In the Sky Temple.

Even a single stone brick in the corner of this ancient temple could trace its origins to the beginning of the Epic Era, that mythical time when the Crown of Wisdom had not yet been lost.

It’s possible that the second-generation King of Wisdom, Yesael, once walked on these very stones.

Standing at the edge of the sea of clouds, he might have gazed upon the same scenery you see now.

However, the Silver Moon Ritual Workshop located on the lower level of the main hall didn’t have such a sense of antiquity. Built just a few decades ago, its luxurious and grand style seemed somewhat out of place with the thick, ancient atmosphere of the Sky Temple.

Yet, it also showcased the characteristics of this prosperous era, marked by the explosion of ritual power.

Today, all the priests of the Sky Temple gathered here.

The second-rank Spirit Realm priests of the Sky Temple formed a circle, poised and ready.

On the square and stairs outside, a crowd waited with bated breath.

They were all there to witness the birth of a new fourth-rank God’s Grace Priest.

The controller of the Sky Temple, God-Servant Priest Anhofus, walked to the designated position. One of the priests announced loudly,

“Begin.”

More than a dozen Spirit Realm priests simultaneously activated their wisdom ability. Mental power rotated along the patterns on the ground, forming a mental barrier that enveloped the Silver Moon Workshop. Intense mental pressure was applied to God-Servant Priest Anhofus.

The young priest, wearing the Sky Temple robe imprinted with symbols of nine divine technique imprints, began to float. His body became slightly transparent.

His head started to emit a fluorescent glow, and a seal spirit over ten meters tall appeared behind him.

It was a strange and eerie seal spirit composed of white bones.

“Heh heh~”

The moment it appeared, this strange and eerie seal spirit even let out a dry, chilling sound.

Under the strong pressure of mental power, the skeletal body shattered with a boom, turning into dust and merging into the mental power storm.

A phantom spirit was gradually compressed and forced into Anhofus’s mind, and the power of the seal spirit began to combine with the mythical blood.

The God’s Grace Stone appeared.

Originally just weak sand and gravel, the moment it formed, the God’s Grace Stone instantly drained all the mythical blood from Anhofus’s body. It began to replicate and expand itself by devouring the mythical blood.

Then, the God’s Grace Stone began the process of deifying Anhofus’s body. His entire brain started to undergo a profound mutation.

The crystallization of the God’s Grace Stone spread rapidly, transforming a portion of his brain into a crystalline structure. His mortal body underwent a qualitative transformation.

At this point, there was no longer a need to maintain the mental pressure.

Uncontrollable power erupted from Anhofus’s body, directly pushing out the dozen or so Spirit Realm priests maintaining the mental pressure.

The power slowly gathered and constrained itself, and the God-Servant Priest descended gradually from the air.

The robe that had been puffed up by mental power also slowly fell, but that power and majesty surpassing ordinary life pressed down on everyone present.

Others looked at Anhofus in awe.

“Fourth-rank ability.”

“It succeeded.”

“Another God’s Grace has been born.”

The God-Servant Priest opened his eyes. One by one, huge and terrifyingly shaped bone puppets crawled up from beneath the ground, kneeling and bowing to him.

Others also bowed together: “Congratulations, Lord God-Servant Priest.”

The doors of the Silver Moon Ritual Workshop opened, officially declaring that Anhofus had become a fourth-rank God’s Grace Priest.

Others crowded around him, congratulating Anhofus.

Their gaze towards Anhofus had changed; they unconsciously lowered their heads slightly.

“The third God’s Grace Priest.” The priests from various families had complex expressions in their eyes. If their previous gaze at the position of God-Servant Priest was one of potential replacement, then the power of a fourth-rank God’s Grace Priest was now beyond their reach.

Even envy and jealousy became powerless, leaving only amazement.

Because one still belonged to the mortal realm, while the other had already transcended beyond the mundane.

When a person possesses such powerful strength, even the highest positions and rights become mere decorations not worth mentioning.

“A divine apostle surpassing mortals, with lifespan and power breaking through limits, truly a powerful and perfect existence beyond imagination!” Everyone came forward to pay their respects, hoping this powerful fourth-rank ability user would remember them.

“This time, it didn’t come from the Temple of Truth.” Anhofus had become the God-Servant Priest under a different identity; no one knew he was Haru’s student, also belonging to Sandean’s lineage.

“The Sky Temple has been dormant for so many years, and it’s finally going to rise.” Some unaffiliated Sky Temple priests were excited, truly happy that such a powerful priest had appeared in the Sky Temple.

Anhofus finally became a fourth-rank priest. He used an ordinary bone imprint, and the process of reaching the fourth rank seemed almost careless.

