Chapter 32: Rather Die! The Turning Point!
Linley very straightforwardly handed over his spatial ring, which made the Sovereign of Light somewhat suspicious: "Could it be, as I thought, that Linley brought those nine spirit pearls to the Yulan continent?" Hearing Linley say that his divine clone was not here but had gone to the Yulan continent, the Sovereign of Light had a bad feeling.
But the Sovereign of Light still dripped blood to bind the rings and inspected them. "Indeed, they are not here!"
"Sovereign, are the nine spirit pearls you seek here?" Linley raised his head and said loudly.
"Hmph."
After severing the binding, the Sovereign of Light casually tossed the two spatial rings back to Linley below. At that moment, the energy around them trembled once more, and a blurry figure formed, then condensed into a solid form. Clearly, it was another Sovereign's energy projection.
The Sovereigns of the Infernal Realm were scattered far and wide, making it impossible for them to arrive quickly. However, within the range of their divine sense, Sovereigns could condense energy projections.
"Augustus." The newcomer wore a purple robe, his violet eyes fixed on Augustus.
"Xing Yi." The Sovereign of Light glanced at him.
Linley's heart stirred when he saw the newcomer: "It's the Star Sovereign!" Linley had met this one before; he was the Sovereign who controlled the Star Mist Sea in the Infernal Realm.
"So lively here, even you, Augustus, have come. Xing Yi, Pash!" A gentle voice rang out, and blurry purple energy coalesced into a figure—a beautiful woman in a loose, light purple robe. Her familiar aura stirred something in Linley's heart.
"The aura is very similar to Reisgem's," Linley thought to himself.
"Linley, long time no see. It's only been a few thousand years since we parted at the Amethyst Mountains, yet you've achieved so much." The beautiful woman smiled at Linley, her eyes possessing a captivating charm.
"Sovereign." Linley bowed sincerely and respectfully this time. The Amethyst Sovereign had indeed shown him great kindness.
"Haha... so many people. Are you all here for the Overgod mission?" A hearty voice rang out, and fiery red energy coalesced in midair into a slightly plump man. His fiery red hair twisted wildly, flames faintly flickering at the tips, and a golden flame imprint adorned his brow.
"Oh, so many have arrived." Another black energy condensed.
One by one, Sovereign energy projections appeared in the air. Linley could barely recognize three or four of them; most were completely unknown to him.
"So many Sovereigns." Beirut had a faint smile on his face as he sent a telepathic message to Linley. "Linley, so many Sovereigns appearing together—this is a sight that hasn't been seen in eons."
"There are indeed many Sovereigns." Linley swept his gaze across the area. Fifteen Sovereigns had already appeared above them!
Logically, the Destruction system of the Infernal Realm should have seven Sovereigns, yet fifteen were present here. There were Fire Sovereigns, Water Sovereigns, Light Sovereigns, Earth Sovereigns... it was indeed very lively. But under the pressure of so many Sovereigns' auras, Linley felt the strain.
"So uncomfortable," Bebe transmitted to Linley.
"Bear with it," Linley replied helplessly.
At that moment, the Sovereigns began to chat.
"Mr. Augustus, do you have the Overgod talisman?" the Sovereign with the golden flame imprint on his brow asked eagerly, as many Sovereigns focused on the Sovereign of Light.
The Sovereign of Light smiled calmly and didn't hide it. With a flip of his hand, the green paper appeared in his palm. "This is the Overgod talisman. There's no need to hide its contents." The Sovereign of Light openly let all the Sovereigns see the green paper. "Clearly, the news that spread in the Infernal Realm back then was true!"
A group of Sovereigns hovered in midair, buzzing with discussion.
The Overgod mission! Although some Sovereigns dared not hope for it, others were eager to take a chance! Even those who didn't dare to hope still took this matter very seriously. After reaching the Sovereign level, they had few pursuits left. The Overgod mission was what they valued most.
"Sovereign, you've already inspected my spatial ring. Now, do you believe what I said?" Linley said loudly.
"Inspect? Hmph, the two clones here are just that. You have another clone hiding in the Yulan continent. If you weren't afraid of Sovereigns investigating, why would your divine clone go to the Yulan continent?" The Sovereign of Light clearly wasn't about to let Linley go so easily.
"Linley's divine clone went to the Yulan continent?" Some Sovereigns exclaimed in surprise.
