Ashes, a hidden place.
At the top of the towering dark altar, above the octagonal well opening, swirling haze transformed into an angry, ferocious face.
"Damn ants, how dare you ruin my plans..."
The Primordial Evil God, Diorus, roared and howled without any divine decorum. However, it was understandable; many gods in the evil camp were quite easygoing about saving face, unlike the friendly gods who liked to put on airs.
Ta-da!
Steady footsteps pierced the darkness as the Eclipse, cloaked in black, Sun Eclipser, its crimson pupils radiating light as it gazed at the ever-distorting face of the evil god atop the altar.
"What's going on?" the Sun Eclipser asked, slightly surprised, not understanding why the Primordial Evil God, Diorus, had suddenly gone mad.
"Diriel has fallen!" Diorus said, his voice clearly laced with gritted teeth.
Upon hearing this, the Sun Eclipser was even more surprised, "Who did this?"
"Logo Campbell, that ant with Pureblood Human Race..."
"Impossible, the Gendaya Royal Court doesn't have the strength to breach the capital of the White Wolf Kingdom." The Sun Eclipser instinctively denied it, but rationally, he immediately contacted Moon Devourer Scorni to inquire about the fate of Dusk Star Pillar Filomite.
Upon learning from Moon Devourer Scorni that Dusk Star Pillar Filomite had fallen, the Sun Eclipser's aged face, hidden beneath the dark Mist, twitched violently.
The loss of a core member at the Mid-Rank Demigod level is undoubtedly a significant blow to the Ashes Organization.
Demigod are not like cabbages; each one is a strategic resource.
"Leader, we must take revenge..." Moon Devourer Scorni said fiercely on the other end of the communicator. Filomite was his confidant, just as important as the Black Spider leader and Thunder Star Pillar were to Dark Moon Sylvain.
Filomite's demise left Scorni, who was already overshadowed by Sylvain, with even less chance of a comeback.
Even that guy, Dark Moon Gelaxius, can ride on his neck.
This was unbearable for the proud Scorni.
Scorni, who was never petty to begin with, was determined to take revenge on Logo, who had caused all of this.
As for the reason for Filomite's demise, Scorni didn't ask. That's the rule of the underworld: often, emotions outweigh reason.
As for the Ashes leader, the Sun Eclipser, the request from Moon Devourer Scorni was quite a headache. Because he had been busy with the internal affairs of the Ancient Guta Federation, the Ashes had temporarily delegated authority to "Three Moons," which caused the information they had to go astray.
Furthermore, Logo's sudden appearance was so abrupt that the Sun Eclipser off guard and unable to make a decision, fearing they might regret it later.
"I understand your demands. Rest assured, the organization will Revenge Filomite..."
After calming the agitated Moon Devourer Scorni, the Sun Eclipser hung up the communication and looked up at the gray face atop the altar.
"Please explain the details..." the Sun Eclipser said in a deep voice.
A few minutes later.
"So, this ant you speak of single-handedly conquered the White Wolf Royal Capital capital and even killed four Demigod powerhouses?" The Sun Eclipser looked expressionlessly at the gray-faced figure, its meaning clear: if such a powerhouse was considered an ant, then wouldn't most of the Transcendent beings in the entire Elven Plane be even less than ants, including their Eighteen Star Pillars of the Ashes?
The Primordial Evil God, Diorus, did not respond, but judging from the disdainful expression on his ashen face, he clearly had not changed his mind.
That makes sense, though. In the presence of Diorus at his peak, Transcendent beings below the God Level were truly no different from ants.
"Arrogant fellow..." the Sun Eclipser muttered to himself. To be honest, he hated Diorus's contemptuous attitude, his recklessness and irritability. But upon reflection, he realized that if it weren't for this, he wouldn't have cooperated with such a world-destroying being.
Despite having some trump cards left by Elven, cooperating with the Primordial Evil God is tantamount to seeking help from a tiger.
