Chapter 48: Success Achieved
Within the chaotic spatial turbulence, two figures, one cyan and one red, confronted each other.
"You are..." Tereisa carefully examined Qinghuo, "That lucky brat?"
"Lucky?" Qinghuo smiled and nodded, "Yes."
Qinghuo carefully appraised Tereisa. "Judging by your appearance, it seems you didn't gain any advantage in your battle against Beirut? A Lesser Sovereign who has reached Great Perfection, when faced with Beirut's ultimate technique, isn't all that impressive."
"He, he's simply a madman," Tereisa said, fury rising within him as he recalled the battle with Beirut.
Beirut struck with his staff, blow after blow, like surging waves, unending and continuous.
Like a madman, he recklessly smashed away.
Tereisa could only barely manage to avoid defeat.
"This Beirut's Sovereign artifact also holds an advantage," Tereisa mused silently to himself.
Sovereign artifacts were ordinary weapons, nurtured by a Sovereign's will and Sovereign power over an immense span of time, eventually being born.
However, the Sovereign artifacts that were born generally had no distinction in quality. Unless, of course, the base materials themselves differed greatly.
For example, one Sovereign's artifact might be made from very common ore.
While Beirut's Sovereign artifact was made from the essence of divine sparks.
Comparing the two Sovereign artifacts, there was naturally some disparity!
As a divine beast, the Soul Devouring Rat, Beirut's incredibly powerful body, combined with his Sovereign might, made his material attacks terrifying. His innate divine ability, Soul Devour, also made his soul defense extremely formidable. As a fellow Lesser Sovereign... even if his opponent had reached Great Perfection in the laws, it was difficult to defeat Beirut.
"Beirut's talent is extraordinary, comparable to the Four Divine Beasts, but what about you? Do you think you can stop me?" Tereisa flipped his hand, and the icy crescent blade appeared in his grasp once more.
"Oh?" Qinghuo smiled faintly. A fiery red long spear suddenly appeared in his hand. The sharp energy contained in the spear's tip even caused the surrounding spatial turbulence to collapse and scatter.
"Come on——" Qinghuo suddenly grinned. His right arm, holding the spear, trembled, and the space for a hundred miles around began to swirl like a vortex.
Leaving aside the fierce battle between Qinghuo and Tereisa, Beirut and the other two were currently exerting all their strength, rushing towards the Yulan Plane at maximum speed.
"Fortunately, Qinghuo is fast enough. Although I'm carrying you two, it seems that the Sovereign of Light can't catch up," Beirut said, his divine sense also detecting the distance between the Sovereign of Light and themselves. Based on their relative speeds, it was easy to determine if the other party could catch up.
"Lord Beirut, how did Mr. Reylin also become a Sovereign?" Linley asked, full of doubt. "Back then, in the Planar Battlefield, wasn't Mr. Reylin just at Great Perfection?"
"Mr. Reylin is a Sovereign, so back in the Planar Battlefield, when Magnus killed my boss, why didn't he come sooner?" Bebe asked, puzzled.
"Qinghuo is like me. His Sovereign avatar simply didn't dare to enter other divine planes or higher planes," Beirut said with a sigh.
"The Qinghuo who appeared in the Planar Battlefield back then was only his original body and his earth avatar. His fire-type Sovereign avatar remained in the Yulan Plane," Beirut explained with a smile.
"Original body?" Linley understood instantly.
Qinghuo should have three bodies: one was his Saint-level original body, one was a fire-type avatar, and one was an earth-type avatar. Qinghuo's fire-type avatar had become a Sovereign. As for his Saint-level original body, after fusing with his earth-type avatar, it naturally possessed the divine domain of a Highgod. As for Sovereign power... he could simply borrow it from his Sovereign avatar.
As for the profound mysteries of the laws, the Saint-level original body naturally understood the fire-type laws.
As for the might of will...
Once one became a Sovereign, the might of will of the Sovereign avatar was the strongest. The might of will of other divine avatars was much weaker, but still close to that of Great Perfection.
"No wonder," Linley sighed inwardly.
"Grandpa Beirut, you still haven't said how Mr. Reylin became a Sovereign," Bebe pressed.
"This..." Beirut hesitated slightly, then shook his head. "This matter is very troublesome and can't be explained clearly in a short time. When we get to the Yulan Plane, I'll tell you in detail... Qinghuo and I have been training Linley all along. With your current strength, Linley, it's about enough."
Linley felt a pang of doubt in his heart, but this was a time of escape, not for detailed discussion. They continued flying.
"Whoosh, whoosh..." The spatial turbulence flowed, and spatial cracks split open.
Linley and the other two had been traveling for a long time and were nearing the Yulan Continent plane. Just then, a streak of energy rapidly approached from behind.
"Linley, Bebe." A gentle voice sounded, and the figure quickly caught up.
"Mr. Reylin." Linley and Bebe looked over. The newcomer was Qinghuo Reylin.
