From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

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The effect of the "Prisoner of Purification" is to create a shimmering silver sphere that continously attracts and dissolves all designated matter in the vicinity, while its rays render most extraordinary powers ineffective.

Its weakness lies in the limited dissolving power of the silver sphere; as long as enough matter is dissolved, the silver sphere caused by the "Prisoner of Purification" will disappear without a trace.

The "Angel's Cage," a spirit rune based on a Forbidden rare artifact, undoubtedly possesses a force far more formidable than the "Prisoner of Purification"!

When "Angel's Cage" is activated, it will completely consume the user's remaining Spiritual Power and then create a polygonal silver cage, instantly stripping the chosen target within sight of their extraordinary power and rendering them immobile, unable to move even a finger.

As for how long the "Angel's Cage" can last, that depends on the amount of Spiritual Power consumed by the user and the number of targets, as well as their strength.

If Chris were to use "Angel's Cage," he could trap and strip a low-level Monarch powerful expert of their powers for at least ten seconds!

For the mid-level Monarch powerful experts, the effect would probably last only about three to four seconds.

"Prisoner of Purification" was originally a Forbidden rare artifact with a three-digit number, and after being enhanced by Karl's power, its might was further increased, making the present rune power "Angel's Cage" comparable to those top Forbidden rare artifacts numbered in two digits.

The most important point is that it comes without any terrible price.

A look of uncertainty and doubt flashed in Chris's eyes; he even vaguely felt that he could quite possibly join the Fischer family in a coordinated attack against weaker Monarch powerful experts.

He was lost in thought; there was only one recorded instance of a Monarch powerful expert being surrounded and killed by a Transmutation Extraordinary Exponent.

But the power contained in high-ranking Forbidden rare artifacts is so immense, it's unimaginable what the single-digit numbered Forbidden rare artifacts could do. Since they only require any Extraordinary Exponent to use, there definitely have been more than one Monarch powerful experts historically who have been desperately replaced by the Transmutation Extraordinary Exponents!

At night, the banquet officially began.

The dinner was held in a brightly lit banquet hall, with round tables laden with a dazzling array of food and drinks, and the whole hall was adorned with elegant decorations and exquisite arrangements.

Each guest was dressed in formal attire, engaging in conversation with one another, creating a joyful atmosphere in the banquet hall.

The numerous servants of the Fischer family served wholeheartedly, performing each etiquette with great propriety.

The Daybreakers and Proselytes from Nasir Town also came to attend the banquet; Archibald embraced Chris and sobbed.

"You bastard, you finally came back!"

"I fucking missed you to death!"

"Damn it!"

Old Theo couldn't help laughing as he hugged Byrne, who he had watched grow up since childhood.

"It's good to have you back! Hahahaha! Fantastic!"

He took a deep breath, his eyes still brimming with laughter, and noticed the wrinkles on Byrne's face, feeling somewhat pensive.

How many years had it been since he first taught that boy swordsmanship?

"It was hard on all of you."

Byrne replied with a faint smile.

The leader of the Dagger Brotherhood, Moore, walked in and bowed respectfully.

"Congratulations on your safe return!"

As the banquet continued, a violinist sat in the corner, gracefully playing classical music, while the center stage was occupied by elegant dancers twirling gracefully.

The violinist was also a Daybreaker who had embarked on the Path of Wholeheartedness.

Compared to Inna, he had an even greater talent for the Path of Wholeheartedness, loved music very much, and was even planning to attend the best music academy.

However, that academy was in the distant Seven Stars Empire capital, up north.

The banquet went on until midnight, and after all the family's servants had left, Byrne, eating fresh oysters and sheep's milk cheese, calmly recounted the various events that he and Chris had experienced over the years.

"The past few years have been tough on you all, and actually, Chris and I have been through a lot as well."

This time, his story was more detailed than what he had previously recounted, and there were more people listening.

However, many details were kept secret, such as the truth about Viscount Bast's death.

Upon learning of the alliances formed between the Fischer family and several other great families, everyone present couldn't help but get excited, and Archibald, Theo, and Moore, among others, all showed joyful expressions, their eyes alight with laughter.

But Byrne omitted the specific details, not revealing what he had sacrificed, but simply stating that he had made some sort of trade with certain things.

Darren frowned, vaguely sensing that the specific content of the trade was important, otherwise it wouldn't have been omitted from the discussion. Suddenly, the lobster pasta in his hand didn't taste as good as before.

Hearing the final Words of Tranquility incident, everyone fell into contemplation; Lilian murmured to herself:

"The Words of Tranquility Order?"

She pondered and after the banquet was completely over, in the basement of the family home, she talked with Chris and Byrne about the most pressing matter.

