Chapter 444: Battlefield

Priam and Dandara returned to the faction’s headquarters and noticed that all the members had secluded themselves in their respective rooms, immersed in deep meditation. Everyone felt they were just one step away from reaching the state of Nirvana and finally breaking through to the next Rank.

As soon as they arrived, Dandara did the same without hesitation. She was certain she could advance and needed to spend some time in absolute seclusion.

...

Seven days passed in complete silence.

Then Priam finally received a notification and left his quarters, heading toward the reception portal for disciples newly admitted to the sect.

As he approached the entrance, he found the entire area completely deserted.

It was the day the new Inner Sect disciples were supposed to arrive. The perimeter should have been packed with veteran disciples trying to recruit the newcomers. Yet, there wasn’t a single soul in sight.

Looks like those bastards have finally figured out my secret, and their families have started making their moves, Priam snorted softly, immediately understanding the situation.

It was obvious that everyone had discovered that Priam’s sisters and their respective factions were the newcomers this time. None of the few Sages from the other branches had passed the test.

Consequently, the two factions that wanted his head must have been working behind the scenes. Knowing this, the other factions had chosen to stay out of it and hadn’t even bothered to show up.

Slowly, the massive gates opened. On the other side, Priam spotted the three thousand newly approved Sages.

Near the gate, a young disciple in charge of reception simply let them through without daring to cause any trouble. After the crushing lesson Priam had taught them in the past, the veterans thought twice before picking a fight with newcomers—especially when they knew exactly who these new arrivals were.

"BRO!!" Meien and Suien shouted excitedly, their perfect synchronization as twins on full display.

Priam calmly walked toward them, but soon felt the double impact against his chest and stopped. The two sisters hugged him with all their strength.

"It’s been a few years since we last saw each other. Dad and Mom miss you two terribly," he said, taking a deep breath as he affectionately stroked both their hair.

A few seconds later, Priam turned his gaze toward an Elder standing some distance away. The man hurried over to complete the formal registration.

Without delay, all three thousand members were officially added to Priam’s faction.

***

The initial seven days of rest granted to the newcomers passed quickly. The twins and Priam spent those days with their family.

Afterward, those who wanted to bring their family members into the Inner Sect’s territory did so.

On the eighth day, Priam gathered all three thousand members in the faction’s courtyard.

He glanced at the twins, who were staring at him with eager anticipation, then turned toward the crowd.

"We’re all going out to gather resources. Our destination is the Corrupted Battlefield."

Everyone clenched their fists firmly and nodded in unison.

"Inner Sect disciples cannot afford to remain idle. As for you all, you are still far too weak to undertake missions at the Inner Sect level. Disciples at your stage usually focus on minor tasks or faction disputes. But... we won’t waste time on trifles; I am taking you to one of the battlefields against the Sorcerers, where you can earn points. You have all undergone rigorous training, so now is the time to show me you can fight and secure resources with your own hands."

"YES!"

A unanimous, vigorous shout echoed throughout the courtyard.

Priam nodded slightly. Obviously, they didn’t actually need to worry about obtaining resources. But for now, they didn’t need to know that.

Priam had his own plans for this expedition.

The twins looked at Priam seriously, sensing that he was hiding something.

After the announcement, everyone was ordered to return to their quarters and get a good night’s sleep.

Unfortunately, the sisters were far too excited to fall asleep. This would be the first time they’d fight alongside Priam in a real battle, and they had to prove to him that their factions were capable of keeping up with him.

The following morning, the group assembled and marched toward one of the sect’s high-level spatial transportation inscriptions.

Upon arrival, an Elder registered their requested destination.

The Corrupted Battlefield was located in a galaxy outside the Inner Sect’s territory. It was one of the most chaotic galaxies in the southern region, where the sect and the Sorcerers waged an endless war over every planet and territory.

Thousands of strategic planets were scattered throughout the galaxy, their ownership constantly changing hands. Countless Sorcerers and Corrupted Beasts inhabited these planets, having grown powerful enough to kill even a Sage Philosopher, and lay in wait for any invaders.

This was the most direct, efficient, and dangerous way for Inner Sect disciples to earn resources and prestige within the sect.

Priam made sure to have the Elder register their destination. Once the procedure was complete, the official handed each newcomer a special emblem that had to be kept outside their spatial rings at all times.

Whenever they killed an enemy, the emblem would identify the target’s power level and automatically tally the corresponding points.

Finally, the Elder took out a crystal tablet and handed it to Priam.

"This is the map of the highest-level planet you requested. Every terrain, difficulty level, type of enemy that appears there, and other potential hazards are described here. This tablet can also serve as a rescue talisman. If you encounter mortal danger, simply destroy it, and the sect’s Elders will come to your rescue immediately. However, activating it will reset your entire kill count, so I’d suggest starting at the safest entrance to the battlefield."

With all the preparations complete, Priam and the three thousand newcomers used the teleportation formation.

Within minutes, the space around them stabilized, revealing an arid, sun-drenched planet.

All the newcomers stiffened their postures, gripping their weapons tightly.

Fierce, deafening roars echoed from every direction. The planet was completely infested with abominations, and bloody battles were raging everywhere.

