As Ace walked in, the four respective patriarchs were the first to regain their bearings. Their shock quickly turned into anger and a hint of caution.
There were several guards preventing entrance onto Skyrite Mountain and even more preventing entrance to the main hall, so for someone to be able to stroll in so casually without warning…
Not only was it a slight on their prestige, but it also meant they weren't ordinary. Still, before any of the respective powerhouses of the Four Divine Beasts Clan could take action, Linley's surprised but still welcoming voice made them halt in their tracks.
Linley was shocked that Ace was here, but as far as he was concerned, it was perfect timing! He had no idea how powerful Ace was now, but he knew that even before they left the Yulan Plane, Ace was capable of using Willpower.
He was just about to ask Ace to save Yunaia before he forcibly stopped himself. He knew full well how dangerous it could be to reveal his ability to use Willpower, but he couldn't just allow his wife to die in front of him.
Ace could guess why Linley was struggling, especially as he wasn't present when Ace came up with the plan to disguise his ability to use Willpower to perfectly manipulate Sovereign's Might with his Golden Sun manifestation.
Looking at the six-star fiend who knew the method to heal Yunaia but was incapable of properly controlling Sovereign's Might, he told him to show him the method – he would do it himself.
His words came as a shock to everyone present – bar those who also originated from the Yulan Plane, of course. Gisalson, the Patriarch of the Azure Dragon Clan, was the first to speak out and tell Ace to shut up and fuck off. He may be Linley's friend, but he had no right to interject in the matters of their Clan.
One by one, each of the four leaders, as well as several of the other powerhouses of the Clan, all voiced words to similar effect, not bothering to hide their disdain.
Still, Linley, understanding that Ace was the only person present both willing and capable of saving his wife, didn't hold back when barking at them that they should shut up. It was his wife and his decision. He then told Ace to please save his wife.
Everyone was shocked by Linley's actions. He was usually such a calm and rational person; as such, they couldn't be blamed for thinking that it was his shock that caused him to lose his senses.
As upset as he was for Linley's outburst, Gisalson was even more unwilling to let Linley do something he'd regret, which could very well create a heart demon that prevented him from living up to his true potential.
He chose to ignore Linley and block Ace's path, telling him that unless he shows how he plans to save Yunaia, he wouldn't let him continue.
Linley was just about to let his emotions get the best of him and erupt when Ace signalled for him to stop.
Ace said he could show him, but he would have to waste a drop of Sovereign's Might, so they should make a wager. If he can perfectly control Sovereign's Might in front of all of them, then not only would he be reimbursed, but he would also be given an additional four drops of Fire-Type Sovereign's Might. If he lost, he would give him ten drops of Water-Type Sovereign's Might.
As he said that, Ace summoned a gourd that had precisely ten drops of Water-Type Sovereign's Might – a collection he had required from some of the more powerful bandits and pirates that had tried to target them.
It had to be remembered that the Four Divine Beasts Clan were in the middle of fighting a losing war against the Eight Great Clans, and without their ancestors alive, they had no way of getting their hands on more Sovereign's Might.
Typically, it would go to Yulana, but because she was still in the process of acquiring her new bloodline, Ace was holding onto it until he saw her again.
Ace smirked the moment he saw the greedy light in Gisalson's eyes, knowing he was right where he wanted him.
The Dragon Patriarch considered killing Ace where he stood and taking it for himself, but when he remembered how close Ace and Linley appeared to be, he stopped himself. Not only was Linley almost as strong as him, but he was also the Clan's hope for a brighter future; he wasn't willing to alienate such a talent for ten drops of Sovereign's Might, regardless of how tempted he was.
Still, he didn't believe a mere Full God could accomplish a feat which not even a peak Commander like him could. Even if he were like Linley and following the path of a supreme genius, it would still be impossible until he became a paragon – a feat he was clearly yet to accomplish.
