What was the gray substance Linley drew from the Mirage Sword?
Sadius didn't know for certain. But the moment that substance was drawn out, it immediately began corroding everything around it—or rather, everything it touched was broken down and converted into the four most basic elements: water, wind, fire, and earth.
With such an effect, Sadius could only think of one thing: Hongmeng Aura.
But how could the Mirage Sword possibly contain Hongmeng Aura?
In the original canon, Linley only generated Hongmeng Aura after refining four Sovereign sparks and fusing the four major elemental powers.
This sword—while forged from four elemental Divine Sparks and capable of producing gray matter—shouldn't have contained true Hongmeng Aura. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a mere Sovereign artifact; it would be a Hongmeng Artifact, something that transcended even the highest-level artifacts.
Sadius thought of another possibility and looked up toward the chaotic void.
Could it be…that Hongmeng had intervened again?
He would find out soon enough. After all, for people of the Coiling Dragon Universe, even a touch of Hongmeng Aura meant instant death.
A gray energy film formed over the Mirage Sword's blade.
At the same time, Ignis unleashed his strongest strike using the Laws of Destruction.
Seeing this, Linley swung his sword—not with any fancy techniques, just a direct, straightforward strike.
The gray sword energy slashed out, shattering space. The four elements—water, wind, fire, and earth—began to spread unstoppably.
Yet the shattered space didn't heal.
Ignis's attack was terrifying too. Destructive power surged out, ripping everything apart. Space collapsed faster than it could repair itself, and spatial fissures continued to expand.
Everyone watching believed Ignis had the upper hand.
After all, Ignis's attack caused even more frightening rifts.
Only Sadius saw the truth.
The gray energy from the Mirage Sword was definitely Hongmeng Aura—it must have been secretly implanted by Hongmeng himself.
But how was Linley able to activate the Hongmeng Aura?
In his current state, Linley shouldn't have been able to touch such power at all.
Was Hongmeng being too impatient?
Sadius frowned. Though the Coiling Dragon Universe had deviated far from its original storyline under his manipulations, he had already begun laying the groundwork for Linley's transcendence.
Linley and Ignis's ultimate moves collided.
The plaza's space shattered, creating massive waves of spatial turbulence.
There was no time to flee—just as the spectators were about to be engulfed, a massive hand suddenly appeared, scooping up everyone too slow to escape and flinging them back toward the Amethyst Mansion.
As for Linley and Ignis, the two were caught in the turbulent flow of space.
Fortunately, both possessed Sovereign-level wills. Linley especially was protected by a full set of Sovereign artifacts. The spatial turbulence could not harm them.
However, the gray sword energy continued to spread.
Within the turbulence, Ignis watched as the gray energy drew near. Though he was a Highgod Paragon, he could survive in spatial Spacial Sea but not move freely.
At this rate, he would inevitably be struck by the gray sword energy.
Ignis didn't know just how terrifying it was. He waited anxiously for his patron, the Destruction Sovereign Uhtred, to rescue him.
Without hesitation, Uhtred tore open space and entered the turbulent void.
By the rules, Ignis had completed the trial, making him the designated successor to the Destruction Overgod. Naturally, Uhtred had to save him.
Upon entering the Spatial Sea, Uhtred quickly reached Linley and Ignis. He prepared to act.
As for the gray sword energy, Uhtred paid it no mind. To him, it was no stronger than an enhanced Paragon's attack.
He was a Sovereign. A Chief Sovereign. One of the four strongest Sovereigns in existence.
Why would he fear a mere sword beam?
"Uhtred, dodge now! Do you want to die?!" Sadius' voice echoed suddenly.
Then, a clone of Sadius, formed from Aether Essence, materialized in the Spatial Sea. He aimed to pull Uhtred and Ignis out.
But Uhtred was too close to the gray energy and had casually attacked it, intending to wipe it out.
Clearly, he had no idea how terrifying that energy was.
Nor had he expected Sadius to appear so abruptly.
The moment Sadius' body collided with the gray energy, it began to disintegrate. Thankfully, the body was only a construct of Aether Essence—its destruction wouldn't affect Sadius at all.
As his body crumbled, Sadius flung Uhtred and Ignis out of the Spatial Sea.
