High Priest Breaks Through

The scenery along the banks of the Yulan River was beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

The people on the boat seemed a bit bored and were looking for some other amusement.

Hearing that someone was issuing a challenge, they all gathered around.

"Oh, you want to snatch my women? Are you sure?"

Olivier looked at this fellow with great curiosity. The man was burly and broad-shouldered, rumored to be a disciple of a major clan in the Yulan Empire named Stani. He was returning home after studying at the O'Brien Warrior Academy and had previously expressed his affections to Sophie and Jessica.

Olivier did not get angry. Given his strength, this sort of thing was merely a bit of entertainment for the journey.

"What, are you scared? A pretty boy like you isn't worthy of having Sophie and Jessica."

Stani said arrogantly.

Many people had been fawning over Sophie and Jessica along the way, but Olivier had never paid them any mind. The fist techniques he practiced were also soft and fluid, which made everyone feel that he was somewhat weak.

"My lord, I'm so scared. You must protect us."

Sophie pretended to be frightened, pulling on Olivier's arm and acting like a spoiled child, though there wasn't a hint of fear in her expression.

Sophie was quite lively and had a mind of her own. Having spent a long time with Olivier, they had developed a rapport; she could see that Olivier wanted to toy with the man, so she joined in the charade.

"Heh, it's the first time someone has tried to snatch something from me." Olivier enjoyed having a beauty on each arm and said indifferently. Although he wasn't angry, he didn't want a second occurrence.

"Since that's the case, let me help you cool off in the Yulan River."

After speaking, he waved his hand. There was no visible movement, yet Stani had already flown out and plummeted into the Yulan River.

Everyone on the boat was either wealthy or noble, and their strength was naturally not low. There were many at the seventh or eighth rank, and four or five at the ninth rank, yet hardly anyone saw how Stani had been sent into the Yulan River.

"A Saint-level expert."

Several ninth-rank experts speculated. They hadn't seen it clearly, but they knew that ninth-rank strength was absolutely incapable of such a feat.

"The scenery of the Yulan River is beautiful; I don't wish for it to be ruined. I hope this sort of thing doesn't happen a second time."

Olivier swept a cold gaze over those who had been fawning over Sophie and Jessica, his Saint-level aura flashing and vanishing in an instant.

From then on, no one dared to fawn over Sophie and Jessica again.

The next morning.

Olivier finished his cultivation.

"There are faint fluctuations of light and dark elements. You cultivate two diametrically opposed elements simultaneously. Are you Olivier?" The masked woman had not left and spoke up.

Every time Olivier practiced his Taiji Fist, he was also comprehending the profound mysteries of light and dark elements, which would always cause faint elemental fluctuations that were basically imperceptible to those who hadn't grasped such mysteries.

"Wearing a mask, you must be a beauty. Your strength is very high; I am quite curious as to who you are."

Olivier neither admitted nor denied it.

There were only a handful of female experts on the Yulan Continent. Olivier didn't know much about the Saint-level powerhouses of the Yulan Empire, and looking at her "keep away" attitude, perhaps she was a reclusive expert who hadn't yet made a name for herself.

"Take a guess."

Seeing Olivier's curious expression, the masked woman seemed to be in a good mood.

"Which Law do you cultivate?"

Olivier asked again.

"You have to give me a hint at least."

Seeing the masked woman remain silent, Olivier continued.

"Life."

"Are you a disciple of the High Priest?"

He remembered that the High Priest liked to wear a mask and cultivated the Life Law. Olivier immediately thought she was a disciple of the High Priest.

The masked woman neither denied nor confirmed it. Like Olivier, she simply let it be taken as an admission.

"With your strength, what use is that cultivation from just now?"

The masked woman asked.

Saint-level powerhouses, especially those who had comprehended the profound mysteries of the Laws, usually cultivated for ten days, half a month, or even years at a time. She was very curious about what kind of help such a short period of daily practice could provide.

"Must it be useful to cultivation for me to do it?" Olivier countered.

In fact, on the Yulan Continent where strength was supreme, many Saints were in bitter seclusion, and many below the Saint level were desperate to break through. Naturally, the masked woman found his approach difficult to understand.

But Taiji Fist was profound and broad; it helped with the Laws of Light and Darkness, and even if it didn't, the feeling of being refreshed after finishing the practice was enough to make it worth Olivier's persistence.

He thought of the square-dancing aunties from his past life.

"You can think of me as a commoner with no strength just exercising. It's a lifestyle, or perhaps a form of entertainment."

"The morning when all things awaken is full of vitality. Persisting in practicing the fist makes one feel refreshed; the true meaning of life lies in this very moment."

Olivier said with great enjoyment. At this moment, he felt as if he could breathe with all things and become one with the world.

His heart was tranquil and clear, allowing him to perceive much more.

The masked woman was moved by Olivier, infected by his tranquil and clear state of mind, and she drifted into a state of nature.

In the words of Sophie and Jessica, Olivier was like a magnet at this moment, capable of drawing in one's soul and leading them to experience the vitality and beauty of nature. Radiating infinite charm, he was at his most captivating to them.

Charisma and influence are qualities everyone possesses; the stronger the soul and the firmer the heart, the more one is able to influence others.

