edrym hadn't hesitated to go on mission after mission, even after Kawa was saved, knowing fully well with every mission they accepted, it would be another length of time away from their daughter…

All he had to do was protect this planet! That was it! He didn't make any sacrifices. He got to see his family whenever he wanted. He got to raise his children and he was treated like a king every day. Even Big Red had lost people precious to him. And what had King Belmont done?

In the aftermath, the Ragnors and Cavositas God Clans, and their affiliates, were tied down for the time being. It would be up to King Belmont to decide what should be done with them, but at this point, everyone understood that this affair was far from over.

The true culprits of this war were currently in the Belmont Holy Land, which was also shrouded by a top tier formation. Although Lionel had used a secret passage way to enter, that was nothing but an act put on by him to fool Ri, or attempt to fool Ri, not knowing that she had already seen through his act.

Amell glanced at his wife as they stood in the air. He couldn't help but frown when he saw her serious expression. For a formation to make someone as outstanding as his wife react like this, it was definitely no joke.

After the grandmaster level, array alchemy itself experiences a watershed wherein one becomes a true expert. Of course, the grandmaster level requires a saint level soul, and although it is a difficult level to reach, it isn't looked to with as much respect as upper levels. This is of course because the soul itself also reaches a watershed after surpassing sainthood.

When one crosses into the threshold of a celestial soul, the soul itself become capable of existing without the body. This isn't only due to the power now available to the soul, but because of the connection it now receives from the universe. The soul becomes blessed, thus being capable of relying on the universe itself to survive without utilizing the body as a proxy. This also acts as a first step toward truly becoming a transcendent being. This is also why the best universes and quadrants often see anyone under the celestial level as juniors, whereas true cultivation begins after stepping onto that path.

This is analogous with array alchemy as well. After the grandmaster level, one becomes truly acknowledge by the Guild Headquarters, and although they have long since stopped recognizing array alchemy as a single discipline, it warmly welcomes those who excel in formation or alchemy or weapon smithing, in addition to a whole host of array alchemy related professions.

After first stepping past the grandmaster level, one steps into the Comet ranks of array alchemy. This is split into 6 levels and corresponds with the first half of celestial cultivation, stages 1 through 6. Although the soul will continue to simply be stage 9 and stage 10, depending on the progression within those stages, they can correspond with energy cultivation rankings between celestial stage 1 and 6.

This means that one must have a stage 9 soul to draw comet rank arrays and have a stage 10 soul to draw moon rank arrays. The same is true of creating weapons. Transcendent weapons are named as such because they are named after transcendent celestial bodies. A transcendent weapon can be either of comet rank 1 through 6, or moon rank 1 through 6, depending on its quality.

The third step after, corresponding with a rank 11 soul, is the planet ranks. The fourth step after that would be the star ranks corresponding with a rank 12 soul.

The number of planet rank specialists number in the few thousands, despite the trillions of living beings there are. As for star rank specialists? Maybe only a handful exist in this plane, because to have a soul that powerful likely means you've already transcended!

All of this said, Nora's current problem wasn't her soul strength. As a dao formation expert who specialized in soul techniques, her soul had long since caught up with her cultivation, steadying itself at the lower 11th stage. The problem was that not everyone was Dyon. Array alchemy expertise usually lagged far behind soul strength…

The fact that Dyon could almost instantly climb to an array alchemy understanding that matched his new soul strength was a feat that would cause billions of array alchemy fanatics to go crazy with jealously. It simply wasn't normal.

At the moment, despite her innate aurora and a stage 11 soul, Nora could only don the robes of a rank 5 Comet formation expert. Her alchemy was slightly better, being at the rank 2 moon alchemy expert level, but that wasn't helpful here… Not when the formation before her was a rank 6 comet formation.

Even if it was a rank 5 comet formation, it would have already taken Nora some time to break. But, now that it was above her station, the time increased exponentially.

Nora shook her head as her eyes shone gold. If one paid attention, you could see the faint darkness of a vast universe behind her pupils as 5 comets danced around in beautiful patterns.

"With this type of illusory formation, unless you have the ability to obliterate it with a single strike, it would divert your power to strengthen itself." Nora explained.

Although this formation was a mere rank 6 comet formation, capable of being built by a celestial level soul, the reality wasn't so simple. Just because a formation was created by a certain level soul, didn't mean that level of energy cultivation could obliterate it. There were many other involved variables. For example, the length of time taken to create the formation, the number of layers it had, and also what power sources it utilized to sustain itself.