"With the Overgod talisman present, this news might indeed be true. That Linley might actually have the nine spirit pearls," another Sovereign asserted.
Linley looked at the group of Sovereigns hovering above, then fixed his gaze on the Sovereign of Light. "Sovereign, the Yulan continent is my homeland after all. What's wrong with returning home? Is it not allowed for me to go back after achieving Paragon status?"
"Allowed. Of course it's allowed," the Sovereign of Light said coldly. "Then now, do you dare to have your other divine clone come from the Yulan continent to the Infernal Realm?" In the Sovereign of Light's view, it was unlikely that Linley would entrust a treasure like the Overgod artifact to someone else. Ninety percent of the time, it was in one of Linley's clones' spatial rings.
Linley stared at the Sovereign of Light and shook his head. "No."
Hearing this, the Sovereign of Light sneered. "Oh, so it seems the nine spirit pearls really are with your other divine clone."
"This Linley doesn't dare to let his divine clone return to the Infernal Realm—there's definitely something wrong."
The lofty Sovereigns watched this scene with faint smiles. They were too lazy to intervene. Even the Bloodpeak Sovereign and the Amethyst Sovereign remained silent, saying nothing.
"Sovereign," Linley said coldly. "You are a Sovereign, yet you attack me based on fabricated news. Indeed, the Overgod mission might be real. But that news said the nine spirit pearls and the Overgod talisman were in my hands. Now, the Overgod talisman is in your hands!"
The group of Sovereigns looked at the Sovereign of Light as if watching a play.
"The Overgod talisman is useless to you; throwing it away is understandable," the Sovereign of Light said indifferently. "Linley, now, have your divine clone come here, or else..."
"Or else what?" Beirut spoke up, looking up at the Sovereign of Light. "Great Sovereign, are you threatening a god today?"
The Sovereign of Light glanced down coldly at Beirut, but Beirut still wore a smile.
"Linley, have your divine clone come over and let me inspect it," the Sovereign of Light said calmly. "Once I inspect it, I won't harm you." With a group of Sovereigns around, the Sovereign of Light didn't want to openly clash with a Paragon Highgod.
"Sovereign," Linley looked up coldly at the Sovereign. "It's not that I don't trust you. It's that your words make it impossible for me to trust you. You were just threatening me; how can I dare to let my divine clone come? If all my divine clones come and you kill them all in one go, I, Linley, wouldn't even have a chance to curse."
The Sovereign of Light's face darkened.
"My divine clone will not return to the Infernal Realm, but I swear that my divine clone absolutely does not have the nine spirit pearls," Linley declared loudly. "I, Linley, can swear an oath now! By the Overgod of Fate above, if my divine clone on the Yulan continent possesses the nine spirit pearls, may I die and have my soul scattered!"
Linley stared at the Sovereign of Light.
"Hmm?" The Sovereign of Light frowned slightly.
The surrounding Sovereigns either secretly discussed via divine sense or spoke directly to each other.
"Could it really be that he doesn't have them?" the Sovereign of Light wondered inwardly. "Maybe he hid them with his family or friends?" He then glanced at Bebe beside Linley and shouted, "Linley, the nine spirit pearls might not be on you, but perhaps you've hidden them with your family or friends. For example, the one beside you."
Linley's face turned ugly.
"Sovereign, if you want to inspect, go ahead," Linley said, looking at Bebe beside him. "Bebe, show your spatial ring to the Sovereign."
"Got it, Boss." Bebe didn't hesitate.
Seeing such straightforwardness, the Sovereign of Light said coldly, "Stop putting on an act. I know they're not on him or you. If they were, he would have gone to the Yulan continent too! Linley, I'm certain the nine spirit pearls are in the Yulan continent—either with your divine clone or your family."
The Sovereign of Light didn't know that the two artifacts were actually on Bebe!
"Sovereign, you want to inspect me—I let you! You suspect my divine clone—I swear by the Overgod's name! You suspect my brother—I let you inspect his spatial ring! Now, you suspect my family and friends! I suppose if I brought all my family and friends here for you to inspect, and you still found nothing, you'd say I hid the spatial rings somewhere in my homeland, the Yulan continent," Linley said gravely.
The Sovereign of Light was momentarily speechless.
"To avoid a bunch of trouble, let's be straightforward. Sovereign, just arrange for a group of Highgods to go to my homeland, the Yulan continent, and search," Linley said, his face dark. "I guarantee that my family, friends, and my divine clone will let your people inspect. You can even have your people search the entire Yulan continent—I have no objections."
