# Chapter 33: Old Gods of the Seven Sins
BLOOD SKY FLOATING CITY - CITADEL OF ETERNAL NIGHT
Count Edward von Ashborne felt the disturbance ripple through his vampiric bloodline like a discordant note struck against crystal. His wine goblet—filled with the refined essence of Gold-level cultivators—trembled in his pale fingers as divine authority manifested somewhere in the western territories with unmistakable resonance.
Greed. Raw, primal, and utterly authentic.
"After three millennia of silence," he murmured, his voice carrying the aristocratic refinement that marked him as herald to powers that predated the current age of cultivation. "One of the Seven finally stirs to true wakefulness."
The Count's private observatory occupied the highest spire of Blood Sky Floating City, a marvel of cultivation engineering that drifted through the crimson skies above the Blood Demon Martial Realm like a mobile kingdom. From his vantage point, he could observe the spiritual currents that flowed between major territories, detecting disturbances in the metaphysical fabric that lesser beings couldn't even perceive.
COUNT EDWARD VON ASHBORNE
Title: HERALD OF PRIDE *(Divine Servant)*
Bloodline: ANCIENT VAMPIRE *(Pre-cultivation era)*
Cultivation: TRANSCENDENT - LOW** *(Beyond normal tier classifications)*
Authority: BLOOD SKY FLOATING CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
Divine Connection: LORD OF PRIDE *(One of the Seven Original Sins)*
His master's voice echoed in his consciousness with the weight of eons—not heard but experienced directly through the bond that connected herald to deity.
*"The youngest of our number awakens. How... inconvenient."*
Pride's assessment carried layers of meaning that few mortals could comprehend. The Seven Lords of Sin represented the original divine authorities that had shaped reality itself, their power predating the current cultivation system by ages beyond mortal memory. For millennia, they had remained dormant, their influence subtle and indirect.
But Greed's manifestation changed everything.
"Shall I investigate personally, my lord?" Count Edward inquired, his form already beginning the transformation that would allow transcendent-level travel across territorial boundaries.
*"No. Too direct. Send word to our agents in the western territories. If Greed has chosen a mortal vessel, we must understand their nature and potential before the others act."*
The Count activated communication arrays that connected Blood Sky Floating City to intelligence networks spanning the continent. Within moments, agents throughout the Blood Demon Martial Realm received coded instructions to investigate any unusual divine manifestations, particularly those involving golden radiance and authority over material acquisition.
But Pride's attention had already shifted to broader implications.
*"Alert the Council. After three thousand years of balance, the game begins anew."*
---
TRUE MARTIAL SECT - HALL OF ETERNAL DISCIPLINE
The True Martial Saintess felt the divine resonance through her perfect cultivation foundation like lightning striking clear sky. Every meridian in her body synchronized with the distant manifestation, recognizing power that operated by principles older than the martial arts that defined her existence.
She knelt in perfect seiza within the Hall's central chamber, her unnamed status reflecting the sect tradition that true martial artists abandoned personal identity in pursuit of absolute technique. But her anonymity concealed capabilities that placed her among the most dangerous individuals in the Blood Demon Martial Realm.
TRUE MARTIAL SAINTESS
Name: ABANDONED FOR MARTIAL PERFECTION
Cultivation: LEGENDARY - HIGH *(Peak mortal achievement)*
Specialization: ABSOLUTE MARTIAL TECHNIQUE *(All weapons, all styles)*
Authority: TRUE MARTIAL SECT SUPREME LEADER
Recognition: CLOSEST TO DIVINE ASCENSION THROUGH PURE SKILL
"Divine manifestation in the western territories," she announced to her assembled disciples, her voice carrying the crystalline clarity of someone who had purged all emotional inconsistency from their spiritual foundation. "Golden radiance. Authority over acquisition and worthiness."
The disciples—each one a master who could dominate entire regions—remained silent as their leader processed the implications through perfect analytical clarity.
"Greed awakens. The equilibrium that has governed our realm for three millennia shifts toward active divine intervention." Her gaze swept across her followers with the kind of attention that missed nothing. "Prepare advanced intelligence gathering. If the Seven return to active influence, the True Martial Sect must understand how divine authority will interact with perfected technique."
One disciple dared to speak: "Saintess, do we approach or observe?"
"We prepare," she replied with the finality that characterized all her decisions. "If Greed has chosen a vessel, they will either prove worthy of their divine heritage through combat, or be eliminated by those who cannot tolerate competition. Either outcome will provide crucial intelligence about divine authority limits."
Her attention turned to cultivation manuals that predated the current sect by millennia—techniques developed during the last age when the Seven Lords actively shaped reality through mortal champions.
