Therefore, Locke had absolutely no idea that a conflict had already broken out between the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns and the Light Chief Sovereign Augusta.
Of course, even if he had known, there was a very high chance that he still wouldn't have intervened.
The Four Divine Beast Sovereigns were uniquely blessed. Their bloodlines and innate divine abilities contained the deepest mysteries of the Magic Universe's fundamental essence.
Perhaps only through the deaths of the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns could a miracle like Linley Baruch come into existence.
"Whoosh!"
In the blink of an eye, Augusta and the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns had reached the region of spatial turbulence surrounding the Yulan Plane.
"Brothers, it's time to stake our lives on this!"
After sensing the amount of Sovereign blood essence remaining in his body, Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding spoke.
"Hahaha! Big Brother, we should've done this long ago!"
"Exactly, Big Brother."
"Death is nothing more than death. As Lesser Sovereigns, we've enjoyed the status of Law Chief Sovereigns. Even if we fall today, we've already left an indelible mark upon this world."
"The four of us are an irreplaceable miracle of this universe."
"Fight, Big Brother!"
Compared to Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding, the other three Four Divine Beast Sovereigns were in much better condition.
After all, under the influence of Redding's innate divine ability, Dragon Roar, Augusta had never been able to inflict any real damage upon them.
Even Redding himself merely looked pale because he had consumed too much Sovereign blood essence.
"Good. Then let us give the Light Chief Sovereign Augusta a surprise."
"Let him witness the fangs that belong only to the Four Divine Beasts!"
After the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns decided to stop fleeing, Augusta's figure transformed into a streak of white light as he rapidly approached.
"What? You four rats aren't going to keep running anymore?"
Stopping before them, Augusta asked with a gloomy expression.
At this distance, against an ordinary Sovereign—or even against a Law Chief Sovereign—Augusta was confident he could kill them instantly.
Yet whenever he faced Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding's innate divine ability, Dragon Roar, his personal flow of time would be slowed repeatedly, allowing the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns to escape again and again.
After so many pursuits, Augusta had finally realized something.
Unless Redding completely exhausted the Sovereign blood essence required to activate his innate divine ability...
There was simply no way for him to kill the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns.
This was not good news for Augusta.
One reason he wanted to kill the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns was indeed to recruit the Wind Chief Sovereign under his command.
But the more important reason...
Was to obtain the corpses of the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns for the Fate Chief Sovereign Orloff, allowing him to acquire their divine beast blood essence for research and push his strength even further.
Now, however, Redding had consumed so much divine beast blood essence while using his innate divine ability that even if Augusta successfully killed the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns, there probably wouldn't be much Azure Dragon blood essence left.
Although, given Orloff's personality, he would never complain to Augusta...
Augusta himself would still feel humiliated.
After all, he aspired to become the strongest Law Chief Sovereign and challenge the highest tier of Sovereigns.
With nearly a hundred times the Will granted to ordinary Law Chief Sovereigns, coupled with the soul-protecting Overgod artifact loaned to him by Fate Chief Sovereign Orloff...
In Augusta's eyes, killing the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns should have been as easy as reaching into his pocket.
Yet he had never imagined that the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns would toy with him like this, dragging him across more than half the Magic Universe as though walking a dog.
How could that not infuriate him?
"Heh. If we're rats, then Augusta, what does that make you, since you've spent so long and still haven't managed to kill four rats?"
Vermilion Bird Sovereign Nimo sneered.
Those words made Augusta's expression grow even uglier.
He hadn't expected his attempt to belittle the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns to instead become ammunition for them to mock him.
"Hmph. Enjoy yourselves while you still can."
"Once Redding's blood essence is exhausted, I'll skin you alive and tear out your bones to vent my anger!"
This wasn't merely empty boasting.
What Fate Chief Sovereign Orloff wanted was the blood essence of the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns.
Once they were dead, Augusta certainly wouldn't mind taking on the task of extracting that divine beast blood essence himself.
At that point...
What happened to their corpses would depend entirely upon his mood.
If he were in a good mood, he wouldn't mind displaying the corpses of the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns as statues within his Sovereign Palace for endless admiration.
If he were in a bad mood...
