Chapter 61: The Focus
The Star River Passage was a riot of flowing colors, yet at this moment, everyone was silent, stunned. And under the gaze of countless powerful beings, Linley calmly walked towards the Dark Alliance side.
A Paragon had just been kicked into the spatial turbulence!
"He banished a Paragon into the spatial turbulence. From the Azure Dragon clan, named Linley!" The surrounding soldiers and commanders deeply etched this scene into their memories. The earlier conversation between Linley and Magnus had already revealed Linley's name. Naturally, all the onlookers now knew it.
Suddenly—
"Quick, material attack!" A captain from the Dark Alliance, snapping out of his shock, immediately transmitted a mental message to his teammates.
"Whoosh, whoosh!" Nearly a hundred dazzling beams of light suddenly shot from the Dark Alliance side towards the opposite camp.
"Forward, material attack!" Almost instantly, soldiers on both sides were jolted awake. The soldiers of the Dark Alliance and the Radiant Alliance, recovering from their shock at the two Paragons, immediately resumed the battle! The endless soldiers from both sides clashed like two raging floods.
Linley, Bebe, and the other two stood amidst the flowing tide of combat.
At this moment, no one was foolish enough to dare attack Linley.
"Boss!" Bebe looked at Linley, extremely excited. "Magnus! Boss, the one you just kicked into the spatial turbulence was Magnus! On the same level as Baehr! Too strong, haha, too strong!" Bebe's mouth was stretched wide in a grin, his eyes squinting with joy.
Reisgem and Lei Hong were also beaming.
"Reisgem, you should still be a bit short on military merits, right? Need my help?" Linley turned to look at Reisgem.
"No need." Reisgem deliberately snorted. "Linley, although I'm a bit inferior to you, gathering enough military merits isn't a problem for me. I collected a certain amount in the last planar war, and I'm only a little short now. Lei Hong, let's go." Reisgem and Lei Hong quickly darted into the crowd.
The sky-covering, earth-blanketing tide of people ceaselessly slaughtered.
Linley and Bebe stood among them, watching Reisgem and Lei Hong in the distance. Linley nodded slightly. "Bebe, let's go. With Reisgem and Lei Hong's strength, unless a Paragon or a group of commanders surrounds them, they won't be in danger. Let's wait for them on the shore of the Star River."
"Alright, let's wait on the shore." Bebe nodded with a grin.
Everyone else was rushing towards the opposite bank, but Linley and the others turned back.
"Linley!"
Some commanders from the Dark Alliance watched Linley from afar, sighing inwardly. They all regretted not having a good conversation with Linley during the gathering. It was rare and difficult to build a connection with a Paragon.
"Earlier, when Mr. Linley was hiding his identity, it was easiest to build a relationship. Now... his strength is revealed. There will definitely be many trying to curry favor, making it much harder." Those commanders understood this principle, and it was indeed true. If someone had approached Linley during the gathering, Linley would have felt some goodwill towards them.
But now...
With his strength revealed, anyone approaching him was clearly trying to flatter him, so Linley couldn't be bothered. Plus, Linley's defeat of Magnus greatly boosted the morale of the Dark Alliance!
Morale is something ethereal and illusory.
But on a passageway, the side that is braver, more fearless, and has more people will win. During the earlier battle, Linley and Magnus were naturally seen as representatives of the Dark Alliance and the Radiant Alliance. Both sides were mentally supporting their own experts.
Linley won, Magnus lost!
This had a huge impact on the soldiers of the Radiant Alliance, and a significant impact on the commanders as well. Because they would subconsciously think that the enemy still had a Paragon among them. Those commanders didn't dare to go all out, fearing that Linley would target them. Against Linley, these commanders had no confidence at all.
With morale low and the commanders afraid to take the lead, the Radiant Alliance naturally retreated step by step!
"Haha, kill, kill!"
Seeing this, the commanders of the Dark Alliance were extremely pleased.
The soldiers of the Dark Alliance howled, but advanced orderly under the leadership of their captains, rolling forward like a wheel, continuously attacking. The more advantage they gained, the smoother the fighting became. The Dark Alliance's momentum was like a rainbow! The battle on the Star River Passage.
"Boss, our side is sure to win." Bebe said with absolute confidence.
Linley watched the endless slaughter on the passage and nodded. "In a battle on the Star River Passage, once one side starts to retreat and rout, even if reinforcements arrive, it's useless. The front is collapsing, affecting the rear. They're doomed!" As Linley's words fell, the colorful light on the Star River Passage suddenly converged and disappeared.
The Dark Alliance had won!
Both passages were victorious; in this planar war, the Dark Divine Realm's alliance had won.
The soldiers of the Dark Alliance were bustling back, crowding together.
"Second brother, the boss is dead. Sigh, but we're not too bad off, better than expected. We both survived!" Two soldiers flew side by side, laughing heartily.
"We three brothers came to the Planar Battlefield once, saw so many commanders fighting, and even witnessed two Paragons in battle. No regrets in this life. Surviving is an extra bonus. Haha... By the way, I got seventy-six soldier badges. What about you?"
"I got over fifty too. If we pool them together, it's enough to exchange for a drop of Sovereign power."
"Haha, another gain."
The surviving soldiers were all very happy, chatting cheerfully. Those who dared to come to the Planar Battlefield had lived for who knows how long, just wanting to experience the battlefield. Maybe seeing a group of commanders fight was enough to have no regrets. Surviving was an extra bonus.
