Guen had obtained a large amount of materials and quite a lot of ferocious beast meat. The materials could be taken away, but they couldn't take all the meat. A Planetary Level beast could crush a stone house just by rolling over it, so its size was easy to imagine.
They could only leave what they couldn't carry for the soldiers. Planetary Level beast meat didn't taste very good, but it was highly nutritious and greatly benefited Apprentice Level warriors.
As soon as Guen and Carl returned to the Armory Camp, they saw a handsome young man with green hair, dressed in a black robe, waiting for them.
"Ah, it's the Temple Guardian!" Carl and Guen recognized him at once.
Within the Goddess Temple, Planetary Level Fighters held lofty positions, but a small number of people ranked above them.
There was no need to mention the High Priest. He was one of only two Star Level powerhouses in the Aoyu Empire, and the stronger of the two. As the supreme ruler of the Goddess Temple, his authority was unmatched.
Next came the two mages, the four Guardians, and the two Temple Legion Commanders.
The two mages were the Prayer Mage and the Holy Word Mage. The former handled religious matters and internal affairs involving members below the Planetary Level, while the latter managed all the High Priest's affairs on his behalf.
The four Guardians were named after the directions—East, South, West, and North. They often roamed far and wide, guarding the four corners of the empire. Wherever members of the Goddess Temple were active, the Guardians could be found. They also coordinated the actions of members at Planetary Level and above.
The two Temple Legion Commanders led the Temple Legion, which was permanently stationed with the army. The Temple Legion was extremely powerful; even its lowest-ranking soldiers were Apprentice Level 9 warriors, and quite a few Planetary Level Fighters served in its ranks.
These eight people represented the authority of the Goddess Temple beneath the High Priest.
The man before them was one of the four Guardians: the East Guardian.
Despite his youthful appearance, all four Guardians were Planetary Level Nine Fighters. They all had Force Weapons, and even Force Inner Armor. The High Priest couldn't forge a Battle Suit like the Flame God Armor that covered the entire body, but wearing Force Inner Armor beneath it meant that even if they were attacked, the impact would be weakened twice and pose little threat.
With no Star Level powerhouses in action, the four Guardians stood at the pinnacle of the empire's fighting strength.
Guen and Carl exchanged a glance, then respectfully landed in front of the East Guardian.
The East Guardian looked at Guen with approval. "You only just joined the Goddess Temple, yet you've already achieved such a feat. Hahaha, you really are worthy of being the genius the High Priest personally went to bring back."
Guen lowered his head. "You flatter me, sir."
The East Guardian smiled faintly. "I know better than you whether you deserve the praise. All right, go back and rest. With me here, no one will dare do anything to you."
The East Guardian spoke with pride.
As a Planetary Level Nine Fighter, he already stood at the summit of the Aoyu Empire. Only the two Star Level powerhouses stood above him. With neither of them making a move, who could do anything to him?
Guen let out a breath of relief and obediently left.
In theory, the Trial Grounds' deterrence meant that those powerful Planetary Level Fighters wouldn't come after him. But he was simply too conspicuous. After hearing Carl's explanation, Guen understood that they didn't need to overpower him to kill him—and sometimes, they wouldn't even need to kill him to slow his progress.
With such an expert guarding the place, Guen could finally relax.
Guen returned to his room and sat cross-legged. As he absorbed Cosmic Energy, he calmed his mind and reflected on everything that had happened that day.
Night fell completely, leaving only the sound of waves crashing against the shore.
"Hmph!"
A sudden, jarringly out-of-place snort rang by his ear, as though the person who made it were standing right in front of him. Guen's eyes flew open in shock. This technique for using Origin Power astonished him, especially when he sensed the immense strength hidden behind it.
"So you really are here. Come out, you two from the Goddess Temple." A cool, indifferent voice rang out.
Old Fifteen was a respected elder in the Imperial Council.
Back in their generation, Old Fifteen and his third brother had personally cut off the cultivation paths of the other princes. In the end, the emperor had been left with no choice; only the two of them remained among the direct descendants.
Old Fifteen had now reached Planet Level 5.
As for his third brother, he had already reached Planetary Level 7.
Guen's expression turned grave. He knew they had come for him. The Goddess Temple's Fighters were stationed at different Armory Camps, making it easier to spot ferocious beasts. At this camp, the only Planetary Level Fighters had been Guen and Carl.
Guen and Carl came out of their rooms one after the other, their gazes immediately settling on Old Fifteen.
