Chapter 58: Unwillingness

The Blood Battle Valley of the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range. The Main Hall of the Four Divine Beasts.

When Linley entered the main hall with the Second Elder, there were already quite a few people inside. Linley swept his gaze across the room: "Including me, forty-two Elders!" Of course, as time passed, more Elders filed in one by one.

"Linley." Garvey, who had a good personal relationship with Linley, walked over. "The Clan Leaders have finally bowed their heads."

Linley was startled. "Garvey, what do you mean?"

Garvey let out a low sigh. "A month ago, our Four Divine Beasts clan suffered another heavy blow. The Clan Leaders probably couldn't hold out any longer. That's why this meeting was called. Perhaps the Clan Leaders are still wavering and want the Elders to discuss it. If the Elders pass it, then..."

Linley understood.

Once the meeting passed the resolution, the Four Divine Beasts clan would likely choose to hole up in the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range and stop going out. Although this would preserve the clan's strength, the reputation the Four Divine Beasts had built over countless years would suffer greatly.

Many clan members valued the clan's honor more than their own lives. The four Clan Leaders found it hard to decide.

"Suffered a heavy blow a month ago? What happened?" Linley asked immediately.

"You never pay attention to anything!" Garvey shook his head. "A month ago, our Four Divine Beasts clan lost another three Elders, one of whom was from our Azure Dragon clan. Adding in the losses from over twenty years ago... now, our Azure Dragon clan only has fifteen Elders with true Seven Star Demon strength."

Linley's heart felt heavy.

"Rumble~" The main hall's doors suddenly slammed shut.

Linley snapped back to attention. Garvey whispered, "All the Elders are here. The four Clan Leaders should be out soon." Linley looked around carefully. There were now fifty-three Elders in the hall, including the Grand Elder and others.

Four figures walked out from the side hall one after another, then ascended the dais and sat down side by side. They were Gesresen and the other three Clan Leaders.

The hall fell silent.

Gesresen and the other three Clan Leaders swept their gazes across those below, then exchanged glances. Finally, Gesresen spoke. His deep voice echoed through the hall: "Everyone. I have invited you all here today. I believe you all have some idea of what this is about!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone felt a pang of sorrow. Linley also felt a sense of grief.

There was no turning back now!

"Ever since the deaths of the four ancestors, our Four Divine Beasts clan has faced blow after blow. Fortunately, thanks to the help of the Prefecture Lord of the Azure Prefecture, we were able to settle in the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range. Otherwise, our Four Divine Beasts clan would have been annihilated over ten thousand years ago."

Silence reigned below the dais.

"Over these ten thousand years, the Elders of our Four Divine Beasts clan have all faced death without fear, fighting the enemy for the clan's honor. Ten thousand years ago, our Four Divine Beasts clan had over two hundred Elders! Today, we have only fifty-three left! In just over ten thousand years, we have lost nearly two hundred Elders! Two hundred!!!" Gesresen's eyes glistened with tears.

The Elders below recalled the Elders who had died over the years, their hearts filled with lament.

Linley's mind also recalled the members of his Thirteenth Squad who had died, as well as the lonely figure of Elder Solhous, who had lost his strongest divine clone.

For the clan, too many Elders had sacrificed their strongest divine clones. Originally, they were Seven Star Demons, lofty and exalted. But after losing their strongest divine clone, they might become mere ordinary Highgods.

"The other three Clan Leaders and I have been thinking all these years about how long we should hold on." Gesresen's voice was low. "Especially in the last few hundred years. The eight great families have gone mad, willing to die together just to kill our clan's Elders. At this rate, in a few hundred more years, our Four Divine Beasts clan might not have any Elders left."

The Vermillion Bird Clan Leader also spoke: "That's right. Especially a month ago, when we lost three more Elders! The four of us discussed it carefully... if this continues, we can at most hold out for a few hundred more years."

The White Tiger Clan Leader said coldly, "Even if we persist, we're just sending you to your deaths. What's the point?"

The Black Tortoise Clan Leader added in a low voice, "So we thought it would be better to preserve some elites. After all, becoming a Seven Star Demon Elder is not easy."

Gesresen said firmly, "The four of us Clan Leaders have unanimously decided to stop fighting the eight great families... All clan members will enter the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range to rest and recuperate!"

The group of Elders below was stunned.

They had thought the Clan Leaders would let them discuss and vote on it. Who would have thought they would just announce it like this?

"Clan Leader!"

Many Elders immediately became anxious.

"Clan Leader!" An urgent voice rang out. A silver-haired, cold-faced young man looked up at the four Clan Leaders on the dais and said urgently, "Are we just going to give in like this? Admit defeat?"

Linley glanced at the silver-haired young man. This was the genius Elder of the Azure Dragon clan, Elder Bru.

"Consider it an admission of defeat." Gesresen no longer had the high spirits of the past.

"Bru." The Vermillion Bird Clan Leader looked down at him from above. "Even if we keep fighting, how long can our Four Divine Beasts clan last with our current forces? Do you want to see our clan's last fifty-three Elders all lost as well?"

Bru's gaze was resolute.

"Four Clan Leaders!" Bru lifted his head slightly. "I, Bru, have bowed my head before in my life, but that was when I was too weak. Ever since I reached the Seven Star Demon level, I have never bowed. What are the eight great families? When our Four Divine Beasts clan was at its peak, they didn't dare to show the slightest defiance. But now... hmph, for me, Bru, to bow to them? Impossible!"

"Bru!" Gesresen was pained.

