Guardian Sword weren’t the only ones engaged in hard-fought battles. The representatives from the Kori Federation, Lantis Republic, Himmel Empire and the Alliance were also facing their own unique war within the Payircis of their choosing.

Based on the Hall of Whispers reports, each one of the Payirci’s masters had been revealed long before the Alliance members even stepped foot into the floating towers. The Purple Payirci could only be helmed by Murasaki, the Arachne Queen and the entity responsible for the Land of Dream’s massacre. Hence, it was only fitting for the Alliance forces, led by the elites from the Healer’s Association, Blacksmith’s League and Mercenary Guild, to shoot down the Purple Payirci from the skies.

The Red Payirci was under the strict jurisdiction of the Lion Chimaera, Akai. He was renowned for the fall of Aldrich’s Keep and the monster that assisted Saint Heigui in betraying his own people. Not only that, but he had also once resided in the east of the Himmel Empire, terrorising many civilians and displacing thousands of homes. For the Himmel Empire… Fighting Akai was personal. There wasn’t even a second thought before Saint Firebird led his fellow Himmel Empire warriors into the floating tower, aiming to claim the lion’s head all of themselves.

The White Payirci could only belong to the Mirror Deity. In the past, the Mirror Deity was a blank file in the Alliance’s database. However, recent events had made the white-haired boy far more notorious. Assisting in the assassination of Saint Suhavis, leading the assault on the Alliance’s vault to kill Kin and Gin before they could speak, and even teleporting Saint Heigui out of danger. Among the remaining Noble Beasts, Shiro’s name was on the top of their blacklist. To avenge the Heigui Clan’s fall, Saint Shenshe led the Lantis Republic’s forces into the White Payirci without a second thought. In her mind, killing Shiro could lead to hints of where Saint Heigui could be hiding.

And finally… The Black Payirci. Everyone knew the owner of the Black Payirci wasn’t a simple figure. Kuro had once challenged a plethora of Spirit Saints and had actually managed to stand his own against them with the Blade of the Ephemeral Haunt assisting his every move. Kuro was powerful, and truthfully, there was only one entity out of the three superpowers that had the manpower to deal with that dastardly foe.

“Have you killed them all?” A handsome man with sharp eyes and an evil glare asked the woman who knelt before him.

“Ha! The path is clear, Sect Elder!”

“I trust that no one is injured?”

“Yes! There’s no way that our Dragon Tiger Sect’s disciples would fall to some mere Umbras!” The woman’s eyes shone in pride.

“Mmmm...” The handsome man nodded, cuffing his hands behind his back and turning towards the aged woman in the middle of the pack. “Saint Lyndis, you’ve heard her. The path to the top floor is cleared. We can attack the Paradise Heart now.”

“... Good work.” The Spirit Saint smiled bitterly, unsure whether to feel happy or not.

Dragon Tiger Gate always stood at the top of the Kori Federation. Each and every year, they would produce a vast array of geniuses, each one with talents that would surpass their predecessors. Their martial arts, cultivation techniques, battle formations, Immortal-Grade Spirit Armaments… To be honest, Dragon Tiger Gate alone could conquer this Payirci without the help of the other Kori Federation’s Master Sects.

It was only through sheer luck that Dragon Tiger Gate hadn’t produced a Spirit Saint this generation. Otherwise, they would have dominated this era and run unbridled throughout the Kori Federation.

‘However, from the looks of things… The next era would be the Dragon Tiger Gate’s one.’ Saint Lyndis from the Emei Church sighed. She had watched with her own two eyes how powerful Dragon Tiger Gate’s next-generation were.

That woman kneeling down to her elder… She single-handedly took down a Spirit Emperor in just three strikes. Standing behind her, a bulky man held onto the head of a Tier 9 Spirit Beast, one that could easily match the might of a Spirit Venerate. At the far corner, a brown-haired man donning the noble white dragon clothes folded his arms in boredom, all while standing on top of a mountain of Black Masks’ corpses.

‘A Spirit Saint will be born from that generation. No, it’s possible that there would be a few Spirit Saints sprouting out from that bunch. Our Emei Church also has Sierra and Joetri who could possibly become Spirit Saints… Will the next generation be the golden age of cultivation?’

Saint Lyndis couldn’t help but wonder. The Allfather’s plan to raise the number of elites in the world had turned out to be a staggering success. Guardian Sword wasn’t the only beneficiary of the elongated war. Every one of the three superpowers would gain future Spirit Saints, possibly at record numbers as well.

While the Spirit Saint was still lost in thought, the Kori Federation’s congregation had made their way to the apex of the Payirci. Unlike the Blue Payirci that Ao ran, Kuro’s layout of the dungeon was far more complex. There were traps that would fool even the most experienced of scouts. Enemies and ambushes at every corner. And even a vast number of Brahmins guarding each floor.

However, they were no match for the speedy onslaught of Dragon Tiger Gate. The final door of the Payirci was quite the ostentatious one. Made out of pure obsidian, the final gates were as big as they were heavy. Even if all of the Kori Federation’s raid force were to stack on top of one another, they would fail to reach the top of the door.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!

The heavy gates creaked open as the biggest man in the group used all of his strength on that single point, revealing a plain spacious hall with nothing but pillars and floor. It was grey and dull, much like an abandoned castle. There were no signs of life, and neither was there a vast amount of spiritual energies sprouting forth from every corner.

“We’re finally here...” One Dragon Tiger Gate elder remarked as she stepped through the door. “Now, all we have to do is destroy the Paradise Heart, and we’re out of here!”

“Yeah, where is it?”

The elites quickly got on their toes, with their weapons out and battle spirit heightened.

‘Left clear… Right clear… Ahead clear… Behind clear… Down clear… So that leaves...’ Saint Lyndis did the usual checks, hoping to find the enemy before an ambush could threaten them. So, with one remaining location remaining, the Spirit Saint’s head inadvertently tilted up.

“That’s-!!!” The Emei Church’s Spirit Saint yelped, forcing the Kori Federation’s raid force to follow her gaze upwards.

There it was. The Paradise Heart and its protector. Oddly enough, both the beings were unaffected by gravity and could remain on the ceiling without any punishments. No… It was as if the laws of gravity had been purposely manipulated for the purposes of protecting the Paradise Heart.

“You did well for coming this far...” The black-haired man applauded the raid force. “Clearing all of my gifts in less than a half-hour… That’s quite impressive. Unfortunately… It’s the end of the line for all of you.”

Dark smoke billowed down from the ceiling, corrupting the entire throne hall with Kuro’s distinct mana. It was suffocating as well, with the Primordial Beast’s spiritual pressure weighing down on all of their bodies. Slowly, Umbras arose from the black smoke, falling down like monkeys and blocking the path to the sky.

“Rejoice. As a reward for coming this far, I’ll let you be the first sacrifices for opening Heaven’s Gate!!!”