From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

Byrne took a deep breath.

Almost from the beginning, Viscount Bast had informed himself that this was a mutually beneficial transaction, and he had not once deceived himself. Moreover, the Lion clan had indeed helped the Fischer family greatly.

Without the assistance of the Lion clan, the Fischer family would never have been able to develop to its current state, and everyone knew this.

He also understood the urgency of the other party. Even though Viscount Bast had not shown any trace of coercion in his tone just now, so many people were waiting here; how could he possibly not open the door? It would undoubtedly offend everyone.

"Lord Bast, how could I possibly not repay the kindness you have always shown to the Fischer family?"

He took a deep breath, slowly stepped forward, then turned his head to look at Viscount Bast, his eyes filled with determination.

"Please tell me what to do."

Viscount Bast nodded lightly and said calmly, "It's simple. You just need to come to the palace doors, extend your hands to push them, and then stay still."

"No matter what happens, you mustn't move. Trust me!"

He paused for a moment before continuing:

"Your Destiny's Trajectory is 'Treasure Key.' You may not yet know the mysterious knowledge about destiny, but let me make it clear, 'Treasure Key' is a very important destiny. Whether it is breaking through various challenges or playing a crucial role at key moments, you will find it much easier than ordinary people."

"And in the Spirit Realm, your destiny 'key' further materializes. It can consume lifespan to exert its true effect... to open all doors, with lifespan as the price."

My destiny is the 'Treasure Key'?

Byrne carefully recalled everything he had experienced before, and it seemed to be true; every time he faced various challenges and bottlenecks, he was always able to break through relatively easily.

So this was the special aspect of his own destiny.

"I understand."

He nodded slowly, approached the majestic palace made of amethyst, and extended his hand to try pushing open the doors of the amethyst palace.

Suddenly, Byrne felt a strong attraction emanating from the palace doors, and something within him seemed to be slowly draining away.

The feeling was terribly frightening, and instinctively, Byrne wanted to retreat.

But recalling what Viscount Bast had just said, he resisted the urge to step back.

White strands gradually appeared in Byrne's hair, his temples turning progressively grey, as years upon years of his lifespan were absorbed by the amethyst palace.

"Creak!"

In the astonished eyes of everyone, the majestic amethyst palace doors slowly opened!

The suction finally disappeared.

"It worked..."

Byrne released his hands and knelt on one knee, feeling extremely uncomfortable all over, as if the most fundamental strength had been sapped away by something invisible.

Then, a strong, aged hand gently pulled him up.

"Come, Byrne Fischer! Our great hero, stand up!"

Viscount Bast smiled, gradually helping the kneeling Byrne to his feet, his gaze showing much affection.

The weakened Byrne took a deep breath, feeling a sudden sense of relief deep inside. At last, he could be sure of one thing.

Even if his usefulness had ended, Viscount Bast's preferential treatment towards him and the Fischer family would not change.

Although it had been a relationship of mutual use from the beginning, Byrne now faintly felt that deep in his heart, Viscount Bast also held genuine affection for him.

As people entered through the palace doors, they arrived in a huge hall supported by purple crystal pillars. The ceiling of the hall was adorned with sparkling crystal chandeliers, casting enchanting purple light and shadows into every corner.

The palace's interior design and decorations were all of purple crystal, richly luxurious and mysterious, with walls inlaid with crystals of various shapes, full of unpredictable luminescence.

In the center, they found a purple crystal throne endowed with endless power, so lavish and majestic that it made people hesitate to look at it for too long.

"We've entered, this Spirit Realm palace truly seems to be a sacred and extraordinary place! Do they really not belong to anyone? Could there be people living here?"

"There are pathways leading down on both sides of the hall. Which way should we go?"

All the Extraordinary Exponents were filled with excitement; this was their first time in the legendary Spirit Realm palace. It was said that within every Spirit Realm palace lay many Forbidden knowledge and Spirit Realm secret treasures, and obtaining even one or two of these would be an immense gain!

Viscount Bast gazed deeply at the amethyst throne, murmuring to himself.

