Thadius and the other Demon Generals felt a keen sense of surprise. Dyon had always been powerful. Even when he had no cultivation to speak of, he had still gained their respect. But this… Wasn't this too exaggerated?! No matter what, Damaris was still a 9th Order Middle Celestial!
To make matters worse, he only made use of two common grade techniques! [Vortex Seal] was an energy manipulation technique meant for defensive purposes. When used appropriately, it could mitigate the damage output of an opponent's attack. It was theoretically impossible for anyone to use it on as large a scale as Dyon had!
Then there was [Descending Palm]. It was a palm technique that took advantage of height leverage to create an imposing palm strike, who would ever think of replicating the technique with celestial qi!? That was like using a golden plated knife to portion out beast dung…
Plus, everyone here could tell that Dyon had only just entered the celestial realm. He hadn't even reached the peak of the first stage. Since when could lower celestials command so much atmospheric celestial qi, especially in the face of middle celestial? And since when were they so powerful?!
Dyon was obviously the least surprised about all of this. The fusion of Presence with his body might seem like a simple matter, but only when one wielded the power for themselves could they understand just how incomprehensible the strength it gave you was. Even if Damaris was a higher celestial, she would inevitably lose miserably.
"Your cultivation will be sealed for two years. Barging into Soul Palace uninvited. Disrespecting your Sect Master. Threatening your Sect Master." Dyon's eyes reddened with an almost irrational rage.
His hand raised again. Damaris, who had lost consciousness, obviously couldn't react before a beam of sealing energy entered her body. Not only was she completely cut off from her bloodline, disallowing her from entering her dragon form, she lost the ability to communicate with her meridians and soul.
This was a sealing Dyon comprehended alone after entering the celestial realm. His breakthrough allowed him a much deeper understanding of his cultivation technique [Inner World: Sanctuary]. Now, he was able to apply its ability to seal his cultivation paths unto others.
This was the very first true sealing technique he had ever learned. It could only be considered a Lower Earth Grade technique, but he was satisfied with it. He called it [Sanctuary Seal].
Dyon couldn't be bothered to deal with Damaris' body. There were much more pressing things to worry about. Plus, she was a dragon anyway. If she really was so frail, she'd slap the face of her own race. But, Dyon didn't expect for Giralda to be lagging not too far behind her little sister.
Seeing the state of her sibling, Giralda didn't so much as frown. She just sighed, and picked her up.
"Maybe this'll teach you to stop being so loud mouthed." Giralda scolded. "Thank you for going easy on her."
No matter what, Giralda saw Dyon as her savior. Plus, Dyon wasn't aware that Giralda had this sort of relationship with Damaris until just now.
"She's your?..." Dyon felt like he suddenly understood. He hadn't asked any questions, mostly because he trusted the people around him to not make stupid decisions, but now he felt like he had a grasp of the situation.
"She's my little sister. She's a bit rambunctious, though. That said, she'll probably be happy you didn't go easy on her whenever it is she wakes up, although she'll also be disappointed that she can't cultivate for two years."
Giralda didn't speak any nonsense about alleviating Damaris of her punishment. She understood the concept of a ruler's dignity. If Dyon so easily let Damaris off the hook after she so wantonly attempted to slap his face, it would become more difficult for him to establish law and order in the future.
"Take this." Dyon suddenly said, using his thumb to flick a pill toward Giralda.
"This is…" Giralda felt her heartbeat quicken.
"It's a Meridian Nurturing Pill. I know that in the past you were forced to advance to the celestial realm before you were ready, so your grade is lower than it should be. Although you could abolish your cultivation and restart, that would take too much time. Plus, your celestial tribulation was become far more difficult.
"All you need to do is sever your meridians and use this pill. It has a 92% chance of working. If for any reason you happen to be in the unlucky 8%, just come here again and I'll give you another."
"I –" Giralda planned to firmly refuse, but Dyon cut her off before she could continue.
"A long time ago, you made a choice to leave your Clan to follow the man you love. Today, the man you love happens to be under my wing, which makes you one of my people as well. Making you stronger helps me."
Hearing these words, Giralda's will to refuse dissipated. If Dyon was simply being nice to her because he felt bad for beating up her little sister, she would definitely refuse. But, if this was the case, and he expected to be paid back, it was something she could accept.
Dyon smiled thoughtfully. His current visage was a far cry from the maddened war lord who didn't even spare an absolute beauty.
"Your son, he should be about 11 years old now, right?" Dyon suddenly asked.
"Mhm, Little Ryu is talented, but he's still mute…" Giralda said sadly.
Dyon nodded. He had heard of one child receiving an S grade the last he visited here, just before he left for the Golden Flame Mystical World. Back then, he had had a solid guess that that child was Ryu, and it seemed that he was correct.
"If you take advantage of the Meridian Nurturing Pill and reach the 9th Order, I can directly give you a position among the Demon Generals. Your son, as you already know, is qualified to become a trainee directly under them, but I feel that he isn't ready yet."
Giralda nodded in agreement. Ryu's muteness was a looming worry over her head, she wouldn't feel comfortable letting him take on such a role. She was very much protective of her son, one of the few lights in her life.
"Prepare yourself." Dyon said seriously. "It won't be long before we'll have to go to war."
Dyon's words shocked those in attendance. So soon? They weren't ready. They definitely weren't ready. Plus, their strongest expert, Amphorae, wouldn't be back for at least half a decade to a decade. And, even if she was here, how could it be possible to rely on a single warrior to guarantee victory?
However, somehow, Dyon's words inspired absolute confidence. Not only were they undeniable, it was as though his lack of acceptance for the possibility of defeat unwittingly entered all of their souls.
"Understood." Without another word, Giralda turned and left. She had long since stopped considering herself a member of the Aegis Clan. From now on, she was a Demon General. Just like Dyon, not for a second did she consider the possibility of failing.
All that was left other than Giralda's retreating figure was silence. However, Meiying seemed key on breaking that, disliking the somber atmosphere.
"Ooo, can I have one of those Meridian Nurturing Pills?" Her violet eyes blinked adorably, she knew how to abuse her position as Madeleine's little sister to get exactly what she wanted from Dyon, something she was quite shameless about.
Dyon raised an eyebrow. "What do you need them for?"
"Didn't you say they're a chance to raise your grade?"
Dyon shook his head. "These pills don't magically raise your grade, you have to have had the talent in the first place. This pill is first and foremost created to heal those who've been crippled, the raising of grades is only a hidden secondary effect most can't make use of. In fact, pills that aren't top-grade won't have this effect at all."
"Oh." Meiying pouted. But, she knew that her conventional energy cultivation talent was average at best, so it would be useless for her to take the pill unless she found a devil qi rich environment.
"Luckily for you." Dyon said mysteriously, grinning as he looked at her expression become more and more intrigued and curious. "I happen to have stumbled upon a Devil Vein."
