...However, he still drowned within the waves.

...

Far away, in the midde of the Cardus continent, within the Sgeriind Desert, two powerhouses faced one another.

"Do you really to go this far?! Hae-Hyuk!" Screamed Cao Lei.

He had been chased for days by his rival and ennemy. The moment Hae-Hyuk reached the 70th stage, he went after Cao Lei. This brought the present situation in which they faced each other in this place.

Hae-Hyuk remained silent as energy gathered within his palm, creating a golden glow.

Cao Lei grit his teeth.

"If only this bastard failed to get the treasure...Or if he failed to breakthrough... Shit"

Cao Lei knew that regardless of how powerful he was, the gap between the 69th stage and 70th stage was not something simple. He knew that he had absolutely no ways to win and his defeat was inevitable. However, he could flee. Or so he hoped all these days while being chased.

Hae-Hyuk was relentless.

He was silent and serious. He wanted Cao Lei dead.

Cao Lei tried again: "Hae-Hyuk! Why?! You already reached a higher stage!"

Hae-Hyuk opened his mouth and for the first time after having chased Cao Lei for days, he told him: "You are not a danger to me but you are a danger to those I love."

Cao Lei fumed: "Then I shall swear to the Heavens to leave them all alone! Why must you go so far as to go for my life?!"

Hae-Hyuk: "Cultivating is to go against the Heavens, why should I trust the Heavens!"

The energy within Hae-Hyuk's hands glowed brighter. As it did, the sand began to elevate itself as strong winds were created. The ground itself began to tremor.

Cao Lei trembled out of anger as he began to concentrate all of his energy within his arms. Dark currents began to engulf the land around him as shrieks of horrors began to resound from within the darkness.

Hae-Hyuk pushed his hand forward and the energy departed it, rushing towards Cao Lei.

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Cao Lei pushed his own arms forward as the dark currents converged and moved to collide with the golden light. The shock from both energies detsroyed the landscape before the golden energy completely dissipated the dark currents as it continued forward.

The light reached Cao Lei and a gigantic explosion happened. It created such tremendous winds that the entire area became devoid of sand. Only dark ground remained, smoke drifting gently out of it.

Hae-Hyuk disappeared a moment later.

He reappeared around 200 kilometers eastward and grabbed within the void.

Within his hands was a neck. Cao Lei's.

The poor man lost half his body from the previous attack in exchange for a chance to escape yet it was not enough. As Hae-Hyuk began to strangle him harder and harder, he smiled: "You can't escape this world, Cao Lei. And I have become this world."

Cao Lei cursed him with his last breath: "The Heavens will never forgive you! Hae-Hyuk!"

Hae-Hyuk smirked: "Then I shall slaughter The Heavens too"

- Snap -

The neck was broken.

Hae-Hyuk's energy twirled as golden flames started to appear from his hands and began to spread to the body of Cao Lei. In mere seconds, nothing remained of his body yet Hae-Hyuk was still grabbing onto something.

The flames continued to burn as painful screams resounded.

And then, pure silence.

Hae-Hyuk had gone so far as to even burn Cao Lei's soul forever making sure that he would not be able to reach wherever the souls of the dead went.

Hae-Hyuk stood there, within the sky, watching the horizon for a few minutes before he whispered: "Goodbye, brother."

Then, he disappeared.

...

The news of Cao Lei's death and Hae-Hyuk's part in it traveled fast.

The Cao Lei Empire was soon destroyed and conquered by other forces while his subordinates either died or joined new factions.

Of course, to the truly powerful, Cao Lei's death was meaningless. What mattered the most was that Hae-Hyuk was the perpetrator and he became a Saint.

A brand new Saint for the Righteous.

At the same time, a rumor about the competition for the next Throne of the Evil started to spread. The source was unknown but it spread all over the world rapidly as if to overshadow the news from the Righteous faction.

Many believed it was nonsense while some believed it was a plot to stop people from rejoicing over the birth of a new Saint...However, it soon became clear that this was not simply a rumor.

The 'monsters' and 'demi-humans' started leaving their hiding spots and attacking humans.

Small skirmishes started all over the world.

And while it only impacted the weaker ones, it set a climate of danger and impending crisis.

...

Within the highest grand hall of the 22 Suns Castle, a man was kneeling in front of a throne on which sat a man.

That man was the Emperor of the 22 Suns Empire. He was called the Sun Emperor for no one but himself knew his original name. He was a founder of the neutral faction and lived for eons. He was at the peak of the 77th stage and rejected ascending ever since.

Kneeling in front of him was the First Guardian Theorurin Chunso, nicknamed the Obscure Sun.

The Sun Emperor asked him: "Chunso, what do you think of the movements from the Evil faction?"

Chunso pondered his words carefully before he answered: "It is indeed the truth that the order for a new throne to be birthed was given, My Emperor"

The Sun Emperor sighed and pondered for a while... Then, he asked: "What stance do you think our Empire should take this time?"

Chunso was surprised: "My Emperor?..."

Chunso never expected the Emperor who remained Neutral ever since he created the Empire to actually ask such a question.

The Emperor waved his hand and stated: "I believe the time has come to involve ourselves once more, Chunso. We cannot allow another Great War to happen in this world."