Dyon’s senses were rapidly fading. He couldn’t seem to circulate his wills, and he was rapidly losing control over his aurora.

Even as his organs slowed, there was one thing that was becoming clear. This wasn’t meant to kill Dyon. If that was the case, then why had the dagger purposefully stopped before his heart? If Dyon’s heart had been damaged, then this would have been a nearly unsalvageable situation. But, Dyon’s death wasn’t this person’s only goal. They wanted him to suffer. Not just physically, but emotionally.

Despite Dyon’s slowed thoughts, he could still think much faster than the average person. He had immediately picked up on the fact that this person seemed intent on having Ri see that they were in Madeleine’s countenance before they disappeared.

Dyon never thought for even an instant that it was truly Madeleine after he felt the dagger stab into him. He wouldn’t waste brain cells believing such a thing. But, that didn’t make the situation any less terrible.

He knew he couldn’t focus on anything other than reversing this situation. Although this person’s goal wasn’t to kill Dyon, that was only in the short term. Dyon had little doubt that if this technique was given enough time, he would surely die.

He could feel what was meant to be a strong and probing pain, but at the moment, it wasn’t enough to cause Dyon discomfort. But, he could feel that it was steadily increasing as time went on.

The vitality that pumped through his veins now were so powerful that it was ironically becoming a detriment to him. His organs were slowly crystallizing under this odd technique, but, at the same time, his heart was relentlessly pumping. That may sound like a good thing, but in reality, that meant that the newly formed crystals were being cracked under the pressure due to its lack of elasticity. With every pump, Dyon felt as though his heart was coming closer and closer to shattering.

Ri’s hands found their way to Dyon’s chest and her eyes flashed with a bright blue as she swept her aurora through Dyon’s body. But, what she saw was something that made her tremble.

‘This has to be a will? Right?’ Ri didn’t know what to think. Red crystals were growing and coating Dyon’s organs. No, more accurately, they were becoming Dyon’s organs.

Coming to that conclusion, Ri immediately tried circulating her celestial will within Dyon, relying on her Elvin Queen’s Reign constitution to boost it to the 5th level.

Beads of sweat trickled down Ri’s forehead as Dyon could only watch.

In reality, Ri’s first action was the same action Dyon would have taken. Celestial will was an ultimate defense and had the ability to purify techniques and wills. Since Dyon was being afflicted with what was likely a combination of the two, celestial will should have helped. Unfortunately, Dyon’s ability to use his own celestial will was cut off and he was slowly losing his control over his aurora.

Thadius watched anxiously as Eli walked into the lobby area.

Seeing Dyon lying on the ground, worry and surprise colored Eli’s features as he rushed forward. He didn’t want to disturb Ri since she was clearly pushing herself so hard, but he couldn’t help but want to know what happened. He had just been with Dyon, how did things end up like this?

“Eli.” Ri’s voice was strained, but she had something to ask. It didn’t make sense for Dyon to let his guard down so easily, it didn’t even look like there had been a struggle. There were only three explanations. Either the person at the door was someone that Dyon knew and thus felt comfortable with – or, someone was disguised as them at the very least – or, this person was so far and away more powerful than Dyon that caution didn’t matter. And the last possibility was that disappearing technique they used… Maybe Dyon just hadn’t been aware of her presence.

“Yes, Ri?” Eli’s face had paled considerably. He was very much aware that the time between breaths Dyon took were getting much too far apart. He wanted to ask if maybe Dyon’s demon generals, the white-haired power houses he had seen earlier that day, might be able to help. But, the fact that Ri hadn’t thought of that likely meant that they wouldn’t be of much help at all.

“Are there any exceptionally beautiful women that Dyon knows?” Ri’s brows furrowed.

At first Eli thought that was a ridiculous question to ask now considering the circumstances, until he finally pieced together that Ri likely thought the person who attacked Dyon was someone he knew. But, unfortunately, Eli hadn’t seen the attacker. By the time he came out, ‘Madeleine’ was gone.

“Exceptionally beautiful? I really can’t tell with a descriptor like that…”

Ri shook her head, “No. This woman had beauty no one would ever forget. It’s likely something many know her for.”

Ri had heard of the six beauties of the universe. But, in reality, it was technically only five. Dyon had changed the name to six to add her, and it was likely no one would disagree.

