Chapter 15: The Sovereign Descends
Inside the great hall, Mordo was still kneeling prostrate on the ground.
But when he saw the Wind Sovereign suddenly depart, his heart surged with wild joy: "That man was conversing with the Sovereign, clearly he is also a Sovereign! Good, even though the Bloodpeak Sovereign didn't believe my words, at least that other Sovereign has gone... This Linley, hmph, even if he hands over the nine spirit pearls, he won't escape death!"
Mordo recalled the content he had described on that piece of paper and couldn't help feeling quite smug. If he had described it straightforwardly, perhaps Linley might have handed over the nine spirit pearls, and the Sovereign might have let Linley go. But... Mordo had played a little trick with the information.
Although the plan wasn't perfect in the short term, Mordo believed... it was enough to cause Linley's death.
"Linley, Linley... a Paragon, yet about to die like this," Mordo thought to himself.
"Mordo!" Suddenly a cold shout rang out.
"Sovereign." Mordo immediately pressed his forehead to the ground.
The Bloodpeak Sovereign's icy gaze looked down from on high, overlooking Mordo: "I ask you, is what is described on this paper true or false? Are you certain?" The Bloodpeak Sovereign was inwardly surprised that Mordo could deliver such a piece of paper. What the Wind Sovereign said was correct—how long ago had the Overgods issued a mission?
Very few people knew about it. Even if Mordo had fabricated it, how could he have known about this matter?
"Sovereign, this subordinate does not know whether it is true or false," Mordo said respectfully. "This subordinate merely obtained this paper. Because the news was too shocking, and I knew... the Sovereign might be interested in it. So I immediately delivered it to you."
Mordo dared not confirm the truth or falsehood of it at all.
If he dared to confirm it, that would mean he, Mordo, had seen the original document!
"Hmph, get out." The Bloodpeak Sovereign barked.
"Yes." Mordo respectfully withdrew from the great hall.
But in the hall, the Bloodpeak Sovereign standing at the top furrowed his brow: "This Mordo didn't send the news earlier or later. He comes just when Tiresia is here. This news being known by Tiresia is troublesome." Then, as if thinking of something, the Bloodpeak Sovereign's divine sense suddenly spread outward.
In an instant, the Bloodpeak Sovereign's divine sense covered the entire Bloodpeak Continent.
A moment later, the Bloodpeak Sovereign withdrew his divine sense, shook his head with a smile, and with a flicker of his form, vanished from the hall.
Mordo moved through the white mist, fleeing at top speed.
"Hmph, I retrieved the Sovereign artifact, immediately arranged this matter, and promptly reported the news to the Sovereign. Even considering the speed at which Linley and the others left, they probably haven't even returned to the Prefectural City of the Azure Dragon yet." Mordo was very efficient in handling matters, afraid that if time dragged on, things might change.
So he had rushed here alone at top speed to inform the Sovereign.
As for the Sovereign, chasing after Linley would naturally be terrifyingly fast.
The mountain ranges rose and fell, stretching endlessly.
A metallic lifeform traveled through the sky.
"We've already entered the territory of the Azure Dragon Prefecture. It won't be long before we reach the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range," Linley said with a faint smile, standing at the front of the metallic lifeform and looking at the external scene through the transparent metal.
"The Azure Dragon Prefecture." Dylin and Olivia also stood nearby, gazing into the distance.
Suddenly—
"Whoosh!" A terrifying whirlwind spontaneously arose from the surrounding air, directly enveloping Linley's metallic lifeform. For a moment, the world was chaotic and hazy.
"What's happening?" Bebe was greatly alarmed.
"Not good." Linley's face changed drastically. This sudden attack had caught him completely off guard, without even a hint of warning. The attacker was far too terrifying. Without any hesitation, Linley willed it, and the power of the Earth Sovereign spread out, forming a protective barrier that enveloped the five of them.
The metallic lifeform trembled once, then turned to dust.
Linley and the other four were still somewhat dazed when the whirlwind dissipated.
"Hmm?" Linley looked ahead. Floating in midair before them stood a man with silver hair, an aquiline nose, and narrow, elongated eyes. His gaze was like a blade, occasionally flashing out, and just looking at his face made one's heart feel a chill. The silver-haired man looked at Linley and the others with indifference.