It was as if it were just a measure to pass idle time during leisure.

He didn’t show much joy. His face, which had been vibrant and energetic in recent years, returned to its former gloominess.

A servant nearby noticed Anhofus’s state and asked quietly, “Lord God-Servant Priest, you’ve become a fourth-rank God’s Grace Priest!”

“Why…”

“You look as if you’re very disappointed.”

Anhofus looked at the servant: “Everyone pursues different things, longing for different endpoints and limits.”

“For you, the fourth-rank God’s Grace is an unattainable cloud.”

“As for me, I aim to pluck the stars above that sea of clouds.”

This period was the most confusing time for Anhofus. He seemed to have lost his sense of purpose.

On one hand, it was because of the death of the little bone man, and also because his pursuit of immortality hadn’t achieved the original plan. It seemed he had walked into a dead end.

Breaking through to the fourth rank wasn’t a goal for him, nor did he ever think it was something difficult.

This was Sandean’s exploration of truth, Lan’s exploration of truth. He was just a later imitator.

A poor and unremarkable imitation.

His ideal.

His exploration of truth was never about becoming the same as others.

Not long after, even the King of Yinsai came to the Sky Temple to congratulate him.

“My God-Servant Priest!”

“Congratulations to you.”

“From today onwards, Yinsai finally has its own fourth-rank ability user.”

The King of Yinsai was very pleased. In his view, he had extended his lifespan through the power of bone demons, and now he possessed a fourth-rank God’s Grace Priest.

Yinsai had reached its peak under his rule. He would become a king with a long lifespan, controlling the most powerful force in this world, building an unparalleled era.

He stepped forward and patted Anhofus on the shoulder, speaking with a tone of both reminder and warning.

“Before long, we will be family.”

“Should you accept, the position of Sky Priest that you’ve long awaited will also be yours.”

However, Anhofus avoided his hand.

He wasn’t accustomed to people being too familiar with him, and he especially disliked being touched, particularly having his shoulder patted.

This gesture made the King of Yinsai freeze.

Such an intimate gesture from him would be the highest honor and blessing for anyone, yet this young man before him showed such disrespect. For a king, this was extremely impolite.

The King of Yinsai suppressed his anger and spoke of another matter that brought him here.

“I wonder if there has been any progress in the experiments the God-Servant Priest has been conducting these years.”

His Majesty the King was hinting at something, and Anhofus had already understood.

He was talking about the experiments on immortality.

The King of Yinsai had already extended his lifespan, enjoying something not meant for mortals.

But the more he did so, the more he recalled that time when he was old and frail, only able to lie in bed moaning and groaning in pain.

The more he enjoyed, the more he possessed, the more he feared losing them.

Furthermore, he had gradually become dissatisfied with this cold, corpse-like bone demon body, and he also resented the constraints brought by the monster covenant.

His feelings had evolved from initial ecstasy of possession, to the gradual fading of joy, to long-term dissatisfaction.

And finally, to disdain.

People’s views on a thing or person always change rapidly.

Anhofus looked at His Majesty the King and suddenly couldn’t help but let out a light laugh. He saw through the King’s thoughts.

“Hehe~”

His Majesty the King looked at him: “What are you laughing at?”

Anhofus shook his head, offering no explanation.

He had no interest in playing power games with His Majesty and the nobles lately.

Moreover, when Anhofus chose to conduct his experiments in a remote lakeside village dozens of miles away at the foot of the mountain, he had no intention of sharing the secrets and fruits of immortality with His Majesty.

“More time is needed, Your Majesty,” Anhofus said, his tone flat.

As he uttered these words, the seemingly intimate relationship between him and the King of Yinsai instantly cracked.

His Majesty seemed to grasp something, his eyes fixed intently on Anhofus.

His raised hand slowly lowered.

Then, he tightly gripped the Yinsai scepter, the symbol of royal authority.

“Very well!”

“Very well.”

“I look forward to your results. Your genius-like ideas will surely bear beautiful fruits of immortality.”

The King turned and left, with Anhofus watching his retreating figure.

“I’m rather tired.”

“Let’s end it here for today.”

With that, he too left the surrounding crowd.

As the King of Yinsai and today’s protagonist departed one after another, the others lost interest in staying.

The nobles and priests also left the Sky Temple, concluding the celebration of Yinsai’s new God’s Grace Priest.

Anhofus made his way to the Sky Temple’s garden.

He sat by the windowsill and took out the magic bottle from his sleeve.

This divine tool had completely changed. The inside and outside of the bottle seemed to have become two separate worlds. The glass wall, which once appeared fragile, had become as indestructible as diamond.

