Above the Divine Empire, there is the Divine Court!

Hidden within it are plans and schemes that span across epochs, but Aurek currently has no time to dwell on them.

His immediate concerns are twofold: first, to uncover the secret hidden within, and second, to expedite all preparations.

This urgency stems from another matter mentioned in the ancient texts.

It seems a great upheaval is about to occur in the Endless Starry Sea!

What exactly is happening?

The records provide no answer.

The most crucial part of the ancient text was destroyed by the White Lady.

This made Aurek frown slightly.

The White Lady's origins and intentions were indeed far more complex than what she had revealed.

After learning this information, Aurek began to reassess his own plans and strategy.

He took out three items: the Shadow Stone, the Rule-Engraved Pebble, and the Ancient Star Beast Bone.

The Ancient Star Beast Bone was a true fragment of an ancient mythical creature, a piece of the World Turtle's shell.

The natural patterns on it were similar to those found on the Divine Carapace he had obtained previously.

If the essence of this bone were melted and embedded into the Divine Carapace, it could significantly enhance the overall defense level of the armor.

After all, the World Turtle in mythology was at least at the Saint Lord level, and its shell was its core defense.

Even a small fragment could, when powered by the Divine Carapace's turtle essence, possibly withstand an attack from a Divine Oracle.

The giant elephant demon race did not have the turtle essence and could not use it, but for Aurek, who possessed the Divine Carapace, this was an extraordinary opportunity.

This also reminded him of the valuable items contributed by Sacco!

The Shadow Stone and Rule-Engraved Pebble were likely some sort of rare, celestial artifacts that could be used to forge divine weapons.

Many of the sanctuaries were constructed from Celestial Divine Gold, which was one of the core materials of the Divine Sanctuary.

Aurek planned to use these materials as the foundation, mixing in some scraps from the sanctuaries, to forge his own weapon.

He would then inscribe the divine scripts he had learned from the Gold Giant Gate and the laws of the Eura continent onto it.

"The earth-shattering secret..."

Aurek put away the two mysterious objects and once again used his mind power to carefully scan every corner of the Divine Sanctuary.

He had not expected that this Divine Sanctuary would be connected to so many shocking forbidden events.

It even contained a secret that led to the fall of the Divine Court, and yet, after taking control of the Divine Sanctuary, he had failed to notice it.

While the potential upheaval in the Endless Starry Sea required caution, the entities at that level had not yet reached the Eura continent.

The so-called "body world" had not truly descended, and the entrance to the Abyssal Demon Realm was already under the empire's control.

The remaining risks came from the starry skies beyond.

If the enemy did indeed come from beyond the stars, it would be troublesome.

However, with the Cosmic Spirit Scroll now in his possession, he could temporarily obscure Eura's presence and isolate it from the starry skies.

It was time to reorganize and actively investigate the secrets of the Divine Sanctuary.

Now that he had a powerful trump card with the Soul Warlock army and other forces, the empire would not simply be on the defensive. In fact, it might even use this as a springboard to extend its influence into the Endless Starry Sea.

Despite the challenges ahead, even with the towering God Mountain in the way, Aurek's ambition and resolve remained unwavering.

As he continued to use his mind power to meticulously explore every possible hidden secret within the Divine Sanctuary, he meditated and seized the opportunity to break through to the Sage King rank!

With the territory of the Dawonru Empire being conquered and integrated into the empire, the power of the Crossbridge Empire had surged by over ten times!

The imperial shadow manifested by the empire's strength grew increasingly solid, standing with great authority over Eryndor City.

The empire's enhanced strength allowed Aurek to command and channel the origin power more effectively.

Another notable benefit:

Now, even if he were in the Abyssal Demon Realm, he could still call upon a significant portion of the empire's national fortune to augment himself.

With his current foundation and the added national fortune, he was confident that, even as a quasi-Sage King, he could challenge a typical Sacred Radiance rank!

At the same time, newly cultivated armies were deployed to reinforce the Abyssal Demon Realm.

Other portions were stationed at various layers of the Divine Sanctuary, always prepared to counter threats from the God Realm or other unknown directions.

...

Aurek's immense mind power carefully scanned every inch of the Aetherian Sanctuary, inside and out, yet still failed to uncover the legendary earth-shattering secret!

Its existence had become shrouded in mystery, impossible to verify.

Additionally, the core origin of the Divine Sanctuary's supreme rules was still beyond Aurek's ability to fully absorb.

He could only wait until his rank rose once more to attempt it.

Perhaps, by that time, the existence of the secret within the Divine Sanctuary would become clear.

For now, the Gold Giant Gate, forged from Celestial Divine Gold and inscribed with countless ancient divine scripts and supreme rules, stood guard over the empire's core.

This served as a solid guarantee.

Even a Sage Lord-level expert would find it impossible to forcibly invade.

However, controlling the Divine Sanctuary also meant that Aurek was inevitably drawn into a massive whirlpool that might span multiple epochs.

To face the challenges that might arise, he would need even greater power and deeper strategies.

In the time that followed, Aurek focused all his energy on advancing to the Sage King rank!

...

Abyssal Demon Realm

The Silver Sorcery Palace had become ruins, and the remaining military forces of the Dawonru Empire chose to surrender in despair.

The Crossbridge Empire's legions fully took control of the former Dawonru Empire's territory, including the surrounding areas of the Giant Elephant Mountains.

The sky and earth, cracked by the residual shockwaves of the divine battle, were slowly beginning to heal under the influence of the world's laws.

Harry was stationed at the northwest border to primarily defend against unknown threats from the Sablecliff direction.

Within the former Dawonru Empire, the Noble Council of the Clouds had officially submitted to the empire, while the Temple of Truth remained eerily silent.

Those young scholars who had once hated the empire for the death of the Firmament Sage and called for revenge, upon witnessing the might of the titan legions, had all fallen silent.

The influence of the Dark Corruption Temple dared not show its face and quietly went into hiding.

However, the Elemental Assassin's reconnaissance network had picked up some leads, confirming that the Dark Corruption Temple indeed had some connection to Sablecliff.

But for now, the empire was busy integrating the newly conquered territories, and Suggwoth had yet to take action against it.

After receiving new strategic orders, he led his forces to launch an assault on the Demonwing Empire, aiming to capture half of its territory, after which the offensive would cease, transitioning into a defensive posture.

He would focus on managing the lands already taken and fortifying new defenses.

...

In a secret cave in a barren mountain range

Gustav's injuries had mostly healed. After consuming a large amount of precious life essence water, his torn divine body was fully restored.

He opened his eyes and looked toward Hankley, who stood silently like a rock beside him.

Hankley sensed his gaze and turned, bowing respectfully to Gustav.

"How is the situation?"

Gustav asked in a calm voice, betraying little emotion.

Hankley replied, "The Crossbridge Empire's legions have taken full control of the former Dawonru Empire's territory."

"Additionally, they stopped the offensive after capturing about half of the Demonwing Empire's territory."

Stopped?

Gustav frowned slightly but wasn't too surprised.

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