While the Immemorial Titans formed a frontier before Belos, Selene and the Valkyrie stood up, and alongside Verena confronted their new foes.
"You are not our match. The Chthonian Primogen is the one we come for. As long as he comes out, we won't make things difficult for you."
The leading Immemorial Titan stated. With a mid-stage Overgod cultivation base, his strength was more than enough to suppress all within the Three Realms, of that truth he had no doubt. As for that Profane Prince, in terms of pure strength, they didn't believe him to be their match. However, at the end of the day, he had the power of a Realm at his disposal.
That foundation was the true challenge. But even then, they had the means to complete their tasks. Alas, Verena never planned to give them the opportunity. From the Myriad Dreams Valley's supporting mountain, vast devil force erupted, morphing into nine dark-purple vessels that streaked the air to surround the Titans.
"A defensive formation?"
The leader recognized without a hint of fear. But before he made another move, Verena's voice echoed.
"I've been wondering, who was the one that dispatched you. It's undoubtedly not Blood Nether and isn't likely to be Moon so…is it Night or Cloud? Or perhaps you merely wished to revitalize distant kin while snatching some merit on the road?"
She inquired with an outward grimace of frustration. But hearing their superiors' given names being so casually uttered, the Immemorial Titans' faces twisted into frowns. Though he maintained his composure, even the leader didn't take kindly to this glaring lack of respect.
"You really do not cherish your life. To dare utter the Omniarch's relatives' names in such a casual manner, do you think that the so-called Profane Prince is such a reliable tree? Laughable."
The leading Immemorial Titan scoffed and stretched his right hand toward the surrounding vessels. From within the Myriad Dreams Valley, Heide and Cacillia who'd long-since emerged from seclusion controlled the formation, directing the vessels' destructive power at the Overgods.
"However, there is no harm in mentioning it. The Firmament is so far away that even for us, crossing that distance requires weeks of nonstop traveling. If not for a superior's instructions, how could we condescend to make this tedious trip and invest those resources?
Though you misunderstand. This is neither Lord Cloud nor Lord Night's will.
It is Sakra's!"
The Immemorial Titan replied, startling the Chthonian Forces. Selene more than the others. Although on the scene, all knew that "Sakra" was the given name of the past Great Primal Ancestor, only Selene knew of his current condition. Or more accurately, of his condition before she started drifting amidst various worlds and hosts of the Three Realms.
According to her calculations, her grandfather should just be breaking through to the early-stage of the Overgod Rank. Although that strength would make him a mighty lord in any domain of the Omniverse, it clearly wasn't enough to order fellow Overgods, much less Overgods from the Firmament!
How did he do it?
But unlike Selene, Verena didn't have that much considerations. The leader made his move, releasing a dazzling white ray that slammed the nine vessels, sending them rolling in the air.
From that ray, Titans and Chthonian legionaries alike could feel an unstoppable force able to put them all on their knees. But at that time, the nine vessels burst, releasing a horrendous storm of devil forces that destabilized the Immemorial Titans' flawless mindstate!
"Now!"
Verena's voice thundered, and instantly, Selene, the Valkyrie and she vanished to form a triangle around the Immemorial Titans. In synch, the three stretched their hands toward the Overgods.
"Heart Tribulation!"
They bellowed, causing squalls of dark-purple lightning bolts to surge from their palms and barrel into the Immemorial Titans. But those lightning bolts didn't target the flesh. Instead, they snuck past the Overgods' defenses to assail their Dao Heart! Instantly, the ten Overgods found themselves appearing in a world of infernal tribulations where lightning crackled and thunder grumbled in a sky of eternal darkness.
Relentless storms blasted them left and right, and soon, they tumbled into the worlds of their worst nightmares, only getting a breath of respite when the tribulation lightning returned to hammer them!
"AAAAAAAAARGH!"
"AAAAAAAAARGH!"
"AAAAAAAAARGH!"
The ten Overgods' pupils bleached as they howled in a maddened frenzy, startling Belos and the surrounding Titans who couldn't understand why the outwardly unharmed elders now raved like lunatics.
"Checkmate."
Verena stated in a victorious tone. Heart Tribulation was an ability unlocked by Prime Devils, enabling them to unleash the most dreadful of tribulations on a cultivator's Dao Heart. In a mild dose, it could serve as training. But when unrestrained, unless those afflicted could overcome it, they were doomed to drift through nightmares before finally suffering a collapse of their Dao Hearts and souls.
Naturally, Verena didn't plan to give them the time to reach that point. Following the initial plan, the Valkyrie charged Belos with her longsword, sending him reeling with a frontal thrust!
*BANG*
Though Belos met the thrust with a downward slash of his glaive, the sheer energy within the blow sent him hurtling backward, and he crashed dozens of meters away. Ready to end the clash, the three consorts aimed at the trapped elders and clenched their fists.
"Heart Collapse!"
Devil-lightning burst from right within the Overgods' hearts, threatening to obliterate them in heart and soul. But at that time, as night gave way to dawn, a mild voice echoed:
"Enough."
The simple word carried alongside it irresistible Truth Laws that dropped from the sky, locking all in their motions.
To say nothing of the rest, even Verena, the Valkyrie and Selene had no way to resist that force. It was as if time, no, the Truth of that instant had been anchored in a painting of flesh and blood.
A dazzling white ray descended, revealing the form of a white-robed, middle-aged man with jet-black hair and a diamond-like bindi on his forehead. Clearly, he was another Immemorial Titan. But beyond the tyrannical air of that lineage, waves of primordial energies undulated around him as if he was a primeval world, a heaven and earth of his own.
A Primordial God!
The Primordial God waved his hand, altering the Truth of the events and causing the ten Overgods to regain their senses. Subsequently freed of his control, all eyes rose to meet him.
"Truth Transcendence."
Verena and the Valkyrie realized in a stupor. But that merely was the beginning. Verena could see that beyond Truth Transcendence, that Immemorial Titan possessed something else:
Fate Transcendence!
And if the alarming might all those implied nailed them on the ground, something else grabbed Selene's attention.
The man's figure, a figure her eyes remained glued onto. And seeing him, Belos dragged his wounded self from the ground and bowed as lowly as he could!
"Greetings, grandfather!"
Belos exclaimed, for indeed the man was his grandfather, former Great Primal Ancestor:
Sakra!
This time, the Immemorial Titans showed none of their condescendence and bowed toward Sakra's floating form.
"Your excellency, congratulations on refining the Firmament Fruit and becoming the Firmament's new Primordial Deity!"
They exclaimed in tandem. In the past, they might have been peers, but now that Sakra succeeded in the refining and rose to Primordial Deity, they would never again be equals. After all, unlike him, they didn't have the Omniarch's favor.
But while his former peer's congratulations echoed, Sakra's eyes dropped on Selene's and stopped right there.
