Chapter 359: Emergency Meeting

Priam watched as the army of Elders hurriedly entered, all of them wielding their weapons and wearing fierce expressions. However, the moment they crossed the entrance and found the place completely deserted, they were stunned.

Mishnar rushed toward Priam, landing heavily in front of him.

Before she could even ask anything, Priam casually spoke:

"I’ve already taken care of everything. That corpse wasn’t just for show and had abilities of its own. Besides, all the Sorcerers in here were either weak or old, with one foot in the grave. That’s why I was able to sweep the place without risking anyone’s life."

Mishnar heard his explanation and swallowed hard, staring at him intently.

Indeed, everyone had been prepared for a brutal battle until the sect’s reinforcements arrived. It was expected that many would die to prevent any enemy from escaping. But that young Sage...

"!"

Mishnar’s eyes widened when she finally noticed Priam’s aura.

Previously, after surviving that Celestial Punishment, he had been devastated and completely drained of energy, preventing the others from noticing his advancement to Level 9. Now, however, he had already recovered a fraction of his strength.

He had barely broken through into the Sage realm... Mishnar wore a genuinely frightened expression at the sight of such a shocking and rapid evolution.

A moment later, she let out a long sigh.

This is an Inborn Celestial.

Although they didn’t possess the overwhelming abilities that Acquired Celestials had from the very beginning, all Inborn Celestials possessed unparalleled talent and growth potential.

Priam gave a faint smile and walked slowly toward the exit.

Outside, he found Dandara and Mirra staring at him with bright eyes. A wave of relief and warmth spread through his chest.

He had just gone through some extremely intense moments, but being able to return and be near the two of them brought him an indescribable sense of satisfaction and peace.

...

The Elders thoroughly searched every inch of that Secret World for several minutes.

Until, suddenly, the planet’s skies became extremely turbulent.

Hundreds of Flying Warships emerged almost simultaneously across the firmament. The intriguing detail was that there were two distinct models.

One group was very similar to the ships Priam’s army had received. The other, however, had a completely different design and aura.

All the ships landed on solid ground, unleashing gigantic sandstorms.

The very next second, thousands of figures of the highest level emerged from their decks.

The temperature of the entire planet plummeted drastically. The aura of power emanating from those experts was so overwhelming that every element and energy in the surroundings was immediately suppressed.

Mishnar quickly left the Secret World and turned her gaze toward the newcomers. At first, her eyebrows furrowed fiercely.

Suddenly, one of the newcomers took a single step through the air and appeared right in front of Mishnar.

"What happened here?"

Priam immediately recognized him: he was the Elder Central, the one responsible for commanding the entire external war against the Sorcerers.

Mishnar snorted, drew her sword, and pointed it furiously toward the other distant group of experts.

"Those bastards from the Heavenly River Valley Sect are traitors! They were harboring the Sorcerers on this planet! Look at the place behind me: every enemy has been killed, and the corruption has been completely removed. But the evidence is as clear as day!"

"WHAT?!"

The Elder Central was completely stunned.

At that same moment, the members of the Heavenly River Valley Sect—which Priam could now clearly identify—were equally shocked. Not all of them were absolutely certain about the betrayal, although all of them harbored suspicions.

The Elder Central turned toward the entrance and expanded his perception into the realm for two seconds. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and a murderous, bloodthirsty intent overflowed from his body.

He turned toward the contingent from the Heavenly River Valley Sect.

"Get the hell out of here immediately. I don’t want to slaughter all of you in a fit of rage..." he declared in a cold, harsh voice. "I’m going to seal this planet and report what happened to my entire sect. The entire Heavenly River Valley Sect will have to answer to the entire universe for its actions!"

Hearing those words, the renowned and powerful figures of the Heavenly River Valley Sect felt a chill run down their spines.

They had rushed there after the alarm signaling the massive deaths of their members was activated, originating from the planet—a signal that had only sounded after the Celestial Punishment ended. Because of the urgency, they had sent only a group of available Elders to investigate the situation.

If the Central Elder of the Ironweald Sect decided to attack them there, they would all be fucked, as they were considerably weaker.

Without wasting any time, the leaders of the group exchanged quick glances before retreating to their Flying Warships and disappearing over the horizon.