His avatar was reduced to origin energy—but not to elemental energy like water, fire, wind, or earth. Instead, it dissolved into pure Aether Essence.
Sadius' body reappeared again within the Spatial Sea.
This time, he grabbed Linley.
"You little brat! You nearly blew a hole in the universe! I'm confiscating this sword." With that, he took the Mirage Sword and hurled Linley out of the Spatial Sea.
Sadius wasn't greedy for the sword.
He needed it to retrieve the gray energy. Without it, that energy would continue rampaging through the spatial turbulence, never dissipating.
If it struck a plane, it would leave a gaping hole.
If it hit the barrier at the edge of the universe—it might pierce it.
Sadius would never allow that.
Sword in hand, he flew toward the gray sword energy.
The beam advanced steadily, reducing everything in its path to raw origin energy.
Sadius perfectly aligned the sword's blade with the beam.
The sword wasn't dissolved.
The gray energy surged into the sword—as though it had found its "home."
Once the gray energy disappeared, the sword beam instantly dispersed.
Sadius immediately exited the Spatial Sea and returned to the Amethyst Mountains.
The massive plaza had completely collapsed into the void. Only the Amethyst Castle stood at the boundary between spatial turbulence and the mountains.
Uhtred stood atop the mountain with Ignis.
Uhtred was still shaken. That unassuming sword beam had destroyed a clone formed from the essence of an Overgod.
Was the Overgod too weak?
No—clearly, the beam was too terrifying.
"You little brat, where did that gray energy in the sword come from?"
"Father, wasn't it already inside the sword when I got it?" Linley replied.
"You think I'm that easy to fool? I told you long ago to absorb the Divine Spark essence in that sword. And this gray energy isn't even the same kind. It's countless times more dangerous than gray Divine Spark essence. Anyone who touches it will be completely annihilated. And you dared use it in battle?!" Sadius scolded him harshly.
Only then did Linley quietly admit the truth.
"I met a mysterious expert in a dream…He asked me to call him Big Brother. In that dream, he infused the Mirage Sword with this gray energy and said I should only use it to save my life."
Sadius didn't doubt Linley. As an Overgod, he could easily tell whether someone was lying.
Internally, he sighed.
Just how impatient was Hongmeng, to outright gift Hongmeng Aura?
If he was that eager, why not just give Linley four Sovereign sparks directly?
"Thank you for saving me, my lord," Uhtred said with a bow.
It had been countless trillions of years since he last bowed to anyone.
Since becoming the Destruction Sovereign, he'd never had to bow. This felt unnatural.
"Enough. The trial is over. Ignis, congratulations on becoming the successor to the Destruction Overgod. Come with me to the Aether Supreme Overgod Realm to receive the inheritance."
While the inheritance could technically be bestowed anywhere, Sadius decided to take Ignis to the newly completed Aether Supreme Overgod Realm to avoid interruptions.
"Yes, my lord."
With Ignis in tow, Sadius waved his hand gently—instantly restoring the collapsed space of the Amethyst Mountains.
Linley was about to ask if he could get the Mirage Sword back, but Sadius had already vanished.
Moments later, Sadius emerged again from the Amethyst Mansion.
Linley flew over immediately.
"Father, are you really confiscating the sword?"
"Yes. The energy inside is too dangerous. You're not ready for it yet. Once you are, I'll return it."
Sadius was curious too—how had Hongmeng sealed Hongmeng Aura inside the sword?
Could it be that the Mirage Sword had already surpassed Overgod artifacts?
Uhtred, seeing Ignis had left, bowed and also departed the Amethyst Mountains.
With the trial over, all the strange aspects of the Amethyst Mountains manipulated by Sadius were restored.
Everyone who survived the trial gained something.
Even if their Sovereign artifacts were damaged, their fused divine power had increased tenfold—making the weakest among them equivalent to six-star Fiends.
Some even reached the level of Shura-class experts.
From this day forth, the balance of power among Highgods would change, and soul mutates would become the focus of every major faction's attention.
Outside the mountains, all elemental Sovereigns gathered near Sadius' group.
"Congratulations, Lord Sovereign."
"Congratulations."
The Sovereigns congratulated Uhtred.