Dragon liver, phoenix marrow, tiger heart, tortoise spleen...
Eating all four of them over several meals wasn't impossible either.
After uttering his threat, Augusta swung the Overgod sword in his hand toward the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns.
However, to Augusta's surprise, this time, Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding did not once again activate Dragon Roar to delay him.
Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding stood at the front.
To his left stood Vermilion Bird Sovereign Nimo.
To his right stood Black Tortoise Sovereign Bowen.
White Tiger Sovereign Lauis stood behind Redding.
Buzz—
As they assumed formation, phantom images of the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns' true bodies emerged behind each of them.
Instantly, time and space within a thousand-meter radius around them seemed to freeze completely.
Only the phantom images of the Four Divine Beasts behind them remained capable of moving.
"So... this is the fused innate divine ability of the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns?"
Naturally, the Light Chief Sovereign Augusta stood within the attack range as well.
This was completely different from having his time slowed.
Within the area imprisoned by the fused innate divine ability, Augusta could clearly see the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns' innate divine abilities beginning to merge under Redding's leadership.
Yet...
He couldn't control his own body at all.
His current situation was much like that of a Paragon—or a Deity possessing a material-defense Sovereign artifact—who had entered the spatial turbulence.
He could see everything happening around him...
But he couldn't move in the slightest.
The phantoms of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise instantly fused together.
Under Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding's control, they transformed into a streak of white light that shot toward Augusta in an instant.
Boom!
The fused innate divine ability, led by Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding, was a soul attack.
Had an ordinary Law Chief Sovereign been struck by it...
They would undoubtedly have died instantly.
Unfortunately...
Augusta was no ordinary Law Chief Sovereign.
Not only did he possess nearly a hundred times more Will than ordinary Law Chief Sovereigns...
More importantly...
He was currently protected by the soul-defense Overgod artifact loaned to him by Fate Chief Sovereign Orloff.
Thus, this strike—which was capable of killing Law Chief Sovereigns—failed to inflict the slightest injury upon Augusta.
"Crack... crack..."
Once the power of the fused innate divine ability erupted, its ability to imprison time and space naturally dissipated.
The sword light Augusta had previously unleashed immediately swept through the bodies of Vermilion Bird Sovereign Nimo and Black Tortoise Sovereign Bowen.
"Ah..."
Although Augusta had still concealed one portion of his Will within this strike, his attack—already more than ten times stronger than that of an ordinary Law Chief Sovereign and amplified by the Fate Overgod sword—possessed power not much inferior to that of the Four Chief Sovereigns of the Edicts.
Vermilion Bird Sovereign Nimo died instantly beneath that sword.
Black Tortoise Sovereign Bowen's body possessed the toughness of a Sovereign artifact.
However...
Compared to Nimo, he merely survived for one extra breath.
After letting out a miserable scream, his life aura abruptly vanished as well.
"Third Brother! Fourth Brother!"
At the rear, White Tiger Sovereign Lauis's eyes split with fury.
After roaring, the phantom of the White Tiger appeared behind him and unleashed a deafening roar toward Augusta.
"ROAR!"
The White Tiger divine beast's innate divine ability—
Tiger Roar!
A transparent ripple spread from the mouth of the White Tiger phantom.
Wherever the ripple passed, space within the spatial turbulence shattered layer after layer, transforming into countless spatial fragments that surged toward Augusta.
White Tiger Sovereign Lauis's innate divine ability, Tiger Roar, was a spatial-type innate divine ability.
Its effect was to shatter all space within a certain area ahead, inflicting tremendous spatial damage upon enemies before him.
Against beings beneath the Sovereign level...
Unless they were Paragons, a shattered space attack was a certain kill.
But against Sovereigns...
The power of shattered space still couldn't penetrate the defense provided by their Will.
Lauis using his innate divine ability against Augusta was merely an act of desperation.
After all, the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns were only Lesser Sovereigns.
The only thing capable of threatening Chief Sovereigns was their fused innate divine ability.
But now...
They had already confirmed that the fused innate divine ability could not harm Augusta.
With Vermilion Bird Sovereign Nimo and Black Tortoise Sovereign Bowen dead, the fused innate divine ability had become history.
As for White Tiger Sovereign Lauis's attack as a Lesser Sovereign...
