"Oh?"
It didn't take long before Beirut's divine sense, spreading through the Spatial Turbulence, was noticed by the Sovereigns who had also extended their divine sense there.
Although Beirut's divine sense could only reach the Infernal Realm, brushing past the edge of the Wind Divine Plane along the way...
The Sovereigns residing within the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes could likewise extend their own divine sense there.
As long as the two divine senses came into contact, they could communicate through them.
"So I was wondering who was so ignorant. Turns out it's the fellow who snatched prey from the Chief Sovereign of Light ten thousand years ago."
"May I ask who you are?"
The suddenly approaching divine sense startled Beirut.
However, confident that his original body was invincible within a Material Plane, Beirut remained composed.
Moreover, since the other party had initiated the conversation, Beirut also hoped to learn some matters concerning the Sovereigns from him if possible.
Especially the Sovereign duties that had to be fulfilled once every trillion years.
Even now, Beirut still vividly remembered the sneer the Chief Sovereign of Light had given him.
It hadn't been a bluff.
It had been mockery directed at someone who failed to understand the situation.
That much, Beirut could clearly sense.
After all, back on the Yulan Plane, whenever Beirut observed some insignificant ant making arrogant boasts through his divine sense, he himself would wear exactly the same expression.
The ignorant knew no fear.
"I am Pash, the Lesser Sovereign of Destruction of the Infernal Realm and ruler of the Bloodpeak Continent."
"I know of you. You once wandered the Infernal Realm as well. You're Beirut, the Godeater Rat who, aside from Chief Sovereign Locke, is the only one capable of refining divine spark weapons."
Beirut wasn't surprised that other Sovereigns knew of him.
When he had first become a Sovereign, he had likewise sensed the divine senses of the many Sovereigns within the Spatial Turbulence.
"So it's Lord Bloodpeak. Beirut greets you."
During his adventures in the Infernal Realm, Beirut had naturally heard of the Bloodpeak Sovereign.
Although Edict Sovereigns were somewhat stronger than Law Sovereigns, Beirut considered his own body to be comparable to a divine spark in toughness. He believed his strength might even surpass that of the Bloodpeak Sovereign, so there wasn't much reverence in his tone.
The beings of the Magical Universe all admired strength.
Toward those weaker than themselves, they looked down from above.
Toward those stronger than themselves, however, they acted with utmost caution.
Naturally, the Bloodpeak Sovereign could hear Beirut's attitude from his tone.
However, he merely smiled faintly.
It wasn't as though he had never witnessed someone he once regarded as an ant eventually surpass him.
In fact, before that great figure had fully risen, he himself had harbored quite a few schemes against him.
How had he, the Bloodpeak Sovereign Pash, managed to continue living comfortably for so long after offending both Chief Sovereign Locke and the Death Sovereign?
The answer was simple.
By knowing when to back down!
As long as he admitted defeat quickly enough, the great figure who had risen wouldn't bother seeking revenge anymore.
Although he had been tormented by Chief Sovereign Locke's illusions and beaten up by the Death Sovereign...
In the end, Bloodpeak Sovereign Pash had still managed to settle those grudges.
Compared to Lord Locke...
The attitude displayed by Beirut, whose upper limit had already been fixed, only made Pash want to laugh.
However, as someone who had always cultivated the image of being "a good person," Pash naturally wouldn't become dissatisfied with Beirut because of his attitude.
He was quite pleased with the atmosphere that Chief Sovereign Locke had established among the Sovereigns.
As such, he was also happy to "solve problems" for newly ascended Sovereigns.
"Sovereign Beirut, according to the Sovereign Covenant established by Chief Sovereign Locke, in order to prevent newly ascended Sovereigns from violating the covenant out of ignorance, every Sovereign has the obligation to explain the covenants, rights, and duties of Sovereigns to any newly ascended Sovereign."
"Of course, a newly ascended Sovereign may also refuse to listen."
"However, Chief Sovereign Locke also stated that if a newly ascended Sovereign refuses the explanation, it will be assumed that they already understand both the Sovereign Covenant and the duties of a Sovereign."
"In that case, should the newly ascended Sovereign violate the covenant or fail to fulfill their duties, they will be treated as though they had already been fully informed."
"Sovereign Beirut, you've held your Sovereign status for ten thousand years now. May I ask whether any Sovereign has already explained the Sovereign Covenant and the duties of a Sovereign to you?"
