"It is precisely because of this reason that we have been at war with the Plague Demon Clan for a thousand years. Although our clan has the ability to restrain the enemy, the numbers of the Holy Angel Clan are too few, while the Demon Clanâs numbers are countless times ours. This has led to a prolonged stalemate, even after thousands of years with no result; both sides are evenly matched on the surface, but in reality, weâre just pawns of Naphaya..."
"Later, as the war continued, after several thousand years, the numbers of our clan dwindled to a very dangerous level. In order for our clan to survive, I took a risk and went alone to the Catastropheâs lair, and had a final battle with him in the Temple."
"Because I possessed the power of Rebirth, and coupled with the Holy Attribute restraining the Demon Clan, I emerged as the ultimate victor in this battle. But even then, I had no means to completely kill Catastrophe. He wielded the âImmortalâ Sequence, making him impossible to truly kill. Therefore, I could only use my Holy Judgment Sword to pin him here, as the sword constantly absorbs his energy, preventing him from repairing his body..."
"However...this battle caught Naphayaâs attention. After finding out that I used this decapitation tactic, he was furious and killed me forcefully, causing me to fall into the long path of Rebirth. Had it not been for you using the Holy Attribute power to accelerate my Rebirth, I fear it wouldâve been difficult for me to wake up again..."
Yeluo paused here, her story was finished, but Zhang Xiaoman still had several unresolved doubts.
"As far as I know, the Holy Angel Clan has already been annihilated by the Demon Lord. Are you aware of this?"
Yeluo nodded sadly and said:
"I know, because Naphaya told me personally, saying I would pay the price for my actions, and my clan would inevitably suffer as well... I believe he is capable of this, so I wonât doubt it... itâs my fault that everyone suffered..."
Zhang Xiaoman pondered with his chin resting on his hand.
"Then why did Naphaya want to destroy the Holy Angel Clan? Does he no longer wish to continue his experiments? Didnât he want to study your power further? Moreover, after killing you, why didnât he release Catastrophe?"
His barrage of questions also left Yeluo somewhat confused. She tilted her head and thought for a while, then shook her head, baffled:
"I donât know either...maybe Naphaya has already investigated our powers thoroughly, and weâve lost our value, or perhaps his investigation failed, and he annihilated us to prevent future troubles... As for anything beyond that, Iâm not really sure..."
"Regarding the Catastrophe you mentioned, why wasnât he released? That, I can guess a bit. Naphaya is extremely cold-hearted and ruthless, and within the Demon Clan, strength reigns supreme. Catastrophe lost to me, displeasing Naphaya, hence he hasnât been rescued."
"I see."
Zhang Xiaoman nodded, inwardly lamenting the Demon Lordâs extravagance, casually discarding a subordinate close to the Middle-Level Transcendent like it was nothingâsomething impossible for his own side.
"I have one last question: since youâve already descended into the path of Rebirth, why were you able to speak to me earlier? The voice calling out to me shouldnât have been yours, right?"
Yeluo pulled a wing over her eyes a bit sheepishly, murmuring:
"Yes...that wasnât me, it was my Holy Judgment Sword Philix. She helped me absorb those Holy Attribute energies as well. Iâm very sorry for using your things without getting your permission... Please rest assured, I will definitely compensate you in the future!"
Thinking about his Holy Spirit Heart, Zhang Xiaoman felt his heart ache.
This item had been painstakingly upgraded to Legendary level; not only was it effective against the Demon Clan, but he also had a skill that required it as casting material, and he had always been reluctant to use it, yet now it was used by Yeluo.
The Star Guardian summoning skill mastered by Zhang Xiaoman had also reached Legendary level, now capable of summoning Holy Light Giant Dragons and additionally able to summon Holy Spirits.
However, summoning a Holy Spirit requires conditions now, and unlike before when he could summon them directly with Dark Spiritual Power, it needs a core casting material, the Holy Spirit Heart.
Originally, Zhang Xiaoman planned to wait until the Holy Spirit Heart leveled up one more time, unlock the shopping permissions, and then conduct the summoning, but plans couldnât keep up with changes, and Yeluoâs sudden intrusion made Zhang Xiaoman lose the precious Holy Spirit Heart, which was deeply distressing.
Seeing the other partyâs wary expression, and the guilty-looking Holy Judgment Sword sneaking behind her, Zhang Xiaoman was both amused and exasperated.
But he couldnât simply suffer such a great loss; since the young lady devoured his Holy Spirit Heart, she had to make up for it in other ways.
In that moment, Zhang Xiaomanâs mind came up with a plan to recruit Holy Angels.
If Naphaya far away in the Original Realm saw his current expression, it would definitely feel familiar. Wasnât this just like when he was coaxed into becoming a Gatekeeper back then?
"Yeluo, what do you plan to do next? Although Iâve taken Catastrophe, I donât think Naphaya wonât notice your appearance. Have you thought about how youâll face him?"
Zhang Xiaoman issued a soul-searching question, momentarily stumping the young lady.
"Indeed, Naphaya is the Dominator of this world; I canât fathom his power. All these years, heâs been watching over me. Even without Catastrophe, could it really be that Naphaya wonât find me? If that were the case, I wouldnât have been detected by him initially..."
In that instant, countless thoughts and coping strategies flashed through Yeluoâs mind, but ultimately, she couldnât find a way to completely avoid Naphaya.
However, her Holy Judgment Sword nudged her lightly twice, then subtly indicated Zhang Xiaoman, making her immediately realize thereâs a big figure by her sideâthis Lord Jixing was indeed a Dominator Level being, and if He was willing to intervene, sheâd definitely be saved!
Suddenly remembering that he mentioned there seemed to be survivors from her clan in the space he opened up, she felt it was imperative to at least see those surviving clansmen!
Considering this, Yeluo finally hesitated before speaking.
"Polar Star... Sovereign... Though it seems a bit greedy... I really have nowhere else to go right now... As long as Iâm in this world... Naphaya will surely find me... Could you possibly..."
Zhang Xiaomanâs inner pride rose seeing this, realizing the girl was pretty smart and quick-witted, yet outwardly he put on a thoughtful and troubled expression, taking a long time under her nervous gaze before reluctantly saying:
"Well then, you and I might call it fate; I can lend you a hand..."
But before Yeluo could be happy, he immediately shifted his tone, saying:
"However, not just anyone can follow me. To ensure your loyalty, I must form a Contract with you. And once youâre in my world, itâll be hard for you to come back. Are you certain you wish to proceed?"
Hearing the Contract proposal, Yeluo hesitated.
While she was happy to have a leg to cling to, she was a Transcendent True God, so what True God would casually assume a lower position to sign a Contract with another?
But considering that the other was an Upper Transcendent Dominator, the pinnacle of existence in this universe, there wasnât much to feel wronged about assuming a lower position to sign a Contract with Him.
Her Holy Judgment Sword kept nudging her insistently several times, and Yeluo gritted her teeth, nodding in agreement.
No choice; after experiencing the process of being sent down the endless path of Rebirth, awakening was already the luck of all lucks, and she didnât dare gamble on a second chance.