Chapter 23: Receiving the Order
“A mission. It’s finally coming, isn’t it?” Linley turned his head to look at Solhaus, speaking apologetically. “Solhaus, I need to go see the Grand Elder now.”
Solhaus’s expression turned serious, and he quickly said, “Linley, the Grand Elder wouldn’t summon you without reason. This time, she’s calling you over, and it’s almost certainly to send you to fight against the eight great clans. Linley, you have to be careful. Those eight great clans are truly powerful.”
They had pushed the Four Divine Beasts clan to such a state. If not for the Lord of the Blue Prefecture, the Four Divine Beasts clan might have been annihilated. How could the eight great clans not be strong?
“I’ll be careful.”
Linley smiled, then immediately turned and sped toward the Grand Elder’s Azure Dragon Palace. The blood-robed warrior followed right behind.
Watching Linley leave, Solhaus murmured softly, “Brother Linley, make sure you come back alive!”
Among the Four Divine Beasts clan and the eight great clans, any single clan could rank within the top twenty in the Infernal Realm. So many ancient clans, migrating from various planes, gathered together in a frenzied slaughter.
Such a large-scale battle between super clans was extremely rare even across the four highest planes over countless eons.
A clash of the strong!
In this war, the weakest combatants were at least Six Star Fiends, with Seven Star Fiends forming the main force. At such a level of battle… how could an ordinary clan have so many experts? After all, in the Infernal Realm, a clan with a single Seven Star Fiend was already considered formidable.
Yet the battle between the Four Divine Beasts clan and the eight great clans was—
One Seven Star Fiend after another falling in succession, and Six Star Fiends dying in droves!
Such a brutal war among so many super clans shocked countless clans in the Infernal Realm. They could only look up to it! Even a powerful clan like the Bagshaw clan dared not get involved, for the slaughter was too intense.
And for someone as strong as Linley, in this unprecedented and decisive battle, he was merely a Seven Star Fiend fighting bloodily for the Azure Dragon clan.
In the fifth-floor hall of the Azure Dragon Palace.
A figure in a long black robe, with loose green hair and a silver mask—this was the Grand Elder of the Azure Dragon clan! The Grand Elder’s form appeared very slender. She stood there motionless, lost in thought.
After a long while…
“It’s time to let him experience this,” the Grand Elder sighed softly.
Suddenly, the Grand Elder turned her head toward the entrance. Hearing footsteps, she saw Linley striding in. Upon seeing the Grand Elder, Linley immediately bowed respectfully. “Linley pays respects to the Grand Elder.”
“Linley, sit,” the Grand Elder said calmly.
Linley bowed again, then sat down.
“Linley, you’ve been the captain of the Thirteenth Squad for over a year now, haven’t you?” the Grand Elder said.
“Yes, Grand Elder,” Linley replied.
The Grand Elder’s voice softened. “Do you know, after you defeated Emanuel and were appointed as an Elder by the Patriarch, I discussed your situation seriously with him.”
Linley was startled.
The Grand Elder’s tone was unusually warm, which puzzled Linley. The Grand Elder was known for her cold demeanor—why was she like this today? “Could it also be because of the Coiling Dragon Ring?” Linley wondered inwardly.
The Coiling Dragon Ring was the soul defense divine artifact of the Sovereign ‘Azure Dragon.’
“At the time, the Patriarch wanted you to continue cultivating. After all, given your current achievements, if you reached the level of a Highgod, you would definitely become another trump card for our clan!” the Grand Elder said with a sigh. “Right now, you’re only a Seven Star Fiend, not yet worthy of being called a trump card.”
“Trump card?” Linley looked at the Grand Elder.
If he cultivated to Highgod, the essence of his soul power would first be elevated. Not only would his soul defense strengthen, but the power of attacks like ‘Blackstone Space’ and ‘Dragon Roar’ would also greatly increase.
“A trump card is someone who surpasses ordinary Seven Star Fiends, with strength comparable to Infernal Realm Asuras or Abyssal Overlords,” the Grand Elder said.
