The first Divine War was anomalous; Lin Luo had suspected this long ago. Logically, once the War concluded and the World Sovereign was determined, the other Walkers should not have been able to enter that world afterward. Even if they could find a way in, it shouldn't have been just days after the conclusion of the Divine War. The rise and fall of an entire dynasty takes decades, often centuries or millennia—how could they be invaded in such a short timeframe? It was clearly unnatural.

More importantly, both invading Walkers were at the pinnacle of the Spirit Rank, and their talk during the battle suggested a deep familiarity with the Divine War itself. Only now, hearing Arthur speak, did the realization strike Lin Luo: if a Proxy God was manipulating things behind the scenes, it made perfect sense.

“Although most Walkers grow stronger by hunting others, very few resort to drawing power from a Proxy God, as that kind of cheating completely violates the rules of the Divine War. I despise those two Walkers for it; in fact, most other Walkers look down on them, calling them low-tier peak performers.” Arthur sounded genuinely incensed as he spoke. As a strict adherent to the chivalric code, he found such actions far more abhorrent than those Walkers who relied on killing others to advance, because at least the 'Hunters' were using their own strength.

“That’s why I was so overjoyed that you, Big Brother, managed to kill those two Walkers. It’s another reason I admire you—no one else could have eliminated such formidable enemies under those circumstances.” Arthur looked up, speaking to Lin Luo with evident excitement.

By this point, Lin Luo was somewhat accustomed to Arthur’s tone, the reverence of a devoted fan toward an idol, and paid it little mind. He paused briefly, then asked, “Did your Proxy God tell you about this incident as well?”

In that Divine War, he was the only Walker who knew about the existence of those two Spirit Rank peaks, and he had swiftly killed them. Aside from the Proxy Gods, no other Walker should have known about it.

Arthur immediately nodded. “Because the repercussions of that event were so severe, it caused a huge uproar even among the Proxy Gods. Consequently, we Walkers received word—it was intended as a warning to us. Oh, and there’s something else you might not know, Big Brother?”

Seeing Arthur look so mysterious, Lin Luo was taken aback and instinctively asked, “What is it?”

“Very few Walkers know about this matter; it concerns those two Proxy Gods directly. Normally, I wouldn't have the standing to know, but perhaps because my connection with my Proxy God is relatively close, he specifically told me and warned me not to tell anyone else. Of course, I wouldn’t tell just anyone, but you are different, Big Brother, and you were directly involved in that incident…”

Pausing here, Arthur instinctively glanced around before lowering his voice. “My Proxy God said that after those two Spirit Rank peaks died, the two Proxy Gods backing them panicked. Then, an exceptionally powerful Proxy God confronted them and, with a single slap each, crushed them both to death.”

“What? One slap each?” Lin Luo was stunned. A Proxy God—while he didn't know their exact strength, they were surely on par with Gui Qu Lai Xi, right? To be wiped out so casually by another Proxy God sounded utterly absurd!

“Are you certain it was one slap, instantly killing them?” Lin Luo asked in disbelief.

Arthur nodded decisively. “My Proxy God’s expression was incredibly grave when relating this. I trust he wasn’t lying, and there would be no reason for him to deceive me about this.”

“That’s true.” Lin Luo conceded; Arthur's point was sound. Yet, his mind grew more conflicted. That other Proxy God sounded magnificent—ruthless toward those who broke the rules, seemingly impartial, unlike the woman backing him, who was outrageously irresponsible.

“Furthermore, after killing those two cheating Proxy Gods, that other one issued a proclamation. Let me think… yes, I believe the words were something like this…” Arthur pondered for a moment, then mimicked a tone he imagined the powerful being would use: “I will not specially favor my own Agents, but I demand fundamental fairness. If anyone intends to shatter that fairness, and repeatedly commits acts I find unacceptable, I will show no restraint. If you believe yourselves so powerful as to disregard everything, then by all means, proceed. But understand this: at that time, I will personally ascend the Nine Heavens and dismantle your strongholds one by one. If anyone disagrees, feel free to test me!”

“And since then, no one has dared to tamper with the Divine Wars?” Lin Luo inquired. Arthur’s delivery was filled with such force that if those were the original words, Lin Luo could easily imagine the sheer dominance and spirit of that Proxy God.

“Yes, it seems every Proxy God received a stern warning from that individual. Even when my own Proxy God recounted it, I could sense a flicker of fear in him,” Arthur stated gravely.