From now on, the Destruction Sovereign had the Destruction Overgod backing him.
And if the Destruction Overgod ever issued another Overgod mission, Uhtred would have a better chance of obtaining an Overgod artifact.
Although Uhtred was pleased, he still felt something was missing.
After all, his relationship with Ignis was only that of Sovereign and Emissary, with no soul contract between them.
Uhtred recalled the dawn of creation. He was the first lifeform born from the Heaven and Earth, the earliest beast to attain Divinity.
Unfortunately, when deciding whether to become a God internally or externally, he chose internal Divinity.
Though gifted in Destruction and Water elements, internal Divinity had forever blocked his Water path.
If he had a divine clone now, he would try to mutate his soul without hesitation.
Even if the chance was slim, even if the clone might perish—he would risk it.
Because he longed to become a Supreme Overgod.
But alas, he no longer had the opportunity.
Nearly all Sovereigns were gathered now—even Orloff and Augusta had come.
Orloff felt he had gained much from this Destruction Overgod trial and was eager to begin his research.
Especially that final sword strike from Linley—he had seen in it the potential to split the Heavens.
If even a clone formed from Overgod essence could be destroyed, then perhaps not even a Supreme Overgod's true body could withstand it.
After all, both the body and clone of an Overgod were made from essence energy. At least that's what he thought.
While he's technically correct, Sadius' energy was a little different from 'ordinary' essence energy.
At this moment, Sadius flew out of the castle with the Redbud Sovereign, Beirut, and Leylin.
"The Destruction Overgod trial has ended. Prepare yourselves for the upcoming Planar War. After it ends, the Aether Supreme Overgod Realm will open to all planes. The Aether Laws will eventually give birth to the Aether element among Heaven and Earth for cultivation and its equivalent Sovereign Sparks will descend. All of you will be able to compete for them."
"My lord, since the birth of the Aether Essence, there have been lifeforms with Aether affinity. But no one has been passed down the laws, so none have become Aether Gods—let alone Highgods. Even if the sparks descend, who could refine them?" the Chief Death Sovereign asked.
Indeed, in recent years, the Netherworld had seen some undead who practiced Aether elements in life, but none had become Gods.
Sadius smiled.
"When the first lifeform is born in the Aether Supreme Overgod Realm, the inheritance of Aether Laws will appear."
This was Sadius' safeguard for the Aether Laws.
After the Coiling Dragon Universe ascended to the main universe, the Aether element existed—but the Aether Realm still needed time to be built.
He couldn't allow people to become Aether Gods before the realm was finished.
Thus, he merged the Aether Laws into the Aether Realm itself. Once the first lifeform was born, the laws would spread across the Coiling Dragon Universe.
Anyone practicing Aether could then comprehend its laws.
The Aether Laws, unlike the other seven, had no clear divisions of profundity—similar to the four foundational laws.
As the Aether Supreme Overgod, Sadius would pass down both warrior and magic legacies. But the actual development of Aether magic would wait until all seven Aether Sovereigns were in place.
Because the Aether Realm was created so late, most faith power in the material planes had already been divided among the eleven original elements.
The future Aether Sovereigns would have a long road ahead.
"Everyone, you all know this already. Beirut became a Sovereign ten thousand years ago. He is my uncle."
This was Sadius telling everyone: Beirut is under my protection—don't even think about touching him.
"This is Leylin. With Beirut's help, he also became a Sovereign. He is my teacher."
Everyone was shocked again. Beirut's luck was astonishing. If not for Sadius, his Sovereign clone would still be hiding in the material plane.
Of all present, only Augusta was displeased.
He had risked exposing his strength to slay the Four Divine Beasts—yet their corpses and Sovereign sparks had been stolen by that rat, Beirut.
How could he not feel resentment?
If he'd gotten those sparks, he'd have had four loyal Sovereigns by now.
Instead, Beirut had reaped the reward.
And Augusta couldn't even take revenge.
He hated it deeply—but dared not show it.
After all, Supreme Overgods represented the very fabric of reality. They likely knew everything.
Sadius turned to Orloff as if reading his mind.
"Orloff, I'll approve your request to study soul mutation—but you may only experiment on your own body."