"Yes, Lord Sovereign."
Qingya inclined his head slightly, tore open the fabric of space, and stepped into the spatial turbulence.
Among Sovereigns, travel was as straightforward as that—cut through space itself and move within the chaotic currents beyond. Compared to traversing an entire Divine Plane, it was vastly faster.
However, ever since the earlier clash between the Darkness and Light Sovereigns had stirred widespread interest, many Sovereigns had begun extending strands of their divine sense into the spatial turbulence while observing events across the planes.
Thus, the moment Qingya left the Wind Divine Plane, he was quickly noticed.
One Sovereign after another extended their awareness toward him, curious to see what he intended to do.
Under the watchful gaze of countless Sovereigns, Qingya soon arrived at the region of spatial turbulence bordering the Infernal Realm. His divine sense extended inward, penetrating into the plane.
"Lord Reis," Qingya's voice rang out, "by order of the Sovereign, you are to rebuild the White Tiger Army within the Infernal Realm and, within a thousand years, lead it back to the Wind Divine Plane to join the war against the Lightning Divine Plane."
"Otherwise… the Sovereign will personally take action and strip you of your Sovereign spark."
"Oh? Diya intends to act against my second brother?"
Before the White Tiger Sovereign, Reis, could respond, another voice cut in.
The Azure Dragon Sovereign, Redding, had already extended his divine sense outward into the spatial turbulence.
"Qingya," Redding said coldly, "go back and tell Diya this—if that little bird of his thinks he can kill my second brother, he's not qualified."
"If he dares come, he'd better be prepared never to return."
The moment those words fell, the gathered Sovereigns were stunned.
Especially those of the Water Divine Plane.
Many of them had been wondering just what level Redding was at to speak so arrogantly.
Could it be that he, too, was a High Sovereign?
But those who knew better were certain—Redding was only a Lowgod Sovereign.
That said, as a divine beast—the Azure Dragon—he possessed an innate ability that could alter the flow of time. Combined with a body as durable as a Sovereign artifact, his strength far exceeded that of ordinary Lowgod Sovereigns, even if he still fell short of Midgod Sovereigns.
And yet now, Qingya had made it clear—the one issuing the command was the Wind High Sovereign.
A High Sovereign stood at the very peak of an elemental system.
Yet in Redding's tone, there was not the slightest trace of caution—only naked disdain, even a hint of anticipation, as though he were hoping Diya would come looking for trouble.
Otherwise, how could his words be so cutting?
After all, Diya's true form was that of the divine beast known as the Golden-Winged Roc.
To be dismissed as a mere "little bird"—the contempt was unmistakable.
What, exactly, gave Redding the confidence to defy a High Sovereign?
"Redding, you'd best think this through," Qingya said coldly. "Lord Diya is a High Sovereign. You should show proper respect."
"Respect?"
Redding let out a short laugh.
"Qingya… have you lost your mind?"
"In this world, strength is everything."
"Respect is something given to the strong."
"And I don't see anything about that little bird that deserves ours."
"Now get lost."
"Out of consideration for being Sovereigns of the same element, we won't act against you."
"But if you don't leave soon… we wouldn't mind making you the first Sovereign to fall in this war."
After Redding spoke, Reis finally added his own words.
Though his tone was less sharp, the meaning was the same—there was no reverence for a High Sovereign.
For someone like Reis to say that strength determined all, it meant one thing—
They weren't bluffing.
They truly believed they had the power to stand against, or even surpass, a High Sovereign.
"You… hmph!"
Humiliated by the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns, Qingya's face flushed red.
Yet in the end, he did not dare make a move.
"I will relay your words to Lord Diya," he said stiffly. "I only hope your strength can match your arrogance."
"Otherwise…"
With a cold snort, Qingya turned and departed, returning to the Wind Divine Plane.
And the Sovereigns continued watching.
They wanted to see whether Diya would personally act—and just what trump card the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns were relying on.
But to their disappointment, Diya did not immediately head for the Infernal Realm.
The anticipated clash never came.
"Hmph."
"A snake, a tiger, a firebird, and a turtle—what kind of trump card could they possibly have?"
Within the Wind Divine Plane, Diya had naturally heard the provocation from Redding and Reis.
Yet, just like the other Sovereigns, he harbored his own suspicions.
