Some minutes before.
BZZ! CRK!
A bottle exploded with lightning. One person immediately noticed this, and he gritted his teeth.
BANG!
The throne of pure Energy Stones was destroyed as the person hit the armrest with an angry fist. The Energy Stones flew through the whole hall, hitting the walls and creating a cacophony of loud sounds. Some bricks got dented while the flying Energy Stones were obliterated.
"I told him not to fight Dorian!" the High Priest said with anger and frustration. "Is every single Heavenborn retarded!? Why can't they follow simple instructions?"
"High Priest-"
BANG!
The person that just barged into the room exploded into a shower of blood. "You are supposed to knock before you enter," the High Priest commented to the shower of blood. This had been one of his attendants at the Sapling Stage. Yet, the person didn't even know what happened before he died.
At least that person had served well by being an outlet for the High Priest's rage. After killing the offending servant, the High Priest felt better.
Whoop! Bang!
The destroyed throne vanished as a new one took its place. The High Priest sat down again, less angry than before. He wasn't really angry about the priest's death, but because the priest had ignored his commands. Ignoring the High Priest's commands was an afront to him and Heaven. What was even the sense in keeping all these priests if they couldn't follow simple orders?
"Get here," The High Priest transmitted with his Spirit.
Three other people entered the hall in a matter of seconds, bowing in reverence as they walked. "We greet the High Priest!" they shouted in unison as they stopped before the throne in one line.
The High Priest tapped the armrest with a finger continuously. He was clearly annoyed. "Tell me, why are you not able to follow simple instructions?" he asked them.
"It is our mistake, High Priest! We deserve death!" they shouted in unison. Was that fair? Of course, not! They knew that they were not responsible for the second priest's action, but there was nothing they could do. The High Priest was very unstable and acted out on split-second decisions. After all, he was the most powerful person, and he would receive no consequences. He could do whatever he wanted.
The rhythmical tapping of the High Priest's fingers didn't stop. "I ordered you not to fight Dorian, yet you guys are not even able to follow this simple direction. How stupid can you all be!? Aren't we the blessed children of Heaven? Are you telling me that the blessed children of Heaven have the comprehension of an actual child? Answer!" the High Priest shouted in frustration.
"We have committed a grave-"
BANG!
One of them exploded into a shower of blood. The others shut up and remained utterly unmoving.
Meanwhile, the High Priest sneered in disdain. "I felt your Spirit waver in emotion. You disagreed with me. Now, look at what you made me do. Because of your inability to control yourself, our Heaven Sect lost another priest! You all are really useless!"
The remaining two priests remained completely still. What was the most dangerous situation for a priest from the Heaven Sect? One would think that it was the time when someone at the Self Stage requested for tempering, but that was not true. 90% of the priest's survived that. Yet, when anyone in the Heaven Sect made a mistake, at least one priest would be killed by the High Priest. When that happened, their lives could vanish at any moment.
The High Priest always remained on his throne, not doing anything. He only had two jobs. One was to stop ascendents from committing atrocities, while the other was to listen to Heaven's orders. The priests handled everything inside the Heaven Sect, and if something went wrong, it was their fault.
Back when Aion reported Gravis' matter to the High Priest, he was lucky that he survived. If the High Priest hadn't been distracted by the fact that Heaven wasn't willing to talk about Gravis, Aion would have died on that day.
The hall remained silent for some seconds. "Has Dorian reached a level two Unity Will?" the High Priest asked.
One of the priests spoke up. "We couldn't investigate the issue yet, but the chances are-"
BANG!
The priest exploded in a shower of blood. "Investigate? Chances?" The High Priest sneered. "It's your job to know! If you don't even know about something as simple as that, then what's the point of keeping you alive?"
The High Priest's eyes concentrated on the last priest. "So, tell me."
The priest tried his best to control his emotions and Spirit. Not an ounce of the terror ranging inside him could be shown. If it did, the High Priest would kill him too. "He has achieved a level two Unity Will," the last priest said with certainty.
The High Priest smirked. "You sure?" he asked.
"Yes! 100%!" the priest said with certainty. Of course, he had no idea if Dorian's Will-Aura had broken through, but if he said that he didn't know, he would be killed for not doing his job. It didn't matter that knowing was an impossible task. He could only risk his life on a coin-flip.
The High-Priest's Spirit encompassed the Core-Continent. It encompassed everything, and the High Priest was able to see every detail.
Old Man Lightning, who had just returned to his home, felt something and turned his head to the direction of the Heaven Sect. His face whitened a little. He had never been able to feel the High Priest, but after he felt the inherent connection between his centers of power, his awareness had increased.
For the first time, he was able to feel the High Priest, and the power he felt was overwhelming. Old Man Lightning was sure that even if he reached the Unity Realm, he would have no chance. The gap was just too vast. A fight would mean sure death.
'So, this is the power of Heaven and the High Priest,' Old Man Lightning thought. 'It really is overwhelming. I can only hope that he won't involve himself in this matter.'
Back at the Heaven Sect, the High Priest harumphed. "He has reached a level two Unity Will." Then, he turned to the last priest. "You're in luck. You actually did your job."
The priest didn't move, but inside, he felt a feeling of relief so strong that it seemed unreal. He had managed to survive by betting on the right coin toss. Yet, he was still angry at the second priest for defying the High Priest's orders. If that guy hadn't fought Dorian, he wouldn't be in this mess right now!
BANG!
The priest exploded into a shower of blood. "Might as well get a whole new batch of priests," the High Priest commented nonchalantly. "Your incompetence might affect the new priests."
The High Priest's awareness stretched into the Heaven Sect, and his voice echoed through the Spirit of every Heavenborn. "Priests in Waiting one to four will break through by tomorrow and assume the mantle of priests."
The Heaven Sect didn't react as if nothing had happened, but inside, they felt terror and shock. This meant that the old priests had died. They didn't dare to show any kind of reaction because that could be interpreted as disagreement. They could only keep their terror inside.
Yet, no one felt as much terror as the four priests in waiting. Normally, a cultivator would be happy to get the chance to reach a higher power, but not the people in the Heaven Sect. As soon as they reached the Self Stage, they would be under the High Priest's thumb. One had to know that no priest had managed to survive longer than 20 years. Being told to become a priest was basically a death sentence.
Yet, what were they supposed to do? The High Priest had all the power and could do whatever he wanted. If they disagreed, they would die on the spot. If they fled, they would also die on the spot. They could only accept this soft death sentence instead of accepting direct execution.
The unrelenting tapping of the High Priest's fingers finally subsided. He slowly calmed down and accepted the situation.
Would he attack Dorian? Surprisingly, this was the only thing that the High Priest wasn't allowed to do. After all, the worlds existed to create powerful humans, and an ascender that went through the Self Stage was worth more than five normal ascendents. The High Priest knew that if he attacked Dorian, Heaven would kill him before his attack even landed.
After all, just like the High Priest could make more priests, Heaven could make more High Priests. As soon as Dorian reached a level two Unity Will, it became impossible for him to die in this world. He was just worth too much to Heaven. He was under the protection of Heaven, and nothing was allowed to touch him in its world!
The High Priest rested on his throne, not doing anything else, and before midnight…
Four new priests were already created.