That said, Ri had seen many of them already. She had seen Ulu, Eboni and Saru. And, although she didn’t know the name of the last girl, Ri was sure that she had seen her as well. If Dyon was able to communicate effectively, he would have known that the fourth was a beauty from the Kami God Clan, a Japanese goddess.

“I’m sorry, Ri. The only person I can think of is Madeleine. But, if it was Madeleine, then I have no doubt that this was a person in disguise. It doesn’t help us much…”

Ri’s hands trembled as frustration built up. Her celestial will wasn’t getting anywhere and it seemed her questions weren’t helping either. If she had seen the four beauties, then the fifth would have been Madeleine. But, Madeleine didn’t have purple hair and eyes from what Dyon had told her. And, Madeleine also wore glasses, but this woman didn’t. Why would they try and trick Dyon with a representation of someone so far from what he knew Madeleine as?

Just who was she, then?

Dyon’s brows furrowed when he too realized Ri’s celestial will wasn’t having much of an effect. Or, more accurately, he tried to, but he was losing control of his muscles and the pain was building up to a point where even Dyon was beginning to find it unbearable.

The worst part was that the wound in his rib cage wasn’t healing and the only reason why blood wasn’t spilling out and onto the floor was because Dyon’s blood was hardening too.

Ri was beginning panic. She couldn’t think of a solution other than celestial will. ‘Is mine just not strong enough?’

The glow of Ri’s crown was beginning to dim. At least ten minutes had passed since she began and her stamina was beginning to tap out.

“I should go and find Madeleine, right? Her celestial will is much more powerful?” Ri looked at Dyon to try and see if she could get an answer, but all she found were a pair of resolute eyes.

The truth was that Dyon was in unimaginable pain, but he had lost the ability to express it. He had thought of a solution, but he had to rely on Ri to figure it out. If she couldn’t it was likely that he’d die in a few weeks.

Finding Madeleine would have been a good solution if they could guarantee her getting here within the first minute of the technique’s onset, but that was clearly impossible. Setting aside how long Ri would have taken to notice her celestial will wasn’t having an effect, Dyon wasn’t even sure if Madeleine was on this planet at all.

His only option was to use his eyes to show Ri he hadn’t lost hope. He had to show her that there was a way out, she just needed to take her time.

“There’s a way?” Ri asked softly.

Dyon could blink or widen his eyes, at most, he could shift them a bit and change their focus. But, even that ability would be gone soon. And maybe an even bigger issue that Dyon hadn’t thought of was that when he got rid of this crystallization, what about the gaping wound in his rib? That would likely not heal easily judging by how difficult this technique was to deal with.

Seeing Dyon’s continued gaze, Ri understood that Dyon had thought of a way. And, the fact that he was letting her know meant that it should be within her abilities to think of this too.

All the while, Thadius and Eli stood off to the side. Thadius wasn’t willing to re-enter the ring in case that girl was still around and Eli felt too guilty to leave – after all, his family only needed rest now.

“Does it have to do with cleansing?” Ri thought to herself. She couldn’t rely on a gaze to answer complex questions, or else she may accidentally steer down the wrong path.

What Ri did know was that she likely had time. Although Dyon’s organs were crystallizing, that would first have preservation characteristics before death. The main issue was Dyon’s vitality. It was constantly pushing against the crystals and threatening to shatter them completely. But, the issue was that these crystals weren’t a coating, they were Dyon for all intents and purposes.

‘Okay, what I do know is that this requires some form of cleansing. Although my celestial will wasn’t powerful enough to stop the process, it did slow it down…. Which means we’re on the right path. I think I should find Madeleine, but Dyon doesn’t know if she’s back yet, or else he would have never asked Connery Sapientia whether or not she was…’

Ri actively activated her aurora, looking to speed up her thinking process before she reached for one of Dyon’s rings.

Then, she gripped onto Dyon’s hand and melded her aurora his fading aurora. By melding their souls, Ri gained access to a ring she hadn’t had ownership of before and thus took out a device she was familiar with – Dyon’s communication device.

As expected though, she came back disappointed. There hadn’t been any messages from Madeleine, which likely meant she wasn’t even on this planet. That, or there was another reason. Either way, she wasn’t reachable…

Seeing that her plan to enlist Madeleine’s help had failed, Ri began wracking her brain for more ideas.

