"Absolutely."
Damien's direct and bold response made Di smile. It was clear that the young genius had no scruples about taking on such a dangerous task, despite the seeming impossibility.
If anything, he could definitely respect Damien's courage and mentality.
"This jade slip contains all the information you'll need for this mission, including the general structure of the Beast Domain and the kind of forces and phenomena you should expect there." Di continued, passing a jade slip to Damien.
"This task will be difficult, and you will likely fail, however, if you can make it to Beast Emperor Star and negotiate with the Golden Dragon Clan, even if the negotiations fail, I will accept it as a success."
Damien raised his brow curiously.
"Isn't that a bit counterintuitive?" He asked.
He didn't understand why he'd been given a mission objective that wasn't even required to complete the mission, especially on a mission with the significance of this one.
Di didn't let him stay curious for too long.
"This time, you will have a strict time limit to complete this task. If it cannot be done in three months, it is meaningless either way. Far more important events will begin at that time, making us lose our final opportunity to regain our treasure for many years to come."
Damien looked at Di with a look that told him to continue, disinclined to beg for more information.
Di shook his head with a smile seeing Damien's strange behavior but indulged the young genius anyway.
"In 3 months, an event called the Grand Assembly will begin. This is a pivotal point for the Great War, therefore it is something everyone with some prominence in the universe must attend. Even you, Damien Void, as a peak genius of the universe, are required to show your face there."
Bang!
An explosion went off in Damien's head.
Grand Assembly…?
Weren't those the two words he'd been trying to hear for so long now?
The event where the Human Domain would join the rest of the universe in planning a final counterattack to end the war completely, the event that acted as Damien's greatest connection to the Human Domain, the place where he'd be able to reunite with all those he left behind all those years ago…
'Finally!'
His eyes lit up in excitement.
Thinking of his wives, his friends, his master, and his other comrades from the Human Domain, he truly fell into a bout of reminiscence.
Ever since he arrived in the Divine Realm, he'd been too focused on moving forward at his fastest speeds to consider meeting them again, but with the prospect in front of him so blatantly, his anticipation for the event 3 months later shot through the roof.
'I can't allow my current issues to interfere with the reunion I've been waiting so long for. Before the Grand Assembly, I at least need to make sure the Bloodlock Clan is suppressed to an extent.'
Damien didn't know who would be sent after him, but there was no doubt that someone was already following his trail and aiming to kill him.
That person needed to die, and anyone closely associated with them needed to die as well.
In the worst-case scenario, Immortal Blood Asura himself would become Damien's enemy rather than those below him, but since he was also bound by the restrictions on Demigods, this was likely a better scenario than Damien being constantly pursued by gravel.
Damien's eyes sharpened, flaring with determination.
'This time, I'll cut off any manageable loose ends. Anything or anyone that stands in my way…will die!'
A spark he felt like he'd lost some time ago revitalized, and as night fell, Damien left the Ancient God Clan's Hidden World without alerting anyone.
Only three people noticed his departure.
Di smiled to himself, reminiscing on the past. The similarities Damien showed to that person were uncanny, to the point where Di almost believed he was a direct reincarnation.
As for Ran, even she couldn't deny this fact. Complicated emotions swirled through her eyes, her thoughts unknown to anyone but her.
Besides these two, only Xinyue was somewhat appear of Damien's departure, even though she couldn't directly sense it. She stared into the night sky with complicated emotions that differed from Ran's.
The Ancient God Clan…
Would it really bow its head before a young genius like Damien?
In the end, only time would tell.
***
The Beast Domain was a vast sector with combat power ranking in the top 4 of all sectors. The Beast Domain's nature was feral, and even the ambient mana carried some of these wild tendencies.
In the eyes of more ruthless experts, the Beast Domain was the perfect training ground for both young and old geniuses, as it was a place where one could slaughter without remorse.
The Beast Domain's, a place synonymous with killing to the point where those residing within termed it the Slaughter Domain instead.
The Beast Domain was populated by several tens of thousands of smaller worlds with minor influences and populations, but there were only around 12 that had any significance.
On one of these 12 worlds, in a nondescript inn somewhere in the largest city, a cloaked figure sat quietly behind a mug of spirit lager. Their ears were perked as they listened to the surrounding conversations and gathered information.
This inn was particularly known to be a gathering place for informants, so the amount and quality of news one received were both questionable.
"Did you hear? The royal family is holding a marriage tournament for their youngest lady! The strongest competitor will get to marry the Slaughter Domain's little princess!" A man said.
"Hah? Little princess! Don't joke with me! Everyone knows that the little princess is a demon beyond all others! There's a reason the Emperor decided to marry her off so easily despite her status!" Someone responded.
The man shrank down as many judgemental gazes landed on him, but soon recovered.
"Hmph! Do you think I don't know that? Actually, even the Emperor is aware of how difficult his daughter is, so for this tournament, he put out the best rewards possible!"
At the mention of rewards, the atmosphere in the inn slightly shifted. Even though nobody moved, it was clear that the number of ears on the man had severely increased.
He puffed his chest in pride, raising his voice as he gained the confidence to speak.
"Even the 10th place winner can gain several resources and direct leveling fruits to aid their practice! The second and third place winners get to pick a treasure from the royal treasury along with their resources, and for first place…"
The man paused for emphasis, feeling several auras heighten in anticipation from the words he'd already spoken.
With a smug smile, he yelled, "The first place winner will be given official status and power in the royal family, and as a token of sincerity, they will receive a legendary treasure, the Genesis Bead, to help them in their future endeavors!"
Bang!
Several tables collapsed into dust, several people stood up in shock. The fact that the Genesis Bead was mentioned here, what were the chances?
"How sure are you of this information? If you lie to us, your end will not be peaceful." A burly man with an intimidating aura said, standing up and grabbing the handle of his axe.
However, the original speaker was unfazed. He reached into his shirt pocket and grabbed an emblem, thrusting it into the air for all to see.
"Actually, I have been hired by the royal family themselves to spread this news! The credibility absolutely cannot be doubted!"
As the crowd's gazes went to the emblem, a few shocked gasps rang out.
Indeed, the man was holding an official emblem of the royal family, making it clear that his words were backed by theirs.
And within seconds of him proving the validity of his words…
The inn erupted in chaos.