Linley nodded.
Infernal Realm Asuras and Abyssal Overlords were indeed far beyond ordinary Seven Star Fiends.
Take ‘Reisgem’—Linley had only learned ‘Blackstone Space’ from him, and it was already so powerful. What about when Reisgem himself used it? And the Abyssal Overlord, the powerhouse behind the Bagshaw clan, ‘Mog,’ had easily defeated ‘Lomio,’ whose strength was close to that of an Asura. Any Abyssal Overlord or Infernal Realm Asura was terrifyingly strong.
They were all nearly at the peak of Highgod.
“In our Azure Dragon clan, over countless years, only three have been called trump cards,” the Grand Elder said. “Besides me and the Patriarch, there’s also that ‘genius elder,’ Bru.”
“Elder Bru?” Linley knew of this person.
He had been told by the other elders that he ranked fourth in physical strength among the Azure Dragon clan. The first and second were naturally the Patriarch and the Grand Elder, and the third was that ‘genius elder,’ Bru. Bru’s power was beyond doubt.
“A true trump card must be strong in both material defense and soul defense, with no weaknesses! On top of having no weaknesses, they must also possess a unique technique that can dominate the Infernal Realm. That’s what makes a trump card!”
The Grand Elder shook her head. “Right now, you’re only a Demigod. Although you can compensate for the gap in soul defense with the Azure Dragon Ring, I suspect the Azure Dragon Ring is damaged and has its flaws.”
Linley nodded.
“So, your weakness is soul defense, after all. Your soul power is still at the Demigod level in essence,” the Grand Elder said, shaking her head. “If you reached Highgod, you would have almost no shortcomings.”
“When the Patriarch saw you,” the Grand Elder said with a hint of joy in her voice, “he knew that our clan would soon have a fourth trump card!”
Linley couldn’t help but smile.
Being praised naturally felt good, but Linley also understood that he was only ‘going to become’ the fourth trump card.
The Grand Elder glanced at Linley and sighed softly. “It’s a pity you’re not a Highgod.”
Linley was amused and thought to himself, “Grand Elder, you don’t know that if it weren’t for your grandson Emanuel, I would have waited until I reached Highgod before truly going out to fight.” Moreover, coming to the Blood Battle Valley was also due to Furhan’s verbal provocation.
Linley had no choice.
“Linley, how is your soul defense, really?” the Grand Elder asked.
“I can fight even against a Seven Star Fiend skilled in soul attacks,” Linley said proudly, then added helplessly, “Of course, if I encounter a super expert extremely skilled in soul attacks, I won’t be able to hold out.”
For example, the Abyssal Overlord ‘Mog.’ He could even soul-control Seven Star Fiends; his soul attack power was far beyond what Linley could withstand.
“If that’s the case, it’s enough.”
The Grand Elder’s voice carried a note of joy. “To be safe, you can go and ambush the Barbary clan’s forces. In truth, only against their clan’s forces do you have over a ninety percent chance of survival.”
Over ninety percent? Only the Barbary clan?
Linley was speechless.
With his strong body and not-too-weak soul, there should be very few who could kill him.
“Linley!”
The Grand Elder’s brows shot up as she barked, “You must be careful, careful! Do not be the least bit arrogant or careless. Don’t think that even I, if I personally went to fight the experts of the eight great clans, would dare claim a one hundred percent chance of victory.”
“That’s right,” the Grand Elder said coldly. “Your strength is considered very high in the Infernal Realm. But you must understand—every Seven Star Fiend fighting between our Four Divine Beasts clan and the eight great clans is a super expert in the Infernal Realm! We have trump cards here, and the eight great clans have them too!”
“Both the Patriarch and I could easily kill you,” the Grand Elder said sternly. “And among the eight great clans, there are super experts on par with us!”
Linley’s heart trembled.
He was suddenly jolted awake! Since the ancestral baptism, he had become somewhat overconfident.
