Chapter 499 |
“. . . I don’t think he intends to use his ascension to intimidate us. The most likely explanation,” Adam said slowly, “is that our arrival has somehow interfered with his plans and calculations.”
Congzhen opened her mouth several times as if to speak, but this time she showed restraint and held her tongue.
Adam added, “Of course, this is only speculation on my part. But, Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign—do you truly know Daoyuan Heavenly Sovereign?”
“He’s only trying to disturb your state of mind.”
After Adam left, Congzhen spoke to the Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign. She didn’t believe a single word he’d said.
According to Adam, Daoyuan Heavenly Sovereign was a schemer, and the target of his schemes was likely none other than his own kind—the Great Heavenly Sovereign himself. Congzhen found such an idea laughable, nothing more than a Mage’s ploy to sow discord among the Immortals.
“We should—” she stopped abruptly. Though there were restrictions sealing the room, she still dared not utter words like attack the Mage World here. “We should return to the Immortal Realm immediately. I suspect they intend to harm Daoyuan Heavenly Sovereign.”
Vientiane sighed. Looking at her daughter, she felt a faint trace of disappointment—but she said nothing. Shaking her head, she quietly left the room.
Though the Vientiane Sect’s influence in the Immortal Realm was not as vast as that of the Daoyuan Sect, as a great sect possessing a Heavenly Sovereign, it too wielded tremendous power and a formidable intelligence network.
“Are we certain it was Fenghun?” she asked.
The aide shook his head. “We cannot be sure. But at that time, Fenghun Heavenly Sovereign was the most likely. After meeting him, Daoyuan Heavenly Sovereign continued to collect materials to restore the Heaven-Turning Seal, yet he suddenly went into seclusion earlier than expected.”
“What of the others?”
“No signs of abnormal activity. Our people couldn’t get too close. To obtain the news of Daoyuan Heavenly Sovereign’s early seclusion, we lost many of our planted spies within the Daoyuan Sect.”
Vientiane was silent for a long moment. The aide bowed his head deeply. Every great sect had spies from others within it—everyone knew that. Sometimes, sects would even intentionally expose certain agents for the sake of mutual observation. But this time, Vientiane’s sect had lost genuine high-level members. That broke the unspoken rules between Heavenly Sovereigns. He didn’t know why his own Sovereign would act this way, but he could already feel an ominous shift in the wind—perhaps the heavens of the Immortal Realm were about to change.
“Mobilize all remaining agents,” Vientiane finally ordered. “I want to know every move those people make in the coming days.” She paused, then added, recalling Adam’s words, “And I want to know exactly when Daoyuan gained the ability—and the desire—to ascend.”
The aide stiffened, bowed deeply. “As you command, Heavenly Sovereign.”
After he left, Vientiane gazed toward the center of Da Luo Heaven, her expression shadowed and unreadable.
———
Whether the Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign truly understood Daoyuan, none of the Mages knew—but they were certain of one thing: they did not understand him. And so, they did what they always did—prepare for the worst possible scenario.
Caution could be overdone, but it was still necessary before taking the next step. Under Xinyati’s command, the Mage World returned to its usual order—however, all Mage Legions stationed on the frontlines were placed under mandatory emergency readiness. Should they encounter any overwhelming enemy, they were to retreat immediately. If retreat proved impossible, the emergency mechanism would automatically activate, forcing the entire legion into assisted self-destruction.
Meanwhile, several Mages from the Third Holy Tower and other veteran Explorers secretly departed Xinyati to track down the movements of the new demonic armies.
Over the next five years, three more Mage Legions were completely annihilated. But thanks to earlier precautions, the overall losses were still within acceptable limits. The image data they transmitted back were eerily consistent.
The newly emerged demonic creatures were gathered along the only path leading Mages toward the Demon-Suppression Abyss. They neither attacked the trembling local guardian races nor assisted in the unsealing of the nearby True Demon’s body. Even when the local races tested them with small skirmishes, they merely defended and did not retaliate. Only when a Mage Legion approached did they erupt, launching suicidal assaults with terrifying coordination and resolve.
By this point, it was undeniable—they were being controlled, and their target was unmistakably the Mages.
In moments, the legions were plunged into fierce, organized battles. Mountains of intelligence data and countless top-priority distress calls flooded into Xinyati. The colossal war machine of the Mage World wound itself to full tension.
The command council made a crucial decision: all support and annexation campaigns in other planes would be halted. Every available force would be concentrated toward the Demon-Suppression Abysses.
Xinyati’s dimensional nexus was reinforced by multiple True Spirit Mages. Endless reinforcements poured from the Mage World to the frontlines, joining new legions and marching directly to war.
Randolph led the Second Holy Tower Legion toward the Right Arm.
Maxison commanded the Seventh Holy Tower Legion toward the Left Leg.
Nehem led the majority of Super Dimensional Mages toward the Right Leg.
Only Adam and a few others remained in Xinyati, overseeing intelligence coordination and strategic command.
At the same time, more True Spirit Mages were rushing to the Cataclysm Zone, anticipating sudden and unpredictable changes.
The Mages had now fully realized—the key to the Cataclysm War lay in Daoyuan Heavenly Sovereign’s Ascension. Every unanswered mystery would converge upon that single event.
Once the True Spirits departed, Xinyati came under complete military lockdown. Only Super Dimensional Mages were permitted to move freely. All other Mages were confined to their assigned bases, ready to deploy at any moment. The envoys from other races were expelled en masse, and the Immortals were placed under strict surveillance.
Time flowed swiftly.
Twenty years later, the following True Spirits arrived to reinforce the front:
- Hugo of the First Holy Tower,
- Wilde of the Fourth,
- Meyer and Andel of the Fifth,
- Ingrid of the Sixth.
Their arrival marked the beginning of the final phase of the war.
Together with Laura (hidden in the shadows) and the soon-to-arrive Prometheus, the Cataclysm Zone now gathered the power of ten True Spirit Mages—a force capable of handling any conceivable catastrophe.
If the Immortal Realm made no move, the Mages would sweep through the entire Cataclysm Zone with overwhelming might.
If the Immortals acted, the war would immediately shift its focus toward them.
Just as the three expeditionary True Spirits prepared to crush the demonic resistance, subjugate the guardian races, and seize the remaining three sealed limbs of the True Demon—two messages arrived simultaneously: one from Laura True Spirit, and one invitation from Vientiane Heavenly Sovereign.
“Three years hence, Daoyuan will ascend. The True Spirit Mages are cordially invited to attend.”
“The Immortal Realm has activated the Great Celestial Star Formation. Seven Level-9 Demons have erupted from the Demon-Suppression Abyss, all personally suppressed by Primordial Heavenly Sovereign. His power now borders on a pseudo–Level-10 lifeform...”