Chapter 16: A Calamity
Linley inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he had suspected Molde, believing that this conspiracy wasn't so simple. That was why he had initially relied on the oath to the Overgod to hold his ground. Linley's oath to the Overgod was indeed flawless. Although he possessed the nine spirit beads, he had previously been completely unaware of the Overgod talisman.
But the Wind Sovereign hadn't considered this.
Because according to the description on that piece of paper, Linley had obtained both the nine spirit beads and the Overgod's appraisal. The Wind Sovereign, Telesia, believed that if the information were true, then Linley would know about the Overgod talisman. If the information were false, Linley wouldn't know.
And now, it seemed Linley hadn't known beforehand, so the information must be false!
This logic appeared to have no issues!
In reality, the Wind Sovereign hadn't realized that the message on the paper was something Molde had cleverly fabricated, mixing truth with falsehood! Molde's intention was that after Linley handed over the nine spirit beads, he would still be pursued by the Sovereign. If Linley couldn't produce them, the Sovereign would likely directly seize them and kill Linley.
One truth, one falsehood—all to ensure Linley's death.
He never imagined that this mix of truth and falsehood would instead allow Linley to escape disaster. Truly, his cleverness had backfired!
"It seems this information might be false," the silver-haired Sovereign Telesia said coldly.
"Only someone as bored as you would believe such news," the Bloodpeak Sovereign sneered.
Linley felt a wave of relief in his heart.
But Telesia's narrow eyes glanced sidelong at the spatial ring on Linley's hand, and he said with a faint smile, "However, Linley, you seem so confident that you've been falsely accused. That's fine. Let me inspect your spatial ring. If there's nothing inside, then the information is indeed false... Oh, and show me your avatars as well. Let me inspect all your spatial rings."
Linley's heart trembled.
Inspect the spatial ring? Linley knew very well that the nine spirit beads were inside that spatial ring.
"If I hand over the nine spirit beads, he'll definitely believe the information is true and force me to produce the Overgod's appraisal. If I can't produce it, this Sovereign will likely kill me without mercy." Linley understood this clearly. At this moment, even though he had the nine spirit beads, he couldn't hand them over.
Moreover, the Overgod talisman—just from its name—was clearly something that would attract many Sovereigns.
If he admitted to having it, even if the Wind Sovereign didn't kill him today, other Sovereigns would surely come. He would never have a peaceful life again.
"Sovereign," Linley said with an expression of indignation, "I, Linley, have trained for many years and finally reached the Paragon! Although you are a Sovereign, even mortals have their pride. What about me, Linley? Faced with your repeated questioning, I have answered time and again, even swearing by the name of the Sovereign of Fate. What more do you want?"
The Wind Sovereign was momentarily speechless.
Standing in midair, Linley gazed at the Wind Sovereign before him without the slightest timidity, and laughed: "You say you want to see my divine avatars? Fine!" With a thought, Linley's body transformed into five figures, and his other four divine avatars all appeared.
"Four divine avatars?" The Wind Sovereign Telesia was startled.
Most gods cultivated a single law. Occasionally, some cultivated two laws. Those who cultivated three laws were rare. Linley actually cultivated four laws—truly astonishing.
"You are wise," Telesia said coldly.
Linley stood opposite Telesia in the air, without any humility, and said indifferently, "Sovereign, my five divine avatars have a total of five spatial rings! But I believe I have shown enough sincerity, even swearing by the Overgod. Now you still want to inspect my spatial rings? Fine, go ahead. These five spatial rings are all here. However, forgive me for not removing the soul-binding. I, Linley, am a Paragon of the Highgods, not your slave. If you want to inspect my spatial rings... kill me!"
Linley stared directly at Telesia.
Linley's meaning was clear—
You may be powerful; you may be a Sovereign! But I am not someone you can push around. If you truly have no shame, then come, kill me!
The Wind Sovereign Telesia stared at Linley like a venomous snake examining its prey.