Against Augusta, it probably wouldn't even qualify as scratching an itch.
Since that was the case...
Lauis might as well spit his innate divine ability in Augusta's face just to disgust him.
...
"How terrifying..."
Inside the miniature plane, Beirut slowly calmed his emotions.
The might of a battle between Sovereigns...
Even merely watching through the planar barrier placed immense pressure upon him.
Whether it was the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns' soul attack capable of freezing time and space...
Or Augusta's sword light that seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth...
Both left Beirut utterly shaken.
It wasn't as though Beirut had never met Sovereigns before.
To earn the title of "suspected Paragon," it was inevitable that Sovereigns had invited Beirut to become one of their Sovereign Emissaries.
The greatest reward for becoming a Sovereign Emissary...
Was receiving a Sovereign artifact from a Sovereign.
Unfortunately...
Beirut only needed to spend enough time refining sufficient divine spark essence to forge divine spark weapons.
Compared to Sovereign artifacts, divine spark weapons were slightly weaker in power.
However, their hardness made them the only divine artifacts within the Magic Universe capable of competing against Sovereign artifacts.
For other Deities...
Receiving a Sovereign artifact could greatly enhance one aspect of their strength.
But for Beirut...
Sovereign artifacts held little attraction.
Thus, he had rejected every invitation from the Sovereigns.
Now, by sheer luck, witnessing a battle between Sovereigns through the barrier of his miniature plane had given Beirut a far deeper understanding of Sovereign might.
At this moment, Beirut secretly felt lingering fear.
He was fortunate that, when rejecting those Sovereigns' invitations in the past, he had done so out of ignorance, unaware of how terrifying Sovereigns truly were.
Having now witnessed their real power...
Beirut felt that he no longer possessed the courage to reject another Sovereign's invitation.
Looking at the corpses of Vermilion Bird Sovereign Nimo and Black Tortoise Sovereign Bowen floating near his miniature plane...
Then at Augusta, who was engulfed by countless spatial fragments...
An extremely bold thought suddenly emerged in Beirut's mind.
Whoosh!
Even faster than Beirut's thoughts...
Was his own tail.
His tail shot forward, extending instantly before wrapping around the corpses of Vermilion Bird Sovereign Nimo and Black Tortoise Sovereign Bowen, dragging them directly into the Yulan Plane.
Boom!
Boom!
Above the Dark Forest of the Yulan Continent, a spatial crack suddenly appeared.
A black cord-like tail emerged from the rift, dragging two corpses hundreds of meters long before dropping them onto the ground.
These...
Were the corpses of Vermilion Bird Sovereign Nimo and Black Tortoise Sovereign Bowen!
Although already dead, terrifying pressure still emanated from their bodies.
The moment Beirut dragged the two corpses into the Dark Forest...
The previously noisy forest fell into absolute silence.
All magical beasts below the Saint-level had their souls shattered by the overwhelming pressure and died instantly.
Saint-level magical beasts trembled uncontrollably beneath the terrifying aura, collapsing to the ground without daring to move.
Beirut's three sons—Harry, Hart, and Harvey—were all Deities.
Yet even they felt lingering fear beneath the pressure radiating from the Sovereign corpses.
Not daring to remain in the center of the Dark Forest, they immediately fled outward together with their families.
"Did... I really do that?"
Within his miniature plane, Beirut raised his head and sensed the overwhelming pressure now filling the Dark Forest of the Yulan Plane.
Even he found it difficult to believe.
These were the spoils of that incredibly powerful Sovereign.
And yet...
He had actually stolen them?
Once that terrifying Sovereign killed the remaining two Sovereigns...
Wouldn't he come to kill the one who had stolen the Sovereign corpses?
Thump... thump... thump...
Listening to his own pounding heartbeat, fear filled Beirut's heart.
Yet at the corners of his mouth...
A trace of madness slowly appeared.
These were Sovereign corpses!
With Beirut's current knowledge, he naturally understood that the only way to become a Sovereign...
Was by refining a Sovereign spark.
The Four Divine Beast Sovereigns were Sovereigns of the earth, wind, water, and fire Laws.
As for Beirut himself...
He cultivated the Darkness and Wind Laws.
(End of Chapter)
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