“Marcel, Anliya.”

“You two faithless defectors, having turned your backs on our god, I shall act on behalf of the great Goddess of Love and Beauty to mete out punishment and purify your twisted souls and bodies!”

Looking down upon the two bishops whose faces were etched with shock, the Pontiff of the Temple of the Goddess of Beauty thundered his condemnation.

At the same time.

Several legendary secret guards, clad in fiery red armor, charged towards the two fallen bishops.

Surrounded, the fallen bishops’ expressions of shock faded, replaced by a fanatical, twisted visage as if reveling in some ultimate spiritual ecstasy.

“Hehe, Sosue, Your Holiness, I didn’t expect you to have found us out.”

“But you miscalculated. You cannot imagine the power the great God of Bliss has bestowed upon us, a level that the Goddess of Love and Beauty could never reach.”

In any sect, a bishop is no minor character.

To stand as a bishop is to be a core force within the church of the deities, with a firm belief in the divine.

Yet, even so, these two bishops abandoned their faith in the Goddess of Beauty, turning to serve the Prince of Pleasure, the God of Bliss.

For no other reason than the benefits bestowed by this deity were too great.

Without sufficient, irresistible benefits, who would abandon their position as a bishop and risk so much to forsake their faith?

The strength of these two bishops was no longer comparable to that of ordinary legendary bishops.

Moreover, the ecstasy experienced while believing in the God of Bliss had them immersed and unable to extricate themselves.

Tangible benefits, coupled with an overwhelming pleasure that shook their faith in the Goddess of Beauty, led to their ultimate betrayal.

Their bodies trembled from the pleasure in their spirits, and the expressions of the no longer disguised fallen bishops grew more distorted.

“How can the false love and beauty compare to eternal joy and indulgence?”

As the legendary secret guards attacked expressionlessly, the fallen bishops shouted loudly and laughed maniacally, as a layer of pleasure fire mixed with pink, purple, and black ignited around them.

A ring of fire burst forth, sweeping over several legendary secret guards.

This was not real flame; the protective shields around the secret guards failed to work, and as their bodies were grazed by the fire of pleasure, they instantly lost their ability to fight, overwhelmed by a strange sensation and an unprecedented pleasure that shook them to their core.

Boom! Boom!

A massive and profound aura erupted like beacon smoke.

The two fallen bishops both unleashed the terrifying aura of high-level legends, their oppressive presence like a storm passing through, nearly solidifying the surrounding space.

Their leap in strength was so great they could even rival the Pontiff.

This was one of the benefits they received for their faith in the Prince of Pleasure; without it, they would not have chosen to forsake their own beliefs.

It wasn’t that the Goddess of Love and Beauty had done anything wrong.

It was simply that the benefits of believing in the Prince of Pleasure were too tempting.

Of course, this also had to do with the Prince of Pleasure’s desire to usurp the faith of the Goddess of Beauty, hence the special treatment of these two bishops from the Temple of the Goddess of Beauty. Ordinary believers of His would certainly not receive such an increase in strength.

“Sosue, I consider myself no less attractive than you.”

“But why do you receive the Goddess of Beauty’s favor, becoming the Pontiff, a high-level legend, while I can only serve as a bishop beneath you?”

“The Goddess of Beauty cannot give me what the God of Bliss can!”

The male bishop with a dangerously beautiful visage laughed heartily.

“And the fact proves that my god was not wrong; your faith is not pure, and you are not worthy of being the Pontiff.”

The Pontiff looked at the fallen male bishop with a gaze full of disgust.

“Hehe, you think by believing in an unknown deity you can have your wishes fulfilled?”

“Don’t be naive. If it weren’t for the fact that he’s usurping the faith of the Goddess of Beauty, and you weren’t a bishop of beauty, do you think you’d be treated this way?”

The Pontiff’s words were piercing.

The male bishop’s face darkened, his eyes venomous.

At the same time, the enchantingly attractive female bishop’s eyes flickered, her cheeks flushed as she suddenly raised her hand, wielding a spiral scepter covered in granules, purple-black in color, which at a mere glance induced a strange pleasure. She swung it fiercely.

“Sosue, submit to the God of Bliss, sink into eternal pleasure.”

“Pleasure Sanctuary!”

Hum!