The Sun Eclipser was well aware of this, but he felt he had no other choice. If he wanted the Guta Federation to meet the Astral Realm Civilization rating before the expiration of the Spellcaster Association's Plane Protection Period, and thus join the "Civilization Council" to obtain a legitimate political seat and prevent the Elven Plane from being invaded on a large scale by the Astral Realm Bandits, then he had to do extraordinary things in extraordinary times and disregard trivial matters.
By harnessing the power of the Primordial Evil God, the plan was to fundamentally alter the friendly and peace-loving nature of the Guta Star People Guta People, ignite their warlike and ambitious spirit, unify the entire plane by any means, integrate all talents and resources, and promote the advancement of civilization. This was the method devised by the Sun Eclipser.
At the same time, he understood that he must remain vigilant against the Primordial Evil God throughout this process.
After all, the Sun Eclipser was not a frog in a well. He knew the terror of such a world-destroying existence. It was only after many tests that he determined that the Primordial Evil God, Diorus, was not particularly wise that the Sun Eclipser decided to cooperate with him.
In short, the Sun Eclipser needs a mindless, volatile evil god to be easy to control.
After a pause, the Sun Eclipser spoke, "From now on, we need to adjust our view of this new King of Gendaya. He is an extremely dangerous fellow. His alchemical talent is terrifying, and he also possesses a damaged divine artifact, posing a great threat."
"That incomplete artifact likely possesses properties specifically targeting divine beings. The Indestructible Demon Seed I left within Diriel was completely shattered, and the undying divinity had no effect whatsoever..." Diorus added.
"A God Level weapon designed to counter gods?" The Sun Eclipser was slightly taken aback, then his heart skipped a beat. If he could obtain such a divine artifact, he would have more confidence when facing Diorus.
With this in mind, the Sun Eclipser, who had initially been indifferent to killing Logo, began to plot how to kill the new King of Gendaya and seize the God-Hunting Spear.
Unbeknownst to the Sun Eclipser, as he secretly plotted, a fleeting, mocking smile crossed the ashen face of the self-righteous and reckless Diorus.
Human greed, once unleashed, can no longer be suppressed.
Never forget that this Primordial Evil God possesses the power to bewitch people. Even a piece of Dark Flesh that had been dormant for ten thousand years almost bewitched and controlled those around Logo, let alone the will of His true form.
How could a powerful being possessing such abilities be described simply as reckless?
Unbeknownst to the Sun Eclipser, he had already been subtly influenced from the very beginning of his contact with Diorus.
If he, two hundred years ago, could see himself now, he would surely be horrified and realize that something was wrong.
But it was too late!
When demonic influence seeps into your very bones, are you still yourself?
Of course, the Sun Eclipser itself never felt there was a problem.
He felt that he had always maintained a sense of awe and had not been influenced by Diorus. All the decisions he made were realistic and came entirely from his heart.
Arrogant people never realize they are arrogant!
The Sun Eclipser understands this principle, but he just can't see through it—a strange, yet extremely common, phenomenon.
People can easily walk out of the walled city built of bricks and tiles, but it is difficult to break free from the shackles of their own minds.
In fact, the way to deal with the Primordial Evil God Diorus is very simple, there has always been only one way, and it was the same method that Tibeici used.
That is—don't argue with Him, just fight him when you encounter him, and beat him so badly that Diorus can't speak.
This is the same way that ordinary people deal with exceptionally intelligent people.
First, maintain self-awareness.
You need to understand that when it comes to deception, you absolutely can't out-talk others; you'll always be at a disadvantage.
If that's the case, then close your eyes, shut your ears, and show your fists.
If we can't outsmart each other, let's compete in strength.
Unfortunately, the Sun Eclipser went down the wrong path from the very beginning. He thought he had enough reverence, but in reality, arrogance was the core of his emotions. The Sun Eclipser, who had hardly encountered any setbacks in the first half of his life, was quickly corrupted by the Primordial Evil God Diorus, who was good at bewitching people.
