Around one hour later, Krune and Erzato returned to Krune's home. If one looked at Erzato at the moment, they would see that he was quite pale. But above all, he was absent-minded. It was as if he had seen a ghost.

Krune looked at Erzato and patted his shoulders.

​​

"Sorry, senior. If I knew, I would have held back a little."

Erzato's mouth twitched after hearing that. However, he had no words to answer Krune back. He almost died just a moment ago. If Erzato hadn't released his full cultivation in the last moment, he would have been zapped in half!

However, Erzato could only blame himself for that. He didn't believe that a wisp could really reach that level of strength, so he underestimated Krune. He locked his cultivation at the Peak of the Divine Path Realm as he said, that much was true. But that was an ordinary Peak Divine Path Realm! The power he used was equivalent to someone without any Bloodline, Major Divine Soul, or anything like that.

Obviously, Krune didn't know that, so he went all out. Well... let's just say that Erzato didn't have a good time, but more like a traumatic experience.

"Cough, cough... don't worry about it. As a Peak Divinity Realm cultivator, I wouldn't die that easy anyway. I was just caught by surprise, that's all."

Erzato quickly recovered and then looked at Krune.

"Anyway, the test we did after was a lot more conclusive. You could still easily defeat me even when I locked my strength in the Divine View Realm. Now I have no doubt that you really have the power to match those Heavenly Divine Soul Owners. I'm going back to report it to the Luvile Universe after it."

Krune nodded.

"Please do so. I will stay here for the next four years, so you can come at any time if you wish to talk to me."

Erzato nodded and bid his farewell. He had no way to contact the Luvile Universe while staying in Dalin. Only after he left would he be able to contact them. Fortunately, he is the registered protector of the Luvile Universe's participant, so he wouldn't need to be afraid of not being able to come back. After finishing his report, he would most likely stay with Krune until the day for them to depart.

"Oh, right! What about Feifei? I was requested to ask about her by her father back in the Luvile Universe."

Krune shook his head.

"She is not here at the moment. But she should be back in two years. As for a reason, I can't tell you now. Just tell Father in Law that he can expect a big surprise once we return to the Luvile Universe."

Erzato was confused but didn't ask anything else. It was not like it was important for the Sacred Lands anyway. That being said, he finally took his leave.

After Krune saw Erzato out, he once again returned to his Blacksmith practice in the Time Formation. He felt like he was very close to achieve the Six Diamond Stars Level.

---

As Krune and everyone else continued doing their own things, things began to get fired up in the Dalin Universe. Those who would be participating in the Heavenly Competition arrived one after another. Together with them, there were their protectors.

At the center of the Dalin Universe, there is an enormous planet, several times bigger than the Wisp Main World called Caskin Planet. This planet was receiving visitors from everywhere. It wouldn't be wrong to say that it was the busiest one at the moment. This also happens to be the planet where the Heavenly Competition would take part.

The news about the Holy Land disappearance hasn't faded away yet, but it didn't mean that the Heavenly Competition would be delayed. At the moment, Formations Masters were working day and night to prepare everything.

There was simply not enough space for everyone, so it wasn't just anyone who could come to watch it four years later. Still, all the Universes participating needed to know what was going to happen. That being said, the event in this place had to be transmitted outside the Dalin Universe to everyone else. That was what these formation masters were preparing. Connecting so many Universe in a real-time event was anything but easy. Especially in a closed Universe like Dalin.

Somewhere on this planet, there was a man at the peak of the Divine path Realm comprehending Laws and expanding his Foundation. If Krune was here, he would identify him straight away. It was none other than Hanan Frunkan, the Heavenly Divine Soul Owner who fought Krune's group back in the Holy Land.

Hanan was now alone. Since the Holy Land was over, his companions had to return to their Universe. After all, they were all in the Divine Path Realm already.

Suddenly, Hanan heard a knock on his door. He quickly got up and opened it. After seeing the man on the other side, Hanan bowed while showing aa respectful expression.

"Paying Respects to the Clan Head."

The man was Baren Frunkan, the one who negotiated with Krune and the others.

He looked at Hanan and couldn't help but sigh.

"Hanan, I believe you already expected this. We poured all our resources to increase your strength. I refuse to believe that there are many Heavenly Divine Soul Owners out there that can fight on equal terms with you. However, we can't take any risks, so I will have you use the Clan's Forbidden Technique."

Hanan's expression didn't change even one bit.

"Clan Head has no need to worry about me. Everything is for the sake of the Dalin Universe Liberation. Our plan relies on me getting one of the Five Slots of the Dalin Universe, so I can't afford to lose. I don't mind even if my cultivation is lost in the end. Besides, once the Dalin Universe is closed off, it will matter little whether I'm still a Heavenly Divine Soul owner or not."

Baren nodded, satisfied. He then took out a Jade Slip from his spatial ring and passed it to him. Yes, Baren didn't use a communicator message, but a Jade Slip instead.

"Study it well. This forbidden technique will draw out the power of your Heavenly Divine Soul beyond its limits. But don't use it from the very start. Make sure to keep it for when you encounter an opponent you can't deal with."

Hanan accepted the jade slip with a determined expression.

"Don't worry, Clan Head. I'll be sure to master it before the time comes."

Hanan wasn't the only one taking precautions. First of all, there was no rule saying that forbidden techniques can't be used. Because of that, quite a few participants would end using it anyway.

---

Laka had temporarily returned to his Universe. There, he had to spend a lot of time giving thousands of explanations about his years in the Dalin Universe. But because of the Dragon pact, he simply couldn't say anything about Krune and the others.

However, everyone was satisfied nonetheless. In the last year of Holy Land, Laka had broken through into the 8th Stage of the Divine Path Realm. They had already tested out his strength and knew that the Purple Flame Dragon Pearl was no joke. Because of that, they were all excited about the result of this time's Heavenly Competition.

The Dragon Race Elders of his Universe were even more so. After all, Laka already told them that 'Krune's Master' would be forging three Purple Flame Dragon Pearls for them. The only reason Laka hasn't returned to the Dalin universe yet was that those elders were discussing which Dragons would go there to have their Dragon Pearls Forged.

But in the end, the elders of the Dragon Race reached a conclusion. It was better to wait for the Heavenly Competition to be over first. If they get one of the five slots, they can personally go and pay their respects to this master.

Laka took two months to return to the Dalin Universe. This time, Alacanta wasn't together with him. Instead, it was another Dragon Race Elder at the peak of the Divinity Realm called Tranfan.

"Laka, there will be quite a few Peak Divine Path Realm cultivators and demon beasts in this competition. Do you think you can have a breakthrough before it starts? It would make our chances better."

Laka pondered a bit before answering.

"Extremely difficult. Without the support of Godly Energy, my cultivation speed plummeted. I'm not even 1/10 as fast as I was in the Holy Land. Besides, it has been 42 years since I entered the Foundation Establishment Realm. If I use a Time Formation, I would only have a little less than 7 years to cultivate. So I better focus on my Laws and Foundation for the moment."

The elder nodded and didn't ask anymore.

---

A month later, Erzato finally passed the news to the Sacred Lands, Divine Path Sect, and Wang Clan. Not only that, but he also recorded the entire process with a Spiritual Equipment. After everyone saw his battle against Krune, they were shocked beyond comprehension. Krune's power far surpassed everyone's expectations.

However, they soon got ecstatic! If Krune is really as strong as that, then they might really get a Slot from the Dalin Universe this time around. The only problem was that he is still in the 5th Stage of the Divine Path Realm. After all, there is no doubt that there would be Peak Divine Path Realm Heavenly Divine Souls in the Heavenly Competition.