Sovereigns valued their pride, and Paragons of the Highgods, being the emperors among gods, also valued theirs. Without absolute certainty, Telesia's treatment of Linley—forcing him to swear an oath and then demanding to inspect all his avatars' rings—was indeed excessive.
If it were a slightly more hot-tempered Paragon, they would rather die than endure such humiliation.
"Telesia!" the Bloodpeak Sovereign saw this, his face darkening as he roared, "Linley has already sworn by the Overgod! And that message was merely described on an ordinary piece of paper, not on the Overgod's appraisal. You still want to inspect all five of his spatial rings? If this gets out, hmph!"
The Wind Sovereign Telesia was troubled inwardly: "This Linley says I can inspect, but he tells me to kill him first. Isn't he clearly forcing my hand? If I find the nine spirit beads, I'll have something to say. But if I kill Linley and find nothing... I've wronged him! If this news spreads, I'll truly lose face."
Telesia hesitated inwardly.
"Sovereign, if you want to inspect, then do it. I, Linley, have matters to attend to and cannot stay here to accompany you," Linley said solemnly. "As for that Molde you mentioned, not long ago, I killed his strongest divine avatar! This so-called message is clearly a slander against me. If you are done inspecting, I still need to settle accounts with Molde. Hmph, I didn't uproot him completely and destroy all his avatars, and now he pulls this trick on me."
Telesia frowned.
Yes, he knew from the Bloodpeak Sovereign's temple that Linley had killed Molde's strongest divine avatar.
The Bloodpeak Sovereign secretly transmitted: "Telesia, you must remember your status. You are a Sovereign! At this point, do you still insist on inspecting?"
"Pash, are you trying to stop me? It seems you're siding with this Linley," Telesia transmitted back.
"It's not that I'm trying to stop you. I'm telling you, the Violet Thorn Sovereign entrusted me to take care of this Linley," the Bloodpeak Sovereign transmitted. "And as far as I know, Linley was just killing in the Planar Battlefield not long ago and only recently returned. Where would he get the Overgod talisman? This message is clearly false. Even if the Overgod talisman exists, it might not be on Linley. And even if it were, do you really want to compete for the Overgod talisman?"
"What, I can't?" Telesia transmitted.
"I know. You are also a Paragon in terms of laws. But you are only a lower-level Sovereign. When the storm rises, you should know... the six previous successful attempts were all by Overgods. And in the process, Sovereigns have fallen. Do you want to get involved?"
Telesia hesitated.
"Besides, this message is clearly false," the Bloodpeak Sovereign transmitted. "If it were true, how could there be no wind at all? How coincidental that we discovered it first? That it was passed on by Molde? That Linley had just killed Molde? And even more coincidental, Linley, as a Paragon, would rather die than hand it over? Is that possible? The Overgod talisman is useless to him anyway."
Telesia was convinced.
"This Linley has a connection with the Violet Thorn Sovereign?" Telesia transmitted.
Telesia was, after all, a lower-level Sovereign, while the Violet Thorn Sovereign was a mid-level Sovereign. Most importantly, the Violet Thorn Sovereign was born from the Violet Crystal Mountain Range, the first Violet Crystal divine beast in the world, far stronger than Reisgem. Telesia was somewhat afraid of the Violet Thorn Sovereign.
"Of course, he does. You can go check. Linley is skilled in Violet Crystal Space. That Violet Crystal Space is the Violet Thorn Sovereign's signature move, isn't it?" the Bloodpeak Sovereign transmitted.
With the Bloodpeak Sovereign present, he wouldn't allow Telesia to attack Linley.
Moreover, a wealth of evidence and reality indicated that the message was false!
And Telesia, as the Wind Sovereign, couldn't afford to lose face.
Telesia's narrow eyes swept over Linley, and he said coldly, "Since you've sworn an oath, I naturally believe you." Then his gaze passed over the spatial rings of Linley's five avatars, and with a flicker, he vanished from Linley's sight at a speed far surpassing that of Paragons like Linley.