The masked woman was drawn in involuntarily, following Olivier's state of mind to explore the vitality of all things and the wonders of nature.

Her soul felt immensely joyful, and as she sensed the laws between heaven and earth, she naturally comprehended many aspects of the Life Law.

A primordial, ancient, and soul-shaking power suddenly descended. It completely enveloped her, and the surrounding space began to distort.

It isolated the masked woman from the rest of the area, and she found herself floating into the air.

Olivier was no stranger to this power; it was the exact same force that had descended when Rutherford became a god, though the power descending now was clearly far more potent than it had been back then.

This power did not harm those nearby, yet everyone on the ship, and even those far from the shore, could sense its presence.

"That mysterious woman... she is actually a Saint-level expert." The average person only knew that Saint-level experts were capable of standing in the void.

"Could it be the legendary ascension to godhood?" A formidable Rank 9 expert, whose family possessed a Saint-level expert, had heard tales of the scenes accompanying godhood and exclaimed in surprise.

This exclamation drew the gazes of many; everyone knew the identity of this Rank 9 expert and tended to trust his insight.

"Ah, to think I would actually witness the birth of a deity. I have no regrets now," another Rank 9 expert said, trembling with excitement.

"She wears a mask just like the High Priest. Could she be a disciple of the High Priest? We have two deities in our Yulan Empire now."

Someone else chimed in.

The people on the ship gasped and discussed the event, their eyes fixed on the masked beauty in the sky, terrified of missing a single moment of the spectacle.

Meanwhile.

At the foot of War God Mountain in the O'Brien Empire.

"Catherine, you have finally broken through, and I..." The War God felt a mix of regret and helplessness.

In the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts.

"Catherine has broken through, and she is actually ahead of me." Dylin was already at the peak of the Lowgod stage, and he felt he could break through at any moment.

On the Arctic Ice Plain.

"Is this Lady Catherine breaking through to become a Midgod?" After Rutherford became a god, he had visited several other deities and had met Catherine.

In a luxurious establishment on the Yulan Continent, Cesar held two beauties in his arms.

"Lady Catherine, I just broke through to Lowgod, how could you immediately break through to Midgod?" Cesar, who had already reached the Lowgod stage, was considered at the pinnacle among the few deities on the Yulan Continent besides Beirut. Now that he had fallen to the second tier, he felt somewhat dissatisfied.

In the Dark Forest, Beirut sensed it and smiled faintly.

"A Midgod? It is actually Catherine. Interesting."

Olivier realized that this was not a Saint-level expert ascending to godhood, but a Lowgod breaking through to Midgod. Since she cultivated the Life Law, it had to be the High Priest of the Yulan Empire, Catherine.

"My Lord, she... she has become a god?"

Sophie and Jessica asked Olivier in shock, their minds still reeling; this was far too removed from their world.

Olivier did not speak, merely nodding.

A green crystal hovered before Catherine's body—this was her godhead. It radiated a powerful aura, and the crystal was slowly being reshaped by the power of heaven and earth, growing stronger until it underwent a qualitative change, reaching the Midgod level. At the same time, her body was also tempered to the Midgod level.

"Could it be that Catherine achieved godhood within her own body?"

Olivier remembered that the original story never mentioned Catherine having a main body and a divine clone. Seeing this situation, he speculated. Of course, it was also possible that her main body and divine clone were simply not together.

The promotion finished, and soon that primordial, ancient, and soul-shaking power receded and vanished.

Catherine returned to the ship.

No one on the ship dared to breathe; this was a true deity.

"Olivier pays his respects to the High Priest. Congratulations on your breakthrough."

Catherine scanned the area and fixed her gaze on Olivier. Olivier felt it necessary to maintain proper respect and bowed slightly.

Catherine did not deny it. When the surrounding people heard this, they realized the person before them was the guardian deity of the Yulan Empire, the High Priest. They knelt one after another, shouting in reverence, including the sisters Sophie and Jessica.

"We pay our respects to the High Priest. Congratulations on your breakthrough."

Catherine did not speak, but a gentle force lifted everyone up.

At the same time, a force enveloped Olivier, Sophie, and Jessica, turning into a streak of light that vanished into the horizon, leaving the crowd behind in a daze.

"This is kidnapping."

Catherine brought Olivier and the two women to the High Priest's residence in the imperial capital of the Yulan Empire, an ancient magic tower. It was a simple, weathered, and elegant structure.

Olivier felt somewhat annoyed. Although he had caught a free ride, she had brought him to the capital without asking for his consent.

He also knew that he had just helped Catherine, allowing her to break through to Midgod, so she must be in a very good mood.

Furthermore, this High Priest was relatively kind-hearted. According to the plot, she eventually went to the Life Divine Realm because she believed it to be more peaceful, its people kinder, and the slaughter less frequent. This was proof enough.

Therefore, she likely wouldn't make things difficult for him.

"Many people would give anything for the chance to come here; why are you so unhappy?"

Catherine was in a good mood, so her tone wasn't as cold as usual; in fact, it carried a hint of feminine charm.

Olivier's ability to lead her to comprehend the Life Law made him, in her eyes, an invaluable treasure. Naturally, she couldn't let him go, so she had acted on a whim and kidnapped him.