I alone am the Honoured One!

Led by Zhao Tian, Ji Shuang and Yan Zijin made their way deep into the Rui Clan's sacred grounds.

The path curved downward in a spiral of ancient stone, carved with runes.

They eventually reached a vast door, its surface engraved with the image of a titanic figure chained beneath a blazing sun and a weeping moon.

Zhao Tian stepped forward and placed his hands on either side of the seal.

A resonating hum echoed through the passage, and the great doors slowly creaked open.

What lay beyond was a sanctum.

A massive, circular altar stood at its center, elevated by a platform of jade etched with countless formation circles.

In the center of it all, a woman was sitting cross-legged on top of the altar.

Ji Shuang looked up at her and her gaze condensed slightly.

Feeling a powerful presence Rui Yuying opened her eyes and looked at Ji Shuang and then her gaze flickered to Brandon.

"What now?" She asked, looking at Zhao Tian curiously.

Ji Shuang stepped forward and muttered "I am Ji Shuang, the Sect Master of the Jade Eclipse Sect."

"I 've come to ask you to release the seal."

Rui Yuying gave a deadpan look to her and then turned to Zhao Tian "Is this some kind of joke?"

With a soft sigh, Ji Shuang raised her hand, and a noise barrier enveloped the whole sanctum.

"I know it is absurd... but Zhao Tian can kill that Paragon sealed beneath."

Hm? Upon hearing this, Rui Yuying's gaze narrowed, meanwhile Yan Zijin was confused to hear this.

Rui Yuying muttered skeptically "I agree that young man is certainly powerful for his age. But killing a Paragon who got the traits of the Qorrathi race?"

"And even you... can't defeat it."

"Are you kidding me..."

Ji Shuang gave a faint nod and replied "That's why Tian is going to kill the Paragon. You know the only one who can kill the Paragon is the one who is not affected by the divine clause for the Qoratthi race, and that is..."

'... the Honoured One.' Rui Yuying finished the sentence in her mind, and then her eyes widened in realization.

WHAT?

Her head snapped back to Zhao Tian in utter disbelief, and he slowly nodded his head.

Rui Yuying's gaze trembled as she asked in restrained anger flashing in her eyes "Are you aware of the weight of the words?"

Zhao Tian gave a faint nod "I am very well aware..."

She gripped her palm as a mix of hope and frustration filled her mind "Are you bluffing to save that girl?"

Shaking his head, Zhao Tian replied "If I want to save her... I could just take her away from here and no one can stop us."

"But I know that will cause the annihilation of this star... that's why I want to help, even revealing my identity like this."

Yan Zijin who was standing behind, was even more confused 'His identity? Is he a prince of some Apex High Star?'

Hearing his words, Rui Yuying went silent for a moment "Any proof?"

Zhao Tian's gaze condensed, and he raised his arm as a swirl of flames, water, ice, wind, light, lightning, and earth appeared above his palm.

Looking at this, Rui Yuying's eyes trembled in horror and a mutter escaped her lips "Only the Heavenly One and Honoured One has the power to command all elementals."

H-Huh? Yan Zijin was startled to hear this and glanced at Zhao Tian 'T-The Honoured One? Zhao Tian is?'

Zhao Tian stayed silent for a moment, giving some time to let the information sink in.

The swirling elementals above his palm faded, but the air still thrummed with residual power.

A bit later, Rui Yuying raised her gaze and muttered "Still... I can't rest the fate of this star on a young man like you... you are still young."

A faint, almost wistful smile touched her lips. "But… perhaps, finally, there's hope. We might finally have an answer for this. In the future, when you are strong enough to kill the Paragon, you can kill it at that time."

Shaking his head, Zhao Tian replied "I can't wait for the future... I don't want Rui Lian to be sacrificed, so I need to do this within 12 days."

Huh? Rui Yuying raised her hand and pressed it to her forehead, sighing in frustration "You underestimate the power of Paragon. With your current power, its impossible."

With a soft sigh, he replied "Maybe I am... but I don't have any other choice."

Looking at her, he replied "Don't expect my help in the future. It is within these 12 days or nothing..."

"I only want Rui Lian to be alive..."

"If you still insist on not letting me kill that Paragon now. I will take Rui Lian and leave this star..."

Rui Yuying's expression darkened, but Zhao Tian wasn't finished.

"And even if you sacrificed Rui Lian to strengthen the seal... you would be here for eternity guarding the seal by sacrificing your family members. How long until there's nothing left of you but duty and guilt?"

Looking into his eyes, he muttered "Rui Yuying, this is the only chance. You can finally free yourself from this eternal suffering."

"How long can you keep this up? Sacrificing yourself for others like this..."

"It's good to be selfless. But think about yourself and the family members you sacrificed."

The words struck deep, and Rui Yuying's lips parted, but no words came out.

For the first time in centuries, she is vulnerable.

Her gaze lowered as she muttered in a weak tone "But... someone has to do it. I have no other choice either."

"I... am happy that I finally have an answer to kill this Paragon. But it is very risky for you to fight this now, and you might also die."

With a faint nod, Zhao Tian replied "I can handle myself."

Rui Yuying hesitated, and Ji Shuang stepped forward "You don't need to worry about the people of this star."

"We can evacuate people in the surrounding regions and try to fight that Paragon."

"Even if we fail to kill it, we can contain it for a period of time for the people in the star to evacuate."

"The Jade Eclipse High Star will aid you..."

"And the Paragon won't destroy the whole star in one day. Since it's a mindless paragon, it will take weeks or even months for it to fully ravage this star."

"Zhao Tian will surely get strong to kill it at that time. With his potential, even a few weeks could make all the difference."

Rui Yuying stared at the two of them and her heart was torn.

Every instinct in her screamed to refuse.

But another part of her whispered that maybe… she could let go.

The end of her suffering was within reach.

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I hope you guys liked this chapter!