Chapter 27: The Vital Point
"Lord Chegwuin, the fight over the Red Diamond Crystal up ahead is very intense. We should hurry over." One of the two Seven Star Fiend avatars behind Chegwuin urgently transmitted to him.
"Shut up," Chegwuin transmitted back.
Although those two Seven Star Fiends were under Chegwuin's command, they had not participated in the previous planar war. Chegwuin had not told them about Linley either. These two did not recognize Linley.
"Unexpectedly, this Linley has come as well," Chegwuin thought with worry. "According to the intelligence gathered, this Red Diamond Crystal is very likely a Sovereign's relic. Even if it isn't, it's at least a Highgod artifact-level treasure. If I obtain it and present the Red Diamond Crystal to the Sovereign! The Sovereign might perhaps find a way to procure a third Highgod artifact for me."
A Sovereign's relic, within reach! How could he, Chegwuin, bear to give it up?
"I didn't expect Mr. Linley to come either," Chegwuin said with a faint smile. "May I ask what business Mr. Linley has here?"
"Recently, there has been much talk of this treasure, the Red Diamond Crystal. I am also quite curious," Linley said with a faint smile as he flew forward. "Chegwuin, let's go together."
"It is my honor," Chegwuin replied, showing no urgency as he followed alongside Linley.
Chegwuin had witnessed Linley's strength and understood clearly that if he were to contend with Linley head-on, Linley could probably kill his subordinates with a flip of his hand. As for Chegwuin himself... although he possessed two defensive Highgod artifacts, one for material attacks and one for soul attacks, making it difficult for Linley to kill him, banishing him into the chaotic space stream would not be a problem.
Chegwuin had no divine clones elsewhere. If he fell into the chaotic space stream, even a Sovereign would find it hard to locate him.
After all, the chaotic space stream was vast and boundless, its scope nearly matching all the planes combined.
With such a vast range, how could a Sovereign find someone banished into it? Unless a divine clone followed the Sovereign to guide the way.
"Lord Chegwuin, more and more experts are gathering over there. If you don't step in, Lia and I won't be able to hold on," the Seven Star Fiend transmitted urgently again.
"Don't rush," Chegwuin transmitted back. "Now that Linley is here, the Red Diamond Crystal won't be so easy for others to take."
"Linley? Who is he?" the Seven Star Fiend transmitted, glancing at Linley. Chegwuin hadn't mentioned Linley after returning... after all, that was Chegwuin's shame; how could he speak of it in front of his subordinates?
"A Paragon," Chegwuin replied with just those words.
The Seven Star Fiend was startled.
Linley, however, was suspicious. "This Chegwuin is an envoy of the Sovereign of Light. Has he come here because the Sovereign of Light sent him to investigate the Sovereign's relic?" Linley's greatest worry was that the Sovereigns would take notice of this matter. Linley glanced at Chegwuin, who was now acting very respectfully.
The two Highgods behind Chegwuin were of average strength. Linley had never heard of them and paid them no mind.
In Linley's eyes now, an ordinary Seven Star Fiend was indeed nothing. Even a Lord or Asura-level figure could only warrant a slight glance from Linley. After all... he stood at the pinnacle of gods. Within the realm of gods, no one could defeat him!
"Chegwuin, I'm going to speed up. Come with me," Linley said, and with a thought, his earth divine power spread out, enveloping the group around him.
"Whoosh!"
A flash of earthy yellow light streaked across the sky, and in an instant, Linley and his group had arrived deep within the Neville Mountains.
Deep in the Neville Mountains, over a hundred figures darted about.
"Haha, I never thought I, Brody, would attract so many experts to surround me!" A loud laugh came from within a forest, while in the air, figures hovered, and in the forest below, more figures appeared. Clearly, they had completely surrounded Brody below.
But at the moment, no one dared to make the first move.
"To have drawn so many people," the short, burly man with a big beard muttered, his green eyes sweeping over the crowd. "I recognize at least fifty-six Seven Star Fiends. The rest are probably Six Star Fiends. And there might even be one or two Asura-level experts mixed in."
Everyone understood that the Red Diamond Crystal was a hot potato.
If someone tried to grab it, they would likely be attacked by the entire group. No one present was confident they could survive a siege by so many Seven Star Fiends.
Just then...
A man in a black robe with disheveled hair slowly flew out from the forest. His eyes were full of amusement as he casually glanced at the surrounding crowd. "Tsk tsk... I never thought that I, Brody, would live to see the day when so many experts would join forces to hunt me down. What an honor! Even if I die, it will have been worth it."
This was Brody. Surrounded on all sides, he had stopped running and instead revealed himself.
"Swoosh!" As Brody spoke, a green figure suddenly darted toward him, clearly trying to strike first.
"Hmph!" A cold snort rang out.
"Whoosh!" A fiery red blade shadow shot into the sky, tearing through the air in an instant and slashing toward the green figure. The green figure's body suddenly glowed with a hazy light, managing to withstand the terrifying strike, but he was sent flying backward.
The others, who had been ready to act, restrained themselves and dared not make a sneak attack.
Now...
Brody, with his disheveled hair, stood in the air above the forest, surrounded by a large number of super experts. Yet he showed no sign of being cornered. Instead, he smiled as he watched the scene and said loudly, "Everyone, tell me, with so many of you here, who should I give this crystal to?"
The many Seven Star Fiends and Six Star Fiends looked at each other, none of them speaking.
"That's too simple a question," a crisp voice came from afar. "Just give it to my boss."
A large mass of earthy yellow light appeared in midair, and as it dissipated, seven figures emerged. They were Chegwuin and his two subordinates, Linley and Bebe, along with the two from the Lot Tribe.
