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There was a woman whose entire body resembled an ice statue. Her pristine white skin was almost transparent, her blue hair was constantly shrouded under a layer of frost, and the striking blue blood vessels in her body extended in all directions, like the complex roots and branches of a tree, before fading into nothingness at their most minuscule points. She was a woman who gave off a sickly sense of beauty.

This was no goddess of snow and ice. Instead, it was the Celtic death goddess, Anko.

She was an advanced Abyssal Prefect, and just like Izanami, she was unable to progress any further beyond this level due to geographic and population constraints. As the death goddess of the Eskimo religion, she was already extremely fortunate to have become an advanced Abyssal Prefect at all.

At this moment, Anko was holding a newspaper with an extremely serious expression, and even her fingers were trembling ever so slightly.

The newspaper was The Forbidden Arts Times, and it was only released in real-time during major international conferences such as this one. In other words, it had no set time of release, and starting seven days before the commencement of the conference, all significant events were guaranteed to be reported within half an hour. This was the first release of The Forbidden Arts Times during this conference.

Anko carefully read every single word of the stories, and after a long while, she finally set the newspaper down before closing her eyes. Her chest was rising and falling drastically, and only after a full minute did she reopen her eyes before casting her gaze toward the death god in front of her. "What do you want to say?"

The death god sitting across from her was Hela.

As opposed to the respectful expression she had displayed while in the presence of Qin Ye, her eyes were filled with aggression now as she smiled and asked, "Are you not tempted by the prospect of a new energy resource?"

"I certainly am, but this is not something that a second-rate underworld like mine can hope to get involved in," Anko replied as she rose to her feet, gracefully picking up the hem of her ice-blue dress as she did so.

"But this is an opportunity." Hela also rose to her feet before making her way over to stand beside Anko. "Your territory is in the Arctic Sea, while our territory consists of the five nations of Northern Europa. We should be allies at all times. I understand that you didn't dare to do anything in the past as you were afraid of the pressure being exerted by the Argosian Underworld, but things are different now. The Cathayan Underworld is searching for an opportunity, and it's clear that the three pillars are determined to bring them down during this conference. As a result, they're bringing out such a significant agreement. Do you not want to be a part of this lucrative deal? In order to implement this agreement, the Cathayan Underworld must survive through this conference first."

She stared directly at Anko's perfect side profile as she continued, "Stand with us and give the Cathayan Underworld your vote, and just like us, you'll be among the first people to benefit from this new energy resource."

Anko offered no response. Instead, she cast her gaze toward the distance, and all of a sudden, her eyes narrowed slightly as she said, "Madam Hela, take a look at that!"

Hela's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and she cast her gaze toward the direction that Anko was pointing in, following which the netherfire in her eyes immediately erupted into pillars of flames!

The place where the conference was being held was an island nestled in a sea of red leaves and Yin flowers.

Right at this moment, at the edge of the sea, a burst of dazzling golden light was approaching them like a resplendent sun. Within the golden light, several dozen massive silhouettes could just barely be made out.

Her expression stiffened momentarily, and a terrifying name instantly flashed through her mind, causing her to draw a sharp breath before exclaiming, "That's the Golden Fleet! And it's being led by... The Radiant Death God! That has to mean that Erinys is coming here in person!"

The first of the Cathayan Underworld's formidable foes had finally arrived!

This was the mighty Golden Fleet, the overlord of the Mediterranean Sea and a fleet that had rivaled Abubis's Despair of the Death God for over 1,000 years, and it had arrived in Nara!

"Madam Hela..." Anko pursed her lips as she said, "I'll be sure to consider your proposition and consider it carefully, but you have to empathize with the situation that I'm in as well."

She heaved a long sigh as she closed her eyes with a conflicted expression. "The arrival of The Radiant Death God heralds the arrival of Erinys. The Cathayan Underworld's enemies are finally issuing a response to the new energy resource they've unveiled, and a tumultuous storm is brewing on the horizon. If I make the wrong choice, a small underworld like mine will be instantly razed to the ground. This is a clash between the premier powerhouses of the world. I'm different from you as you have no choice, but I still have some room to choose, so please give me some time."