The Sovereign of Light glanced at Beirut beside him.
Go to the Yulan continent?
As a Sovereign, he couldn't enter the Yulan continent. If it were a group of Highgods, wouldn't they have to obey Beirut's rules?
"Augustus, Linley has said his piece. Let it go. The part of the news about the Overgod mission is true, but the part about Linley is probably false," the Amethyst Sovereign said with a smile at that moment.
The Sovereign of Light glared coldly at Linley.
But inwardly, he was thinking: "Linley says this, ostensibly letting me search, but if I send people into Beirut's territory, how can I search? He's just saying that deliberately. He wouldn't dare hide the nine spirit pearls with ordinary people. It seems the nine spirit pearls are with Linley's family." The Sovereign of Light had already made up his mind.
"Linley!" the Sovereign of Light said coldly, looking down at him. "Don't play mind games with me. Have your family, friends, and that divine clone all come to the Infernal Realm. I swear by my name, Augustus, that I won't kill them. But if you refuse... then it's only death!"
Too much!
The Sovereign of Light kept pressuring Linley, and it was indeed excessive. Many Sovereigns present thought so, but they didn't want to offend the Sovereign of Light easily, so they just watched.
"Sovereign, if I let my family and friends come, but my divine clone doesn't, would that work?" Linley said coldly.
"Of course not," the Sovereign of Light said without hesitation.
In his view, if Linley's family and friends came, the nine spirit pearls would likely be transferred to Linley's divine clone.
"Haha..."
Linley below laughed in anger. "Sovereign! All the Sovereigns here have seen what I've done. I've yielded again and again, letting you inspect, swearing by the Overgod's name, even willing to let my family and friends come to the Infernal Realm—and what about you?"
"Your meaning is clear: you insist on all my divine clones coming!"
Linley was furious. "If I let my divine clones come to see you, can I still control my own life and death? You'd probably kill me whenever you wanted! I, Linley, am not that foolish. I've shown you enough respect today. All the Sovereigns have seen what I've done. If you still pressure me, what more do you want? I can only tell you: I can't do it!"
"If you want to use your Sovereign power to kill me, I have no way to resist. Go ahead," Linley said coldly, looking at the Sovereign of Light. "In my heart, Sovereigns are lofty, and I respect them greatly. But, Sovereign, I only want to say... don't make me look down on you!"
At these words, the Sovereign of Light's face darkened.
But Linley raised his head, staring at the Sovereign of Light, refusing to bow.
Linley understood that the more he retreated, the more the Sovereign of Light would press forward. For Linley... although handing over the nine spirit pearls could save his life, he couldn't do it. That was the hope of reviving Grandpa Doehring! Death would only mean the loss of his main body and one divine clone.
Was Grandpa Doehring's life worth less than his own main body and divine clone?
Back then, without Grandpa Doehring, he would have been just an ordinary warrior on the Yulan continent, unable to avenge his family. If not for Grandpa Doehring sacrificing himself, he would have been killed by the Radiant Church long ago!
Rather die than hand them over!
"Good. Very good!" The Sovereign of Light was so angry he wanted to kill Linley.
But Linley's words—"don't make me look down on you"—made the Sovereign of Light want to act but couldn't. With a group of Sovereigns watching, if he really killed Linley, he would lose face among them.
"I really don't understand," Bebe, standing beside Linley, said with a pout. "Just over thirty years ago, a Highgod named Brody, who refined a divine spark, appeared on the Muya continent. He got a Red Diamond Crystal and easily killed a Six-Star Demon with it. We all thought it was a treasure, but we weren't sure it was an Overgod artifact. Too bad Brody's main body probably left the Infernal Realm through a teleportation array long ago. Sigh, instead of looking for an Overgod artifact that actually appeared, you're targeting Linley, who doesn't have the nine spirit pearls, and demanding them. I really don't get it!"
"Brody? Red Diamond Crystal?"
The surrounding Sovereigns immediately buzzed with excitement.
"Did the Red Diamond Crystal really appear?" Many Sovereigns looked at Bebe.
"Of course!" Bebe said with absolute certainty. "Brody even used a Highgod clone to hold off a group of people. I think when he left the Infernal Realm, he only had a Demigod clone, and he brought his wife, who was just a God." Bebe said firmly.