No one there was young or foolish; they knew the sect was about to face a devastating diplomatic storm, and any recklessness at that moment would only make the situation worse. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

After everyone had left, Mishnar gave the Central Elder a quick oral report. She bluntly informed him that everything had been discovered by Priam, and that he had personally eliminated every enemy inside and purified every trace of corruption.

Upon hearing that, the Central Elder’s expression changed drastically. He turned toward Priam, staring at him with extreme seriousness.

Priam simply nodded in silence, making no attempt to deny or hide anything.

After letting out a deep sigh, the Central Elder gave his orders in a solemn tone:

"I can’t decide or do anything about an event of this magnitude on my own. All of you, immediately block the entrance to this planet! Don’t allow anyone access, no matter who they are. I’ll return to the central sect for an emergency meeting."

Mishnar and the other Elders promptly nodded.

"As for you," the Central Elder turned toward Priam, "come with me. You’ll have to explain every detail to the sect. This matter is far too serious."

Priam snorted softly but nodded. He had already expected this.

He then handed little Mirra over to Dandara. The Central Elder stepped forward and pulled a golden Teleportation Talisman from inside his robes. The moment the artifact appeared, all the air around them began vibrating violently.

It was an extremely high-level treasure of immeasurable value. However, given the gravity of the situation, the man didn’t hesitate to use it.

He crushed the talisman in his hand, and the space around Priam instantly distorted.

...

After several seconds immersed in the deepest darkness, Priam’s vision gradually returned, becoming clear and sharp once again.

He found himself standing at the center of a truly colossal and magnificent hall, bathed in mystical illumination.

The scale of the place was so monumental that the ceiling disappeared into the heights, hidden among luminous mists. The ground beneath his feet gleamed with a translucent celestial-blue hue, as if they were walking across an ocean of frozen stars. In the distance, towering walls of pure crystal rose toward the heavens, meticulously carved and interwoven with golden details, along with imposing sculptures of warriors and ancient entities that seemed to watch over the hall with a living presence.

The air in the surroundings was saturated with a suffocating energy, so dense that it made his skin tingle with every breath.

In front of him, Priam saw an immense, elevated half-moon-shaped platform, strategically divided into two levels of height.

The instant they appeared, the Central Elder moved without delay, taking his position at the edge of the lower platform.

*Buzz!*

The space around them hummed violently, and intense beams of light burst from the void.

In the blink of an eye, another 15 figures appeared in a coordinated manner, perfectly lining up along the same lower half-moon platform.

Priam took a deep breath, feeling the weight of 16 pairs of eyes fixed firmly upon him. These were the 16 Central Elders of the Ironweald Sect.

Among them were three familiar faces.

The first was the Central Elder who had welcomed him when he first arrived at the sect, the one to whom he had handed his wooden staff—which was the sect’s ultimate treasure. (Chapter 136)

The second was the Central Elder, a scholar of the thousand races blessed by the Sovereign Goddess, who had come to examine Mirra’s condition in the past. (Chapter 233)

The third was the only one whose name Priam knew: the blacksmith Maut, the man who had created his sisters’ earrings and had promised to identify the uses of the other two rare metals.

*BUZZ!*

An overwhelming hum echoed throughout the hall, causing all 16 Central Elders to solemnly turn toward the upper platform. In perfect sync, they all bowed deeply.

"Greetings, Sect Leader!"

Two figures emerged from the light on the highest platform.

The first was a woman with long red hair tied into an elegant ponytail, wearing a striking blood-red robe. She had a slender physique and eye-catching features, accompanied by a beautiful face with a gentle expression. Upon appearing, she took a few steps to the side and bowed slightly.

At the center, a tall and imposing man appeared.

His hair, eyes, and skin all bore a unique olive-green hue. The upper half of his torso was bare, completely covered in runic patterns that pulsed at a rapid rhythm, culminating across his chest and left arm, which burned with the glow of living flames.

With piercing green eyes and an austere expression, he emanated such an imposing aura that Priam completely froze in place.

That was the Sect Leader of the Ironweald Sect.

As soon as he took his position, the man let out a faint sigh and turned his gaze toward the Central Elder who had called the meeting.

"Explain yourself. Why did you call an emergency meeting of the highest level?"

The Central Elder hurriedly nodded and turned toward Priam.

"Something truly serious has happened..."