Chapter 40: Betrayal
Deep beneath Fuerhan's castle in the Sacred Mountain Range lay a dark, lightless underground hall.
The hall was cold and grim. At this moment, only Fuerhan was present. Like a lurking beast, he sat on the main throne at the head of the hall, his eyes flickering faintly in the darkness, lost in thought.
"Tell the Eight Great Clans?" Although Fuerhan wanted Linley dead and had briefly considered having the Eight Great Clans do the deed, he hesitated upon deeper reflection.
To inform the Eight Great Clans, he would have to send word. And this task could not be entrusted to anyone else, nor could it be known to others. This was a grave crime—betrayal of the clan! As an elder, Fuerhan was confident he could easily pass the message to the Eight Great Clans. If the matter remained hidden, all was well. But if it were exposed, he, Fuerhan, would have no place left among the Four Divine Beasts Clan!
"A traitor to the clan shall have all avatars executed." Fuerhan clearly remembered this punishment.
"To take revenge on Linley, is it worth such a great risk?" Fuerhan wanted to act, yet he hesitated again.
Undoubtedly, Fuerhan took pride in being a member of the Four Divine Beasts Clan and would not betray it. Yet he also burned with a desire to kill Linley!
"This Azure Dragon Ring belongs to the ancestor! What right does this Linley, a junior of some unknown generation, have to possess it?" Fuerhan's gaze was cold and sinister. His jealousy and narrow-mindedness made him despise Linley all the more.
"If Linley continues like this, one day he'll surpass me." Fuerhan still vividly recalled his conversation with his mother, the Grand Elder.
Back then, the four clan leaders had ordered Linley to stop taking missions from the Blood Battle Valley. Suspicious, Fuerhan had later sought out the Grand Elder alone to ask why the leaders had made such a decision.
Regarding the matter of the Sovereign of Violet, the Grand Elder didn't want to explain and simply told Fuerhan: "Fuerhan, do you know that Linley is only a mid-level god? A mid-level god with the strength of a Seven Star Fiend. When he reaches high-level god, how strong do you think he'll be? He is the future hope of our clan. It's not appropriate to let him take risks now." Hearing this, Fuerhan was stunned.
He had always thought Linley was hiding his strength, never expecting that Linley truly was a mid-level god.
In the cold, dark underground hall.
Fuerhan suddenly stood up, his gaze icy. He muttered lowly: "Linley is already a Seven Star Fiend now. If this continues, once he becomes a high-level god, he'll become the clan's ace. His status will surpass mine, and he'll stand above me! Am I supposed to spend the rest of my life watching him act arrogantly before me?"
The more Fuerhan imagined Linley commanding the clan in the future, the uglier his expression became.
"No!" Fuerhan growled under his breath. "Absolutely not. I'd rather die than live beneath him forever."
"Linley must die. He must!"
Fuerhan's body trembled slightly. "Yes, I'm only making Linley die, not destroying the clan. That's not betrayal. It's not! Besides, I'm not killing him with my own hands—I'm just letting the Eight Great Clans do it. Linley will die fighting the Eight Great Clans!"
"And the Azure Dragon Ring..."
Fuerhan couldn't help but frown. "If Linley dies, won't the Azure Dragon Ring fall into the hands of the Eight Great Clans?" He felt a pang of anxiety. The Azure Dragon Ring was, after all, a clan treasure.
"No, it's fine. Only Linley's strongest divine avatar will be killed. His other bodies are still in the Sacred Mountain Range. Even if the Eight Great Clans get the Azure Dragon Ring, they can't bind it." Fuerhan convinced himself. "Later, when there's a chance, I'll take it back. Besides, losing one Linley won't affect the clan. Our Four Divine Beasts Clan is already at a disadvantage... At worst, we'll stay in the Sacred Mountain Range. We won't be annihilated."
After intense deliberation, Fuerhan finally came to terms with it.
"With Linley in the clan, even if it's strong, I can't stand it. Without Linley, even if the clan is weaker, I'll be at ease." The corners of Fuerhan's mouth lifted slightly. He had made up his mind.
"Whoosh!" Fuerhan's cloak billowed as he strode out of the underground hall. His decision was now set.
A figure materialized in the forest—Fuerhan. But this was merely one of his divine avatars. With a low chuckle, Fuerhan transformed his appearance from a golden-haired old man into a bald young man.
Then, in the guise of a bald youth, Fuerhan flew off at top speed...
---
The river roared as it flowed. The bald young man—Fuerhan—hovered high above the water, his gaze coldly sweeping downward. He said in a low voice: "Men of the Eight Great Clans, come out."
Along fixed routes, those lying in ambush were either intelligence agents of the Four Divine Beasts Clan or of the Eight Great Clans. Fuerhan could clearly distinguish his own clan members. Anyone not from the Four Divine Beasts Clan was naturally the enemy!
"Who are you?" A low voice came from beneath the river.
"Remember this: Linley, an elder of the Azure Dragon clan, has boarded a cyan phoenix-shaped metallic lifeform heading for Mier City. If you want to kill him, seize the opportunity. He is accompanied by another elder!" Although they had departed in a black phoenix form, Fuerhan knew that the metallic lifeform would change color and shape after leaving. He had already checked earlier.
This time, after departure, it had transformed into a cyan phoenix.
At the same time, Fuerhan waved his hand, and a crystal ball dropped from the sky.
