Protector Tanner, seeing that Evan Yang had already mastered the divine art, said with delight, "Why don't you help the Holy Saintess unlock her memories, so we can finally see what really happened?"
The other Protectors were also eager to know what had happened to the Holy Saintess, and she herself wanted answers even more—after all, nobody likes having a blank in their past memories.
"So, what do you think?" The Holy Saintess asked Evan Yang.
Evan Yang nodded, "No problem. Can we start now?"
"Alright, let's begin. You all help guard us." said the Holy Saintess.
Protector Tanner and the others nodded, spreading out to keep watch on the surroundings. Evan Yang said to the Holy Saintess, "Close your eyes."
The Holy Saintess nodded and closed her eyes. Evan Yang then unleashed a strand of purple light, which entered the Holy Saintess's forehead. At first, her vision was like peering through fog, but gradually everything became clearer.
Her memories opened up bit by bit, and the Holy Saintess's face shifted through a range of expressions. Finally, as the last seal broke, she snapped her eyes open and cursed, "Damn it!"
Seeing the Holy Saintess fully awake, Evan Yang asked, "How do you feel?"
The Holy Saintess glanced at Evan Yang with a complicated expression, but quickly composed herself and said, "There's something even more important we need to do now."
Evan Yang nodded, understanding that with the Holy Saintess's memories unsealed, there must be secrets she urgently wanted to resolve. Sure enough, she turned to the five Protectors nearby and said, "Come here."
"How is the Holy Saintess?" Protector Tanner asked.
"I've remembered everything, but I never expected things to turn out like this," the Holy Saintess said angrily.
"What happened?" Protector Tanner asked curiously.
"Eldon Liu is trying to enter the Holy Altar and steal the Divine Seal," said the Holy Saintess.
"What! Has he gone mad?" Protector Tanner exclaimed.
"He's not mad. He's already colluded with many people and done plenty of things. Now he's just waiting for the Holy Altar's defenses to weaken so he can go in. Damn that guy!" The Holy Saintess said angrily.
"The Divine Seal was left behind by the Holy Saintess before her incarnation and was meant to be claimed upon her return. I always wondered why she never went to retrieve it—so this is the reason." Protector Tanner seemed to understand and spoke in anger.
"No matter what, I'll write a list of names for you. Make sure to arrest everyone on it. Also, call several Protectors from the Hall of Judgment to see me right away." said the Holy Saintess.
Protector Tanner and the others were overjoyed; at least the Holy Saintess had regained her old domineering aura—no one could shake her authority. This was the Holy Saintess, a presence as powerful as any Protector.
They happily took the list handed over by the Holy Saintess, but when they saw the names on it, their expressions turned to shock.
"What's this?" Protector Tanner asked suspiciously.
"All these people are connected to Eldon Liu. I don't know how long they've been infiltrating your ranks, but they must be taken down." said the Holy Saintess.
Protector Tanner and the others knew the Holy Saintess would never joke about something like this, so they nodded and went off to handle it. Meanwhile, Evan Yang was still unsure what had really happened, or what the Divine Seal actually was.
After they left, Evan Yang curiously asked, "What is incarnation? And what is the Divine Seal?"
"That's a long story. I'll explain it to you later. But anyway, thank you." said the Holy Saintess.
"It's what I should do. So what now?" Evan Yang asked.
"Find Eldon Liu. Let's go!" said the Holy Saintess.
Evan Yang had questions on his mind, but held back and simply followed the Holy Saintess to look for Eldon Liu.
At that moment, Eldon Liu was already gone from his usual cultivation spot, which made the Holy Saintess frown. Unable to find the Protector, she went to look for his four guards, only to discover that they had also vanished mysteriously.
"Damn it, did he escape ahead of time?" The Holy Saintess exclaimed.
Soon, Protector Tanner and the others sent word that everyone they were supposed to find had vanished. Hearing this, the Holy Saintess realized Eldon Liu had already acted, and she was furious. "Damn him!" she said.
She immediately brought Evan Yang to the Temple of Light. There, Evan Yang stood at the Holy Saintess's side, officially serving as her guard. Those who didn't know his identity were shocked to see him standing there.
"I've gathered everyone here because there's something major I need to announce, and I hope you'll all cooperate," said the Holy Saintess.
Everyone present was either a Protector or a powerful guard, so they all respectfully awaited the Holy Saintess's instructions.
Once everyone quieted down, the Holy Saintess spoke, "The Divine Seal—I'm sure you all know what it is, right?"
Everyone looked surprised—why would the Holy Saintess bring up the Divine Seal? After all, it belongs to her; what could she want by mentioning it now?
Seeing their confused looks, the Holy Saintess explained, "Eldon Liu wanted to seize the Divine Seal, so before I returned from my incarnation, he tampered with me and sealed my memories. Only now have I recovered them."
Her words immediately set off an uproar. Everyone began discussing it—this was insane. For a Protector to try to steal the Holy Saintess's Divine Seal was a rebellious act; in the Temple of Light, such behavior was equivalent to being an enemy and meant execution.