"This is the palace."

"All these years of planning, and finally, the wait is over... splendid, hehe."

He suddenly reached out and grabbed Byrne's shoulder.

"Byrne, thank you. Before we proceed, there are things we must do."

"Hmm?"

Byrne immediately sensed that there was something off with Viscount Bast's eyes, which were filled with a severity that had never been there before.

Then, Viscount Bast slowly turned to face the dozen or so Extraordinary Exponents present.

His eyes were steely, sending chills deep within everyone's hearts.

People realized that even though they might be high-level Transmutation Exponents in the Metamorphosis Phase, no one had ever possessed the terrifying aura of Viscount Bast!

Besides Viscount Bast's two brothers, everybody else's complexion changed.

Although there were a dozen Transmutation Extraordinary Exponents present, they felt as though they were collectively surrounded by Viscount Bast alone, and none dared to make a move.

The old man with silver-white hair let out a cold chuckle, then said loudly:

"Among you, there are those who have betrayed me, cast aside their pitiful scraps of dignity, and despicably defected to the Eagle clan's 'Viscount Black Hawk' Zavier!"

"I cannot forgive betrayal, and I will judge the traitors among you right here!"

——

In another part of the Spirit Realm, on a Spirit Realm island.

A group of Extraordinary Exponents was searching for the Gate of Nature; they were using "Path Divination" from the prophecy spell to locate it, much less efficiently than Viscount Bast's magical pointer.

A female Extraordinary Exponent asked:

"Nature, Order, Authority - after passing through these three gates, can we reach the amethyst palace?"

Another Extraordinary Exponent dressed in a dark blue robe, who was the leader of the group, shook his head slowly and said calmly, "No, it's not that simple."

"Even if we get through those three gates, we only have a thirty percent chance of reaching the palace in the end.

"However, according to the prophecy spell, today's alignment of stars is known as the 'Lone Wolf Aspect,' undoubtedly the best day to head to the palace in the last several decades."

"So, we must make the most of our time today."

This five-person team of Extraordinary Exponents belonged to a top-level secret organization spread across the Claud World called the "Primordial Tree," primarily active in the Seven Stars Empire and the Lorne Empire through the "Spiritual Tunic Secret Priory."

A middle-aged man dressed in a blue robe, with short even hair and six symmetrical patterns on his face, occasionally had blue flames flickering in his eyes.

This man was the deputy leader of the Spiritual Tunic Secret Priory, with the strength of a low-level Monarch. Even within the Seven Stars and Lorne empires, he was considered a formidable power.

The Spiritual Tunic Secret Priory was a wickedly secretive organization, founded only a short decade ago, its members comprised of outlawed Extraordinary Exponents and defectors from the church.

Their leader, known as the "Spiritual Tunic Sage", had obtained a terrifying piece of forbidden knowledge from the Spirit Realm a decade ago—the "Spirit Suppressing Straitjacket."

The members of the Spiritual Tunic Secret Priory had also learned this forbidden knowledge taught by the "Spiritual Tunic Sage", gaining the horrifying power to craft souls into spiritual tunics for their own use—the "Spirit Suppressing Straitjacket."

By activating different "spiritual tunics," they could transform into the likeness of the deceased, and even wield the most powerful extraordinary powers the deceased had in life.

Although the level of those extraordinary powers greatly diminished, and the "spiritual tunics" had a limited number of uses, the "Spirit Suppressing Straitjacket" remained a dreadfully horrifying piece of forbidden knowledge!

They had become highly active both in Lorne and the Seven Stars, already the target of a severe crackdown by both empires and several large churches.

Among the five members of the Spiritual Tunic Secret Priory, a bald member suddenly turned to the deputy leader and asked:

"Speaking of which, if today is the best day in decades to head to the palace, and so many people in the Claud World venture into the Spirit Realm, is it possible that others also know of its existence and will arrive there on the same day?"

"There is indeed such a possibility."

The deputy leader didn't deny it; he simply nodded calmly and said:

"No matter, if we encounter other competitors, we'll just kill them all."