The Nascent Sacred Artifact

Silvery moonlight burst forth from the rock, scattering shrapnel and debris in a torrential downpour. The Dragon God, gravely wounded, could only watch the sudden upheaval helplessly, shielded by his Royal Guard.

The Pontiff, however, was at his peak. With a flick of his finger, he lightly tapped the Golden Circlet of the Divine on his forehead, and the earth around Moon Lake surged skyward, forming layered earthen ramparts that utterly nullified the terrifying shockwave of the explosion! He truly lived up to his renown as the Divine's representative in the mortal realm!

"This Moon Lake truly harbors some peculiar secrets... Eh!? Battle God of War, encircle Moon Lake at once!"

The Pontiff's heart, calm as still water for years, had been shaken far too many times today... First, by Du Chen, the Divine, with his unfathomable depths, and then by the utterly incredible spectacle that emerged after the rock's detonation, a sight that even a god would find bewildering!

Almost simultaneously, the Dragon God, enduring his weakened state, roared, "Thorog, lead the Dragon God's Royal Guard and surround Moon Lake!"

"Wait!"

The Aqua Cloud Divine Envoys, who had been observing the decisive battle from their newly established camp, suddenly appeared. Donna sprinted to the edge of Moon Lake, her eyes fixed on the object revealed by the rock's explosion, and exclaimed, "It belongs to my Divine!"

With three major factions now focusing on the depths of Moon Lake, the tension in the air instantly became palpable!

The conflict, which had just subsided, seemed poised to reignite, especially now with Margaret, the Aqua Cloud Divine Envoy of Water's Embrace Lake, joining the fray!

All this arose because the rock had burst open, unveiling an object before everyone's astonished eyes!

The black rock, a discarded sacred artifact of war, had originally resembled a somber, gigantic egg resting on the bed of Moon Lake. Now, after the explosion, the lower half of the 'egg' remained perfectly intact, while its upper half had been shorn into a smooth platform, as if carved by a blade.

The platform gleamed silvery-white, reflecting the dazzling moonlight, a stark contrast to the colossal egg's dark, obsidian shell. At the very center of this platform, a peculiar small object protruded!

This peculiar object was black, roughly the size of a human head, resembling a polished disc with sharp edges. An iron rod at its base firmly connected it to the gigantic egg, while at the center of the black disc, a silvery-white filigree pattern depicted a crossed sword and axe, a sight that sent shivers down one's spine!

If only this had been all, it wouldn't have been enough to truly astonish them!

Yet, almost at the precise moment this disc appeared, the Golden Circlet of the Divine on the Pontiff's head, the Dragon God's Scepter (which had just been retrieved after the Dragon God fell), Deboning's Blade of Vanishing Moon's Deadwater at his waist, Zigurd's Thorned Water Ring, Du Chen's Vanishing Snow Sword, Mas's Blood Axe, Thorog's Golden Blade... *all* sacred artifacts began to hum!

It was the hum of submission!

In that instant, it was as if a sovereign among sacred artifacts had descended upon the world, compelling every other sacred artifact to kneel in deference!

Du Chen also fixated on this newly emerged object, when he heard Beibei ask, "Papa, why did the rock explode as soon as Andy cried out?"

"Andy caused the explosion? That's highly unlikely. The din was chaotic just now, with too many people shouting. It couldn't have been Andy, could it?!" Du Chen's brow furrowed, his gaze glued to the disc. "Beibei, never mind Andy for now! Have Uncle Aliza take Andy to a safe place to sleep! Then come back with Brook... By the old man's beard! If your old man isn't mistaken, this thing is a sacred artifact far superior to the Aqua Cloud Banner, the Dragon God's Scepter, or even the Golden Circlet of the Divine!"

A Ninth-rank sacred artifact restored Zigurd's strength, making him even mightier than before. A Tenth-rank sacred artifact allowed Deboning to ascend to godhood ten times faster! So, what would happen when a sacred artifact of a rank higher than Tenth appeared!?

A Transcendent-tier sacred artifact revealed to the world, and the attitude of the gods?! Two simple words — sheer madness!

Divine Envoy Donna made the first move, glaring fiercely at the other two factions. "Since it appeared before me, then my Divine has the right to attempt communication and acknowledge mastery—that is the rule among Battle Gods! Pontiff, Dragon God, please help us carry this object to our camp! Once we locate the map, we shall personally deliver it before my Divine!"

The gravely wounded Dragon God struggled to move, but shot Thorog a sharp glance. Thorog immediately roared, "Divine Envoy Donna, have you forgotten who the master of Eye of Heaven Forest is? When a sacred artifact appears in the master's domain, what right does a guest have to be the first to attempt communication!?"

As he spoke, hundreds of colossal dragons slowly descended from the sky, shrouding the parched Moon Lake like an ominous cloud, drawing ever closer to the nascent sacred artifact!

The Pontiff maintained his amiable and kind demeanor, but a cold sneer twisted his heart. *The Divine Envoy has lost her Aqua Cloud Banner, the Dragon God is gravely wounded, and Du Chen, the Divine, was unlucky enough not to witness the unearthed sacred artifact! Hmph, at this moment in Eye of Heaven Forest, I, Sama IX, am the strongest!*

He slowly raised his hand. "Divine Envoy Donna, Venerable Divine Margaret is noble and extraordinary, and I hold her in high regard! But she is also a woman of reason! Thorog is correct; how can a guest preempt the master!?" His arm fell heavily, and the Papal Curia's Black-armored Warriors surged forward with shouts.