The moment Gisalson agreed, Ace smirked and under the shocked eyes of all those spectating, a giant golden sun manifested behind him, causing the temperature in the room to spike drastically.
Still, that wasn't what caused so many to gasp in disbelief. No, what everyone was shocked by was the fact that they watched Ace absorb a drop of Water-Type Sovereign's Might, but unlike what happened when they did the same thing, there was no leakage at all.
For Gisalson, though, as well as many of the other older powerhouses present, they were able to recognise Ace's bloodline in almost an instant.
Although their four Divine Beasts Clan were originally widely regarded as the most powerful Clan in existence, it was the Viz Clan who were said to have the bloodline with the most potential, and after seeing Ace use it in person, as much as they hated to admit it, they knew that it was true.
Not caring for their shock, Ace calmly raised a hand and channelled the Sovereign's Might into his palm and told them that aside from increasing the power of his Divine Energy, his Visual Manifestation also allowed him to control the Sovereign's Might. Although doing so with Fire-Type Sovereign's Might was by far the easiest, he could still accomplish it with other elements; it just drained his spiritual energy faster.
As he said that, Ace controlled his body to gradually turn pale and begin sweating to really sell the story and hide the fact that his Willpower was no weaker than that of a Paragon.
Ace then retracted his Visual Manifestation and allowed the Sovereign's Might to leak as normal, much to the dismay of those watching. In response, Ace shrugged and said it was their fault for making him prove himself.
As his biggest rival, Linley had immediately seen through Ace's lie. Still, he was no idiot; he understood his reason for doing so, but most importantly, it meant that Ace would be able to save his wife without having to fear his biggest secret getting out; as such, Linley didn't hesitate in dropping to his knees to beg Ace to hurry and save Yunaia.
Ace had no intention to make Linley wait any longer than he already had. Still, Life-type Sovereign's Might was one of the few types he and his group hadn't come across over their adventure. As such, they had to use the Four Divine Beast Clan's personal stash.
Thankfully, as an ancient clan, they had accumulated Sovereign's Might outside of the four elements that they specialised.
Having already seen Ace's heaven-defying ability, Gisalson promptly took a single drop of Life-Type Sovereign's Might, directly handing it to the mysterious expert that appeared on their doorstep.
Ace then had the six-star fiend of the Edict of Life, who had claimed to know the method to save Yunaia, show him the method.
The man decided to show him directly on Yunaia. Although he was unable to cure her himself, by showing Ace on Yunaia directly, not only would he be able to give a proper demonstration, it would also act to slow down the advancement of Yunaia's injury.
Ace didn't hurry to begin. Instead, he watched the man's ingenious use of Life-Type Divine Energy counteract the spiritual devouring taking place in Yunaia's soul. It was only when he had a firm grasp on the technique that he began.
Many, including the man who was teaching Ace the method, expected Ace to watch for a lot longer before he got started. After all, the stakes weren't minor, and the technique was by no means simple. But they had no idea how talented Ace really was.
The man wanted to stop Ace before his impulsivity killed Linley's wife, but Ace's actions were without hesitation. The man had barely opened his mouth when Ace had already absorbed the Sovereign's Might and got to work on Yunaia's soul.
Still, the hesitation of him and the others quickly turned to shock as Ace perfectly copied the technique. In fact, Ace started off slowly at first just to make sure he had got the mechanics down, but within a few seconds, he was operating at such a speed that it had the man question who was the teacher and who was the student in this scenario.
What was even more impressive was that Ace only seemed to get faster and faster as time went on.
It was then that he looked up and saw the almost glazed expression on Ace's face. He and everyone else present realised that Ace had slipped into an enlightened state.
He didn't say it aloud, but after checking the state of Yunaia's soul, he told Linley that at this rate, Yunaia would be just fine.
Linley couldn't help but sigh with relief internally as he looked at Ace's back, his eyes filled with endless gratitude.
Unfortunately, Ace had no idea what Linley was feeling; he was too busy focusing on his enlightenment.
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