This was why although the Angel Clans saints and celestials were all of the first grade, 12 of their dao formation experts were only at the second grade, because your grade was based on the number of meridians you opened in your previous cultivation stage.
A first-grade celestials opened 99 or more meridians at the saint level before progressing, while a second grade dao formation expert opened between 90 and 98 meridians at the celestial level before progressing.
So, why did this make the dao formation experts of the mysterious clans so apprehensive? It was because even the best of them that came this time were only of the lower second grade while the vast majority of them only barely made the cut to become dao formation experts and were at the third grade!
Even worse, because their grades were so poor, they were limited to the upper heights of the lower dao formation stage and wouldn't advance to the middle stages in their entire lives because that was reserved for second grade experts. As for the peak of dao formation? That was reserved for first grade experts!
In the cultivation world, not only did cultivation stage matter a great deal, your foundation was even more important. And, the most accurate measure of your foundation was your grade! A third grade expert of the celestial level had almost no chance of beating a second grade expert and would be annihilated in the face of a first grade expert.
Not only did the Angel Clan have many high level second grade experts, they even have five of the first grade! In fact, Amphorae's mother was a peak first grade expert who had the chance of stepping into the legendary half-step transcendent stage in the future!
If she wasn't still so relatively young, they would have never dared to even have designs on the Angel Clan!
"The alliance should have seen all of this already, maybe they have a counter measure prepared," Someone said carefully.
They knew that their purpose here was just as a contingency plan. After all, no matter how powerful a clan was, anyone could be overrun by numbers. The reason they were so scared of Dyon's attack was because even they as dao formation experts couldn't annihilate so many celestials and saints so easily.
Even they would have to pay a price. That was mostly because they were at the bottom rung of experts of their level, but it was the truth nonetheless. However, clearly, Dyon didn't have the same worries as them.
The truth was that the mysterious clans had sent them here to record the destruction of the Angel Clan so they could agitate Dyon's father into using some sacrificial techniques. Maybe that way, they would be able to irreparably harm him and get the things they desired. It would be like dealing with two birds with a single stone.
Unfortunately, Dyon's father, a usually stoic man, was laughing like a maniac as he watched these things unfold.
Far away, past the universal barrier and into a completely separate quadrant, 12 elders sat in a formation created to hold a single man.
The reason the universes were split into groups of 100 called quadrants, and why the trillions of galaxies were split into groups called universes, was all because of these barriers. Universal Barrier were already difficult to cross and relied on expert spatial dao manipulation, but quadrants were even more difficult to cross.
While someone with an intent could theoretically cross universes, the bare minimum to cross quadrants was a supreme level treasure, or a dao of space. Other than this, no one was sure why these barriers were so diligent in separating groups of 100 universes like it did, but it had long become an ignored anomaly.
Understanding this, one can see just what kind of magnificent treasures the Epistemic Towers were to be capable of linking 100 quadrants together. It was even possible to enter from one quadrant and leave from another if you so chose!
That aside, considering the current faces of those 12 elders, they weren't thinking of trivial things at all. They had wanted to show Dyon's father the destruction of his clan, but in the end, all they ended up witnessing was the glory of his son. Everything from Dyon speaking and raising morale with Malihcki, to taunting the enemy army, to single-handedly
In that moment, a man with otherworldly handsomeness sat with his back as straight as a javelin, laughing uproariously as he looked at his son with an expression of pride on his features. His dark skin was smooth and without flaw, but he had lines of worry by his eyes.
This was unavoidable, considering the situation surrounding his wife, how he hadn't seen her in more than half a century, and the decline of the Angel Clan, he had a lot to worry about recently. However, at the moment, all of those concerns seemed like fleeting wind before him now.
"That's how my son should be!"
Dyon's father had a big grin on his face. Had Dyon seen him, he would have been shocked. In his lifetime, he hardly ever saw his father smile. Although his father had always been loving and caring, he seemed to have lost his ability to laugh long ago. But, seeing his son grow up before his eyes had awakened something within him.
There was no need to speak about the ugly expressions on the faces of the 12 elders. They had been taunting this man for almost 30 years, thinking that there would be nothing he could do to stop this day and the annihilation of his Angel Clan, come to find out that this man they feared never needed to take action to begin with. His son alone was more than enough!
However, they understood the stakes that were at hand. There was no way they could allow this to continue in this way. If they gave up, they would not only have to face the suppression of the Beast Alliance for violating the terms of their alliance, they would also be forced to share the treasures they had been hording all of this time.
When they thought about how beneficial Luna could be for their cultivation and the leaps their Mysterious Clan alliance would take with the help of the Energy Core, it was enough to make their insides green with regret.
"Where is that damned whore!"
A particularly uproarious and unfettered elder roared out. He didn't bother with his image as an elder, and in fact, he was dressed the part as well. He was missing hair in many places, and even his long beard was scorched. Who knew what kind of experiments this old man was up to.
Dyon's father frowned. He immediately knew that this man was talking about Luna. In reality, he had mixed feelings about this daughter-in-law of his, but that didn't mean it was this elder's place to scold her in front of her father-in-law, did he take him for a joke?
"Hmph." With a simply snort, a 12th of the formation was suddenly under immense pressure, the portion that happened to perfectly align with the man who called Luna a whore.
The old man immediately paled, coughing up two mouth-fulls of blood in an instant. Dyon's father's meaning was simple: watch your mouth.
Although the old man was angered beyond compare, he didn't dare to say any more. That simple attack just then had put immense pressure on his soul, even injuring it slightly. With his old age, and the fact Life Essence was tied to the soul, he didn't dare to take such an attack again.
Even though the other eleven would support him and stop such a thing from happening twice in a row, he wasn't willing to take the risk. So, he could only swallow his words, with the hatred in his heart brewing all the more.
The world seemed to disdain soul cultivation, but it wasn't until one reached the lauded half-step transcendent realm like he had that they realized they were foolish to believe such a thing in their youth.
This was because it was impossible to transcend unless your soul was a peak existence! Those who reached the pinnacle of cultivation in this plane would only be able to lament and regret if they had ignored this in their younger days.
Of course, the question was then why was Dyon's father so powerful even though all thirteen of them were of the same cultivation? This was especially odd because everyone who became a transcendent was a peak first grade expert. Well, the answer lied in the secrets underlying the mysterious transition realm of cultivation. It was a mystery Dyon would uncover in the future.
