The moment the armies clashed, Prince Nova felt that something was off, but he couldn't exactly put his finger on it. Even worse than that, he didn't have the time to think about it because the 50 or so warriors that hadn't charged were making him nervous.
'Why aren't they charging? Are they planning something? Should I use our trump cards now? Or after they make their move?' Prince Nova grit his teeth as Dyon appeared before him, a slight smile playing his features.
"Who are you people?" Prince Nova changed tactics. If they weren't going to succeed today, at the very least, he'd try to bring something useful back.
Dyon couldn't help but chuckle. He knew that this young leader was definitely very confused right now so this was likely his only course of action.
"I'm more interested in who you are." Dyon answered slyly, meeting Prince Nova's fists with his own.
Feeling the weight of Dyon's punch, Prince Nova's eyes narrowed. 'Body cultivators? They're all body cultivators!'
His mind went into overdrive. Wasn't his father worried about the resurgence of the Soul Path? But all of these people were of the Body Path? Could it be that this had nothing to do with the successor of the celestial deer and soul rending sects?
Prince Nova grit his teeth. 'It feels like I'm hitting a steel wall!'
The young prince was pushed back again and again. Every time they clashed it seemed that he was so close to figuring out the limits of his opponent, but Dyon would then raise his level by another half notch, forcing him back again. It was almost more frustrating than if Dyon was just a powerhouse he had no chance of defeating.
'Is it even worth it to fight this fight? If they really are unaffiliated by the Soul Path then it doesn't matter, does it?' Prince Nova's frown deepened. 'No. I need to make sure.'
Dyon's eyes flashed with an odd light when he noticed Prince Nova's shift in demeanor. In the next moment, the Prince brought out something that made Dyon eyes widen.
"Now!" Prince Nova roared.
The five geniuses, including Tove, Princess Sona, Prince Ore and Prince Ceres, all brought out globes of light Dyon was all too familiar with.
They were the formation cores of Soul Rending Peak!
...
Dyon's eyes narrowed slightly as their auras rose. Obviously, since even Dyon wouldn't be able to bridge the gap between a celestial and a pseudo-saint with only a single formation core, he wasn't worried about their boost in power. What he was apprehensive about was what other tricks they could have up their sleeves.
With a single thought, Dyon leaped backward. He didn't want to give the impression that he knew what Prince Nova's trump card was, or else most of this would be for naught.
The aura of the five youngsters soared, breaching sainthood barrier and shattering it.
As expected, the gate didn't react to this change. It seemed it understood the difference between true saint cultivation, and this fake one. Dyon had to admit he was impressed with his grand teacher for building such an intricate world.
'It seems that these people weren't too stupid in laying down their bait after all…' Dyon thought to himself.
In the beginning, Dyon felt that the 99 universes were a little too… 'giving' in their bait. They left so many useful things behind for Dyon in Soul Rending Peak that it was almost too good to be true.
Of course, things like the Master Symbol and the entrance to the Mystical World would never be deciphered by them. But, other things like Mystic Level technique and the Formation Cores were undoubtedly extremely valuable.
However, it seemed that the reality was that they only left behind things they were comfortable with leaving… In fact, technically speaking, they only left one formation core with Soul Rending Peak, the other two that Dyon received came from their people.
'Hm… Master isn't here so I can't ask her about what else is missing from Soul Rending Peak. I'll have to take inventory when I go back…'
While Dyon's mind was going on overdrive, so was Prince Nova's.
'They seem like body cultivators, but grandfather said that there was a good chance they knew about us since they destroyed the master arrays. How would those of the Body Path know about the importance of those arrays and the danger it could pose to them?'
The more Prince Nova thought, the surer that there was more than what met the eye to this story. However, his mind was blown away once more when his fists collided with Dyon's.
By all rights, after raising his cultivation to the saint realm, he should have completely destroyed his opponent, but Dyon was handling him just as easily as before!
Dyon grinned. "This trump card of yours is amazing. I had thought that this would be a thankless task, but to think you'd deliver something so great to me."
Prince Nova's expression remained hardened. He didn't even notice the slight bits of sealing energy entering his arm.
"Don't be like that. Can't you tell the difference between us now? The only reason I haven't killed you is because I'm quite interested in just who you people are… Could you be related to that Elder Nova fellow?"
Prince Nova froze, resulting in a palm strike from Dyon landing squarely on his chest.
"Axel!" Tove's delicate voice called out after seeing the young prince being flung away, however she was being tied down by several clones at once and wasn't in any position to help.
"Ah!" Dyon spoke in mock understanding while applying even more pressure onto the teen. "So you are related to that fellow?"
Blood seeped from Prince Nova's mouth as he glared at Dyon. "What did you do to my grand uncle?!"
Dyon's brows arched in surprise. "Do to him? Other than giving him his own piece of the pie, we haven't done anything to him. Ah, such a shame. To think that the people he had warned us about were his own family." Dyon chuckled. "What a cruel man he is."
Dyon didn't say much else other than that. If he led the story too much, or if he gave too many details, it would seem fabricated. All he had to do was say just enough to set Prince Nova down the path he wanted.
This was the reason for this elaborate scheme. It was the reason why he had changed the appearances of all of his clones and even his own appearance. It was the reason he didn't reveal his soul's prowess. It was the reason he had justifications to not kill these kids aside from his own conscience.
He needed them to believe that Elder Nova was the traitor. He needed them to believe that he was a member of the Body Path and that they were only here to take advantage of Soul Market at the coaxing of Elder Nova.
Dyon's greatest weapon wasn't his soul or his body, nor was it his wills. It was his mind.
The moment Elder Nova revealed himself as a dao formation expert, he had suspected him of being an enemy. However, it was deeper than that… Why would a dao formation expert be the one left to guard here? And, if he was left to guard, why was he residing in Unseen Peak instead of Soul Rending Peak? If he wanted to bait the successor, shouldn't he had been waiting at the main peak? Or at the very least travelling between them all? Or, better yet, staying in the shadows?
Then, even after pegging Dyon and exposing him, Elder Nova didn't report this back immediately. Instead, he waited and wanted to ingratiate himself with Dyon… Why?
This all pointed to one thing: Elder Nova's relation with the 99 universes wasn't harmonious.
"You're a liar!" Prince Nova's almost childish voice roared through the battlefield.
Dyon pretended to be taken aback. However, his mind was thinking differently. 'It seems Elder Nova's prestige, at least within the Nova family, hasn't diminished. This boy should have been too young to even be alive when Elder Nova was still among them, which means someone older and of much higher standing still believes in that old man.
'It doesn't matter though.' Dyon smiled to himself. 'Even if the Nova family doesn't believe it, the others will. It wasn't as though I hid my voice when I spoke. For Elder Nova to be booted out despite having the backing of the Nova family means that there are other, equally powerful families who wanted him out.
'In addition, the Nova family might still believe me because they have no idea how much Elder Nova's resentments have been built up. For all they know, this is his final 'fuck you' to them for abandoning him.
'I've done enough to buy me some time. It's time to end this.'
However, just as Dyon thought this, Prince Nova had already made a decisive decision. Ignoring the rest of the trump cards he had, he roared across the battlefield.
"Retreat. Retreat now!"
