Chapter 349: Phoenix

Atlas’s eyes widened as he saw something buried deep within Seraphiel’s soul, visible through her chest. There, within the deepest part of her soul, rested a magnificent bird with its enormous wings folded against its body. Its feathers shimmered with brilliant shades of crimson, gold, and pure white, each carrying a faint radiance that illuminated the surrounding darkness.

Its long tail feathers flowed like streams of sacred flames, while its closed eyes made it appear to be sleeping. Atlas stared at the creature in disbelief before asking, "What is that?" He had never seen anything like it before, and the fact that it was hidden within Seraphiel’s soul made the discovery even more difficult to comprehend.

The man chuckled a little before answering, "That is a Phoenix, a creature that stands above the Galaxy itself. If nurtured properly, its power could literally destroy the entire Galaxy with minimal effort."

Atlas’s eyes widened further at the explanation. One revelation after another, each on a scale he had never imagined, made it increasingly difficult for him to maintain his usual calm demeanor.

He turned his attention toward Seraphiel again, looking at the magnificent creature resting within her soul, when the man continued speaking. "Even I don’t know much about a Phoenix, as they are classified beyond even us. For now, all I can tell you is that her true soul belongs to a Phoenix."

"I even have doubts about how she was born in a world like this, and as a member of the Angelic race at that." The more the man explained, the more Atlas began to understand what he was getting at. If Seraphiel possessed something so extraordinary within her soul, then it was only natural that others would seek to claim it for themselves.

The man looked toward her paused figure before adding, "Her soul is so valuable that any organization would be willing to wage war against others to obtain it."

"The main things they would want from her are either the opportunity to Dual Cultivate with her to obtain the unimaginable amount of Phoenix Energy she possesses, or her soul itself, which they could use to create a pill capable of immediately evolving their own souls." Atlas frowned at the explanation, as he had never heard of either of those things before.

Although he understood the danger of Seraphiel possessing such a valuable soul, he still needed to know what those methods involved.

Without hesitation, he asked, "What’s Dual Cultivation? And... making a pill to evolve their soul?" This time, it was the man who frowned as he wondered whether Atlas was pretending not to know or genuinely lacked that knowledge.

Nevertheless, he decided to explain the matter instead of questioning him further, "In simple terms, Dual Cultivation is a method of increasing one’s cultivation rank through intercourse."

The moment Atlas heard that, his eyes became bloodshot as Killing Intent poured out from his entire being in waves. However, the next moment, the man waved his hand, and the Killing Intent vanished entirely, as though it had never existed in the first place.

"It won’t do anything if you release your Killing Intent right now, you should listen to everything I say first." Atlas stared at the man, realizing that he had made a mistake by allowing his emotions to take control before hearing the full explanation.

After a long moment of silence, the man sighed and began explaining again. "Turning her soul into a pill would require considerable time, even for the greatest Alchemists, but they would covet her nonetheless." Atlas finally nodded at his explanation and instinctively moved toward Seraphiel, his hand brushing her cheek as he looked at her motionless figure.

Even though time had stopped, he could still see her clearly in front of him, and the thought of others targeting her because of what she possessed made him more cautious about her safety.

"Now, the final problem you have is that the Weimbrons won’t be the only ones coming after you. There are several Assassin and Mercenary Organizations across the Galaxy, and each one has a pinnacle being as its head." Atlas immediately understood what the man was getting at.

If any of those organizations learned about Seraphiel’s true nature, they would have a reason to target her, regardless of the consequences that might follow. The danger was no longer limited to the Weimbrons, as powerful organizations across the Galaxy could also become their enemies.

However, wouldn’t the same apply to the Conclave as well? Atlas slowly turned toward the man, the question evident in his eyes. The man noticed his reaction and answered before Atlas could ask, "You might be wondering whether we from the Conclave are the same. To be honest with you, yes, I was tempted to take her with me after killing you."

He paused briefly as Atlas clenched his teeth, then continued, "However, after carefully observing this world, you, and this girl, I figured it would be better to recruit you into our Conclave peacefully."

Atlas frowned at that statement and asked, "Why so?" The man chuckled again before speaking. "It’s because this world, you, and your soon-to-be wife are all special. And that’s not all. There is another boy among the Elves, a Dragon, and another Human who doesn’t seem to know what she possesses inside her, just like this girl."

Atlas could only wonder how this man saw through the separate space those people were sparring inside right now and which Human the man was talking about, as he had no idea who could possess something extraordinary without knowing about it.

"This world is something else, alright. In all my eons of existence, this is the first time I’ve encountered a single world containing so many Anomalies and...it seems even the world itself is a Anomaly. He paused and looked toward the endless blue sky above them.

The number of unusual beings he had discovered on Eliomor had clearly caught his attention, and the existence of so many within a single world was unusual even by his standards. Whatever had caused them to gather here, it was enough to make him approach Atlas personally rather than simply observing from a distance.

"The Conclave has pursued a goal for longer than any civilizations have existed in the Galaxy. We wish to reach that place we call the ’Beyond,’ but despite everything we’ve accomplished, we still lack the power to take that final step." His words carried a different weight from his earlier explanations, revealing that the Conclave’s purpose extended far beyond protecting its members or dealing with threats across the Galaxy.

His gaze returned to Atlas, "That’s why I’m recruiting talents like you. I won’t ask you to accomplish something beyond your capabilities right now. Instead, the Conclave will provide you with the time, resources, and opportunities you need to grow stronger."

"In return, when the time comes, I hope you’ll stand alongside us and help us reach the ’Beyond.’ It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement, one in which both sides have something to gain."

He paused briefly again as he looked toward Seraphiel for a moment and closed his eyes before adding, "Though, personally, I’d prefer if our relationship became something more than a mere agreement."