Although Amell and Nora were dao formation experts, this formation had far too many layers and time invested to be taken out so simply. As such, Amell could only sigh, in wait. In his mind, images of a child left behind ravaged his memories.

King Belmont and Big Red could only stand by and wait. Although King Belmont had tried to get Big Red to go and rest, as he was heavily injured, he insisted that it was his job as the king's guardian to stay by his side. But, this only made King Belmont feel even more guilt.

However, this group of elders were right to hurry. Although the situation within had reached a stalemate with the demon generals steadily gaining an advantage despite the numbers difference, no one knew how long they could last in such conditions…

Within the barrier, oblivious to the help that was trying to reach them, Madeleine and Ri sweated profusely as they held their delicate hands in each other's palms.

"It's okay to rest," A shy and gentle voice came from behind the two of them, clearly coming from Kaeda, "River and Ronica can handle the front line for a while. Plus, there are a few of us here that haven't switched in with them yet, we have plenty of fresh legs. Including Thatch now that they're gone." Kaeda smiled sweetly, diverting her soul strength into new master's wives.

Under the protection of numerous Daiyu, Chenglei's brow furrowed as he scanned the situation. The Daiyu after existing for so long of course had trump cards of their own, but to use it now? And only against 3000 experts? Wasn't that too much of a joke?

'If only I didn't leave my battle changpao in the supreme level ring…' Dyon sighed. But, it wasn't as though he was a woman, he didn't care about walking around naked at all.

These were only the trivial things on Dyon's mind, more than anything else, he was worried. Although he told his wives not to do anything reckless, how could he not know that Ri never had any intention of listening to him? That aside, he knew very well that Clara was likely feeling alone right now, and he wasn't there in her time of need.. again... He couldn't help but feel another pang of guilt.

Dyon crossed the boundary, stepping into the caved catacombs. Because his senses were significantly dulled, he couldn't feel the same spatial fluctuations he had when he walked here, but he knew they were there. Now more than ever, he was highly susceptible to being lost.

The Belmont catacombs ran underground through the whole Earth, the only exception being beneath the mortal realm. That portion of the earth had no energy, so there was no need for these tunnels.

Because of the accumulated and still growing gama energy, many legacy worlds had accumulated here. This was meant to be the prize to the top ten, but the world tournament was the furthest things from everyone's mind right now.

Within the catacombs, another group of people were making their way deeper. One was an elder, while the other two were two much younger and still tightly bound.

Lionel, having long since prepared for this, started to explain various things. They didn't need to be true, nor did they have to be unfalsifiable, they just needed to be believable for this moment, until the ancestor disappeared.

Every ancestor had a limit, but that limit was usually decided by how much energy they spent. Because of their heaven defying means, ancestors who were awakened could not replenish themselves and needed months of waiting time between summons if they were lucky enough to have more than a single summon.

It was impossible for the energy requirement to be avoided because every moment an ancestor spent in a plane they didn't belong required massive amounts of energy in and of itself. If Lionel's calculations were correct, this ancestor would last half an hour more at the most. This was why Lionel had purposefully asked to be teleported back into the catacombs instead of out of it.

Not only were the catacombs the safest place because of their spatial fluctuations, it also placed strain on an ancestor remaining in this plane, increasing the energy requirements.

The ancestor nodded as Lionel continued to explain, "So it's the world tournament… I was always against using our Belmont Holy Lands as a reward for such a thing. The rewards of the other planet couldn't hope to match us back then, and likely can't now either. We're giving up far more when we've sacrificed more than enough.

The ancestor shook his head, lamenting over the old times. He had always disliked when martial artists placed appearances over what was truly important. And now it had come to bite them back, leaving him to, ironically, be the one to have to clean up the mess.

Suddenly, the ancestor's senses sharpened as his expression grew serious. He felt a dangerous aura approaching, one filled with dense hatred and killing intent.

A cold sweat permeated through his back. He was fully aware that there was only one path, despite the complex tunnel system, from the entrance to the heart of the Belmont Holy Land… And the aura he felt now, was definitely coming from that direction. When the ancestor thought of just how fear inspiring the entity who was chained there was, his mind couldn't help but jump to the worst conclusion.

Out from the depths of darkness, walked a boy rippling with endless vitality as lean muscles flexed taut. His eyes raged with an anger so deep that the ancestor had no doubt that this was the aura he had felt… But he was washed over with endless shame in the next instant… This boy… He had no cultivation!

