Chapter 495 |
Congzhen looked at the corner fragment of the Heaven-Turning Seal and couldn’t help saying, “The Heaven-Turning Seal is Daoyuan Heavenly Sovereign’s life-bound immortal artifact—it carries his very soul essence. You actually managed to damage it…”
Adam casually tossed it into a sealing formation and asked flatly, “So what?”
“If the Heaven-Turning Seal is harmed, Daoyuan Heavenly Sovereign’s ascension will be severely affected! Therefore, you should—”
Adam interrupted her without mercy: “I find your attitude and way of thinking very strange. Do you really think you’re born superior? That whatever you demand or do is naturally justified? That everyone else must obey? When that so-called Daoyuan—your Ninth-Rank Immortal—demanded the Left Arm, he acted that way, and now you’re doing the same.”
He paused, then continued, “I want to know—what gives you that right? What gives you that courage?”
Congzhen’s face instantly darkened. She felt insulted, but recalling the terrifying power the two True Spirit Archmages had displayed earlier, she swallowed her retort and said stiffly, “Please reconsider—this is an irreconcilable enmity!”
“‘Irreconcilable’?” Adam echoed. Just as Congzhen opened her mouth, he continued calmly, “And so what?”
Congzhen turned pale and livid, slamming her hands on the table. “These things originally belong to the Immortals!”
Adam realized he and the woman before him were on completely different wavelengths—or perhaps, most Immortals were like this. Shaking his head, he no longer bothered with her and turned instead to ask, “Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign, I assume you would be more willing to answer my questions.”
The Vientiane Sphere automatically flew out from Congzhen’s soul, spinning in midair. The projection of the Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign’s will gradually expanded, covering a section of the fleet. He first bowed silently toward where the two True Spirit Archmages’ projections were, and after they returned the courtesy, he retracted his form and approached Adam.
Congzhen wanted to speak again, but Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign only cast her a brief glance before ignoring her.
“Daoyuan is the strongest beneath the Great Heavenly Sovereign,” he began. “Long ago, he reached the pinnacle of his Dao, and thus prepared to ascend—”
“To a higher-dimensional world?” Adam interjected.
“Yes,” the Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign confirmed.
“Do you have any successful precedents?”
He shook his head. “None. But Daoyuan is very confident.”
Reached the pinnacle? Adam frowned. Based on Daoyuan’s projection’s strength, his true body was, at best, a Ninth-Rank peak Immortal. In the Mage World, that was equivalent to a powerful True Spirit—rare, yes, but far from unique. Even True Spirit Archmages considered their pursuit of knowledge and energy endless. What made Daoyuan believe he had reached the ultimate limit?
Even in the Immortal Realm, there existed the Great Heavenly Sovereign, who surpassed Daoyuan. Yet even he hadn’t claimed the right to ascend—so what gave Daoyuan such confidence?
The Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign seemed to sense Adam’s thoughts and explained, “The path of the Great Heavenly Sovereign and Daoyuan are different. The Great Heavenly Sovereign follows the Heavenly Dao—balance. Daoyuan follows the Immortal Dao—transcendence.”
It had been Daoyuan who meddled with the Demon-Suppression Abyss, so the Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign bore him no goodwill and didn’t mind sharing details. “Daoyuan believes that the mortal world is a mire. Born from it, one’s being is inevitably tainted by filth. Therefore, one must endure calamities and tribulations to become a True Person. Once one achieves that, all external things become mere shackles.”
Adam frowned. “External things?”
The Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign smiled faintly but did not elaborate. Instead, he changed the subject: “Daoyuan is overconfident.”
Adam nodded slowly—so the Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign and Daoyuan were clearly not allies. “About the invitation for the True Spirits to witness his ascension?”
“You will receive a formal invitation in Xinyati,” he replied simply.
After saying this, the Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign vanished, taking Congzhen with him. He never once mentioned the ownership of the Heaven-Turning Seal fragment or the Left Arm of the True Demon.
When they were gone, Adam approached the two Archmages, handed the fragment back to Maxison, and said, “Something about this doesn’t sit right.”
Nehem nodded. “Indeed. Leaving aside whether ascension is possible, the process would inevitably involve tribulation according to Immortal evolution. Is he truly confident? Trying to intimidate us? Or plotting something deeper?”
Adam shared the concern but couldn’t decide. Matters involving True Spirits and the Immortal Realm were always delicate.
Maxison idly twirled the fragment between his fingers. The Left Arm of the Void Behemoth and the Demon-Suppression Abyss—both capable of converting demonic energy—were crucial to the Mage World. Understanding this process could dramatically reduce the dangers of red zones. But personally, what fascinated him more was the forging method contained within the fragment itself—Immortal artifact craftsmanship. He was itching to begin studying it.
“Laura is nearby, isn’t she?”
Nehem replied, “She should currently be monitoring the Immortal Realm.”
“Then with you, Randolph, Laura, and myself—four True Spirits in one place—what’s there to fear? Even if there’s some plot, Randolph’s always thorough. I bet he’s already set up contingencies. He could summon more True Spirits at any time.” Maxison looked entirely unconcerned.
And he wasn’t wrong. What kind of scheme could annihilate at least four True Spirits simultaneously? Adam couldn’t imagine. The Mage World’s development had long outstripped its early era. Even if the Immortal Realm brought out another Void Behemoth, they were confident they could at least escape.
Besides, if the Immortals really possessed a complete Void Behemoth, why had the Demon-Suppression Abyss and the severed arm held them back for so long?
After a while, Nehem said, “Let Randolph worry about this. For now, our task is to locate the remaining half of the Left Arm and transport the entire Demon-Suppression Abyss back to the Mage World.”
For the Legion, this was no longer a desperate battle—it was an overwhelming victory. The only issue was finding its location.
“Has Hundun awakened?”
Nehem nodded. “His soul has stabilized, though he’s fallen to the Seventh Rank. He should wake up soon.”
Maxison rose with a grin. “Leave it to me. I’ll find him a new body. I’m quite interested in the true intent behind the Left Arm’s schemes—and in the one who allowed it.”