Seraph!
One of the three Archangels of the Angelic Kingdom, named Fulucius, possessed unfathomable cultivation. Even though what appeared now was merely a divine soul manifestation with only forty percent of his strength, it was still beyond the capabilities of ordinary Xiantian realm cultivators.
"Darth, what happened?"
Fulucius stood tall in the sky, his dark purple aura burning like flames. His eyes, resembling an abyss, cast but a sliver of a glance, and the entire sky seemed to compress. Most individuals could not bear to look up at him.
"Teacher, this is what happened..."
A moment later, Darth recounted all the preceding events.
"Interesting!"
Upon hearing this, Fulucius shifted his gaze, which then fell upon Lolya. Seeing this holy Moon Elf, the formed manifestation's true appearance clearly surprised him.
"Little girl, are you willing to enter my divine kingdom?"
He actually extended an invitation the moment he spoke. This caused Darth's expression to darken subtly, shadows swirling in his eyes.
"Oh!"
Hearing this, Lolya, whether due to surprise or some other reason, tilted the corners of her lips upwards. The moonlight across the land seemed to come alive at that moment:
"You want me to join the Angelic Kingdom, but don't you need to show some sincerity?"
Show some sincerity?
The moment these words were uttered, the faces of many members of the Angelic Kingdom twitched. They stared at Lolya in shock, doubting if they had misheard.
Who was Fulucius?
He was one of the three most powerful figures in the Angelic Kingdom. To be favored by him was a grand opportunity many dreamed of but never attained. And now, someone actually demanded that Lord Fulucius show sincerity. Wasn't that too arrogant?
"Hahaha! Little girl, do you know who I am?" Fulucius was not angry, but he laughed heartily and continued, "Very well! I can promise you this: as long as you are willing to join my divine kingdom, you can become the successor of the new Seraph, the supreme Goddess, how about it?"
Seraph Goddess!
"Wh-what?"
Darth's mind reeled upon hearing this, as if countless thunderbolts raged within his head. His eyes widened, and his face turned ashen. His own teacher was willing to depose him from his position as Divine Son to win over the Queen of Britain, asking her to take his place and become the successor Goddess. How could he accept this?
"Teacher, you..."
"Silence!"
Just as Darth was about to speak, he was silenced by a cold glare from Fulucius: "Our Angelic Kingdom has always revered strength. All status and resources belong to the capable."
"Darth, do you understand?"
As the last syllable fell, the sound waves seemed to carry an absolute pressure, causing Darth's previously straight back to instantly bend.
"Yes... Yes! Student... understands!"
Darth gritted his teeth, enduring the pressure, lowered his head, and said in a deep voice.
Seeing this, Fulucius paid him no further attention and turned back to Lolya, smiling, "How is my sincerity?"
Undeniably, the conditions offered by Fulucius were indeed tempting. Within the entire Outer Realm, perhaps few could refuse. The Goddess of the Angelic Kingdom held the highest status. Within the divine kingdom, apart from the three Archangels, almost no one could compare to her.
But could this move Lolya?
"A Goddess! This title sounds quite noble!" Lolya met Fulucius's gaze and smiled faintly, "However, in the Temple of Destiny, I am the Divine King! This Goddess position seems a rank lower!"
Temple of Destiny?
"???"
Fulucius had never heard of it. Did such a power exist in the Outer Realm? At the very least, it was not among the eight super-powers.
"Little girl, are you mocking me?"
Fulucius's expression turned grim. Comparing the Angelic Kingdom to some insignificant temple was nothing short of an insult.
"Oh my! You discovered it!"
Lolya giggled playfully, seeming a little embarrassed.
"Damn it!"
Killing intent flashed in Fulucius's eyes. As an Archangel, who dared to trifle with him?
Rumble!
Five pairs of angelic wings suddenly unfurled, emanating a despair-inducing pressure that obscured the sun and moon, chilling countless beings. The entire space was filled with a dark purple energy.
"No one dares to provoke the Angelic Kingdom!"
