Chapter 15: Seeking Death
Odin's interruption caused Saint to feel displeased.
"Lord Governor, is there a man named Linley who has come to visit you?" Odin transmitted via divine sense.
"Yes, that's right." Saint was somewhat surprised that Odin's information was so well-informed.
Odin immediately transmitted, "Lord Governor, what has Linley come for?"
"Linley wants to see a Sovereign and came to ask me where the Sovereigns are. What's wrong?" Saint was a bit puzzled.
Odin was also astonished. "See a Sovereign?" He had originally thought it would involve his own matters, but he quickly said, "Lord Governor, Linley and I have a mortal blood feud. My son, my own brother—all were killed by him! And my wind-style divine clone was humiliated and killed by him as well. Lord Governor... I beg you to help me take revenge. As long as Linley is killed, I, Odin, will never forget your great kindness."
In Odin's view, the North Sea Governor Saint was a Sovereign's messenger, possessing a Sovereign artifact. He was undoubtedly one of the top-tier powerhouses.
Killing Linley should be a sure thing!
"Kill Linley? Impossible." Saint was getting angry.
"Lord Governor." Odin grew anxious. "Lord Governor, if I had the confidence, I would have killed him long ago. But I don't... Lord Governor, I truly beg you to kill Linley. As long as Linley dies... whatever you command, I, Odin, will do, even if it costs me my life."
Saint transmitted angrily, "Listen clearly, it's not that I don't want to help you take revenge. It's just... I'm not confident either!"
"Not confident?" Odin couldn't believe it. "How could you not be confident?"
"Odin, you should know that I recently returned from visiting an old friend," Saint said.
"Hmm." Odin knew about this.
"I went to see the patriarch of the Ashcroft family about Linley. It was the Nether Serpent who told me personally. Do you know... when Linley was a mid-level god, he could single-handedly kill several Seven Star Devils!" Saint transmitted with a shout.
Odin was stunned. "A mid-level god? How is that possible?"
"According to the eight great families' deduction, Linley has now reached the level of a high-level god and likely achieved the Great Perfection! Even if the eight great families are wrong, he was already that powerful as a mid-level god. Now that he's reached the high-level god realm... his strength is such that even I am not confident of victory!" Saint transmitted.
Victory and killing were two different concepts.
Saint wasn't even confident of defeating Linley, let alone killing him.
"You're telling me to go kill someone suspected of being a Great Perfection powerhouse?" Saint transmitted.
Odin was dumbfounded.
He knew Linley was formidable, but he never imagined that Linley would be regarded by the Ashcroft family patriarch as a suspected Great Perfection high-level god powerhouse. What a high evaluation that was. After all, a Great Perfection high-level god couldn't be judged by appearance alone.
Like Dannington, others only said he was suspected.
Even if one had fused six profound mysteries, others couldn't fully determine it from the outside.
It was precisely because Saint knew Linley was such a powerhouse that he was so courteous. Otherwise, as a Sovereign's messenger, why would he act this way? Unfortunately... no one knew that Linley's astonishing strength came from the blackstone given to him by the Violet Flame Sovereign.
"Lord Governor, Lord Governor." Odin transmitted urgently. "Linley is determined to kill me. Please, Lord Governor, help me find a way to kill him. Oh, right... Lord Governor, doesn't Linley want to see a Sovereign? Let the Sovereign kill him."
"Have you lost your mind?" Saint was truly angry now and transmitted with a shout. "A Sovereign—can you command one?"
Odin snapped back to his senses.
"But since you mentioned it, I have thought of a way," Saint added.
"A way?" Odin was overjoyed.
"Alright, stop transmitting. Just stay put," Saint commanded.
Although they had exchanged dozens of sentences, less than a second had passed. At the banquet table, Linley and Bebe were both looking at Saint, waiting for his answer.
"I know where the Sovereign is, but Linley..." Saint said with a serious expression. "The place where the Sovereign resides is forbidden to outsiders. The area around it is extremely dangerous... even a Seven Star Devil wouldn't dare to trespass recklessly. So, Linley, you should think carefully."
"Mr. Saint, don't worry. Just tell me where it is," Linley said urgently.
"Tell us already. It's killing me," Bebe added.
Saint hesitated slightly but finally nodded. "Very well. In our Infernal Realm, there is a very dangerous place—the highest mountain in the Infernal Realm, the Nether Mountain! Ordinary people in the Infernal Realm know that Nether Mountain is extremely dangerous, but they don't know that inside Nether Mountain... a Sovereign resides!"
Saint's wife, Anita, looked at him with surprise, clearly shocked by her husband's answer.
"Nether Mountain?" Linley frowned.
The book about the Infernal Realm that Beirut had given him naturally mentioned the highest mountain—Nether Mountain. According to the book, Nether Mountain was the most dangerous place in the Infernal Realm and should never be trespassed upon.
"I'll see just how dangerous it is," Linley decided to go.
"Lady Anita, what does that expression mean?" Bebe's sharp eyes caught Anita's unusual look. "Is the Governor wrong?"
"No." Anita smiled and said, "I'm just surprised. I only just learned that a Sovereign lives inside Nether Mountain."
"Oh." Bebe nodded in understanding.
"Boss, I feel like something's off," Bebe transmitted to Linley. "When Anita heard Saint mention Nether Mountain, the way she looked at him... I don't like it." Although Bebe had a childlike temperament, his true form was a Soul Devourer Rat, and his instincts were sharp.
