"Basil?" Rocky suddenly heard someone call him from behind. When he turned around, he was a bit
surprised to see that it was actually Colton, together with a much older man.
"Sir, what are you doing here?" Rocky was quite confused to see them there because he had no idea
what happened in the Holy Heaven Palace after he suddenly entered the Holy-Evil World.
"I should be the one asking questions. Why did you disappear all of a sudden? We have been
searching for you. Where on earth have you been?" Colton returned the question with a stern face.
"Well, I have been in the Holy Heaven Palace all this time. But I don't think the places I've been to were
part of the Spiritual Divine Land," Rocky answered honestly. Although, he deliberately left out the part
that he entered the Holy-Evil World.
"But what happened? How were you able to go to such places?" Colton was still unsatisfied with
Rocky's replies, and he wanted more details.
"It's a long story, sir. Moreover, I'm afraid that there are some things that I can't tell you just yet." Since
what Deacon, the master of the Holy Heaven Palace, said was not something that could be easily
understood by ordinary people, Rocky thought that it was not the right time to reveal them even to
Colton.
"Colton, I can sense that the connection between this young man and the Holy Heaven Palace is
beyond our imagination. I think it's better to heed his advice and not ask too much right now," the older
man with Colton suddenly cut in.
"And this is..." Before Rocky could finish his sentence, he was a bit startled when he perceived that the
old man was actually emitting an overwhelming power that also seemed to have reached the Shura
Realm.
"Oh, this is my grandfather, Jaiden."
"I see. It is a pleasure to meet you, sir," Rocky immediately greeted and cupped his hands in front of
Jaiden.
"I need to thank you, young man. If it weren't for you, I might have been trapped in that world for good,"
Jaiden said, solemnly expressed his gratitude.
"But I can feel that you are incredibly powerful. In fact, am I right that you have already reached the
Shura Realm?" Rocky asked at once, trying to confirm his hunch. He assumed that Jaiden must have
been trapped in the area between the Holy-Evil World and Holy Heaven Palace for quite some time.
However, Colton butted in and said, "That is not important right now. I don't care what happened to you
inside the Holy Heaven Palace, but at least give me a proper explanation on why you suddenly
disappeared. Otherwise, I won't know what to tell the other forces. At that time, I am certain that they
will demand to open an investigation about this matter. Everyone knows that the Holy Heaven Palace is
not an ordinary place. If they learned that you have somehow gained something here that will make the
contest seem unfair to the other candidates, it will create an even bigger mess. So, while we are still
here, answer me honestly. If not, I might resort to some drastic measures..." Colton gave Rocky a
meaningful look after saying those things. He was deliberately studying the expression of the young
man to see if he would tell the truth or not.
"How about this? You can directly disqualify me from the contest. You can tell the other forces and
candidates that I am still missing and haven't been found yet. Since the contest needs to proceed, you
decided to disqualify me," Rocky proposed without any hesitation.
"Disqualify you? Are you being serious?" Colton was actually stunned because he was about to use it
as a threat to make Rocky tell him the truth. However, he did not expect that the suggestion would
come from the young man's mouth.
"Yes. I think that is the best course of action right now. Besides, I do have the qualifications to enter the
final round of the contest as Basil. Moreover, I have already confirmed the identities of the other Godly
Geniuses. Right now, my identity as the Spiritual Emperor of the Di Clan is dispensable. It had already
served its purpose," Rocky explained in detail.
"I see. That may actually work. With that, we can avoid unnecessary doubts from the candidates and
the representatives of the forces." Deep inside Colton, he knew that Rocky also considered this plan for
the sake of the Di Clan.
"However, there is still one thing that I need to know..." Colton's eyes narrowed as he continued, "If I
am not mistaken, the changes that suddenly happened here earlier must have been caused by you.
So, tell me. Have you already..."
"Sir, are you trying to ask me if I have already reached the peak level of the Emperor Realm?" Rocky
cut in, knowing exactly what Colton wanted to ask. He was also aware that some abnormal events
might have happened in the Holy Heaven Palace when he received Deacon's power and reached the
Shura Realm earlier. Given Colton's powerful strength, he must have noticed the changes quite easily.
However, Rocky did not directly answer the question. Instead, he just smiled in response and let Colton
reach his own conclusion. After all, Rocky did not only break through the peak level of the Emperor
Realm but, in fact, reached the Shura Realm.
