Chapter 818. Conversation with demons. Spectating Soluna.

Yasenia welcomed her two giant dears by transforming into her dragon form and opening her wings. The phoenix and fox quickly walked forward and were surrounded by Yasenia's large wings.

"How was the fight, loves?"

Yasenia's ethereally beautiful voice reached the two injured beasts, making them feel relaxed and protected. Kali smiled and lifted her fox face to look at Yasenia's draconic one. "It was difficult. The feeling of not being able to do much was quite prevalent during the entire fight, so I don't know. It was an interesting experience, that much I can say."

The dragoness leaned down, rubbing her face with Kali's. "Your fur is so soft, Honey~."

Kali chuckled. "Your scales are also nice and smooth~."

Then, the dragon looked at Cecile and also approached her face, snuggling with the beautiful silvery bird between her wings. "How about you, Sweetheart?"

Cecile pondered for a while and looked at her with a frown. "I want to become stronger."

Yasenia laughed. "Then, when we return, you need to break through."

Cecile nodded. "I got a few hints. I'm sure I'm prepared to break through."

Andrea landed on Yasenia's nose with a smile. "Well, girls. We need to go."

The three giant beasts looked sideways and saw the judge pointing upward, telling them to leave the arena. While it had some self-recovery skills, the judges cleaned everything afterward.

Valeria approached Kali and Cecile. "Come here, Kali, Cecile. I'll heal you."

The giant three-tailed foxes and Moon Phoenix stepped out of Yasenia's embrace and presented their wounds to Valeria.

Energy flowed out of Valeria's body and transformed into two streams of vital energy, gently surrounding the wounds and accelerating their regeneration drastically while also expelling the Death Energy leftovers from the attack.

About five seconds later, they were perfectly healed, with their fur and feathers having regrown.

Cecile extended her giant wings a few times and flapped them to feel her back. "Hm. Perfect."

Kali also stretched, twisting her body, and smiled. "Thank you, Valeria."

 Without delaying it anymore, as they were starting to get an increasingly growling look from the judge, all of them flew upward. Eira muttered. "Young Miss, while I understand your objective, why didn't you let me participate more often? We could've practiced five against five."

Yasenia pondered. "Hm… Five against five was something we should've definitely tried. We could have you pin down one enemy while we fought the rest." Then, she shrugged. "But, while interesting, it was not something that we needed to do. The thing that interested me the most was the one against one."

Eira guessed. "It is best for Andrea, Cecile, and Kali to understand their strength and completely stabilize their foundation."

Yasenia nodded. "That was the intention since the very beginning. And for large group battles, we had that one on the first floor of the first part. So, I'm satisfied."

Yasenia and the others landed on the platform, receiving admiring gazes from people around, especially the sect members. By now, it was not a secret that Yasenia, while she was a sect master, was also a junior. Hence, when other powers heard that she was participating, they never took her into account.

People just believed that she wouldn't be able to reach far, most thinking that even overcoming the first part of the summit would be out of her reach.

Still, time and time again, Yasenia proved them wrong. Did Eira help? She did. Her presence was essential. However, for someone at their level, Yasenia's achievements were nothing but miraculous. Something that had never happened in the history of the World Summit competition.

The sect members were extremely excited as well.

"Sect master is so cool!"

"They actually reached the top 64! That's insane. Hasn't the Sect Master yet to break through into the Epoch Core realm?"

"Not only that, but the rest of Sect Master's lovers are also below Epoch Core. The only one at that level is that maid-wearing woman."

"Can you imagine her strength once she reaches those heights?"

A person from another power at the side heard them and snorted. "That is if she can reach. Heaven is not gentle with too talented people."

Many frowned and turned to look. When they saw the colorful-skinned beings with many fleshy wings on their back, many that had wanted to get back at them didn't do so.

Demons, Divines, and other "alien" races had already made a name for themselves by smashing the opposition. All six groups, Soluna included, were in the top 32.

Dyrathos, the demon leader, sneered. "In the end, you are just that. Top 64 is a good position for you."

Yasenia looked at him, and her lips arched. "I would've loved to see where you would've placed if you had participated at the Count Demon Realm instead of the Duke Demon Real."

Dyrathos lifted an eyebrow. "When someone dies, they don't look at 'What they could've been' but 'what they were.' So, if you die because of lack of cultivation, it's not unfair, you just weren't strong enough to face those who you provoked."

Yasenia nodded. "You are right. When creatures die, the legacy is what they were, not what they could've been. Remember that, Dyrathos."

Dyrathos frowned. "What do you mean by those words?"

The dragoness shrugged. "You guess. I just vomited what you told me while agreeing."

Dyrathos' frown deepened. "Are you mocking me!?"

Yasenia almost laughed, but she kept a straight face. "I am agreeing with you right now. Is there anything wrong with that? Or can't enemies agree on some viewpoints?"

 Dyrathos wanted to speak again, but the Death-attributed demon, Kyril stopped him. "Dyrathos, we've talked about this. If you let her get to your nerves so easily, you are not fit to be the leader."

Dyrathos took a deep breath and turned around. "Whatever, she won't be laughing for long."