He had forgotten that there is always a higher mountain!
Who were his opponents?
They were super clans that had migrated from other planes to hunt them down, and there were eight of them! The Bagshaw clan had the Abyssal Overlord ‘Mog’ behind them, and the Azure Dragon clan had super experts like the Patriarch and the Grand Elder.
Would the enemy lack such figures?
If they had pushed the Four Divine Beasts clan to the point where the Lord of the Blue Prefecture had to intervene, the enemy was only stronger!
“Your potential is great, so I dare not send you on overly dangerous missions. Among the eight great clans, only the Barbary clan from the ‘Water God Plane’ is not skilled in soul attacks,” the Grand Elder said. “The others—like the Bolin clan from the Celestial Realm, the Saint-Nall clan from the Fire God Plane, and the Ashcroft clan from the Underworld—most of their experts are highly proficient in soul attacks.”
Linley couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.
The experts of the Bolin clan mostly cultivated the ‘Rules of Fate.’ When Linley first arrived in the Blue Prefecture, he had seen Bolin clan experts easily kill a group of Highgods.
“I can’t be careless, I can’t be careless. This opponent is very strong,” Linley reminded himself.
Compared to ordinary clans and common experts in the Infernal Realm, he could be proud of himself.
A Seven Star Fiend? Yes, that was strong.
But in the great clash between the Four Divine Beasts clan and the eight great clans, his strength was only enough to participate! There were many stronger than him!
“The Barbary clan, from the ‘Water God Plane,’ specializes in the laws of water. The laws of water are not strong in soul attacks, but their soul defense and material defense are formidable,” the Grand Elder explained. “I think you have an advantage over them.”
Linley nodded.
As long as the opponent wasn’t skilled in soul attacks, he had some confidence.
“But you still can’t be careless. Our Azure Dragon clan produced someone like you, who specializes in the laws of earth. The Barbary clan might also produce an expert skilled in soul attacks,” the Grand Elder warned again.
“Understood.” Linley no longer dared to be arrogant.
The Grand Elder flipped her hand and produced a large map, then began to point things out on it…
From the Grand Elder’s description, Linley fully understood the mission.
“Linley, leave your divine clone in the Blood Battle Valley, just in case,” the Grand Elder said.
“Alright,” Linley nodded. “Then, Grand Elder, I’ll go gather my team.”
“Go ahead,” the Grand Elder nodded.
Linley flew directly out of the fifth-floor window of the Azure Dragon Palace and headed toward the Thirteenth Squad’s residence. Watching Linley fly away, the Grand Elder murmured softly, “The clan doesn’t have time to wait. We have to let Linley join the battle. In combat, he might break through faster.”
“Thirteenth Squad, everyone out! There’s a mission!” Linley flew above the Thirteenth Squad’s living area and shouted.
Immediately, figures shot out one after another, and in an instant, all ten gathered. In the distance, others who saw the Thirteenth Squad assembling silently offered their blessings. Every time they went out to fight, it was a gamble between life and death.
Right now, the Thirteenth Squad was still at full strength. Who knew how many would remain when the mission ended?
“Captain, a mission?” the short green-haired woman asked in surprise.
“Yes. Prepare yourselves. We’re leaving immediately,” Linley said. At the same time, another ‘Linley’ emerged from his body and entered the captain’s small building. Although it appeared to be a divine clone, this divine clone also contained the other two fused bodies.
This time, Linley was only bringing one divine clone.
“It’s starting again.” The ten team members all wore serious expressions. Most of them sent divine clones out from their bodies back to their residences.
Linley looked around at the ten people and said coldly, “Remember, obey all orders along the way. I hope that when we leave, there are eleven of us, and when we return, there are still eleven.”
“Yes, Captain!” the ten replied.
“Move out!”
Linley was the first to soar into the air, flying directly south. The ten Six Star Fiends followed immediately. After Linley took over as captain, the Thirteenth Squad’s first mission had finally begun!