If it weren't for the fact that Diorus had limited power at his disposal, and that the Sun Eclipser had some trump cards left behind by Elven protecting him, this guy would have long since become a complete puppet of the evil god.
The reason why Diorus emphasized the concept of 'anti-divine weapon' was seemingly to make things difficult for himself, but in reality, it was also to further Sun Eclipser into a false sense of security and accelerate the process of indoctrination.
By proactively handing the knife to the Sun Eclipser, he is made to believe that he can resist the power of the evil god, which exacerbates the Sun Eclipser's arrogance, emboldens him, and thus weakens his psychological defenses, allowing the Eclipse to take advantage of the situation.
To some extent, this is similar to the tactic of "praising someone to death."
However, it's worth mentioning that Diorus's anger towards Logo was genuine! Because the White Wolf King is dead!
The White Wolf King, Diriel, was originally the 'key' carefully selected by this Primordial Evil God.
The well-informed Diorus immediately recognized the bloodline within the Gendaya People's body as originating from the renowned Pureblood Human Race of the Astral Realm.
What pleased Diorus even more was that the bloodline within Gendaya People's body was primarily composed of the [Web of Time] Felix Family and the [Space-Devouring Ring] Kalenos Family.
When time and space overlap, they transform into a supreme power of the Astral Realm: [Space-Time]!
Thirty thousand years ago, the move Tibeici used to banish the Primordial Evil God was essentially [the Space-Time Power].
Since then, Diorus has been in an 'unconventional' state, similar to Schrödinger's cat, with his consciousness and body slowly dissipating. As time goes by, in another 20,000 to 30,000 years, he will return to the Land of the End the erosion of the Space-Time Power and become part of the original rules once again.
Until one day, an ignorant and fearless fellow, having somehow learned of the existence of the Primordial Evil God Diorus, set up an altar to summon him.
With the altar as an anchor, a portion of the will of Diorus, the King of Ashes and Primordial Evil God, was able to break free from the shackles of the Realm of Exile and return to the Astral Realm.
The Ashes Organization was also established shortly thereafter.
That ignorant, fearless, and self-righteous fellow is none other than the current leader of the Ashes Organization, the Sun Eclipser, Baliewei.
Alternatively, he could be referred to as Old Mudatuo Baliewei, the former Supreme Head of the Guta Federation and leader of the Conservative Faction.
He is also the grandfather of the current Mudatuo Baisuo Krashiov.
The so-called conflict between Conservative Faction and Young and Middle-Aged Faction is essentially nothing more than a scheme by the grandfather and grandson to use this opportunity to change the gentle and friendly nature of the Guta Star People.
Seeing that the results were not significant, Baliewei learned of the existence of the Primordial Evil God Diorus through the magical notes left by Elven. He devised a plan to use the power of the evil god to forcibly change the mindset and will of his people, transforming this gentle and kind race into a war-loving race in order to complete their plan to conquer the planes.
In this plan, the Primordial Evil God Diorus is merely a 'dirty glove,' a tool to be used and discarded.
However, things in life are unpredictable.
Those who despise power will eventually be devoured by it.
This was the Crimson Alliance's God-Creation Project!
The Guta Federation's ' God-Control Project ' is the same today!
History repeats itself in astonishing ways, time and again, like a circle woven by time and Fate from which no one can escape...
That said, only a small portion of the "will of the evil god" of the Primordial Evil God Diorus broke free from the shackles of the "Realm of Exile." The vast majority of his remaining power remained firmly imprisoned and unable to break free.
If we want to unleash more power, we must address the root cause.
The White Wolf King, Diriel, is this key.
To be precise, it's the power of two bloodlines within him: the [Space-Devouring Ring] and the [Web of Time].
