Volume One: Intrigue and Deception in the Imperial Capital - Final Battle

Divine Artifact: The Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass.

No one knows how it came to be, nor does anyone know all its secrets. In the distant past, the Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass was passed down to the ancestors of the Si Nan Family, and since then it has become the greatest secret and reliance of the Si Nan Family. They worship the Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass to the extreme, which can be seen from the fact that they named their surname "Sinan".

The Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass is not an offensive Divine Artifact; it's more like an all-powerful strategist. It can point out everything the user wants to know, want to obtain, and want to do; it can guide people from despair to the light; it can tell the user in detail how to achieve victory; it can detect everything in the world... and many other functions that have not yet been fully discovered by the Si Nan Family.

However, although the Si Nan Family has produced many talented individuals over the past thousand years, not a single one has been able to fully control the Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass. This is because to fully unleash its power, one not only needs formidable strength but also a detection or mental ability, and very few people can meet both of these conditions.

Using a human body to activate Divine Artifact places an enormous burden on oneself. Those who lack the ability to do so may even shorten their lifespan if they attempt it. Over time, unless a matter of life and death occurs, successive Patriarch have never used Divine Artifact.

And now, in the most serious crisis in the more than a thousand-year history of the Si Nan Family, there is the threat of annihilation!

"What... is this...?"

His limbs were stiff, his mind was hazy, his mouth was dry, and he was struggling to breathe.

"I've never heard of the Si Nan Family possessing such a thing..."

Victor murmured, the immense pressure making it difficult for him to move an inch. Just looking at the dazzling golden light, a strange sense of awe welled up within him. At this moment, he couldn't even muster the slightest thought of resistance, as if even his soul had been captured by it.

In stark contrast, Si Nan Zheng, who walked through the air surrounded by golden light, showed no signs of weakness despite his long-term suffering from a terminal illness. His expression was solemn, his steps steady, and a golden light flickered deep within his eyes, as if he were guided by a deity!

"The Si Nan Family, a gathering place."

Si Nan Zheng spoke softly, his voice low yet resonating deep within everyone's hearts, even touching their souls. Under the shimmering golden light, the hidden doors leading underground within the Si Nan Main Family's main residence opened one after another. Thousands of Si Nan clan members who had been taking refuge underground—elders, high-ranking officials, guards, servants, maids... regardless of age, gender, or status—all had their eyes veiled in gold. They moved in perfect unison to the surface, rising into the air under the golden light, gathering around Si Nan Zheng. Not only Si Nan Family, but also several allied forces from the surrounding area joined in; in the blink of an eye, an army of several thousand had taken shape!

"Form ranks."

The thousands of people suspended in the air all wore solemn expressions. Without any further response, they began to move in an orderly and rapid manner, forming a Crane Wing Formation with astonishing uniformity, combining offense and defense. On both sides were the forces of countless affiliated forces, and in the center were the elite combat forces of the Si Nan Family, including the Si Nan sisters, Si Nan Xing, several elders, and even the guard teams of each direct descendant!

"Tch! Playing tricks!"

Victor finally came to his senses, cursed, and secretly regretted his loss of composure. It was just a golden compass. Since the Si Nan Zheng gathering combat power, it meant that this compass was not a powerful weapon. At least it did not have the ability to attack directly. At most, it was just gathering combat power.

No matter how much waste accumulates, it's still waste, so there's nothing to be afraid of!

"Flame Dragon Devour!"

A hundred-meter-long fire dragon roared and crashed down, raising the temperature of the world by several degrees. However, the Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass flashed with golden light, and amidst the overlapping golden ripples, the flames were completely extinguished!

"Attack!"

Thousands of people raised their hands in unison, releasing thousands of elements, force fields, bubbles, and summoned creatures. As soon as all the attacks were launched, they merged with the light patterns released by the Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass. Amidst the golden light, all attacks of different attributes and forms were gathered into one, condensing into a huge energy wave that slammed directly into Victor's face!

"Thunder Fire Heavenly Escape!"

The lightning and flames coalesced into a massive ball of light, ten meters in diameter, hurtling forward to collide head-on with the golden energy wave! However, the expected violent explosion did not occur, because the lightning and fire ball was engulfed by the golden light the instant it made contact with the energy wave, disintegrating before it could even unleash its power!

Even with Victor's composure, he was terrified. A massive tornado appeared behind him, pushing him out of the energy wave's attack range.

The light wave exploded with a deafening roar, producing a sound like waves crashing on the shore. The energy surge continued to spread, and the army of Cleon on the ground was smashed into mincemeat before they even had a chance to struggle! Even Victor was not spared. He was a step too slow and was hit by the ripples on his side, which split open in several large gashes, with blood gushing out!

"Damn it!!!!"

Victor roared, flapping his Hurricane Wings, his bleeding body tracing a complex arc as he fled into the distance. With his speed and intricate flight path, ranged attacks were futile. That golden compass was too strange; it could completely unify thousands of people into a single entity, even condensing their power and attacks together, maximizing them! It was best to retreat first.

Boom!!!!

Less than ten meters in front of him, a dazzling golden light suddenly burst forth, the scattering flames forcing him to retreat repeatedly, leaving him with several more burns!

... How could this be? Victor's mind went blank. Had his actions been predicted?

Keep going!

No matter which direction Victor fled, the Si Nan Family's attacks followed him relentlessly, constantly blocking his path! They also launched massive beam sniping attacks in quick succession during the gaps in his movements, rendering all his defenses as fragile as paper before the golden light waves! He attempted to counterattack several times, but any attack was rendered ineffective by the rippling golden light, like punching cotton!

"Huff... huff..."

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Victor landed heavily on the ground. He was covered in blood and had tried his best, but there was no way to turn the tide! Looking around at the blood-stained streets, the army that had come to attack the Si Nan Family had long been swept away by the golden light that radiated everywhere, leaving only blood and flesh scattered on the ground!

"You cannot defeat the Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass, Victor," the golden compass, appearing like a god descending to earth, spoke to Victor for the first time Si Nan Zheng the very center of the light. "The Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass has perfectly predicted your every move, pointing me to the path of victory. It has clearly told me when and how to act to defeat you! You have no chance of winning, while I will, under its guidance, march towards victory and revival!"

Predicting actions? Pointing out the path to victory?

Is this really possible?

"It is precisely because it has achieved this that it is Divine Artifact! Although I cannot yet unleash even half of its full power, it is still enough to deal with you! Die!"

The attacks of all the Si Nan Family were once again combined into one, and ten thousand golden rays condensed into a Greatsword of light hundreds of meters long. The sword tip pointed downwards and fell towards Victor from a height of hundreds of meters!

"Even if I die, I'll drag you all down with me!!!"

Victor roared, unleashing a burst of light from all four elements in a desperate fight, but just then—

"Ugh... cough cough!"

The golden light between heaven and earth suddenly distorted, the Greatsword of light overhead disappeared, and even the oppressive aura released by the Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass weakened.

Victor looked at Si Nan Zheng with suspicion, only to see Si Nan Zheng suddenly clutch his chest, cough violently, a trace of blood faintly visible at the corner of his mouth, and his complexion was quite poor...

Victor paused for a moment, then burst into laughter!

"Hahahaha!!! I knew it! Activating such a powerful device must put a huge strain on your body! And you're a sickly person who won't live past a year... Tsk tsk tsk, tell me honestly, how much longer can you last?"