Chapter 25: Returning to the Divine Light Plane
Taking two deep breaths in succession, Linley’s chest heaved in and out like a bellows, then gradually calmed.
“Since Augusta agreed to the Fate Sovereign Ouf, he will certainly go all out. No wonder he has kept the Twelve-Winged Divine Angels so well protected, rarely sending them out on missions.” Linley’s gaze was cold and sharp. “My mother must be a Twelve-Winged Divine Angel. In just over six hundred years, if I don’t intervene, she will definitely be sent to the planar battlefield!”
Linley frowned slightly, murmuring, “Just over six hundred years…”
As for Augusta, whether it was Beirut’s entrustment or the Four Divine Beasts clan’s request, both drove Linley to want to kill him. Originally, Linley had planned to increase his strength and then slay Augusta. This would not only fulfill the expectations of Beirut and the Four Divine Beasts clan but also save his mother.
Kill multiple birds with one stone!
“But now, I have to make a choice!”
“One option: abandon my mother, focus on cultivation, and after achieving success, kill Augusta.”
“The second option: randomly kill an unknown Fire-type Lesser Sovereign, refine the Fire-type Lesser Sovereign’s divine spark, increase my strength, and then kill Augusta.”
“The third option: temporarily yield, endure, lower my stance, and negotiate with Augusta!”
In an instant, Linley made his decision.
Abandoning his mother was impossible.
Killing a Fire-type Sovereign for no reason was something Linley couldn’t do either. Moreover, doing so would violate the agreement of the four Sovereigns of the Laws!
“Linley!”
Just then, two figures walked in from outside the garden—Beirut and Qinghuo. Although Linley hadn’t managed to kill Augusta back then, the strength he displayed was still slightly superior to Augusta’s. If the two fought to the death, Augusta would have a higher chance of dying.
Thus, Augusta didn’t dare provoke Linley again.
Naturally, Beirut and Qinghuo could now freely stay in the Infernal Realm with their Sovereign avatars. Having hidden in the Yulan Plane for so many years, they were delighted to finally move freely in the outside world.
“Linley, the Bloodpeak Sovereign just came by. What important matter was it?” Beirut asked with a smile, stroking his beard.
As fellow Sovereigns, they naturally noticed the Bloodpeak Sovereign’s arrival. However, the Bloodpeak Sovereign, Pash, had clearly come to see Linley alone, so they hadn’t shown themselves earlier. They only came out after the Bloodpeak Sovereign had left.
“It’s about the planar war and my recruitment of Sovereign’s envoys. A planar war will begin in just over six hundred years, between the Infernal Realm and the Celestial Realm. This planar battlefield is especially important.” As Linley spoke, he relayed all the detailed information.
Beirut and Qinghuo listened attentively.
After hearing it, they sighed in amazement.
“So Augusta is that lucky. No wonder the Fate Sovereign owes him a favor,” Beirut remarked.
“A legion of Twelve-Winged Divine Angels could indeed play a decisive role in a planar war,” Qinghuo marveled. “Deploying them all at once could almost guarantee victory in a single planar war. And with ten consecutive victories, the rewards are truly astonishing. No wonder even the Fate Sovereign had to ask Augusta for help.”
Linley recalled the last planar war he had experienced, which was between the Divine Light Plane and the Divine Darkness Plane.
Since the outcome of that war wasn’t too critical, the Sovereigns had interfered less behind the scenes.
“Linley, what did you just say? The Twelve-Winged Divine Angel legion is going to the planar battlefield? Doesn’t that mean…” Beirut suddenly jolted awake. “Your mother…”
“Yes,” Linley said helplessly, glancing at Beirut. “Do you think I have any other choice?”
Beirut fell into deep thought.
Just over six hundred years…
Linley had spent five thousand years to achieve his current level. To make a major breakthrough in just over six hundred years, even Beirut himself had no confidence in Linley.
“So you…” Beirut looked at Linley.
“I’ve decided. Tomorrow, I will go to the Divine Light Plane!” Linley said calmly, his gaze fixed on the distant sky. It seemed to pierce through the barriers of space, reaching the Divine Light Plane.
Beirut pondered for a moment, then nodded. “To achieve great things, one must sometimes know when to bend. In Augusta’s eyes, you’re just a Paragon with no real potential. He probably doesn’t fear you much. Your chances of success in negotiating with him are high. Later… we can deal with him when the time comes.”
Beirut was a man of decisive action and great patience.
Back when he discovered the corpses of the Four Divine Beasts, he knew it was dangerous to seize them, but he also understood that success would elevate him from a god to a Sovereign. Moreover, Beirut had acted based on the circumstances: the Sovereigns wouldn’t care about an Upper God, he was in a material plane with natural protection, and as a Godeater Rat, he wasn’t afraid of spatial turbulence.
With confidence, courage to take risks, and the ability to endure, he had become the Beirut of today.
Otherwise, how could the Yulan lineage have produced three Sovereigns?
“I hope it’s as you say, Grandpa Beirut,” Linley said with a nod.
---
The vast Divine Light Plane. A streak of light shot up from the teleportation array, instantly crossing millions of miles.
The wind howled like blades. Below was an endless ocean. Linley, clad in a sky-blue robe, flew through the high sky at an astonishing speed. His calm gaze was as sharp as a cold blade.
“Hmm?” Linley frowned slightly. “I didn’t expect the Fate Sovereign Ouf to be here!”
