Chapter 462: I Surrender!

After nearly three whole days... Priam slowly opened his eyes. Above him, he saw a deep blue sky dotted with tranquil clouds.

Turning his head, he spotted Suien, still fast asleep and clinging tightly to his arm.

He sat up, somewhat confused, realizing they were at the bottom of a very wide crater that was completely dry and empty.

As he drew in a deep breath, he sensed only faint traces of elemental energy lingering in the barren ground and the surrounding atmosphere.

Then...

"!"

As he circulated the energy within his body, Priam felt as though every fiber of his very existence had been absurdly restructured. He examined his insides and was shocked: every inch of his flesh, bones, and meridians radiated a terrifying natural energy, attuned to the five elements.

He nearly jumped to his feet before immediately turning toward Suien and focusing his senses on her body...

His little sister was emitting an overwhelming aura of the Water element. Its density was very similar to his own, except that Priam contained the absolute harmony of all five elements combined.

"What is this place...?"

"You finally woke up." The Central Elder’s stern voice echoed from above the crater.

"Don’t waste your time brooding over useless things. Your body has already experienced all the changes and will adapt perfectly soon enough. First things first, you have an audience with the old woman."

Priam took a deep breath and turned his gaze back to Suien.

The girl was sleeping peacefully and lazily, immersed in a deep slumber.

"She won’t wake up just yet. Your bodies have undergone far too great a transformation, and an ordinary person’s life force can’t adapt to something like this overnight. You’re simply far too abnormal for waking up on your own. No disciple could possibly do that. I’ll take her to the special inscription chamber; she’ll be awake within a few hours."

Priam nodded. The next second, a spatial aura emerged and enveloped Suien’s body.

In the blink of an eye, she disappeared.

With his sister safe, Priam looked up and felt the fabric of space around him twist and bend.

When the surroundings finally stabilized, he found himself standing atop a colossal mountain.

There, at the summit, inside a rustic wooden pavilion, an elderly woman sat peacefully.

She exuded an immense and terrifying aura of antiquity, although her life force seemed considerably depleted. Her white hair fell naturally over her shoulders, and her physique was incredibly strong and well-developed.

Behind her stood five gigantic men, each carrying a broad, heavy sword strapped to his back. They all wore sleeveless garments, displaying bulging muscles as rigid as rock.

The Central Elder who had brought Priam moved to join the group, taking her place beside another woman with short golden hair and eyes as sharp as blades.

These were the sect’s seven Central Elders, and at the center sat the person everyone simply referred to as the old woman—the one who led them all.

All eight were Level 8 Exalted Sages. Although they were at the same level, the aura of power and pressure surrounding them was vastly different. The old woman was like an endless ocean, while the other seven were like deep rivers.

Priam had already figured out that, across the universes, the peak power of the greatest sects was Level 8. There were very few Level 9 experts, and they were all revered figures known to everyone.

Meanwhile, back in his Ironweald Sect, the Leader was only Level 6. That showed just how enormous the difference in power and resources was.

Not one of the eight uttered a single word. They simply fixed their eyes on Priam, their gazes falling upon him like sharp swords. It was as if they wanted to pierce his flesh and see straight through his chest into his soul.

Even under the suffocating pressure exerted by those eight experts, Priam maintained his indifferent demeanor.

He couldn’t show any cowardice here. He stared right back at them, stubborn and resolute. Standing alone before this elite group put him at a brutal disadvantage, but he remained unshaken. He figured that simply withstanding their pressure already counted as defending himself pretty damn well in an eight-on-one fight.

"Do you understand the gravity of what you’ve done?" Suddenly, the old woman at the center broke the silence, speaking in a dry tone.

Priam shook his head.

"The Heavenly Pool is the greatest treasure and foundation of my sect. Every year, it accumulates only a tiny fraction of elemental energy refined by the Nature Elemental Spirits. Yet, in a mere three days, you and your sister consumed all of it..."

Hearing that, Priam froze on the inside, utterly shocked.

"How am I supposed to train my disciples in the future? Fortunately, all the inner and core disciples who were supposed to bathe in this batch have already had their chance. In a few months, the Elders and Central Elders were going to use it before we sealed the place for ten years to recharge. Now, our future has been stolen from us."