Kyril sighed and looked at Yasenia. "Why do you hate our race so much?"

Yasenia lifted her eyebrow. "How about the fact that your seniors are currently trying to invade my home world?"

Kyril snorted. "Aren't you trying to invade this world as well? If we hadn't arrived, you would've probably swallowed the entire continent."

Yasenia smiled. "But I'm not raping, killing, and destroying everything in my way as I do so."

Kyril mocked. "Sophistry. Your end goal is not different from ours. Take this world for yourself and monopolize their resources."

Yasenia shook her head. "While I wouldn't mind discussing with you for a while, my group is leaving soon."

Kyril laughed coldly. "If you are afraid, go ahead. You have no way of retorting to my words, so you are fleeing."

Yasenia cupped her fist and spoke with an exaggeratedly fake tone. "Oh no~. You've discovered me~. What should I do~? Right, I'll flee! Goodbye~!"

Then, she turned toward the others and ordered in her usual tone. "We are leaving."

"Yes, sect master!"

Tengliu approached. "Yasenia, you are leaving already?"

Yasenia nodded. "Yes. We've lost, so there is nothing else to see here, right?"

Tengliu laughed. "Has anybody else left?"

Yasenia looked around and realized. "Hm? Why are people here still?"

Tengliu explained. "The summit is an event that doesn't happen often. Moreover, it is also a place where future leaders fight." Yasenia titled her head.

Tengliu walked toward her with a smirk. "Did you think the mid-level Epoch Cores sent by the powers are random? They are the strongest middle-level Epoch Cores of each power." Tengliu added. "But that's not all. Most of these have a lot of power inside their sects."

Tengliu turned and called a harpy from her group. "For example, of my people, she is the most talented and probably the harpy that will succeed me."

The black-feathered harpy bent her back gently, her curvaceous body moving attractively with her motions. "Hello, Sect Master Yasenia. This is our first time meeting. My name is Mei Ziran, one of the elders working below Lady Tengliu."

Yasenia bowed back, highlighting her voluminous chest that attracted gazes as if it had gravitational powers. "A pleasure to meet you, Mei Ziran. I'm Yasenia, the Sect Master of the Astral Sky Sect."

Mei Ziran stole a look at Yasenia's chest with a twitch on her lips. '… Big.'

Yasenia looked back into the purple eyes of the white-feathered harpy. "Hm. I understand now. So, we should wait and see everything… Speaking of which, Mei Ziran, how do you see yourself against Demons and similar? Who do you fear the most?"

The black-feathered harpy thought deeply and spoke. "That Sun and Moon woman."

Yasenia blinked. "Soluna?"

The black-feathered harpy nodded solemnly. "While the others are strong, I can see myself fighting back. However, that woman is terrifying."

Yasenia looked down, and her eyes scanned the area for Soluna. As a single participant, Soluna participated in all battles by herself. While it usually wasn't allowed, that was when there were four or more people in the group.

Groups with three people could send a participant twice in the two-versus-two matches. Then, all participants were allowed to participate as they pleased in groups of two or one person.

Many niche rules clarified odd situations, which didn't affect Yasenia, as she was participating with a five-person group.

After a few moments, Yasenia finally found Soluna's arena. 'Oh, she is in her third one-versus-one match.'

She knew because of the 2-0 score in Soluna's favor.

Her opponents were actually one of the Nine Sects, the Nine Devil Puppet Sect. They were a faction allied with the Continental Shadows, one of the main parties.

Meanwhile, Soluna stood in the middle of the arena, her face as cold as the Moon's surface while her aura was blazing like a solar inferno.

Standing there, she looked as if the Goddesses of the Moon and Sun had decided to descend and take over her body.

When her opponent jumped from the stands, Yasenia could clearly see that other than tension, there was a hint of fear radiating from his gestures. 'Is Soluna this oppressive?'

The judge appeared and shouted. "Soluna against Mo Yu! The match will start in 10… 9…"

The countdown began, and Yasenia saw the puppet master summon 12 beings made of different "parts" that were clearly from but not limited to humanoid creatures.

Then, spiritual threads latched on the puppets as the puppet master strengthened all of them enough to make each of them release a terrifying aura. Yasenia's face was solemn as she looked. 'That looks strong. Without Celestial Skills, I would've only around a thirty percent chance of winning... Hm… That's not too accurate, though.' Guessing your winning chances was complicated.

However, Yasenia wasn't looking because of that, she was looking because she wanted to see Soluna in action.

Finally, the countdown reached zero, and both sides moved.

The 12 puppets rushed forward and circled Soluna. To Yasenia's surprise, Soluna ignored the puppets and rushed toward the cultivator.

Naturally, this triggered a trap set up by the puppet cultivator. He had seen his previous two companions get stomped by this being, so he had planned some countermeasures. "[12 Devil Puppet Circle Of Imprisonment]!"

A profound ripple of energy spread from all the puppets and the puppet master, creating an interwoven layer of energy that soon transformed into a solid wall, blocking Soluna's escape.

However, Soluna continued forward without any care and waved one hand. "[Sunbeam]."

Then, the arena was swallowed by light, as if a Sun had appeared in there, followed by a terrifying explosion.