Hela and Anko weren't the only ones to have spotted the Golden Fleet, countless underworlds had also caught sight of it.

"That's the Golden Fleet!" Kuwal exclaimed as he sprang to his feet in his room, staring intently at the distant horizon. Antee, Borne, and several other death gods were right beside him, and they were also looking in the same direction with astonished expressions.

What a swift reaction...

They had sprung into action right away in the face of the bombshell that the Cathayan Underworld had just dropped in the form of the new energy resource. Furthermore, they had sent a true death goddess and her entire fleet to Nara. Setting the power comparison aside, the intimidation factor alone was making many underworlds considering defecting to the Cathayan Underworld's side have second thoughts.

You want to vote? You want to pick sides? Have you asked us for permission? Have you forgotten who it is that has been standing at the pinnacle of this world for the past century? If you have, then allow us to issue you a reminder...

The arrival of the Golden Fleet was like a bucket of cold water that had been poured over everyone's heads, instantly snapping them out of the irrational frenzy that everyone had been swept into by the prospect of a new energy resource.

On one side was the key to the next era, while on the other side was the faction that had ruled over the world for an entire century. Which side should they choose?

All of the death gods were placed under the same dilemma.

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A circle of underworld emissaries had already gathered outside the pavilion of the Cathayan Underworld.

Around 23 to 24 of the 34 underworlds had already arrived, and 10 of them had brought along visiting cards for the Cathayan Underworld, while the rest were still watching as the situation unfolded. In addition to them, there were also countless journalists present.

However, right as everyone's attention was focused on the gates of the Cathayan Underworld's pavilion, several underworld emissaries silently made their way into the crowd, then said something to the underworld emissaries who were holding the visiting cards. Judging from their expressions, those underworld emissaries were extremely alarmed by what they heard and they quickly departed. However, that didn't affect the frenzied atmosphere in the slightest. Not everyone had the right to access all information.

All of the journalists were eagerly awaiting new developments. This was a new energy resource! A key to the next era! Who didn't want to know the truth behind the bombshell that the Cathayan Underworld had just dropped? No matter how long they had to stand here in order to get their news story, it would be worth it.

This wasn't Qin Ye's room as they didn't have the right to be standing in front of the room of the Cathayan Underworld's ruler. Instead, this was the room on the bottom floor of the pavilion where the Cathayan Underworld was staying, and it belonged to the spokesperson.

One pair of fervent eyes after another were focused intently on the door, and several minutes later, the door was finally opened. All of the underworld emissaries waiting outside immediately rushed forward, and countless image capture crystals flashed incessantly.

"Madam, can you tell us what stage the Cathayan Underworld has reached in its research and development into the new energy resource?"

"Madam, may I ask if the Cathayan Underworld's new energy resource will be made public to the entire world? If so, what prerequisites must an underworld satisfy in order to gain access to it? Will they have to establish partnerships with the Cathayan Underworld?"

"Madam, when will the specific details pertaining to the new energy system be made publicly available? According to international regulations, something like this must be publicized in the form of a patent!"

The Cathayan Underworld was still the Cathayan Underworld!

It had been shunned and disrespected for the past few days, yet now, the journalists and underworld emissaries outside couldn't even be chased away!

The spokesperson who had emerged to face everyone was Dai Chunhua. She was wearing an antiquated Cathayan official's robe and a pair of glasses. There were several spokespeople trailing along behind her, and in the face of the massive crowd and countless flashing image capture crystals, Dai Chunhua, who had once been the spokesperson for Cathay's department of foreign affairs in the mortal realm, wasn't fazed in the slightest. She said in a calm voice, "This is not a press conference, so we have no obligation to answer these questions."

"Then may I ask when we'll be able to ask these questions and receive answers?"

"Is the Cathayan Underworld not planning to publicize such a major event? Is it not going to hold a press conference?"

A burst of commotion immediately rang out, but Dai Chunhua remained calm and collected as she declared, "The Alkebulan Underworlds are about to arrive soon."

