"Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha!"
The wild, insolent and unbridled guffaw boomed within the hall, taking all Primogens aback. Naturally, they turned to face the origin of this disturbance, and their startled eyes locked on the figure of a young man appearing to be in his mid-twenties with back-length, jet-black hairs shimmering in a unique luster that kept the eyes spellbound.
But though his intrusive laughter isolated him from both peers and temporary allies, that man's purple eyes remained unfazed, and like sparkling gems, dazzled whoever peered into them for long.
Naturally, he was Talroth, the Southern King of Hell. And though his status should have made him one of the key players of the gathering, from the beginning till now, he'd remained wholly silent, drowsy even. But as Dolgron's words ended, the spontaneous peal of his laugh echoed.
"Talroth, what are you laughing for? Please enlighten us on what here possibly sounds…hilarious."
Dolgron inquired in a calm, yet oppressive tone. Undisturbed, Talroth swept all the incensed glares with his spellbinding eyes and replied:
"I laugh at you. All of you to be fair."
The dissolute words rang in the Primogens' hears like thunderclaps. But even as their eyes widened in disbelief and rage burgeoned in their hearts, the majority maintained a calm front. Not out of fear, but because they knew more was to come. And indeed, Talroth stopped not.
With a nonchalant flicker, he raised his right index toward two empty seats, the honor seats that should have been occupied with the two Realms' highest leaders. The Overlord and the Warden. But on this sensational gathering, the two were nowhere to be seen.
"This is a gathering meant to discuss the very future of our Realms. To prevent a return to the times of old when you old fogies remained as the sole existences of the Celestial and Infernal Realms. However, the two mightiest members of our sides, our leaders whose words carry the very will of Heaven and Hell, are nowhere to be seen.
What does it mean? It means that anything discussed here is as worthless as a mortal child's stool. Yet, you act and speak with crushing gravity, as if your very words herald seismic changes. How laughable. Apologies, but I couldn't help but guffaw."
Talroth replied with his head canted leftward while his lips flashed a wolfish grin. And though his insulting words hacked at his fellow Primogens' composure, inwardly, they couldn't help but admit that he was right. If neither the Overlord nor the Warden deigned show up, it meant even the Realm Wills didn't have anything substantial to offer.
What then could their meeting possibly solve? However, if knowing was one thing, accepting Talroth's disrespect was another. But even before one could counter, Talroth pursued.
"This has already slipped into Realm Will War. We're not merely confronting an expert. We're up against a Realm Will intent on unifying the Three Realms under its banner. Were it not for our two Wills' cooperation, the current situation would be hard to fathom.
Call it Underworld, Chthonian Realm Will, or Chthonian Primogen if you wish. But the fact of the matter remains that it isn't what we can oppose. Unless, of course, our dear progenitors, Heaven and Hell's Will, choose to wholly remove our birth barriers, and let us rise to our true limits. But will they? Of course they won't."
Though every word escaping Talroth's cherry lips rang with poignant truth, the more they listened, the less the Primogens could prevent the grimaces threatening to contort their faces. Some clenched their fists, others closed their eyes, and a few gripped their thighs.
Only Surya, Dolgron and Urzul remained undisturbed.
"Talroth, you're going too far!"
A middle-aged man with a mane of flaming red hairs, the Divine Flame Lord of the Seven Divine Lords retorted, unable to endure Talroth's ongoing insults of his "mother." But how could Talroth stop? Arching his head back and folding his arms beneath his chest, he let his wolfish grin curve into a full-fledged devilish smile that nailed the Divine Flame Lord with derisive undertones.
"Too far? I'm afraid I'm not going far enough. The force we're up against has already stepped into Overgod level. Perhaps it's even higher. But how could I know? Thanks to our Realm Wills' suppression, though we possess the Ancient Secrets, to say nothing of Embodiment, we cannot even reach Wielding in Primal Laws through normal cultivation.
As for cultivation level, none of us can ever go beyond the Legendary God Rank. Talent matters not. Determination matters not. Opportunities matter not! As long as we remain bound to Heaven and Hell's Will, the Legendary God Rank is our limit. We may compete within that stage but can never hope to go beyond!"
Talroth snapped, and before those words, none could form a retort. For indeed, since time immemorial, this had been a thorn in the Primogens' hearts. They were born True Gods, as the exalted children of the Realm Wills, endured the Overlord and the Warden's trials. However, after millions to hundreds of millions of years of cultivation, all came to the same realization:
Their bloodlines forbade further advancement! How far they could go depended solely on how much the Realm Will favored them! Faced with such injustice, more than one Primogen considered rebellion. Alas, it was but a pipe dream.
"Now, the Realm Wills are generating more inheritance grounds and cultivation opportunities for us. But what does it matter? Unless the suppression vanishes, and the gate to higher levels finally opens, this is all meaningless! A trivial tool to hasten our juniors' growth, with no consequence on the big picture!
Therefore, don't you dare speak to This King about -going too far.-
For if This King must go out of bounds, he first must squash your head for having the nerves to talk back!"
Talroth snapped, with a massive eruption of demonic force that barrelled into the Divine Flame Lord and suppressed him where he stood! Alarmed, the Divine Flame Lord released his own cultivation to meet the offense, but couldn't muster the tiniest bit of resistance! This was the difference between a mid-stage Legendary God and a late-stage Legendary God. Although they both held the rank of Primogens, the former couldn't endure a single blow from the latter!
