Chapter 457 First Goddess: Tara

Across his thousands of existences, Konrad had seen his fair share of talents and came to understand a simple truth: Age doesn't make wisdom.
After millions to billions of years of monotonous, unchallenged existence, many experts would lose in mental sharpness and vigilance, ending up inferior to a thirty years old master assassin for whom mistake equaled death.
There were many such cases even among the Demon and Deva Primogens. True, the majority of them possessed billions of years of existence, but how much of that time was spent in actual struggles? Many had grown sloppy and negligent, Asmodeus and Slivaz's fates in Talroth's hands was a good enough example.
It'd been one billion years since the Devas and Demons started using the Mortal Realm as a proxy battlefield. Since then, besides some petty skirmishes, no real war had erupted. Saying Talroth's ascension and Selene's birth were their most tumultuous events in one billion years was no exaggeration. And how did they handle it?
For all those reasons, Konrad slightly looked down on those so-called Primogens and didn't see them as valuable opponents. At best, they could serve him beauties while feeding his ravenous bloodline. But now, he was forced to reevaluate his foes. Unlike the majority of his peers, Surya was a genuine talent. Millions of years of existence didn't dull his wits.
"That is natural. He's not grandfather's only son, but is the most loathed of the lot. If he weren't that outstanding, how could grandfather possibly allow him to inherit his strength? Fifty million years ago, when the Ravmalakh saw the birth of their second Primogen, grandfather didn't plan to execute her.
However, under the guise of guiding a future talent into the righteous path, Surya trickled grandfather into revealing the new Primogen's position. And knowing that robbing Primogen blood was beyond his skills, he directly executed her. With her True God cultivation, even with Primogen blood, there was no way she could resist Surya's half-step Legendary God cultivation of that time."
Selene began, and by grandfather, she naturally referred to the Great Primal Ancestor.
"When my incensed grandfather questioned him on the 'why' of his actions, Surya replied:
'The past hero died to stillness. It is a pity that age muddled you. One mountain cannot contain two tigers, one kingdom cannot hold two kings! Since you are not willing to dirty your hands, for the sake of our house's prosperity, I will do all the dirty deeds for you.'
The vast majority of Ravmalakh elders agreed. But the words only further aggravated my enraged grandfather and he attempted to cripple Surya's cultivation. In response, Surya self-destructed. And with that one move, alienated grandfather from juniors and elders alike.
Little did they know that he'd obtained and cultivated the Blossoming Death Art to the second layer. From that moment on, he moved in the shadows, waiting for his opportunity to make a comeback. Fifty million years of patience provided none. But when my mother, grandfather's last child met Marduk, he smelled opportunity and allied with Malkam to push their relationship and increase pregnancy chances.
Then when my brother and I were born, the two added Chandra to their scheme and together broke the clouding formation grandfather prepared to hide the matter from Heaven and Hell's Will, thereby unleashing the events you already know of. Even as grandfather started the battle against the waves of Deva Gods, Surya already knew how the matter would end. And he didn't doubt that when he appeared, at last, grandfather would have no choice but to let him succeed him.
The reason? The two knew very well that only he could prevent the Primal Sun Sect's decline. And indeed, he didn't let grandfather down. The Primal Sun Sect is now stronger than ever. Almost a match for the Heaven Warding Temple."
The clouded Selene explained with her face twisted by fury and her trembling fists clenched tight.
"Be that as it may, he can't escape Dad's palm. In less than twenty-four hours, Dad broke Heaven and Hell's alliance, shifted their attention toward the Heaven Warding Temple, created irreconcilable enmity between the Moon Refining Palace and the Sea Dream Temple, and fragilized the relationship between the hegemonic sects.
That Surya can never be my dad's match."
Heide affirmed with her chest puffed out, and Konrad patted her head with an approving nod.
"That is only natural. See how I use his scheme against him."
Konrad stated with a devious grin. Although directly absorbing corpses could rapidly increase the legions' strength, with 96,000 legionaries, that just wasn't viable. His current method was to refine corpses into Devil Pills and the blood into Devil Elixirs. Resources he could mass produce to feed his legions.
The three sects would each provide 250 elite corpses to nurture his legions. A total of 750 with at least High God cultivation. How could Konrad refuse such a gift? Meanwhile, as she peered at the scene, a strange glint flashed within Verena's eyes.
"I have an idea."
She started in a mental message directly solely at Konrad.
"Shoot, beloved."
"The Cardinal Light Lord is a weak link. If you can use his wife to turn him against Chandra, one the one hand, you can raise your cultivation to the next level, and on the other hand, you won't have to raise a hand to slay the fool."
Verena offered, and the words made Konrad cant his head leftward. His eyes briefly flashed with a ponderous look, and his smile turned into a psychotic smirk.
"Tara, half-step Legendary Yaksha Goddess. Reputed for her brash sanguineness and high-maintenance. Brihaspati's polar opposite. Although I planned to take Rati first, why not shift priorities. I approve. Tonight, I will harvest her cultivation and shift the blame on Chandra. In the future, she can become a Devil."
Konrad acquiesced. And while the two plotted unbeknown to the others, Daksha, Chandra, and Surya came to an agreement, with Brihaspati as the witness. The four then dispersed, with a still fuming Daksha returning to his temple.
The magenta haze marking his appearance had not even dispersed that Daksha seized Konrad's shoulders and declared:
"The stakes have changed. Defeat is not an option. This all started because of your country-toppling beauties so I will make myself clear! Should you lose, even if they don't kill you, I will take your life!"
Daksha snarled with the same paramount candor that many found so off-putting.
And before such unwarranted proximity, Konrad inwardly sighed.
"I will settle for your women."
A pity that Daksha couldn't read his mind.