Hardened Reception

Over time, Lucio and all the experts of the Lucio Family had built up a deep resentment.

I'm not trying to seize power!

I'm only acting for the collective interests of our Eighteen Families!

But when this filtered down, many Lucio Family juniors lost sight of things, thinking their family was challenging the authority of the Eighteen Families Alliance Council.

Especially the authority of the first family, the Baldivi Family.

"Just watch—this crude mining policy will eventually cost the Family Alliance a massive loss!"

This was the complaint of Alfose, a Seven-star Demon Expert.

Of course, he only grumbled about it within the Lucio Family.

If this old High God weren't a member of the Lucio Family, Alfose wouldn't have said a word.

"Raising Saint-level humans in a controlled manner won't draw any attention, but large-scale control of God-level beings still carries risks," the old man said.

Risk didn't mean someone would step in—there was nuance to it.

Their conversation revealed the tangled web of power and interests among the Eighteen Families.

The Purple Crystal Mountain Range wasn't just a resource-rich region; it was the focal point of family conflict.

While Hermes and Bamer delved deep into the Mist Sea, the internal strife among the Eighteen Families raged in the shadows.

Everyone was striving for their own goals and interests.

The Purple Crystal Mountain Range, this mysterious land, had become a stage for conflict.

It was all about profit!

"Haha, purple light soaring to the heavens, time spanning eons—the Purple Crystal Mountain Range has finally begun its Mist Sea upheaval."

"Swish, swish, swish~!"

From eighteen large castles and countless smaller ones scattered across different directions in the Purple Crystal Mountain Range, a flood of experts in black or purple robes soared into the sky.

Hovering high above, they watched the purple light that occasionally burst from the Mist Sea.

Each flash of purple might represent dozens or hundreds of Purple Crystals—wealth belonging to the Eighteen Families.

"Boom, rumble~!"

Hermes and Bamer were flying when they suddenly felt an immense force, and both plummeted from the sky.

"What's going on?"

Hermes' body crashed down like a meteor, slamming heavily into the hard, black-red rocky ground.

It carved out a deep crater.

Bamer, quicker to react, activated his Elementalization ability the instant he felt the extreme gravity.

His body turned into a ball of flame, drifting lightly to avoid the impact.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~!"

Around them, the upheaval in the Purple Crystal Mountain Range grew fiercer.

Countless Purple Crystal Grottoes seemed to awaken, spewing purple light like an endless Gatling gun.

Each point of light corresponded to a cluster of Purple Crystals—a deadly threat to any God-level being caught in the Mist Sea, but for the Eighteen Families, it was wealth.

Boundless wealth.

Except for the top few patriarchs of the Eighteen Families, no one knew that a Sovereign God lived within the Purple Crystal Mountain Range.

All they knew was that every few eons, the Purple Crystal Mountain Range would unpredictably erupt with a Mist Sea tide.

Each eruption was a disaster—a catastrophe for the God-level beings who paid Ink Stones to mine crystals in the Purple Crystal Mountain Range.

Even more so for those who couldn't afford even five thousand Ink Stones and could only promise to hand over three Purple Crystals afterward.

Because they were usually Middle Gods or even Lower Gods—poorer and weaker.

They had no ability to withstand the risk.

"Boom, rumble~!"

Another spontaneously erupting Purple Crystal Grotto spewed out a cluster of at least several hundred Purple Crystals.

The Purple Crystal Mountain Range, stretching hundreds of thousands of miles, trembled.

"Mist Shadow Heavy~!"

This cluster of purple light, before it could even rise, was pulled back to the ground by the extreme gravity.

"Milord, be careful~!"

Seeing Hermes activate the Mist Shadow Space, he charged directly toward the surging purple crystals.

"Swoosh~!"

Another mass of purple light erupted like a divine dragon emerging from the sea, its momentum so vast it seemed to tear space itself.

In fact, cracks had already appeared in the space where the purple crystals flew past!

Bamer's face turned pale with fright.

"He can't take that head-on..."

He knew Hermes's divine body was formidable, but he had no absolute frame of reference—only from the fact that the purple crystals could fly tens of thousands of miles after erupting from the underground cavern.

How terrifying was the initial velocity of those purple crystals!

Now, seeing Hermes not using a High-grade Divine Artifact, not using any ultimate move, but actually trying to catch the freshly erupted purple crystals with his bare hands—

Bamer felt utterly unsettled.

"Lord is strong, certainly, but his actions are somewhat reckless."

"At this rate, Lord's divine body will definitely suffer severe damage. In a place as dangerous as the Purple Crystal Mountain Range, getting injured..."

He dared not think further, and at the same time prepared to fight desperately to protect Hermes.

"Clang~!"

A terrifying force, like crashing into a mountain, instantly shifted from high speed to stillness.

All the impact force from the purple crystals transferred onto Hermes's body.

The moment his hand touched the mass of purple crystals he had pulled down from midair, he turned and blocked this second mass that had burst forth abruptly.

He was knocked off balance by the impact.

But that was all.

"Lord, you..."

Bamer was stunned.

He had witnessed Hermes's terrifying material defense before.

But he had never seen the full picture!

During that battle in the Blocking Castle where he was under soul control—not to mention Bamer's chaotic soul state at the time—Hermes had been wearing divine armor.

Besides, Bamer hadn't even landed a hit on Hermes; he only had a clear understanding of Hermes's terrifying strength.

He only knew that Hermes's material defense should also be very strong, but exactly how strong?

Bamer didn't know!

Now, purple crystals that could easily pierce even a High-grade Divine Artifact were being blocked by Hermes's bare hands.

What kind of concept was that?

"Lord... his body's toughness surpasses a High-grade Divine Artifact?"

Too terrifying!

Absolutely too terrifying!

At this moment, Bamer was still staring blankly at Hermes. "With a body toughness exceeding that of a High-grade Divine Artifact, how exaggerated is the power amplification it brings?"

He had never seen anything like this.

It was different from relying on High-grade Divine Artifact armor to achieve high-grade divine defense.

This was an all-around, no-blind-spot, six-dimensional enhancement.

"Probably... speed is still Lord's only weakness."

Given Hermes's Earth Clone physique exceeding three meters in height, anyone could tell he came from a special race.

"I've never seen Lord use an Innate Divine Ability, which only means he didn't become a god through a divine beast lineage."

Hermes had no idea what Bamer was thinking. He was still guarding this underground cavern that had erupted a large mass of purple crystals.

"383 pieces, hahaha! There really are more purple crystals in the mist!"

Having caught two consecutive masses of erupting purple crystals, Hermes threw them all directly into the Golden Space.

"Boom~!"

The moment the purple crystals were swallowed into the Golden Space, 383 pieces dissolved into a pale purple mist.

The other matter vanished.

"Inside here... is this some kind of soul-enhancing miraculous substance?"

The pale purple mist was formless and intangible, even with Hermes's control over the Golden Space.

He had no idea what it was.

But Hermes felt it had a beneficial effect on the soul.

It was still an intuition.

He even felt that this mist was purer than the Soul Gold Bead.

"Although no one has ever said the Soul Gold Bead has negative effects, Hermes remained cautious and did not refine it."