Priam let out a muffled sigh. However, despite the cold, piercing gazes fixed on him, he kept his composure unchanged, as if he weren’t the least bit shaken.

After a brief moment of reflection, Priam understood exactly where they were trying to take this little act.

Why the hell had they let him and Suien devour all the pool’s energy for three whole days without intervening?

Obviously, everything had been permitted from the very beginning. But nothing in this world came for free.

"Well... since I’ve eaten your food and drunk your drinks, it’s only natural that my sister and I should be loyal to this sect. We have another home, but we’ll never forget this place or the favor you’ve shown us. We’ll repay you in the future." Priam spoke slowly, his voice firm, confident, and articulate.

At that very instant, all eight seriously scrutinized his fluctuations. Their eyes glimmered with a subtle, anomalous energy.

Priam was certain of it: this was a special perception technique the sect used to judge people’s character with surgical precision. Any trace of lies, deceit, or impure intentions would be detected immediately.

That was precisely why they trusted their disciples blindly and always knew when someone broke the sect’s internal rules. It was likely that all the Elders used this same technique in their daily lives.

It took less than a minute for the glow in the eight pairs of eyes to change. Priam knew without a shadow of a doubt that they had approved of his answer and the conviction behind his words.

Noticing the change, Priam suddenly pulled a small, translucent bottle from his spatial ring. He placed it on the ground right in front of him, just a few dozen meters away from the eight experts.

"Since this is our first official meeting, why don’t we have a drink to celebrate?"

One of the Central Elders snorted disdainfully. "Hmph! You think some insignificant... Wait a minute! Is that... the Goddess’s Essence?!"

Priam flashed a sly smile and pulled out seven more bottles. Each one contained a divine concentrate potent enough to send any high-level Sage into a state of ecstasy and drunken stupor.

Everyone’s eyes lit up like stars. To these tough-as-nails figures, that liquid was a miracle from the heavens—something even the greatest fortune in the world couldn’t buy on the open market. On the rare occasions when they managed to get their hands on some, they savored every last drop as if their lives depended on it.

*Gulp*

An audible, embarrassing gulp echoed through the pavilion. Every one of those figures who stood at the pinnacle of the world swallowed hard in perfect, involuntary unison.

"Hmph! You really think you can buy us off with such a measly offering?! You’re underestimating us, boy! We’d need... we’d need at least twenty bottles!" one of the Central Elders blurted out, shamelessly stammering as he tried to maintain his composure, unable to take his eyes off the bottles in front of him.

*BANG!*

The man had barely finished speaking when he was sent flying off the mountain by a brutal kick to the middle of his back. The blow had been delivered by none other than the old woman at the center.

After sending the Central Elder flying, the old woman turned to Priam with a dignified expression.

"Child, you must understand that our Heavenly Elemental Body Sect is a very humble and simple place. Since we’ve allowed you to benefit from our technique and consume our sacred resources, we consider you part of the family. You’re young, so I’ll forgive your mistakes once. But only once, do you hear me? There won’t be a second chance."

Despite her solemn, warning tone, her pupils didn’t even twitch, remaining fixed on the bottles. She was practically drooling, clearly fighting the temptation to fly over to them and down everything in one go.

Priam smiled inwardly. Dandara’s creation was undoubtedly the best trump card he could have brought with him.

"Enough, old woman! The boy has already acknowledged his mistakes, so why keep rubbing it in?" A Central Elder stepped forward with a pompous throat-clearing, extending his hand toward Priam. "Boy, come here. Those bottles look far too heavy for you to carry... Let me put them on the table for you."

*SLAP!*

The man’s hand had barely moved ten centimeters when the old woman knocked him out with a thunderous slap across the face. Furious, she roared, "You shameless bastard!"

The Central Elder rose from the shattered floor, brushing off the dust as he protested indignantly. "How am I shameless?! Can I really refuse a gift when a child of the younger generation is showing me such pure filial respect?!"

"Since when the hell did this become filial respect to you, you bastard?! I’ve been the one taking care of him from the very beginning! I’m the one who worked my ass off for him and his little sister, so I’m getting three bottles!" The Central Elder, who had accompanied Priam roared, dodging around the others and sprinting straight toward the bottles.

At that very millisecond, the other six lost their minds and swarmed her to stop her from looting the stash.

