Chapter 443: Immense Gratitude

The incredible commotion that had engulfed the Inner Sect lasted only a few seconds. Then, almost instinctively, Dandara simply wished for everything to stabilize. At that very moment, the disturbance ceased, and everything returned to normal.

Going back a little in time, during their journey back to the sect, Priam had asked Dandara about all the records concerning the treasures left behind by the Sovereign Goddess in the sect.

Dandara, who had already studied absolutely everything out of sheer curiosity, listed several dozen items.

The sect had managed to find some use for practically all of them. However, the most important one of all—the World Tree Dagger—had never found anyone capable of even removing it from its container. The Sect Leader could only manipulate the aura seeping out of the box on a superficial level to accomplish specific feats.

In short, that dagger functioned as the master key to the sect’s entire central inscription. Moreover, since it had been forged from the wood of the World Tree—the ancestral tree of all the natural races in that world—it possessed the ability to draw out the ultimate potential of the sect’s central treasures.

These treasures were the 16 weapons imbued with the core of the Essence-Root Tree.

Every Central Elder of the sect wielded one of these treasures. It was this very power that had allowed the sect to be renamed and rebuilt after the Goddess’s fall, transforming it into an impregnable fortress that had endured to this day.

Even without full control over the dagger, the sect had already established itself as a colossal power.

Even if the largest sect in the Northern Region mobilized all its forces to eradicate the Ironweald Sect, as long as the latter focused exclusively on defense using the central inscription and the 16 cores, not even tens of millions of years of continuous assaults would be enough to break through its barriers. Their defensive power was truly absurd.

However, the offensive aspect was still missing, and it could only be fully awakened with the help of the World Tree Dagger.

After learning all this during the journey, Priam glanced at Dandara with a faint, knowing smile. Only then did the realization finally hit her.

It was her dagger, and all of that belonged to her.

Even if she couldn’t directly remember how to wield it, if there was anyone in the universe capable of controlling it, that person was her.

Priam held an unshakable conviction on this point. Just as her past self had done with the Sacred Yin technique, the Dandara of the past had prepared the dagger so that her future self could reclaim it. Therefore, the process should be simple.

Back to the present.

Indeed, things had unfolded exactly as Priam had predicted.

All it took was for Dandara to lay eyes on the dagger’s box for her to instantly connect with her old weapon, taking control of it with masterful ease.

Of course, the Goddess’s rune that Dandara had received in that other world had been the crucial factor.

Priam turned his gaze toward the Sect Leader and the Central Elders, only to find their faces completely pale and their eyes wide with shock.

"It seems this Treasure has chosen a new owner, doesn’t it?" he remarked with a calm, amused smile.

It took several seconds for those figures to regain even a semblance of their senses.

"H-how the hell..."

The Sect Leader stammered, but quickly swallowed hard and took a deep breath, struggling to recover his dignified tone. He fixed his gaze on Dandara as she wielded the dagger, hurriedly calculating how to proceed.

At that exact moment, a figure hurriedly appeared on the scene. It was the Grand Elder, who had rushed over at full speed after sensing the immense disturbance.

Upon seeing Dandara holding the relic, she froze in place.

Priam let out a soft snort and spoke in a solemn tone. "Why such an exaggerated reaction? Dandara is a member of the sect, extremely loyal and capable. The fact that she’s achieved something no one else ever has should be cause for celebration."

Everyone swallowed hard, snapping out of their stupor.

"Yes..." the Grand Elder agreed solemnly. "If she’s able to fully control this dagger in the future... the entire sect’s standing will change drastically."

"Excellent. Since she needs to ’learn’ how to control the dagger, she should keep possession of the weapon for study. I guarantee that, before long, the sect will reap invaluable rewards," Priam declared slowly. He then turned toward the Flying Ship behind him.

"Now that we’ve settled this matter... please verify the bloodline of the three races I’ve brought back to the sect."

Priam’s gaze settled on Central Elder Nafal, who nearly jumped at the mention of his name.

He quickly made his way toward the Flying Ship and almost stumbled backward in shock.

A simple aura analysis, followed by a request for one of them to perform their race’s Ancestral Art, was enough to dispel any doubts.

The three races, widely known for having been among the Sovereign Goddess’s most powerful allies in the past, had indeed returned.

With their arrival, the sect now sheltered three other bloodlines as well. In a single generation, six races of devastating power had returned to their true home!

Although the benefits of this integration might not come to fruition immediately, in the next generation, with these races being nurtured within the sect, terrifyingly powerful figures would emerge from their ranks.

The news was overwhelming in its own right. However, it was completely overshadowed by Dandara’s unbelievable feat of mastering the World Tree Dagger.

After all the facts had been confirmed, the Sect Leader immediately called an emergency meeting of the sect’s highest-ranking members, requesting the presence of both Priam and Dandara.

...

In the immense meeting hall, Priam calmly explained that he had spent those years traveling extensively throughout the Mortal Plane, investigating and searching for clues about the whereabouts of the ancestral races.

