Chapter 506 |
The two fell silent at once. Everyone had imagined that when the Great Sovereign arrived, he might send word or come calling — but when the moment actually came, they were still surprised. No invitation, no envoy; he descended directly. What did that mean? A display of frankness? Or a flaunting of power?
“Finish what you must, then come to me.”
Nehem vanished from sight in an instant. Adam gathered his thoughts, joined the other senior Sanctum mages in keeping order on the starship, and readied himself for the worst-case emergencies that might spring up at any moment.
The ship radars showed no trace of the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, so Adam went to the viewing port and relied on sight alone. Beyond the magical protective layer he made out a tiny figure floating in the thick, boundless mist.
This was the first time the mages had seen the presence shrouded in that dense fog — the figure that might be the hidden mastermind behind the entire Cataclysm Zone.
It was not his true body, only a projection of will. In that instant Adam felt a strange impression, as if seeing Prometheus, yet on closer inspection there was a difference. Prometheus harmonized with the Aetheric Void but still possessed an existence above it; the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, by contrast, felt as if he were the Aetheric Void itself — his presence was low and diffuse.
But regardless of how faint his presence seemed, no one would dare to ignore or demean him — not even the True Spirit Mages.
Just as Nehem and the others were preparing to receive him with full ceremony, his gentle voice sounded in their ears: “Primordial greets the True Spirit Mages. Please, remain discreet.”
The phrasing had shifted; it was an act of goodwill and respect.
After dealing with a few affairs, Adam slipped into the meeting room. The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign inclined his head to Adam with a deliberate courtesy before continuing: “Perhaps to you mages ascension appears a mere spectacle, a farce, but I still ask that you do not stop it.”
Aisha’s personal chip had recorded the earlier exchange and she fed it to Adam. He stared, stunned. The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign had taken responsibility for everything — outright stating that the whole thing had been his scheme and his plan, with the mages standing entirely outside it.
Including Daoyuan’s plot, the anomaly in the Demon Suppression Abyss, and so on.
“What is going on?” Adam asked.
Aisha did not answer. She only tilted her head toward the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign.
He spoke with neither arrogance nor subservience, merely calm: “I beg the True Spirit Mages to watch and not stir the waters — neither to escalate nor to obstruct. After it is done, a satisfactory explanation will be given to you.”
“Satisfactory explanation” — Adam’s mind instantly recalled Wanxiang’s words as relayed by Congzhen. Wanxiang had sounded, at the time, like someone preparing to settle accounts after an affair. The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign sounded similarly like he was putting affairs in order.
And he seemed to be sheltering Daoyuan.
Wilde True Spirit of the Fourth Sanctum suddenly pointed outside. “That formation is meant to deal with us, isn’t it?”
The remark was tantamount to telling the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign: if Daoyuan moves against us, we will retaliate.
The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign said: “Do not worry. I can disclose the location of the Zhou Tian(Celestial Constellation) Star Array’s live gate and the method of its derivation.”
Adam already knew the Zhou Tian Star Array was the Immortal Realm’s top formation — its importance to an immortal equaled True Spirit knowledge’s importance to a mage. That the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign would reveal it to the mages felt almost like a last testament.
The True Spirit Mages fell silent for a moment, then Randolph said, “In that case we won’t actively stop it. But if he attacks us, we will not stand idle.”
The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign rose and bowed sincerely: “I know the mages’ strength. Each of you here is no weaker than Daoyuan or myself; the other Heavenly Sovereigns are likewise not to be underestimated. Daoyuan lacks the power to leave you helpless. Even so, I still ask that you do not take action against him.”
That request bordered on impertinence — yet the True Spirit Mages agreed.
The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign bowed to the floor. “Then Primordial will depart.”
As his words fell, he vanished.
— — —
After he disappeared, the room fell silent for a long while. Then Ingrid True Spirit of the Sixth Sanctum spoke: “This one is very strong. Not weaker than Prometheus.”
Ingrid had been among the mages who participated in the revolution and knew Prometheus’s strength well. The others nodded in agreement. Though only a projection had appeared, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign’s power was indeed comparable to Prometheus.
As for Daoyuan—
Meyeh True Spirit said, “If he knows everything, then Daoyuan becomes little more than a performing buffoon. Perhaps this one wants to see whether Daoyuan can truly ascend. If he can, fine; by his current demeanor, I think his chances are low. If he cannot, then maybe—”
Randolph finished the sentence: “Eliminate Daoyuan?”
Meyeh nodded. “That’s what I suspect. Daoyuan has allied with remnants of Super-Void Lifeforms. Judging by the situation, that is likely the source of his confidence. Perhaps he has harnessed Third Epoch power, attempting to revive Third Epoch pathways and combine the leftover Third Epoch energy with current Immortal Dao to prop himself into higher dimensions. The consequences of failure are obvious — another stronger fiend.”
Nehem noticed Adam’s hesitation and asked, “What are you thinking?”
All the True Spirit Mages turned their gaze to Adam. He stood and said, “I don’t think it’s that simple.”
“Explain,” they urged. They were not dismissive despite Adam’s lesser rank.
“Daoyuan’s original aim must be ascension — that’s clear. Up to now his greatest wish should still be to ascend. But at his level, he cannot be ignorant of the difficulty of ascension. He must know what happens if he fails. Nor can I accept that ascension requires no energy support. So where does the energy come from?”
Adam paused, then continued: “We removed all the limbs from the Demon Suppression Abyss, and so he allied with the Primordial Demons. Those Primordial Demons could be his energy source. He may also view the other Heavenly Sovereigns — even us — as fodder. The Primordial Demons hold killing the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign as their life goal; on this point they and Daoyuan have a mutual cause. If, after devouring all accessible energy, Daoyuan still finds he cannot ascend, might he turn his blade on the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign? Consume his ascension or kill him and take his place?”
“If that’s the case, since the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign knows all of this, he must have a counter. Then why ask us not to intervene?”