The Pontiff continued, "Dragon God, the Dragon Clan has already been defeated in the Five-Battle Pact! As per our pre-war agreement, it is time for you to leave Eye of Heaven Forest! From this moment forth, Eye of Heaven Forest shall be declared the exclusive territory of my Holy Church!"

Du Chen, standing beside the Pontiff, cast a disdainful glance at Donna. "Divine Envoy Donna, His Majesty speaks wisely! If it is as you say, then wouldn't I, Francis, the Divine Envoy of Du Chen, also be qualified to present this sacred artifact to Du Chen, the Divine, first!?"

Deboning stepped behind Du Chen, his Blade of Vanishing Moon's Deadwater openly displayed at his waist before the Aqua Cloud Divine Envoys!

The Dragon Clan advanced toward the nascent sacred artifact, the Papal Curia advanced toward it, Donna refused to halt her steps, and Du Chen's cold gaze remained fixed on the disc!

Just as a chaotic brawl seemed imminent, Du Chen suddenly cleared his throat. With a pleasant expression, he chuckled, "Your Majesty, Dragon God, Divine Envoy Donna! All three of you are divinities, or represent them, but allow me to utter a disrespectful truth—who this sacred artifact ultimately belongs to is not for you to decide..."

Several sharp gazes simultaneously fixed on Du Chen. Donna retorted coldly, "Are *you* then the one to decide!?"

"Of course, what *I* say certainly doesn't count for more! The true decider should be the sacred artifact itself, shouldn't it?" Du Chen rubbed his nose, striding boldly into the center of the three factions, pointing at the disc. "As everyone can see, this appears to be an unmastered sacred artifact. Anyone wishing to claim it must first successfully communicate with its artifact spirit, right? But who among us can guarantee successful communication with such an artifact? Therefore, I say the ownership of the sacred artifact should be determined by its own will!"

Indeed, even when Deboning acquired the Aqua Cloud Banner, it was only after successful communication! Though, with Du Chen's assistance, that "communication" was merely a formality!

Without Du Chen's help, however, communicating with a sacred artifact required not only immense power but also a great deal of luck!

What everyone was now vying for was the prerogative to be the first to communicate with this nascent sacred artifact!

Donna scoffed, "Everything you're saying is utter nonsense! My Divine should possess the prerogative to communicate with this sacred artifact first!"

Du Chen smiled faintly. "Divine Envoy Donna, mind your words, or else Du Chen, the Divine, might chide you for insulting his Divine Envoy..." Speaking these words now, Du Chen felt completely justified! "Ahem! Esteemed sirs and madams, tonight has seen continuous battles, Eye of Heaven Forest has suffered damage, and Moon Lake has even run dry... Everyone must be exhausted. How about we rest for the night and discuss this sacred artifact tomorrow instead!?"

A temporary respite was needed; too much had transpired tonight. Everyone required time to reassess the situation and make their judgments. Furthermore, rushing into a thoughtless melee immediately would certainly not serve anyone's best interests!

If they were to fight, they would at least need to re-group, clarify allies and enemies. Otherwise, with four distinct factions present, a battle would descend into utter chaos!

Donna's faction was currently the weakest, so she was the first to nod in agreement!

The gravely wounded Dragon God conveyed his assent to Thorog with a look. The Pontiff weighed the pros and cons; although he held the absolute upper hand at the moment, seizing the sacred artifact would necessitate an all-out war with the Dragon Clan... Reflecting on this, he too nodded.

Under mutual surveillance, everyone departed Moon Lake. However, the Papal Curia left the Battle God of War and five hundred Black-armored Warriors to guard the southern bank, while the Dragon God left one hundred Dragon God's Royal Guard to guard the northern bank! As for the Aqua Cloud Divine Envoys, they simply settled by the shore!

Returning to Eye of Heaven Temple, the Pontiff seemingly forgot about the nascent sacred artifact for the moment, engaging in an amiable conversation with Du Chen, uttering words of high praise for Du Chen, the Divine.

As the two spoke, Mas walked in, head bowed and hands clasped over it, a rather comical sight. "Old One, I've come to confess my sins!"

"Oh? What transgression have you committed?" the Pontiff asked nonchalantly.

"I, I failed to uncover the true nature of Moon Lake, leading to tonight's unforeseen incident!" Mas mumbled, "But, but it truly wasn't my fault! Three Godfathers, along with hundreds of men, investigated it together. No one discovered a sacred artifact hidden within that black rock!"

*It's not your fault, truly not your fault!* Du Chen thought to himself. *Even Deboning was mistaken; how could a newly advanced Ninth-rank Battle God be expected to see through it!?*

The Pontiff waved his hand. "You may go! Recalling the circumstances, that black rock must have been an extremely high-grade treasure, capable of evading even my senses... If not for the Dragon God's Moonfire stimulating it, we might never have seen this nascent sacred artifact!"

"So I'm in the clear then? Heh, by the venerable one!" Mas scratched the back of his head, walking away cheerfully. "Ow, my mama! Who was that!? Walking without looking where you're going!"

Mas stumbled into someone at the doorway. Seeing who it was and their sorry state, Mas gasped, "By the venerable one! Shadow Godfather, weren't you supposed to be with Constantine, ambushing the Dragon Clan? Why are you back all wounded!? Where are the brothers you brought!?"

The Shadow Godfather completely ignored Mas, staggering to the Pontiff and prostrating himself. "Your Majesty, I was ambushed on the outskirts of Mount Miglio! My three hundred Shadow Legionnaires were utterly annihilated! Constantine was abducted! The opponent..."