Chapter 129: A Supreme Method

Theo pulled out the *Empyrean Upgrade Seal* he had acquired months ago...

Golden, tadpole-like inscriptions flowed from the seal into the manual, transforming the technique into a peerless masterwork.

[Wyrm-Severing Aether Arts.]

"Seraphina was already close to matching that drake on the southern front," Theo mused. "With this, she can finally severe the head of the royal dragon."

Theo vividly recalled Crown Prince Aurelius and his golden Imperial Aquilas. The Crown Prince’s arrogance grated on his nerves.

Given the chance, Theo would love to pummel the royal heir into the dirt, but it would be far more poetic for Seraphina to reclaim her honor with her own hands.

Having sorted the minor loot, Theo put on a solemn expression.

"Oh, Great System! I command you to aid my cultivation!"

He tapped the premium reward generated by the Reborn Empress.

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in Liana, aiding her in acquiring half of the Genesis Sphere.]

[Investment Reward: Vulcan’s Anvil - Divine Refinement.]

[Description: A supreme forging method capable of crafting divine armaments. Its greatest marvel lies in tempering the wielder’s physical body during the rhythmic striking of the forge. Refine the steel a hundred times, and temper the flesh into divinity!]

"A forging technique?" Theo pondered. It was perfectly suited for his *Abyssal World-Forge*, though he had never considered becoming a blacksmith.

The secondary effect, however, was precisely what he needed.

The progression of his *Diamond Crucible Form* had stalled...

A strong vessel was the supreme foundation of his *Parasite* class. This technique could finally break his bottleneck!

*Buzz—*

Within his inner world, his Abyssal Hammer emitted a resonant, aggrieved hum.

Feeling a sense of blue-collar grievance from a sentient warhammer was downright absurd.

"Hammer, you do not want to do manual labor?"

*Buzz...* Nope.

"What if I promise to set you up on a playdate after a few days of forging?"

Theo coaxed, dangling a metaphorical carrot.

It was not entirely a lie...

He remembered Liana’s *Frost-Moon Eclipse* sword. It possessed a magnificent divine aura.

"Have I ever lied to you? Is your master not an honorable and upright gentleman? I will definitely introduce you to that beautiful silver sword." Theo was not sure if weapons possessed a sense of aesthetics, but to him, Liana’s blade was a beauty among weapons.

The Hammer reluctantly dropped its union protests.

Theo exhaled in relief, though a twinge of guilt immediately assaulted his conscience.

Liana was an untouchable Empress.

First, he had coveted her dainty feet, then he had squeezed her delicate hands during the soul-link, and now he was pimping out her divine sword to bribe his hammer.

What a total disgrace to the title of gentleman!

If he dared covet her sword today, what would he dare covet tomorrow?

He did not even dare imagine it, because it edged dangerously close to...

The virtuous Sovereign had no intention of entertaining such lewd thoughts, yet his traitorous mind instantly conjured an image of Liana... her slender fingers curled shyly, her silver eyelashes fluttering, her eyes squeezed shut in bashful protest as she whispered, "Don’t..."

"Theo! How could you sink so low?!" Theo slapped his own cheeks.

It had to be the lingering influence of his Abyssal Drake bloodline! Dragons were notoriously lustful!

Silently, he retreated into his inner world. Right now, he was burning with feverish energy.

He desperately needed to vent... preferably by beating up his sparring clones.

...

As dusk fell, Liana withdrew her consciousness from the Genesis Sphere. Lingering in the incomplete artifact offered little benefit, and she needed practical answers.

Descending the stairs of Solstice Manor, she spotted Pontifex Valerius seated at the courtyard tea table, chewing on a brush and writing furiously on a piece of parchment.

"What are you doing?" Liana asked.

"Writing my resume for the Abyssal Syndicate. Why?"

The Pontifex looked up, and her gaze instantly froze.

The longer she stared, the more breathtaking and frightening Liana appeared.

Because Liana was standing, looking down at her with that cool, detached silver gaze, the divine pressure hit the ancient Exarch like a sudden hurricane.

It was absurd that an initiate could exert physical pressure on an Exarch, but the Primeval Aurora’s bloodline defied all logic.

No wonder Theo was so entirely devoted to her...

"I have a question I would like to ask," Liana said softly.

"A-Ask away..." the Pontifex stammered, shrinking into her chair. "Though I dare not claim to be worthy of giving an Empress advice."

"How can one avoid being influenced by a foreign divine consciousness, and maintain pure clarity of self?" Liana asked.

***

Inside the *Abyssal World-Forge*.

"So... Theo is fine... right?" Princess Seraphina sat hugging her knees on the floor, asking nervously.

The Golden Fleece Tavern was praised by mercenaries in the Capital, renowned for its spiced wine and incredibly well-informed gossip.

Yesterday, three academy elites — Instructor Cassian, Valeria, and Titus — had gotten drunk at the tavern.

They had set up a makeshift bronze brazier at the entrance and began burning expensive incense and myrrh.

They drank and wept.

And they were mourning over a single strand of black hair.

"Wuwu... I toast to you!" Titus had sobbed. "No one could ever show off as grandly and arrogantly as you did! How lonely it is to be invincible, wuwu!"

