Chapter 352: Rotten World (2)

Just after crossing the invisible border dividing the Southern Region from the East in the Divine Plane, there was a remote and incredibly ancient galaxy.

There were almost no resources of great commercial value there. It was a domain belonging to the Heavenly River Valley Sect, used mainly by Sages to place and stabilize their Celestial Bodies.

The only dazzling exception was a peculiar turquoise-blue planet.

Its name was God’s Firmament Planet.

It was an ancient title given by the natives of the past, who no longer lived there. It originated from the presence of 23 imposing divine mountains scattered in an almost symmetrical pattern across its crust. They were structures so gigantic that their peaks pierced the clouds and reached the stratosphere itself.

Seen from space, the planet offered a unique spectacle: a turquoise ocean pierced by 23 rocky needles of mythical proportions.

But it wasn’t merely peculiar.

Each of those mountains housed an ancient primordial power. It was a force that had emerged there—as it had in other ancient worlds—during the great era transition of the Ur-World.

When the Sovereigns reshaped the Ur-World, giving rise to Ether and the modern laws, a tsunami of absolute power washed over every universe to shape them. The remnants of that divine baptism remained embedded within ancient planets like this one, turning them into true sacred treasures.

In the Southern Region, the central planets of the Ironweald Sect belonged to this same group of planets. All the great sects possessed territories blessed by this ancient power.

In the East, God’s Firmament Planet was used by the Heavenly River Valley Sect as a sacred training ground for prodigies and elite figures.

A divine city had been built there, with facilities designed exclusively for Sages and Mage Masters to receive the very best preparation before training in those 23 mountains.

No ordinary person was allowed to live there. The sect had expelled all the natives, turning the planet into an exclusive and highly restricted territory.

That was quite unusual. It was almost an unwritten rule among all the greatest sects not to expel or interfere with the lives of the natives. Weak people didn’t cause problems, and it was always useful to have servants and people around to handle small tasks.

But that sect had done it without much explanation.

...

It was early morning in the planet’s only city.

The city was like a living monument, filled with shining buildings designed to provide the very best environment for the people staying there.

Far from public eyes, Surey—the Heavenly River Valley disciple whom Priam had confronted earlier during the attack on the neighboring planets—was gathered behind closed doors with several high-ranking Elders. (Chapter 330)

"The latest news just arrived," one of the Elders announced, his expression cold and grim. "The Sorcerers failed in all three simultaneous assaults."

Surey and the others let out snorts of pure indignation.

"This is unbelievable..." Surey muttered, his voice deep and tense. "They can’t afford to fail now! The Great Elder is on the verge of advancing and desperately needs those resources."

Another Elder nodded, his gaze icy.

"We need to prepare ourselves. With no other options, those old bastards will certainly make an ’all-or-nothing’ move. Our sect may have to intervene directly from the shadows, pretending to form an alliance with the Ironweald Sect, just to make sure their army is defeated."

A heavy silence filled the room.

The situation was a minefield. If any of them were assigned to lead the sabotage but left even the slightest trace of their intentions, the Heavenly River Valley Sect itself would discard them without hesitation.

No one had blind confidence that they could carry out such a clean betrayal. However, appointing someone was inevitable—and the choice would fall upon one of the people sitting at that table.

"I saw that Celestial named Priam’s army in combat," Surey spoke up, looking at the others. "Their discipline and organization are impeccable. Making them fall without arousing suspicion against our sect will be an extremely complicated task..."

They continued discussing gloomy plans and conspiracies, immersed in their illusions of control.

Meanwhile...

What none of those conspirators could imagine was that, while they discussed their schemes, a true God of Death was already prowling around their sanctuary.

Already infiltrated into the heart of the planet, Priam observed the imposing buildings of the main city from a safe distance. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white beneath his restrained fury.

Finally, everything added up. It was no wonder the Sorcerers had seemed like ghosts, leaving behind no trace or detectable operational base in the Southern Region.

They were never hiding in the South.

The organization maintained two main strongholds in the Divine Plane: one hidden in the East and another in the West.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been impossible. Outside the Southern Region, every galaxy and planet was strictly monitored by the great local sects. Since the Sorcerers never caused large-scale destruction in the East or West, the Ironweald Sect never suspected the truth.

In the Eastern Region, the influential Heavenly River Valley Sect was, in reality, a secret ally of the Sorcerers, providing them with shelter, secrecy, and protection.

