Chapter 127: Preparations Before the Heavenly Secret Realm

Preparations Before the Heavenly Secret Realm

Back on Sovereign Peak, Victor sat quietly on the smooth stone platform that overlooked the entire Sovereign Blessed Land.

The mountain breeze moved gently around him.

His long, shoulder-length black hair swayed behind his shoulders, while the black robe embroidered with golden dragons fluttered softly with every passing gust.

Victor remained perfectly still.

His handsome face carried a calm, almost indifferent expression.

His golden eyes were deep and tranquil, resembling an endless night sky filled with distant stars.

Below the peak, clouds drifted slowly between the mountains.

The entire Sovereign Blessed Land seemed unusually peaceful.

The crimson leaves of the Red Soul Tree rustled beneath the breeze.

Each movement released faint waves of pure spiritual essence.

The essence spread through the surrounding land.

It nourished the mountains.

It strengthened the spiritual environment.

It quietly benefited every member of the Salvatore Family.

Victor simply watched it all.

Then he slowly closed his eyes.

His breathing became steady.

His consciousness sank deeper.

A moment later, his spiritual sense expanded outward.

There was no visible movement.

Yet an invisible pressure swept across the entire Sovereign Blessed Land.

It spread from Sovereign Peak like a silent tide.

It passed through palaces.

It crossed courtyards.

It moved through training grounds.

It swept over distant mountains and secluded residences.

Every corner of the blessed land fell within Victor’s perception.

Nothing escaped him.

The cultivators training below could not sense the full extent of his spiritual power.

They only felt a strange calmness pass through the land.

Victor’s expression remained unchanged.

Then his voice sounded directly inside three minds.

"Damien Salvatore, Austin Salvatore, Nux."

A brief pause followed.

"Come to Sovereign Peak."

His voice was calm.

There was no urgency.

No anger.

No explanation.

He simply gave the order.

That was enough.

Far away, Damien immediately stopped what he was doing.

His expression changed slightly.

He did not waste time wondering why Victor had summoned him.

He simply turned around and headed toward Sovereign Peak.

Austin received the same message.

He paused for only a moment before following.

Nux reacted almost immediately as well.

Whatever he had been doing could wait.

When Victor called, there was no reason to delay.

The three moved toward Sovereign Peak without hesitation.

None of them knew why Victor had summoned them.

But they knew better than to make him wait.

Far away from Sovereign Peak...

Within the Azure Sovereign Empire...

A completely different atmosphere surrounded the Imperial Palace.

The magnificent palace stood beneath a gloomy sky.

Dark clouds covered the heavens.

They cast a heavy shadow over the enormous structure.

Towering halls stretched across the imperial grounds for kilometers.

Ancient walls surrounded the palace.

Countless banners bearing the crest of the Azure Sovereign Empire fluttered violently in the cold wind.

The palace was normally filled with activity.

Today, however, something felt different.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Tense.

At the heart of the Imperial Palace stood an enormous throne carved from deep-blue crystal.

Upon it sat the ruler of the Azure Sovereign Empire.

Emperor Rafael Bluestone.

He sat upright.

His expression was calm.

His gaze swept across the officials kneeling before him.

None dared raise their heads without permission.

The silence inside the enormous hall was almost suffocating.

Then an imperial guard hurried forward.

He stopped several steps before the throne.

He lowered himself onto one knee.

"Your Majesty..."

His voice was cautious.

Rafael’s eyes shifted toward him.

The guard lowered his head even further.

"...the Fifth Prince’s Life Flame has been extinguished."

Silence.

The words seemed to hang in the enormous hall.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

Several officials quietly lowered their heads.

The Fifth Prince was dead.

Everyone present understood what that meant.

Rafael remained silent.

His expression did not change.

After a long moment, his fingers slowly moved across the armrest of the crystal throne.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The sound echoed through the hall.

Each quiet tap seemed louder than the last.

"The Fifth Prince possessed Stellar Sovereign Realm Fifth Layer cultivation."

Rafael’s voice finally broke the silence.

His tone remained surprisingly calm.

"He mastered three powerful battle arts."

His fingers stopped for a moment.

"His combat strength was among the finest of his generation."

No one dared interrupt him.

Rafael leaned slightly against the throne.

His eyes narrowed.

"I never expected him to fall to the Salvatore Family."

There was a faint trace of regret in his voice.

But it was difficult to tell whether that regret was truly for his dead son.

His expression remained cold.

There was no grief in his eyes.

No visible sorrow.

No anger.

Only thoughtfulness.

The emperor was thinking.

Calculating.

Reconsidering everything he believed he knew about the Salvatore Family.

"The Salvatore Family..."

Rafael slowly repeated the name.

His gaze became deeper.

"...is far stronger than I originally anticipated."

Several officials exchanged nervous glances.

They had already understood that something had changed.

The Salvatore Family was no longer a force that could be treated casually.

Rafael’s fingers resumed tapping against the armrest.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

His gaze remained fixed somewhere beyond the palace walls.

A quiet sigh eventually escaped his lips.

"What a pity."

The emperor’s voice became softer.

"Such a family could never able serve beneath me."

He slowly raised the object resting upon his palm.

It was nothing more than a plain sheet of rice paper.

Ordinary.

Thin.

Fragile.

Yet...

Every minister present lowered their heads the instant they saw it.

Because stamped upon that ordinary sheet...

Was a single golden imperial seal.

One word.

Empire.

That single Empire Title transformed an ordinary sheet of paper into a divine treasure capable of slicing through Rare Grade armor as though it were paper.

Such...

Was the authority granted by the Heavenly Empires.

Rafael Bluestone quietly stared at the paper before speaking once more.

"When the Empire Title War comes to an end..."

"We shall march with one million soldiers."

His gaze gradually turned cold.

"Our first target..."

"...will be the Salvatore Family."

His voice remained gentle.

Almost melancholic.

Yet everyone in the palace felt an icy chill crawl down their backs.

To outsiders...

The Imperial Family appeared supreme.

But Rafael Bluestone understood the truth better than anyone.

Without the Empire Title...

Without that single word bestowed by the Heavenly Empires...

Even an Emperor...

Was merely another puppet dancing upon invisible strings.

The true rulers...

Were those who decided who possessed an Empire Title...

And who lost it forever.