Death… And Me

Chapter 4367: Ocalfin

Things didn’t end there. In several other locations across Besgol, people’s bodies suddenly began to explode one after another. The incidents caught everyone nearby completely by surprise, and in more than a few places, cultivators immediately assumed they were under attack. Panic spread quickly as experts rushed to investigate the cause, expecting enemies to appear at any moment.

However, after those bodies exploded, nothing else happened. No attackers revealed themselves, no battles followed, and no traces of hostile forces could be found. The victims simply died, and that was the end of it. In the end, the only thing those who witnessed the events could do was report everything to the Godly Subjugation Guild or the authorities responsible for the locations where the incidents occurred.

It goes without saying that Arcis and Tobao quickly received those reports as well. Once all the information was gathered and compared, it became clear that the people involved in the attempt to steal the Mysterious Crystal had far more accomplices than initially expected.

-There were five of them in the Network Guild alone,- Arcis commented after reviewing the latest findings.

Now back inside the crater, Tobao nodded in agreement. -This proves Rean’s theory. One of them possessed the ability to intercept communications moving through the Besgol Network. That’s how Flugel’s designs were obtained, modified, and forwarded to the Array Masters without raising suspicion. Fortunately, that won’t happen again. Knowing Flugel, he’s probably putting his very life on the line right now to make sure every single array is built exactly according to the original designs.-

Arcis didn’t appear the least bit pleased by that conclusion.

-It still doesn’t change the fact that we had even more spies hidden throughout the Besgol Region. Just where did these people come from? No... that’s not the right question. Every one of them was either born in Besgol or ascended here. The real question is who they were working for.-

Tobao narrowed his eyes as he considered the matter.

-It doesn’t feel like the puppets case. There was no Godly Pressure involved.-

-Indeed,- Arcis agreed immediately. -Kanpturo seemed completely lucid until the very end.-

Kanpturo was the clan leader. -If anything, he looked furious when he realized that his supposed life-saving item had actually been designed to kill him. I’m fairly certain that everyone who exploded was acting according to their own will. Perhaps some were being coerced or blackmailed, but they weren’t mindless puppets. We will need a thorough investigation before reaching any conclusions.-

Tobao tapped the table in front of him several times while considering their next move.

-For now, return here and help me protect the Crystal. Until the arrays are rebuilt and the crystal is properly secured once again, I don’t want to give our enemies even the slightest opportunity.-

-Very well,- Arcis replied before ending the conversation.

---

Far away from Besgol, inside a secluded cultivation chamber, a child sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. Around him, hundreds of Godly Beast Crystals were piled high, continuously releasing their energy as he absorbed them without pause.

Normally, such an amount of Godly Energy would be enough to make even powerful cultivators excited. Yet in front of this child, the crystals seemed almost insignificant.

One crystal after another lost its glow and crumbled into dust after being completely drained. The process continued for hours until the final crystal also shattered apart, leaving not a single one intact. Only then did the child absorb the remaining traces of Godly Energy floating in the air and slowly open his eyes.

Almost immediately, his gaze shifted toward a specific direction.

His eyes narrowed.

”The safety measure was activated. They are all dead...”

A suffocating aura spread from his body.

Had anyone been present to feel it, they would have immediately recognized the pressure of a Law God. Not just any Law God, either. This child stood at the Peak Stage of the Law God Realm, only a single step away from entering the Region God Realm.

Unfortunately, that final step had eluded him for centuries.

Despite countless years of cultivation and numerous opportunities, he remained trapped at this bottleneck with no indication that a breakthrough would come anytime soon.

If Tobao had been present, he would have recognized the child immediately.

After all, this Law God had participated in the gathering where Tobao requested assistance against the Godly Horrors. Like the others, he had accepted the invitation and even received two Godly Horror Crystals as compensation for his efforts, both of which had already been consumed.

His name was Xigazou, a Peak Stage Law God from the Ocalfin Region.

Ocalfin was located far southwest of Besgol. Compared to the neighboring Voncava Region, which was the closest to Besgol, Ocalfin was roughly three times farther away.

When Xigazou traveled to Besgol through the regional teleportation array, he didn’t come alone. Taking advantage of the incredibly expensive transportation, he brought a number of trusted subordinates with him. In truth, every Law God who visited Besgol had done the same. Opportunities like that were simply too valuable to waste.

Even after returning home, more than half of Xigazou’s people remained behind in Besgol.

The reason was straightforward.

Besgol was where the puppet incidents had first appeared. Since the phenomenon represented a potential threat to every region, the visiting Law Gods wanted reliable sources of information within Besgol even after they departed. Maintaining observers there was only natural, and Tobao had no excuse to refuse that.

It was through those observers that Xigazou first learned about the existence of the Mysterious Crystal.

The moment the reports reached him, he became obsessed with obtaining it.

For hundreds of years, he had feared dying while trapped at the Peak Stage of the Law God Realm. The Mysterious Crystal represented something he had almost given up hope of finding—a genuine opportunity to break through into the Region God Realm.

As far as he was concerned, he needed that crystal.

Thus, he and his subordinates began laying the groundwork for a theft. They carefully established connections, recruited experts from Besgol, and slowly built a network capable of carrying out the operation without attracting attention.

Naturally, Xigazou couldn’t act recklessly.

Relations between the various regions had always remained cooperative because everyone understood the dangers lurking throughout the Celestial Plane. Information regarding major threats was routinely exchanged, just as Besgol had immediately informed the other regions about the discovery of the puppet phenomenon.

Any region found betraying the others would be isolated immediately.

No information would be shared with them. No warnings would be provided. More importantly, no assistance would arrive when disaster struck.

The recent operation against the Godly Horrors was a perfect example. Although the visiting Law Gods were undoubtedly interested in the Godly Horror Crystals Besgol offered as rewards, they still answered the call because Besgol remained a trusted ally. Had Besgol been isolated from the regional alliance, none of them would have come regardless of the reward.

Because of that, Xigazou prepared numerous safeguards while recruiting people into the conspiracy.

If the operation failed, no one would be allowed to expose him, and most importantly, his region.

The moment the conspiracy was discovered, every recruited expert was eliminated simultaneously throughout Besgol. No survivors remained. No witnesses were left behind. No one capable of testifying against him or his direct subordinates still drew breath.

As a result, although a few clues might eventually point toward Ocalfin Region, obtaining actual proof would be extraordinarily difficult.

Even so, Xigazou didn’t look relaxed.

The loose ends had been cleaned up successfully, but that didn’t change the fact that his plan had failed completely.

The Mysterious Crystal remained in Besgol’s hands.

His best opportunity to reach the Region God Realm had slipped away.

Sitting alone in his cultivation chamber, Xigazou frowned deeply as countless thoughts ran through his mind.

”What to do... what to do...”