While the Dead Faction was on the brink of civil war, it should've been an excellent opportunity for the Life Faction to take advantage of the situation while the Neutral Faction would fish in troubled waters.
However, the peace between the Life Faction and Neutral Faction was only superficial and unbeknownst to even those high-ranking officials of the two factions; a secret fraternity has been forming ever since the calamity of Zodiac Beast.
The members of this fraternity can only join this group by meeting two conditions: first, they had to be anointed by the Upper Plains, and second, the anointment purpose has to be to find the 'Cursed One!'
Consequently, each member of this fraternity was someone who could come in contact with the Upper Plains, meaning at least a Legendary King with limitless talent and talent in the Legendary Plains!
Currently, this fraternity has managed to gather members from all over the Legendary Plains, and they are still searching for more with their mysterious means. Today, these members were gathering in a Virtual Star World using one of its 4-Star Privilege features, 'Secret Room.'
Secret Room was like a private server or private island, but unlike them, it was temporary, and one needed to pay ZC to keep it active like a rental property. A 4-star privilege holder can activate the Secret Room on their private property for 30 days by paying 100 Million ZC.
Once the secret room is activated, it'll have all the basic features of a private island.
But why would someone need to pay such a price in a virtual world since there were nigh impossible chances of someone spying on them? However, there was a secret that was only known to the owners of private islands, which was that it wasn't impossible to spy on someone in Virtual Star World.
Private islands were considered the pinnacle of security in the Virtual Star World, but the truth was far more complicated. Every private island, no matter how high its privilege rank, had loopholes—hidden backdoors created by unknown entities of the Upper Plains that even the Virtual Star World refused to acknowledge.
Only those with deep ties to the Upper Plains or those wielding 4-star Privilege and above knew that even the most fortified locations were under the Upper Plains' surveillance.
Although they can't interact with middle galaxies like the norm, they seem to have some authority to spy within the Virtual Star World. Even if there were some limitations on individuals with such privilege or limited information, it wouldn't change the fact that Upper Plains were silently watching everything like Gods!
Despite that, it wasn't that bad before because those high and mighty figures of the Upper Plain weren't interested in the middle plains' weaklings, and they didn't even show their presence, and only the leaders of each faction knew the truth.
But things have taken a strange turn ever since the Path of Legend had closed. Those usually impassive entities were now actively monitoring the Legendary Plains and even seemed to establish contacts with Legendary Kings through different means.
Yet only those who had connections with people like the Holy King could succeed easily. The rules of Zodiac Plains weren't easy to break, and no matter their purpose, they didn't dare cross a certain line.
The Secret Room was the same but slightly different because unlike private islands, which seemed to be open for all to watch, the Secret Rooms were limited to only those who met some mysterious conditions.
Even this much privacy for the members of this secret fraternity was absolutely invaluable for some reason.
Yet despite all that, they still meet in the Virtual Start World as if they didn't care about the 'prying eyes' in their secret room. They act as if they know who they are and even seem respectful and reserved whenever they meet.
At this moment, a dense, colorless mist swirled within the Secret Room, shrouding the eight figures who had arrived in silence. They stood apart, their silhouettes blurry and shifting, as though the very space around them refused to define their forms; none of them dared to expose their true presence.
A feeling of unease hung in the air, thick and oppressive. Why this level of caution? No one questioned it. No one acknowledged it. But all of them felt it, and they knew in their hearts.
They had met here many times before, but this time... something was different. Something unseen had changed.
Then, a voice broke the silence. Distorted, staticky, inhuman.
"The Champion King has captured the Spirit Poison King after struggling for so long. He is our prime suspect for being the Cursed One!"
There was no recognition in the tone—no way to tell who had spoken. It was a deliberate precaution.
A second voice followed, equally masked:
"I've also just received the news. They were all chasing after the Throne of Death, yet even in the end, it's still in the wind without any traces whatsoever. The Myriad Galaxy King was the last clue, and he went missing, most likely dead or probably even silenced.
"But then the Champion King suddenly joined the fray, and unlike others, he specifically targeted the Venomous Royale and the Spirit Poison King. It was as if the Spirit Poison King had annihilated his entire family with how obsessed the Champion King was!"
"That's why we suspected the Champion King to be like us. Yet, the Champion King didn't react to our 'invitation' at all. Unless he wants to die, he can't ignore our 'invitation.' So, he's clearly not one of us. His obsession with the Spirit Poison King isn't like ours." The third voice mused.
"No matter whether the Champion King is one of us or not, he now holds the Spirit Poison King. We need to confirm if he's the Cursed One or not." The first spoke stated.
"Is the Cursed One really that weak to fall into the hands of the Champion King while even the 'Myths' are searching for the Cursed One? Even the Divine Eyes cannot see anything related to the Cursed One!" A fourth voice gave its opinion.
"Then where does one seek something not meant to exist?" A fifth voice questioned.
At this moment, a fifth figure stepped forward slightly, their outline shifting like a mirage. An unseen force rippled through the mist.
"Curses thrive in places of death and ruin. The Legendary Plains are riddled with both, and if we also add chaos and unknown, then…"
The others turned toward the speaker. They already knew what came next.
"The Great Cosmic Continent of Sagittarius. The shadows of the Abyssal Rift. The Forsaken Battlefield of the Myths."
Each name was a place steeped in cursed energy, calamity, and unresolved death. The voices overlapped, sharing the rumors.
"The Abyssal Rift still devours elemental stars and galaxies with any soul alive. Perhaps the Cursed One is hiding there."
"Heh. If you said it like this, then the Forsaken Battlefield of the Myths has also changed."
"And what of the Sagittarius Continent? The Soulless Ghost King seems to have completely gone mad, and he tries to declare war on the entire Dead Faction while dragging the entire Ghost Race with him. That alone makes it another suitable place."
The mist thickened around them as silence stretched. Then, finally, one of them spoke with certainty.
"It still won't change the fact that the Spirit Poison King needs to be inspected."
A static hum resonated through the chamber—an agreement.
However, the eighth figure stepped forward at this moment, and the presence in the room suddenly turned heavy, pressing against everyone.
"We are not the only ones searching."
The mist trembled.
"The Gods are about to move!"
A shift. A ripple of tension. It was unspoken, but they all understood the weight of those words. The Divine were no longer merely watching. They were hunting!