Qinghuo was a Sovereign. Moreover, he was at Great Perfection. Fire-type experts were also skilled in speed... Naturally, Qinghuo's speed was a bit faster than Beirut's. Plus, Beirut was carrying two people, making him even slower. It was only natural that Qinghuo could catch up.
"Qinghuo, how was Tereisa? Quite troublesome, wasn't he?" Beirut asked with a smile.
"A wind-type Great Perfection Sovereign is naturally a bit troublesome," Qinghuo said with a faint smile. "But I am also a Great Perfection Sovereign. I can't do anything to him, and he can't do anything to me. Now that I've come over and the two of us are here, that Tereisa certainly won't come looking for trouble."
"You are both at Great Perfection, but I..." Beirut sighed. "Great Perfection is indeed very difficult to cultivate."
"It is very difficult," Linley agreed, nodding.
Although he publicly claimed to be at Great Perfection, Linley knew... his strength wasn't due to Great Perfection, but because of the soul mutation of his four avatars.
"Haha..." Beirut suddenly laughed. "Ahead is the Yulan Plane. That Sovereign of Light has been chasing behind us the whole time, simply wasting his effort." Beirut was very pleased. As he spoke, their group of four had already approached the edge of the distant, grand plane.
Linley's eyes lit up. They flew out of the center of the spatial turbulence and approached the edge of the plane.
"The Yulan Plane, we've finally arrived!" Linley felt an extreme surge of excitement.
Having reached the Yulan Plane, he could finally summon the Overgod in safety. Moreover, here in the Yulan Plane were his loved ones, his brothers...
"Haha, Augustus! We've arrived. You've been rushing without a moment's rest, but in the end, you still didn't make it in time." Beirut, leaning against the edge of the plane, looked into the distance and transmitted his divine sense. "You had such a rare opportunity, but you couldn't seize it. How utterly useless."
In the spatial turbulence, still a considerable distance away, the Sovereign of Light, Augustus, stood amidst the chaos, his expression grim.
"This Tereisa is truly useless," Augustus thought to himself.
But he also understood that the appearance of the other Sovereign, Qinghuo, meant that Tereisa simply couldn't hold Beirut back.
"Beirut, don't be so smug. No matter how smug you are, you can only cower in the Yulan Plane. If you have the guts... let your Sovereign avatar come to the Infernal Realm, come to the Divine Light Plane." The Sovereign of Light, Augustus, transmitted his taunt. "A cowardly rat, and yet you dare to be arrogant."
Beirut, however, was not angered at all.
"I am a cowardly rat; I am originally a Soul Devouring Rat!" Beirut transmitted back with a laugh. "This Soul Devouring Rat of mine especially likes divine sparks, and Sovereign sparks too... I'm really sorry about back then, haha..." Beirut was extremely pleased.
Hearing this, Augustus's expression grew even uglier.
"Linley, Bebe, let's go. Time to go home." Beirut laughed heartily. "Let Augustus fume with anger. It's best if he dies of rage."
Augustus's divine sense covered the area, so he naturally heard this, which only infuriated him further. But he and Beirut were already irreconcilable; even if Beirut said nice things, Augustus wouldn't let him off. So, it was better to just anger Augustus as much as possible.
"Oh, time to go home!" Bebe cheered as well.
Immediately, Beirut, Qinghuo, Linley, and Bebe passed through the spatial boundary and entered the Yulan Continent plane.
Above the vastest Southern Sea of the Yulan Plane, the group of four flew freely.
"Haha, thinking about the look on Augustus's face, I feel so good!" Beirut laughed heartily.
"We're finally back. It's all over." Linley felt as if he had fallen into a dream; everything was so wonderful.
"Mr. Reylin, ahead is the continent you built, right?" Bebe pointed to a distant continent. This continent was built by Qinghuo back then using his earth-type avatar. After years of construction by Qinghuo, it was much larger than the Yulan Continent.
Moreover, back then, Beirut and Qinghuo had together moved tens of millions of humans and a large number of magical beasts and other lifeforms from the Yulan Continent to this continent.
Nearly three thousand years had passed, and the population on this continent had multiplied to several billion.
"Lord Beirut, I need to confess something to you," Linley said honestly.
"Hmm?" Beirut looked at Linley.
"I have three Overgod talismans." Linley did not conceal anything. He felt a great deal of gratitude towards Beirut. Furthermore... he was about to summon the Overgod. At this point, there was no need to hide it anymore.
"Three?" Beirut and Qinghuo were both greatly shocked.
Bebe also nodded and grinned. "It's three. The news Mold spread back then wasn't entirely false. Those nine spirit pearls did fall into my boss's hands. As for that Black Iron Crown... Bebe and I were lucky enough to find it in the Planar Battlefield."
"Haha... the heavens are helping us!" Beirut suddenly burst into laughter.
"Haha, wonderful, Beirut, this is truly wonderful!" Qinghuo couldn't help but laugh as well.
Linley and Bebe exchanged a glance.
What was going on? Why were Beirut and Qinghuo so ecstatic just because he had obtained three talismans?