"Hmm?" Linley looked at him. Bebe continued, "Boss, if you were just a Six Star Demon, had been cultivating for eons, and could no longer improve, would you make the same choice as them?"
"Eons, unable to improve?"
Linley was stunned.
If he truly couldn't improve anymore, and after living an endlessly long life, he grew tired of everything, maybe he would be willing to give up his divine clone and enter the legendary Planar Battlefield for a look.
"I would make the same choice." Linley said in a low voice. "If I can't reach the peak, I still want to see the Planar Battlefield, where the peak experts gather."
Anyone with a strong heart would look forward to the peak battlefield, the Planar Battlefield.
"Haha, Linley!" A cheerful voice rang out.
Linley and Bebe turned their heads to see Reisgem and Lei Hong flying towards them at top speed. Linley smiled and said, "Reisgem, it looks like you've gathered enough military merits?"
"Of course!" Reisgem raised an eyebrow, smugly. "But it was really close. The Radiant Alliance lost too quickly, causing their commanders to flee fast too. If Lei Hong and I hadn't teamed up and been fast enough, I might not have gathered enough merits."
"Linley, look, quite a few people are watching you." Reisgem said in a low voice.
Linley turned his head.
Among the bustling returning soldiers, many were looking at Linley.
"That one in the sky-blue robe is Linley, it's him!"
"The one who defeated a Paragon?"
"I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be fake? Damn, it was awesome. I've seen all kinds of experts in my life, even witnessing two Paragons fighting. Worth it."
"This Linley is too strong... Now that this battle is over, I'm going back to the material plane. I've saved enough money over the years for the teleportation. Time to go home. Haha. From the material plane to the Netherworld, roaming the Netherworld for eons, seeing so much. It's all enough. Time to go home. I wonder what my hometown has become after eons."
Every warrior had their own dreams and plans.
In fact, everyone who could participate in the planar war was undoubtedly a strong expert. After all, to be selected as a soldier, one generally had to be at least a Six Star Demon. Of course, with special permission from a commander, a Five Star Demon level might also enter. These soldiers... had their own dreams. Coming to the Planar Battlefield was mostly to fulfill those dreams.
Only a portion of the soldiers had witnessed the battle between Linley and Magnus. Now, word was spreading quickly. Many soldiers were looking at Linley, wanting to see this Paragon. Not only the soldiers, but the commanders were also watching Linley from afar.
"He... is a Paragon." Eterichi watched Linley from a distance, not daring to get close. "If Linley really holds a grudge and kills me in one move, I'm done for." Eterichi quickly joined the army, heading towards the planar passage.
Some were heading for the planar passage, but others wanted to build a relationship with Linley.
"Mr. Linley, at the last gathering, I never would have guessed you had such skills."
"Mr. Linley..."
Some commanders approached with friendly attitudes.
Linley dealt with them briefly, then said to Reisgem, "Reisgem, Bebe and I are going to the Netherworld. Let's say goodbye here." The Planar Battlefield connected to eleven planes, with eleven passages, each in a different location. Linley and Bebe were returning to the Netherworld, while Reisgem and the others were returning to the Infernal Realm.
"You're going back to the Netherworld?" Reisgem was startled.
"Yeah, we still have things to do." Bebe nodded with a smile. "Reisgem, when you get back to the Infernal Realm, come visit the Amethyst Mountains sometime."
"Alright then." Reisgem said helplessly. "Let's part ways here. See you in the Infernal Realm."
With that, Linley and Bebe separated from Reisgem and Lei Hong. Linley and Bebe only briefly responded to a few commanders before flying rapidly towards the Netherworld passage. The commanders could only watch Linley fly away, not daring to pester him further.
At the passage entrance between the Planar Battlefield and the Netherworld, Linley and Bebe descended from the sky, immediately attracting the attention of many.
"Hmm?" As soon as Linley landed, he noticed a figure in a black robe walking towards him.
"Boss, another one trying to build a relationship." Bebe transmitted mentally.
Linley was a bit annoyed by this. He recognized this black-robed man; he was indeed a commander. The man had a pale face, with faint green light flickering in his eyes. Seeing Linley, he slightly bowed, then transmitted mentally, "Mr. Linley, on behalf of my master, the Netherworld's Blazing Fire Sovereign, I extend an invitation... Would you be willing to become my master's emissary?"
"Netherworld, Blazing Fire Sovereign?" Linley couldn't help but smile.
He had expected to receive invitations from Sovereigns after revealing his strength, but he hadn't expected to receive one before even leaving the Planar Battlefield. The Sovereigns were indeed fast.
"Mr. Linley, as a Paragon, you can request any type of Sovereign artifact you desire. The Sovereign will surely agree. Of course, only one. As for Sovereign power... the Sovereign will not be stingy." The black-robed man quickly persuaded.
"Sorry, I don't have any intention of becoming a Sovereign's emissary right now." Linley smiled slightly.
"Mr. Linley..." The black-robed man wanted to continue persuading.
But Linley and Bebe didn't stop at all, directly flying into the planar passage, disappearing from the black-robed man's sight.
Seeing this, the black-robed man couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. "Once he leaves the planar passage, there will definitely be more Sovereigns inviting him. My master probably has no chance." There were differences between Sovereigns. Someone who had reached the Paragon level, if they wanted to become a Sovereign's emissary, they would indeed be the ones doing the choosing.