A mist of pink, purple, and black light surged, instantly spreading from the bishop’s location, enveloping a vast expanse of space.

At the same time.

Clang!

Saga, who was leaping to escape the chaotic area, collided head-on with the suddenly erected barrier of the Pleasure Sanctuary.

Saga’s head buzzed, and the barrier created by the high-level legendary creature trembled slightly, then remained almost completely immobile.

Looking around, the space sealed by the tricolor glow came into view.

Apart from those from the Temple of the Goddess of Beauty and the Sect of Pleasure who were fighting.

Including Saga, Tixil, Charlotte, and many other contestants who were too close to the fallen bishops due to their location in the competition arena, were all encompassed by the Pleasure Sanctuary, as well as some casters who had not managed to escape in time.

What was meant to be a joyful viewing or participation in a competition turned into an inescapable situation.

Saga turned his head, looking at the two fallen bishops confronting the Pontiff of Beauty.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, recognizing the spiral scepter in the female bishop’s hand as very familiar.

Dragons have excellent memories.

Thus, Saga clearly remembered that when he was a Hatchling Dragon living on Thorn Isle, collecting taxes for the Red Dragoness and exterminating the Troll tribe, he had obtained a stone tablet from the Trolls with a very similar pattern engraved on it.

“Seek pleasure in every moment, indulge in every whim.”

“Every power is to be used, every sensation is to be experienced, revel in pleasure, desire, decadence, and self-indulgence.”

“All other beings exist to satisfy our desires, to bring us pleasure, to be the fruit of eternal enjoyment.”

“Time is but a symbol, revelry is eternal.”

These were the words written on the tablet at the time.

Combined with the eerie pattern, Saga had suspected it might be related to some malevolent or evil deity.

Now, after many years, encountering it again, it was clear that it was indeed related to a deity, and not just any deity, but a mysterious existence bold enough to compete with the Goddess of Beauty, a higher deity, for worshipers.

“At first, I thought it was the Goddess of Lust, but she’s just a lesser deity.”

“Pleasure, enjoyment… according to the teachings of this deity, lust is just a part of pleasure, far less encompassing than His doctrines.”

The stone tablet he saw back then was quite ancient, indicating its existence for a long time.

It could be imagined that the minions of the God of Bliss had been on Saiga Planet for some time, not newcomers.

Moreover, their power seemed to directly target the primal instincts of living beings seeking pleasure and joy, like a flood or a beast, difficult to resist and easily spread.

“But, from the knowledge of deities recorded in the heritage, there is no such deity.”

“Could it be, like the Tyrant Blood God, that it is also an evil god from another universe?”

The thought of the Tyrant Blood God made Saga frown slightly.

At that moment.

The Pontiff of Beauty and the two fallen bishops had already begun to clash fiercely.

Every move of the three high-level legendary beings caused severe spatial tremors, and the aftermath of their attacks was enough to terrify ordinary legends.

The situation was worsening.

Upon the deployment of the Pleasure Sanctuary, the Pontiff of Beauty immediately faced significant suppression.

The spiral scepter wielded by the fallen bishops, known as the Scepter of Bliss, a weapon bestowed by the God of Bliss, allowed the Pleasure Sanctuary to significantly weaken and suppress targets according to the user’s will, while further enhancing their own strength.

With this advantage, the fallen bishops gained a clear upper hand.

The Pontiff did not hesitate, immediately taking out the ruby bestowed by the Goddess of Beauty to shield his will from the constant erosion of extreme pleasure and to enhance the power of the divine spells he mastered. Only then did he stabilize the situation and put the two bishops at a disadvantage.

The two bishops, elevated to high-level legends by the promotion of the God of Bliss, were struggling despite their forced growth, even in a two against one situation against the Pontiff, who was already a high-level legendary being.

Nevertheless, the battle remained intense and was unlikely to end anytime soon.

The fights between the other secret guards of the temple and the followers of the Sect of Pleasure also reached a fever pitch, with no shortage of legendary beings involved.

Although the main targets of both sides were each other, and they saw each other as mortal enemies, the aftermath of their attacks also spread to those not affiliated with either sect.

The sapient beings trapped within the Pleasure Sanctuary were unwilling to get involved in the conflict between the sects of the deities.