Fulucius roared. He opened his five fingers, ancient runes entwined around his palm, shifting unpredictably. The space before him began to crack.
"Imprison!"
With a wave of his massive hand, chains of order, forged from spatial energy, materialized and coiled towards Lolya. At the Xiantian realm, one could begin to touch upon the Dao of Space. However, to achieve any significant mastery in this Dao required exceptional talent and comprehension. Otherwise, even a century would be in vain. The fact that Fulucius could condense spatial chains proved his mastery in this regard.
Facing the chains imbued with sealing power, Lolya dared not underestimate them this time. Her cultivation was only at the Yuansoul realm, a vast difference from his. A single lapse could lead to eternal damnation.
"Repel!"
Lolya waved her jade-like hand. The pure golden energy in her palm danced, transforming into strands of golden light that directly met the spatial chains before her.
"Naive! Spatial energy is formless; your power cannot possibly touch... What?"
Just as a hint of disdain crossed Fulucius's eyes, the scene before him shattered his understanding. The spatial chains he had conjured, upon contact with the golden energy, actually retreated, ceasing their advance.
"This... How is this possible?"
Fulucius couldn't believe what he was seeing. His manifestation took a step back, his pupils wide, filled with shock and confusion. How could a Yuansoul realm cultivator repel his spatial power? Even Xiantian realm experts could not achieve this so easily. Yet, this was happening before his very eyes.
*Whoosh!*
Lolya took a deep breath. A bead or two of sweat appeared on her forehead. Although she had repelled the spatial chains, it was clearly not as effortless as she appeared.
"Ultimately, the cultivation difference is too great!" she mused internally.
Little did she know how preposterous it was for someone at the Yuansoul realm to contend with a Xiantian realm expert. They were not even on the same dimensional plane. A Yuanxin realm cultivator might struggle but could potentially defeat a Yuansoul realm cultivator. However, Yuansoul against Xiantian was like heaven and earth; they were incomparable. The Xiantian realm possessed overwhelmingly superior strength. Yet, Lolya felt a sense of disappointment for merely fending off an attack from a Xiantian realm expert, a sentiment that would make others despair if they knew.
Of course, the most deeply affected was Fulucius, the Archangel of the Angelic Kingdom.
"No... I don't believe it!"
Fulucius's face contorted, his aura becoming increasingly violent and ferocious. With a single step, the space beneath him instantly shattered. He cupped his hands, and a massive, dark purple holy sword gradually materialized.
"Angelic Holy Sword!"
He directly unleashed his ultimate move. Compared to the angelic sword wielded by Baal earlier, the holy sword condensed by Fulucius was far more substantial. The mere sword aura it exuded was enough to cleave space; it was terrifyingly potent. Fulucius was now in a state of enraged fury. His goal was no longer to recruit Lolya, but to utterly annihilate her.
"Die!"
With a single sword strike, the space separating Fulucius and Lolya instantly became a chasm. Where the holy sword passed, all things were extinguished. Facing such a terrifying attack, Lolya did not choose to meet it head-on. She had already prepared.
"Weiss!"
She called out softly. The moment her voice faded, several figures suddenly appeared before Lolya. The leader was the Commander of the Destiny Guard, Weiss.
"Hexagonal Soul Locking Formation, activate!"
Weiss roared, and the other five figures took their positions. They rapidly formed hand seals, echoing and connecting with each other. Instantly, a pillar of light materialized, with the six of them forming the eyes of a formation, creating a massive hexagonal star shape.
Once this formation was unleashed, it directly trapped Fulucius within. The Angelic Holy Sword he wielded was dissolved by the mysterious runes within the formation, its destructive energy vanishing like a stone dropped into the ocean, causing not even a ripple.
"Damn it! What formation is this?"
Fulucius, trapped within the formation, his face contorted in shock. He frantically scanned his surroundings, a sense of unease welling up within him. He sensed that the divine soul power remaining in this manifestation was being eroded, gradually losing its strength.
"This is a formation specifically targeting divine souls!" Fulucius exclaimed in alarm.
Only now did he realize he had fallen into a trap.