If the Four Divine Beasts dared speak so boldly, they must have something to rely on.
And Diya had no intention of becoming the test subject for the other High Sovereigns.
Thus, when Qingya returned, Diya merely sneered dismissively.
"I am a High Sovereign. If I were to act against them, it would only tarnish my reputation—bullying those beneath me."
"They're nothing but clowns. Let them jump around for a while longer."
"Yes, Lord Sovereign."
…
"Ah…"
In the Underworld, Lilia let out a soft sigh as she sat beside Locke, fishing by the water residence.
"What's wrong?" Locke asked, opening his eyes.
It was rare to see her sigh like that.
Was there something even she couldn't resolve?
If so… he could step in.
After all, he still owed her a favor.
Better to repay it sooner rather than carry it indefinitely.
"It's nothing serious," Lilia said with a shake of her head, smiling faintly. "I'm just disappointed there's no good show to watch."
She proceeded to recount what her Sovereign clone had witnessed in the spatial turbulence.
"That Diya… being mocked like that and still not daring to act. He's disgraced the title of High Sovereign."
Locke chuckled.
"Looks like this Wind High Sovereign is actually quite clever."
Even he hadn't expected there to be such a history between Diya and the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns.
Lilia snorted. "Clever? I'd call him a disgrace."
Locke shrugged. "Maybe. But even the weakest High Sovereign is still a High Sovereign."
"He's managed to survive for over a thousand cycles, hasn't he?"
"Even after Linley transcends to the Hongmeng space, Diya is still the Wind High Sovereign."
"And the Four Divine Beasts?"
"They end up as nothing more than… a gift package for someone else to open."
Lilia blinked, momentarily taken aback.
She had called Diya a disgrace.
Yet Locke called him smart?
"Wait… are you saying the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns really do have something that can threaten a High Sovereign?"
"Mm."
Locke didn't bother hiding it from her.
After all, Lilia had already revealed her greatest secret to him. Keeping this from her would be meaningless.
"Do you remember when I established the Fiend Castle in the Infernal Realm?"
"At the time, I was worried about drawing the attention of the Sovereigns, so I began searching for one who could shelter me."
"Through certain channels, I learned a few things… and eventually, I went to the Water Divine Plane and found Redding."
"I had him swear to protect me for a hundred million years. In exchange, I gave them twenty drops of Sovereign blood essence, five hundred drops of Sovereign's power of the four elements…"
"And I told them the secret behind their innate abilities."
Lilia's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…They can fuse them."
"Exactly."
"Individually, each of the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns is only a Lesser Sovereign."
"But together… if they use their fused innate ability…"
Locke's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Then aside from the four of you High Sovereigns of the Edicts, any other High Sovereign would likely die to that single attack."
"Oh?"
Lilia's brows rose in surprise.
Even she hadn't expected their fused ability to be capable of killing a High Sovereign.
Still, hearing Locke say it wouldn't work on the four Edict Sovereigns, she quickly lost interest.
No matter how strong something was—if it couldn't threaten her, it wasn't worth her attention.
"Lilia," Locke said, shaking his head slightly, "don't underestimate them."
She was too proud.
Yes, with the Heart of the Underworld, she could draw upon the entire plane's power, making her invincible within it.
But only within it.
Outside the Underworld, that advantage diminished drastically—at best, a tenfold amplification.
And perhaps it was precisely this pride that had caused her to lose the drive to push further.
A thousand cycles later, both the Destruction High Sovereign, Wodred, and the Fate High Sovereign, Orloff, would each create terrifying techniques.
Wodred, after obtaining the blood essence of the Four Divine Beasts, would decipher their fused innate ability and develop a new technique—Time-Space Chaos.
And Orloff, building upon that, would create something even more terrifying—Transcending Samsara.
Either technique… would be enough to kill Lilia outside the Underworld.
"So?" Lilia asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Do the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns have an even greater trump card?"
She might not take them seriously—but she would never ignore Locke's warnings.
In her eyes, Locke simply lacked the luck to obtain a Sovereign spark.
Otherwise, even as a Lesser Sovereign, he would likely rival a High Sovereign.
"No," Locke said calmly, shaking his head.
"Their limit… is about here."
"After all these years, I've already come close to fully understanding the essence of their fused innate ability."
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