Originally, when the White Wolf King Diriel reached the Peak Demigod status, the Primordial Evil God was able to use his bloodline power to condense a weak amount of Space-Time Power, thereby breaking free from the Realm of Exile and returning to the Astral Realm!
Unfortunately, all of this was ruined by the sudden appearance of Logo.
This wretched ant actually managed to break through the confinement of the Space Detection Tower, directly stormed into the White Wolf Royal Capital, and even released a terrifying alchemical war legion, directly suppressing four Demigod.
If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad.
Diorus paid a heavy price, leaving an "Indestructible Demon Seed" within the White Wolf King's body, which would allow the White Wolf King to escape unscathed even when facing Peak Demigod.
That's why the White Wolf King remained calm throughout, and even wanted to use the Nirvana Legion to hone his bloodline, unleash its potential through battle, and advance to High-Rank Demigod.
But no one expected that Logo would suddenly pull out a divine weapon, God-Hunting Spear specifically designed to target divine life forms.
One shot, and his body and soul were shattered, leaving not even ashes.
The Indestructible Demon Seed was also wiped out by the "True Damage" passive ability of [God Hunting].
Diorus was observing from the shadows, was dumbfounded and didn't even have a chance to plead for mercy.
The key, painstakingly cultivated for over a hundred years, was about to be harvested when it was suddenly snatched away by the Death God's Scythe.
The fact that the evil god didn't break down on the spot shows that he has a very strong mentality.
Who could stand that?
But what's done is done, what's done is done, and the past cannot be undone. Even the evil god can only look forward.
"Luckily, I have a spare key..."
"Diorus murmured."
The spare key He referred to was the Grand Duke Tielin, who had once defected from the Royal Court and was now Demigod.
Like the White Wolf King Diriel, the two bloodline powers within the Grand Duke Tielin were relatively balanced and quite strong. Therefore, he was targeted by Diorus, who spent a huge price to successfully bewitch him and ultimately enslave him.
"The Life Factory still has a large number of Gendaya People cells stored there. I will have them spare no effort to produce them, extract their bloodline essence, and help Grand Duke Tielin raise his life rank as quickly as possible..."
"The Sun Eclipser, Baliewei, said in a deep voice."
In fact, Baliewei was happy about the fall of the White Wolf King, Diriel, because he felt that this would give him more time to devise strategies to deal with the evil gods who might break free of their restraints in the future.
This brilliant strategist is completely unaware that you've already achieved your goal!
The Guta Federation has been seized by a militant Young and Middle-Aged Faction!
The Primordial Evil God in its current state is more than enough!
Why should we help Him break free of the seal?
Allowing the main force of the Primordial Evil God to remain in the Realm of Exile is in the best interests of the Guta Federation!
What? There was an agreement before?
That's nothing!
You're a politician, shamelessness is a basic quality; how could you possibly be honest with an evil god?
Trying to negotiate a contract with an evil god?!
But... Baliewei was no longer aware of any of this.
His ideas, which he believed to be correct, were actually far removed from the path to light; what awaited him was a surging, terrifying darkness and eerie haze.
After the conversation, Sun Eclipser Baliewei turned to leave.
Diorus spoke again, "I sense the presence of the Earth Guardian, the mortal enemy of us World Destroyer. Do not let him live!"
"The Earth Guardian?" The Sun Eclipser stopped in its tracks, a hint of joy appearing on its aged face shrouded in darkness.
'Another entity that can counterbalance the evil god; let's allow it to grow stronger... However, if that's the case, shouldn't we also accelerate the progress at the Life Factory to help the evil god break free of its restraints as soon as possible? After all, the power capable of resisting the evil god has increased again...'
Feeling that he had gained another asset, the Sun Eclipser left the hidden place with considerable satisfaction.
Behind them, a sullen face, bearing a mocking smile, silently watched the Sun Eclipser figure, as if watching a grasshopper hopping around in autumn.
