Chapter 13: Punishment
The vast void. Chaotic spatial streams.
Two beams of rainbow light shot toward a figure in a blue robe standing in the void.
“Grandpa Beirut, Qinghuo,” Linley said with a smile as he looked at the two.
“How do you feel after refining the Overgod spark?” Beirut immediately asked via divine telepathy. Qinghuo, standing beside him, also inquired anxiously, “How much has your strength increased?”
The goal of this operation was to make Linley strong enough to surpass the Radiant Sovereign.
“I feel… very good!” A smile appeared on Linley’s face. “After refining the third Overgod spark, my willpower has grown stronger again. After fusing the three types of divine power, my fused divine power is about a hundred times more powerful than ordinary divine power. Just in terms of willpower and fused divine power, I surpass an ordinary Sovereign by ten times!”
Indeed, Linley’s four clones, having undergone soul mutation, possessed a single portion of willpower.
Compared to an ordinary Lesser Sovereign, Linley had refined two additional Overgod sparks, gaining two more portions of willpower. Adding them together, he had three extra portions of willpower.
The difference between a Lesser Sovereign and a Middle Sovereign, and between a Middle Sovereign and a High Sovereign, was generally a hundredfold, which equated to roughly two portions of willpower.
Additionally, his fused divine power was a hundred times stronger.
Now—
Without considering the profundities of the laws, just based on his willpower and energy alone, Linley was ten times stronger than an ordinary Sovereign!
“Among the four Overgods of the Edicts, some have achieved Great Perfection, and their Overgod artifacts are attuned to their attributes. I’m not entirely confident I can defeat them, but I’m confident I can survive against them,” Linley transmitted. “As for dealing with the Radiant Sovereign, Augusta… hmph. His Overgod artifact isn’t attuned to his attribute either. I’m confident I can kill him.”
Overgods only governed the four Edicts.
Overgod artifacts could only have attributes of the four Edicts. Of course, neither Linley nor Augusta were perfectly attuned to their Overgod artifacts.
“Haha…” Beirut and Qinghuo exchanged glances and couldn’t help but laugh.
They laughed joyfully, excitedly.
“Nearly twenty thousand years!” Beirut was barely able to contain his excitement. “Since becoming a Sovereign, I’ve been hiding in the Yulan Plane for nearly twenty thousand years. Haha… finally, I can walk out safely.”
“No more need to fear that Augusta,” Qinghuo said with a long sigh of relief.
“Augusta!” Linley harbored a killing intent in his heart.
That Radiant Sovereign, Augusta, had to be killed when the opportunity arose. Once Augusta was dead, there would be no obstacle to saving his mother. He believed that the other Radiant Sovereigns wouldn’t dare to obstruct him, Linley.
While they were joyfully together, the Wind Sovereign, Dyer, who was flying toward them at high speed, wore a grim expression. Dyer had golden hair like flames, with faint cyan halos flowing at the edges. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s.
After all, his true form was the divine beast, the Azure-Winged Golden Eagle.
“Too arrogant!” Dyer’s anger surged. “I shouted to stop him repeatedly, yet Linley still forcibly killed Telesia!”
“And his weapon just now—”
A faint glint of light flashed in Dyer’s golden pupils.
Dyer’s divine sense had an extremely wide range, so he had naturally detected Linley’s Life Overgod Sword earlier. “It’s an Overgod artifact! And it’s of the Life attribute. Without a doubt, the seventh Overgod quest since the creation of the universe has been completed by him. The Overgod artifact falling into his hands is a waste. If I obtained it, with my strength…”
Dyer couldn’t help but harbor thoughts of seizing the treasure.
This wasn’t surprising. At the level of a Sovereign, very few things could attract him. The Overgod artifact was one of the most tempting.
“Sovereign, Linley killed Telesia and even refined that Wind-type Overgod spark! This behavior is too excessive!” Other Wind Sovereigns transmitted to Dyer.
“Sovereign, I think we should capture Linley and let the four Overgods of the Edicts judge him.”
There were seven Wind Sovereigns in total. As the Sovereign, Dyer was naturally the leader of this system.