"I must escape! I must escape!"
Fear gnawed at Fulucius. Without further thought, he pressed his palms together, his face contorted, and he roared,
"Heavenly Blessing!"
However, after casting the incantation, he found no holy light descending from the sky. His prayer for angelic blessings went unanswered.
"Damn it, this formation actually isolates worldly power!"
His heart sank to the abyss.
"Darth, quickly stop them!"
Fulucius felt the aura of danger drawing nearer and could only find a way to break the formation from the outside. Only then could his divine soul power avoid suppression.
Upon hearing his command, Darth snapped out of his shock. However, a trace of resentment still lingered in the depths of his eyes. He had not forgotten the preceding events. Nevertheless, Darth dared not show any abnormality now and could only act as Fulucius ordered.
"Everyone, with me, destroy the formation!"
Darth waved his hand, and all the Angelic Kingdom members behind him charged madly towards the six figures led by Weiss.
But was it truly as they wished?
"Destiny Guards, full deployment!"
Lolya surveyed the entire situation, unwilling to give them any chance. As her voice fell, dozens more figures emerged from around the palace, each radiating a terrifying aura. The weakest among them was at the Shiyuan realm. Moreover, there were three Yuansoul realm experts. This was the true core strength of the Temple of Destiny.
"What?"
Seeing this group appear, Darth's head reeled. The Angelic Kingdom members behind him stared blankly, as if they had seen ghosts. How could they fight? Their side, including Baal who had already lost the will to fight, only had two eight-winged angels (Yuansoul realm). Their opponents, excluding the terrifying Queen of Britain, had three top-tier combatants. This was a complete mismatch.
"Divine... Divine Son, sir, what... what do we do?" a subordinate asked tremblingly.
"..."
Darth felt like cursing. What did he know about what to do?
Meanwhile, Fulucius, trapped within the Hexagonal Soul Locking Formation, felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing the Destiny Guards, a sense of despair creeping in. He had not anticipated that they possessed such a formidable force.
"Damn it! Who are you?"
Fulucius was not foolish. He immediately understood that the opposing party was extraordinary. How could a mere earthly power cultivate so many experts?
"Archangel, you don't need to know who we are!" Lolya smiled faintly, fully embodying the wisdom goddess. "You only need to know that we intend to borrow your divine soul's power."
Divine soul power!
This was Lolya's true objective.
"Wh-what?"
Upon hearing this, Fulucius, as a manifestation, couldn't help but tremble. The enemy's scheme far exceeded his expectations. He himself was the target. Despair and terror spread wildly within this Archangel's heart.
"No! I will never let you succeed, never!"
"Ah!"
Fulucius's face twisted. He recklessly mobilized all the power within him, his entire being seemingly driven mad. The aura emanating from his divine soul manifestation permeated every corner of the formation, seeking to drag them down with him.
"He's burning his divine soul power!"
Lolya's eyebrows furrowed slightly, touched by Fulucius's decisiveness. Compared to having his divine soul power controlled, Fulucius chose to burn it to ashes, even if it meant severe injury to his true self.
"Weiss, accelerate the soul locking!" Lolya commanded with a deep voice. She had finally caught a big fish from the Angelic Kingdom, and she wouldn't let it go so easily.
"Yes!"
The Destiny Guards, stationed at each formation eye, deployed all their strength, merging it into the formation. Instantly, brilliant light filled the sky, and the hexagonal star beneath them became even more radiant. Even the moonlight lost its luster.
"Ah... No!"
Fulucius, who was frantically burning his divine soul power, suddenly stiffened, gradually losing control of his body. A trace of divine soul power still remained within this manifestation. But now, he was powerless to burn it and could only watch as it was controlled. This was utter despair.
"The Angelic Kingdom will not forgive you, absolutely... not!"
With a final roar, Fulucius's manifestation began to dissolve, eventually condensing into a divine soul flame. Within the flame, the last shred of divine soul power was preserved.
Lolya beckoned, and the divine soul flame floated into her palm. She smiled with relief,
"Job done!"