Sovereign of the Ashes

The Spider Goddess was no ordinary being to be able to uncover so much about Sein with just a glance.

The “Baxia Family” she mentioned—was she referring to Tourmaline’s family?

Could Baxia be Tourmaline’s father?[1]

Though Sein’s body was weak and his senses dulled, his mind remained sharp, piecing the puzzle together through logical deduction.

The alluring goddess rested her delicate hand on Sein’s head. He could feel the warm trickle of blood from his wound, the crimson liquid blurring his vision.

The fact that he was still breathing meant that she had not crushed his skull yet.

For someone of her power, killing him would have required just a flick of her finger.

Yet the two protections on Sein made it impossible for her to kill him without facing any consequences.

If this Spider Goddess had been an evil foreign deity brazenly spreading her faith in the Magus World, she might have killed him without a second thought.

Unfortunately for her, she was a native of the Magus World.

Someone of her strength and background could have easily eliminated an ordinary Rank Three grand mage without raising suspicion.

Even if word got out, it would not have mattered much—she had caused plenty of trouble over the years, and none of it had provoked a significant response from the guardians or other authorities of the Magus World.

To be born with a silver spoon meant living as a top-tier powerhouse like her, above the consequences that constrained others.

But Sein was different—he carried a wisp of Planar Light within him.

If Sein were to die, both the Planar Will and the guardians would sense it immediately.

Though it was just a small wisp of light, it was still Planar Light.

To earn this protection from one of the guardians and Planar Will, he must have contributed something to Magus World.

The repercussions of killing a Rank Three grand mage carrying Planar Light were far greater than those of slaughtering a hundred ordinary Rank Three mages.

Even with all her power and influence, not even the depths of Blackhaven would shield her from punishment.

The last time Summer Guardian intervened, she had threatened to kick the Spider Goddess out of the Magus World.

While the Spider Goddess believed it was mostly a bluff to scare her, she could not afford to test the guardian’s resolve.

If she acted recklessly, she knew her old man would not step in to defend her.

In truth, her old man had not spoken to her in over twenty thousand years. He had pretty much left her out here to fend for herself.

Even the influential figures in the Magus World who occasionally spoke on her behalf did so only because they had owed her adoptive father favors in the past.

Yes, the old man was not her biological father. But given what he had already done for her, it was fair to say he had fulfilled the promise he made to his dear friend.

The single wisp of Planar Light in Sein was enough to make the Spider Goddess hesitate, not to mention the added weight of Tourmaline’s blessing.

Across the entire Magus World, only a few would dare to provoke Tourmaline’s family.

Tourmaline and White Stella’s father was a powerful overlord, a figure whose contributions to the Magus World had been nothing short of monumental.

Tourmaline herself, alongside her brother Maned Tyrant and others, had been helping the guardians in suppressing planar nodes and handling various matters since their youth.

Her fourth brother, Black Oblivion, had risen to prominence among the magic beasts, while her third sister, White Stella, maintained strong alliances with the sea races.

And above them all were their eldest and second brothers...

Maned Tyrant alone far surpassed the Spider Goddess in strength.

Sein could not accurately compare their respective strengths, but surely the Spider Goddess herself knew the truth.

While she had stayed in Blackhaven for countless years, Maned Tyrant had tirelessly suppressed planar nodes in the frozen northern ocean of the Western Archipelago.

The two had even clashed once in their younger years.

With all these factors weighing on her mind, the goddess’ expression shifted through a range of emotions before she finally withdrew her hand.

“I was going to extract the information I wanted by delving into your brain, but I’ve changed my mind. I’ll spare your life,” she said coolly.

The goddess leaned back and gracefully lowered herself onto a crystal high chair that materialized beneath her.

“First, tell me why you suddenly appeared in this underground world. Are you here specifically to search for my temple?” she asked, crossing her flawless fair legs.

Her tight dress hugged her curves, accentuating her exquisite figure as she gazed at Sein with an air of casual dominance.

Sein could sense the astonishingly high level of passive evolutionary energy radiating from the goddess.

However, having just narrowly escaped death and with his movements restricted, Sein found himself inadvertently staring under the goddess’ skirt before he could even formulate a reply.

It was not Sein’s fault—he could not even move his neck.

Besides, the blood trickling from the corner of his eyes gave his vision a faint red hue, leaving him unsure of what he had actually seen.

His dumbfounded expression caused the goddess to frown slightly.

A moment later, she seemed to realize what had happened. Instead of reacting with shyness or anger, she simply let out a soft, amused laugh.

With a casual motion, she shifted her position slightly and crossed her legs again, ensuring that Sein’s line of sight was now limited to her pale thigh.

The gesture was enough to snap Sein out of his daze.

Realizing the precariousness of his situation, Sein dismissed any thoughts of trying something foolish in the presence of what was likely a Rank Six evil goddess.

Adopting a polite and honest demeanor, Sein explained his purpose for visiting the underground world and divulged everything he knew.

Since the goddess had already stated she would spare his life, it seemed unlikely she would go back on her word.

Surely, as someone capable of recognizing the Planar Light within his body and knowledgeable about Tourmaline’s family, she would act with integrity.

After all, powerhouses of her caliber were generally known for keeping their word, even without formal contractual constraints.

Now, it was up to Sein to cooperate fully and sincerely.

His earnest attitude seemed to satisfy the goddess.

Unbeknownst to Sein, she actually possessed a method to discern whether he was lying.

It was not as though the goddess could not kill him if she truly wanted to.

If the Spider Goddess decided to take his life, she undoubtedly had the means to bypass both the Planar Light and the protection afforded by Tourmaline’s blessing.

However, doing so would bring unnecessary trouble, and the risk of exposure far outweighed any potential benefit.

As Sein explained his intentions, the goddess, seated elegantly on her crystal chair, fell into deep thought.

Sein, meanwhile, knew this was not the time to admire the goddess’ beautiful face as she deliberated.

Realizing he had regained some mobility, he concentrated on channeling mana within his body to stop the bleeding from his head wound.

He was not concerned about the scar that might remain; with his constitution and abilities as a Rank Three grand mage, it was a minor issue.

Still, being tightly bound by spider silk left him unable to retrieve any potions from his spatial storage equipment.

The goddess paid no attention to Sein’s small movements.

After a moment of silent contemplation, she summoned her divine servants—the Rank Three Black-bellied Spider leader and the old demihuman.

The two servants appeared promptly, both bowing deeply and kneeling before her in reverence.

Despite being tightly bound like a mummy, Sein carried himself with more dignity in the presence of the goddess than her prostrate servants.

“Have there been any spatial fluctuations near this area recently?” the goddess asked.

1. Translator’s Note: Baxia is actually one of the Nine Offspring of the Dragon in Chinese mythology. He has the appearance of a tortoise. Well, turtle according to online sources but it’s clearly a tortoise in the images! He’s got no flippers! ☜