Chapter 43: Furious and Frustrated
“You… are a Supreme Paragon Upper God?”
This question was not only the doubt troubling Clementine’s mind. Even the other seven Supreme Paragon Upper Gods flying toward them from afar were filled with shock and disbelief! Linley, without undergoing his Dragonform transformation, had been able to severely wound Clementine using a Sovereign artifact.
What level of strength was this?
It was absolutely more than ten times greater! More than ten times that of an invincible Supreme Paragon. Below the level of Sovereigns, was there such a person? And this was without Dragonform transformation. Once he transformed, how many times stronger would Linley be compared to a Supreme Paragon? Linley’s existence was simply an inconceivable miracle.
“Supreme Paragon?” Linley raised an eyebrow.
“Could it be… that you’ve made another breakthrough? Are you saying that after we reach Supreme Paragon, we can still break through further?” Clementine asked hurriedly. The Sovereign’s relics held little appeal for Supreme Paragons. Having reached the Supreme Paragon realm, they had lost their motivation. They believed they had reached the pinnacle. Each of them lived freely, either hiding from the world or ruling over a region.
But upon seeing Linley, these Supreme Paragons realized that it seemed they still had room for improvement!
Instantly, their hearts burned with fervor!
“No, even if we are both Supreme Paragons, can’t I be dozens or even a hundred times stronger than you?” Linley said with a faint smile.
“Uh…” Clementine was momentarily speechless. “You… is it because of your body?”
“Correct. I am a Supreme Paragon, but what makes me stronger than you is my body! My body is comparable to a Sovereign artifact.” Linley smiled slightly. Even now, Linley was not ready to reveal the secret.
“This… a body comparable to a Sovereign artifact? This is simply… how could this be!”
Clementine understood completely!
Both were Supreme Paragons. Both used Sovereign power. In theory, their strength should be equal. But Linley’s body was as powerful as a Sovereign artifact. Such an incredibly powerful body allowed Linley’s material attacks to be dozens, even nearly a hundred times stronger than an ordinary Supreme Paragon’s!
“What’s impossible about that? Take Heimers, for example. Although he hasn’t reached Supreme Paragon, his natural talent is terrifying. His pure material attacks are already close to a Supreme Paragon’s. Tell me, if he reached Supreme Paragon and gained the power of will, wouldn’t his material attacks far surpass yours?” Linley said with a faint smile.
Without becoming a Supreme Paragon, he was already that strong. If he became one, Heimers would absolutely surpass the Supreme Paragon level.
“I understand.” Clementine let out a long sigh.
“Linley, you are the number one person below the Sovereigns in countless years.” Clementine looked at Linley, his gaze complex.
Clementine understood Linley’s reasoning, but among the other Supreme Paragons, not a single one possessed a body comparable to a Sovereign artifact.
One must understand that across countless planes, over countless years, the number of beings whose bodies could rival Sovereign artifacts was very few. Heimers barely counted as one, and Beirut counted as another… altogether, there were less than ten! Across all the countless planes combined, less than ten. Among these terrifyingly talented individuals, how likely was it for one to become a Supreme Paragon? Was it possible?
Supreme Paragons—across countless planes over countless years, from an incalculable number of various lifeforms and races—the total number was unimaginably vast. And yet, only a little over twenty Supreme Paragons had appeared.
The probability was incredibly low! It could be said to be infinitely close to zero.
People like Heimers and Beirut numbered less than ten in total. For one of them to become a Supreme Paragon was unrealistic.
In fact, according to the laws of heaven’s balance, those with such immense talent would find cultivation extremely difficult. Not to mention Beirut, Heimers, and the like—even the ancestors of the Four Divine Beasts clan had not reached Supreme Paragon.
Heaven was fair!
If Linley had developed normally, he would never have become this strong. He could never have possessed a body comparable to a Sovereign artifact!
But he had succeeded in soul mutation with four divine clones!
Linley’s powerful body was not innate. It was forged later through fused divine power!
From the moment his four divine souls successfully mutated, a miracle was destined to be born!
