CHAPTER 1004: SOVEREIGN CONFERENCE

The very next morning, precisely at the tenth bell, Lady Divine returned. She didn’t waste time with pleasantries. The room filled once more with shimmering golden runes as she set the formation, separating the vile threads of infernal energy that clung to Lenavira’s body.

At the moment of separation, Max extended his hand, his Unholy Trinity Physique roaring to life as he devoured the poisonous mist into his own body without hesitation. The energy burned faintly in his veins before vanishing into nothing, swallowed whole by his strange constitution.

Lady Divine studied him each time with an unreadable look in her eyes, as if the boy before her was a puzzle even she couldn’t solve.

This process repeated itself the following day. And then the day after.

Day after day, morning after morning, Lady Divine arrived at Max’s quarters. She wove her runes with divine precision, separating infernal energy thread by thread, while Max absorbed the corruption into himself with terrifying ease.

She always lingered for a short while afterward, speaking to him briefly about cultivation, about secrecy, sometimes about runes. But she never explained the familiarity she claimed to feel toward him. Then she would leave, vanishing like a wisp of smoke.

And so the days stretched on.

Within a month, this ritual had become almost routine. Lenavira’s complexion was still dark, her hair still grey, but her breathing had stabilized, her presence no longer flickering like a candle about to be snuffed.

Max felt relief each time he sensed her aura grow even a fraction stronger.

But outside his room, the world was far from calm.

In the span of that same month, the Hunter Association had struck like a thunderclap. Under President William’s command, they unearthed demon spies hiding within the Seven Overlord Forces themselves. Quiet, patient infiltrators who had wormed their way into the deepest cracks of power were dragged into the light.

The announcement shattered the fragile calm of the Middle Domain.

The people had only just begun to reel from the revelation that Thunder Monarch Hall and Void Soul Tower were not merely traitors but demon-founded factions. That alone had been enough to send shockwaves across forces, empires, and guilds.

But when word spread that even the other five Overlord Forces harbored demons in their ranks—no longer as open rulers but as spies—the atmosphere turned suffocating.

Markets went quiet. Streets filled with whispers. Families barricaded themselves indoors. Panic and paranoia spread like wildfire. If demons could be anywhere, even in the highest forces of the Middle Domain, then what of the smaller forces? The minor guilds? Who could be trusted?

Guild leaders turned on each other. Rumors of purges and interrogations filled the air. Armies were mobilized, but not against outside enemies—against their own ranks, searching desperately for infiltrators.

The Middle Domain teetered on the edge of chaos.

And through it all, Max remained within the Great Ruler Empire, keeping his head low as Lady Divine advised, quietly growing stronger each day as he devoured infernal energy bit by bit from Lenavira’s body. He knew the world outside was shifting. He could feel the weight of countless eyes turning toward him—both human and demon.

But for now, his focus remained on the girl lying unconscious on the bed. ’Hang on, Lenavira. I’ll pull you out of this, no matter how long it takes.’

Another month passed quietly for Max within the Great Ruler Empire, though the world outside only grew louder, heavier, and more restless. Each day he followed the same routine—Lady Divine arriving at the tenth bell, runes flaring as infernal energy was separated, his Unholy Trinity Physique swallowing the corruption whole, and Lenavira’s body slowly stabilizing—but the news reaching the empire’s towers was far from stable.

And then came a thunderclap of news that rippled across every guild, clan, and force in the Middle Domain.

The Four God Nation—the oldest, most mysterious, and most revered of all powers—announced they would be holding the Sovereign Conference in four months’ time.

The moment the announcement spread, it shook the Middle Domain to its very core.

The Sovereign Conference was not like the countless guild gatherings, political councils, or trade alliances that dotted the Middle Domain. No. This was something infinitely greater, something etched into the very history of their world.

It was the highest assembly of power, called only by the Four God Nation itself, and it was convened only when the fate of the entire world hung in balance. For most experts, the Sovereign Conference was nothing more than legend, something spoken of in awe. Some even lived and died without seeing one convened.

Records showed that the Sovereign Conference had only ever been called a handful of times in all of history—each marking a calamity of world-ending proportions.

Way before Ten thousand years ago, it had been called during the first invasion of the demons, when humanity, elves, beastkin, and even ancient spirits gathered under one banner to repel the tide of destruction.

Ten thousand years ago, it was called once more during the Era of Collapse, when the heavens cracked and Ascendants descended in force, threatening to turn Acaris into their colony.

And now, after long silence, the Four God Nation declared that the Sovereign Conference would be held again.

Forces across the Middle Domain trembled.

The Sovereign Conference was not merely a meeting—it was a summons. When the Four God Nation called it, every major power was compelled to attend. To decline, or to ignore the summons, was to openly defy the will of the Four God Nation, a crime that was equal to treason against humanity itself.

The purpose of the Conference was twofold. First, to share information—to pool every secret, every whisper, every discovery, so that nothing remained hidden when the entire world was threatened. Second, to form unity—to decide who would lead, who would follow, what forces would act, and what sacrifices would be made.

In essence, it was when the Middle Domain’s divided giants finally sat at the same table and spoke with one voice.

And this time, that voice would have only one subject: the demons.