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The shattering of the dream wasn't due to the sapphire ring's influence; instead, this gray fog space actively intervened and forcibly interrupted it. However, illusory and eerie black flames still emerged on Klein's body.
Thump, thump, thump!
Klein clearly heard his own heartbeat and instinctively wanted to raise his hand, but his body felt as if it had sunk into a quagmire. His pupils slightly contracted as he saw the black flames rising from his body, and beneath the flames, his body gradually turning grayish-white.
That grayish-white was distinctly different from the grayish-white fog; it was filled with desire, depravity, and deathly stillness. This was a curse!
Klein looked down at himself from a strange angle. His short black hair grew continuously under the scorching black flames, reaching his ankles, each strand thick like a venomous snake, with eyes growing at the tips.
The entire gray fog space boiled once more, like water poured into hot oil, far more violently than the previous divination of the giant silver-white snake. The entire palace began to shake and collapse, with the grayish-white fog and black flames fiercely clashing.
From within the black flames, python-like black tentacles spread out, piercing through the palace but being annihilated by the boundless grayish-white fog.
After a long while, Klein slumped onto a pile of ruins, looking at his nearly transparent body, his heart as if plunged into an ice cellar. Not far away, a viscous black liquid was enveloped by layers of grayish-white fog before disappearing.
He uncomfortably patted his head, as if the faint whispers still lingered there. Klein, with some lingering fear, manipulated the grand palace to restore itself and reviewed the knowledge in his mind:
"Sequence 7 Witch"
"Main ingredients: All blood of the Black Abyss Demonic Fish, egg of the Agate Peacock."
"Supplementary ingredients: 80 ml pure water, 5 drops of golden mandragora juice, 3 scales of a shadow lizard, 10 drops of narcissus juice."
Aside from a Beyonder Potion formula named "Witch," there was nothing else. Klein immediately felt a deep malice, even suspecting if this was intentionally left for him.
Looking at the name, Klein finally understood what had happened to Trissy. He sighed, looked at the palace that had returned to its original state, and returned to the real world, struggling to climb onto his bed, his consciousness gradually dimming.
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North of Seranian, at the junction of the Hornacis Mountains and the Central Plateau of the Northern Continent, deep within a hundred-mile-long stretch of black hills, feminine power raged and spread.
Scales of red emerged under the moonlight, reforming into a pair of illusory, hazy giant bat wings inscribed with numerous mysterious symbols. As the wings unfurled, Aaron simultaneously opened his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed as he looked up at the sky.
The sky was completely dominated by an impossibly large blood-Crimson Moon. Aaron had seen a similar scene before; when they besieged the "Death Announcer" and summoned the historical projection of "Blood Moon Queen" Auernia, the sky was also enveloped by a blood Moon.
What was different was that the previous blood Moon symbolized the Outer Deities, who were isolated outside the Primordial One Barrier and spied on Earth, representing corruption and defilement.
The blood Moon above the black hills did not have that suffocating pollution; instead, it emitted a gentle vitality. The source of the immense feminine power across the entire wasteland originated from here.
Inadvertently looking at the black hills beneath his feet, Aaron's pupils suddenly contracted. Upon closer inspection, one would realize that it wasn't purely hills.
Instead, it was black vines and thorns covering the hills, continuously growing under the illumination of the blood-red moonlight. The eerie and mad aura spreading from them was neutralized by the rich life force and surging feminine power.
As Aaron withdrew his gaze from the vine-covered thorns on the hills, the figure of Pallez Zoroast suddenly appeared beside him. However, at this moment, the Angel's figure was extremely illusory, and even his aura was much weaker.
His aged voice carried a hint of solemnity:
"The connection here with the Spirit World is cut off, and it's almost isolated from the outside world. My connection with my main body has also weakened considerably."
"Do not approach the black thorns below; it is very dangerous for you in your current state."
Hearing Pallez Zoroast's reminder, Aaron's brows furrowed slightly. His spirituality, which had just begun to spread, extended outwards, but the feedback told him that this place was already cut off from the outside world. To leave, he would first have to break an invisible barrier.
In other words, this space had become an independent Nation.
Feeling the unusually active feminine power around him and a certain deeply hidden, familiar aura, and looking at the illusory figure of Pallez Zoroast, whose aura was several times weaker, a thought suddenly surfaced in Aaron's mind:
An independent "Nation"... This is the embryonic form of a Divine Kingdom!
Upon this thought, more questions arose in Aaron's mind:
Although a Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic can form a temporary, simulated embryonic Divine Kingdom, that is achieved by borrowing the authority and Beyonder Pathway to form a temporary Divine Kingdom.
