The following events occurred in a flash. Seizing the Warden, Blood Nether took command of the Heaven Warding Temple, and through it, of the entirety of the Celestial Realm. The God Executing Immortal Sword the Warden studied also fell in her hands…almost. As she stepped toward it, as if recognizing her scent, the ancient weapon unleashed horrendous brutality, nearly shredding her to pieces. Knowing she couldn't keep it under control, Blood Nether left it in the Warden's custody and fell in the shadows, devoting all her time to fighting the havoc Konrad wrought within her heart while awaiting his next move.
Meanwhile, Archdemons from the Overlord's house rushed into the Celestial Realm to bring him back to Hell, while Rati brought her maimed father back to the Sea Dream Temple, and Rakshasis carried Durga back to the Eternal Void Sect. At the same time, Heaven and Hell's Will finally awoke, and as if in tacit understanding, released new waves of inheritances while removing the shackles of all demons and devas, thereby allowing them to reach their full potential.
Not that it mattered. At this point, such assistance was far too late. Still, deities such as Talroth, Surya and Dolgron made the best of the opportunity, actively seeking the road to higher levels and pursuing greater strength. On that topic, to placate his second wife, Dolgron let her "surviving sisters," the disguised Yvonne, Else and Gulistan, inherit Apep's archduchy, and adopted them in his house.
Little did he know that the three had long since turned it into their plaything, even building an underground formation that drained all the negative energies throughout the Archduchy to let their cultivation rise at a startling speed. All approached increasingly closer to transcendence while their cultivation neared the peak of the Boundless Sea Devil Realm. Breaking through was but a matter of days.
In the meantime, the mangled Daksha lay within his chambers with a low-spirited Rati by his side. Till now, she'd yet to reveal that the Rudra Daksha allowed to take part in the contest was none other than the Chthonian Primogen. Perhaps she feared her father wouldn't be able to take the blow, or she knew the knowledge would do him no good. In any case, regardless of the reason, Rati kept her mouth shut.
"Aaaargh!"
Daksha groaned in pain. With his Legendary God cultivation, he should have been able to heal himself in a heartbeat. What a pity that Konrad's chthonian energies and devil force wreaked havoc within his body and suppressed his regeneration abilities. In the current circumstances, without external help, Daksha would need at least one thousand years to grow back his limbs, and more to dispel the lingering side effects.
Yet, as he raised his trembling eyes at Rati, this wasn't what troubled him the most.
"Girl you…are…in danger."
Daksha stammered as his maimed shell quivered on top of the bed. And when those words left her father's lips, Rati's face contorted into a frown. At first, she wondered why such words could possibly come from him. Clearly, he was the one standing at the gate between life and death. But even before Daksha spoke further, Rati's astute mind swirled, analyzing all possibilities to come up with a reasonable answer.
The reasonable answer came, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Our four Cardinal Sects went in with about the same manpower. Each with about 250 devas at the High God Rank or above. The Primal Sun Sect possesses more deities than the rest. Therefore, only they didn't fully exhaust their forces above the High God Rank.
Still, it can be said that all four sects crippled themselves for no gain. Of those 1000 Deva Gods…only I remain. Even the Nature Spirits weren't spared."
Rati realized in a stupor. Not two or three survivors, only she remained!
Why did she remain when even the likes of Mahava and Ravana lost their lives within the Essence Nurturing Forest? Why didn't she vanish alongside the rest? Anyone that pondered this question would realize it had nothing to do with her abilities. The Chthonian Primogen was far too strong. Who he wished to kill couldn't survive. Who he wished to snatch could not evade. That being the case, there was only one reasonable explanation:
Rati turned coats!
While most deities couldn't give her any trouble, if the Warden or that new entity came to that conclusion, at best, Rati's life was in jeopardy. At worst, the Sea Dream Temple faced destruction!
"Surya was clever. Although he didn't send the majority of his direct relatives, the team was led by his brother and right-hand man, Mahava. Now that he is in deep mourning, no one can doubt his motives. I, however, have nothing to defend myself. Played. I've been played."
Rati realized, and while Daksha's teeth clattered in an effort to think of a solution, she stood up and rushed toward the chambers' exit. In a flash, the devi crossed Daksha's temple to return to hers and wasn't startled to see that within her chambers, a man of empyrean looks leisurely lay, shamelessly occupying her bed with his head resting on his hand.
"Beautiful, welcome back. Shouldn't you thank me for warming your bed?"
Konrad greeted with a wolfish grin while the fuming Rati barrelled into the room. As her eyes met his icy-hues, for an instant, Rati stopped, and her mind ebbed between an odd mixture of relief and frustration. That flicker of hesitation vanished, and she strode toward that shameless Devil in hurried steps.
"Dastardly scoundrel, you framed me!"
Rati snarled in indignation. Never would she believe that this wasn't part of one of Konrad's depraved plans. And of course, she was right. But when facing her inquisition, Konrad clutched his chest as if stabbed by the words.
"Oh, you're hurting me. Of course, I framed you. How else could I have you rush to me with such haste? Good thing that you're clever. I was wondering how long I'd have to wait."
Konrad replied with a theatrical spin of his head, then with several taps on the sheets, motioned for Rati to sit on the bed. For another instant, she stopped, blinking in disbelief as her eyes went up and down Konrad's frame.
"How can a man possibly be this shameless?"
She couldn't help but ask. Little did she expect Konrad's next words to be:
"Flattering me already? I like. Shameless is my second name. The first is Konrad, and the third, Profane Prince. Take your pick."
Konrad countered while still motioning for Rati to sit. And dumbfounded, she walked with glazed eyes toward the bed and sat beside him.
"What do you want?"
Rati seriously asked. The matter had progressed into dreadful lands and there was no more time for jests. If no remedy arose, her only road ahead was to commit suicide before the Warden or that entity made a move. Only then could she ensure the Sea Dream Temple's safety.
Aware of the lady's plights, Konrad didn't beat around the bush.
"Make me a Sea Dream Temple Elder. I need that status for my next play. Do it, and I will ensure yours and the Sea Dream Temple's safety."
Konrad seriously replied.