"Resume study of Pre-Cultivation Era combat methods. If divine authority returns to direct manifestation, perfect technique must be ready to respond appropriately."
---
CRIMSON BLADE MONASTERY - SANCTUM OF THE ETERNAL SWORD
Crimson Sword Saint Dik felt the divine resonance through his blade before his own spiritual perception registered the disturbance. His legendary weapon—forged from materials that existed at the intersection of physical and spiritual reality—vibrated with harmonics that indicated cosmic-level power manifestation somewhere within his awareness range.
CRIMSON SWORD SAINT DIK
Title: BLADE SAINT OF THE CRIMSON PATH
Cultivation: DEMIGOD - LOW** *(Transcended mortal limitations)*
Specialization: LEGENDARY SWORD TECHNIQUES *(Reality-cutting capability)*
Authority: CRIMSON BLADE MONASTERY SUPREME MASTER
Recognition: CLOSEST TO DIVINE SWORD ASCENSION
"Interesting," he observed, his voice carrying the calm that came from centuries spent perfecting techniques that could slice through the fabric of existence itself. "Someone manifests divine authority with enough intensity to register across territorial boundaries."
His monastery existed at the confluence of three major spiritual energy flows, making it sensitive to metaphysical disturbances throughout the Blood Demon Martial Realm. But this manifestation was different—not the gradual accumulation of power that characterized normal divine ascension attempts, but the sudden activation of authority that suggested inherited or awakened divine heritage.
"Golden radiance. Authority over acquisition. Philosophical assertion of earned versus stolen power." His analysis was precise, clinical, and utterly without emotional coloration. "The Lord of Greed stirs after millennia of dormancy."
His disciples—each one capable of leading major sects in their own right—awaited his assessment with the patient attention that marked true masters of the sword.
"If Greed has chosen a vessel, they will attract opposition from every power structure that benefits from unearned advantage. The conflict potential is... significant." His blade began to emit subtle spiritual resonance that indicated preparation for serious combat. "Prepare for potential travel. If divine authority returns to active manifestation, the Crimson Path must be ready to test steel against cosmic power."
The statement carried implications that his disciples understood perfectly. Sword Saint Dik had spent centuries seeking opponents worthy of his perfected technique. Divine authority might finally provide the ultimate challenge that could either elevate him to true divine ascension or destroy him in glorious combat.
"Monitor all intelligence networks. If the vessel proves worthy of their heritage, they will survive the initial attempts at elimination and grow stronger through combat. Such individuals represent the kind of opposition that allows transcendence of mortal limitations."
---
Across the Blood Demon Martial Realm, other powers registered the divine manifestation through their own specialized detection methods:
THE SHADOW COUNCIL felt the disturbance through networks of controlled corruption that extended throughout the civilized territories. Greed's authority over earned versus stolen power represented a direct threat to their influence systems.
THE ELEMENTAL CONCLAVE detected the manifestation through harmony disruption in the natural spiritual energy flows they monitored. Divine authority operating at fundamental levels affected the realm's metaphysical stability.
THE MERCHANT PRINCES recognized the implications through economic analysis—if Greed had returned to active influence, traditional resource control mechanisms might become obsolete overnight.
But it was among the remaining SIX LORDS OF SIN that the most significant responses began to manifest:
WRATH stirred in the volcanic regions of the southern territories, his anger at being awakened from millennia of slumber creating seismic disturbances that registered on every geomantic sensor in three provinces.
ENVY began analyzing the manifestation through comparative assessment, determining whether Greed's vessel possessed advantages that should be copied or eliminated.
SLOTH contemplated whether the disturbance warranted abandoning his comfortable dormancy, ultimately deciding that observation would be sufficient for now.
GLUTTONY experienced hunger for the first time in centuries, recognizing in Greed's manifestation the kind of divine essence that could satisfy appetites beyond mortal comprehension.
LUST felt desire stir for power that operated by principles older than current cultivation systems, creating the first genuine interest she had experienced in ages.
And deep in the realm's most hidden sanctuaries, PRIDE began the subtle manipulations that would either control or eliminate the threat that Greed's awakening represented to the careful balance of power that had governed reality for three millennia.
The Lord of Greed's manifestation in a forgotten industrial facility had been witnessed by only three professional hunters and sensed by a handful of local cultivators.
But its implications would reshape the political structure of the entire Blood Demon Martial Realm as powers beyond mortal comprehension began to move in response to the return of divine authority that they had thought safely dormant forever.
The age of subtle influence was ending.
The age of direct divine intervention was about to begin.