Only by becoming a Sequence 0 True God can one exploit the symbolic authority and the Sequence 0 Beyonder Pathway to create a corresponding complete Divine Kingdom, such as Calderon created by the ancient Death, currently hidden deep within the Spirit World; and the Dragon of Imagination's City of Miracles, Liveseyd, which is now in "Groselle's Travels".
But they are all unique. Calderon is tainted by a tributary of the Sefirah "River of Eternal Darkness," and the deepest part of Liveseyd hides the Dragon of Imagination's negative personality, which was polluted by the Chaos Sea. This might also be one of the reasons why former Divine Kingdoms can remain so miraculous several epochs after the True God's demise.
As for this thorny hill enveloped by the giant Crimson Moon, it somewhat resembles the Divine Kingdoms of the Gods during the Fourth Epoch, such as 'Chasm of Storms' located on Pasu Island and 'Tenebrous Heaven' in the Amantha Mountains.
These were respectively the Divine Kingdoms of the 'Lord of Storms' and the 'Evernight Goddess', Divine Kingdoms located on the ground, separated from the real world only by an illusory 'Door', unlike the Divine Kingdoms that moved into the Astral World after the Fifth Epoch.
The bat token that Duke Jorna "New Moon" had given him earlier should be the credential for an outsider like him to open that illusory 'Door' and enter this space.
Just as Aaron's thoughts raced, deep within the black hills, inside the ancient castle whose style was vastly different from the current era, the empty, Hollow Hall was bathed in moonlight.
The life force here had reached an astonishing density, and feminine power raged, yet there were no thorns or vines present; they were completely blocked outside by the castle.
Within the hollowed-out hall, inscribed with complex patterns, there were four figures. They sat on high-backed chairs seemingly woven from plants, and merely by sitting there, their majestic aura filled the entire hall, followed by a pressure originating from a higher level of life.
The purple-haired woman, whose angle directly faced the giant Crimson Moon in the sky, slightly tilted her head. A The sound of vicissitudes , somewhat incongruous with her delicate features, spoke:
"Jorna, our distinguished guest has arrived. Go and bring him here."
The formerly extremely proud Duchess respectfully rose. The one who spoke was the only true follower of the Ancestor Lilith among the current Sanguine, the most ancient being who had experienced several epochs.
"Purple Moon" Liana!
Even though they were all Dukes, Jorna would still respectfully defer to her. She then subtly nodded towards the composed "Full Moon Duke" Olmer and finally cast a glance at the silent Alvin Gallows.
This Night Emperor Guard had returned to the Sanguine ancestral land with her shortly after leaving Sonia Island, with only one goal: to persuade the Sanguine high-ranking members to reach a preliminary consensus on the matter of Pallez Zoroast.
Above the thorny hills, Aaron retracted his spirituality, connected to the Nation of Disorder, and as dark golden mist appeared before his eyes, he re-established contact with the Spirit World.
This… Aaron was about to ask Pallez Zoroast for his opinion on this space when his expression shifted slightly as he looked to the side. The figures of "New Moon" Jorna and Alvin Gallows appeared simultaneously.
Jorna nodded slightly towards Aaron, and seeing Pallez's slightly illusory body, she clicked her tongue and chuckled:
"I never thought that the great noble of the Solomon Empire, who once dominated the Northern Continent, would end up in such a state."
Pallez Zoroast, an old fox, didn't mind the provocative words. Instead, he quite proactively moved closer to Aaron, also chuckling:
"Indeed, one cannot refuse to admit old age, but thanks to Duke Aaron's regard, this old skeleton might still be of some help later."
Jorna, whose provocation had failed, snorted lightly and didn't continue. Previously, it was merely her resentment over the losses the Sanguine suffered in the War of the Four Emperors.
Alvin Gallows was even more direct, directly placing his right hand on Aaron's shoulder. In a blur, they had already arrived in the hollowed-out hall.
As Aaron's figure just appeared, he immediately felt two extremely oppressive gazes fall upon him. He instinctively looked over and found the gentle middle-aged man sitting to the side somewhat familiar.
It was none other than "Full Moon" Duke Olmer, whom he had met in Backlund when trading Mystical Items and Demigod Beyonder characteristics with the Sanguine through Louise.
Aaron could already guess the identity of the remaining beautiful woman. Pallez Zoroast's figure reappeared, scanning the Sanguine Dukes, his expression a little wistful.
Before Aaron could speak, "Purple Moon" Liana's voice rang out:
"Alvin Gallows has already discussed your intentions with us. The grievances between the Zoroast family and the Sanguine can be temporarily set aside."