"Muya, check it out quickly."
The Sovereigns looked at the Muya Sovereign, whose energy projection was here, while his main body was on the distant Muya continent. The Muya Sovereign immediately began to investigate.
Leaving aside the Sovereigns, the Sovereign of Light himself had a hint of murderous intent toward Linley. But with the other Sovereigns around, he didn't act.
Suddenly—
"Augustus, why have you come to the Infernal Realm?" A deep, low voice rang out.
At the same time, pure black energy appeared in midair, and a terrifying aura spread out, as if a ferocious beast was lurking there, then condensed into a figure. It was a figure completely shrouded in black light, its aura so intense that it even surpassed the Sovereign of Light.
"Sovereign!"
"Sovereign!"
Many Sovereigns immediately bowed. Clearly, the Destruction Sovereign's reputation was formidable.
Linley's heart trembled: "Destruction aura... Sovereign? The Destruction Sovereign? One of the legendary four most powerful rule Sovereigns?" Linley understood that such a strong aura meant the Destruction Sovereign had come in person. If it were an energy projection, it would have arrived earlier.
Linley tried to look at the Destruction Sovereign, but no matter what, he couldn't make out the figure's features within the black light.
"You've come too. Are you interested in this Overgod artifact?" The Sovereign of Light looked at him.
"Do you remember our agreement from over ten thousand years ago?" The Destruction Sovereign said indifferently.
"Of course I remember," the Sovereign of Light replied calmly.
"Good. Linley is my Sovereign's emissary. Don't push him too far," the Destruction Sovereign said calmly. At these words, the surrounding Sovereigns all looked at the Destruction Sovereign. Even the Amethyst Sovereign and the Bloodpeak Sovereign had surprise in their eyes. They hadn't known about this.
"His Sovereign's emissary?" Linley's heart shook.
"Yours?" The Sovereign of Light looked at the Destruction Sovereign, then nodded with a faint smile. "Very well. This matter ends here."
At that moment, the yellow-haired Muya Sovereign laughed loudly and said, "Sovereign, Mr. Augustus... everyone, I just did a quick investigation and indeed found something. Thirty-eight years ago, a Demigod and a God, a man and a woman, took a teleportation array to a material plane. Demigods and Gods using teleportation arrays are extremely rare, and in the time frame of over thirty years ago, there were only these two."
"Which material plane did they go to?" the Wind Sovereign Trelasia asked.
Many Sovereigns looked at the Muya Sovereign, including the Sovereign of Light! As for the Destruction Sovereign... Linley couldn't even see his true face, let alone where he was looking.
Linley's heart trembled: "A material plane?"
Finally, he knew where Brody had gone! There was hope for the Red Diamond Crystal!
"Haha, I don't have much interest in the Overgod artifact. I'll just tell you all. This man and woman went to a material plane called the O'kalon plane!" the Muya Sovereign announced loudly.
The Sovereigns immediately buzzed with discussion.
"Everyone... I'll be going back now." A low voice sounded, and the Destruction Sovereign's figure flickered and vanished from sight.
As soon as the Destruction Sovereign left, the other Sovereigns also dispersed one by one.
Clearly, the precise information about the Red Diamond Crystal had made the Sovereigns eager to act.
"Linley, will you go to the O'kalon plane?" The Sovereign of Light glanced down at Linley.
"Of course," Linley said firmly.
The Sovereign of Light sneered, and his figure flickered before disappearing.
In just a moment, all the Sovereigns had left, not a single one remaining.
"Linley?" Beirut smiled at Linley. "Are you really going to the O'kalon material plane?"
"Yes, I am. And I'm going immediately," Linley said.
Knowing it was the O'kalon material plane, Linley felt confident! Material planes—Sovereigns couldn't enter them. What was there to fear there? Even if other Paragon Highgods were sent by Sovereigns, now that he had fused four types of divine power, his strength had increased tenfold!
His body's toughness was probably close to that of a Sovereign artifact.
"The Red Diamond Crystal is mine," Linley thought, his heart burning with determination.
On the path to seize the Red Diamond Crystal, Linley would stop at nothing, killing gods who stood in his way! Whether Paragons or divine beasts, even if they were descendants of Sovereigns, anyone who blocked him would be shown no mercy!
For Grandpa Doehring...
Linley had burned his bridges and was ready to go all out.