The Ancient God Clan once had three treasures.
One was destroyed while the other only dealt with internal clan matters, leaving only the Genesis Bead with the ability to aid them against outside threats.
Unfortunately, the bead was lost as well.
It wasn't a matter of the Ancient God Clan being negligent. In fact, after the Alteron Star Cruiser's destruction, they guarded the Genesis Bead to the best of their capabilities.
How could they predict its theft? And after its theft, how could they retrieve it when it was passed around several times with no true owner for too long?
By the time the bead landed in the Golden Dragon Emperor's hands, the Ancient God Clan's situation had deteriorated, making it incredibly inconvenient for them to retrieve it.
Damien's existence was a slap to the clan's face, but Di and Ran, its leaders, understood how significant he was to their clan's fate.
Let alone revival, if he could reach the level of the Ancestor who originally created the Ancient God Clan, he could take them to higher heights than they'd ever imagined,
Therefore, both in convenience and to test him, they sent him to the Beast Domain to reclaim their lost treasure.
Did they doubt he could do it?
Not at all. No master of the Ancient God Clan could be so weak.
However, did they expect him to do it so fast?
And more than that—
"You did…WHAT?!"
Ran's voice was practically like the screech of an eagle as she stood up and slammed her hands down on the table.
Seated around it were Di, Damien, Elena, Xinyue, and Ran herself. They had only just reunited and begun their conversation, but she already felt like her head was going to explode.
"We sent you to retrieve our clan's artifact, yet you came back only to tell us that we cannot reclaim it at all?! What is this blasphemy?!"
Ran's roars weren't too big of an overreaction, all things considered.
Compared to her, Di was far more composed. Still, his usually unmoving face was currently crinkled in a complicated expression.
Of the three, only Xinyue showed no reaction at all. She merely looked between Damien and Elena, seemingly quietly assessing the situation.
Damien sighed and explained the entire story, starting from meeting Astoria and ending finally when he enslaved the Black Dragons.
The further the story went, the more the expressions of the three Ancient God Clansmen changed.
From intrigue to shock, from disgust to admiration, they absorbed the tales of the Great War of Beast Emperor Star and everything that came about as a result of it.
Including Elena's binding of the Genesis Bead.
At the end of the explanation, Elena directly stood up and bowed to the two clan leaders, expressing her apology.
"I still have no clue how or why the Genesis Bead bonded itself with me, but I had no intention of plundering your treasures. If there is anything I can do to compensate, I will try my best to do it," she said sincerely.
Ran ground her teeth, flashing Elena a glare that could burn a hole through the world itself, but she didn't speak.
Di glanced at Elena and shook his head softly. "The situation is different from what we originally assumed. Rather than binding the Genesis Bead, you were chosen by it. This is not something we can hold a grudge for."
The Genesis Bead, as a supreme treasure, had a rudimentary consciousness, which meant that while it couldn't communicate or articulate itself, it could choose its owner.
In terms of intelligence, it was barely lower than Mirage.
Nevertheless, the Genesis Bead never bound itself to an Ancient God Clan member no matter how much time passed. It only ever allowed them to use its base capabilities, which still boosted their overall strength tremendously.
For it to bind with Elena meant it was ready to show its true form and true worth.
"It is both a blessing for the individual and a terrible omen for the state of the universe. I am beginning to worry about what will happen during this Grand Assembly," Di muttered.
Looking at Damien and Elena, he continued, "This matter cannot be solved simply, but we can at least put aside the more detailed conversations until the current hurdle is crossed. Until then, Miss Elena, please do not underestimate the Genesis Bead. Since it has chosen you, you must not allow it to wallow in mediocrity."
Elena nodded firmly in acknowledgment, silently sensing the bead that resided in her body.
Meanwhile, Damien continued the conversation, steering it away from his and Elena's blunder now that the air had been slightly cleared up.
"What's the plan?" He asked.
"We are already prepared to set out. We were only awaiting your arrival. Now that you are here, we can leave at any time."
Damien nodded. "The Grand Assembly is only 3 days away, right? Can your starship make it in time?"
"Naturally it would be difficult for a starship to make such a trip, but is that not where you come in?"
"Aha, so the plan was always to abuse my power."
"This is not abuse in any sense. This is merely you doing your duty for your subordinates. Isn't that right, 'Lord Damien.'"
Di's voice was laced with just a hint of sarcasm that made Damien's expression wry.
'Weren't you supposed to accept me after I— oh wait, I totally failed the task they gave me, didn't I…'
'Oh well, it is what it is.'
Damien shrugged.
"5 days to get to the Divine Realm…how big is the starship?"
"Not large. It is just enough to contain 4 of us, as well as one more genius from the Clan."
"I see, so Ran is staying?"
"Don't speak my name so casually! But yes, I will not be attending. This time, each influence can only bring 5 geniuses and 5 elders. You should be thankful that two of those spots are being granted to you," Ran interrupted haughtily.
"Ah, actually, I don't need one. You can use mine for another genius."
"Wha-?! You…!"
"I dropped down a lot in the time I spent away, but I'm still top 50 on the Dimensional Leaderboard. I already have an entry quota." Damien said nonchalantly.
"H-huh?"
Ran's eyes widened slightly, making it clear that she had no foreknowledge of this fact.
Damien glanced at Di, who shook his head in defeat.
Even he couldn't control her behavior. Since she disregarded Damien from the beginning, she didn't bother doing any research on him.
Damien sighed to himself. "You probably need time to choose a third genius, so let's set out tomorrow. Until then, me and Elena will go elsewhere to prepare."
Damien glanced at Elena, who nodded back at him with a smile. Taking her hand, he vanished from the Ancient God Clan, entering the Sanctuary for a period of last-minute adjustment.
After all, no matter how big of an event the Grand Assembly was to the universe as a whole, it was even bigger to Damien.
Because this event…
This event was the place where he would finally reunite with everyone from the Human Domain.
His anticipation was practically explosive.