He stated that he had already had some suspicions beforehand, but that ’fate’ had taken care of putting the bloodlines directly in his path.

He didn’t mind offering such a generic explanation. After all, those high-ranking figures had no authority to pressure him into providing further details.

Besides, what other method could someone have used to locate races lost in the vastness of the universe, other than sheer, extraordinary luck?

It was at that moment that the Sect Leader shared a dark Chapter from the sect’s recent past with Priam.

Millions of years ago, the sect had tirelessly searched for these races throughout the Mortal Plane—and even in the neighboring humanoid universe. However, in the current generation, those searches had been abruptly halted due to a devastating disaster.

Going back several years in time. After millions of years of searching and uncertainty, the sect had finally obtained compelling evidence that the most powerful race once associated with the Sovereign Goddess—the one that had formerly been among the Sacred Families and wielded dominion over Miasma—had survived in the Mortal Plane.

Unfortunately... they discovered far too late that it had all been an elaborate trap meticulously orchestrated by the Sorcerers.

The information had arrived quietly through various seemingly reliable sources, accompanied by ’irrefutable proof’ of the race’s whereabouts.

According to the evidence, that race had been cornered in the Mortal Plane by the Sorcerers long ago, enslaved and exploited as a resource by them.

The Sect Leader at the time had devised an audacious plan to rescue them.

However, there was a troublesome limitation: they couldn’t send Sages or other high-level powerhouses to planets in the Mortal Plane. Doing so would cause a colossal problem.

Because of this, the son of Central Elder Vander—a Level 9 Mage Master with astonishing talent—was dispatched alongside his faction to lead the secret mission.

Since the Sorcerers in the Mortal Plane maintained connections with those in the Divine Plane, the local enemy forces were both numerous and dangerous.

To ensure the rescue’s success, the sect entrusted the young leader with one of the 16 hearts of the Essence-Root Tree. With the artifact’s overwhelming power, he would be able to storm the enemy fortress, free the race, and bring them back safely.

There should have been no room for failure...

The outcome, however, was tragic.

The Sorcerers had prepared for every possible scenario, and the entire faction was slaughtered. The young commander managed to escape by a genuine miracle. Gravely wounded, he took refuge in another universe.

Knowing he wouldn’t survive the journey back home, he entrusted the tree’s heart to the Pristine Wild-Spirits he happened to encounter.

It was precisely this chain of events that eventually led Priam to the Ironweald Sect. (Chapter 136)

Priam listened silently to every detail, finally understanding the complete story. After that catastrophic disaster—in which the sect believed for ages that it had lost one of its 16 supreme treasures—the expeditions to search for the lost races were permanently forbidden.

After all, the Sorcerers could always set up something similar in the future.

However, Priam had not only returned with the treasure lost in the past, but had also brought back three other living ancestral races.

For this reason, the Sect Leader and the entire upper echelon—who feared carrying the stigma of sinners into eternity for losing a legacy left behind by the Sovereign Goddess—felt immense gratitude toward him.

This achievement, combined with everything Priam had already done for the sect, guaranteed that any request made by him or his allies would be promptly granted.

A formal vote was then held.

Since the World Tree Dagger was a treasure of incomparably greater importance than even the 16 cores, the councilors had to officially deliberate on its custody, despite Dandara being the only person in the sect’s entire history capable of awakening it.

However, with 100% of the votes in favor, it was determined that Dandara, as Priam’s wife—with him personally guaranteeing her loyalty—was entirely trustworthy and qualified to retain possession of the dagger.

With all outstanding matters settled, Priam casually asked the Grand Elder for updates.

"Only one group from your faction hasn’t returned from the latest mission yet. It’s been two years, but they could show up at any moment. Everyone else has gathered and is waiting at your residence," she informed him calmly, before her expression brightened slightly.

The reason for her delight was obvious: her niece, Nise, who had joined Priam’s faction, had returned victorious from yet another successful mission.

A simple aura scan had been enough for the Grand Elder to notice that the young woman had transformed into a formidable figure. Nise had progressed by leaps and bounds, exuding an imposing presence.

"How’s the Inner Sect entrance exam going?" Priam asked without further ado.

The Grand Elder nodded. "It began eight days ago and consists almost exclusively of members from the 11th branch. Fewer than ten new Sages have emerged from the other branches since the last exam."

Priam nodded. Under normal circumstances, the vast majority of candidates failed the exam and had to wait another ten years for a second attempt. Since Priam had managed to get practically the entire previous batch accepted all at once, very few new talents had emerged from the conventional ranks—with the exception of the two factions led by the twins, which he had directly helped develop.

"The entrance exam is being held on a planet under Sorcerer control, consisting of a straightforward territorial reconquest mission. There’s no way to predict exactly how long it’ll take, but all candidates who remain alive after eliminating the enemies and reclaiming the planet will be declared successful."

Priam let out a sigh of relief. This test format was perfect for the twins and their respective factions, especially after enduring the hellish training imposed by Dandara and assimilating the knowledge of the classes he’d given them.