"The first time I met you, I wanted to stab you!" Valeria bawled. "Who knew our last meeting would be your retreating back?!"

A sudden gust of wind had blown from the alley.

"Damn it, where did this demonic wind come from?!"

"Quick, grab the hair back! Do not let it fall into the fire!"

And so, three highly trained, heavily intoxicated swordsmen had stumbled around the street, chasing a single strand of hair and tripping over their own feet.

The scene was so bizarre that Princess Seraphina, who was passing by, had stepped forward to offer comfort. But when she learned *who* they were mourning, her demeanor had shifted entirely.

"Put the sword down, little girl! Calm down!" Cassian had yelled. "You do not even know where the Cult of the Devourer’s headquarters is!"

The situation had quickly descended into a bar brawl.

Fortunately, in her panic, Seraphina remembered that her mysterious teacher, the Abyssal Venerable, possessed vast cosmic powers.

She had rushed into her meditative state and blurted out: "Teacher... can someone who has been reduced to a single strand of hair... still come back to life?"

The ’Venerable’ (Theo) had fallen silent for a long time, entirely stumped.

If he said no, it would make his divine persona seem weak.

If he said yes... it was just a strand of hair!

After learning the full story, Theo did not know whether to laugh or cry. He could only comfort the little rebel princess patiently.

"Do not worry. I can tell at a glance that the boy is blessed with supreme fortune. Never believe anyone who claims he is dead."

"Really?" Seraphina’s eyes lit up.

"Of course. Now, focus on your training. Today, I shall impart a new blade art to you."

Theo activated *Great Sage*, utilizing a century’s worth of accumulated martial insights to directly inject the *Wyrm-Severing Aether Arts* into Seraphina’s neural pathways.

Losing a century of insights meant nothing to Theo. He had millennia of accumulated combat data, and the investment return when Seraphina mastered this peerless art would be astronomical.

An hour later, Seraphina grasped the basics and charged at the Crimson Drake projection.

After coaxing the princess to rest, Theo finally began his own cultivation.

"The investment feedback included several Archon-tier formation diagrams," Theo muttered. "They are not as potent as fighting a true Exarch, but the sheer quantity makes up for it."

The martial world of the Empire ran far deeper than he had imagined. Just as he had conquered the southern front and made a name for himself, he realized it was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Emperor Valerian had intentionally allowed the southern border to fall. The Primeval were waking up.

These were not abstract political events... they directly threatened him and his Empress.

Time passed.

At dawn, Theo awoke in his bedroom at Solstice Manor. His brow ached fiercely, as if he had been beaten in his sleep.

He had defeated five Archon-tier formations last night.

Glancing at the empty space beside his pillow, Theo felt the grueling exhaustion was entirely worth it. Imagine waking up one day to find Liana staring at him with the cold, unfeeling eyes of a stranger.

How frightening would that be?

He needed to work even harder.

...

Aside from improving his combat power, Theo needed strategic preparations.

He went downstairs to the courtyard and found Pontifex Valerius cross-referencing centuries-old historical texts to familiarize herself with the modern era.

"Pontifex, is there any chance Somnus could reawaken within you?" Theo asked, sitting across from her.

"Hmm? Not currently," the Pontifex shook her head, then muttered under her breath, "Why are you two asking the exact same question..."

"The same question?" Theo was taken aback.

"Yes. Were you also going to ask how I prevent the god from reawakening when there are signs?"

"Exactly." Theo realized Liana had already interrogated her.

The Pontifex sighed. "By doing things entirely contrary to the god’s nature."

"Could you be more specific?" Theo pulled out a leather-bound notebook.

"For example, Somnus loves the Imperial Strategy Board and supreme control. So, I play a dice game of luck." The Pontifex gritted her teeth. "Somnus enjoys eternal slumber and leisure. So, I limit myself to a single one-hour nap a month, and I work twenty-hour bureaucratic shifts every single day."

"..."

Theo leaned back slightly.

No wonder she had overseen the construction of the impossibly complex Sanctum of Somnus.

What a psychotic cult leader.

"Dice..." Theo tapped his pen, deep in thought.

"These are merely methods to torture Somnus," the Pontifex added. "They will not work for Liana. Her situation is different."

"Do you have any clues about the Primeval Aurora’s preferences or temperament?" Theo pressed seriously.

The Pontifex’s lips twitched. "Are you dense? There is a ten-thousand-year gap between my era and the Age of Primevals! Even in her own era, who could freely interact with the strongest of the Nine Gods? I have zero leads."

The young Sovereign crossed his arms, resting his chin on them, the very picture of a brilliant tactician.

*Things the Primeval Aurora would never do.*

No leads. None...

Wait!

A sudden inspiration struck Theo.

He remembered the vision from Liana’s bloodline trial. The elder had stated that the Aurora bloodline was *created* synthetically by the Primeval, not born naturally from descent.

Is it possible...

"The Primeval Aurora..." Theo slammed his hands on the table, his eyes wide. "She is a merciless, unfeeling deity who created her descendants through magic! She has never been in love!"

"She knows nothing at all of romance!"

The Pontifex’s eyes widened as if struck by a colossal Aether-Storm bolt.

She staggered back in shock, her chair tipping over, and flopped onto the courtyard grass.