"The Sovereign Covenant... and the duties of a Sovereign?"
Beirut's heart stirred.
Over the past ten thousand years, he had feared that the Sovereigns under the Chief Sovereign of Light might be lying in wait for him within the Material Plane. Thus, he had devoted most of his attention to creating his Divine Plane.
Now that the Divine Plane had finally been completed, it truly was time for him to learn about matters concerning the Sovereigns.
Otherwise, just as the Bloodpeak Sovereign had said, ignorance of the rules between Sovereigns could easily lead him to violate them unintentionally, bringing punishment from those who had established the rules.
And without question...
The only beings capable of establishing rules for Sovereigns were the Overgods and the Chief Sovereigns of the Four Edicts.
"Brother Pash, I've only recently become a Sovereign and know nothing about these matters. I'd appreciate your guidance."
"Heh..."
Pash sneered inwardly.
A moment ago it had been "Lord Bloodpeak."
Now that he needed help, it had immediately become "Brother Pash."
Still, Pash rather enjoyed Beirut's change in attitude.
Before becoming a Sovereign, Beirut's body had already reached a level comparable to the toughness of a divine spark.
Now that Beirut had become a Sovereign and possessed endless Sovereign's Might, even if he couldn't temper his body until it reached the level of a Sovereign artifact, a body comparable to a divine spark was already not much weaker than a Sovereign artifact in either offense or defense.
In other words...
Setting aside his innate divine ability, Beirut could be regarded as another Azure Dragon Sovereign.
In terms of offensive power, Beirut was already comparable to those Lesser Sovereigns of the Light and Death Edicts who had received the reward for achieving ten consecutive victories in the Planar Battlefield.
As for defense...
Beirut even surpassed those Sovereigns of the two Edicts.
Without considering offensive power, Beirut could fight an ordinary Intermediate Sovereign without being killed.
"I wouldn't dare call it guidance. I'm merely telling you things that every Sovereign already knows."
Bloodpeak Sovereign Pash said calmly,
"Of course... Chief Sovereign Augusta of Light once sent out a divine sense message stating that any Sovereign who communicates with you will be regarded as opposing him."
"However, Chief Sovereign Augusta can only throw his weight around in the Elemental Divine Planes. His orders carry little deterrent for Sovereigns residing in the Four Higher Planes."
"So that's how it is."
Beirut's heart tightened before gradually relaxing, his emotions guided by Bloodpeak Sovereign Pash' words.
Although Beirut knew that Pash had deliberately brought this up to earn himself a favor...
Beirut was still willing to accept that favor.
At the very least, from Pash' words, Beirut now understood that Chief Sovereign Augusta wasn't all-powerful among the Sovereigns.
At the very least...
His influence didn't dare extend into the Four Higher Planes.
In that case, if Beirut wished, he could choose to seek refuge under one of the Chief Sovereigns of the Four Edicts and obtain that Chief Sovereign's protection.
Of course...
For Beirut, this was merely a last resort.
He wasn't one of those Sovereigns who had experienced the First Sovereign War.
He had never experienced the despair of being liable to die at any moment.
Precisely because of that...
He still couldn't bring himself to give up his freedom and become a subordinate of one of the Chief Sovereigns of the Four Edicts.
Besides, Beirut felt that even if he wanted to become one of their subordinates, it probably wouldn't be an easy matter.
Putting himself in their position...
If Beirut himself hadn't become a Sovereign, and some Demigod who had offended another Prefect-level expert, had fused with a divine spark, and thus could never improve again, wished to join him and seek his protection...
Would Beirut agree?
What could a Demigod whose potential had already reached its limit possibly bring him?
Would it be worth offending a Prefect-level expert just to protect such a Demigod?
Thus...
This could only be regarded as Beirut's final path of escape, one whose viability remained uncertain.
"Brother Pash, regarding the Sovereign Covenant..."
"The Sovereign Covenant was proposed by the Death Sovereign during the first Sovereign Assembly. It is an agreement that every Sovereign must abide by."
"There are only three clauses in total."
"First, Sovereigns may not interfere in matters between Deities without cause."
"In other words, if a Sovereign wishes to accomplish something, they may command their Sovereign Army or Sovereign Emissaries to do it, but they may not personally intervene."
"Second, the rank of a Sovereign is not determined by the grade of their Sovereign spark, but by their actual strength."