"So, you really did it! You have reached the peak level of the Emperor Realm!" Colton exclaimed in
astonishment. Although it was already his guess earlier, he was still extremely surprised the moment
he confirmed it.
"I was just lucky enough," Rocky said with a faint smile. He thought that it was better if they just
assumed that he reached that peak of the Emperor Realm than telling others that he had actually
reached the Shura Realm.
However, he soon noticed a meaningful smile on Jaiden's face. Rocky then realized that he could not
hide his real strength from the old man. Fortunately, Jaiden was a sensible man and did not reveal his
secret.
"Although I know very clearly that one can gain so many attainments within the Holy Heaven Palace, I
never thought that it was possible for someone to directly reach the peak of the Emperor Realm. I don't
think luck is enough to achieve this. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of adventures you
experienced in this mysterious place!" Evidently, Colton was pretty excited and curious about what
Rocky had undergone.
"Well, I think even if I told you, you might not believe it... So, is there anything else that you want to ask
me, sir?" "No. I think I heard enough." Colton had finally regained his composure and shook his head.
"I see. Then, I guess we should leave this place now." Now that everything was settled, there was no
need for them to stay there.
Afterward, the three of them left the Holy Heaven Palace and headed back to the Di Clan.
At the same time, the news that the missing former leader of the Di Clan had come back immediately
caused a huge sensation among the members of the clan.
Then, after accommodating Rocky and Jaiden, Colton went to do his responsibilities and issued a
summoning order addressed to the remaining participants of the contest.
Soon enough, all of the candidates who were qualified to proceed to the next round, as well as the
representatives of various forces, gathered on the square of the manor.
"Before I announce the list of all the candidates that will enter the fifth round, I have an important
announcement to make." Colton paused for a moment and then continued, "I am glad to witness the
remarkable performances of the candidates back in the Holy Heaven Palace. You have proven to
everyone that you possess outstanding talents and potentials, and we place great hopes on each of
you.
On the other hand, as you know, an investigation was conducted regarding the incident inside the Holy
Heaven Palace. According to the latest information given to us, the Spiritual Emperor of the Di Clan,
who had suddenly disappeared, has not been found yet. Therefore, since the contest cannot be held
up by this incident, I decided to disqualify him."
Immediately after, the sudden announcement made quite a stir. After all, most of the people knew that
this missing Spiritual Emperor was Rocky.
Of course, among the crowd, there were mischievous grins. They were obviously elated upon hearing
this news. Among these people were the Godly Geniuses, who had always treated Rocky as a thorn on
their flesh.
On the other hand, some instantly revealed worried and gloomy expressions. These included Eunice,
Carla, and Rocky's other acquaintances.
"That is all for now. I urge everyone to focus on preparing for the upcoming round!"
Right after the candidates and representatives of the different forces dispersed, Eunice and Carla
hurriedly approached Colton to ask what really happened with the investigation regarding Rocky's
disappearance.
Upon seeing the two girls, Colton did not even need to hear what they had to say. Instead, he spoke
first and said, "Follow me!" Since Colton knew that both of them were totally concerned about Rocky,
he decided to accompany them back to the mansion of the Di Clan and reveal the truth.
Soon enough, the three of them arrived at the mansion.
At this moment, Rocky and Jaiden were just having a good chat inside the hall of the Di Clan. Later on,
Rocky was not even surprised to see that Colton appeared together with Eunice and Carla. After all, he
anticipated that after Colton made the shocking announcement, these two would immediately want to
know the truth.
Upon seeing that Rocky was before them, laughing heartily with the old man, the two girls were
rendered speechless.
"Wait. I don't get it. What's going on?" Eunice could not help but look at Colton with a very confused
expression.
"This is actually my plan," Rocky immediately responded.
"Okay. As long as you are safe and sound..." Carla was too relieved that she could not suppress the
smile on her delicate face.
"However, now that I am not going to participate in the contest, I am going to need your help, especially
you Carla. But before that, I need to tell you something. Now is the right time, so I hope that you can be
mentally prepared." At this point, Rocky knew that he needed more hands to help him achieve his plan.
Although there were not that many people that he could fully trust in the first place, he was sure that
Carla was definitely one of them.
Carla nervously nodded, not knowing what Rocky would say next. At the same time, she could just
stare at Rocky's serious face.
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