Chapter 397: The Seven Deadly Sins' Rival Organization, Sanctuary!

He stood atop the half-body skeleton's head. His terrifying, abyssal aura continuously rolled outward, suppressing the skeleton so heavily it couldn't move an inch.

He suddenly pushed off with his feet. A visible storm instantly formed around the half-body skeleton, engulfing it. The gale lashed out like billions of indestructible wind blades, shredding the skeleton to pieces in an instant.

So strong!

Dongfang Yuan was shocked. An instant kill against a Gold Nightmare—just who was this man?!

The man in the dragon mask cast a cold glance at Dongfang Yuan before shifting his gaze to the behemoth in the sea—the Son of the Sea!

Hongye kept the Divine Envoy's teachings firmly in mind: he was not to speak casually with the people in the dreamscape. His primary mission was to slay these Gold Grade Nightmare Creatures.

Therefore, he ignored Dongfang Yuan and locked his target on the Son of the Sea.

Boom!

A fierce gale erupted beneath his feet. Riding the wind, he charged straight for the Son of the Sea.

Dongfang Yuan's expression changed, and he hurriedly shouted, "Your Excellency, do not fight it in the sea! It—"

"Wind Zenith: Thousand Falls!"

With a cold shout, Hongye descended from the sky, his Black Feather Cloak billowing. He reached out with his right hand. The surrounding gales surged wildly, condensing furiously into his palm until they formed a high-speed, rotating azure sphere of light.

Sensing the threat, the Son of the Sea stopped manipulating the ocean waves. Instead, it brandished over a dozen tentacles made of seawater, whipping them toward Hongye to strangle him.

Hongye neither dodged nor retreated. He thrust the azure sphere forward to meet the incoming tentacles. Swish, swish, swish...

As if subjected to a thousand invisible cuts, the tentacles instantly burst apart, raining back down from the sky as ordinary seawater.

With the tentacles no longer blocking his path, Hongye slammed the azure sphere directly onto the Son of the Sea's head.

The sphere detonated. A storm of billions of azure wind blades pierced and sliced through the Son of the Sea's body, completely shredding it back into seawater.

The Son of the Sea—dead!

Off to the side, Dongfang Yuan wore a look of utter horror. He opened his mouth, but the rest of his warning caught in his throat.

Another instant kill!? Such strength clearly belonged to... a Gold King!!

Aside from the Seven Kings, was there yet another Gold King in this world?

Having dispatched two Gold Nightmares in quick succession, Hongye did not linger. A gentle breeze lifted his body, carrying him into the distance as his Black Feather Cloak snapped fiercely in the wind.

Dongfang Yuan hurriedly reached out. "Could Your Excellency leave a name? I will surely repay today's grace in the future!"

In midair, Hongye looked back, the pitch-black dragon mask searing itself into Dongfang Yuan's memory.

He spoke with icy detachment, "Sanctuary. Azure Dragon."

The apathetic voice gradually faded over the horizon, but it echoed in Dongfang Yuan's heart for a long time.

Sanctuary? Azure Dragon?

Just who was this person?

Dongfang Yuan racked his brain but couldn't match the name Azure Dragon to anyone he knew. He forced down his confusion; first, he had to repel the current wave of Nightmare Creatures.

With the two great Gold Nightmares dead, the human forces under Dongfang Yuan's command swiftly routed the remaining Nightmare Creatures.

While the soldiers cheered in celebration, Dongfang Yuan returned to the camp alone. He produced a token-shaped communication Artifact and contacted King Chi.

"Your Majesty, I have just encountered someone..."

Dongfang Yuan concisely reported the situation, but his words were met with only silence from King Chi on the other end.

"Your Majesty? Are you listening?"

"I will let Gongsun Quan explain it to you," King Chi's voice finally sounded.

"Lord Dongfang, this is Gongsun Quan. The Empire is already aware of the situation you described. You are not the first person to encounter Sanctuary."

"What?" Dongfang Yuan was taken aback. "Do you mean someone else has also met Azure Dragon?"

"Indeed. Azure Dragon traversed almost the entire borderline and slew five Gold Nightmares before vanishing completely. Moreover, Sanctuary appears to be an organization; Azure Dragon is not its only member."

"An organization? How many of them are there?"

"Six have shown themselves so far. Only Azure Dragon appeared in the Chiyan Empire, while the other five emerged in different empires. According to the intelligence shared among the major empires, these six go by the names Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu, Qilin, and Nine-Tails.

"Aside from Azure Dragon, the other five are all top-tier Gold experts—almost every single one of them is on par with you, Lord Dongfang. As for Azure Dragon, you are currently the only one who has gauged his strength. I trust your judgment; Azure Dragon must be a Gold King."

Gasp!

Dongfang Yuan drew in a sharp breath. Five top-tier Gold experts and one Gold King. Such a roster was a terrifyingly powerful force anywhere in the world. If these were turbulent times, they could establish their own empire outright.

"Is Azure Dragon the Leader of Sanctuary?"

Gongsun Quan pondered for a moment before replying slowly, "No. The people of the Longyuan Empire learned from Qilin that this operation was ordered by the Leader of Sanctuary to eradicate Nightmare Creatures. The Leader of Sanctuary has not shown himself."

"Even a Gold King isn't the Leader!?" Dongfang Yuan was increasingly horrified. "Then what level is the Leader of Sanctuary? Could it be..."

For a moment, Dongfang Yuan thought of the Seven Deadly Sins. Such a formidable organization with a mysterious leader... they were far too similar to the Seven Deadly Sins.

Gongsun Quan seemed to guess his thoughts and spoke frankly, "Lord Dongfang, your suspicions are correct. Sanctuary is likely not an organization from the Real World. Just like the Seven Deadly Sins, they come from... the Nightmare World.

"We cannot match them with any top-tier Gold experts in the Real World. Furthermore, they possess an intimate understanding of Nightmare Creatures. They know the weaknesses of every kind of Nightmare Creature, as if they have dealt with them for years."

Dongfang Yuan fell silent. Another group from the Nightmare World. Just how many powerhouses were hidden in that place?

"However, you needn't worry for now, Lord Dongfang. Judging by Sanctuary's actions, they might be a rival organization to the Seven Deadly Sins. Everything they've done is in clear opposition to them.

"Pride may be incredibly powerful, a God of the Nightmare World, but do not forget that there is more than one God in the Nightmare World. I suspect that even Pride cannot dominate its entirety. It is highly probable that Sanctuary was founded by a God hostile to Pride."

"Let us hope so. Sigh..." Dongfang Yuan sighed deeply. Instinctively, he harbored a subconscious aversion toward any being from the Nightmare World.

...

...

The Nightmare World.

Sanctuary's Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu, Qilin, and Nine-Tails all knelt respectfully before Su Mu, reporting on their operation.

"Very good. You've all done well," Su Mu said, casually handing out praise that cost him nothing.

But to these zealots, such praise was the greatest reward.

One by one, they kowtowed continuously in their excitement.

"You may return and rest for now. When it is time for the next operation, I will have Hongye inform you."

"Yes, Lord Divine Envoy!"

Afterward, Su Mu left the Nightmare World and returned to the Divine Dream World.

Upon his return, he noticed that the progress bar for his Heaven-Deceiving Bagua had increased significantly. Clearly, many people had connected Sanctuary with the Seven Deadly Sins, believing Sanctuary to be a rival organization founded by another God of the Nightmare World.

Then it was time for him, the Leader of Sanctuary, to make his debut. He would completely solidify this lie and use the Seven Deadly Sins to make the name of Sanctuary echo throughout the world.