Die, princess, the devil is mine!

Later that evening, after breakfast, everyone went about their own business.

Claire was still a little dizzy from walking on the road leading to the other half of the sacred mountain.

Although it was just a few words spoken casually during breakfast, the information contained in those words had a significant impact on Claire.

What others consider an insurmountable path to the pinnacle of sainthood is simply a matter of order for the Lynn family. As for the difficulty... what's the point of talking about something that doesn't exist?

Even she, who had just joined the family, was included. She was just an ordinary middle-level member of the Holy See, so how could she surpass His Holiness the Pope in the blink of an eye?

With such heavy feelings, Claire returned all the way to the Royal Palace of the Radiant Empire on the other side of the Holy Mountain.

Compared to the Holy See of Light, the Imperial Palace of the Holy See of Light is far more magnificent and luxurious. In terms of extravagance, it is second only to the Imperial Palace of the Heavenly Mandate Empire, making it arguably the second most luxurious palace in the world.

However, Claire had no interest in these things that she had long been tired of and no longer cared about. She frowned and walked straight into the inner palace. At this time, the morning court session had already ended, and her younger brother, the emperor, was probably cultivating in the inner palace.

Compared to many emperors who indulged in extravagance, her younger brother was remarkably diligent and talented. Although he was five years younger than her, his strength was comparable to hers, even though she had been hailed as a prodigy.

Claire had free rein in the palace and soon found her younger brother, Wayne Windsor, the current emperor of the Light Empire, training in the training ground in the rear hall.

"Royal sister, how come you have time to come back?"

The emperor's training grounds were always completely enclosed, but the guards wouldn't stop Claire, so someone had already reported to Emperor Wayne when she first arrived.

Princess Claire, who is five years older than the emperor, had actually moved out of the palace and was living alone long ago, but every time Claire came over, Wayne would say that she had come home.

"Have them all leave. I have something important to discuss with you."

Having found the Emperor's younger brother, Claire did not directly state her purpose, but instead asked him to dismiss his attendants, clearly indicating that she had private matters to discuss.

In fact, this can be considered official business. Her ability to become stronger, even surpassing the Holy Emperor of Light, would greatly enhance the strength of the Windsor family. Although the Holy Emperor Akre also shares the surname Windsor, he is not a direct descendant of the family. A weak trunk and strong branches are not a good thing for any family.

"You all step back and guard the outside. No one is to be let in! Remember, no one!"

Knowing his sister as he did, Wayne knew that if she was so serious, it must be something important. Since she joined the Inquisition of the Holy See, she rarely returned to the palace and wouldn't come here specifically to amuse him.

After everyone had left, Claire silently walked into a closed training room next to the martial arts arena, followed by Emperor Wayne.

"I need to activate my divine bloodline ahead of schedule, so I need you to grant me permission to open the bloodline altar."

In a secluded space where no one was around, Claire directly explained her purpose to her brother, the emperor.

Activating the bloodline altar and consecrating the divine blood was originally a major event for the Windsor family, and usually required the approval of half of the family's important figures. However, as the emperor of the Light Empire, Wayne could use his patriarchal authority to directly grant the divine blood descendants of his family the qualification to activate the divine blood.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the royal families of the eight great empires are all descendants of true gods, possessing noble divine bloodlines from birth. However, the divine blood of the ancient ancestral gods has become increasingly diluted over generations.

If one wishes to purify one's bloodline, gain better cultivation talent, and inherit ancestral divine skills, one must activate the divine blood within the body through the bloodline altar.

However, each use of the Bloodline Altar consumes a lot of Bloodline Energy, which can only be naturally replenished over time, making it extremely precious and only usable in critical moments and for key individuals.

Even the most direct descendants of a family must possess astonishing talent and clear potential for high-level sainthood to be eligible to apply for the use of the bloodline altar.

Given Claire's talent and current strength, barring any unforeseen circumstances, she should be able to submit her application in three to five years at the earliest, making it completely unnecessary for her to activate her divine bloodline in advance.