After arriving in the Divine Light Plane, Linley’s fused divine sense instantly enveloped the entire plane. Every movement in the Divine Light Plane was under his control, and he naturally detected the Light Sovereign Augusta. But to his surprise, Augusta was with Ouf.
“His presence is actually better,” Linley thought to himself.
This time, Linley wasn’t here to kill but to negotiate. With Ouf present, Augusta wouldn’t dare to lie or twist the truth.
Then—
Linley altered his divine sense, switching from fused divine sense to the divine sense of the Earth Sovereign’s divine power, making it appear as if he were an ordinary Earth Sovereign.
This change naturally alerted the two Sovereigns.
“Haha, Linley. Why have you come to my place?” Augusta transmitted with a laugh, as if he had forgotten their previous battle.
“Of course, I have an important matter,” Linley replied with a faint smile. “I didn’t expect Lord Ouf to be here as well. What a coincidence.”
“Haha, I was just discussing some matters with Augusta,” the Fate Sovereign’s gentle voice echoed in Linley’s mind. “Some time ago, I invited you to my August Garden, but unfortunately, I’ve been waiting for you all this time without success.”
A person could hide for a hundred or a thousand years, but hiding their true nature for countless years was impossible.
The Fate Sovereign Ouf was detached from worldly affairs. He treated those he considered friends very well. Linley had great respect for the Fate Sovereign Ouf.
Of course, Linley couldn’t emulate the Fate Sovereign, who had spent countless years without marrying, having children, or indulging in pleasure, instead immersing himself in cultivation and research.
“Lord Ouf, the future is endless. You and I have plenty of time to meet. Isn’t today a perfect example?” Linley said with a candid smile.
“Haha, indeed. The future is endless,” Ouf laughed.
As they conversed through divine sense, Linley had already flown over countless islands.
Like an arrow, he descended from the high sky.
Linley looked down at the island below. This was the residence of the Light Sovereign!
It was an extravagantly built island, spanning several thousand miles in circumference. The main buildings on the island were white, adorned with various exotic magical beasts, plants, and flowers. The areas for magical beasts and the zones for planting flowers were all meticulously arranged.
The island was filled with numerous Divine Angels.
Apart from the Angel race, all other gods on the island were female. The only males were Augusta and the Fate Sovereign!
“This Augusta certainly knows how to enjoy himself. Aside from the loyal Angel race, it’s all women,” Linley shook his head with a smile. Then his gaze shifted to the distance, where two figures were flying side by side from the depths of the island. Behind them followed a large entourage of maids and servants.
The spectacle was quite grand.
“Haha, Linley!” Augusta called out from afar, as if greeting an old friend he hadn’t seen in years.
“Augusta,” Linley responded with a smile as he approached.
The white-robed, white-haired Fate Sovereign smiled faintly and said, “Let’s sit inside. Augusta, I’ve told you before—even if it’s just within the island, do you really need to put on such a show when welcoming someone?” He glanced back at the two rows of maids, one dressed in purple and the other in pink, all of whom were stunningly beautiful.
“Haha, as you command, my lord,” Augusta said with a laugh, turning around and casually waving his hand. “All of you, withdraw.”
The maids bowed in unison, respectfully saying, “Yes.” They then orderly flew away.
“Let’s go to the Water Garden and talk there,” Augusta said, leading the way with a smile.
“Whoever designed this island is definitely a master of scenery and architecture,” Linley remarked as he walked, observing his surroundings.
Augusta smirked proudly. “Haha, Linley, I’m not boasting, but on this island spanning several thousand miles, there are exactly 30,162 species of plants and flowers alone. Their colors, sizes, heights, and so on are all meticulously cared for by the Angels. From every angle, it looks so natural and pleasing. There are also various magical beasts… For this island’s construction, I invited over a thousand master architects from various planes to coordinate and design it.”
Linley shook his head inwardly.
The rumors were true. Augusta pursued perfection in every aspect of his enjoyment.
The Water Garden was a garden built on an inner lake about a thousand meters in diameter. The lake water rippled under the sea breeze, shimmering like a sapphire. The entire garden was made of wood, floating on the lake’s surface. Inside, there were channels and streams.
“This Water Garden doesn’t use any magical arrays. It relies solely on the extremely light Fragrant Cedar Wood to generate enough buoyancy to keep the garden afloat,” Augusta pointed ahead. “Look at that wooden arch bridge…”
Augusta proudly introduced one clever design after another.
Linley listened with an appreciative mindset.
“Alright, let’s sit over there,” the Fate Sovereign Ouf said with a slight frown.
“Alright, alright,” Augusta quickly agreed, realizing he had been showing off too much and had annoyed Ouf.
The three of them sat down in an open pavilion. On one side of the pavilion was the blue lake water.
The Fate Sovereign glanced at Linley with a smile. “Linley, you must have come today for an important matter. Go ahead and speak directly.”
“Indeed,” Linley nodded with a smile toward the Fate Sovereign, then turned to Augusta. “Augusta, I’ve come today to ask for your help with something.”
“What is it? Speak freely,” Augusta said with a smile.
Linley said seriously, “I hope you can release a Twelve-Winged Divine Angel and grant her freedom.”
“A Twelve-Winged Divine Angel?” Augusta glanced at Ouf beside him. The Fate Sovereign frowned slightly, then said with a faint smile, “Just one?”
“Yes, just one,” Linley confirmed.
“One won’t make a difference,” Ouf said lightly.
Linley looked at Augusta, who frowned and said, “Linley, this… is a bit troublesome.”