In the next moment, Evelyn and Lionel eyes landed on Dyon, following the ancestors. At first, there was surprise. How was he here? Shouldn't he be dead?...

"Ancestor, he's one of the invaders of our land. As you can clearly tell, he's not a Belmont, but you see the direction he came from. It's best we kill him without mercy." Lionel said calmly, as though he was doing nothing else but ordering a meal.

In any other situation, the ancestor would be apprehensive. A boy? Coming from that direction? Something wasn't adding up. But, when the shame he felt as an expert sprung through, overshadowing his reasoning, he couldn't help but take a mighty step forward, the flames of his anger flickering.

Facing Dyon's fierce expression, the Belmont ancestor couldn't help but feel displeased. He was a celestial level expert, and although he had less than 50% of his peak battle power, there was no doubt that he was still within that realm.

If Dyon knew the ancestor's thoughts, although he would hardly care, he'd have to acknowledge his grand teacher's words. There was something about him that made his presence easy to hate. Whether that be his unbridled arrogance, or something else, it was there.

Lionel, though, didn't know how to feel about Dyon's expression. Unlike his ancestor, he was well aware of what Dyon would have had to do to somehow escape to be here right now. And, although he looked perfectly healthy, the fact he was practically naked aside from the obsidian plate covering his lower regions meant that he had gone through something… And that something, he had somehow survived.

'He had to have used some sort of trick. Considering how many treasures he has, that's more than likely. But, such a ground-breaking treasure can't be used more than once, or else why would he have allowed himself to reach this point at all?' Lionel tried to comfort himself, using logic as his platform.

However, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think of the possibility of him being wrong. It was because he underestimated Dyon's treasures that he had ended up in this situation to begin with. Had Ri not had a treasure capable of holding 3000 living beings, Madeleine's faith seed would be his by now!

"Do we have an issue here?" Dyon suddenly spoke. Although his voice usually imperceptibly leaked a domineering music will in situations like this, he had to now remember he didn't have access to it anymore. However, that didn't stop his momentum from being stifling. The air around Dyon had shifted in such a way that it was completely unnecessary for him to have music will to assert his dominance.

"For what you did to my master, you deserve nothing more than a dog's death. Get on your knees!" Evelyn shrieked, having lost all rationality. The more she stared at Dyon's unperturbed attitude, the more she remembered how he looked down on her at the Earth Tower, how he had completely humiliated her.

Hearing Evelyn's words and the audacity she had in playing the victim, Dyon's gaze threatened to pierce through everything. Was this woman really asking him to repent to the woman who destroyed his home?

Before this, Dyon had no intention of doing anything to Evelyn. Although she had stolen a pill that rightfully belonged to Delia for her own selfish desires, that wasn't a crime that was worth a person's life and it wasn't something that Dyon would have bloodied his hands with. However, something had snapped within Dyon during the past two days. His master had done her best to cleanse it, but that nature was slowly prowling and growing within Dyon. His bestial desire to viciously protect his loved ones while slaughtering all those that even remotely encroached on his wellbeing was growing, and without his soul or wills to rein it in, it was unlikely that it would be dealt with any time soon.

Evelyn's words caught in her throat. In that instant, she forgot that her husband was right beside her. She forgot that there was a celestial there to protect them. All she felt was terror, a deep seeded fear for the young man in front of her.

A formless pressure laced with celestial energy covered the cave walls, snapping Evelyn out of her condition, causing her to grasp at her chest, breathing heavily along with her heaving snow-white breasts and hair.

"It seems the young have grown in arrogance since I've been away." The Belmont ancestor's jaw set. For Evelyn to forget about his presence, taken over by an overwhelming 'flight' extinct, was yet another slap to his face. How could she be scared of a child with no cultivation while he was right here?! He hadn't even used any wills yet!

The atmosphere froze over, solidifying in an instant. The three of them couldn't believe what they had just heard. Even in this situation, Dyon had the audacity to call their ancestor such a name? Was he truly not afraid of the Belmont ancestor?

There was no question who Dyon was talking to. He wasn't speaking to Evelyn. He wasn't speaking to Lionel. He was speaking to the Belmont family ancestor!

A stunned silence filled the cave, allowing Dyon's words to echo throughout, reverberating in their ears. No matter how arrogant a person was, there should be a limit, no? This was beginning to border on nonsensical.

