276: The temple was shocked, and the old man was heartbroken.

The top floor of the temple.

Sollers Schwore leaned back on the throne crafted from divine mineral, his gaze lowered, staring at the object in his palm for a long time, lost in thought.

Creak— The sound of the door opening echoed, and Sorens nonchalantly tucked the object in his hand away.

A personal guard entered from outside the door and knelt on one knee to salute.

"Reporting to the Divine Lord, First Divine Envoy · Pasier requests an audience."

"Let him in."

"Yes."

The guard retreated, and not long after, Pasier strode in.

He placed his right hand over his left chest and bowed slightly forward, completing the salute.

"You've worked hard on this trip. Capturing genesis is a major contribution, and I will report it to the Light God later to claim credit for you."

Without waiting for Pasier to speak, Sorens stood up with a smile, paced over to him, and familiarly patted his arm.

Pasier felt complicated, his thin lips slightly parted, "I..."

Thinking he was about to refuse, Sorens hurriedly interrupted him, saying with a chuckle.

"Hey, don't decline. You're so obsessed with cultivation, it's rare for you to go out; you should relax a little."

"Once we separate genesis, I'll arrange a victory banquet so we can all celebrate."

"...I failed."

"When the Light God kno... Hm? Hm? What did you say?"

The smile on Sorens' face stiffened, unable to believe his own ears.

Pasier took a deep breath, "The genesis host was rescued by a Chaos Mage. I fought him, and the outcome... was a crushing defeat."

After saying this, he felt a sense of relief, and his whole body felt much lighter.

He had carried titles like First Divine Envoy and the strongest under the Light God for too long; they were like invisible shackles that made him afraid to let down expectations.

Now that he had been defeated by a Chaos Mage, Pasier actually felt a sense of sublimation in his state of mind, a feeling of breaking and then establishing anew. If he were to enter seclusion now, perhaps he could advance even further.

"You... lost?"

Sorens stared at him in disbelief, shocked to the core.

"You're not joking with me, are you? I know your strength best. While a Chaos Mage is strong, their growth time is ultimately limited. You've been cultivating for over a thousand years, surely you aren't telling me you can't beat an underdeveloped Chaos Mage?"

These words were like a sharp blade, ruthlessly piercing into Pasier's heart.

He frowned slightly, his tone stiff: "...We've known each other for so long, have you ever seen me joke?"

Sorens shook his head, "No, I just can't believe you would fail..."

"Sit down and let's talk about it."

He gestured, and they both sat down. Pasier began to recount the entire process...

The bottom floor of the temple.

Sandra and the others arrived in a rush.

Second Divine Envoy · Hela and Third Divine Envoy Will were guarding the bottom floor, and their eyes lit up when they saw them.

"Oh, you're back?"

"Greetings, My Lord."

The five of them, including Sandra, knelt on one knee to salute, the hierarchy and discipline were strict.

Hela waved for them to rise and asked hurriedly.

"What happened on your trip? Where is genesis?"

Just a moment ago, when First Divine Envoy · Pasier entered, he hadn't said a word and seemed unhappy. Hela had keenly sensed this, which was why she asked out of curiosity.

"genesis... the capture failed."

The five lowered their heads, their cheeks burning; it was a huge embarrassment.

"Failed?" Hela narrowed her eyes, seemingly understanding the reason for Pasier's unhappiness, and her face turned cold as frost as she said, "Speak, was it because you were arrogant and acted without authorization that led to this failure?"

"No wonder First Divine Envoy · Pasier ignored me; you must have made him angry!"

"This... really isn't it..." the Fourth Divine Envoy muttered softly.

Hela raised an eyebrow, "It isn't?"

She stepped forward, grabbed the other by the collar, and sneered, questioning, "Don't tell me you want to say that First Divine Envoy · Pasier also failed?"

"Hmph, ridiculous!"

"I tell you, First Divine Envoy · Pasier will never fail! Never!"

At this moment, Hela was like a crazed fan, desperately defending her idol with fierce words.

"We couldn't believe it either, but First Divine Envoy · Pasier came out of the Resurrection Divine Pool; this is the truth, we all saw it with our own eyes!"

The others chimed in one after another.

"Yes, we saw First Divine Envoy · Pasier come out with our own eyes. He didn't say a word, just put on his equipment and left."

"First Divine Envoy · Pasier indeed resurrected."

"Lord Hela, please calm down!"

Listening to their words, Hela's expression flickered, and she forcefully released her grip as if venting, shaking her head in disbelief.

"No, First Divine Envoy · Pasier would not lose. You must be lying. I will go ask him myself."

She took a deep breath, turned around, and rushed up the stairs.

Third Divine Envoy Will saw this and sighed helplessly.

Although he was also shocked, Hela, being a die-hard fan of Pasier, was clearly more devastated.

Turning his head, he looked at the others and waved his hand.

"Let's go, come with me to meet the Divine Lord."

The top floor of the temple.

Sorens heard the whole process, couldn't help but look solemn, and sighed.

"This generation's Chaos Mage is actually this strong; a single bolt of divine lightning could kill you, that's a bit too exaggerated..."

Pasier's eye twitched, "You've already sighed three times; is it necessary to emphasize it again?"

Sorens was taken aback, then coughed lightly and changed the subject.

"According to your description, the other party is not coming with good intentions and is exceptionally powerful. Even if you and I join forces, our chances of winning are not high. I think we can only endure this matter and must not escalate the conflict."

Pasier curled his lip, "After so many years, you're still this cowardly."

"Heh, this isn't called cowardly; this is called assessing the situation."

Sorens picked up the divine mineral ornament on the table and fiddled with it, tossing it into the air and catching it again.

Knock, knock, knock! A knock on the door suddenly sounded.

He caught the falling divine mineral ornament, straightened his posture, and said in a deep voice, "Come in."

The personal guard pushed the door open and entered, kneeling to report, "Divine Lord, the Second Divine Envoy through the Eighth Divine Envoy request an audience."

"Hm... Let them in."

"Yes."

Before long, Hela, Will, and the others filed in.

"Greetings, Divine Lord, greetings, Lord Pasier!"

Sorens waved for them to rise and asked directly.

"Speak, what urgent matter do you have to request an audience?"

Hela stood up, her gaze shifting to Pasier on the side, and she spoke impatiently.

"Sandra and the others said that Lord Pasier lost to the Chaos Mage. I cannot believe it, so I have come specifically to seek confirmation from Lord Pasier. I want to know... is it true... or is it false..."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's gaze turned to Pasier.

Their gazes were like sharp knives, piercing Pasier's heart once again.

He remained silent, veins faintly bulging on his neck, and finally, he took a deep breath and admitted it.

"That's right, I lost. A crushing defeat. The Chaos Mage wiped me out with a single bolt of divine lightning. If it weren't for the resurrection, death would have been my only destination. I lost... completely!"

Pasier stood up and walked over to Hela. His golden eyes swept across everyone's eyes, finally landing on Hela's face, his thin lips slightly parted.

"Are you satisfied with this answer?"

After speaking, he let out a cold snort, lifted his foot, and brushed past Hela, walking out the door without looking back...

Hela's gaze was dull, she stood frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time.

The others lowered their heads, falling into silence.

The only sound left in the room was the creaking of the door opening and closing...

From loud to quiet, and then immediately from quiet to loud again!

The personal guard entered again, looking anxious, and knelt down with a thud to report.

"Reporting to the Divine Lord, a large number of Protoss resurrection phenomena have appeared at the Resurrection Divine Pool. The number is still rising, and the pool is almost blocked!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.