Apotheosis

Although Athemar knew part of Zen's background, he didn't disclose it to the people of the Origin Mountain.

But Dorothy had already speculated that Zen was from the Nine Li race.

The issue of his identity was too sensitive. She figured that since he didn't mention the topic himself, she should avoid the topic entirely.

But she never would have guessed that the Nine Li race still had direct descendants.

"You're from the Nine Li race?" Zen asked, taking a step forward.

The other people of the Nine Li race grew anxious. "She's talking nonsense," Sally's brother said. "You don't have to take it so seriously. If you have nothing else to say, we must take our leave now!"

They could explore the Grand Sky Temple next time.

Though it was a pity to have to give up now, revealing their identity was the last thing they wanted to do.

If Zen somehow left something on their Souls of Light to track them down, he could end up killing all the remaining descendants.

To ensure everyone's safety, they opted to give up. Someone else would open up the Grand Sky Temple some other day.

"Wait," Zen called out and stepped forward, blocking the entrance.

The Nine Li people's faces suddenly sank.

If Zen truly wanted to keep them there, it would be all too easy for him.

"Sir, we have no enmity with you. You don't need to be too hard on us," Sally's brother pleaded with his hands clasped together.

But Zen merely ignored him and pointed to Sally. "You, come over here!"

Sally blinked.

In spite of her companions' anxiety about the situation, she felt oddly relaxed.

Somehow, she knew that the person before her posed absolutely no danger to them, but that was merely naivety in her companions' eyes.

"Sir, please leave my sister alone," Sally's brother said, now sounding bitter.

The others didn't like it either. She was young and inexperienced—they thought she'd end up revealing their true identity.

But Zen wasn't interested in these people at all. He went ahead and pulled Sally to the other side.

Seeing that Zen paid them no mind, Sally's brother called out through gritted teeth, "I tried to b

ong the Nine Li people, she was known as Lorena.

The destruction of the Nine Li race had already passed when these people were born.

While they didn't live in that time, they had grown up hearing many of the legends—they were well aware of who Lorena was.

"You..."

"You are from the royal family!"

"How do I know I can even believe you?"

Everyone, even Sally, was wide-eyed and stunned, looking at Zen in confusion.

Sally's brother shuddered and took a step forward, ready to kneel down before Zen.

The latter gently helped him up and shook his head with a smile. "There's no need to be so courteous. I might be lying to you,"

Zen joked kindly.

However, materializing three heads and six arms required a great amount of power and his blood of the Nine Li race was nothing to take lightly.

Amidst the confusion, Dorothy looked just as conflicted.

Although she had already guessed that Zen had come from the Nine Li race, she certainly didn't expect him to be a member of the royal family.

If the Nine Li race was flourishing, that meant his status would be as high as Elvinia's.

In truth, his status could even be much higher than hers.

The Oneness Sky Palace was the union of the seven mountains, each of which had a respective emperor.

The Nine Li race had nine tribes, but Chiyou was the supreme ruler. The royal members held a greater status than the direct descendants of the palace.