"As you command!"
The Accursed Beasts exclaimed, speaking the words the Monstrous Beasts could not. Then, in tandem, all flew into the blood river. Although Konrad wished to directly let them refine God-Blood, he knew that despite all his setup, the only result would be death.
God-blood was God-blood. Without at least a Saint-level cultivation, attempting to refine such a thing would only end in self-destruction. The God-Force would obliterate them all. Therefore, he chose to first sacrifice the pisaca demon's body while keeping his heart as a blood supply.
As a Divine Ascension expert, his sacrifice would, at the very least allow them all to reach the Restoration Beast Rank. With the Tower's assistance and a personal refining formation, Konrad eased his beasts' refining process.
At the same time, he used the Tower to accelerate the time within the blood river, making it go ten times faster than the Tower's usual rate, and therefore, three-hundred-sixty times faster than outside.
Following two weeks of consumption, the demonic beasts completed their refinement, digesting their assigned parts and a lavish quantity of blood.
Vast demonic energies filled the air as the beast's cultivation levels skyrocketed, and their bodies underwent drastic changes. Eight-thousand gargantuan beasts circled the Legion Domain's sky.
Five thousand reached the sixth level of the Restoration Beast Rank, comparable to Crossed Tribulation Saints!
Two thousand reached the seventh level, comparable to Star Connecting Saints!
Eight hundred reached the eighth level, comparable to Star Manifesting Saints!
The remaining eighty-seven officially stepped into the ninth level of the Restoration Beast Rank, officially comparable to Star Fusing Saints!
A formidable lineup! This was a formidable lineup that pursued the two religious factions' striking power beneath the Divine Rank!
After all, according to Konrad's intel, the Celestial Church and Infernal Cult each possessed around eight-thousand Crossed Tribulation Saints, five-hundred Star Connecting Saints, three-hundred Star Manifesting Saints and about one-hundred Star Fusing Saints.
Of course, they also possessed tens of thousands of lower-ranked Saints.
The Restoration Beasts' gleeful cries echoed within the air, and they all plunged back into the river. As they did, their forms shrunk, and by the time they dived into it, their silhouette mirrored humans'.
Eight thousand human-looking creatures then emerged. Males and females were both present. The males handsome and imposing while the mesmerizing females overflowed with demonic charms.
Thanks to their partial restoration, their bloodline now approached the fiend level. By the time it truly reached it, they would become Infernal Knights.
A force able to trample all within the Ancient Crystal World.
All in due time.
The newly ascended Restoration Beasts stood naked within the blood river, its red liquid flowing on and drenching their bodies. None felt any bashfulness, and all bowed toward Konrad.
"Thank you, master, for your grace! To fulfill your grand aspirations, we will never hesitate to go through fire and storms!"
They pledged, and since the males occupied a crushing majority, their husky voices covered the delightful sounds of their female counterparts.
Konrad's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"You have not disappointed my expectations. Good. From now on, in the Profane Prince's Army, you shall be the first legion."
Konrad, who sat crossed-legged above the blood river, replied. In those last two weeks, he didn't stay idle, spending his efforts on cultivating the Blossoming Death Art's first layer.
After two weeks, he finally comprehended its mysteries and stood at the first layer's threshold. But without death essence, couldn't complete the breakthrough.
Still hovering above the blood river, Konrad stood up.
"Now that you've all ascended to the later stages of the Restoration Beast Rank, it is time to move on the third part of my plan.
Give the Celestial Church and Infernal Cult the lesson of a lifetime while freeing the Holy Continent, my Holy Continent, from their presence."
Konrad's words caused shock and confusion within the eyes of the newly ascended creatures. However, since this was the master's will, they wouldn't disobey it.
In any case, the master was as cruel as he was crafty. Surely, a foolproof plan was already in motion.
…
Meanwhile, above the Ancestral Voight Palace, a ferocious battle raged. It had been barely over one hour since the spirits' arrival. And since then, the two sides had gradually settled into a stalemate.
Initially, when Adalwin revealed his Divine Artifact, he didn't doubt victory was theirs. However, from the get-go, carrying Else's incomplete Divine Mirror, Hubert targeted the shroud, almost obliterating it, and forcing Adalwin to restore it.
This battle wasn't something that could ever be recorded in history books. Therefore, for the sake of his house's preservation, Adalwin could only try his hardest to conceal it. The two Star Connecting Saints clashed within the sky, blue and black star force colliding in dazzling beams.
And with Adalwin now tasked with protecting the shroud, the Voight elders within the formation's eyes faced the paragon spirits with confidence. Towering pillars of darkness repelled the von Jurgen and Kvass' relentless assaults while the Voight elders sat crossed legged in the formation's eye.
Although they struggled to maintain the stalemate, they could still go on for days.
Meanwhile, the violent battle between Adalwin and Hubert showed no sign of ending anytime soon.
"Damnable!"
Adalwin cursed. In his nine-thousand years of existence, rarely had he experienced such a frustrating moment. Was it not for the Celestial Church Prime Disciple's pressure, how could they fall into such a stalemate?
Not only him, but Amalia, Thorwald and Adalbert, the leading paragon spirits, all thought the same.
But at that time, a sky-blue ray shot from the distance, coordinating with Hubert to break through the shroud, and reveal the scene for all to see.
Adalwin and the other paragon spirits' eyes widened in disbelief.
"Who…who dared?"
Adalwin roared and turned toward the source of this backstabbing.
A handsome middle-aged man dressed in black fur appeared within the sky, boasting an early stage Crossed Tribulation Saint cultivation, and bringing alongside him several Fate Destroying Saint elders.
All with the same jet-black hairs and slit, sky-blue eyes.
The leading middle-aged man canted his head to the left, and as his gaze swept the gathered paragon spirits, scorn shone within his eyes.
"Wilfried…Metze. Vile traitor, are you trying to rebel?!"
Adalwin snapped.
However, his words failed to provoke any guilt from the Metze patriarch.
"Rebel? What logic is this?
When you allowed the Holy Flame Church to persecute my house, murder my son, harm my daughter, and kill my wife, didn't you think that I would rebel?
When your damnable emperor, hiding under a friendly countenance, attempted to slay my child, didn't you think that I would rebel?
Or is it that old age hit you so hard that your brain now works in reverse?
You cannot betray those that never were your allies.
You cannot betray enemies.
And my hatred demands a sea of spirit blood!"
Wilfried spat, then summoned a silver clock rippling with massive holy force. Adalwin was startled to see that it was a nine-star Holy Artifact.
Meanwhile, the Metze elders all summoned high-grade holy artifacts of their own, albeit less potent than Wilfried's.
Adalwin couldn't believe his eyes.
"What a horrible turn…how could this be? I…have underestimated the Metze?"
He realized while Wilfried's clock shot toward Adalbert and the paragon spirits that surrounded him. Meanwhile, from the shadows, Krann flung the arrow he'd received from Konrad, hurling toward Amalia.
It turned into a jade beam and lodged itself in her chest, the sudden blow alarming all the gathered souls.
