Chapter 1308: As Long As Avergis Is Out of the Picture

Tarius frowned deeply as he kept listening to the Northern Emperor recount everything about her meeting with Aldrian.

After the Northern Emperor finished telling her story, Tarius looked into the Northern Emperor's figure. With only that single gaze, he could see her past. He could see everything she had seen and experienced.

A few moments later, he finished viewing her past, but instead of clearing his confusion, it only made him frown even more.

Now, he was even more confused.

He was indeed surprised by the fact that Avergis' apostle had been captured, but what truly confused him was the identity of that mysterious man.

He had never seen that man before, yet the man indeed possessed the same energy and aura as those who came from his universe and his followers.

He was certain that he had never seen nor even heard the slightest bit of information about that man. There was no one matching that man's description, much less someone capable of everything he had displayed.

The fact that the man could descend to the First Heaven using some mysterious artifact was already shocking enough. If he himself had possessed something like that, there would have been no panic or frustration when the First Heaven suddenly became sealed.

When the First Heaven was sealed, he and several gods from the alliance had tried several methods, including using artifacts to send their avatars down. However, every single attempt had failed.

And now there was someone who possessed an artifact capable of accomplishing exactly that—and that person was even from his own side?

Tarius then tried to pry into the mysterious man's past through the Northern Emperor's memories.

With his ability, as long as he saw someone, even if it was only through another person's memories or merely a brief glimpse obtained through his clairvoyance, he would know everything about that being.

He could see their past, present, and future. He could even see the kind of fate they possessed.

In fact, he could not only perceive living beings. Even lifeless objects such as a rock or a pebble lying on the roadside were not beyond the reach of his clairvoyance.

Basically, he could see every piece of information about any existence within the universe.

However, after Tarius tried to pry into the mysterious man's existence, what he found was... nothing.

His sight did not reveal anything. It was as if the man had no past, present, or future. The man was a real being, yet at the same time, it was as if he did not exist.

His frown deepened, but he was not too surprised that he could not see everything about the mysterious man. In the end, his clairvoyance ability was not something absolute, as it could be blocked by another's ability or artifact.

For example, he could not see through the other Masters of Universes because of their powerful defenses against such clairvoyance techniques.

He also could not see through their apostles, as they were directly protected by their respective Masters of Universes' blessings.

As for that mysterious man who possessed an artifact capable of allowing him to descend to the First Heaven when even he and the others could not, having another artifact that could block a Master of Universe's clairvoyance ability was not an impossibility.

But this also made Tarius wonder about the man's true strength.

'Is he someone who has already reached the threshold of breaking through to become a Master of Universe? To use an artifact of that caliber, he must at least possess that level of cultivation,' Tarius thought.

'But I still can't understand how he suddenly popped up in the Second Heaven, especially if he possibly has his own group. How could they hide so well from every Master of Universe? Even Avergis seems completely oblivious to their existence.'

Tarius took a deep breath before slowly releasing it. His breath caused the flames throughout the entire realm to burn even more fiercely.

It was as if the flames of this realm were an extension of his own breath.

'Where the hell did he come from? He said he couldn't meet me because of the circumstances... What kind of circumstances?' Tarius continued pondering.

After a few moments of contemplation, he suddenly thought of something.

'Does he have a connection to that singularity, Aldrian? I heard reports about the possibility that the man has already ascended to the Second Heaven. That's why Avergis seemed so restless.'

But then he shook his head.

'No, it doesn't make any sense. If that man has connections to the rebels, then why did he bring Avergis' apostle, who also has connections to the rebels? That man's actions are more helpful to me than to the rebels. With this incident, I can already imagine that Avergis could be out of the picture. I could replace him in the Second Heaven.'

He smirked, but as if realizing something, his expression quickly darkened into another frown.

'Unless that guy returns and demands that we stop. However, he hasn't shown himself since not long after the First Heaven was sealed. I wonder where the hell he went?'