Moreover, Anhofus discovered that even he could no longer open the bottle’s stopper.

He gazed at the small figure made of light dust inside the flask.

A black body, a white brain, colorful internal organs, and a pair of eyes like misty water.

“What exactly are you?”

But no matter what, it didn’t resemble a human, seeming to lack even intelligence.

Without wisdom and the ability to converse, how could one discuss immortality?

A stone can exist for millions or billions of years, but can it be called immortal?

“After all this fuss, am I just an ordinary person?”

“Busy and bustling about, in the end, I haven’t accomplished anything worth mentioning.”

Some can accept their ordinariness, but he couldn’t.

Anhofus despised mediocrity, hated the ordinary.

He looked out at the world, where cities and towns lay beneath the sea of clouds.

The masses of people, the myriad lights of households.

So beautiful.

But it wasn’t what he wanted, that ordinary and peaceful life, a boring existence.

He felt he might as well be dead.

Looking at the magic bottle left by Haru, Anhofus muttered to himself.

“Teacher… in the end, I couldn’t even surpass you.”

In the palace of the God-Servant City.

The King of Yinsai angrily smashed a painted pottery vase on the ground, shattering it into colorful ceramic pieces with a loud bang.

The guards outside acted as if they hadn’t heard anything; no one dared to enter at this moment.

The King of Yinsai was extremely displeased with Anhofus’s attitude. In his view, Anhofus was brushing him off and looking down on him.

He was concealing things from him and not taking him, the King, seriously.

“Damn it!”

“This promise-breaking fellow, what did he say to me back then? Everything he has was given by me, and everything he obtains should also be mine.”

“Who made him the God-Servant Priest?”

“Why could he become a fourth-rank ability user? It’s because of my support and the power of all of Yinsai.”

“He becomes like this as soon as he becomes a God’s Grace Priest?”

When Anhofus first arrived at the God-Servant City, he had promised to share the secrets of immortality he explored with the King of Yinsai.

But clearly, he had broken his promise.

The King of Yinsai’s eyes glowed red with fury. “What I can give him,” he snarled, “I can also take back.”

The Prime Minister finally found an opportunity to speak, trying to appease the King. “Your Majesty,” he began cautiously, “young people often have moments of arrogance and disrespect.”

“Anhofus has always been proud and self-important by nature.”

“Your Majesty is his elder, you need only guide him more. With an additional fourth-rank God’s Grace Priest, we can accomplish many things.”

“In recent years, the Abyss Kingdom has been constantly expanding, and we should be prepared.”

After venting his anger, the King of Yinsai calmed down.

He sat on the throne, silent.

The King’s words were merely an outlet for his anger; he didn’t truly want to break ties with Anhofus. He also knew that they needed Anhofus now.

More importantly, they didn’t know how far Anhofus had progressed in his exploration of immortality.

“Has that person arrived?” he asked.

The Prime Minister replied, “He’s already waiting outside.”

The King of Yinsai: “Let him in.”

“Tap, tap, tap!” Footsteps approached from the stairs outside, finally entering the palace and kneeling down.

The person who entered was someone no one could have predicted.

It was actually Anhofus’s servant, the leader of the Stone Monster Merchant Group.

Cloaked in a hooded robe to conceal his identity, he had secretly made his way to the palace to meet the King of Yinsai.

“Great King of Yinsai.”

“Your subject offers you his loyalty.”

The King of Yinsai sat on the throne: “I am not your master. How can you offer me your loyalty?”

The merchant group leader replied, “The King of Yinsai is everyone’s king. You are greater and more revered than my master.”

“Without you, there would be no Yinsai, nor would we have everything we possess now.”

“He is my master, but you are my king.”

“Before I pledge allegiance to my master, I should pledge allegiance to the king.”

The King of Yinsai laughed heartily; he liked such words.

He asked, “What exactly did Anhofus go to do when he left recently? Was he really looking for a way to break through to the fourth rank?”

“But as I understand it,” the King continued, his eyes narrowing, “he didn’t go to the Temple of Truth during that time.”

The merchant group leader said, “Your Majesty, Anhofus didn’t leave to break through to the fourth-rank God’s Grace Priest. Instead, he conducted an extremely mysterious and secretive experiment by the Sacred Lake.”

“He purchased a large number of corpses, and he even killed all the small stone monsters of the Stone Monster Merchant Group, using them as sacrifices for the experiment.”

“When he went in, he also carried a bone man in a bottle. I don’t know what it was, but it should be a very powerful and terrifying being.”

“But when he came out, it seemed to be gone.”

