Ancestor Alissara's three eyes went wider than saucers.
The other Ancestor instantly went stiff before raising her hand. The strange formation on the ceiling responded, shining brightly. It did not appear to be a sealing formation but greatly tried to oppress Evelynn.
If one looked closely, they would be able to see two objects circling within that formation.
One was a staff with a third eye affixed to the center. It seemed to be a third eye from a King-Tier Chromatic Hex Arachnid. The other was an anklet made out of multiple third eyes contained within the gems. They didn't seem to be at King Tier, unlike the staff, but their power could be said to be equal as they unleashed nearly the same undulations at the High-Level Autarch Grade.
Evelynn looked up and also noticed these treasures. They were none other than the two Legacy Artifacts of the Three-Eyed Chromatic Hex Arachnid Clan. There were actually four, but two were destroyed in the war back then.
She didn't know, but she didn't care.
These artifacts were useless against her since her Emperor-Tier Earth Dragon Blood superseded the arachnid blood. It wasn't exactly stronger than the other since she had perfect equilibrium. However, a dragon's Will could not be easily provoked, much less defeated. She didn't have the true soul essence of the Earth Dragon like Isabella did, which later then upgraded to Emperor-Tier because of Mira, but she sure did enjoy some soul essence from Mira. That alone was enough to keep her afloat when any type of these artifacts tried to oppress her.
In fact, the oppression was so pitiful that she could barely feel it.
"Do you all actually think that you can revive your Empress?"
Evelynn uttered in an unamused tone. She looked around, releasing her aura once again.
Instantly, the eight pillars all sank to the ground as though someone grabbed their shoulders and pressed them against the ground. They were stunned, their expression falling. They were sure they could defeat her, but-
"What powerful bloodline suppression…"
Ancestor Alissara was visibly shocked now that Empress Evelynn fully unleashed her aura without holding back. Even her back was breaking, barely able to withstand it as she wobbled. Her base prowess appeared to be thirteen levels higher, which made them feel amazed and joyous but also terrified.
"Why not?" The other Ancestor growled, her third eye shining violently blue, "Our ancient records have always mentioned that an Emperor-Tier Chromatic Hex Arachnid cannot be killed completely if its true soul has been passed down. You- the inheritor of our Empress Hexena, have also inherited her true soul essence. Are we wrong!?"
Evelynn felt her cultivation become suppressed under the Sealing Hex. Her brows squinted, knowing she could not beat these two Ancestors. However, she was confident that she still held the upper hand due to standing on top of the species.
"Break~"
The Sealing Hex shattered, and her aura once again flailed, suppressing the others.
"Indeed, I have inherited Empress Hexena Xylusc's true soul essence. However, I thoroughly eradicated her Will when her heart demon tried to possess me during the transfer of true soul essence. I'm afraid that it would be useless."
"Heart demon…"
Every one of the arachnid clan members looked shocked and despaired. Some couldn't even help but tear up after they heard their Empress got possessed by a Heart Demon. It was something they all feared, being taken over by a heart demon since the Three-Eyed Chromatic Hex Arachnid was said to be innately vengeful and aggressive.
They had always kept guard against it.
"As I said…" The other Ancestor wiped her eyes, "It doesn't matter if you eradicated her Will during the succession process. It is normal and we also considered it. The Inverse Hex Revival Formation is a formation that invokes the ability of the true soul essence belonging to the Emperor-Tier Chromatic Hex Arachnid, as you said. As long as you are alive, Empress Hexena can return from the dead. Such is the uniqueness of our race's emperor-tier existence!"
"Is that so?" Evelynn still continued to ask calmly, "Half of my soul also carries Emperor-Tier Earth Dragon soul essence. How do you suppose your Empress Hexena can possibly revive from this change?"
There was not a single ripple of haste or fear in her eyes.
"That…" The other Ancestor trembled, not really taking this change into consideration.
After all, just who could expect that their inheritor would fuse with another kind of essence? And that too Earth Dragon essence? Dragon blood was always overbearing. It could foil their plans.
Even so- they didn't look like they were about to give up one bit.
"You would sacrifice me in exchange for awakening your true Empress?"
Ancestor Alissara waved her frail and withered hand, "No! All we need is for Her Majesty's soul to come back. You would lose some soul essence, but that's negligible to you, whose husband is the Divine Emperor of Death who can even heal souls. As for her body, we even prepared to reconstruct her body by collecting royal blood for millions of years. It may not restore her Emperor-Tier body fully, but it should work even if the bloodline purity decreases. Besides, a magical beast possessing a human's body will not last for long."
Evelynn narrowed her eyes.
They confessed to extracting blood from the royal family members. She turned to glance at Fahzi, her senses washing over him. Although he was losing blood, he didn't seem that he would die quickly. It was possible that the royals who didn't win the competitions all died earlier from passing away naturally.
But still, it seemed everyone was expendable, including her.
What if she wasn't the Divine Emperor of Death's wife and the inheritor was someone else and more innocent? Wouldn't they have still made a move against such a person?
Moreover-
Evelynn returned her gaze, "But I'm a fey. Isn't that good for Empress Hexena? As a vessel, my body couldn't be any more suitable."
"…" The Ancestors went silent.
Evelynn pursed her lips. Evidently, they hadn't expected she would turn into a fey considering the inheritances were meant for humans mostly. It became an unexpected boon for them, possibly the very reason that they quickly moved to subdue her while the Divine Emperor of Death was trapped in some other location due to the Covenant.
This place was out of the Azure Tree Lower Realm, after all. There was no way the Divine Emperor of Death was hiding here.
Evelynn heaved a low breath, "It is fine to make mistakes as long it doesn't turn into something that cannot be undone. If you back out now, I will still spare your lives. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Hmph!"
Ancestor Alissara snorted, "Not only are you disrespectful to elders, but you also do not have a shred of gratitude for Empress Hexena. You haven't considered reviving her one bit."
Evelynn's lips curled in amusement, "How about I use your lives to revive your elders? Why not give up your lives right now to gamble with abysmal chances of reviving your ancestors?"
"You-"
"Talking to a bunch of followers who adore Empress Hexena but went blind is useless, I see."
Evelynn took a step forward, "Although it's not like I can't understand wanting to save a loved one, I will not entertain further delusions. From now on, the Three-Eyed Chromatic Hex Arachnid Clan will listen to my words."
A frigid silence swept through the grand ancestral hall as Wisteria phased out of Evelynn's forehead, her ghostly form instantly making everyone shudder. Her presence brought an even more eerie distinction to the oppressive violet and green glow of the hall's sacred formations. Her grayish-purple hair billowed like drifting fog, her white, hollow eyes carrying nearly no emotion as she gazed at the two Ancestors in the distance.