However, Dyon's eyes didn't say that they were joking. As much as the three of them wanted to jump out and mock him, a dry and uncomfortable laugh was the only thing that managed to be squeezed out.

There was indeed a change between Dyon now, and two days ago. Maybe two days ago, uproarious laughter would have filled the catacombs of the Belmont Holy Land, but right now, there was a different air to Dyon.

When every martial artist was birthed, they were gifted a certain amount of blessings. This blessing was tied to all three forms of cultivation, culminating in the amount of good karma a warrior would have in their life time. This can affect everything from cultivation speed to ability to survive life and death situations.

These blessing are what incentivized ancestors to pause their reincarnation to serve their clans even in their death. That opportunity, for many people, was the best way to increase Heaven's Blessings, before carrying a small portion of that onto their next time.

Heaven's Chimes and Heaven's Light are both possible outcomes of achieving perfection in the face of hardships and trials placed by the universe. Of these two, Dyon is very familiar with the first, as it very often occurs when he practices array alchemy. These Heaven's blessings grace arrays with a boosted effectiveness, increasing their use even further.

Because Dyon's body and energy cultivation were sealed, despite have a culmination of soul talent, his Heaven's Blessings at birth were exceedingly weak. In fact, even if he had a culmination of talent given by body and energy cultivation, his Heaven's Blessings wouldn't be so exaggerated. This was because much of Heaven's Blessings at the beginning of life are converted into talent itself, it is only through life that it truly grows.

He just snatched the Heaven's Blessings of not only a peak saint, but also a dao formation expert! When Dyon killed Matriarch Niveus, it had been through a puppet, and thus it could not be accumulated to him. However, in killing both Elder Daiyu and Loki, both could be said to have died by his hands!

Loki was a man who not only had a faith seed, but was a master at killing those above him in cultivation as a result of this faith seed. His accumulated Heaven's Blessings were staggering!

This was simply not meant to happen. The idea of a meridian formation expert, now essence gatherer, killing a peak saint and a dao formation expert was unprecedented. The sheer rarity of such an event could hardly be put into words.

In normal circumstances, one would kill those in and around their cultivation level. This would result in marginal increases in Heaven's Blessings that would slowly progress along with your age and cultivation bracket. Essentially, in continuing like this, everyone of a set cultivation would usually have Heaven's Blessings of about the same amount.

However, this was where geniuses would make their names known. Killing those above your cultivation level would result in a much faster accumulation of blessings, putting you in a different category entirely.

No matter how domineeringly talented the Dragon King was in his life, one can hardly understand the sheer weight of filling 9 meridians when stepping into a new level of cultivation. The Dragon King was much too prideful to tell Dyon this, but even he, as an undisputedly top ten talent of Dragons to ever exist, had only filled 8!

With this perspective, one can fully understand just how heaven defying Dyon's blessings were at this point. Even the universe itself lamented not being able to help him more.

It caused his enemies to pause, unsure of what to do. And, whenever Dyon gained his access to wills again, not only would his one with heart become incomparably strong as compared to those of his cultivation level, with sovereign path would gain an edge of dominance capable of effecting even those above him in cultivation.

However, none of this could change just how embarrassed the Belmont Ancestor was of his actions. He had allowed a child to affect his mentality not once, but twice! How could he allow such a thing? It was a stain on himself as a martial artist!

"You…" The Belmont Ancestor dryly laughed, unable to muster a more mocking laughter. He was simply too restrained by his status as an ancestor to directly combat Dyon's presence with his own. How could a dead person beat a person of the living in such a thing?

"It seems you still don't understand your situation." Dyon's eyes sharpened. "Recognize the error of your ways within ten seconds, or else I'll ensure that your karma is forever tarnished."

"Yes, yes." The ancestor didn't hesitate to stand, not bothering to remove the dirt that accumulated onto his white robes, almost as a reminder to his foolishness.

"Silence! Don't speak unless spoken to." The Belmont Ancestor immediately spoke, cutting off Lionel entirely. "If it wasn't for the young lord's orders, I would have already killed you for trying to have my name tainted by attacking him."

The Belmont Ancestor carefully chose his words. Although he was well aware that if he chose to attack Dyon, Dyon would be the one to die, he didn't speak in absolutes, instead giving Dyon every bit of face possible.

Dyon's master had long told him that he had not two, but four primordial yins within him… Elvin Queen's Reign, Goddess' Disposition, Kukan's, and… Amethyst's!