After Anhofus created the bone demons, he immediately entered the Sky Temple, conveniently avoiding the merchant group leader.

Therefore, he didn’t know the secret of the bone demons.

He was even less aware that there were now quite a few bone demons in the God-Servant City.

Most notably, the one sitting on the throne before him.

The King of Yinsai’s breathing quickened. Killing so many monsters as sacrifices surely wasn’t for a simple experiment.

In his view, Anhofus must have been conducting experiments on immortality there.

And he did it alone, avoiding everyone.

What did this indicate?

His immortality experiments must have reached a crucial stage, perhaps even the final stage, which is why he didn’t want anyone to see or know about it.

The King of Yinsai’s scepter struck the ground with a resounding thud.

He leaned forward, his posture bringing immense pressure to bear on the kneeling merchant group leader.

“What exactly did he do there?”

“Tell me everything you know.”

The leader of the Stone Monster Merchant Group hesitated for a moment, then slowly recalled what had happened before.

Fear and a sense of horror flickered in his eyes.

“Your Majesty, you can’t imagine the terrifying things Anhofus is doing.”

“He’s manufacturing immortality.”

“No!”

“He’s not just manufacturing immortality, he created a god.”

“A god like the King of Wisdom Redlichia and the Mother of Life Shelly.”

The King of Yinsai suddenly stood up from his throne. This news was like a thunderbolt, making him dizzy with shock.

“What?”

“Did he… succeed?”

The merchant group leader knelt on the ground, and after thinking for a while, he said with slight uncertainty.

“He should have succeeded.”

“I didn’t dare to place any hidden devices in the ritual workshop, but I installed a piece of glass in the lounge on the first floor, and I left a recording mirror in the Sacred Lake outside the glass.”

“I just wanted to see what he was doing, being so mysterious.”

“But I never imagined… I never imagined he would create such a terrifying thing.”

As the merchant group leader continued his account, his fear became palpable, his body visibly trembling.

“He created an embryo, an immortal shell, and brought it back to the Sky Temple,” the merchant group leader explained.

“He’s been very secretive these days and hasn’t come to see me. He must be planning the final stages of immortality.”

The merchant group leader held up a recording mirror, having it delivered to the King’s hands.

“Your Majesty,” he continued, his voice trembling, “this madman is desecrating the divine!”

“No, he’s not a madman.”

“Even a madman wouldn’t dare to do such things.”

Each of Anhofus’s actions filled his servant with dread.

However, what the merchant group leader couldn’t have imagined was that the King before him was no longer a Trilobite Man.

He had long since become a monster.

A monster king who, having obtained longevity, was still unsatisfied and craved immortality.

The King of Yinsai gazed into the recording mirror. It projected scenes of Anhofus at rest, sketching diagrams, and poring over books.

But when the final image appeared, everything changed.

He saw the flask and the small figure inside it.

Just one glance.

The King of Yinsai felt dizzy, as if a massive stone was blocking his throat, making it hard to breathe.

He even felt his entire body trembling.

Moreover, he felt an urge to kneel and worship the small figure in the bottle.

It was fear of a mythical life form, submission to an existence above all abilities.

“What is this?”

“What is this thing?”

Before the King could react, the Prime Minister, who had also seen the scene, let out a sharp cry.

He retreated repeatedly until his gaze left the mirror, then collapsed on the ground.

The King of Yinsai fared slightly better, but not by much.

He put away the recording mirror, not daring to look again.

He questioned the merchant group leader: “Is the fruit of immortality this thing? And where exactly is it?”

The merchant group leader replied: “It’s hidden in Anhofus’s magic bottle, which he always carries with him.”

“It’s the body of a divine race that Anhofus created, a forbidden object that hasn’t fully formed yet.”

The King asked: “The body of a divine race? How do you know this?”

The merchant group leader explained: “Besides this, Anhofus also has a scroll over a meter wide.”

“It records the secrets of immortality.”

“When the door was open in one scene, part of this scroll was visible.”

“It depicted the form of the divine race body and forbidden secrets not inferior to those of the our world. However, I don’t know where Anhofus obtained this information.”

The merchant group leader looked at the King of Yinsai, his teeth chattering.

“He must have done terrible things, things that desecrate the divine.”

The merchant group leader also brought several villagers to corroborate the events of that day.

At that time, an indescribably powerful force had blanketed several surrounding villages, causing everyone to fall into a deep sleep.

The range of this power was beyond imagination, something even a God’s Grace Priest couldn’t possibly achieve.

“That day, everyone in our entire village fainted.”

“We all had a dream, a terrifying dream.”

The King asked them: “What did you see?”

The villager shivered as if drenched in winter rain.

