Chapter 22: Intimidation
Bernice and his group retreated. In an instant, the wind calmed and the clouds cleared, and sunlight once again shone upon Dragonblood Castle.
A large crowd of people in Dragonblood Castle stared in disbelief at the two young men before them. Bernice, who had just been overpowering Tarosa and trying to kill everyone, had one of his avatars destroyed in an instant by these two young men. But what shocked everyone the most was…
These two young men were actually the two Violet-Gold Rat Kings!
"Hart? Harvey?" Linley asked hesitantly.
"Haha…" A loud laugh rang out. It was Tarosa from the side. Tarosa walked over with a smile and said, "I've always wondered, with Lord Beirut's incredibly powerful strength, his three sons are no younger than me—they've all lived for millions of years. How could they still be in the Saint Realm? I always suspected you three brothers were hiding your true strength, and now it seems I was right!"
Hart and Harvey, the two brothers, just smiled.
Linley suddenly understood upon hearing this. He hadn't known before how long Hart and Harvey had lived.
Now he heard they had lived for millions of years. With such a long time, and their father being a Highgod and a Sovereign's emissary, 'Beirut'… it would have been strange if Harry, Hart, and Harvey were still in the Saint Realm.
"Truly enviable," Dilin sighed. "Hart, both of your avatars are using Highgod artifacts, aren't they?"
"Yes," Hart, dressed in a purple robe, nodded.
"Father bestowed them upon us when we became gods back then," said Harvey, clad in a golden robe.
Whether it was Tarosa, Dilin, or the War God, High Priest, Hisset, and the others nearby, they all sighed inwardly: People really can't be compared!
For them, obtaining a single Highgod artifact was a pipe dream.
But Hart and Harvey not only had Highgod artifacts, but both of their avatars used them.
"Embezzlement!" Linley thought of this word.
In Linley's view, Lord Beirut must have used his authority to procure some Highgod artifacts for his sons. That made sense—as the manager of the Necropolis of the Gods, getting a few Highgod artifacts for his sons was hardly difficult.
"No wonder my Bloodviolet Sword was used to assist the magic array in the seal," Linley understood.
To Lord Beirut, a Highgod artifact was nothing.
No wonder, on his wedding day, the man had sent a divine spark as a gift.
Dillya smiled and said, "Everyone, don't just stand here dumbfounded. Now that Hart and Harvey have made their move, they've completely intimidated the other side. I think, from today onward, Dragonblood Castle can enjoy a very long period of peace. This is a good thing, and we should celebrate it properly!"
Old Steward Hiri chuckled and said, "I'll have the banquet prepared immediately!"
Everyone in Dragonblood Castle was in high spirits. They all understood that Lord Beirut, to protect Bebe, would ensure Dragonblood Castle faced no threats. Just this display by Hart and Harvey was enough to intimidate all parties!
This was absolutely correct.
When Bernice's group had marched in full force, actively releasing their aura as they approached Dragonblood Castle, they naturally attracted many powerful experts along the way. Those experts even used divine sense to call their friends, so by the time the battle began, many God-level and Saint-level experts were lurking in the distance, watching from afar.
Those experts saw the entire battle clearly.
Hambrite's attack, which changed the color of the sky and earth, amazed them.
Tarosa easily blocking Hambrite's attack also made them realize that a Demigod's strength was indeed formidable.
Especially when Bernice made his move, all the experts were stunned. Even two Demigods lurking in the shadows were shocked, trembling at the power of the Highgod artifact in Bernice's hand. But then, unexpectedly, Hart and Harvey struck.
All the experts were dumbfounded!
In an instant, Bernice's side was all severely injured, and one of Bernice's avatars was destroyed!
Hart and Harvey's overwhelming strength left everyone stunned.
Especially when they said, "This Dragonblood Castle is a place protected by Lord Beirut. Tell Adkins it's best not to send anyone here again. Otherwise, next time, it won't just be destroying one of your avatars."
At that moment, the purple-robed youth 'Hart' deliberately projected his voice far and wide.
Those experts immediately understood that Dragonblood Castle was under Lord Beirut's protection. Look—even the powerful Highgod 'Adkins' was someone Lord Beirut didn't care about. How would ordinary Demigods and the few hidden Demigods dare to provoke Dragonblood Castle?
These experts quickly spread the news of this battle.
The many powerful experts lurking in the Yulan continent soon learned that Dragonblood Castle was guarded by several Demigods and was under Lord Beirut's protection. Without a doubt… unless one had Highgod-level strength, no one dared to challenge Beirut!
The fame of Dragonblood Castle and the information about its master, 'Linley,' quickly spread among the many experts.
Within the O'Brien Empire's imperial palace.
A bleak wind rustled, stirring the robes of Bernice and his group.
Bernice, Gatembi, Ogavin, and Hambrite stood respectfully in a row beside Adkins. Adkins's face was dark, his right hand holding a glass of wine as red as blood. His knife-like gaze swept over the four.
"Bernice, your avatar was destroyed?" Adkins could tell at a glance that Bernice had suffered a severe blow.
"Yes," Bernice said, his head slightly lowered.
"Damn it!" Adkins suddenly roared in fury, hurling the glass in his hand to the ground. "Smack!" The glass shattered, the crisp sound striking like a hammer on the hearts of Bernice and Ogavin. Adkins, with his handsome face, now looked like an enraged leopard.
