Scarlett's brows furrowed slightly, but she remained silent.
The mysterious rune on her forehead flashed briefly.
The woman's voice resounded in Scarlett's mind once more.
She spoke coldly, "I sent you to get close to him, to uncover the secrets of the Stellar Lord hidden within him. And what happened? I merely slumbered for a while, and not only did you fail to retrieve what was needed, but you also gave yourself to him. You truly live up to the expectations I had when I chose you, Scarlett."
Scarlett's expression was indifferent, her tone nonchalant, "My body is mine to give to whomever I wish. What business is it of yours?"
The woman seemed amused by Scarlett's retort.
She scoffed, "Your body? Have you forgotten who you are? You are merely the vessel for my incarnation. Once the ritual is complete, you will disappear from this world entirely. There will no longer be a Scarlett, only the Dawn Goddess!"
If anyone else heard this conversation, they would be astounded.
Who would have thought that the Dawn Goddess had been slumbering within Scarlett's body all along?
Scarlett laughed mockingly, "A god without divine authority, you dare to call yourself a deity? You're no better than dog excrement."
That comment seemed to hit a nerve with the Dawn Goddess.
Her tone turned icy, "If you were not my God's Chosen, just for that remark alone, I could make you die a thousand times over."
Scarlett scoffed coldly, "You speak as if it's an honor. The biggest regret of my life is becoming your God's Chosen."
She had many secrets about her origins that she hadn't shared with John.
For instance, the couple from Hidden Stars who saved her were actually members of the Dawn Sect.
The reason they saved her years ago was due to her unique constitution, making her an ideal vessel for the Dawn Goddess's incarnation.
Since she was six, the Dawn Goddess had planted her godsoul within her, and it had been over twenty years now.
To Scarlett, calling her a goddess was a stretch.
The Dawn Goddess was nothing more than a parasite residing within her.
The Dawn Goddess was well aware of Scarlett's resentment but remained indifferent.
To a god, humans and insects were no different.
This thought brought up unpleasant memories for the Dawn Goddess, her voice tinged with a mix of emotions, seemingly wrath and shame.
The Dawn Goddess gritted her teeth, enunciating every word, "I can be magnanimous about your disrespect. When I was in slumber, you consorted with a mortal, and I could tolerate it."
Suddenly, the Dawn Goddess roared in fury, "But after my awakening, you still... indulge with him, Scarlett, do you understand what you are doing?!"
Hearing the Dawn Goddess's raging voice, Scarlett's face broke into a stunning smile.
She laughed lazily, "Getting angry now, are you? Back then, I heard you quite loud and clear, seemed pretty comfortable. I thought you liked my man as well."
The Dawn Goddess fell silent, her mind revisiting the scene from that day.
Scarlett had shared her senses with the goddess just as she was awakening and still weak.
Before the Dawn Goddess could react, a surge of intense fulfillment flooded her consciousness.
Although the Dawn Goddess ultimately severed their sensory link, Scarlett had made her taste the humiliation of being dominated by a mortal.
The shame of her body being wildly invaded made the Dawn Goddess seethe with rage whenever she thought of it.
The Dawn Goddess's voice was icy, "Since you love him so much, once I awaken, I'll kill him right before your eyes! Deities are not beings that you insects can profane!"
Scarlett didn't respond, her gaze drifting towards the direction of the Imperial Capital.
It was as if she could once again see the playful smile of that someone in her mind.
Suddenly, Scarlett smiled.
She said, "Who knows, by the time you descend, my man might even be able to slay gods?"
...
Imperial Capital, Hidden Stars headquarters.
Time swiftly passed, and two days had gone by.
Today marked the annual enrollment period for the Star Cluster Academy.
John, dressed in a black jacket, stepped out of the Hidden Stars headquarters.
He stood tall, though his complexion was still somewhat pale, indicating his injuries had not fully healed.
Even with Hidden Stars' transcendent medicines and top-tier treatment methods, the negative effects brought by the Godslayer Blade were not so easily dispelled.
But it was a situation he had to accept; he couldn't just skip the assessment because he was injured.
Outside the headquarters' main gate, a black luxury car was parked.