"But there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. To wipe the slate clean, Pallez needs to help the Sanguine once, free of charge."
"I can only tell you the general situation: an important item of the Sanguine was taken by the Rose School of Thought, and once you recover your strength, you will need to participate in the operation and provide assistance."
Pallez Zoroast pondered for a moment, then readily agreed.
Aaron was not surprised by this outcome. Unlike other Beyonder Pathways, the Sanguine's "Moon" Pathway would be directly eroded by Outer Deities.
With the apocalypse approaching and the Primordial One Barrier about to shatter, cooperation was far wiser than dwelling on old grudges.
Of course, such smooth progress was also inseparable from Alvin Gallows's persuasion. As a former official of the Trunsoest Empire, there was a foundational basis for reaching a consensus.
Seeing that they had finished their conversation, Aaron recalled his previous observations and feelings, and asked curiously:
"This space... gives me a feeling similar to an embryonic Divine Kingdom. Is this the work of the 'Blood Moon Queen'?"
Withdrawing her gaze from Pallez Zoroast, "Purple Moon" Liana's tone softened considerably, and she chuckled softly:
"No, more accurately, this is a shattered Divine Kingdom."
"During the Era of Fire of the Third Epoch, the Ancestor and the Mutant King Kvastir, and the 'Annihilation Demonic Wolf' Flegrea, all perished together."
"The Ancestor was exceptionally powerful among all ancient Gods at that time. Even upon her demise, she secretly entrusted her Divine Kingdom, 'Moonlit Paradise,' to Auernia at the last moment."
"Auernia was able to advance to Sequence 1 also because of this reason."
Lilith's Divine Kingdom… Aaron's mouth twitched. He had indeed overlooked this possibility before. No wonder the Sanguine Ancestor's feigned Death back then could deceive so many ancient Gods—she really wasn't afraid to sacrifice a child to catch a wolf!
Looking at Aaron, whose expression was somewhat unusual, Liana leisurely added:
"From the end of the Second Epoch until the beginning of the Fourth Epoch, when Auernia achieved 'Beauty Goddess', during that long period, the Ancestor's Divine Kingdom, despite strenuous efforts to mend it, still underwent irreversible collapse, leaving only this current space."
Nodding slightly, Aaron seemed to have thought of something. He glanced at the thorny hills outside the ancient castle and tentatively asked:
"I sensed a high-level corruption in those hills. Is that...."
The three Sanguine Dukes, and even Alvin Gallows beside them, all looked slightly solemn. The air solidified for a few seconds before Liana finally explained:
"That is a part of the Mutant King Kvastir's Divine Kingdom that the Ancestor tore off. It contains the mad will of that ancient God. After Auernia's demise, the three of us could only remain in a stalemate with it, which led to the Divine Kingdom being eroded to this extent."
Saying that, she glanced at the silent Alvin Gallows and added:
"After forming an alliance with the Night Emperor, he helped Auernia establish her embryonic Divine Kingdom by relying on this shattered Divine Kingdom."
"Even with only one Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic, Auernia would not be much inferior to those King of Angels with this."
Recalling the familiar aura he felt when he first entered the "Moonlit Paradise," Aaron's eyes suddenly brightened.
Could it be that the Sanguine still retained the method the Night Emperor used to help Auernia construct her embryonic Divine Kingdom? Although they belong to different Pathways, one can learn from others' experiences.
This was not difficult for Aaron, who possessed a Sefirah. After he advanced to Sequence 3, he could possess the authority of an Angel even in the outside world. Within the Sefirah, he might even be able to construct his own embryonic Divine Kingdom.
After all, the Night Emperor's remnant Sequence 1 "Hand of Order" Beyonder characteristic is currently within the Sefirah!
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At the same time, in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, on a night with very low lightning frequency.
Cavendish expressionlessly held a lantern and approached a lump of flesh with six legs and over a dozen eyes. Using the light, he skillfully extracted the Beyonder characteristic that had precipitated from the flesh.
His wrist twitched slightly, and the gradually dimming lantern suddenly brightened. Cavendish put away the corrupted Beyonder characteristic and, looking at the remaining flesh, threw a few dried mushrooms over.
There was no sufficiently safe food in the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Mutated plant fruits and Monster flesh would only lead to the accumulation of toxins and madness, though this slight effect was nothing to a Scholar of Yore.
But given the choice, Cavendish would still prefer these mushrooms over the putrid, festering flesh.
While waiting for the mushrooms to grow, Cavendish built a fire. By the light of the silver-white lightning that occasionally tore through the night sky, he saw the faint, grayish-white mist in the distance that enveloped both sky and land.
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