Just imagining that he had to stop fighting Avergis was already enough to make him furious. But if that figure truly gave such an order, then there was nothing he could do.

That figure was the true leader, and he had personally witnessed just how terrifyingly powerful that figure was.

Still, he felt genuinely confused by all the uncertainty. With so many scattered pieces of information, countless possibilities, and events that seemed connected to one another yet could just as easily have nothing to do with each other, he simply didn't know what the real truth was.

'Whatever. For now, let's kick Avergis out first. Whatever the truth is, Avergis has to be removed from the alliance. Once he's out, there's a high possibility that I can replace him.'

Tarius shrugged and simply smirked. He looked at the Northern Emperor, who was still kneeling before him, and spoke,

"I will go meet with the other Masters of Universes. Go and recuperate. Your injuries are quite severe."

"Yes, my lord," the Northern Emperor replied.

The next moment, Tarius' figure disappeared.

-----------------------------

In the Second Heaven, the situation remained tense as the war continued. The news that the war had already begun in the region near the city of Tarluk spread rapidly.

Because this was the place where the war had first erupted, it became the focus of the other domains that were still preparing to attack.

It was said that a great battle had taken place between cultivators from the Higher Heavens belonging to the two opposing sides.

The battle was so devastating that it laid waste to half of Tarius' followers' territory. It also killed millions of troops from Avergis' side.

Many did not expect the casualties to be so massive. They wondered whether Tarius' side had another powerful cultivator besides the Northern Emperor who could have caused such tremendous destruction, despite Avergis' side having four cultivators from the Higher Heavens.

Those four cultivators also could no longer be contacted, which raised concerns.

Combined with the sudden appearance of the thick fog deep within the territory, which no one could enter, many assumed that something even worse had happened to the four cultivators.

It was also unknown whether there were still remnants of Tarius' followers inside the fog-covered region, making the outcome of the war in this area unclear.

They could not simply declare total victory if there were still surviving followers of Tarius inside.

At this moment, the alliance forces from Avergis' side were still stationed within Tarius' territory. They continued trying to find a way to enter the fog-covered region.

The fog had become so dense that even Peak Immortal Saint cultivators could not withstand the effects of the devil energy. Their minds would quickly be consumed by negative thoughts, causing them to fall into their inner demons.

Even worse, the fog suppressed their energy, reducing their strength to only a fraction of what it normally was.

While the alliance forces were still searching for a way to enter the fog-covered region, Aldrian's avatar, who had battled the gods, was inside Tarluk, waiting in one of the taverns.

He heard many people talking about the battle, but he ignored them and simply drank the beverage he had ordered.

Aldrian's real body's consciousness had already returned to his true body, while the avatar continued taking care of the matters in this place.

"What a mess. I heard that they lost so many cultivators there. Sigh. How could Tarius' followers pull off something like that? I thought this would be an easy war with how weakened they are," one of the guests said to his friends.

"Yeah, I think we underestimated them too much. To think that we could lose so many people in just one place. Don't tell me we have to lose that many people in the other territories as well just to win the total war. That wouldn't be worth it," his friend replied.

"Hey, the fact that His Eminence the Grandmaster declared a total war is already a sign that the temple isn't underestimating them. The temple is taking this matter seriously. But those Tarius followers are truly a tough bunch. They have many tricks up their sleeves. Did you forget that they managed to create chaos across the Second Heaven for the past month? It's not surprising that Tarius' side has someone unknown to the temple who could cause such devastation," another of their friends said.

"Aish, I just hope my friend survives. He's among the alliance forces," another person said.

The avatar did not say anything. As he continued enjoying his time alone, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Your Excellency, do you plan to stay for the night? If you do, we can prepare accommodations for you."

The tavern owner, who was not far from him, asked while continuing to clean a glass.

"No. I will head to another city. My role here is already finished," the avatar replied.

"Then we will make the necessary preparations so that Your Excellency won't be disturbed when you pass through the teleportation gate. Thank you for your hard work, Your Excellency."