“We saw a silhouette.”

“A figure walking on the earth, as tall as a mountain.”

“No, it wasn’t a Trilobite Man.”

“It definitely wasn’t a Trilobite Man, completely different from us…”

The villager became increasingly agitated as he spoke, as if going mad.

Finally, his words turned into incomprehensible howls and mutterings, but the more unintelligible he became, the more the King believed he had truly seen something.

The King dismissed the villagers and the Stone Monster Merchant Group leader. He slumped onto his throne, his eyes unfocused from shock, his chest heaving.

After a long while, he finally calmed down.

He looked at his Prime Minister: “Is this the arrogance of youth?”

The King’s eyes had completely changed, appearing almost manic.

“He indeed obtained the secret of immortality, yet he tells me he needs more time.”

“This is betrayal, blatant betrayal.”

“This treacherous subject.”

The Prime Minister had already stood up, but his body was still visibly shaking.

He was just an ordinary person, finding it unbearable to even glimpse the image of the small figure in the bottle. Mythical life forms were not something he could easily comprehend.

The Prime Minister still tried to advise: “Your Majesty, we can make him hand it over.”

The King couldn’t help but laugh: “Would he hand it over?”

“He’s become fourth-rank, he’s obtained the fruit of immortality.”

“What use does he have for a king like me now?”

If the previous disrespect and offense had only caused a rift in the relationship between the King of Yinsai and Anhofus, then the appearance of the fruit of immortality had completely severed their ties.

Their cooperation had been for longevity, and its continuation was to explore immortality.

Now that the fruit of immortality had truly appeared, it was time for their paths to diverge.

“No.”

“We can’t wait any longer.”

“He has already obtained the fruit of immortality. He must have become a fourth-rank God’s Grace Priest to prepare for the final stage of immortality.”

“The Samo family’s secret art of immortality, yes… the Samo family’s secret art of immortality.”

The King of Yinsai seemed to have realized something, his thoughts racing, becoming more agitated and fearful with each passing moment.

“He wants to become a god, a god like King Redlichia and the Mother of Life, Shelly.”

The King turned back to his Prime Minister.

“We must act first.”

Although the Prime Minister felt the King’s words made sense, he said: “But Anhofus is a fourth-rank God’s Grace Priest.”

“We have no way to deal with him.”

No one knew how to kill a fourth-rank God’s Grace Priest.

Because no one had ever done it before.

Normal methods certainly wouldn’t work, but everyone knew that the strongest aspect of a fourth-rank God’s Grace Priest was their ability to command a puppet army at any time. When they didn’t have their puppet army around, they weren’t as powerful.

He wasn’t immortal; most of his body was still mortal flesh.

He could still die.

The King of Yinsai immediately thought of something, a terrible expression crossing his face.

“No.”

“There’s an opportunity, an excellent opportunity.”

“A moment when no one would be on guard.”

Princess Yeya had recently left the Sky Temple, giving up her position as a priestess.

She returned to being a princess, wearing luxurious royal attire and a silver crown.

She responded to the King’s summons and came to the garden.

“My King.”

The King of Yinsai helped the princess up, looking at her with gentle eyes.

“No need for such formality.”

“You can call me father, my daughter.”

Princess Yeya was somewhat timid, completely unable to relax in front of her father.

Their relationship was more akin to that of a king and his subject than a father and daughter.

This was common in royal families, but clearly today, the King of Yinsai wanted to mend their relationship.

He walked with his daughter in the garden.

“Your wedding date has been set. How do you feel?”

“Are you satisfied with the person I’ve chosen for you? He’s the esteemed God-Servant Priest of the Sky Temple, a powerful fourth-rank God’s Grace Priest.”

Although Anhofus had previously expressed his cold and indifferent intentions, clearly wanting the princess to give up on marrying him.

The princess still said: “I’m very satisfied.”

“I’m willing to become his wife.”

The King of Yinsai laughed heartily: “Very good.”

“It’s wonderful that you’re satisfied.”

The King embraced his daughter, patting her back.

“You seem a bit unhappy. Are you scared?”

“Or are you worried about the future?”

“Don’t worry,” he reassured her. “You’ll have a magnificent wedding, one that will be the envy of all.”

Princess Yeya looked at her father, a smile appearing on her face.

Her father had dozens of children, and she had hardly ever been alone with him since childhood. Even speaking with him felt like a luxury.

This was the first time she had seen her father treat her so kindly. It was also the first time she had embraced her father’s broad shoulders, leaning on him.

“Father.”

“Thank you.”

But she didn’t see the resolute look in the eyes of the King, who had already become a monster.