When the plot-skips players into the game world Chapter 1589 - 279: Touchstone to Gold

The "Hero" Ismael felt his heart was about to leap out of his chest.

...A traitor?

Isn’t that ?

For a mont, Ismael absurdly wondered if Aiwass had betrayed him... but soon he ca to his senses, wondering if he had been seen through.

Fortunately, Ismael was exceptionally brave.

Even as a child and a re mortal, he had once killed a lion barehanded—a task requiring more than just strength; it demanded absolute calm. Thus, he showed no sign of panic, only furrowing his brows as he exchanged glances with the other Benevolent Lords.

In the room sat twelve Benevolent Lords, perfectly encircling the round table. Their expressions varied, yet the room remained silent.

—There was no uproar among the people as a result.

After all, these Benevolent Lords did not firmly believe in Ayimar Nur’s words.

But the "Forgiver" Ayimar Nur just calmly watched them all, slowly saying, "Brothers and sisters, we are gathered here to escape the eternal enslavent of the Great Abyss.

"Yet not everyone thinks this way. Just as not all people are born equally great, not all have pure blood flowing through them—"

As Ayimar Nur spoke, he suddenly turned to face a Benevolent Lord beside him.

It was the closest Benevolent Lord to him, an elder with equally white hair and beard. Only his gaze averted when Ayimar Nur looked his way.

"Forgiver..."

The elder Benevolent Lord spoke slowly.

Ayimar Nur fixed his gaze on him.

Before the elder could finish his words, Ayimar Nur suddenly reached out and grabbed his shoulder!

"Huh?!"

The elder couldn’t dodge in ti. A dim yellow light glimred in his eyes, and the Radiance of Preservation Arts barely covered him.

Simultaneously, a dim yellow fla erupted from his hand, engulfing them both!

The other Benevolent Lords were imdiately shocked, rising to their feet.

So Benevolent Lords instantly cast defensive ritual magic upon themselves, others opted for Preservation Arts. In an instant, the mana of the Path of Transcendence and the Path of Dusk filled the narrow room, even causing serpentine scales to grow upon the walls and slight petrification on the golden floor.

—These were both Sixth Power Level Transcendents!

Having two Sixth Power Level Transcendents fight surely would be earth-shattering?!

Yet three of the Benevolent Lords remained calmly seated in their chairs.

One of them was the "Hero" Ismael.

To everyone’s astonishnt...

Despite both being Sixth Power Level Transcendents, there was no suppression of paths—indeed, the Forgiver’s Path of Dusk was only at the Fifth Power Level, theoretically aning he should be suppressed by one Power Level... yet the battle was resolved in the blink of an eye.

Just five or six seconds later, the dim yellow fla gradually withdrew, returning inside the "Forgiver" Ayimar Nur.

Ayimar Nur’s eyes were dull yellow, his expression unchanged. The elder Benevolent Lord had utterly lost his life. His hand lingered in a motion to touch the "Forgiver", but he had already beco a shining golden skeleton!

This might have been due to Ayimar Nur’s ambush.

Yet even accounting for the ambush, defeating a Transcendent of the sa Path and Power Level in an instant was nearly impossible in the past!

No matter what, this was a Sixth Power Level Transcendent. A few months ago, he could have single-handedly defeated a Kingdom.

Such a powerful figure was pierced through the protection of Preservation Arts, silently lting away...

This gave no sense of reality. As if Ayimar Nur hadn’t slain a peer-level Transcendent but casually eliminated a re mortal.

—It sent shivers down one’s spine.

If Ayimar Nur could so easily kill him, did it an he could also kill ?

Despite both being Sixth Power Level, why did the other’s abilities prove entirely ineffective?

Under the worried, suspicious, fearful, and solemn gazes of the other Benevolent Lords, Ayimar Nur unperturbedly pulled off the hand of the golden skeleton.

Like peeling a pogranate, he stripped each phalanx away, scattering them like a handful of ga pieces before the other Benevolent Lords.

It was only then that Ismael suddenly realized—the golden radiance was not the lingering spell light of the Path of Dusk.

—It was real gold!

For so reason, and he didn’t know how Aimal Nur managed it, he actually transford a living person directly into a skeleton forged of pure gold!

Could this be the true pursuit of alchemy’s primal goal, the transmutation into gold?

"—Legislator Babak."

