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"That\'s Maymun\'s doing," Mendax solemnly explained, "In a matter of few centuries his powers have grown beyond what any of us were capable of predicting. But...since that demented hag is going through all this trouble for you, I\'m guessing you both have a plan?"

He looked to Hao Xuan for answers but his expressionless face told him everything he needed to.

"Good. Don\'t trust anyone, not until it\'s too late to change anything."

[Not even you?]

"Especially me," he cracked a smile and moved over to the stone platform, gesturing for him to join.

When Hao Xuan got on, the nine dials making up the outer rim of the platform began to rotate and the space around them started to slowly melt away.

"The \'Great Old Ones\' only have two kinds of subjects," Mendax continued in a much lower voice, "Either servants or champions."

"The servants bear the mark of the God they serve and are able to commune with them through a special ritual that is unique only to that god. This \'mark\' grants them special powers but nothing too remarkable. Each God can have millions of servants at the very least since it doesn\'t cost them much in the long run."

"But the \'Champions\' on the other hand are much different. There can only ever be one champion for a God and this holds true even for the Nine. The Champions not only hold the highest ranks among the servants but are also able to borrow a portion of their patron God\'s powers and be their representative when the need arises."

"Unless the Gods show up in person, it is the champions who represent the full authority of the Great Old Ones within the Sanctum."

This information was not too different from what Hao Xuan was expecting so he was not surprised.

[Does that mean the champions of the Nine have the highest authority within the Sanctum?]

Mendax shook his head wearily, "Yes and...no. It is a little different for the Nine since they have not two but four ranks of subjects."

The space around them began to solidify once again and this time Hao Xuan found himself in a giant circular hall with almost a dozen other similar stone platforms all around them.

This place was also packed with black-robed figures similar to the area he had first arrived in, with the only difference being in their auras.

Even though the robes hid everything along with their cultivation levels, it was easy to gleam that even the weakest being here was on the level of a \'Saint Lord\' at the very least. (The realm above the Profound Realm)

The vast majority of them turned towards the two new arrivals and upon seeing Mendax they gave a respectful bow before going about their business.

Mendax did not respond in any way and quietly brought Hao Xuan to one of the nearby doors.

This door had a giant cauldron etched on its surface with nine distinct scenes being depicted inside. When Mendax placed a hand on the door the golden shield hanging from his back lit up for a moment forcing the door to open.

Hao Xuan sensed several envious gazes coming in their direction but he did not turn around to see who they belonged to.

"This is the inner sanctum. Every room you enter, every new space you wish to join, it is your mark that allows you entry. The higher the caliber of your mark the more access you will have."

Hao Xuan gave a silent nod and waited for the door to fully open before passing through to the next \'space\' that was completely independent of the one before.

The first thing he felt was the stinging cold prickling at his skin like needles. He looked around and found himself standing in a long network of caves and caverns with a fast-moving river off on the right side.

Hao Xuan and Mendax were the only two beings here so he continued his explanation from before.

"Earlier when I spoke of the caliber of the mark that mostly pertained to us, the subjects of the Nine. We all start from the bottom at the rank of a \'follower\' with the least amount of benefits."

"Once we have satisfied the wishes of the Nine either by spending a certain amount of time in servitude or by offering enough sacrifices...we will be presented with the opportunity to rise higher, to the rank of \'servant\'."

He turned to face Hao Xuan at this point and patted him on the shoulder to alleviate some of his worries.

"This should also be your rank. Since the Mistress selected you herself you should start from the rank of a servant at the very least."