‘What cleanses… What cleanses… Maybe I’m thinking about it all wrong?’ Ri suddenly thought of something that might be promising. But, the sheer amount of work that it would take was daunting. Was this really her best option?… ‘No, maybe it’ll work if I get one of the demon generals with good soul talent to do it? Yes, maybe, maybe.’

With a faint light of hope, Ri grasped onto Dyon’s rigid figure and instructed Thadius to stand guard after telling Eli it was okay to worry about his family. Then, she disappeared into the ring.

**

Off in another rented mansion, a meeting of the Planet Nix geniuses was taking place. Or, more accurately, it was a reunion between a husband and wife.

Ulu’s beautiful figure was matted in sweat that glistened along her flawless dark skin. Moans of fiery passion struggled their way out of her full lips as she rode a large dark young man.

Maybe large wasn’t enough to describe this young man. He was only 2.5-meters-tall, not too big for an expert of the martial realm, but he was broad. His chest was so thick and wide that Ulu’s small hands seemed to lose themselves in his mound of muscle.

A crisp slap resounded through the dark room as the young man gripped onto Ulu’s plump ass.

Ulu convulsed, her hips shaking wildly as she lost control of her movements – one could hardly understand how such a petite woman took the length and width of such a thick rod, and yet she did, leaving her only complaints to be voiced in moans.

However, the young man didn’t seem to be intent on letting her rest. Grabbing a handful of Ulu’s long black hair, the young man pulled her head back before sitting up and lightly biting her collarbone.

“Tell me, Ulu. Why are you so reserved today?” The young man’s voice was deep and resounding. Ulu felt as though her chest was resonating with her husband’s voice to the point where her ample chest bounced in response.

Ulu grinded back and forth on her husband’s cock, taking her time in answering his question. The truth was that Ulu wasn’t enjoying this sex at all. She had been faking everything since the beginning, and it was starting to weigh on her mentally. If she hadn’t snuck in lubricant she forced her maids to buy from the alchemy guilds, she had no idea if she would have even been able to slide onto her husband’s mass.

Dyon had taken away her ability to enjoy something she used to like very much, and the anger and feeling of helplessness was only making the experience all the more worse.

But, if Ulu told her husband what happened, Dyon would without a doubt die. Saint soul or not, Dyon wasn’t a match for those of the top ten. In many cases, they were more than a decade or even two older than him, and they had access to experience and power he didn’t. As much as Ulu wanted him dead, she couldn’t allow it, not yet.

Her husband was the power behind their kingdom and she was the brains. At least, that’s how it would be when they were powerful enough to inherit their thrones. Ulu couldn’t allow him to run wild just yet, even if it was for her. She also knew she couldn’t involve the higher elders of the Nix because they were dealing with something much more important… Something that had to do with why her husband had been late arriving to begin with.

What Ulu needed now was Dyon to herself. The problem was that with the Sapientia in the way, it was likely that there were now two parties who understood how important he was. This made things more difficult, but not impossible. It was simple really, all her husband had to do was fight and beat Dyon without having the impulse to kill him.

“It’s nothing King,” Ulu slid off her husband’s cock and bowed off to the edge of the best to place her head between his legs. “There’s just something weighing on my mind.”

A large hand found its way to Ulu’s head, grasping a clump of hair firmly to control her movements. “There’s nothing to worry about, Ulu. The mission went well. I and the few others had to go for experience, we didn’t even participate and were never in any real danger.” Although Ulu’s husband, Zabia, said this to sooth his wife, he was a bit angered by it too. He didn’t like being treated like a child.

Ulu bobbed her head up, gasping for air before she slid her tongue down his shaft, “That’s not what I meant… I think I’ve found the demon sage. Unfortunately, others know of this too.”

“Demon sage? The pill, you mean? Our elders aren’t in a place to deviate their attention like this. Pulling in such an expert just isn’t possible right now.” Zabia said after contemplating. One thing was clear, what they were doing was even more important than the prospect of having Dyon on their side.

“You’d be surprised to know that the demon sage is only fifteen years old…” Ulu said carefully.

“Fifteen? How is that possible?”