The Benevolent Lord of Holy Spring City slowly began to speak, declaring the charges of the old Benevolent Lord he had slain: "A weak and despicable sympathizer of slaves!

"The foundation of our rule, the consensus established by Parthia over thousands of years, is destroyed by people like him!

"It’s because these people retreated willingly that those wretched inferiors were given space to survive; letting them rise instead of kneel. They stood up and wanted the rights to walk; they started walking and then desired to run. They want more and more, never knowing satisfaction... And all of this is because these slave sympathizers retreated that one step for their own good reputation, for aningless pity!

"He financed at least six resistance groups, including the Red Hand Gang besieging the city gates. Without the support of people like him, where would these resistance groups get their water and food?

"We have bound ourselves here for generations, selling ourselves and our descendants to the Great Abyss! We sacrificed our conscience and morality to ’error’ in exchange for this water! Yet he gave this precious water to the scum who wish to destroy everything!"

Hearing Aimal Nur rebuke Legislator Babak, Ismael quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately... got through it.

It was because he remained calm and composed, showing no panic, that he avoided suspicion.

Ismael even suspected—Aimal Nur had intentionally invited Legislator Babak.

These matters couldn’t be figured out in just a day or two.

Babak was just an excuse, a sacrificial chicken ant to discipline and intimidate the Benevolent Lords.

Just like the Primordial proverb, "Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys."

After all, Benevolent Lords are rulers of the Oasis City State, their status equal to or even surpassing that of a small nation’s King. They share the rank of a Benevolent Lord, both being of the Sixth Power Level. How could they so easily submit to Aimal Nur’s direction and orders?

And why should he serve as the Parthia King while they could only be Viziers (Assistants)?

Clearly, Aimal Nur needed a target to demonstrate his power. Thus, these Benevolent Lords could beco his support. Ismael understood this principle well—after all, he had done the sa in the past.

...But this news also needs to be quickly conveyed to Aiwass, Ismael thought.

This terrifying spell that bypasses Preservation Arts and instantly kills a Sixth Power Level Transcendent even allows for the transmutation of a living person into gold, making revival and healing impossible.

Though Aiwass is powerful enough to wield the Pillar God’s Power... but if he’s not careful, he might get caught in a sche.

Just as Ismael had guessed. The purpose of this small eting was to unify the other Benevolent Lords against Aiwass.

And Aimal Nur’s plan was even more ruthless than Ismael had imagined—

"Aiwass’s true identity is a Holy Entity created by the Serpent Celestial Marshal, equating him to the Descent Heavenly Departnt. Based on my consultation with experts, although Aiwass is not a Fifth Power Level Transcendent of the Path of Dusk, he has an exceptional affinity with the Great Abyss, enough to be an extraordinary vessel for summoning the Great Abyss."

"...Experts?"

The beautiful Mahid Fran hesitated: "Are these experts... reliable?"

"Naturally."

Aimal Nur slowly spoke: "He is indeed the Angel Envoy of the Serpent Celestial Marshal, Aiwass’s grandfather and creator.

"The Serpent Celestial Marshal wishes to reclaim his fragnts, while brothers and sisters wish to eliminate our common foe. anwhile, we need to select the most suitable sacrifice for our beloved Great Abyss... Thus, we reached a cooperation.

"Without the adaptation of the Path of Dusk, Aiwass is the best vessel. This will plunge the Great Abyss into unprecedented weakness.

"Ladies and gentlen, I have truly prepared all that I could. I’ve weakened the enemy as much as possible, strengthened myself as much as possible, eliminating all instability and coincidence... all of it is for the ritual tomorrow to make Aiwass a live sacrifice. I hope you will not disappoint ."

At this point, Aimal Nur once again surveyed the group.

He revealed his plan: "Then, we will perform the Ring of Ouroboros ritual as usual. Together, with the most elaborate ceremony, offer pre-slaughter praise to the Great Abyss.

"But during the final sacrifice, we will all take action to redirect the ritual’s target to Aiwass. It isn’t about killing him physically, but using the ritual’s power to offer him as a direct sacrifice. His own mana involved in the ritual makes it akin to willingly accepting the sacrifice.

"No matter what cards he holds or what kind of power he commands, it doesn’t concern us. We won’t engage him in battle at all... To achieve this, absolute confidentiality... and obedience is needed.

"—I hope Babak’s death can serve as a key and bridge for our communication, my dear brothers and sisters."