“Divine-soul possession?” Dioz’s pupils shrank beneath the hood, the nine soul banners quaked violently. “Could be a descendant of some ancient cultivator?”
“Reports say the soul claims to hail from the Ninth Heaven…”
“The Ninth Heaven?” He shot to his feet. Black mist raged from him, and the blood pool beneath the floor heaved like a storm-tossed sea. “No wonder the Nether Duo died so miserably! Someone from the Ninth Heaven had meddled!”
The Underworld Shadow Guards turned ashen, flattening themselves against the floor.
Never had they seen Dioz lose composure, the words “Ninth Heaven” carried a terror all their own.
Dioz drew a long breath, beating back his shock. He seated himself again, fingers drumming the desk. “Someone from the Ninth Heaven… Hmph… Who cares if that divine soul is from the Ninth Heaven! Kill our people, and they pay in blood!”
“We fear no one, not even a living cultivator from the Ninth Heaven, let alone just his divine soul!”
That declaration laid bare the Hall’s confidence: they would challenge even a cultivator from the Ninth Heaven. After all, without formidable strength, they could never hope to seize Skyfall Grotto and defend it.
“Grand Elder Dioz, Jared is convalescing in the Seventh Hall, and Mr. Saleto seems inclined to shield him…”
“The Seventh Hall?” Dioz sneered.
The screaming faces on the banners keened in harmony. “A self-proclaimed celestial clan, just a fallen branch of the Celestial Palace, dares meddle in my affairs? Pass my order! Summon the Eight Shadow Pavilion Devotees and the Twelve Blood Guards. I shall visit the Seventh Hall in person!”
He had just dismissed not only the Celestial Palace, but the entire celestial clan.
“W-What?” the stooped elder blurted, horrified. “Grand Elder Dioz, you will go yourself?”
Each of the Eight Shadow Pavilion Devotees had half a foot in the Earthly Immortal Realm, the Twelve Blood Guards had tempered their bodies with blood essence, so their might was on par with Top Level Wandering Immortals.
Such a force could raze the whole Third Heaven, yet Dioz meant to unleash it on one young man.
A glint of merciless resolve flickered in Dioz’s eyes. “A youth who can host a Ninth Heaven divine soul is no ordinary person. If we don’t crush before his wings fill out, he’ll become a catastrophe. Besides…”
His hand brushed the broken soul orbs. The chill in his voice bit like steel. “Someone must settle the scores for the Nether Duo, and Ghostmask.”
“But Grand Elder Dioz, what about the Celestial Palace…?” the grey-robed aide stammered.
“The Celestial Palace?” Dioz let out a derisive snort. “That so-called palace has splintered into ten petty halls, those overlords can’t even stand the sight of one another. Do you really think any of them would dare poke their noses into Malevolent Path Hall’s business?”
“Give the Seventh Hall Overlord a choice,” Dioz said, each word as cold as iron. “Hand this Jared over, or be reduced to ash alongside him!”
“Yes, sir!” The old attendant dared not argue further. He bowed low, then hurried out of the council chamber.
Dioz rose in a slow, almost ceremonial motion. His black cloak billowed although no wind stirred. The nine soul banners revolved around him, releasing a suffocating pressure.
“Jared… A divine soul from the Ninth Heaven…” His voice was low, dangerous. “I want to see exactly how powerful that soul is…”
The moment the last syllable fell, his body dissolved into black smoke and vanished from the hall.
The Eight Shadow Pavilion Devotees and Twelve Blood Guards followed close behind. Countless dark silhouettes swept forward like a plague of locusts, racing straight toward the Seventh Hall.
Due to Darkwind Abyss, the already-gloomy sky grew even darker, as though announcing an approaching blood-soaked storm.
***
Inside the Seventh Hall’s stone chamber, the air was so tense it felt liquid.
Saleto clutched the communication device from Malevolent Path Hall. His hand trembled, his face was the color of paper. “Malevolent Path Hall… They’ve gone mad! Who would’ve thought the people Jared killed belonged to them…”