"This is the speed of a Sovereign? No wonder they say Paragons have no ability to resist before a Sovereign," Linley thought with shock.
"Thank you, Sovereign," Linley bowed, expressing his gratitude to the Bloodpeak Sovereign before him.
"Heh..." the Bloodpeak Sovereign smiled faintly. "Linley, your Four Divine Beasts clan is on my Bloodpeak Continent, and Beirut is my envoy. You and Beirut have a close relationship. Since you were in the right, it was only natural for me to defend you. If you have time, feel free to visit my Bloodpeak Island. It's located within the Lianyun Mountains."
"Yes, Sovereign," Linley said gratefully.
"Are you planning to go kill Molde now?" the Bloodpeak Sovereign said.
"Yes," Linley nodded. "Since Molde set this trap for me, how could I let him off?"
This so-called Overgod talisman had originally come from Molde. When Molde himself possessed it, he didn't make it public, but now he used it to frame Linley. He even mentioned the Overgod's appraisal. Truly insidious.
"You don't need to go. Just return to the Tiansai Mountain Range," the Bloodpeak Sovereign said.
Linley was stunned.
What? Was the Sovereign going to stop him?
From what Linley understood, Sovereigns never interfered in battles between gods. Over the countless years, many Sovereign's envoys had died.
"Molde's current strength no longer qualifies him to be a Sovereign's envoy," the Bloodpeak Sovereign said with a faint smile. "Most importantly, it seems Molde was lying and deceiving me. Hmph!" The Bloodpeak Sovereign's face darkened. Deceiving a Sovereign was a capital offense!
Within the city of Luyan in Tianshan Prefecture, inside a quiet mansion.
"Everything is ready. Now I just wait for news of Linley's death," Molde said contentedly, sitting in the garden.
Although he was ninety percent sure Linley would die, he still worried that Linley might escape this calamity and come for revenge. That was why he didn't dare return to the prefect's mansion and instead stayed in the city. Within the city, combat was forbidden! That was a rule set by the Sovereigns! Even Paragons didn't dare violate it.
Suddenly—
A terrifying aura appeared in the garden, and then pitch-black energy gathered, finally coalescing into a man with blood-red hair.
"Sovereign," Molde cried out in fright, immediately kneeling.
This was the Bloodpeak Sovereign's energy avatar. The Bloodpeak Sovereign's true body was millions of miles away, merely forming an energy avatar here through divine sense. A Sovereign's energy avatar was enough to kill most Highgods... but not a Paragon of the Highgods.
That was why the Wind Sovereign Telesia had personally gone to see Linley.
"Dare to deceive me," the Bloodpeak Sovereign said coldly, glancing at Molde.
"Whoosh!" A phantom-like dark red arrow shot out from the energy avatar's brow.
"No, I..." Molde tried to say something, but the dark red arrow pierced into his body, and his eyes dimmed as he collapsed to the ground.
"Clang!" The Sovereign artifact armor fell to the ground.
The energy avatar immediately wrapped itself around the Sovereign artifact armor and vanished from the city like a streak of light.
Yes, combat was forbidden within the city.
But that was a rule set by the Sovereigns! Sovereigns killing people here was not restricted.
A black, sword-shaped metallic lifeform was flying at extreme speed within the territory of Youlan Prefecture.
"Boss, I was so worried earlier," Bebe said, finally laughing. "By the way, Boss, what did that Sovereign want with you?"
Hearing this, Linley couldn't help but think of the nine spirit beads.
Now that the Sovereigns were no longer nearby, Linley focused his mind and sent his divine sense into his spatial ring, searching for the nine spirit beads.
In that silent space.
A crown faintly glowing with green light floated there, with nine spirit beads embedded in it.
"This, this, the nine spirit beads, that dilapidated crown?" Linley was completely stunned.