Usually, when a Sovereign spoke, the other Sovereigns would respectfully obey.
Even someone as unruly as Telesia treated the Wind Sovereign, Dyer, with great respect. Over countless years, Dyer had grown accustomed to being above others. The only ones who could stand on equal footing with him were the other ten Sovereigns. Linley’s disregard for his orders naturally made Dyer feel humiliated.
Killing Telesia and refining the Overgod spark was like slapping Dyer in the face.
Coupled with the allure of the Overgod artifact, Dyer quickly made a decision.
“So domineering and reckless! Slaughtering other Sovereigns is too excessive. You few, quickly spread this news to the other Sovereigns, especially the four Overgods of the Edicts! It must be passed on… Linley has violated the pact of the Sovereigns and should be dealt with by the four Overgods,” the Wind Sovereign, Dyer, commanded.
“Yes, Sovereign.” The other Sovereigns each tore through the void and returned to the Wind Plane, rapidly spreading the message and notifying the Sovereigns of other systems.
“Hmph, this Linley…” The Wind Sovereign, Dyer, stared into the distance with his golden pupils, his figure streaking across the void at extreme speed.
The surrounding multicolored spatial currents flowed rapidly, while Linley and the other two chatted cheerfully.
“The Wind Sovereign, Dyer, is here,” Linley transmitted to Beirut and Qinghuo.
At that moment, a beam of cyan light shot over from afar. In an instant, it stopped about a hundred meters away from Linley, transforming into a tall figure. Dyer was clad in a green robe with gold trim, his chin slightly raised, and his cold gaze swept over them with a hint of arrogance.
“Linley, do you know your crime?” Dyer said coldly.
“My crime? What crime do I have? Even if I did, what does it have to do with you, Dyer?” Linley looked calmly at Dyer in the distance, showing no trace of deference.
Dyer was instantly enraged.
“Linley, you’ve refined a Wind-type Overgod spark, making you a Wind Lesser Sovereign, a subordinate Sovereign under my command! And now, what kind of attitude is this?” Dyer berated via divine telepathy.
Dyer wasn’t wrong.
Every ten thousand years, the seven systems of laws and four systems of Edicts would have planar wars. During these wars, the Sovereigns would coordinate and command, and the Sovereigns under them would obediently follow orders. After all, the gap in strength was clear. Any Sovereign of a system was considered the leader of the seven Sovereigns in that system.
When subordinates met their leader, they should naturally show respect.
“Sorry, I, Linley, haven’t only refined a Wind-type Overgod spark. I’ve also refined an Earth-type Overgod spark and a Water-type Overgod spark! So, am I also a subordinate Sovereign under the Earth Sovereign and the Water Sovereign? Haha, I, Linley, alone, have to be commanded by three Sovereigns?” Linley said with a laugh.
“Three Overgod sparks?” Dyer was startled.
Refining an additional Overgod spark strengthened one’s willpower by one portion. Linley’s strength was thus evident.
“Having refined three Overgod sparks, his willpower should be on par with a Middle Sovereign. And since his Overgod artifact isn’t attuned to his attribute, he might not necessarily be a match for me.” Dyer quickly made a decision.
“What, you killed a Sovereign and still act so arrogantly?” Dyer roared in anger. “Surrender immediately and come with me to see the Sovereigns.”
“Surrender? I’m afraid I can’t do that…” Linley had just begun to speak when—
“Hmph. Now that you’ve refined three Overgod sparks, with your cold personality, I suspect you’ll continue slaughtering other Sovereigns. Since you refuse to surrender, then—” The Wind Sovereign, Dyer, snorted coldly, his figure instantly transforming into a streak of cyan light, shooting toward Linley.
Beirut and Qinghuo quickly scattered to the sides, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
“Let’s use you as a test first,” Linley thought to himself, calmly watching the enemy approach.
The Wind Sovereign, Dyer, held a long and a short javelin in each hand. Moving at extreme speed, Dyer suddenly spun his entire body, and the short golden javelin in his hand shot out with a spin, creating spiraling spatial ripples in its wake.