The scale of the battle involved high-level legends, as well as a multitude of legends and high-ranking beings.

In just a few dozen seconds, the buildings and grounds of Rainbow Sky City, constructed with high-quality materials and reinforced with magic runes, were left scarred and crisscrossed with cracks.

The aftermath alone was terrifying and had already caused death and injury to some sapient beings.

As a result, sapient beings of different races began to save themselves, attacking the Pleasure Sanctuary with various methods, trying to escape.

Among the casters who were spectators, there were no legends.

Ordinary magic attacks on the Pleasure Sanctuary were like moths to a flame, not even causing a ripple.

But among the contestants, there were three legends.

The magnificent Phoenixes, the gentle heart-stealing demon, and the proud Skywolf.

These three were legendary creatures.

The Phoenix spread its wings wide, each feather seemingly woven from flames, and with a heavy flap of its grand fiery wings, it created a downpour of fiery plumes that swept towards the tricolor barrier of the Pleasure Sanctuary.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sparks flew as the Pleasure Sanctuary was riddled with cracks under the bombardment of the fiery plumes, but it quickly repaired itself at a visible speed, remaining unbroken.

At the same time, the heart-stealing demon created a dazzling psychic energy crystal capable of toppling mountains, which exploded upon impact with the Pleasure Sanctuary, but also failed to shatter it.

Elsewhere, Skywolf opened its maw wide, then snapped it shut.

Crack!

A massive semi-illusory wolf’s mouth formed out of thin air, its teeth sharp and menacing, biting into the Pleasure Sanctuary.

However, these three legendary creatures, all ordinary legends, were unable to break through the Pleasure Sanctuary created by a high-level legend using a powerful artifact.

Outside.

Faced with the Pleasure Sanctuary that covered a vast area, the enforcement troops of Rainbow Sky City had already arrived, including many legendary casters.

However, because of the city lord’s orders, they did not act rashly.

The battle for faith between deities is not a trivial matter; it is an extremely dangerous event, and even Rainbow Sky City does not wish to be involved.

Moreover.

The city lord of Rainbow Sky City had already provided assistance to the Temple of the Goddess of Beauty and had previously stated that the conflict with the Sect of Pleasure had to be resolved by the Temple itself, unless the Sect of Pleasure caused blatant destruction to Rainbow Sky City.

As it stands, the conflict between the Sect of Pleasure and the Temple of the Goddess of Beauty was confined within the Pleasure Sanctuary.

Unless the situation escalated further, Rainbow Sky City would not intervene.

The Skyrealm Empire had a rule that all city lords understood.

—Do not get involved in disputes between deities, unless they intend to target the Skyrealm Empire.

As a great empire of the material world, the Skyrealm Empire, although not overly fearful of divine might, still avoids making enemies of the deities, as it is a thankless task.

Meanwhile, as Rainbow Sky City stood by.

Inside the Pleasure Sanctuary.

The three legendary beings were unable to break through the Pleasure Sanctuary.

The sapient beings caught in the struggle of faith felt a heavy weight in their hearts, as if falling into an abyss.

Just then.

A legendary follower of the Sect of Pleasure, whose aura was powerful but unstable, having been promoted temporarily, killed several temple secret guards, then turned his head, eyeing the Golden Dragon, whose beauty he envied, and who had won the title of Flower of the World.

“Such a good-looking creature, die!”

With a low growl.

The human follower of the Sect of Pleasure surged forward, wielding an exquisite sword with purple-black flames of pleasure desire burning on it, then leaped high, making a straightforward overhead slash at the Golden Dragon.

“Be careful.”

The voice of the Pontiff of Beauty echoed in Saga’s mind.

Even amidst the battle with the two fallen bishops, he spared a portion of his attention for Saga’s situation.

As the ultimate lookism, the Pontiff of Beauty did not want to see the newly chosen Flower of the World come to harm; in his eyes, the ‘flower’ of such beauty, if wilted, would be a great loss to the world.

In the gap between the bishops’ attacks, the Pontiff of Beauty prepared to withstand their assault and come to Saga’s aid.

But he suddenly noticed that the Golden Dragon, facing the attack of the legendary follower, showed no panic, instead remaining calm, not dodging or evading, and even reaching out with a dragon claw in an attacking posture.

“I seem to have underestimated this delicate flower.”