"That's him, Lord Fifteen! That's the one! I'd recognize him even if he were reduced to ashes!" someone behind Old Fifteen shouted.
Guen looked over. It was the man he'd chased earlier, the one who had escaped first—the Planetary Level 2 Fighter.
His face was twisted with malice, and the look in his eyes plainly revealed the thrill of imminent revenge.
"Shut up, you coward. If you really had the ability to recognize someone reduced to ashes, I'd call you 'sir.'" Old Fifteen's expression didn't change, but his voice turned colder. The man immediately reined in his frenzy and stood off to one side, looking sheepish.
"You're Guen?" Old Fifteen scrutinized him.
Guen was about to answer when an overbearing voice cut in. "Don't waste your breath on him. He's far too insolent. Seize him and make him kneel and repent!"
When Scarface Old Three saw that Guen truly was only at Planet First Order, his expression grew solemn. He had originally been watching from the shadows, but now his murderous intent was unmistakable.
He was even starting to hesitate about seizing Guen. Doing so would go against the Trial Grounds' purpose of nurturing geniuses.
The better someone performed in the trials, the more attention the Trial Grounds paid to them. In its eyes, capturing and imprisoning an exceptionally talented genius was no different from killing him. It would interfere directly. But simply teaching him a lesson was no problem.
Scarface Old Three intended to seize this opportunity to shatter Guen's will and leave a deep shadow in his heart, slowing his cultivation from then on.
Scarface Old Three was higher-ranked and launched a sneak attack. Guen and Carl didn't have time to react before they heard a "bang!" A dark figure flew backward from right in front of them, and a handsome young man stood in their way. He was not tall, yet he seemed to hold up the sky and stand firm upon the earth.
"How dare you! You think you can attack someone from my Goddess Temple right in front of me? Even Us wouldn't dare!" the East Guardian shouted.
Scarface Old Three hit the ground. When he and Old Fifteen saw who had arrived, their expressions changed, and they cried out in unison, "East Guardian!"
Scarface Old Three's expression darkened. He knew he'd lost his chance to teach Guen a lesson. If he let this opportunity pass, he might never get another chance before Guen left East Sea Province. By the time they met again, Guen might be strong enough to face him alone.
He had seen for himself how terrifyingly fast a true genius could cultivate.
"Hmph! East Guardian, don't get ahead of yourself. You're not important enough to make Ancestor Us come out. You'd have to bring the Goddess Temple's High Priest here to stand a chance." Scarface Old Three drew close to Old Fifteen, his voice icy.
"The High Priest? For a Planetary Level Nine Fighter, we don't need to trouble him. If Us really wants to challenge the High Priest, he'll have to let me judge whether he's worthy first." The East Guardian was utterly arrogant.
Scarface Old Three and Old Fifteen immediately took to the air. "I won't waste my breath arguing with you. If you're really that capable, come to my Lionheart City and see for yourself."
"You can't just come and go as you please. Do you think I'm beneath your notice?" The East Guardian arched a brow and vanished from in front of Guen.
A short while later, two muffled thuds and groans rang out. The East Guardian leisurely flew back from a distance and glanced at the Imperial Council Fighter, who stood there stunned and on the verge of tears. "Why haven't you left?"
As the Imperial Council Fighter took off, the East Guardian said with a cheerful smile, "Can't you read? Don't you understand when I tell you to get lost?"
The Imperial Council Fighter shuddered. After hesitating, he gritted his teeth and rolled along the ground.
He was a Planetary Level Fighter, after all. One roll took him hundreds of meters, and after two or three more, he rolled right out of everyone's sight.
The East Guardian was stunned. "He actually rolled? If he'd stood firm and refused, I really couldn't have done anything to him. This is bad, Guen. Now you're in trouble."
Guen blinked and looked at the East Guardian in confusion.
Carl couldn't help explaining. "East Guardian, you're highly placed and powerful. It's only natural for you to teach them a lesson, but you can't just kill them. Otherwise, the Aoyu Empire would descend into chaos. We couldn't possibly stop the old Emperor Us from assassinating us, so usually we can only teach them a lesson. Unless they've gone too far, the worst they can do is leave in disgrace.
"But ordering a Super Tier Fighter from the Imperial Council to roll away is a blatant slap in the Imperial Council's face. It hasn't reached the point of a fight to the death, but it's still a deep grudge. They can't afford to take it out on you, Lord East Guardian, so naturally they'll blame Brother Guen."
What a loss!
Guen finally understood, and couldn't help cursing under his breath.
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