Dyon's words froze Elder Aarush in place. He had spoken in the heat of the moment, but he knew just how true Dyon's words were. The Flaming Lily Sect had been an eyesore for them for millions of years already, yet they hadn't gotten rid of them yet. There had to be a reason for this. Could he really take responsibility for declaring war? Of course not!
"If you'd like the key, it's not impossible for you to get it back." Dyon suddenly said with a smile, his oppressive aura disappearing like the wind.
Elder Aarush narrowed his eyes, but he was forced to answer. "How?"
"Simple. Find someone below the 7th celestial stage capable of defeating my wife and you can have the key."
Elder Aarush's jaw clenched, but he could say nothing. God Goldeen was their best talent, yet he was of the 8th Order. Their Golden Crow Bloodline had grown too thin in recent years. While their inner disciples were promising, they were all 7th Order geniuses… They didn't have anyone capable!
This time, the elders couldn't block Dyon any longer. Doing any more would only cause them to lose more face. However, Elder Aarush had already sent word back to the Sect. The highest ranking elder they had that stayed behind was the first elder. He was firmly within the middle dao realm, only he could deal with this situation.
**
Hours later, Dyon had brought the fifty or so disciples along with Melisende to the main base of the Flaming Lily Sect, Planet Lily. The reason behind this name could be seen quite plain as day from standing in the sky above it. A large mountain range that took up half the size of the planet bloomed outward, its rocky edges forming the shape of a lily.
According to the planet's history, there was a large volcano connected to the planet's core at the center. Some time a few dozen million years ago, this volcano erupted. The eruption was so powerful that the molten waste it spewed tore into the skies and through the atmosphere, where it rapidly cooled before it could fully descend. This resulted in the unique lily shape they were all seeing now.
In the past, this event was seen as a tragedy, so the planet was named Planet Lily in remembrance. As much as 95% of the planet's inhabitants died. Unfortunately, this was because cultivators had yet to settle here, so much of those who called this place home back then were weak foundation stage or meridian formation stage experts.
It was only afterward that this eruption was seen as a blessing in disguise for the cultivation world. The lily carried dense fire essence and was a hotbed for the formation of unique flames. Those who practiced along the fire dao path cultivated at twice the speed here as they would anywhere else. And, the lily itself could be considered a massive dao grade fire abyssal core.
Knowing a place like this existed, it really was curious that the Golden Crow Sect had yet to attempt to monopolize it.
At this moment, the golden yacht slowly descended upon the planet, but paused just before entering its atmosphere.
"You can all go." Dyon said. "Madeleine has just given birth, so I must return her to our home. I'll be back to have that meeting we spoke about within a few months."
Melisende frowned, but she understood in the end. Having Madeleine here was too dangerous.
After seeing them all off, Dyon directly left with Madeleine by his side, not knowing that just minutes later, First Elder Crow entered Flaming Lily Sect territory, completely uncaring for the usual rules and customs.
Dyon's mind was free and unfettered on his and Madeleine's journey back to Soul Rending Peak. In truth, he felt odd treating a child that was essentially himself as his son, but after seeing Madeleine's enthusiasm, he couldn't bring himself to speak these thoughts aloud.
Dyon could only sigh as he watched his wife so enthusiastically take on her motherly role. Despite her not being able to breast feed Junior, she cared for him in every other way possible. She doted on him so much that Dyon was often forgotten in the background, much to his feigned depression. Still, he found himself enjoying these scenes for hours on end. He felt like he could watch Madeleine be a mother for days without any boredom.
These things made Dyon sigh, though. He and Madeleine had never sat down to speak about it, but he knew how much the truth behind her family's matters hurt her.
At first, Madeleine felt despair due to them, thinking that her mother and father were eager to sell her off to the highest bidder. In the beginning, it seemed that they only tried to tie her to Akihiko just to save her life, but if that was the case, what was their reasoning for backing her marriage with Lionel? What was their reason for ignoring her wishes and bowing to Connery Sapientia's wishes?
Then, she found out that all of these things were a lie. The group of people she thought were her family, actually weren't her relatives at all. It felt like in an instant, years of emotional trauma and pain was wasted, only to form a new enmity.
Madeleine had never once spoken to Amell and Nora. These matters hung in the air like a tacit secret shared by dozens of individuals. But, this only made things hurt more. Even when they came back and saw her, they still didn't dare to face her? What kind of parents were they?
Seeing Madeleine so invested in what Junior symbolized in her life, how could Dyon not understand? He knew his wife better than anyone else in existence. She craved for family just as much if not more than he did.
Soon, Madeleine and Dyon had made it back to Soul Rend Universe. In order to not attract attention and quietly observe the changes, Dyon once again remained lowkey.