"YOU SONS OF BITCHES!"

**BANG!**

The old woman roared and grabbed a black staff that had been leaning beside her, swinging it through the air and hitting all seven of them at once! The Central Elders went flying like rogue meteors.

"Hmph! I’m the Leader of this whole damn place! I’m keeping five! You can fight to the death over the rest!" she bellowed, turning her back on them.

Priam remained standing in the same spot, completely dumbfounded.

These people really loved finding excuses to beat the shit out of each other.

Letting out a muffled sigh, Priam smiled faintly. "Sect Leader..."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Just call me Old Arla. I don’t like fancy titles. That way, I can beat the crap out of everyone without them whining that the Leader is bullying them."

Priam quickly nodded, not daring to disagree. "This junior didn’t have the opportunity to bring any grand offerings on this trip... But I brought this jar especially for you, Elder."

Priam pulled a jar from his spatial ring, several times larger than the bottles he’d brought out earlier.

"My Ironweald Sect recently got lucky and discovered a much more efficient method of extracting the Goddess’s Essence. On top of that, we managed to isolate an even more concentrated and potent essence."

"WHAT?!" The old woman’s expression changed dramatically.

Priam smiled and pulled the jar’s sealing stopper free. In the very next second... a dense, intoxicating, and overwhelming aroma flooded the area.

The eyes of every Central Elder—and Old Arla herself—nearly popped out of their sockets as they stared at the jar with animalistic hunger.

When Dandara had managed to extract the essence, after Priam collected a large quantity of it, she’d discovered that the purest and most concentrated fraction that had accumulated was five times more potent than the ordinary kind. This single jar contained the entirety of that special harvest.

Once she’d recovered from her initial shock, the old woman’s hand moved like lightning, snatching the jar from Priam’s hands before anyone else could even blink.

She took one last deep sniff with her face pressed against the opening, then immediately sealed the lid. "Good boy, good boy."

"Hehe... Old Arla, what the hell do you think you’re doing?! Why did you seal the jar? You’re going to let us have a little taste, aren’t you?"

Seeing Old Arla hug the jar without the slightest intention of sharing even a single drop, the other seven fell into complete panic.

"This is a direct tribute from my disciple Priam as part of his filial duties! What the hell does that have to do with you?! Giving this to you to drink would be an unforgivable waste of a divine treasure!" Old Arla shook her head vehemently, refusing to let go of the jar.

"Fuck it! Attack!"

One of the Elders roared, his eyes bloodshot. Priam was left speechless as he watched all seven simultaneously charge at Old Arla, trying to forcibly seize the jar in an endless frenzy of violence.

"Hmph! A bunch of brats think they can start a rebellion?! Just because I’ve let you call me ’old woman’ for so long, do you really think I’m some harmless old lady?! GET THE HELL AWAY!"

Old Arla let out a thunderous roar, and a terrifying storm of lightning exploded from her body. The shockwave engulfed all seven instantly, hurling them backward as they spat blood into the air.

’What the fuck is this madness?!’

Priam cursed inwardly and instinctively activated every single one of his defenses.

*BOOOOM!*

Despite his quick reaction, Priam was caught by the outer edge of the shockwave and hurled into the distance, violently crashing into the side of a distant mountain.

The rocky structure crumbled into pieces upon impact. When he crawled out of the wreckage, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his jaw practically hit the floor.

These bastards are all fucking insane! Priam was at a loss for words as he hurriedly fled toward the peak of an even more distant hill.

*BOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM!*

Deafening explosions echoed in the distance.

However, it all lasted barely a few seconds. Just when Priam least expected it, the dust settled, and the brawl had already come to an end.

The seven Central Elders lay sprawled across the ground, groaning in pain and covered in black bruises. The marks left by the blows on their bodies were as dark as the wood of the old woman’s staff.

Looking at the pitiful state of the masters, Priam came to the obvious conclusion: provoking that old woman when she flew into a rage came at a very steep price.

"Are you surrendering or not?!" the old woman shouted curtly.

"I surrender!"

Priam jumped to his feet atop the hill and hurriedly declared his surrender out loud. That woman’s temper was far too dangerous to risk testing.

Old Arla shot him an irritated, murderous glare. "I wasn’t talking to you, you little brat. I was asking those seven ill-mannered bastards."