"Linley." Beirut's eyes shone. He was as excited as a pauper seeing billions of wealth. "Since you have these three talismans, when you summon the Overgod soon, remember, you must ask for an Overgod artifact. As for what kind of Overgod artifact... either a material defense Overgod artifact or an attack Overgod artifact. These two are the best. Choose whichever you want!"
"Yes," Qinghuo also urged Linley. "Choose an Overgod artifact! This is a rare opportunity."
"Linley, you really are ruthless, keeping it hidden all this time... Yes, you did the right thing. Getting an Overgod artifact, doing this is absolutely right. Haha... I only thought you had at most two Overgod talismans. Who would have thought you actually had three!" Beirut was very excited.
"An Overgod artifact... wonderful!" Qinghuo couldn't help but praise.
Linley was somewhat stunned. Then he smiled bitterly. "Lord Beirut, Mr. Reylin, I'm truly sorry. I don't plan to ask for an Overgod artifact!"
Beirut and Qinghuo's laughter abruptly stopped. Their expressions froze as they stared at Linley in shock.
"Linley, what did you say?" Beirut was very shocked.
Beside him, Bebe quickly said, "Grandpa Beirut, my boss fought so hard for these Overgod talismans back then because he has always wanted to revive Grandpa Delin. Grandpa Delin is very important to my boss."
"Delin Kuiwote?" Beirut couldn't believe it. He urgently tried to persuade him. "Linley, I know about your relationship with Delin Kuiwote. But he's already dead, his soul scattered. Perhaps the Overgod can revive him. But... he's just a Saint-level. For him, you would waste such a precious opportunity? This is an Overgod mission! You can get an Overgod artifact!" Beirut was very anxious.
"Linley, you can't waste this opportunity. An Overgod mission like this only happens once in countless eons. Even if there is a next time, you might not be able to complete it again," Qinghuo also urged anxiously.
Linley looked at Beirut and Qinghuo, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
"I'm sorry..."
Linley sighed. "Lord Beirut, indeed, in my heart, I also pursue the pinnacle of cultivation. But an Overgod artifact's place in my heart can never compare to Grandpa Delin. Not to mention an Overgod artifact, even if I had to give up my soul mutation ability, I wouldn't hesitate. In my heart... Grandpa Delin is as important as a parent, and he is also my true teacher!"
Family, teacher, guide...
That was the position Delin Kuiwote held in Linley's heart.
"Linley, you can't be so emotional. This is a rare opportunity! An Overgod artifact! Even a Sovereign covets such a treasure!" Beirut urged.
"Linley, you can't miss this opportunity," Qinghuo also said anxiously.
But Linley shook his head firmly, apologizing with regret. "Lord Beirut, if it weren't for Grandpa Delin, I would probably just be an ordinary mortal, perhaps unable to even avenge my family. An Overgod artifact... is precious. But I ask for nothing else, only that Grandpa Delin can come back to life. I hope you can understand, Lord Beirut." Linley bowed solemnly.
"This..." Qinghuo didn't know what to say.
Qinghuo and Beirut exchanged a glance. Beirut sighed helplessly. "Alright, Linley, I understand your thoughts. This Overgod mission was completed by you. I won't force you! You decide for yourself."
"I'm sorry..." Linley bowed again.
Hearing this, Beirut and Qinghuo could only smile wryly. It was clear that Linley had made up his mind, choosing to save Delin Kuiwote!
"Overgod." Linley took a deep breath and began to retrieve the three talismans. The Overgod was a manifestation of the rules. Countless planes operated under the constraints of the rules... The rules were, naturally, omnipresent. So, it could be said that the Overgod was omnipresent.
Material planes had the Overgod, spatial turbulence had the Overgod, and higher planes also had the Overgod. The Overgod was everywhere!
The Overgod was not a human, not a living being.
It was the rules!
Therefore, it could appear anywhere. One could summon the Overgod anywhere. "I hope it succeeds." Linley thought silently to himself. The image of Grandpa Delin appeared in his mind. At the same time, the Black Iron Crown embedded with the nine spirit pearls and the Red Ling Crystal suddenly appeared in Linley's hand. Seeing this, Beirut and Qinghuo could only smile wryly.
The Black Iron Crown floated up, and the Red Ling Crystal also floated up.
"Whoosh!" The Red Ling Crystal flew into the remaining central indentation on the Black Iron Crown. Instantly, the three talismans were finally perfectly united.
The Crown of Life appeared!
Suddenly, the green-glowing Crown of Life floated in mid-air, emitting thousands of green rays of light, causing even the sun to pale in comparison for a moment.
"Rumble..." The heavens and earth began to tremble.
A blurry figure gradually materialized, releasing a terrifying aura. The Crown of Life immediately flew over and landed on the blurry figure's head. The powerful aura forced even Beirut and Qinghuo to bow in submission. Linley's eyes lit up uncontrollably; he understood the identity of the figure before him.
"The Overgod of Life!"