The Sages’ Confrontation

“Hmph!”

Hurling the spear, Youlan pinned the blood-robed figure to the ground. With a grave expression, she lifted her gaze toward the areas where intense energy fluctuations erupted. The subsidiary Blood Sacrifice Arrays had all been destroyed. Now, only the main array before her remained.

“False God, you cannot defeat me!” The blood-robed figure ripped the spear from their abdomen. Black blood gushed from the wound, yet they paid it no mind. What was such a wound? For their master, even if crushed into a pulp, they would halt this False God here.

“Troublesome.” Regenerating her spear, Youlan charged forward once more.

The blood-robed figure’s strength barely surpassed that of a Seven-Star master. Had it not been for the Abyss’s corruption, they would not have even reached this level. Becoming a Sage-tier expert was no easy feat. Yet Youlan, even with her shattered divinity, remained a true God. To a mere jester like this, if not for the magic cast from the heavens protecting all life, she could have annihilated them in a single encounter.

Pinning the blood-robed figure to the wall once more, Youlan turned her head to the western sky, sensing the arrival of an old friend.

“Ceres, why is your body so weak?”

As the golden-haired girl landed, Youlan immediately noticed the profound weakness of her dear friend’s physique. Though Ceres still exuded the aura of a Sage-tier expert, Youlan’s perception revealed that this power was entirely gathered from the surrounding space, forcibly drawn by Ceres’s authority. Her true physical strength was barely at the ‘Point’ tier.

What could have reduced such a mighty God to this state?

“Less talk, more action. What’s the situation with the array?” Ceres replied coldly. She knew exactly what this scoundrel was thinking. Lotia had only just returned, and this wretch appeared here. Even a fool could see what this scoundrel intended. Did she want to steal Lotia from her again?

“Is this the main array?” The Empress also landed steadily on the ground.

Help? Youlan instantly felt a surge of relief. If only a weakened Ceres had come to assist her, Youlan felt it would have been better to flee. However, now with the Empress’s aid, she was confident.

“Ceres, let’s destroy that array!” Youlan called out.

“Tch.” Ceres pursed her lips. “I’ll trust you this once.”

Then, she turned to the Empress. “Please stop that blood-robed figure. Remember not to kill them, or Lotia’s spell will be forced to nullify the strike. It would be a waste of her strength.”

“Don’t kill them? How troublesome.” The Empress flexed her wrists. “If Aiya’s body is harmed, I won’t spare you, even if you are a God.”

“Rest assured.”

Seeing the Empress charge forward and pin the blood-robed figure to the ground, the two Goddesses exchanged a glance and began to dismantle the array.

“An exquisite array. It seems to be the handiwork of those fellows.” Touching the red lines on the ground that emanated an ominous aura, Youlan felt as if she saw her old adversaries. This array was far too intricate for the Abyss cultists, those madmen, to devise.

“It’s that fellow, isn’t it?” Ceres murmured.

That individual was known as the most intelligent among the Abyssal Archdemons. While not supremely clever by divine standards, they were considered a top-tier strategist among Archdemons, whose intelligence was generally negative. The array before them was indeed sophisticated, yet in the eyes of the two Goddesses, it was no different from a child’s scribble.

“Here, here, here…” Ceres quickly pointed at spots on the array. “All nodes must be destroyed simultaneously.”

“Leave it to me.” Black mist condensed behind Youlan, forming a myriad of black spears.

However, the blood-robed figure would never allow them to destroy the array. “Aaaahhhh…” they let out a low growl. “My Lord, please descend here…”

Their body began to swell, and wisps of black mist surged from their seven orifices. Witnessing the blood-robed figure’s bizarre transformation, the Empress back-flipped, retreating beyond the influence of the black mist.

“What’s going on?” the Empress yelled toward Ceres.

“This fellow, as expected…” Ceres glanced at the blood-robed figure, understanding dawning upon her. Summoning the Archdemon’s consciousness to possess them? “Youlan, the array is yours. I’ll send that Fallen back to the Abyss.”

“Be careful, your body is too weak.”

“No need for your concern.”

Ceres unfurled her wings of light once more, charging toward the blood-robed figure engulfed in black mist. Light converged in her hand, forming a beautiful longsword that she gripped firmly. “Fallen one, meet your end.”

The longsword sliced through the mist but was halted just before the blood-robed figure. The figure extended a hand, and the withered palm, which should have been severed by the sword, actually blocked the divine blade.

“Lord of Radiance, your power of radiance has regressed far too much compared to your past self…” A hoarse whisper echoed as the Abyssal entity revealed its fangs. Black mist enveloped them again, and countless twisted, entangled entities surged from the blood-robed figure’s body.

“Abyssal Sage, is it you this time?” Ceres asked.

A powerful radiance erupted around her, instantly disintegrating the assaulting twisted limbs. Ceres hovered in mid-air, a flicker of anxiety in her red eyes. This entity was not her match, but time was not on her side.

“Ah, this aura… Is that gentle Goddess here as well?” A grotesque face emerged from the twisted mass of flesh the blood-robed figure had become. “And the auras of two other old friends, Sophia and Youlan. I never imagined you would become so weak now.”

“Shut up!” The longsword in Ceres’s hand emanated a dazzling glow. She swung her sword, and a massive sword-light directly cleaved the still-lamenting Abyssal monster in two.

It wasn’t over. After piercing the monster’s body, the sword-light transformed into countless tiny streams of light and returned, utterly shredding the monster’s body into countless bits of flesh.

“Ah, how benevolent that Goddess is. Even I can feel her protection over me.” Yet, the Archdemon’s voice did not vanish. Even though this monster’s essence was an Abyssal Archdemon, it could still receive the protection of that heavenly Forbidden Spell.

“Empress of Roland, you must leave. This battle is no longer something mortals can interfere with!” Ceres crushed the regenerating monster once more, then turned to tell the Empress.

“Don’t get hurt.” The Empress cast a cold glance at Ceres. She knew this monster had surpassed her ability to handle. Just looking at it made her feel dizzy—and she was an extremely powerful Shadow Assassin.

If this monster couldn’t be dealt with, the Empress had no doubt that the entire Imperial Capital would be devoured by it. Watching the Empress depart, Ceres turned back. This time, she could fight without restraint. The surrounding residents had all fled, so she didn’t have to worry about collateral damage.

While Lotia’s magic was formidable, it would be powerless against a God’s direct attack if she pushed too hard.

“Get back to the Abyss!”