“It’s not only dazzling in appearance and temperament but also possesses extraordinary strength.”

The Pontiff’s eyes were sharp, recognizing Saga’s exceptional nature, and he abandoned the idea of intervening, focusing entirely on the two defectors.

“Fool, you have chosen for yourself—death.”

Accompanied by a thunderous whisper.

The Golden Dragon’s claws took on an extremely heavy texture, and then, with an earth-shattering momentum, smashed at the Sect of Pleasure follower who had leaped at him, now within arm’s reach.

“Eh?”

Facing the Golden Dragon’s strike, the Sect of Pleasure follower felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him.

The dragon’s counterattack was too swift, far exceeding the scope of a ninth-tier creature, and even made it impossible for the legendary Sect of Pleasure follower to avoid, especially since he had underestimated Saga and made a direct leap.

In the next instant, the Sect of Pleasure follower was struck by the dragon’s claw.

Boom!

A cloud of blood mist exploded violently.

He was not sent flying; instead, the Sect of Pleasure follower who was directly hit by Saga’s super-heavy dragon claw was turned into a blood mist, obliterated without a trace.

If he had been more circumspect in his attack.

He might have been able to exchange a few more blows with Saga, relying on his higher life tier.

But leaping forward so foolishly was akin to sticking his head into Saga’s claw, resulting in an instant kill.

In fact, it wasn’t that he was foolish.

What legendary being would need to be cautious when fighting a non-legendary?

However, he encountered a being that could not be measured by common sense.

“These watered-down legends are no longer a match for me in a single encounter.”

Saga shook his claw, flinging off the blood mist.

At tier eight, he had a tough time against Duke Tsunami, a second-tier legend, and could barely manage a fight with all his trump cards, ultimately not a match for him.

After reaching tier nine.

After a series of battles, he was able to defeat the legendary Shark King, who had a decent level of combat prowess.

Now, still at tier nine, his combat power had increased even more, to the point where he could instantly kill a complacent legend.

This rate of growth was nothing short of meteoric.

Not far away.

The elves, fairies, and human female casters who had competed with Saga on the same stage were watching this violent scene with twitching eyelids.

“So fierce? Is this real?”

“Killing a legendary creature in one hit without being a legend? Am I seeing things?”

For a moment, they doubted their own eyes.

“The King of the Near Seas, the story of defying legends is actually true, and even understated!”

“No wonder it possesses a regal and transcendent temperament.”

Sapient beings who had specifically learned about Saga showed expressions of amazement.

At the same time.

Saga looked at the Pleasure Sanctuary that obscured the sky, opened his dragon maw, and accumulated a devastating invisible force within.

Realizing what Saga was about to do.

The sapient beings were slightly taken aback.

Previously, the actual legendary Phoenixes, heart-stealing demon, and Skywolf had all failed to break through the Pleasure Sanctuary.

Could this King of the Near Seas, not yet a legend but capable of killing a legend in one hit, do it?

Perhaps he could.

For some reason, looking at the majestic and robust form of the Golden Dragon, they inexplicably believed that he could achieve what the three legendary creatures could not.

Then.

Saga responded to their expectations with action.

Boom!

A void of nothingness, erasing even space itself, burst forth from the mouth of the Golden Dragon.

Even the Pontiff of Beauty and the two fallen bishops, the three high-level legends, couldn’t help but shudder, sensing a lethal threat from the Golden Dragon’s breath.

If hit, they would die—their high-level legendary instincts told them so.

At the same time.

The Dragon Breath struck the Pleasure Sanctuary.

Silently.

The thick barrier interwoven with purple, black, and pink was annihilated by the Dragon Breath, instantly pierced and torn open by a massive gap.

“This, impossible!”

The female bishop looked down at the Scepter of Bliss in her hand, her eyes filled with disbelief.

It was one thing for the Pontiff to resist the Pleasure Sanctuary with the divine ruby, which was normal.

But a Golden Dragon, not yet a legend, was able to break the Pleasure Sanctuary?

That was unreasonable!

The two fallen bishops turned their heads, looking at Saga in disbelief.

At that moment, as the Pleasure Sanctuary was torn open, the brilliant daylight from outside shone through, casting its light upon the Golden Dragon, adding even more to its majestic aura.