Linley’s willpower and fused divine power, surpassing that of a Supreme Paragon, compensated for his deficiencies in comprehending profound laws, allowing him to rival a Supreme Paragon. And his body, as powerful as a Sovereign artifact, made him far surpass these Supreme Paragons.
“Clementine, you’ve asked your questions. Now, give me the Redbud Crystal Diamond.” Linley stared at Clementine.
“I had intended to offer it to the Sovereign, but forget it.” Clementine flipped his hand, and a Redbud Crystal Diamond appeared in his palm. Holding it, Clementine smiled at Linley. “This Redbud Crystal Diamond does have some unique effects for nurturing the soul. But for us Supreme Paragons, it’s useless.”
Clementine casually tossed the Redbud Crystal Diamond to Linley. The effects diminished progressively.
If a mortal held the Redbud Crystal Diamond, it could strengthen their soul to the Saint-level in a short time.
If a Demigod held it, they would feel their soul grow stronger. A Demigod could even kill an ordinary God. But if a God held it, their soul would not strengthen further.
The amplification of power worked the same way. The stronger the user, the weaker the amplification.
The Redbud Crystal Diamond was merely a relic. It was not a Sovereign artifact. Although its effects were special, it was not an invincible treasure.
When Brodie held it, he could kill Six-Star Fiends.
But when Molde held the nine spirit pearls, facing Linley—before Linley had even broken through with fused divine power—he had nearly been finished off.
The improvement in strength was already minimal.
For a Supreme Paragon, whether in soul or body, after fusing with the power of will, they reached the pinnacle of what an ordinary god could achieve. Even holding the Redbud Crystal Diamond or the nine spirit pearls, they would at most amplify their power by ten or twenty percent, at best. A ten to twenty percent increase in recovery power was useless when facing a gap in strength of dozens of times.
“This healing effect is negligible for a Supreme Paragon.” Linley reached out and caught the tossed Redbud Crystal Diamond. A gentle energy seeped into Linley’s body, enveloping his soul, just like when he had held the nine spirit pearls. This nurturing ability had no effect on Linley’s powerful soul.
On the surface, Linley appeared calm, but inside, he was trembling with tension.
“Redbud Crystal Diamond, this is definitely the Redbud Crystal Diamond!” Linley roared inwardly. “I have obtained all three relics!”
In his mind, Linley still vividly remembered the scene from his childhood—that day, a dreamlike light flew out from the Coiling Dragon Ring, and an old man in a moon-white robe with white hair and beard appeared: “Hello, little one. I am Doehring Cowart, a Saint-level magus of the Pruem Empire!”
From that day on, his fate had begun to change.
Linley would never forget the moment Doehring Cowart burned his soul to cast a forbidden spell to save him. That was also the most painful moment of his life.
“Grandpa Doehring… soon, I will be able to see you again.” Linley said silently in his heart.
Linley was eager to immediately combine the three relics to form the Life Crown and summon the Life Sovereign. But he was not carried away by ecstasy: “Now is not the time to combine the three relics. If I summon the Life Sovereign now, the Sovereigns will immediately know that I possess all three relics. That would be disastrous!”
If the Sovereigns learned that a god like Linley had obtained all three relics, what would be the consequences?
Linley didn’t even dare to think about it.
“Even if the Sovereigns know I have one Sovereign’s relic, just one wouldn’t drive a group of Sovereigns mad. But if they know I have all three, they will absolutely go berserk with rage. Once I return to the Yulan Plane, I can summon the Life Sovereign then. Even if the Sovereigns are furious, at worst, I’ll just stay in the Yulan Plane and never come out again.” Linley made a decisive decision in his heart.
At that moment…
Above the surging ocean, other figures flew over at extreme speed.
Linley glanced at Clementine, then turned to look. The newcomers were the other seven Supreme Paragons and Bebe. Bebe was being carried along by Dannington.
“Linley, congratulations.” A hearty laugh rang out. It was Dannington.
“Becoming a Supreme Paragon is one thing, but having a body as tough as a Sovereign artifact is another.” The four-meter-tall, green-haired giant spoke with a hint of envy in his tone. The conversation between Linley and Clementine had already been heard by the other seven Supreme Paragons, including Bebe.