After all, it was to purify the true god's bloodline within her body, bringing a short-term cultivation boost and a surge in level. Normally, it would be most suitable to use it during the critical period of a breakthrough, such as when her strength level reaches 690. At that time, activating the divine bloodline would allow her to quickly advance to the high-level saint rank and inherit the divine skills that can only be mastered at level 700 and above.

To activate divine blood in advance, one either needs to be confident enough to make rapid progress during the period when divine blood is most active, or one has encountered a major upheaval and needs to purify the bloodline to prolong life or heal injuries.

Princess Claire hasn't gone to the battlefield yet, which means she hasn't suffered any serious injury that left her with a hidden ailment. So she must be aiming for the advanced Saint rank.

But isn't she only two or three levels higher than me? That's around level 680, right? And she's already aiming for level 700? Don't underestimate that 20-level difference; it's a huge gap. How am I supposed to overcome that? Take off from the spot?
"Royal sister, it's not that I'm unwilling to grant you the authority, but you know how precious bloodline energy is. If using it once can't bring a high-level Saint to the Windsor family within a year, then it's a huge loss..."

From Emperor Wayne's personal perspective, he would certainly be willing to use family resources to nurture his own sister. However, as the emperor of the empire and the head of the family, he could not ignore the interests of the family.

The bloodline energy of the Bloodline Altar recovers slowly, and it takes two and a half years to recover from the consumption of one use. If a high-level Saint cannot be created quickly, it will really be a painful loss.

"I can only tell you that after activating the Divine Blood, I can reach level 800 within six months. Do you still have any doubts?"

Claire has always been someone who is hard to judge as ruthless, but she is definitely not one to mince words. Even with her own younger brother, she doesn't waste any words and just lays her cards on the table.

"Eight hundred..."

Emperor Wayne was clearly taken aback by the number. If his sister hadn't never lied or even joked since childhood, he might have thought she was teasing him.

Even the Holy Emperor Akre next door doesn't have this level. If my sister can really reach level 800, wouldn't she become the second person in the Divine Blessing Continent?
He's second only to that man who's second only to God... It's a mouthful, but it sounds really powerful!

How many years has it been since the Windsor family produced a peak Saint-level 800? Could it be that this family, which has been getting weaker with each generation, is about to rise again in his generation?
"Is that Lord Lynn?"

After the surprise comes the excitement, and after the excitement comes the crucial point that is extremely easy to make connections to.

"Don't ask any more questions. I mean what I say. Give me the key."

Even though Wayne became emperor, he was still her younger brother who was suppressed by her bloodline. Claire knew that she was absolutely qualified to use the bloodline altar now, but seeing that her younger brother, the emperor, still wanted to get to the bottom of things, she had no choice but to directly ask for it.

“I understand, I understand. How could I not trust my elder sister? However, only the emperor can hold the key, so I will send you directly into the secret realm and help you open the bloodline altar.”

Emperor Wayne was already used to his elder sister's bluntness and cold remarks. He didn't think that his sister's attitude meant she still treated him like a child, implying that children shouldn't pry into adult matters; it was just her nature.

And he was just a little... how should I put it? As the emperor of the Light Empire, the first empire in the world of miracles, and a direct descendant of the Light God King, it seems inappropriate to use the word "usurpation" on him, but it is also reasonable to use it.

After all, Lynn was no ordinary messenger of the God of Light. The divine medal he possessed was the highest honor of the God of Light lineage. Not to mention that he also had the terrifying strength of a level 999 near-god, even if he were just a level 1 blank slate, his status would still be far above Wayne's.

There are countless descendants of the God of Light. The Windsor family alone has over a thousand members, not counting collateral branches. Even he, as the emperor and patriarch, cannot compare in terms of prestige and divine favor with the sole holder of the divinely bestowed medal.

So if he wasn't going to tell Lord Lynn, he really had to ask as little as possible about his affairs, otherwise he wouldn't be able to afford to offend Lord Lynn.

Having figured all this out, Wayne obediently led his elder sister through a secret teleportation channel directly to the outside of the Bloodline Altar's secret realm. Before the family's high-ranking Saint-level elders could even ask, he directly revealed the clan leader's token and key, specifically asking his elder sister, Claire Windsor, to enter.