"This crystal ball contains images of Linley's wife, Delia, and his good friend, Bebe."
As the crystal ball touched the water's surface, a stream of cyan energy swept up, wrapped around it, and pulled it into the river. Seeing this, Fuerhan smirked coldly, then turned and flew back at top speed.
Long after Fuerhan had left, a green-haired figure emerged from the river.
"Linley, an elder of the Azure Dragon clan?" The intelligence agent's eyes showed disbelief. "I never thought I'd earn such a great merit." The Eight Great Clans had long ordered all-out efforts to kill Linley, instructing their agents to watch closely.
But for years, no one had succeeded.
The intelligence network was incredibly fast. The Eight Great Clans learned of the news that very day, sending their clan leaders into a frenzy. No one had expected such sudden information.
After deliberation, the task was assigned to four clans, including the Edric Clan.
The Eight Great Clans were divided along the two borders of the Azure Prefecture. The four clans on the western border were the Edric Clan, relocated from the Life Higher Plane; the Wenner Clan from the Wind God Plane; the Deen Clan from the Earth God Plane; and the Reynars Clan, native to the Infernal Realm.
On the western border of the Azure Prefecture, the leaders of the four clans, including Edric, gathered. Below the hall stood eight gray-robed figures.
"This Linley, though only a mid-level god, has the strength of a Seven Star Fiend. In just a few encounters, he has cost our Eight Great Clans several Seven Star Fiends." A refined, gentle voice came from a handsome, elf-like man seated at the head of the hall.
His green hair reached his knees, and his eyes sparkled like stars. This was Edric himself, the founder of the Edric Clan from the Life Higher Plane.
"His threat is still small now, but if a few more years pass and he reaches the high-level god realm, that will be disastrous."
"So, you eight must kill Linley at all costs." The voice remained as gentle as ever.
"Yes, clan leader." Two handsome gray-robed figures below bowed, and the other six followed suit.
Another clan leader on the dais said coldly: "Here are three drops of Sovereign's power. Among you eight, the strongest, Elder Chabu, will carry one. The other two will be carried by Elders Nis and Tanpu."
"Yes!"
Three of them immediately bowed, one of whom was an elf.
"Remember, this mission must succeed. Even if you consume all three drops of Sovereign's power, even if all eight of you die, you must kill Linley!" Another voice rang out, firm and resolute.
"Yes!"
The eight elders below felt the weight of the order.
Though they knew their target, Linley, was only a Seven Star Fiend with another Seven Star Fiend beside him, and that killing him with eight of them would be no problem, the clan leaders' tone still pressed on them.
"Go. Hurry and reach Mier City." The gentle voice spoke.
The eight gray-robed elders bowed slightly and filed out.
In the hall, the four clan leaders exchanged words: "This is such a rare opportunity. We must not fail. Killing Linley will give us some peace of mind. I don't believe the Four Divine Beasts Clan will produce another genius with the potential to become a Paragon."
"Don't worry. These eight elders are the elite we've selected from our four clans. Linley is as good as dead!"
"Eight elders, plus three drops of Sovereign's power. Even I wouldn't dare face that."
---
A cyan phoenix-shaped metallic lifeform soared through the sky. Inside, Linley and Delia sat hand in hand by the window, gazing through the transparent metal at the scenery outside.
"We've been flying for so long. We should be reaching Mier City soon," Linley said with a smile.
Delia looked out the window, carefully identifying landmarks. "I've been here before. If I'm not mistaken... we'll arrive in half an hour." She glanced at Linley helplessly. "That Elder Tevila is way too cautious, insisting you change your appearance."
Linley had deliberately grown a beard and even shortened his height.
Linley chuckled: "You're fine. For us elders, enemies usually have clear images of us and know what we look like. The chance of running into them is low, but we have to be careful."
"What, does this look bother you?" Linley asked with a grin.
Delia shook her head and closed her eyes. "Even with my eyes closed, I can feel your presence. Why would it bother me?"
Linley smiled.
During the journey, Linley and Delia enjoyed their quiet time together. Soon, they spotted an ancient city in the distance, with a steady stream of people flowing through its gates.
"Wow, we're finally here!" Bebe was the first to jump up and dash forward.
Linley and Delia stood up together and followed their clansmen out of the metallic lifeform. Accompanied by Elder Tevila, they headed toward the city gate. Since Linley was also a demon, at least he didn't need to queue up to pay the entry fee.
"It's been so long since I've seen Tarosa and Dylin," Linley said with a smile as he entered the city.
But he didn't notice that not far from the city gate, someone was constantly watching the entrance. When the Azure Dragon clan's metallic lifeform landed, it stirred excitement among those watchers.
"The Azure Dragon clan's metallic lifeform has arrived. Have you spotted Linley?"
"Not on our end."
"We haven't seen him either!"
"I didn't see Linley, but I saw that Delia and Bebe. The man beside them—he looks like a mid-level god—that must be Linley!"
"A mid-level god? Then it's definitely him!"
The intelligence agents of the Eight Great Clans communicated via divine sense, having already locked onto Linley and his group.
Since the Azure Dragon clan's metallic lifeform's flight path was uncertain, the agents couldn't intercept them mid-journey. They could only wait at the gates of Mier City, knowing Linley would have to come here.
Now that they had entered the city, the agents couldn't act.
But when Linley and his group left to return to the Four Divine Beasts Clan, the Eight Great Clans would strike.