Although those newcomers had recently passed the entrance exam—which required them to purge a planet of Corrupted Beasts—the enemies in that test had been, at most, on par with their own level of power.

For ordinary Sages, it would have posed a considerable risk. But for them, having undergone Dandara’s hellish training, it had been little more than a leisurely stroll with no serious threats.

Now, however... everyone froze, feeling a deadly aura envelop them like a freezing cloak.

In this place, the overwhelming majority of enemies were several power levels above them.

Not even during their mission in another world, where they’d spent years fighting, had they ever experienced such an intense sense of imminent danger.

As for Priam, standing at the very front of the group, he remained utterly indifferent to the pressure surrounding them. His unshakable calm ended up injecting a renewed sense of confidence into the ranks of the newcomers.

*BUZZZZ*

Suddenly, space trembled. A moment later, a gigantic Corrupted Beast emerged from behind a mountain.

It was a colossal eagle-shaped creature with a wingspan of thousands of meters. It appeared out of nowhere, diving toward the group at a terrifying speed.

The twins turned pale with shock, while the other disciples didn’t even dare to move. That was an abomination capable of easily massacring a Sage Philosopher at the peak of the Rank!

And yet... Priam merely smiled, pleased with their luck, and took a step forward.

"!"

The next instant, he simply vanished from everyone’s field of vision.

When the newcomers looked up at the sky, they spotted Priam standing directly on top of the Beast’s head.

*BOOOOM!*

The colossal eagle plunged violently toward the ground, shattering the earth beneath it.

However, not a single drop of blood was spilled.

As the dust settled, the Beast remained prostrate on the ground, completely motionless, as though kneeling in submission.

"What...?"

Everyone froze, unable to process the scene before their eyes.

Priam turned toward the group and gave them a slight wave.

"Climb on."

It took the newcomers several seconds to finally react.

Priam had simply taken control of the corruption within the creature’s core and imprinted a mind-control rune upon it. It was a straightforward, simple process that he could now perform without the slightest effort.

To Priam, any resource or manipulation originating from the Sorcerers posed absolutely no threat.

He kept the creature motionless while everyone climbed onto its back. It was like scaling a steep hillside. The newcomers shuddered as they climbed; looking directly into the monster’s corrupted red eyes, each one as large as an entire house, was enough to make anyone’s mind tremble.

As soon as the last newcomer had settled in, the Beast rose and flapped its wings, taking flight and carrying everyone into the sky.

Priam intended to use the creature as a mount to reach the planet’s deepest and most dangerous regions, avoiding the waste of time that would come from fighting minor enemies along the way.

They traveled through the skies for nearly an hour before finally landing in a gloomy valley.

As soon as everyone dismounted, Priam simply purified and removed all the corruption from the Beast’s core. In the same instant, the eagle peacefully closed its eyes and stopped breathing.

He let out a soft sigh. Unfortunately, once its essence had been tainted, there was no way to save the creature. Letting it go would mean handing it back to the Sorcerers’ control, inevitably condemning it to a painful death within a few years anyway. Passing away peacefully was the best possible outcome.

Priam took a deep breath and pulled out the crystal tablet containing the map. Its runes unfolded in the air, projecting a holographic image for everyone to see.

"We’ll begin our expedition right up ahead."

Everyone fixed their eyes on the marked area, their mouths falling open.

The label read: Abyssal Stone Valley.

Three blood-red stars marked the designated location, directly indicating its danger level.

Most sectors of the battlefield had clear classifications. For someone visiting the place for the first time, the obvious choice would be a zone without any stars.

Areas without stars indicated the exclusive presence of enemies whose combat strength was equivalent to that of Enlightened Rank Sages in their later stages. That alone already posed a considerable risk to newcomers.

A two-star danger zone shouldn’t even have been considered.

Yet Priam had gone straight for a three-star territory. In other words, this was a sector where every enemy possessed overwhelming strength, and fatal casualties could occur in the blink of an eye.

Even Inner Sect disciples at Philosopher Rank wouldn’t enter that place lightly, let alone newcomers like them at Enlightened Rank.

But... although the recruits were stunned, the twins didn’t hesitate for even a second. If Priam said they were going to fight there, then fight there they would.

After organizing their formations and squads, the group advanced.

A few meters farther ahead, they reached a rocky ravine. Deeper into the valley, they could see thousands of Corrupted Beasts roaming in the distance.

They were creatures resembling gigantic primates, but completely devoid of fur. A thick, metallic smell of blood emanated from them as well.

And that wasn’t all. Countless other packs and corrupted races were scattered across a vast stretch of the region. If they took too long to eliminate their targets during a fight, other groups would be drawn to the commotion, and the resulting encirclement would be fatal.

Everyone swallowed hard, tense. They not only had to fight enemies far more powerful than themselves, but they also had a time limit to finish the job—or they’d be dead.

Then...

"All right. Time to fight and rack up some points," Priam announced with a faint, knowing smile.

With a simple snap of his fingers, a beam of light shot out and exploded just ahead of them.

*BOOOOOM!*

An ear-splitting, incredibly conspicuous boom echoed through the area.

Every Corrupted Beast in the region was instantly drawn to the disturbance, charging frantically toward the group.

At that very moment... even the twins felt a shiver of terror run down their spines.