Many people grew furious, even demanding Eldon Liu be brought forth. But the Holy Saintess replied that he had already escaped and was still missing. She asked everyone to cooperate—if anyone had news about him, they should report it immediately.
Everyone finally understood why the Holy Saintess had gathered them—this was truly an important matter.
Some people were doubtful and repeatedly questioned the Holy Saintess, but only after receiving her answers did they leave, satisfied. Once everyone had gone, the Holy Saintess looked a bit weary. Evan Yang frowned and asked, "Are you tired?"
"Yes. I never imagined that my incarnation almost brought disaster to our side," the Holy Saintess sighed.
"Is the Divine Seal really that powerful?" Evan Yang asked.
"The Divine Seal? Of course it's powerful. For example, in your eyes, what is the strongest power?" asked the Holy Saintess.
"Naturally, Immortal Sovereigns, Demon Sovereigns, and Monster Sovereigns—they're basically immortal," Evan Yang replied.
"That's what most people think. But there are existences even greater than Immortal Sovereigns and Demon Sovereigns—these beings are elusive and unknown to most," said the Holy Saintess.
"Are they really that powerful?" Evan Yang raised his brows.
"That's right, they're truly powerful. Here, we cultivate light, so we're the Light branch. Elsewhere, there are palaces for water, fire, and other attributes. All of them follow those elusive gods, and those gods are mighty beings—above even Immortal Sovereigns," said the Holy Saintess.
Evan Yang was surprised—he hadn't expected this place to be so similar to the Fire Palace, except here they cultivated light.
Seeing Evan Yang's surprise, the Holy Saintess continued, "Since there are such elusive gods, naturally we follow them. And the Divine Seal is connected to those gods."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Evan Yang raised his brows.
"The Divine Seal is said to be a sacred artifact sealed with the power of the previous generation's Light God," said the Holy Saintess.
"What?" Evan Yang was even more shocked—he hadn't expected the Divine Seal to be such a powerful existence.
"That's the Divine Seal. Every generation's Holy Saintess has one by her side. This time, it's my turn. Because I had to incarnate into the world, I sealed myself away. Only after returning did I learn what had happened—and my memories were sealed too. Fortunately, before incarnating, I hid the Divine Seal in a secret place, somewhere not easily accessible," the Holy Saintess explained.
"I didn't expect so much to be involved," said Evan Yang, feeling curious about the Divine Seal. After all, who wouldn't want to see something so powerful—stronger than Immortal Sovereigns, and whether gods truly exist, Evan Yang had never seen and didn't know.
The Holy Saintess looked at Evan Yang and said, "I plan to take a few Protectors, and you, to a certain place."
"Where to?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"To the place of the Divine Seal, of course. Eldon Liu knows about it too, so I'm worried he'll try to get in and steal the Divine Seal," said the Holy Saintess.
"Alright, I'll go with you," Evan Yang replied. The Holy Saintess nodded, then contacted some Protectors and quickly left the Temple of Light.
When they appeared again, they found themselves before a chaotic pile of rocks. It was the first time Evan Yang had seen such a scene—it stretched as far as the eye could see.
"What...?" Evan Yang stared in astonishment at the scene before him.
"This is the outside of the Holy Altar. Pretty terrifying, right? If you don't know the way, you'll get lost in there—and there are many dangers," said the Holy Saintess.
"It really is scary," Evan Yang replied.
"Holy Saintess, what do we do now?" Protector Tanner asked after Evan Yang spoke.
"There's only one entrance to the Holy Altar, and it's here. So everyone should guard this entrance. I'll go take a look around," said the Holy Saintess.
Protector Tanner and the others nodded. The Holy Saintess took Evan Yang with her, and the two walked along the perimeter, unusually calm—as if there was no sound at all.
"Evan Yang, why did you come here?" the Holy Saintess suddenly asked out of curiosity.
"Where?" Evan Yang asked suspiciously.
"The Forbidden Land of the Heavenly Pool—you came here through there, didn't you?" said the Holy Saintess.
"That's right, I did come in from there. I ended up here by accident—I don't really know how it happened," Evan Yang said.
"By accident? I thought you came looking for me," the Holy Saintess said with a smile.
"What?" Evan Yang asked, puzzled.
The Holy Saintess smiled. "It's nothing, I was just joking."
Evan Yang looked at the Holy Saintess curiously. Her smile reminded him of Nangong Yanxia, so he couldn't help but ask, "Do you know Nangong Yanxia, Holy Saintess?"
"Nangong Yanxia? Who's that?" the Holy Saintess asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing. Just asking," Evan Yang replied, thinking maybe the Holy Saintess and Nangong Yanxia were somehow connected. But her answer left him disappointed, though he still responded politely.
Seeing Evan Yang's expression, the Holy Saintess seemed like she wanted to say something, but held back and smiled. "Let's keep looking around. Maybe we'll find traces of Eldon Liu and the others."
"That's true. If he's trying to seize the Divine Seal, he's bound to set something up nearby or look for a way in," Evan Yang said with a smile.