Chapter 232

Chapter 232: Jealousy Makes a Deity’s Essence Split Apart

"Excellent. This provides decisive evidence for Councilor Xidi’s impeachment."

"At the very least, we can coerce him into paying a sufficient price!"

"Hmph…"

Barbatos snorted proudly.

Few chaos deities knew that Barbatos, despite his passion for music and art, excelled in Mental Power. His subordinate officials, regardless of rank, all mastered Mental Power.

Invading mortals’ dreams and thoughts, warping common sense, altering concepts, fabricating memories—all while leaving souls intact—this intricate task was nothing to Barbatos and his subordinates.

They could even perform such acts on deities.

Especially weakened ones.

Like the fallen Blais.

Barbatos hadn’t crafted that magical "False Body" to aid Blais’s revenge out of kindness. His true aim was extracting intelligence from Blais’s Divine Core.

The "False Body" secretly contained forbidden-level mental spells concerning that Giant God.

And regarding Xidi and Gimmerly!

"My deity and I share a trial-version ‘Soul link.’"

"Though limited to point-to-point connections among few consciousnesses, unstable, and demanding vast magic power, it was already usable."

"Through this link, I fused wills with my subordinate officials to share intelligence."

"A soul channel forged with centuries of research—the culmination of my knowledge and skill."

"From intel plundered from Blais and Xidi’s public disclosures, I deduced the ‘Giant God’ possessed similar technology."

At this thought, Barbatos sneered contemptuously.

"How could some hastily assembled tool compare to my centuries-perfected masterpiece—the crystallization of my supreme wisdom?"

"Laughable!"

"One mental invasion should make him crumple helplessly."

"Then…"

The Giant God’s secrets, Xidi and Gimmerly’s collusion with him—all would be laid bare!

If conditions permitted, Barbatos had even planned mental assaults to cripple the Giant God’s movements, perhaps even…

"Against my overwhelming Mental Power, that so-called Giant God might perish outright!"

"Begin!"

Meanwhile…

"My, my."

"If it isn’t Barbatos?"

*Tap… Tap…*

Light footsteps echoed on the Fantasy Tree of Subspace.

There stood a woman dressed in simple white yet radiating elegance; her long skirt seemed woven from flowing light, shimmering with different hues from every angle, captivating all who saw it. Yet these glimmers harmoniously blended into white, lending her an air of graceful serenity.

Her face was strikingly beautiful yet carried a calm detachment. The splendid robe split high and narrow at her waist, accentuating her full but refined curves while offering teasing glimpses of milky skin and slender legs—always leaving observers tantalized but unsatisfied.

Her ample bust was fully covered by the snug robe that perfectly outlined its shape, featuring translucent lace patterns at the center. Fleeting glimpses of creamy skin sparked imaginations, only to be frustratingly veiled by lace gauze.

This was a deity’s projection.

Certain Chaos Demon Gods who mingled with mortals occasionally adopted such forms.

A mortal guise aided their intelligence gathering—and conveniently facilitated mischief!

The demon god appearing before Barbatos in female form was Lady Xidi herself!

"My apologies for using your territory as the battlefield last time."

"Though it couldn’t be helped."

"Seeking explanations now?"

"I’ll bow apologetically as many times as needed."

"I specifically chose this projection for its bowing convenience."

As she spoke, Lady Xidi’s projection lowered her head for a deep, exaggerated bow.

"Enough!"

Barbatos bristled at her sarcasm.

"You…"

He gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing to slits.

"How utterly irritating!"

As both a core councilor and the Eighth Seat of the Chaos Council, Barbatos despised the Twelfth Seat, Lady Xidi.

Their feud neither began when she turned his domain into a battlefield, nor when Gimmerly’s Outer Gods slaughtered his followers—it started the moment they joined the Chaos Council as fellow core members!

The reason was simple: their uncanny resemblance.

Barbatos and Lady Xidi shared striking similarities, possibly even being sisters sharing the same origin.

Yet Barbatos seemed slightly outmatched by her in every aspect.

In elegance and composure, he fell short: even after being "toyed with" by the Giant God and suffering defeat, Lady Xidi retained her unshakable grace as though it were woven into her soul.

Their Divine Bodies bore similarities too—both feathered, bipedal, and armed with sharp teeth. But Lady Xidi’s form was noticeably sturdier and more robust than Barbatos’s slender frame.

This granted Barbatos greater agility, yet power-type physiques like Lady Xidi’s visibly dominated in sheer presence.

In raw Divine Body strength, power-types overwhelmingly surpassed agility-types—their bulkier builds delivering far greater force.

Cheetahs were much more agile than lions, appearing nearly as long as lionesses though considerably leaner. Yet cheetahs could only be dominated by lions—even lionesses—sometimes even becoming part of their diet.

Even when two or three cheetahs gathered, they fled at the sight of a lone lioness.

In contrast, hyenas appeared far smaller than cheetahs, yet just two or three would dare attack an isolated lioness.

What filled Barbatos with bitter envy was "authority"—the authority to charge into the Void!

For reasons unknown, Barbatos had always harbored an instinctive craving to become "Void Sovereign," ruling the entire Void!

Yet to his immense frustration, he never discovered the proper method to "step into the Void." Meanwhile, that Gimmerly—not even a "Core Councilor," merely the Fifty-Sixth Seat—possessed the authority to "soar" through the Void!

Lately, her flight grew only smoother!

Envy gnawed at him!

*This time, I’ll make you humiliate yourself!*

After gasping for breath, Barbatos finally quelled the inexplicable rage churning within.

"Stop pretending to be unruffled!"

"I’ve uncovered key evidence of your collusion with the Giant God!"

"If you’re patient enough to wait a moment, you’ll…"

Here, Barbatos split his focus. Through the "Soul Link," he checked his subordinate—that Void Outer God exceptionally skilled in mental infiltration—to gauge her progress!

He dreaded Lady Xidi losing patience and departing.

"No…"

Xidi seemed to pierce through Barbatos’s intent.

She remained utterly composed, radiating an elegance that infuriated Barbatos. With a flick of magic, she conjured a chair and settled into it with regal poise.

Her jade hand cradled her scented cheek, beautiful eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"The Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons’ assault has eased somewhat."

"I have time."

"I can wait."

As she spoke, she gestured invitingly.

*Begin your performance.*

"Damn her!"

"This woman!"

"Why… why does she still wear that smirk!"

"I should’ve grasped her weakness!"

But when he checked the Void Outer God’s progress, fury nearly choked him.

"Useless!"

"What are you doing!?"

His subordinate—the Void Outer God most adept at mental invasion—was actually being blocked by a mere mortal!