"Such speed!" Chegwuin's two subordinates were shocked.
"Lord Chegwuin!" Seeing Chegwuin, many Seven Star Fiends and Six Star Fiends exclaimed in surprise. Compared to Linley, Chegwuin had been famous for eons, a super expert ranked among the top in the Commander level. Chegwuin's information was no longer a secret.
But Linley... after all, the planar war had been too brief. News of him hadn't truly spread yet.
Although there were so many Seven Star Fiends and Six Star Fiends, Chegwuin alone could take on the entire group. Because he had two Highgod artifacts!
"It looks like we have no hope," the short, burly man with the big beard said with a wry smile.
"No hope," the cold, silver-haired youth agreed, glancing at Chegwuin in the distance.
Chegwuin alone could defeat all of them. Even if someone managed to snatch the Red Diamond Crystal, Chegwuin could still take it back. These Seven Star Fiends and Six Star Fiends weren't fools; they all knew that treasure was less important than life!
"You... are you Lord Linley?" a voice suddenly called out.
Linley turned to see a Six Star Fiend staring at him in surprise.
"What, you know my boss?" Bebe blinked at the Six Star Fiend.
"Ah, Lord Linley! I just participated in the previous planar war and was fortunate enough to witness the battle between Lord Linley and Lord Magnus. I never thought Lord Linley would come here too!" The Six Star Fiend was very excited. Then he looked around and shouted, "Everyone, Lord Linley is here! Why bother competing? The Red Diamond Crystal should go to Lord Linley!"
"He is Lord Linley?"
Of the over a hundred people present, two or three knew of Linley, but they couldn't recognize him by appearance or aura alone.
Chegwuin also smiled and said, "Everyone, the person beside me is the strongest of the Four Divine Beasts clan, the Paragon Lord Linley. Do any of you still wish to contend for the Red Diamond Crystal?" Hearing this, the Seven Star Fiends and Six Star Fiends, while exclaiming in surprise, quickly voiced their agreement.
A Paragon?
That was someone who could cut down Commander-level experts like grass, an invincible existence. If he wanted the Red Diamond Crystal, how could anyone else take it?
Linley glanced at Chegwuin. This Chegwuin was actually speaking up for him.
"Lord Chegwuin?" Brody heard the exclamations and vaguely understood that Chegwuin was a super expert. But now it seemed that the person beside Chegwuin was the legendary Paragon. "Linley?" Brody studied Linley carefully.
"Brody, hand over the Red Diamond Crystal to Lord Linley. If you do, the Lord might spare your life. If you don't..." a Seven Star Fiend shouted coldly from above.
"Shut up, you!" Brody looked up and roared angrily.
"You..." The Seven Star Fiend was furious.
"Hmph, I don't care if you're a Seven Star Fiend, a Lord, or a Sovereign's envoy. Even if you're a Paragon, so what?" Brody raised his head, glanced around, and then deliberately stared at Linley. "Let me tell you, the Red Diamond Crystal is in my spatial ring! If you try to take it by force, I'll crush it!"
Brody held his spatial ring between two fingers.
If he exerted force, he could certainly crush it.
Linley's heart tightened. "If this Brody really goes mad and crushes the spatial ring, even if the Red Diamond Crystal inside isn't destroyed, it will fall into the chaotic space stream. How will I find it?"
"Brody, you'd better not lose your head. If you crush it, you'll die too," Chegwuin said coldly.
"You think I wouldn't dare?" Brody glared at Chegwuin.
"Shut up," Linley said coldly, glancing at Chegwuin. Chegwuin could only force a smile and step back, but his heart was full of resentment. Linley understood: "This Chegwuin can't get the Red Diamond Crystal himself, so he probably hopes Brody destroys it, so I can't have it either."
"Listen up, all of you."
Brody smiled smugly. He suddenly felt that lecturing a group of Six Star Fiends, Seven Star Fiends, and even a Paragon was a remarkable achievement. A Paragon... how unattainably high. But today, he, Brody, could show off in front of a Paragon!
"Don't push me too far. If you do, I'll crush the spatial ring, and no one will get anything," Brody said with a sneer.
The Seven Star Fiends and Six Star Fiends dared not speak, afraid that Brody would smash everything, and then Linley, unable to get the Red Diamond Crystal, would vent his anger on them.
Linley looked at Brody and smiled. "Brody, tell me, what conditions do you want to give me the Red Diamond Crystal?"
"A Paragon is indeed straightforward."
Brody smiled. "Simple. First, you must guarantee my safety and let me leave the Infernal Realm alive through the planar teleportation array. Second, you must give me tens of trillions of inkstones to spend. I'm sure that amount of money is nothing to a Paragon. Third, you must give me some Sovereign's power. Not too much, just a few dozen drops. I need to protect myself too. Agree to these three conditions, and I'll give you the Red Diamond Crystal!" Brody reported in one breath what he thought was a very, very high price!
"Whoosh!"
A collective gasp of air could be heard. Letting Brody leave safely wasn't a problem, but the latter two conditions were too outrageous.
Tens of trillions of inkstones? A Seven Star Fiend who was good at accumulating wealth typically had assets of around one trillion. As for Sovereign's power... ordinary Seven Star Fiends dreamed of getting even a single drop! And this Brody said "not too much" and asked for a few dozen drops! He was really asking for the sky!
"Alright, I agree," Linley said with an unchanged expression, nodding with a smile.
Brody was stunned.
He had thrown out an outrageous demand, hoping Linley would haggle with him, but Linley agreed too readily.
"Are Paragons this wealthy?" Brody thought to himself.