From the moment the Belmont Ancestor appeared, Dyon had already calculated the perfect path to escaping the situation. Where others would see despair, he only saw victory.

The Daiyu seemed to be steadily losing momentum. The rain of javelins from the sky, the pincer attack from both sides, all coupled with the facts the Niveus God Sect members weren't very strong to begin with all culminated in a battle that seemed they were fated to lose.

Under the berating of the demon generals behind them, Ronica and River finally gave up their places as vanguard. How they had fought for more than a day without rest was beyond be the Daiyu, and they almost sighed in relief when they finally switched out… Only to find that the two warriors who replaced them were not only large and sweaty men instead of the vicious beauties they had to deal with, they were also just as strong!

This plummeted the morale of the Daiyu. All this time they had thought that the reason Ronica and River didn't take a break was because they couldn't afford to. They thought that as long as they got these two beauties to quit, the war would be won. They'd be able to storm into the cave and capture Ri and Madeleine, forcing the rest of the demon generals to surrender.

However, that didn't happen! The personal guard Dyon had chosen for his wives were much too strong. Even Kaeda, who was on the weaker side, was the best healer the demon generals had!

The only demon general that had made a single mistake during those days was Thatch, but even that mistake couldn't be considered to be his fault. How was he meant to deal with a celestial by himself? It was simply impossible.

Although he was trembling, he had done his best to hold his ground, and even now, he faced the dark tunnels, protecting their backs in case that celestial came back, even while knowing he was no match.

'Do I really have to do this for such a small matter? Weren't the Ragnors supposed to have won by now? What's going on?! And why isn't grandfather back yet?!'

Everything seemed to be falling apart, but Chenglei still didn't want to pull out what he had. If he did so, there would be no going back and the Daiyu would be forever crippled in the future.

Suddenly, Thatch froze. His ears twitched as he picked up the faint sounds of footsteps, and if he was correct, there were four pairs. But, that was one more than the amount that had left. Had they gone to get someone? Was that Celestial really coming back?

"Enemy!" Thatch shouted in a low but resounding voice. He knew he couldn't handle this alone, so he had no choice but to ask for help. The problem was fighting on one front as a small group was hard enough, how could they possibly fight on two?

Ronica and River immediately flashed forward. Unfortunately, because of the size of the tunnels, it didn't make sense for all three of them to fight side by side, so Ronica stood by Thatch while River began to emit a dense ice intent that coated the walls and snaked toward the enemy.

The brows of Ri and Madeleine furrowed. They had too much to worry about, and were fatigued beyond belief after pushing their souls so far. In the end, they had done all of this to ignore the fact they could no longer sense Dyon's soul, hoping to bury that feeling by pursuing something else, unwilling to believe he was dead even while all the evidence pointed in that direction.

However, the sight they saw in the next instant, threw them all into a pit of despair. The celestial had come back! He was the first to appear out of the darkness, his white robes providing a striking dichotomy that was easy to spot.

The atmosphere around the demon generals tensed. The two who manned the entrance, one of which was Thadius, had no choice but to focus on their task, unable to look back. In fact, because Ri and Madeleine had stopped using their weapon's hell formations, the pressure on the two of them had increased manifold.

"Go and kill the Daiyu with your remaining time. They've attacked your Holy Land, I think it's time a real Belmont do something about it." Dyon said simply, a small smile on his face.

Thatch didn't know how to feel. The very same celestial that had shaken him to his core was being ordered on a whim by Dyon… He couldn't help but raise Dyon's place in his heart. This man was truly one worthy of being followed. And right now? He held the air of not just a king, but of a supreme Emperor, unmatched by the heavens. One could almost forget the fact he had an obsidian plate covering his crotch.

Ri and Madeleine stared with their eyes glistening. They couldn't understand why they couldn't sense Dyon's soul even though he was right in front of them, but none of that mattered. He was here… He was safe.

They rushed forward, forcing Dyon to have no choice but to drop that plate he had been using to wrap his arms around both of their waists, causing Ronica and River to turn their heads and blush furiously. But, Ri and Madeleine didn't care… Not right now.

Dyon smiled genuinely for what seemed like the first time in forever. The darkness that was threatening to take over his heart was beat back just a bit, cowering in a corner.