“Linley, I remember that during the Planar War, your body wasn’t this strong. How did it become like this now?” The wind-type Supreme Paragon, Baez, stared at Linley.
“Can the body be cultivated to this level?” The other Supreme Paragons all looked at Linley.
Who wouldn’t want a powerful body?
Having a defensive Sovereign artifact was like having a shield. But a body comparable to a Sovereign artifact meant that the body itself possessed the terrifying power to overturn seas and tear apart the heavens.
“I went through many experiences to reach this level.” Linley glossed over it with a vague statement.
The other Supreme Paragons exchanged glances and didn’t press further.
“Everyone, you’re not going to try to take my Redbud Crystal Diamond again, are you?” Linley said teasingly.
“Fight you? That would be suicide.” The lightning-type Supreme Paragon, Ninisha, still had a cold voice, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. “I don’t have Clementine’s defensive Sovereign artifact. You’d need to use Dragonform to kill him. But against me, you wouldn’t even need to transform.”
“Forget it. Seeing your speed and attack power, I know we have no hope for the Redbud Crystal Diamond.” Dannington also laughed.
The group of Supreme Paragons all had smiles on their faces.
They had only been entrusted by the Sovereigns to seize the Redbud Crystal Diamond. If they could seize it, they would go all out. Seeing that there was no hope, they naturally gave up. There was no disappointment or discouragement in their hearts. After all, the Sovereign’s relics were useless to Supreme Paragons.
“Boss, boss.” Bebe quickly came to Linley’s side and winked at him. “Everything’s settled, right? Can we leave this place now?”
Linley smiled. “Of course we can leave.”
Linley swept his gaze over the eight Supreme Paragons before him and said with a smile, “Everyone, the competition for the Redbud Crystal Diamond ends here. I don’t want to stay in the Oaken Plane any longer. Bebe and I will take our leave now.”
But at that moment—
“Hm?” Linley turned his head to look.
A terrifying energy was forming above the ocean. The sky changed color, and thunder rumbled. Then, it seemed even the sun in the sky lost its luster. The terrifying energy emitted a dazzling white light before gradually condensing into a massive figure.
That familiar aura…
“The Light Sovereign!” Linley’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Linley!” A majestic voice, like thunder, resounded across heaven and earth. The massive humanoid figure, over ten meters tall, materialized. Its form was that of the Light Sovereign, but enlarged.
“Sovereign.” Linley looked at the Light Sovereign with a smile.
“Apologies, Linley. I had already assured the Light Sovereign that I had obtained the Redbud Crystal Diamond. Given this turn of events, I naturally had to inform the Sovereign.” Clementine transmitted his message casually.
“I understand.” Linley understood Clementine’s predicament.
The Light Sovereign looked down coldly at Linley below, his gaze also sweeping over the other eight Supreme Paragons, including Bebe.
The Light Sovereign was furious. Because of Clementine’s dual preparations, the Light Sovereign’s main body had directly stepped from the Light Plane into the chaotic void and was now traveling through the vast chaotic void toward the Oaken Plane. However, the four Higher Planes and the seven Divine Planes were clustered together.
The countless ordinary material planes were also grouped together, but they were relatively remote.
Traveling all the way there, even at the Light Sovereign’s speed, he had only covered less than a tenth of the distance by now. One could imagine how far away it was.
Originally, the Light Sovereign had been full of hope and joy, taking the trouble to travel there. But who would have thought that halfway there, he would receive this news? The Redbud Crystal Diamond had been taken by Linley!
If Clementine hadn’t obtained it in the first place, it would have been one thing.
But Clementine had obtained it first, and the Light Sovereign was overjoyed, already considering the Redbud Crystal Diamond as his own. Now that it had been taken, he was naturally furious. Adding to that the long journey through the chaotic void, he was even more enraged.
“Linley, you…” The Light Sovereign was about to speak.
“Sovereign.” Linley interrupted the Light Sovereign, speaking with a puzzled tone. “In a material plane, are you trying to stop me with just this weak projection clone?”