"Boss, who is he?" Bebe transmitted mentally.
Olivia, Dylin, and their son, Deia, were even more shocked.
"Who else could it be? Besides a Sovereign, who could appear around us without me sensing anything at all?" Linley transmitted back. Then, smiling, Linley bowed slightly to the man before him and said, "Linley of the Azure Dragon Prefecture, greetings to the Sovereign!" Having met the Sovereign of Death and the Divine Tree of Life, Linley understood one thing!
A Sovereign might appear in an energy form, in their true form, or in a human form.
In short, the standard for judging a Sovereign was not their appearance, but their strength. Perhaps a little girl appearing before you could be a Sovereign. You could never judge their strength by their appearance.
A hint of a smile appeared on the silver-haired man's face: "Oh, containing the might of will? As expected of one who has reached the Paragon level, able to recognize my identity so quickly." This Wind Sovereign sensed the presence of the might of will from the protective barrier of Earth Sovereign power that Linley had set up.
Most importantly...
Linley used Sovereign power without any waste. Judging Linley's strength was naturally simple.
"May I ask what business the Sovereign has in stopping us?" Linley said with a slight bow and a smile. "Please enlighten me."
"Them, withdraw," the Wind Sovereign said indifferently, glancing at Bebe and the others.
The matter of the Overgod talismans, in the Sovereigns' view, the fewer gods who knew about it, the better. In the Sovereigns' eyes, such a mission was not even worthy of being known by gods. Linley was a Paragon Highgod, so he could speak with him in a calm tone, but the other four beside him—the Wind Sovereign did not want them to hear.
"You all leave first," Linley said, looking at them.
Knowing that the target was a Sovereign, Bebe didn't dare say much. He and Olivia and the other two quickly flew away, while Olivia's son, Deia, looked at the Wind Sovereign with shock and disbelief, clearly very curious about the legendary Sovereigns.
A moment later, Bebe and the others were thousands of miles away.
"Sovereign, it's just the two of us here," Linley said, looking at the silver-haired man before him.
"My request is very simple!"
The Wind Sovereign glanced at Linley with a faint smile and said, "The Overgod's talisman is useless in the hands of a god. Hand over the Overgod talisman you obtained to me!"
Linley was stunned.
"Overgod talisman? What is an Overgod talisman?" Linley asked in return.
A cold gleam flashed in the silver-haired man's eyes, and he snorted, "What? Do you still intend to lie to me and deceive me?" In truth, the Sovereign was also a bit puzzled at this moment: "This Linley really seems not to know about the Overgod talisman. But not necessarily—a Paragon Highgod, if he wanted to conceal it, I might not be able to see through him."
"Sovereign, I dare to swear by the name of the Overgods that I truly do not know anything about an Overgod talisman," Linley said urgently.
The silver-haired man was even more puzzled.
"Sovereign, what exactly is this Overgod talisman you speak of?" Linley asked, confused. "And as far as I know, the Four Overgods are manifestations of the Four Rules and should have no human emotions. How could they produce an Overgod talisman?" As soon as he spoke, Linley knew he had said something wrong.
No human emotions? Then how could they issue a talisman?
Where did the Overgod artifacts come from? If Overgod artifacts could exist, then Overgod talismans could naturally exist as well.
The silver-haired man, however, thought Linley was unaware of the existence of Overgod artifacts and Overgod talismans, and said indifferently, "The Overgods can even manifest as human forms. How can you presume to understand them? As far as I know, one of the three talismans—the nine spirit pearls—should be in your possession. Am I correct?"
"One of the three talismans—the nine spirit pearls?" Linley exclaimed in surprise.
Linley was indeed surprised, because he understood what the other was referring to: "This Sovereign came to me to demand the Overgod talisman. So... the nine spirit pearls that could prevent Mordo from dying are the Overgod talisman. No wonder they had such incredible, inexplicable abilities. So they are the Overgod talisman. What is the Overgod talisman used for?"
At this moment, Linley very much wanted to use his divine sense to examine the nine spirit pearls in his interspatial ring.