"During the time you were absent, I actually received a very important divine prophecy."

Byrne looked at his daughter, asking, "What is it? Lilian."

Lilian said with a serious expression:

"It came from our great Lord of the Lost, concerning the specific content of the rituals for the first five ranks of the God Pantheon stairway!"

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Byrne was astonished beyond belief, and then his excitement surged to the point of frenzy, so much so that even his typically composed self nearly jumped up!

"You're serious! That's just fantastic!"

Lilian nodded gently and continued:

"Currently in the Fischer family, only father and Chris have reached the 4th Rank of the God Pantheon stairway, so I'm very curious about your grasp on the current Power of Consecution."

Byrne immediately said:

"I still need a lot of time, Chris, how about you?"

Chris nodded without hesitation, calmly acknowledging, "I'm ready."

Upon hearing this, Byrne and Lilian were both thrilled beyond words. As long as he completed the ritual to ascend to the 5th Rank, the Fischer family would be able to boast a powerhouse on par with a Monarch!

This was an achievement countless smaller families had dreamt of for a century!

An accomplishment Viscount Bast hadn't truly touched in his lifetime!

With the presence of a Monarch Level top expert in the family, the entire Fischer's situation would undergo a tremendous change, rising to join the upper echelons of society that the large families occupied!

To become a noble family with a Monarch powerful expert, aside from the Ten Great Families of the Eastern Four Kingdoms, there was no doubt the Fischer family would become a major rising star!

Byrne, with a smile, continued, "Fortunately, Duke Romann didn't force Chris to marry into the Romann family, they've tacitly allowed us to enter the circle of top nobility."

Lilian nodded and said, "Because the structure of the Ten Great Families for a century is bound to change sooner or later, why not start with us? They understand this as well."

"As long as Uncle Chris can reach the 5th Rank, we could become 'part of the banquet,' entitled to divide the resources of Cyart among ourselves!"

"Not just Cyart, but also the Eastern Four Kingdoms, no, we aim to establish a terrestrial God's Kingdom where the faith of the Lord of the Lost prevails. His radiance will cover every corner of the world, sooner or later..."

As she spoke, she became excited and her eyes sparkled with light.

Byrne took a deep breath and continued to inquire:

"Tell us now about the rituals for the Path of Knowledge and Path of Tranquility, without delay."

Soon, Byrne and Chris learned about the rituals for the two paths and the name of the 5th Rank for each.

The 5th Rank of the Path of Knowledge.

The name of the Consecution is "Ancient Researcher."

For an Extraordinary Exponent on the Path of Knowledge to become an "Ancient Researcher," they must fully master the extraordinary power of the previous four ranks and then complete the ritual—

Discover an ancient ruin never seen by anyone, excavate at least three extremely valuable ancient artifacts, and document a substantial amount of ancient knowledge to complete the ascension ritual.

Byrne, after reading about the ritual, fell into contemplation.

Without an oracle to reveal it, it would truly be hard to stumble upon the content of the ritual on their own!

How would a normal person think of archaeology when they have nothing better to do?

It's possible they'd never find the correct content of the ritual in their lifetime!

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and once again silently thanked the great Lord of the Lost deep in his heart.

If possible, Byrne didn't want to die either. He hoped to master the Power of Consecution of the 4th Rank and complete the ascension ritual for the 5th Rank within his limited lifespan.

To see the view from higher up!

Lilian then turned to look at Chris, who had been silent all along, standing on the other side.

"Uncle Chris, what follows is about the name of the 5th Rank for the Path of Tranquility and its ascension ritual."

Chris nodded lightly, and Byrne also quickly started to listen attentively.

He obviously knew that the most important thing for the family now was to assist Chris with the ascension ritual!

Whatever Chris's ascension ritual might be, even if it could lead to certain sacrifices, Byrne would without doubt mobilize the entire Fischer family and their allied families' power to fully support Chris's ascension!

This was of paramount importance!

Lilian understood the gravity as well and continued very seriously, not missing any conditions.

"The 5th Rank of Consecution on the Path of Tranquility is called 'Demon-Hunting Master,' and to ascend to 'Demon-Hunting Master,' the ritual you must complete is... to kill a Monarch Level mysterious creature or a mysterious existence of a different power system, but of equivalent strength, without the help of anyone stronger than yourself!"

Demon-Hunting Master?

Chris didn't speak, but pondered whether the title "Demon-Hunting Master," which sounded like a special sequence for non-human opposition, might be actually weak against humans?

He hoped to possess enough power in any situation.

Byrne was stunned.

"I see."

He tightly clasped each of his fingers, muttering to himself:

"The ritual requires the killing of a Monarch Level mysterious creature or existence, could it be the destiny of the Fischer family?"