“Well, that’s genuinely impressive,” Lin Luo murmured. To single-handedly awe every Proxy God—that was astonishing! In contrast, compared to Gui Qu Lai Xi… he sighed again.

Arthur continued soon after. “Not long after, the Second Divine War began. It was relatively fairer; no Proxy God interfered behind the scenes. However, its brutality far surpassed the first.”

“What? Did that Divine War world get destroyed?” Lin Luo asked immediately.

“Not exactly.” Arthur shook his head, his tone serious. “The Second Divine War had the highest number of participants: ten people. According to my Proxy God, reaching the maximum of ten meant the War's difficulty was at the current pinnacle for that Rank. The victor was the Evil King; all eight other Walkers died at his hands. The single survivor only managed to cling to life after exhausting every possible tactic and paying an immense price.”

“What!” Hearing this, Lin Luo’s expression changed drastically, moved even more by this than by the news about the Proxy Gods. After all, Proxy Gods and Walkers occupied different tiers; no matter how strong they were, it didn't directly impact him. But Walkers were different.

Lin Luo knew how difficult it was to kill a Walker. The defense of the Starlight Path was absolute; it could be summoned even during combat. It was safe to say that unless ambushed, if a Walker intended to flee, the opponent couldn't stop them. But this Evil King had managed to kill eight in succession. Lin Luo couldn't even begin to guess how he accomplished it.

“How exactly did the Evil King kill them?” Lin Luo couldn't help but ask.

“Unknown,” Arthur replied, his own face heavy with gravity. “No Walker who encountered the Evil King, either inside or outside the Divine War, ever survived. Thus, no one knows anything about his abilities or any other information. Even the Dark King, the only one with slight knowledge, never spoke of the Evil King to other Walkers beforehand.”

“The Dark King—he was the winner of the Third Divine War, wasn't he? How would he know about the Evil King?” Lin Luo asked, finding a contradiction in Arthur's words. If every Walker who had faced the Evil King died, his legend shouldn't have survived. How could the Dark King know?

Arthur seemed to anticipate Lin Luo's thought process and chuckled. “Of course. Because the Dark King was the sole survivor of the Second Divine War.”

“The Walker who barely escaped the Evil King after exhausting all his means?” Lin Luo was greatly shocked, finding it hard to believe. “After such a narrow escape, he must have been severely weakened. Why was he able to reign supreme in the Third Divine War?”

“There is a reason for that,” Arthur sighed softly, explaining. “The Dark King was actually a gentle soul. While he didn't adhere to chivalry, he wouldn't commit wanton slaughter. Sometimes, if he was extremely lucky and encountered a host of the World Heart, he would pretend not to see it. So, initially, his strength was quite low; when he entered the Second Divine War, he was probably only at the peak of the Human Rank.”

“…” Lin Luo was speechless. Peak Human Rank—in an ordinary world, that would be a peerless master, but entering a Divine War? It wouldn't even be enough to clog the teeth of other Walkers. In the First Divine War, the weakest started at the early Spirit Rank.

“How on earth did he manage to survive the Second Divine War with that level of power?” Lin Luo asked, truly baffled.

Arthur nodded. “Because the Dark King was too weak then; none of the other Walkers took him seriously, not even the Evil King, who focused his attention on the others. Only after killing the other eight did the Evil King turn to the Dark King. But by then, the Dark King understood the threat he posed and set a trap using his intellect. Although the Evil King fell into it, his power was simply too terrifying. The Dark King couldn't resist, and ultimately, it was his Guardian Beasts, desperate to save their master, that ensured the Dark King's survival at the cost of their own lives.”

“After that battle, not only did all of the Dark King’s Guardian Beasts perish, but he himself was left with only half a life. The world he was randomly sent to was one where the strong preyed on the weak, subjecting him to endless torment… Torn between his own tragic fate and the complete loss of his most precious Guardian Beasts, the Dark King went completely mad. After finally escaping that world, he contacted his Proxy God and entered a Nightmare-level world with a suicidal resolve. Then, in the Third Divine War, he crushed all other Walkers with absolute power and became the third World Sovereign.”

“Guardian Beasts? What are those?”

“They are exotic beasts summoned by the Dark King, as his Heart Codex is the Book of Beast Taming,” Arthur answered.

“Beast… Taming?” Lin Luo was utterly dumbfounded.