"Heh, a flawed artifact, Earth Guardian... what threat can they pose as long as they haven't ascended to God Level?"
"What? You want me to assassinate Logo Campbell? But I'm in charge of infiltrating Planet Veyin..." Sylvain he looked at the Sun Eclipser projection in front of him, his tone quite dissatisfied.
The Sun Eclipser's expression shifted slightly. Beneath the black mist, a hint of displeasure flashed across his aged face, but his words betrayed no trace of this discontent. They remained as warm and familiar as ever, as if speaking to a family member, "There's nothing we can do about it, Sylvain. You must have received the news by now, right? This new King of Gendaya's potential is terrifying; he must be nipped in the bud as soon as possible."
"You think I can do what the Nitavie Family couldn't?" Sylvain questioned.
"Heh, others may not know, but don't I know you? Your assassination skills are undoubtedly the best in the entire Elven Plane. You've killed more than one High-Rank Demigod, haven't you? A mere alchemist, with your personal intervention, how could you possibly fail?"
"... Alright, I'll give it a try, but I can't guarantee it. According to intelligence, Logo Campbell has many clones, and it's hard to determine which one is the real one. Unless I directly kill the real one, I might not be able to succeed by using the power that infiltrates through the causal chain..." Sylvain.
Baliewei, however, seemed even more confident Sylvain, readily stating, "If even you cannot succeed, Ashes will abandon its assassination attempt against this person."
Sylvain nodded slightly, preparing to hang up, but was stopped by Baliewei, who added, "If possible, bring back Logo Campbell's alchemy tower."
"The Alchemy Tower?" Sylvain raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes slightly, but didn't ask any further questions, nodding to indicate that she understood.
The projection disappeared.
A languid yet alluring voice sounded from behind Sylvain. Spider Mom gracefully approached, embraced her partner's waist, and softly said, "Are you really planning to serve the Guta Federation for the rest of your life? Why don't we return to the Treacherous Destruction Continent, back to the true home of our Mitrola Clan!"
Sylvain exasperated. "How many times have you said that? Let's wait a little longer!"
"How much longer?!" Index's expression changed, and she shoved Sylvain hard, sending him staggering and almost falling to the ground. Then, her eyebrows furrowed and her face filled with murderous intent, she said, "This damned Sun Eclipser is clearly using you! They send you wherever there's trouble! Can't you see that?"
"I understand, of course I understand!" Sylvain steadied herself, looked up at the sky and sighed, "But Index, you must know that after I hatched from the spider egg, I was raised by Lord Fiona, the father of Baliewei. He did not covet my bloodline, nor did he discriminate against my evil origins, nor did he ask anything of me. Shouldn't I repay him?"
Hearing this, Index's tone softened, but she still retorted, "But that's a favor from Lord Fiona, not his descendants! Besides, you've already done enough for the Kelaxiweifu Family, not only helping Baliewei ascend to the throne of Mudatuo, but even helping him put his grandson Baisuo in that position. Isn't that enough? Lord Fiona is dead, and there's nothing left for you to care about in the Guta Federation..."
"Wait a little longer. After I fulfill my final promise, I'll take you back to the Treacherous Destruction Continent, okay, Index?"
The Spider Mom looked at her mate with disappointment, but when she saw the pleading look on her beloved's face, she finally softened and was persuaded once again.
"Do whatever you want, I don't care anymore..." Index turned and left.
Watching his wife's retreating figure, Sylvain raised a hand to rub his temples, knowing that he had finally gotten through this ordeal.
But his wife's concerns were not unfounded, especially in recent years, as his former good friend, Baliewei, had become increasingly abnormal and cold-hearted.
He himself was one thing; he was among the top fighters in the Elven Plane, and no one should be able to harm him. But what about his wife and two children...?
Sylvain lowered his head, lightly tapped the ground, and muttered to himself, "Looks like it's time to properly renovate the Fallen Star Nest..."