This is the privilege of the current emperor who is also the clan leader. However, due to the preciousness of bloodline energy, even the clan leader's privilege is strictly limited. It can only be used once every eighteen years, which is basically a generation apart.

With Wayne using his patriarchal privileges, Claire's qualifications are not in question, and her bloodline is even less of a problem. As the current patriarch's older sister, how could she not be a direct descendant?

Claire thus entered the altar realm without hindrance, activated the energy of the bloodline altar, strengthened the shallow divine blood within her, and elevated her various conditions to an unprecedented level.

However, because she did activate her divine bloodline ahead of time, the boost after the bloodline purification was not used at the key points. It only pushed her from level 680 to level 692. If she had waited another three to five years and raised herself to level 690 before coming here, she could have taken a chance and reached the top on the spot.

The family elders who received the news gradually gathered outside the secret realm. However, without the key, no one could enter the secret realm. No matter how high their status or how strong their strength, they could only wait obediently outside.

They waited for half a day, and when Claire finally emerged from the shimmering light of the entrance to the secret realm, all the direct descendants of the Windsor family couldn't help but turn their attention to her.

The next moment, many people sighed inwardly. Without the aura of a high-level Saint, Claire was still a little too anxious.

But not everyone was disappointed, because they knew that although Claire and they all shared the same surname Windsor and their talents were not significantly different, she possessed a unique advantage that none of them had.

She is the woman of Lord Lynn, the messenger of light. He was just chosen and publicly acknowledged last night.

They shared the same thought as Emperor Wayne: Lynn was no ordinary messenger of the God of Light. No one understood the value of the divinely bestowed medal better than the people of Windsor; it was the same treatment as the son of the God King of Light, the first emperor of the Light Empire.

With the God-King's own son... no, with Lord Lynn's patronage, is Claire's current 10-8 level deficit really a problem? It can't even be called a problem...

If Claire is favored enough and Lord Lynn is capable enough, it might not take Claire long to surpass Akre Windsor next door; she might even crush him in two and a half years!
The fate of restoring the glory of the Windsor family line rests on Claire's shoulders.

"Dear uncles, aunts, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and great-great-grandmothers, if there's nothing else to say, then Claire will take her leave."

Claire hadn't expected that simply returning to the palace to activate her divine blood and complete the task assigned by Lynn would alarm the elders of her family.

She was never good at socializing, even with her own family, especially the royal family, where there were many offspring across generations, and even close relatives were not familiar with each other, making it even more difficult for Claire to communicate with them.

So she simply stopped communicating. Before anyone could say anything, she took her leave. Without waiting for anyone to utter a single word of advice, she made a swift escape, leaving only a stiff, receding figure.

Until Claire disappeared from sight, no one really intended to chase after her to say anything, because there was nothing to say anyway. You can't exactly teach your own young family members how to please men, can you?

However, since they've come all this way, they can't just take a quick look and leave. It doesn't matter if they can't communicate with Claire, since Emperor Wayne is still here anyway.

So the family elders surrounded the lone Emperor Wayne and asked him about the reason and situation behind Claire's early activation of the divine blood.

But Wayne had no idea about any of this. His older sister had told him not to ask, and all he knew was that she was confident she could reach the peak Saint rank of level 800...

However, he couldn't reveal even such a simple detail. Who knew if there was a "mole" within the family—the real kind, the kind he favored or secretly helped, someone with the surname Windsor…

Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want Akree Windsor to know in advance that he was about to be quickly overtaken by his older sister. Although it was impossible for him to do anything to his sister given his status, it was always wise to be cautious, especially for those who had been in high positions for a long time, as they found it difficult to accept being stepped on by others.

If it were someone like Lord Lynn, who could absolutely crush him with unparalleled power, then of course no one would harbor any disloyalty. But his elder sister was his subordinate within the Papacy, and in a position far below him in status and rank. If she were to be forcefully suppressed by one of his mere subordinates, it was hard to say what Akre's attitude would be. (End of Chapter)