Albertus was already waiting for him.
Albertus eyed John's complexion with concern, frowning, "Can you manage in this state?"
It wasn't unwarranted worry.
Ordinary injuries would be one thing, but John's wounds primarily stemmed from the negative effects of the Godslayer Blade.
Even Shadowcloud had no solution for this, and the House Fairfax was utterly powerless.
John waved off the concern, settling into the car, "Don't worry, I'm not dying yet."
Seeing John's determination, Albertus said no more.
The black luxury car started and headed towards the inner district of the Imperial Capital.
In the top-floor office of the Hidden Stars headquarters, Emily and two men and a woman, all adorned with platinum badges, stood.
The sight would undoubtedly astonish anyone who witnessed it.
"Celestial Maiden Emily!"
"Thunder Dragon Walter!"
"Mountain Lord Nathaniel!"
"Flame Empress Victoria!"
All four chief captains of Hidden Stars were present.
It was a rare occurrence since, apart from Emily who was usually at the Hidden Stars headquarters, the other three chief captains seldom returned to the Imperial Capital, often being away on missions for years at a time.
Before the four chief captains stood an elderly man in a black robe, his face bearing a kind expression.
This was Philip Beaumont, the minister of Hidden Stars, one of the twelve Federal councilors, and a sage-tier powerhouse.
Once renowned in the military as a "War God," Philip had rarely engaged in combat in recent years, and his current strength was unknown.
Philip stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the black luxury car slowly drive away.
He spoke with a sense of reminiscence, "Youth is a wonderful thing. To use the Godslayer Blade forcibly, not only surviving but also bouncing back to attend the assessment – if it were old Shadowcloud, his tombstone would probably be erected by now. Not bad at all, he has the makings of my younger days!"
Hearing the elder's self-praising remarks, both Nathaniel and Victoria's lips twitched.
Nathaniel, with a youthful appearance, spoke in disbelief, "You're the minister of Hidden Stars. Can you not claim every young talent has your flair from back in the day? It's really undermining our organization's image."
Victoria, with her short red hair and valiant demeanor, was more direct in her critique.
She complained, "You're well on in years; can you not be so shameless? If General Shadowcloud heard what you just said, he'd probably come over to duel you."
Walter, with a thunder tattoo on his face, remained expressionless.
If one looked closely, they could see he was actually asleep, his eyes vacant and breathing even, standing up.
Emily, on the other hand, smiled gently, "But the minister is right. John truly is an impressive newcomer. There aren't many who can match him, and even injured, he's likely to achieve good results in the Star Cluster Academy's assessments."
This time, Emily got John's name right.
Hearing her, Minister Philip shook his head, "It's hard to say. Not to mention the prodigies from other academies, but just in this assessment at Star Cluster Academy alone, there are numerous top-tier talents."
Victoria chuckled, "Indeed. My sister Isabella is also attending Star Cluster Academy. She's a once-in-a-century genius in our House Medici, far more gifted than I am. It's quite possible that this young man won't make a name for himself before he's outshone by my sister."
Hearing her words, everyone was somewhat surprised.
Though House Medici wasn't on par with the four top-tier families of the Imperial Capital, it was still a first-class family with an inheritance class.
If the "Flame Wielder" profession, unique to House Medici, were fully developed, it could rival the inheritance classes of the top four families.
They had heard about the genius girl from House Medici and initially thought that Isabella would attend the War Academy, especially since her sister, Victoria, was a graduate.
It was unexpected that she would instead choose Star Cluster Academy.
Nathaniel, scratching his head in confusion, asked, "Why did your sister go to Star Cluster Academy? With her talent, she could have easily entered the Imperial Capital Academy or War Academy, right?"
Victoria sighed, "I did suggest she go to the War Academy, but Isabella is too proud. She didn't want to live in my shadow, so she decided on Star Cluster Academy by herself."
Upon hearing this, the group fell silent.
The matter concerned the Medici sisters' personal affairs, and it wasn't their place to comment further.
Just then, as John's car disappeared from view, Philip withdrew his gaze and also his casual demeanor.
Turning to face the four, he said calmly, "Alright, let's discuss some serious matters now."