In their hearts, they all hated the eight great families and looked down on them. To make them submit... as proud as they were, they naturally didn't want to. But Gesresen and the others were thinking of the clan.

"Clan Leader. I understand your difficulties. But I am just one person. I would rather go to the battlefield and die in battle! When I die, there will be no more Seven Star Demon Bru in the Infernal Realm, only an ordinary Highgod Bru. By then, even if I wanted to fight, I wouldn't have the strength." Bru said with a light smile.

Linley was shaken by these words.

At that moment, a black-haired Elder stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Clan Leader, restoring the clan's glory requires super experts like Beirut or Dannington. I know I have no hope of improving... I beg you, Clan Leader, let me die on the battlefield! Even if we have to submit, we can't let the eight great families have it easy."

"Clan Leader. We've experienced everything in our lives. But bowing our heads? No. Even death is better." Another Elder stepped forward.

"Clan Leader..."

Linley silently watched the scene before him. Perhaps to ordinary people, these Elders seemed too rigid in their thinking. But Linley understood... these Elders had lived for countless billions of years.

They were not afraid of sacrifice, but they held certain obsessions very dear.

Of the fifty-three Elders, more than twenty were willing to sacrifice their strongest divine clones to strike a blow against the enemy. The other Elders remained silent, but Linley knew that if the Clan Leader gave the order, they would not hesitate.

"Linley!" A voice suddenly rang out.

Linley was startled.

He saw the Grand Elder, his eyes filled with urgency, looking at him. "Linley. You have a close relationship with the Prefecture Lord. Can't you swallow your pride and beg the Prefecture Lord for help? With the Prefecture Lord's strength, he can drive away the eight great families. Linley, just beg him once... for the clan, beg him once!"

Many Elders turned to look at Linley.

These Elders had been in despair moments ago, each willing to sacrifice their strongest divine clone for revenge. Even if the clan submitted, they wanted to make the eight great families pay a heavy price. But hearing the Grand Elder's words...

It was like seeing a last lifeline!

"I..." Linley didn't know how to answer.

"Sister." Gesresen on the dais let out a low shout. "You're asking Linley to speak, which would put the Prefecture Lord in a difficult position. The Prefecture Lord has already done a lot for our Four Divine Beasts clan without asking for anything in return. Do you want him to do even more? Do you think the Prefecture Lord is obligated to help us?"

The Grand Elder fell silent.

"Being able to keep the clan from being destroyed should be enough." Gesresen let out a low sigh.

The Elders below the dais quieted down.

"All Elders. Whether you want to go fight the enemy, I cannot forcibly stop you. I only want to say... let the clan preserve some strength." Gesresen finished speaking and stood up, looking at Linley. "Linley, you must not go and beg the Prefecture Lord."

Linley couldn't help but look up at Gesresen.

"I know the Prefecture Lord's temper. If we go too far and anger him, then if he gets furious, even if he doesn't act personally, he only needs to stop caring about our Four Divine Beasts clan and let the eight great families attack us freely... that would be... disastrous!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many Elders below felt a chill in their hearts.

Now, the issue was whether to submit or not, a matter of clan honor.

But if they angered the Prefecture Lord, it became a matter of the clan's survival. If the entire Four Divine Beasts clan was wiped out, what honor would there be to talk about?

After this meeting, the Four Divine Beasts clan decided to stop fighting the eight great families. Even if the eight great families sent people to provoke them on the established routes, they would ignore them.

The clan only needed to rest and recuperate.

Although the clan issued this order, many Elders, unwilling to accept it, still chose to fight. This escalated the conflict with the eight great families once again... The eight great families, discovering that the Four Divine Beasts clan dared to be so arrogant, became furious and sent more forces.

A mad, tragic slaughter!

Among them, the most outstanding was the genius Elder Bru. Elder Bru, alone, killed eight enemy Elders in a row. Finally, the eight great families, enraged, dispatched a Clan Leader and several experts.

In that battle...

Elder Bru's strongest divine clone died!

In just over ten years, Elder Bru's record was killing nine enemy Elders.

Of course, there were good records and bad ones. Other Elders also went out to fight, but some didn't kill a single enemy and were instead surrounded and killed, or killed by the enemy using Overgod power.

This mad slaughter lasted nearly thirty years.

Twenty-two Elders had their strongest divine clones killed in battle! On the side of the eight great families, the losses were even greater, with thirty-eight Elders dead. After all, the Four Divine Beasts side was fighting with a suicidal determination.

From then on, the Four Divine Beasts clan ceased all hostilities and no longer engaged in battle.

This, in turn, made the eight great families suspicious and confused for a short time. After all, losing thirty-eight Elders in just thirty years made even the eight great families tremble... After all, their Elders were also the elites of their families.

The losses pained them too!

The Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range returned to tranquility. The patrol warriors continued their rounds as usual. Few people came to the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range, but today, a young girl flew down from a metallic lifeform.

Then the metallic lifeform flew away, and the girl approached the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range.

"This is the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range. Outsiders are not allowed in." Immediately, ten patrol warriors flew up to meet her, one of them shouting.

This young girl had a small braid and looked quite playful. The most special thing about her was that she wore a straw hat on her head. The girl quickly replied, "Hello, I am a friend of your Elder Linley. I'm here to see him!"

"Elder Linley?" The patrol warriors were a bit puzzled.

"Do you have any proof?" one of the patrol warriors asked.

"This..." The girl hesitated. What proof could she give? Then she quickly said, "How about this. Just go and tell your Elder Linley that my name is Nis, and he'll know."

"Nis?" The patrol squad leader looked at her, nodded, and said, "Wait here." Then he flew off directly.