"Follow me!"
Adkins's expression twisted. "Let's go to Dragonblood Castle immediately and destroy them!!!"
Bernice, Ogavin, Gatembi, and Hambrite were all terrified. Only Ogavin's eyes held a hint of joy—if Adkins really attacked, he might be able to avenge his son.
"Lord Adkins!" Bernice said urgently. "Lord Adkins, you can't!"
Adkins turned angrily to look at him, exasperated. "Grandfather Bernice, your avatar was destroyed—that's one of your lives! How can we not take revenge?"
Hambrite and Ogavin were both stunned!
Grandfather Bernice?
Gatembi, however, wasn't surprised. He had followed Lord Adkins for a long time and knew the relationship between Bernice and Adkins.
Before Adkins and Bernice had stepped into the divine realm, they had been master and steward.
Bernice had always taken care of Adkins. To be precise, Bernice had entered the divine realm first and continued to look after Adkins. Adkins had a violent temper, and though he was extremely talented in cultivation, he had angered the plane overseer of the Yulan continent at the time. Both Bernice and Adkins were thrown into the Gobadas Plane Prison.
In the Gobadas Plane Prison, Bernice had always taken care of Adkins. Even later, when Adkins's strength surpassed Bernice's and he reached the Highgod level,
in Adkins's heart, Bernice was still his closest and most trusted person.
Bernice's expression was bitter. "Adkins, don't let your emotions get the better of you!"
Let his emotions get the better of him? If anyone else had said that to Adkins, he would have killed them on the spot. But since it was Bernice speaking…
"Lord Adkins, you haven't let me finish. My avatar was indeed destroyed, but it was destroyed by Beirut's people. Dragonblood Castle is under Lord Beirut's protection. If we go now, we'll be making an enemy of Lord Beirut!"
"Hmph, a junior who's only cultivated for a few million years!" Adkins's gaze was cold. "He's just become a Sovereign's emissary. I don't believe I can't kill him!"
Adkins could be considered a genius. Even in the Gobadas Plane Prison, filled with experts, the only ones he truly respected were the five kings. As for this Beirut, the fact that he had only cultivated for a few million years made Adkins look down on him.
Only the identity of 'Sovereign's emissary' made Adkins slightly cautious.
Bernice earnestly advised, "Lord Adkins, do you know what weapons those four figures were holding?"
"What?" Adkins sneered.
"All Highgod artifacts!" Bernice said seriously.
Adkins was momentarily stunned. A Highgod artifact was something a Highgod nurtured with their entire being over a long period. Generally, a Highgod who had just reached that level wouldn't have one. He, Adkins, was powerful, but over all these years, he had only obtained three Highgod artifacts. He had given one to Bernice, leaving himself with two.
Now, four figures had appeared with four Highgod artifacts!
"Hmph, bestowed by a Sovereign," Adkins snorted coldly.
Bernice persisted, "Lord Adkins, this isn't even Beirut himself—just his subordinates. Those four figures were actually two people, each with two avatars. Even these two each have two Highgod artifacts. Lord Adkins, think about it—what about Beirut himself?"
Adkins felt some fear in his heart.
"Just someone relying on a Sovereign!" Adkins grumbled inwardly.
His biggest worry was…
That Beirut possessed a large number of precious Highgod artifacts, especially soul-defense Highgod artifacts. If Beirut also had a Sovereign artifact, even the most ordinary Highgod, wielding a true Sovereign artifact, would unleash terrifying power.
"Lord Beirut dares to act this way because he's clearly confident," Bernice looked at him. "Lord Adkins, I've only lost one avatar—I haven't died yet. Lord Adkins, obtaining the treasures from the Necropolis of the Gods is what's most important. For now, it's best not to make an enemy of Beirut."
Adkins was silent for a moment.
"Fine, I'll endure this thousand years," Adkins said through gritted teeth. "Once I obtain what I need from the Necropolis of the Gods… then I'll make this Beirut regret his current arrogance and ignorance!"
Bernice breathed a silent sigh of relief.
He knew that Adkins was too proud and couldn't tolerate things. But Adkins always listened to Bernice the most.
In the end, Adkins did not go to Dragonblood Castle for revenge. He chose silence. Adkins's silence made the thousands of experts from the Gobadas Plane Prison in the Yulan continent believe—
Adkins was afraid of Beirut!
Dark Forest, the metal castle.
"This Adkins actually managed to hold back." Beirut, lying in a chair and sipping tea, had a smile on his face. "It seems the Yulan continent can enjoy a relatively long period of peace. But… that Hodan in the north can't stand being quiet."
Beirut turned his head to look north.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the limits of space, reaching the location of the plane overseer 'Hodan' in the Arctic Icefield.
"Does everyone think this Necropolis of the Gods is a treasure trove for advancing their strength? That Highgod divine sparks and Highgod artifacts are there for the taking? And they even dream of obtaining Sovereign artifacts? Haha… too bad, the one guarding this Necropolis of the Gods is me!"
At this moment, Beirut smiled like a fox. But there was also a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
After all, staying in the Yulan continent for so long had been boring for Beirut.
Occasionally, a bit of entertainment was quite nice.