[Effects]:
Soul Extraction: Can forcibly extract the soul of a target of the same grade. It may also be used to disrupt the divine souls of powerful opponents.
Soul Control: Can forcibly seize control of a target’s soul, allowing the user to read, rewrite, and reconstruct all information contained within it.
Soul Devouring: Can devour extracted souls to slightly strengthen the user’s own soul power.
Soul Nurturing: Can cultivate and strengthen extracted souls.
Soul Branding: Can leave an indelible imprint within the target’s soul, continuously inflicting damage.
"The evolved form of Soul Reaper...
"Soul Seizure."
John read through every word of the skill description, his heart stirring slightly.
This divine art had come at exactly the right time.
His divine soul was already powerful enough to contend with a God King. With the augmentation of his High God Source, he could even overwhelm intermediate God Kings.
However, he had always lacked a direct method of attacking on the level of the soul.
Now that he possessed Soul Seizure, the final missing piece of his combat system had fallen into place.
After closing the skill panel, John turned and prepared to return to the Myriad Races Universe.
...
Headquarters of the Demon King Council.
Divine Revelation Universe.
On the wall that housed the life imprints of countless powerhouses, numerous soul flames representing members of the Council went out at the same time.
Among them were many core members at the High God level—and even several God Kings.
The expression of the official guarding the soul flames changed dramatically. He immediately reported the incident.
Upon receiving the news, the Sovereign-rank leaders of the Demon King Council flew into a rage.
So many concentrated deaths, occurring within the same universe at the same time—
The identity of the culprit was obvious.
Other than John, who would dare hunt the Demon King Council’s powerhouses and slaughter those within its territory so recklessly?
"John... we cannot let him off lightly."
The Sovereign-rank powerhouse gritted his teeth, but ultimately suppressed the urge to seek immediate revenge.
"However, the Myriad Worlds Tournament is about to begin, and the Apocalypse Tribulation is also approaching."
"The tournament must remain our highest priority."
"It will not be too late to settle accounts with him after the competition ends."
After pondering for a moment, he slowly muttered to himself,
"Besides..."
"Perhaps we can suppress John in front of the powerhouses of the myriad heavens during the Myriad Worlds Tournament itself."
"When all is said and done, these two matters are one and the same."
...
Skyvault Consortium.
A warm yet powerful voice suddenly rang beside the ears of every qualified participant throughout Skyvault Consortium.
It was calm and unhurried, passing through layer after layer of spatial barriers.
"I am Holy Spirit Sovereign, Deputy Pavilion Master of Skyvault Consortium."
"All who possess the qualifications to participate in the Myriad Worlds Tournament may come to Skyvault Sanctum today."
"I shall deliver a lecture there, explain the tournament’s rules in detail, and inform you of Skyvault Consortium’s internal regulations and support for its participants."
John raised his brows slightly.
The rising tide of the Myriad Worlds Tournament was sweeping across the myriad universes.
Even the three women of Valhalla, who had been cultivating quietly inside the Lakeheart Pavilion, frequently heard powerhouses from various factions discussing it.
The tournament was no longer merely a competition.
It was more like a grand arena encompassing the myriad worlds.
"A lecture personally delivered by a Peak Sovereign is an extremely rare opportunity," John said, turning toward the three women.
"Furthermore, the depth and accuracy of the information possessed by a great faction are far beyond anything found in outside rumors."
"I think we should attend."
"The Guild Leader is right," Silt said with a nod. "I was thinking the same thing."
"Agreed," Odelle said calmly. "The information circulating over the past few days has been a mixture of truth and falsehood."
"Since we have decided to participate, it would be best to hear directly from someone at the highest level."
"Skyvault Consortium has chosen us to represent it. There is no reason for it to set a trap for us."
Holly opened her mouth, only to realize that the other two had already said everything she wanted to say.
She could only stare at John with her wide eyes.
"I’ll follow the Guild Leader! Whatever the Guild Leader says goes!"
John nodded slightly.
The four figures transformed into streaks of light and flew through the sky toward Skyvault Sanctum.
...
At the same time, countless powerhouses from every region of Skyvault Consortium transformed into streams of light and sped away.
All of them had received Holy Spirit Sovereign’s transmission.
Their destination was Skyvault Sanctum.
Skyvault Sanctum was not a conventional courtyard or temple.
It was a Free Plane personally created by a Peak Sovereign.
Its interior formed a complete miniature universe of its own, containing fully developed laws and countless thriving life-forms.
At the center of the plane, an enormous figure of light sat cross-legged, almost obscuring half the sky.
Where his knees descended, they nearly touched the vast earth below.
His head rose beyond the clouds.
The sheer scale of his body was impossible to measure.
Yet upon closer examination, there was nothing dazzling or extraordinary about the figure.
He seemed as ordinary as a stone upon a mountain, a tree beside the road, or a blade of grass growing in the wilderness.
This was Holy Spirit Sovereign.
A Deputy Pavilion Master of Skyvault Consortium and a Peak Sovereign who had reached the state of returning to perfect simplicity.
At that moment, countless streams of light tore across the sky like a meteor shower, converging upon the colossal figure.
John and the three women were among them.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The streams of light descended one after another and transformed into individual figures.
John looked at the tranquil figure before him, which seemed as steady as a mountain, and felt his heart stir slightly.
So this was a Peak Sovereign.
Every movement made by an ordinary Sovereign-rank powerhouse carried the might to tear apart a universe.
Even a single breath could cause the surrounding laws to tremble.
Yet a Peak Sovereign was completely different.
Holy Spirit Sovereign merely sat there in silence, like a weathered boulder that had endured for millions of years, an unknown wildflower, or a gentle breeze slipping through one’s fingers.
His influence permeated everything without a sound.
He had returned to simplicity.
John understood the reason.
Peak Sovereigns had mastered numerous laws to a perfectly harmonious level. They were no longer constrained by the surface manifestations of those laws.
Their very existence had become an embodiment of law itself.
If entering the High God level represented the first evolution in one’s level of existence, then reaching the Peak Sovereign level represented the second.
The distance between those two evolutions was countless times greater than the path from an ordinary mortal to the Sovereign rank.
Across the myriad universes, Sovereign-rank powerhouses were numerous.
Peak Sovereigns, however, could be counted on one’s fingers.
This was an uncrossable chasm.
After John and the others arrived, the surrounding High Gods reacted in different ways.
Some were newcomers seeing a Peak Sovereign for the first time. They stared at Holy Spirit Sovereign without blinking, their eyes filled with shock and curiosity.
Others were veterans who had met such existences several times before. They merely nodded respectfully and remained quiet.
Before an existence of this level, even the pride of a High God was completely restrained.
All the High Gods tacitly fell silent.
Even their private Divine Sense communications were voluntarily withdrawn.
Holy Spirit Sovereign had originally been resting with his eyes closed.
At that moment, he slowly opened them and calmly swept his gaze across the three thousand figures before him.
At the same time, stone platforms silently materialized behind John and the others.
Creating objects from the void was nothing more than an ordinary technique to a Peak Sovereign.
If necessary, such an existence could even create an entire universe from nothing.
"Sit."
Holy Spirit Sovereign spoke.
The single word was brief and clear, yet it entered the ears of every High God with perfect precision—neither too near nor too distant, neither too loud nor too faint.
Following his instruction, John sat cross-legged upon the stone platform behind him.
The number of platforms perfectly matched the number of people present.
Not one person needed to compete for a seat.
That alone demonstrated the immense weight Holy Spirit Sovereign’s name carried.