But with the Sovereign before him, Linley dared not do so. He didn't know the extent of a Sovereign's perception, but given the Sovereign's power, they could probably detect his movements. If he examined his interspatial ring, how could the Sovereign not make the connection?
"There are three Overgod talismans?" Linley put on a shocked expression.
The Wind Sovereign carefully observed Linley, then said with a cold smile, "Linley, although you have reached the Paragon level, you are still a god. The Overgod talisman is of little use to you. I advise you to hand it over. Don't tell me it's not with you. I know... the nine spirit pearls are in your possession!"
"I'll give you one last chance," the Wind Sovereign said coldly. "Hand over the nine spirit pearls now, and I will spare your life. But if you harbor even a shred of hope, don't blame me for killing you and then taking the Overgod talisman."
In truth, the Wind Sovereign was not entirely certain that Linley had the nine spirit pearls.
Moreover...
Whether the Overgods had actually issued such a mission and whether the three talismans existed was still unknown. But for Sovereigns with eternal life, very few things could attract their interest. The Overgod talisman was one such thing, enough to drive them to excitement and frenzy.
With even this slight hope, the Wind Sovereign wanted to bluff Linley. If he pretended to be confident, and Linley actually had the nine spirit pearls, he might be fearful and hand them over.
Linley's heart skipped a beat: "Does this Sovereign know that I obtained the nine spirit pearls from Mordo? Only our group and Mordo know about this. Could it be that Mordo told the Sovereign? But Mordo has a deep grudge against me; it can't be that simple!"
Linley hesitated inwardly.
"Sovereign, I just swore by the name of the Overgods. How can you still say that? Would I dare to lie to the Overgods?" Linley said quickly. "I, Linley, swear by the Sovereign of Fate that before the Sovereign told me the secret of the Overgod talisman, I knew nothing about it. If this is false, may my soul be scattered!"
Linley looked solemnly at the Wind Sovereign.
Sure enough, the Wind Sovereign frowned. An oath sworn by the Overgods was not something to be taken lightly, after all, this world was governed by the Rules.
"Could it be that this Linley really doesn't know? Is the information false?" the Wind Sovereign wondered.
"Tiresia!" A shout rang out.
Linley also noticed a figure in a blood-red robe appearing in the distance. With blood-red robes and blood-red hair, the newcomer's aura was even more overbearing than that of the Wind Sovereign. He flew over with displeasure: "Tiresia, Linley is from my Bloodpeak Continent. You can't act recklessly. Listening to some nonsense from Mordo, you believe it? An Overgod talisman? How many years has it been since one appeared? How could one just show up?"
Tiresia was momentarily speechless.
By saying this, the Bloodpeak Sovereign was also telling Linley that they were not entirely certain either.
The Wind Sovereign, Tiresia, transmitted mentally: "Pash, what are you doing? Revealing the truth in front of this Linley? Aren't you helping him? He's just a god. Why are you doing this?" The Wind Sovereign was very displeased. He didn't understand why the Bloodpeak Sovereign was helping Linley like this.
In his view, the Bloodpeak Sovereign should be working with him to make Linley hand over the talisman.
"I heard everything Linley said," the Bloodpeak Sovereign said, glancing at Linley before looking at him. "Swearing by the name of the Overgods—how could that be false? Moreover, the message also said that the nine spirit pearls were placed together with the Overgod Decree. If Linley had obtained both the nine spirit pearls and the Overgod Decree, how could he not know about the Overgod talisman? Clearly, Mordo is lying. Or rather, the information he obtained is false."
The Wind Sovereign had to admit that the Bloodpeak Sovereign's reasoning was sound.
"Overgod Decree? What is that?" Linley was secretly alarmed.
Suddenly, Linley understood...
"This Mordo really wants me dead!" Linley was greatly shocked. "If I had been intimidated at the start and immediately handed over the nine spirit pearls, this silver-haired Sovereign would have then demanded the Overgod Decree. If I didn't hand it over, the Sovereign who obtained the nine spirit pearls would believe the message was true. To get the Overgod Decree, killing me and searching my interspatial ring would be a possibility."