Ancestor Giant's expression changed. The giant who just died was an absolute genius of the Peak Dao Realm, one with the highest likelihood of reaching the Higher Existence Realm of this current generation. He had been lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to ambush Alauna, yet he had died just like this.
The air turned cold. No, rather, it had been no different from an abyssal hell the moment Dyon began to speak.
"You've… Crossed my bottom line!" Ancestor Giant roared.
"It's a shame that I don't care." Dyon replied coldly. "There are some whose reverse scales you don't touch. Since you've already chosen to fall on your blade by opposing me, the time for regret long came to an end."
"You really are an enemy of our mortal plane." Ancestor Scholar suddenly spoke, standing slowly. "To kill someone with infinite potential so casually, what else could you be if not an enemy?"
"Why don't I kill a few more so that you're absolutely certain?" Dyon asked casually.
Ancestor Scholar never expected Dyon to respond this way. Before he could react, a second finger had already struck.
...
Down below, there was a figure who had been a panic ever since Dyon appeared.
She looked no different from a fairy, surrounding by buzzing bees and butterflies wherever she went. Her skin was flawless and without blemish. Her dark hair held a healthy sheen that glistened under the artificial lights of the Gathering. But her eyes were truly captivating, radiating out an intelligence and wit that was nearly unmatched on the Mortal Plane.
This woman was none other than Aritzia Sapientia!
After so many decades of not seeing Dyon, she had changed drastically.
Her cultivation, which had purposely stagnated during her time in the tower quadrants, had bloomed once more, reaching the Lower Dao Realm. Her aura was more reserved and refined, as well as far less haughty in comparison to the past. She now had a calm disposition… Whereas her calmness in the past had been veiled by a conceit that looked down on the world… It was now as genuine as it could be.
But, even that calmness shattered when Dyon descended from the skies.
Unlike her, he hadn't changed at all. His arrogant disdain for the world, even in the face of the strongest experts on the mortal plane, hadn't diminished even in the slightest.
He was a man that had controlled her thoughts for decades. Every waking moment was a time she spent bettering herself to one day pay him back for that loss.
She had made so many contingencies, so many plans. She worked every hour of every day, slaving over the thought of seeing Dyon's visage when he finally had to admit that he had now lost to her.
Even her appearance today wasn't for leisure. She had been calmly observing the talents below, seeing which ones she should rope into her faction and which ones she should cross from her list.
The truth of the matter was that she had heard of Dyon's feat two years ago, but that had only spurred her to strive for a greater peak, it served to prove to her that her obsession over the last several decades wasn't unwarranted.
Dyon was her enemy of a lifetime, the enemy that if she was to defeat, her glory would rain through the heavenly skies for generations… No, Eras to come. But, if she were to lose… She would be nothing more than another bloody corpse that helped build his mountain to the top.
However, no matter how sturdy her resolve, these matters were still completely out of her expectations. She had easily accepted that Dyon could now kill Fallen. At the very least, she accepted it far more easily than others did. But… Watching him insult and disdain the Ancestors that already stood at the very top of the mortal plane… Her heart felt rending pain.
Why was it that he continued to get further away? Why was it that no matter what she did, it was impossible for her to close the gap?
All of a sudden, her thoughts were filled with screams.
Wait, those weren't thoughts… Those were the screams of real people.
Aritzia looked around blankly, a confused expression on her face. The women that surrounded her were all gorgeous, each of them could sway the hearts of billions to their whim, and each was intelligent with few equals. How could such refined women do something as unseemly as scream in public?
She frowned. It seemed her judgement had been wrong about these women. When she returned home, she would have to clean house. She couldn't have such inferior individuals by her side.
Suddenly, her legs felt weak and her vision swam, causing her to stumble slightly.
Her palm covered her forehead, trying to regain her bearings, but she was shocked to find that her hand came back filled with what seemed like a river of cold sweat.
'Why am I sweating like this?' Aritzia's confusion deepened as she looked down as her sweat soaked hand. But as she did, she caught something out of the corner of her eye.
'Red? I didn't wear a red dress today… I could have sworn it was white…'
She tried to take a deep breath, but suddenly felt that the air was rushing out of her.
It was then that the pain struck her. Like the resounding gong of an ancient bell, it slammed into her body, echoing again and again until her face twisted into a grimace.
She barely understood what was happening, but she subconsciously looked up and off into the distance, her gaze meeting Dyon's eyes.
'Not good… He's noticed me…' Aritzia trembled. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but she immediately felt like she was drowning. A torrent of thick liquid filled her throat and spilled out from her lips, running down her chin and dripping silently to the floor.
'There it was again… That arrogant disdain…'
The last thing Aritzia saw before her vision went completely black was Dyon's uncaring expression. That cold, lofty Emperor's air, that unmatched demeanor, that nonchalance toward her beauty…
