The storm raged once again and swept towards Sadius.
Sadius hovered alone in midair, gripping the Violet Blood Divine Sword. Facing this cataclysmic storm that could annihilate everything, he showed not the slightest fear.
With a draconic roar, his true body transformed into an azure dragon, unleashing his innate divine ability—Dragon's Roar.
The raging storm in the sky immediately weakened significantly.
His three divine clones seized the opportunity.
Three streaks of Oblivion Sword Intent slashed downward, cutting through the storm from above and driving straight toward the opponent's two divine clones.
By the time the enemy realized what was happening, it was already too late. The Oblivion Sword Intent tore apart his wind-element divine clone first.
Just as Sadius was about to kill the enemy's water-element divine clone along with his true body, the unexpected happened—his opponent's true form flew out from the collapsing water-element clone.
And this true body was not a giant fish this time, but a massive python.
"Strange… just what is going on with this guy?"
With three consecutive strikes, Sadius annihilated two divine clones and nearly obliterated the opponent's true body as well.
"Spare me, mighty one!"
After turning into a giant python, the enemy's strength dropped to merely the peak of the Saint-level, and he hurriedly begged for mercy.
Sadius casually caught the two Divine Sparks that fell, then retracted his three divine clones back into his true body.
"Speak. Why is it that your true body can transform into so many different types of Divine Beasts?"
Seeing that Sadius wasn't planning to kill him outright, the python finally relaxed a little. Slowly, it shifted into a humanoid form and drifted closer.
"My lord, I am a Druid from another material plane. I possess a special ability that allows me to transform into magical beasts by using their magic cores."
Now that his divine clones were destroyed and he only retained Saint-level power, he naturally had to tread carefully before Sadius.
Only then did Sadius recall—yes, the original Coiling Dragon lore had briefly mentioned Druids.
Druids were a profession belonging to the elven race, though such elves didn't exist on the Yulan Continent.
"So, what you're saying is, you can transform into any magical beast?"
The other hesitated for a moment… then nodded.
"Even Divine Beasts?"
Again, a pause… then an uncertain reply.
"If I were to obtain a Divine Beast's essence blood, once I reach the God-level, I can indeed transform into it. However, I wouldn't have its innate divine abilities. My physique would only be the most basic form."
The "most basic" meant completely unenhanced—for example, like a Deity-level God-Eater Ratwithout using a Divine Spark to strengthen itself.
Sadius narrowed his eyes.
"Your divine clones have already been slain by me. If I leave you here on the fourteenth layer, what fate awaits you?"
"Then I would be sent down to the lower twelve layers."
Sadius nodded. That sounded reasonable.
"And how can you leave the Tomb of the Gods?"
"One must gather five Midgod Divine Sparks. But in my spatial ring, I have only one. Since I have been defeated, I will offer this spark to you, my lord. Please, spare my life."
Watching this unfold, Sadius couldn't help but find it absurd.
He had already obtained two Midgod sparks on the thirteenth layer. Now, after slaying this guy's two divine clones on the fourteenth layer, he gained another two Midgod sparks.
That made four sparks.
Add the one this Druid was now offering him… that made exactly five sparks, just enough to leave the Tomb of the Gods.
Five Divine Sparks… for the life of a single Saint-level? It felt completely unreasonable.
Cough. "If you are willing to submit to me, I can give you the five Midgod sparks you need."
Sadius was genuinely interested in the Druid profession. If he didn't take this chance to recruit one, he might never encounter another.
The other stared at him in disbelief.
"My lord… you're not trying to trick me, are you?"
"Do I look like I'm lying?"
"My lord, I am willing to swear to the Overgod of Fate himself—if you are willing to take me out of the Tomb of the Gods, I, Dolantell, will follow you forever, never betraying you!"
Sadius nodded.
After Dolantell swore the solemn oath, Sadius reluctantly handed over all five Divine Sparks.
Dolantell looked at the five sparks in his hand—two of which were originally his own—and felt deeply conflicted.
But at least, with these five sparks, he could finally leave the Tomb of the Gods.
"Do you know what the fifteenth layer is like?" Sadius asked.
"My lord, are you planning to enter the fifteenth layer?"
Sadius hesitated.
He strongly suspected that the fifteenth layer definitely held Highgod-level powerhouses—and not just ordinary Highgods, either.
After all, the Tomb of the Gods had only eighteen layers in total.
The eighteenth layer was where the corpses of the Four Divine Beasts lay, devoid of other creatures. So, the seventeenth layer should be the hardest trial.
Sadius speculated that the seventeenth layer's guardian was Beirut, disguised as a Highgod.
Anyone who gained Beirut's approval could at least receive a Sovereign Artifact.
If one was born on the Yulan Continent with compatible elemental attributes, they might even become Beirut's Sovereign partner.
Then the sixteenth layer's guardian was likely at the Seven Star Fiend level—or even stronger.
As for the fifteenth layer? Sadius suspected that even a Highgod entering it might never return.
"My lord… there were Highgod powerhouses who ventured into the fifteenth layer before. But none… none ever returned to the fourteenth."
Sadius furrowed his brow tightly.
After entering the Tomb of the Gods, he had only improved his cultivation somewhat—he hadn't gained any truly great benefits. If he simply left now, he would feel unwilling.
But the danger of the fifteenth layer was obvious.
He wavered.
I possess three-element fused divine power. My ultimate technique, Oblivion Sword Intent, is already perfected. And I still have the Coiling Dragon Ring to protect my soul. Perhaps… I should send my darkness-element clone, the best at fleeing, to scout the fifteenth layer. Even if danger arises, it could escape instantly.
Sadius made up his mind.
The darkness-element clone separated from his body, slipped into the waters, and found the passage leading to the fifteenth layer.
When the darkness clone stepped through the passage, what it saw was… a vast grassland.
"Only some Saint-level magical beasts?"
He flew for a long time. There wasn't a single God-level presence. Even his divine sense scanning revealed no Gods at all.
Before long, using divine sense, Sadius easily located the passage to the sixteenth layer.
"This layer is that simple?"
He felt a deep sense of doubt. How could the fifteenth layer truly have no divine-level guards?
Just as he was wondering—
Columns of brilliant light suddenly erupted from the ground, piercing straight into the Heaven.
"What's happening?" Sadius felt that things were far from simple.
As the light beams connected to one another, a colossal magic array emerged. Only then did Sadius realize the truth.
The fifteenth layer indeed had no God-level guardian.
But this layer was home to an unimaginably terrifying magic formation.
The moment someone from the fourteenth layer intruded into the fifteenth, the formation would activate!
"This magic array… it's even more terrifying than the ones I encountered in the Forest of Darkness…"
In the next instant, the formation fully activated.
The elemental essence of Heaven and Earth within the entire space was forcibly stripped away. Even the divine power within Sadius' body was being continuously drained.
Then, one after another, horrifying dimensional blades appeared from thin air, slashing toward Sadius.
"Damn it! No wonder no one ever returns from this layer… there's absolutely no way out. Even a Highgod could perish here!"
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