"Don't jump to conclusions," Linley transmitted.
Saint still tried to persuade him. "Linley, Nether Mountain is truly too dangerous. I advise you not to go. How about this... stay here with me. As a Sovereign's messenger, I can't contact the Sovereign on my own, but perhaps someday the Sovereign will summon me. Then I can speak to him on your behalf."
"Can't contact the Sovereign on your own?" Linley frowned.
How long would that take to wait?
"That's not necessarily true," Bebe snorted. "I've seen a Sovereign's messenger burn a piece of parchment with magical patterns, and the Sovereign appeared."
Back then, Beirut had done exactly that, and the Blood Peak Sovereign had appeared, making the eight great families retreat with a single word.
Saint looked at Bebe with surprise and smiled. "I didn't expect you to know about that, Bebe. Indeed, that's one way to summon a Sovereign. But that magical parchment isn't something I can make—it's crafted by the Sovereign themselves. Only then, when burned, will the Sovereign sense it."
"However, the Sovereign hasn't granted me such a thing," Saint said apologetically.
Linley understood that even if Saint had such a precious item, he wouldn't waste it on helping someone else.
"Mr. Saint, I'm already very grateful. But Nether Mountain is deep in the Infernal Realm, and it would take thirty to forty years to get there from here. That's far too long. Do you know the locations of the other six Sovereigns in the Infernal Realm?" Linley asked urgently.
To save his father and brothers, Linley wanted to act quickly.
Going to Nether Mountain was indeed too far.
"No." Saint shook his head regretfully. "Linley, as a Sovereign's messenger, I don't know where the Sovereigns live. I only know about Nether Mountain because the Sovereign mentioned it. As for other places... I truly don't know. I suppose the Sovereigns don't want to be disturbed."
Linley felt a bit helpless.
But at least he had gained something—he now knew that Nether Mountain was where a Sovereign resided.
"Nether Mountain!" Linley had already decided to go.
His father and brothers had been in the Necropolis of the Gods for nearly two thousand years. If they could hold out that long, they could probably endure a few more decades.
"Linley, don't just talk. Try some of our Infernal Realm's specialty dishes," Saint said with a smile.
Linley and Bebe joined Saint and his wife in relaxed conversation, drinking wine... This chatting and drinking took quite a while.
At the outermost edge of the mansion.
"Mr. Saint, Lady Anita, no need to see us off," Linley said gratefully.
Saint sighed. "Linley, I truly don't want to see you go to Nether Mountain. It's really dangerous... Although I've never ventured deep inside, I've heard about it. Watching you go like this... ah! Linley, why not wait here? Maybe in a few hundred thousand or a million years, the Sovereign will summon me."
A few hundred thousand or a million years?
If his father and brothers failed to become gods or died in the necropolis's battles, all his efforts would be in vain.
"No need," Linley said with a smile.
Bebe, however, seemed unhappy.
Linley suddenly remembered something. His primary goal in coming to the Infernal Realm was to restore his father and brothers' memories, but there was also a secondary task—if the opportunity arose, kill Odin!
In Linley's view, Saint, as the North Sea Governor, should know many powerhouses.
"Mr. Saint, Lady Anita, I'd like to ask—have you ever heard of someone with the strength of a Seven Star Devil? His name is Odin!" Linley looked at Saint and Anita.
Saint's eyebrows twitched, but Anita laughed.
"Haha, Odin? Of course we know him," Anita said with a smile.
Linley's eyes lit up, and Bebe immediately looked over.
"You know him?" Linley asked excitedly.
Anita laughed twice. "Yes, we do. When Saint and I were in the North Sea territory, we once encountered this Odin. His strength was indeed decent... but compared to my husband Saint, he was lacking. He lost a few times and was convinced. We chatted for a while and even invited him to visit us. But he said he had just arrived in the Infernal Realm and wanted to explore other places. We didn't stop him. Now, who knows where he's ended up in the Infernal Realm."
"Oh." Linley and Bebe were disappointed.
"We won't disturb you any longer," Linley and Bebe said their goodbyes, then boarded a metallic lifeform and flew south, disappearing into the horizon.
"Why did you let me deceive them?" Anita turned to her husband, speaking cautiously while activating her divine domain to prevent eavesdropping.
Saint smiled faintly. "Do you know that Linley and Odin are mortal enemies with a deep blood feud?"
"Oh?" Anita was surprised. "Then when you said the Sovereign lives at Nether Mountain, was that also because...?"
"Yes." Saint smiled faintly. "Odin is one of our people, and Linley is also hostile toward the Nether Serpent... Although Linley isn't an enemy, he's not a friend either. But Linley is very strong. It's not worth offending him for Odin's sake. However... I only gave him an address."
"You're sending him to his death," Anita said.
"It is sending him to his death."
Saint laughed. "But Nether Mountain is indeed the Sovereign's residence!"
"Oh? Really?" Anita looked at him in surprise.
"Yes, and not just any Infernal Realm Sovereign. It's the residence of the strongest among the seven Infernal Realm Sovereigns—the Lord of Death!" Saint said with a faint smile. "I did advise Linley not to go, but he insisted. If he dies, it has nothing to do with me."
"The Lord of Death..."
Saint sighed.
PS: Three chapters, twelve thousand words, done. Roar!