From a distance, Sadius saw an enormous magic array and a formidable figure guarding it.
Plane Guardian Hodan!
Even if Heidens hadn't called out, Sadius could have guessed his identity.
However, Sadius was betting that Hodan wouldn't intervene to save Heidens.
Plane Guardians had their own set of rules to follow. They couldn't interfere casually in the affairs of the material planes.
Their duty was to guard the planar teleportation arrays and guide Saints to the Four Higher Planes and the Seven Divine Planes.
Of course, if they did choose to intervene, very few could stop them.
Seeing that he was now within striking range, Sadius no longer hesitated. He launched the spikes on his back toward Heidens.
The spikes shot forth. Heidens had no time to react; his body was directly pierced.
Realizing that he might die before reaching the teleportation array, Heidens made one last desperate appeal to Hodan.
"Lord Hodan! I'm willing to offer up all the treasures of the Radiant Church! Please, save me!"
At that moment, Heidens' will to survive burned fiercely.
If it were the full treasure trove of an ordinary force, Hodan wouldn't be moved.
But the Radiant Church was different. With the Radiant Sovereign behind it, no one knew how many divine artifacts or treasures had been granted by the Radiant Divine Plane.
Seated silently beside the teleportation array, Hodan was tempted.
He was merely a Mid God, a minor figure even within the Eight Great Clans. He had struggled to obtain the role of Plane Guardian and naturally wasn't satisfied with only the minor benefits granted by the Sovereign's army.
Over the years, he had secretly accepted a few bribes.
And now, this new Radiant Pope was offering up all the Church's treasures for his life.
Hodan was moved.
Seeing that Heidens was nearly at the teleportation array, Hodan immediately flew toward him.
Sadius' heart sank. This was bad.
Without delay, he launched another attack at Heidens; three successive waves of sword qi.
Sadius unleashed three ultimate techniques in a row. He was determined to kill Heidens no matter what.
Just as Hodan was about to reach Heidens, the three sword strikes fell.
Heidens' head was severed on the spot.
Even in death, his eyes were wide open in disbelief.
"Why? I followed the Grand Prophecy… how did I end up like this?!"
Heidens died. Hodan caught his body and spread out his divine sense; only to discover: no spatial ring.
"My lord," Sadius said cautiously, "forgive my offense. Heidens and I were mortal enemies. That's why I chased him here."
Hodan searched several times and confirmed it: no ring.
He felt as if he had been played. His face darkened with rage.
"You damned magical beast! How dare you kill in front of me!"
Sadius was gripped with terror.
Was Hodan going to act against him?
He was just a Saint. Hodan was a Mid God. Killing him would be effortless.
"Lord Hodan, please spare me!"
Before Hodan could move, Sadius turned and fled.
"Flee? Where do you think you're going?"
With the release of Hodan's God Realm, Sadius was instantly suppressed.
"My lord! I have the former Radiant Pope's spatial ring!" Sadius cried in panic.
At this moment, Hodan could crush him like an ant. Without hesitation, Sadius took out the ring.
Hodan's expression eased slightly when he saw it.
But he still didn't intend to let Sadius go.
He couldn't afford to kill Sadius directly; after all, Beirut of the Yulan Plane was incomparably stronger than he was.
Soon, Hodan thought of a solution.
"You vile beast," Hodan said coldly, "daring to commit murder before a Plane Guardian!
Today, I sentence you to exile in the Planar Prison. Reflect well on your actions!"
Coincidentally, there was a Planar Prison portal in the Extreme Northern Ice Fields.
Suppressing Sadius, Hodan quickly arrived at the portal.
Planar Prison!
Sadius would rather die than go to that place.
Even Saints had difficulty surviving there. One careless moment, and he could become someone else's soul-gold bead.
The elemental energy was sparse. The environment was deadly.
Just from the fact that it took Dylin's three sons eating over a hundred flying dragons to recover after escaping, one could tell that place wasn't meant for living beings.
Sadius struggled, but it was useless.
"Remember to reflect deeply," Hodan said coldly.
He channeled divine power and hurled Sadius into the dimensional passage.
Holding the spatial ring in hand, Hodan sealed the teleportation array leading to the Planar Prison.
Gebados Planar Prison. Endless, earthen-yellow desert.
Suddenly, a massive beast appeared in the sky, plummeting downward.
After being thrown into the portal, Sadius experienced a wave of vertigo before landing in the middle of this desolate wasteland.
The elemental energy in the surroundings was pitifully thin.
Even gravity here was several times that of the Yulan Continent.
His spiritual force; barely half as effective as before.
Sadius immediately stabilized his body to stop falling, then slowly descended to the ground.
Once he landed, he retracted all internal energy.
In a place like the Planar Prison, conserve everything because recovery took too long.
Looking around, the land was barren. Only yellow rubble and withered trees that hadn't shown signs of life in countless years.
"Weren't there supposed to be divine-level prisoners everywhere in this Planar Prison? Why can't I see a single living thing?"
He scanned in all directions. The desolation was total.
"I'm just a Saint. Surviving in this place will be unimaginably hard…"
"Thankfully, I have the Life Origin Pearl inside me. As long as I don't provoke any divine-level beings, I should be able to endure."
He felt fortunate to have befriended the three Amethyst Rat Kings.
Thinking of them now, he felt like a fool.
Why didn't I mention I was their sworn brother in front of Hodan?
If I had, Hodan definitely wouldn't have thrown me into this Godforsaken Planar Prison.
Sadius began walking aimlessly in one direction.
He knew nothing about this place.
Even in the original novel, it was only described as being extremely desolate.
His knowledge of the canon was no help at all.
As he trudged across the desert, only the sound of wind and sand accompanied him.
He didn't know how long he had been walking when he heard a faint rustling beneath the ground.
"Something's there!"
Sadius immediately dodged to the side.
From underground, terrifying giant scorpions burst forth, surrounding him on all sides.
"Boys, it's been so long… Finally, fresh meat!"