Divine Sea stared at Cain for several seconds, silently weighing his offer.
She was more than powerful enough to destroy the fortress built along the shores of the Endlessdeath Continentâshe could turn it to dust with a gesture. But she couldnât. Not because of weakness, but because of the ancient laws that governed the Omega War.
An ArchDeity interfering in a battlefield meant for Prima Deities would unravel the fragile order between the continents, leading to battles that could harm the matrix of the world. It would invite chaos and possibly full-scale collapse of the balance.
But Cain... Cain was in a unique position.
Technically, he was still a Prima Deity. As such, he had every right to attack Divine Calamityâs forces, especially after the manâs failure to kill him.
Divine Sea exhaled quietly and finally spoke.
"Deal. After fulfilling your duty, you can return. I will grant you your reward."
Cain didnât wait for her to finish.
"Hahaha. Of course not. Pay me upfront."
Divine Seaâs expression tensed. Cainâs words werenât arrogantâthey were calculated. His eyes flickered between oceans of emotion and bottomless emptiness as he stared at her, unflinching.
A solemn air hung between them as Divine Sea replied.
"And if I pay you now, how can I be sure youâll hold to your word?"
Cain didnât hesitate. He met her gaze with a cold seriousness.
"My plans put me in direct conflict with Divine Calamity Heaven. I have no intention of earning your ire as well as a fight in two fronts is a little too much for me. Besidesâif you agreeâthen, as a bonus and show of good faith, Iâll reveal the full extent of Divine Calamityâs network within your domain."
Her expression changed.
"...Including the identity of the one who betrayed you, the one who leaked the existence of the Well of Endless Stars."
Divine Seaâs eyes widened. For a moment, she failed to contain her emotions.
She had long suspected there was a spy among her ranks. There was no other explanation for how Divine Calamity learned of the Wellâs location. Despite countless investigations and soul-scanning rituals, she had found nothing.
She took a long, slow breath and narrowed her gaze.
"And how exactly do you know that?"
Cainâs reply was simple.
"The same way I learned his cultivation techniques."
Without further explanation, Cain raised a hand.
A wave of psychic power unfurled, and the Scarlet Throne manifested in the sky.
Divine Sea inhaled sharply as the massive gates opened, revealing a realm of psychic force. Howling echoes of tortured souls drifted through the air, all of them part of the throne, severed from the rest of the universe.
Among the sea of voices, she sensed it.
A faint, unmistakable trace of Divine Calamity.
It wasnât a full soul. Just a fragment.
But it was enough.
Moments later, the throne vanished.
Divine Sea stood silent, processing what she had just seen. Her mind raced, her will wavering for just a moment before she exhaled again and nodded.
"Hand over the knowledge."
Cain waved his hand once more, and a sphere of condensed psychic energy floated toward her. Divine Sea seized it, and her divine mind instantly absorbed its contents.
What she read widened her eyes.
A name appeared in the reportâa name she had never doubted. Her first instinct was disbelief. Surely, Cain was misleading her. But the information went deeper. Timeline overlays. Energy trails. Secret correspondences intercepted and decrypted.
Too much to ignore.
At last, she sighed.
A brief flash of sorrow passed through her expression.
But it lasted only a second.
It was replaced by cold pragmatism.
Cain gave her a respectful nod. He could tell the betrayal had struck deepâbut she didnât let herself dwell in the emotion. She simply moved forward, wielding willpower stronger than steel.
"Follow me," she said.
Cain nodded, and together they left the broken stronghold behind.
Before disappearing, Divine Sea cast a final, meaningful glance at the Prima Deities below. No words were needed. They understood the message:
Once Cain cleared the first fortress and confronted Divine Calamity, it would be their time to reclaim the rest of the continent.
It didnât take long for the two of them to reach the northernmost reaches of the Endlessdeath Continent, far beyond the veil of common perception. They arrived at the mouth of a cavern carved into the base of a jagged black mountain.
At first glance, the cave seemed normal.
But as soon as Cain stepped inside, his eyes narrowed.
His senses dulled. Space twisted. Left and right blurred.
This wasnât natural.
"A spatial maze," Cain murmured. "She spent a fortune constructing this."
It was more than that. The energies here were warped by divine inscriptions and spatial folding so deep that even most ArchDeities would lose their way within.
But Cain wasnât worried.
Even if his spiritual senses couldnât parse the path, the AI Chip Module in his soul still functioned. With enough raw data, it could map even the most convoluted labyrinth.
As they moved, Divine Sea kept glancing at him.
She had expected hesitation or confusion. Maybe even fear.
But Cain walked with quiet confidence, his expression calm, his steps unwavering.
She frowned.
There was something off about himâsomething beneath the surface. But no matter how deeply she probed, she couldnât detect it. He was a mystery even to her eyes.
So, she said nothing.
Eventually, they emerged from the maze and entered a breathtaking hidden chamber.
A subterranean garden lay before them, vast and glowing with ethereal light. The ceiling above sparkled with crystalline stalactites, glowing in soft auroras like a star-drenched sky. The ground pulsed with life. Every plant shimmered with divine energy, each one capable of healing, empowering, or enhancing cultivation.
The air was thick with vitalityâenough to nourish even an ArchDeity.
But none of that was the true marvel.
At the center of the garden stood a small, ancient well.
It glowed faintly, an eternal starlight swirling inside its waters.
The Well of Endless Stars.