“His soul strength should have just reached the saint stage. But, his energy cultivation is very far behind. He’s an otherworldly talent.”

Zabia nodded, “I understand what you mean now. There aren’t any soul techniques available, even from our universe, that would be capable of allowing him to make full use of his strength… Let alone this universe.”

Ulu’s delicate hands gently played with Zabia’s balls, making him lose his train of thought. “Meaning he’s most likely comparable to a lower to mid essence gathering expert. He’s no match for you.”

Grunting, Zabia took a deep breath, “So, what do you want me to do?”

“Simple. During the tournament. It has to be before the end so as to temper suspicions. Beat him. Then, when he’s most susceptible, use one of your slave seals on him.”

Zabia was surprised by this request.

As a talent of Planet Nix, he was of course afforded protection – even more than Ulu. This was because despite being around twenty-five years old, just like his wife, he was already prepared to step into the saint stage. In fact, the only reason he hadn’t was because of this tournament.

This seal wasn’t on the level of what Ulu had used on Ri. To compare the two would be like expecting a mortal to fight against a transcendent expert. Ulu simply couldn’t compare.

“Even though the world tournament follows a round robin style in the end, how can we guarantee that he’ll make it that far? Even if he does, what if he resigns?” Zabia wondered.

“Don’t forget, husband, he’s cheated his way into the top 10. Meaning, He’s already earned a spot in the final stage of the tournament.

As for resigning, he’s too arrogant to do such a thing. Just let him know that you’re my husband and that will be enough.” Ulu’s delicate lips locked around Zabia’s thick tip, relishing in the viscous liquid that poured down her throat. ‘At least I can still enjoy this.’ She thought in satisfaction. In fact, she even imagined a small throb in her loins at the thought of Dyon being beaten mercilessly into submission by her husband.

**

“Master, lend me some dao stones.” Madeleine had a bright smile on her face. She was all too excited to see Dyon, but first, she had to find out where he was. She couldn’t very well fly around aimlessly looking for him, that would be a bit too ridiculous even for her.

Ester’s brows scrunched as though she was in deep though. It was clear that she was distracted by something and it was even more apparent by the fact she didn’t even respond to Madeleine’s outrageous ask. Dao Stones weren’t something the Sapientia family had easy access to. In fact, if people knew Dyon had a ring filled with them, there would be a race to steal them from him.

Even Dyon’s Queen Fairy pill had only sold for tens of dao stones and that was after an outrageous bidding war.

“Master?” Madeleine tapped on Ester’s shoulder, trying to get her attention.

“Ah, ah. Hmm?”

Madeleine tilted her head in confusion. She had never seen her master to flustered or distracted. What was going on?

“Dao stones. Do you have them?” Madeleine asked again.

“Dao stones?” Ester looked at her disciple with some confusion. Madeleine had all of a sudden come back with a complete make-over and a striking lack of glasses. To other clans, this may have been negligible… But, there was a reason the Sapientia all had golden eyes and glasses. Their first-in-line genius suddenly breaking the mold was a bit odd.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ester said, snapping out of it. “Who has dao stones just to hand out like this? Plus, you’d only be asking to kill yourself if you tried using them.”

Madeleine pouted. She couldn’t very well tell her master why she needed them, or else that would come with an even more resounding no. Dyon had said that he wouldn’t make her wait long to be with him, but Madeleine had forced herself to hold a semblance of realism. Could Dyon really be ready to take her away now?

Sighing, Madeleine walked off to her room. She regretted not having dao stones, but there was little she could do.

When she had been with Amethyst, the Violet Phoenix had interestingly gone out of its way to shatter her glasses but left her spatial rings and necklace alone. After Madeleine had finished absorbing the legacy, the gate had long since closed. So, she fell into a bit of despair. If she didn’t go home, it would have been months before the gate opened and she saw Dyon again.

But, Amethyst took pity on her and helped out. With the last bit of remaining soul she housed in this world, she used Madeleine’s remaining dao stones to power a teleportation array out of the gate and onto Planet Naiad.

That said, that meant that now Madeleine was out of stones and could only wait through the coming weeks to see Dyon.

Reaching her room, Madeleine stepped into a space that she had called home for the better part of two years.

After slipping off her qipao and sliding into bed Madeleine rested her head to look out at the full moon through the large window.

‘See you soon…’