She was like a musical conductor, and as soon as her voice rang out, everyone else immediately fell silent, but the image capture crystals were still flashing incessantly.

"The Cathayan Underworld has allies all over the world, and the Alkebulan Underworlds are currently important collaborative partners of the Cathayan Underworld. Hence, once the Alkebulan Underworlds arrive, the Cathayan Underworld will undergo extensive communication and negotiation with them in order to finalize the signing ceremony for the Zhu Rong plan."

There was a lot of information being offloaded here, and none of the journalists dared to interrupt her as they latched onto her every word.

Dai Chunhua was so composed that it looked as if she were taking a stroll in her own backyard as she continued, "When the time comes, all underworlds and journalists will be invited to spectate the ceremony in person."

Right at this moment, the entire earth trembled slightly, and immediately thereafter, the sound of a long horn rang out in the distance.

In contrast with the sound of a normal horn, the sound of this horn was very sharp and menacing.

All of the journalists faltered slightly upon hearing this, then immediately turned around, upon which they were greeted by an astonishing sight outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

They were looking at a massive fleet that was at least 100 meters tall, and it had already surrounded the city of Nara. The sunlight was shining down upon the hull of the ships, reflecting radiant golden light that was so bright that no one could even clearly make out the outlines of the ships.

Dead silence.

Only after several seconds had passed did a journalist ask in a trembling voice, "Is this the Golden Fleet?"

"It's the Golden Fleet! The Argosian Underworld has sent the Golden Fleet to Nara!"

"Why is the Golden Fleet here? For what purpose could it have been sent here?"

"Isn't the Golden Fleet permanently stationed in the Mediterranean Sea? Why is it that even its flagship, The Radiant Death God, is here?"

"Does this mean Erinys has come here in person? Is this the arrival of the second of the four pillars?"

Before the commotion had even died down, the rhythmic sound of high heels on a hard floor rang out within the corridor.

Suspense was rapidly building as the sound of the high heels drew closer and closer, and countless shadows converged from all directions, forming a pair of shadows on the wall of the corridor.

Dai Chunhua drew a sharp breath upon seeing this.

She was from the modern era and wasn't overly familiar with the ancient history of the underworlds. Even after that crash course that had spanned close to a month, they still didn't know what the Golden Fleet entailed.

However, the important death gods of all of the underworlds was vital information, and these two were certainly on the list of death gods they had to look out for.

They were Archimedes and Erinys, and it was clear that they hadn't come here with peaceful or amicable intentions!

"Greetings, emissary of the Cathayan Underworld..." Erinys said as she took an indifferent glance at Dai Chunhua. She wasn't taking Dai Chunhua seriously at all, but she still smiled and nodded out of etiquette.

She then turned to all of the other underworld emissaries present and declared, "Everyone, as the representative of the other three pillars, I have something important to announce here. We are going to be releasing an agreement within today, and it'll be in regard to an Eastern Continents Co-Prosperity Sphere. For in-depth details, please stay tuned for our press conference, but I can give everyone a brief introduction here."

She smiled as she continued, "The eastern continents refer to all land on the eastern half of the globe aside from the new continent and Alkebulan. The Argosian Underworld, the Hindustani Underworld, and the Aegyptian Underworld will be bringing together the power of all of their allies to create an alliance that advances and retreats as one, and where technological and economic breakthroughs are shared among everyone! We call this alliance the Seventh Day Alliance! According to the Holy Bible, God created man on the seventh day, and I believe that together, we can create a miracle rivaling that divine feat. This will be a true co-prosperity circle with no barriers to entry, no rigid rules and concepts, and even visas for travel between the nations within the alliance will be done away with!"

She took another glance at Dai Chunhua, then elegantly spread open her hand fan in one fluid motion as she concluded, "We look forward to your participation."

No one offered a response.

However, the netherfire in the eyes of all of the underworld emissaries present were about to erupt into the heavens!

The three pillars had lashed out without any hesitation, nor made any attempt to disguise their malice!

This was a clash between the three pillars and what was once the most powerful underworld on the planet, and this was their answer to the Cathayan Underworld's new energy resource!

The war had well and truly begun!