To the Sorcerers, that sacred territory was an untouched refuge. Whenever they needed flesh for corruption, soul harvesting, or various resources, they advanced into the Southern Region—treating it as nothing more than livestock waiting to be slaughtered.

Priam had discovered this rotten web while analyzing those memories. Although he still didn’t know who the traitors in the West were, he had discovered everything he needed to know about the East.

Suddenly, Priam raised his right hand.

With a simple gesture, a colossal green-and-red sphere materialized above his palm.

He fixed his gaze on the city’s central plaza, right where the main complex stood.

After purifying that entire planet earlier, Priam had accumulated an astronomical amount of liquid Ether. With this enormous reserve, he had forged a special "gift": he compressed all that energy and embedded a devastating Power Rune into its core.

Priam took a deep breath. Slowly, all the anger on his face evaporated, replaced by a frigid expression devoid of any trace of emotion.

He swung his arm far back and hurled the sphere.

The compact mass of energy shot forward like a falling star, cutting through the sky straight toward the heart of the city—and the planet itself.

**KBOOOOOOOOM!!!**

A deafening explosion erupted, shaking the entire structure of the planet.

Devastating blasts of wind and fire spread like a sudden apocalypse, devouring everything in every direction.

Hundreds of people stuck their heads out of the buildings’ windows after hearing the initial explosion, but despair took hold the instant they saw the wall of flames and blades of air approaching.

Colossal structures were directly reduced to pieces and incinerated into ashes.

Screams of horror echoed from every direction. Some tried to raise barriers or flee, but they were swallowed by the devastating wave and annihilated instantly.

That single attack of wind and fire swept away most of the central city from existence.

Where the main plaza had once stood, there was now only a bottomless abyss hundreds of kilometers wide. Everything around it had been reduced to scorched earth.

"You bastard! Who dares attack the Heavenly River Valley Sect?! I’ll tear you to pieces!"

A hysterical roar made the cracked earth tremble. A group emerged, flying from the rubble of a collapsed building—they were the figures who had been in the meeting.

Upon witnessing the complete ruin around them, a cold and overwhelming killing intent emanated from their bodies.

Priam’s attack had destroyed the sect’s millennia-old base. Those buildings weren’t mere structures; they housed facilities of incalculable value, comparable only to the complexes of the greatest sects in the Northern Region.

Surviving members crawled out of the rubble, their faces covered in dust and blood, staring blankly at the disaster. They refused to believe what they were seeing.

The central plaza had been replaced by a monstrous crater. No one could even calculate how many people had been killed in this sudden attack.

"Priam!"

Surey let out a ragged cry when he spotted a man standing dozens of kilometers away.

Priam had his hands clasped behind his back, a faint smile on his face. Upon noticing that he had been seen, he calmly waved, as if greeting old friends.

"Kill him!" one of the Elders roared furiously, shooting forward.

Following the command, all the survivors charged like a furious swarm. Surprisingly, the sect still had more than two thousand Sage-level experts in the region.

What puzzled the attackers was that Priam remained completely still. He stood there with his hands behind his back and the same serene smile. He didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of running away.

The horde surrounded him from all sides.

Discreetly, Priam’s gaze passed over the main Elder, the leader of the group.

That man emanated a terrifying aura—he was visibly stronger than Mishnar. In a direct confrontation, Priam knew he had no chance of defeating him at the moment.

"Was it you who attacked this place?!" the main Elder demanded, grinding his teeth so hard they seemed ready to break.

"Yes," Priam nodded with absolute calm.

"How do you want to die?! I’ll let you choose!" the old man threatened, while his eyes scanned the surrounding clouds for any possible hidden reinforcements.

"No need to look. I came alone," Priam declared calmly, causing everyone’s eyes to narrow. "Today, I came to reap your lives."

"Hahaha! Excellent! Then let’s see how you plan to take my life! Even if the Leader of your Ironweald Sect comes here personally today to protect you, you won’t leave here alive!"

As he spoke those words, the main Elder made a hand signal, and the entire crowd prepared to charge...

"Wait a moment!" Priam hurriedly raised his hand.

"What? Getting scared now? It’s too late to beg!" one of them mocked.

"Don’t you want to say a few last words?" Priam asked curiously.

"What the hell are you talking about, you worm?!" the leader retorted.

"Well... if you don’t say anything before you die, you won’t have another chance afterward," Priam replied calmly, shifting his gaze toward the sky.