Strangely, the space didn’t shatter.
“Energy condensed but not released?” Linley was secretly alarmed. No Sovereign should be underestimated.
Linley produced the Life Overgod Sword in his hand. Without hesitation, like a dragon emerging from its lair, Linley’s Life Overgod Sword, though its tip was fine, pressed forward like a mountain. With perfect precision, the tip of Linley’s Life Overgod Sword collided with the tip of the incoming javelin!
“Bang!”
At the moment of impact, the energy contained within the javelin exploded instantly, while the power of Linley’s Life Overgod Sword also erupted—the Earth Law’s Earth Collapse!
After five thousand years of cultivation, Linley had fused five types of profundities in the Earth Law, creating three techniques with progressively increasing power. Under normal circumstances, Linley wouldn’t use fused law attacks. These three techniques were for everyday use, concealing his true strength. They were Earth Split, Earth Collapse, and the most powerful, Earth Shatter.
“Whoosh!” The golden javelin was knocked back, and Linley himself was sent flying backward.
“So he blocked my attack.” The Wind Sovereign, Dyer, gave a cold smile, shooting forward and snatching the short golden javelin out of the air.
Holding a javelin in each hand, Dyer closed in like lightning.
Linley focused, ready to respond.
“Caw——”
Suddenly, when Dyer was about a hundred meters away from Linley, he let out a piercing screech. At the same time, a terrifying divine eagle phantom, tens of thousands of meters long, appeared behind him. The eagle, adorned with a golden crown, looked down haughtily, its golden eyes coldly fixed on Linley.
Divine ability—Demon Sound!
“Ah!” Linley felt as if a heavy hammer had slammed into his soul. The attack was so powerful that even the membrane of the Coiling Dragon ring trembled and cracked.
“Die!”
After unleashing his divine ability, Dyer appeared right in front of Linley, spinning like a whirlwind, thrusting both javelins—one long, one short—directly at Linley.
“Annihilation!”
Dyer unleashed his strongest attack.
The two javelins, like venomous dragons, lunged at Linley. But at that moment, Linley’s eyes, which had seemed dim, suddenly sharpened like blades!
“Humm, humm, humm…” The Life Overgod Sword began to tremble.
“What’s happening?” Dyer was shocked, feeling a terrifying binding force enveloping him.
The strongest of the three techniques, Earth Shatter, could be considered an advanced version of Inch of Land, a Foot of Sky. Combining the power of five fused profundities, its might was comparable to Linley’s sword intent attack.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
The collisions continued. Within a ten-meter radius, space completely collapsed. Dyer was sent flying backward, and Linley was also knocked back.
“You, you actually—” Dyer was truly stunned.
“Hmph.” Linley stared coldly at Dyer. “You want to kill me?”
Dyer’s divine ability was a unique pure sound attack, directly targeting the soul! Combined with the willpower of a Sovereign, its power was immense, even cracking the defensive membrane of the Coiling Dragon ring. Fortunately, Linley’s soul force was a three-type fused divine power, a hundred times more powerful than ordinary divine power.
That was how Linley managed to endure.
If it were an ordinary Sovereign, even a High Sovereign, facing Dyer’s attack, they would be in mortal danger.
First the divine ability, then the strongest material attack, Annihilation, followed closely. The Wind Sovereign, Dyer, clearly intended to kill Linley with these two consecutive moves.
“Hmph, I didn’t expect that after refining three Overgod sparks and relying on this Overgod artifact, you could block my attack.” Dyer sneered, but inwardly, his desire for the Overgod artifact grew even stronger.
“Two consecutive moves—truly impressive killing techniques.” Linley stared at Dyer, sneering. “Dyer, your ultimate moves have come, but mine haven’t been used yet.”
Dyer’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately retreated thousands of miles away.
“Hmph.” Linley calmly watched Dyer retreat.
In truth, Linley could have killed Dyer long ago. From start to finish, Linley had only used Earth-type divine power in the battle, not fused divine power. The strength he had displayed was merely one percent of his true power.