Dyon silently held Ri and Madeleine in his arms. He knew well that there was an instant of time just a few hours ago that he had fallen into a pit of darkness so deep that he never had any intentions of climbing out. If it wasn't for his master, he didn't know if he'd ever be able to stand here with them again. He had intended to give up everything to exact revenge…

But luckily, he had managed to defy the odds. Something in Dyon was telling him that this was far from over. The day wouldn't be today, but some time in the future, these events would rear their ugly head again. Dyon would never forget the fact his master had said the entity allowed himself to be caught… He could never forget.

In fact, the entity hadn't reacted at all during Dyon's battle. He hadn't even attempted to stop Dyon from taking the body and energy kernels. It was as though he looked down in amusement as everything happened… As though it didn't matter what them as lesser beings did, he would win in the end regardless…

However, Dyon buried this for now. He wouldn't forget, no. In fact, Dyon's only goal now was to kill that entity with his own two hands. But, he wasn't strong enough. It took an entire universe's talent and energy to seal this one person. Even worse, this was no normal universe. It was lauded as the universe with the most potential ever assembled… And yet it took everything it had to imprison this entity. Knowing this, how could Dyon feel foolhardy enough to believe he was enough now?

He had to bury the feelings churning inside him. He had to let them fester in agitation, growing along with him, spurring on his improvement. Until one day he could turn that condescending laugh into cries of pain and mercy.

Ri and Madeleine seemed to have lost themselves in Dyon's embrace. They could tell that something had fundamentally changed about their husband. It was to the point where his presence was intoxicating, as though the universe revolved around him, and them with it.

They blushed slightly, only now realizing they were hugging a naked man in front of so many, but they still couldn't pull themselves away, unwilling to leave the comfort of his arms and his infatuating smell.

Outside, the battle was still raging, but a massive energy barrier had blocked the entrance of the cave. It seemed that ancestor wasn't willing to allow even the slightest chance of Dyon and Madeleine being attacked.

With the cave, Thatch had taken his role in watching Evelyn and Lionel again. There was nothing Dyon wanted to do more than to kill the both of them, but in his giving face to King Belmont, he decided to let things rest for now. However, if King Belmont's chosen punishment was too lenient, Dyon would not hesitate for a single moment to take matters into his own hands, even if it meant offending yet another celestial.

"Hey you two, what are you blushing for? Did I get more handsome?" Dyon lightly teased, allowing the black flames in his eyes to give way to his warm green-hazel pupils.

Lightly pushing his wives away, Dyon cupped their cheeks lovingly, staring intently as though he wanted to etch every perfect curve of their features into his mind.

Unfortunately, Dyon's explanation had the opposite effect of what he wanted. Madeleine and Ri both paled when they heard Dyon had to burn his soul. Although they knew before hand that it had to be something of that level that caused Dyon to feel as much pain as he did, speculating and actually knowing were two different things.

"Ah, it's not big deal." Dyon hurriedly explained, not wanting them to worry. Even without his soul, he could see how fatigued they were. It was just that he couldn't help heal them anymore…

Ri bit her lip, immediately understanding who Dyon was talking about. Although Madeleine had been forced into a recovery-like state for much of these events, Ri had been awake, and much of her time had been spent with Clara before she started to deal with all of this.

"I'm not sure. I had to leave her with Delia, Little Lula and Zaire because of the chaos out here." Ri rotated the ring that held them within on her slender finger.

Outside of the Belmont Holy Land, Nora's brows continuously furrowed more and more. The longer she spent analyzing the formation, the more problems she found.

"Nora, this isn't like you. Even if it's a rank 6 comet formation, it's not too far beyond your capabilities." Amell understood his wife better than anyone. It shouldn't take her this long to undo this formation.

"The situation… Has changed…" Nora said solemnly, a bitter expression on her face. "The center piece of this formation was set by the creator to be themselves. The creator him or herself is the final counter measure."

"The person who set this formation died. Normally that would be good news, but in this case, it's horrible. The worst kind of formation has been set now. Even if I was a rank 6 moon formation expert I would have trouble breaking through this now… Not only can we not go in, they can't come out!"

© Copyright Reaper of the Martial World - Awespec - Ongoing 401 To 600 Размещен: 09/04/2020, изменен: 09/04/2020. 1822k. Статистика. Стихотворение: Foreign+Translat Other Иллюстрации/приложения: 1 шт. Скачать FB2		Ваша оценка:

Reaper of the Martial World - Awespec - Ongoing 401 To 600 Reaper of the Martial World - Awespec - Ongoing 401 To 600

Reaper of the Martial World - Awespec - Ongoing 401 To 600
Reaper of the Martial World - Awespec - Ongoing 401 To 600