"For example, Lord Teresia of the Wind Divine Plane possesses only a Lesser Sovereign spark of the Wind Laws. However, because Lord Teresia is a Paragon of the Wind Laws, his strength exceeds that of an ordinary Lesser Sovereign by a hundredfold."
"Therefore, among the Sovereigns, Teresia is not regarded as a Lesser Sovereign, but as an Intermediate Sovereign."
"Third, Sovereigns are divided into four ranks. Sovereigns of a higher rank may not attack Sovereigns of a lower rank without cause."
"And this third clause has likewise been acknowledged by the other three Chief Sovereigns of the Four Edicts."
"Any Sovereign who violates the Sovereign Covenant will be hunted down by the four Chief Sovereigns of the Four Edicts."
At this point, Bloodpeak Sovereign Pash suddenly paused before sighing in a rather peculiar tone.
"In other words..."
"If you're confident you can withstand pursuit by the four Chief Sovereigns of the Four Edicts, then you're free to ignore every clause of the Sovereign Covenant."
Beirut frowned slightly.
He knew Pash wouldn't say something meaningless.
Since he had deliberately added that final sentence, it meant that there truly was a Sovereign capable of resisting pursuit by the four Chief Sovereigns of the Four Edicts.
Who could that Sovereign be?
Thoughts raced through Beirut's mind.
Finally...
One name surfaced.
Chief Sovereign Locke!
From the information contained within his Sovereign spark, Beirut knew that each affinity had seven Sovereigns: four Lesser Sovereigns, two Intermediate Sovereigns, and one High Sovereign.
The High Sovereign was the strongest—the "Chief Sovereign"—of that affinity.
At present, the seven Chief Sovereigns of the Laws and the four Chief Sovereigns of the Edicts all still existed.
Yet among them...
Only Lord Locke possessed no High Sovereign spark, and yet he alone was universally addressed as "Chief Sovereign."
If anyone could withstand pursuit by the four Chief Sovereigns of the Four Edicts...
Then in Beirut's opinion, only Chief Sovereign Locke could do so.
"And what about the duties of a Sovereign?"
"The duties of a Sovereign were established by Chief Sovereign Locke."
Seeing Beirut move on from the topic of the Sovereign Covenant, Bloodpeak Sovereign Pash knew that Beirut had already understood the message he had intended to convey, so he no longer continued his little performance.
"The Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes contain countless cultivators and battles."
"As a result, over time, chaotic Laws accumulate within these eleven planes."
"If this disorder reaches a certain level, it will begin affecting the stability of the Divine Planes and Higher Planes."
"Therefore, Chief Sovereign Locke decreed that every Sovereign must regulate the chaotic Laws of their plane once every trillion years."
"Of course, the stronger one's strength, the more effective one is at regulating those chaotic Laws."
"Thus, Chief Sovereign Locke also stipulated that every Chief Sovereign must spend at least ten million years every trillion years regulating the Laws."
"An Intermediate Sovereign must do so for at least one million years."
"As for a Lesser Sovereign, they need only spend two hundred thousand years regulating the Laws once every trillion years."
Beirut nodded.
The duties of a Sovereign...
He was already aware of this.
Back when Chief Sovereign Augusta had threatened him, he had used precisely this obligation—to return to one's corresponding Divine Plane every trillion years to regulate the Laws—as leverage against him.
"Brother Pash..."
"If a Sovereign fails to fulfill this duty, what are the consequences?"
Thinking that if he left the Yulan Plane, he would likely be surrounded and hunted by the Sovereigns under Chief Sovereign Augusta, or even by Sovereigns hoping to earn Augusta's favor...
Beirut couldn't help asking Pash this question.
If the consequences weren't too severe...
Beirut felt he could still bear them.
"Brother Beirut, I'd advise you not to entertain such thoughts."
Although the two were communicating through divine sense, Beirut could still hear the seriousness in Bloodpeak Sovereign Pash' tone.
"Brother Pash, is there something special about this?"
"Brother Beirut..."
"How do you think the duties of a Sovereign came into being?"
"I'd appreciate your guidance."
"Heh..."
Bloodpeak Sovereign Pash' expression turned solemn.
"That's a long story."
"At that time, the First Sovereign War had already ended."
"Only a little over forty Sovereigns had survived."
"Fortunately, after the Death Sovereign established the Sovereign Covenant, although conflicts between Sovereigns still occurred from time to time, no Sovereign was ever killed again."
"However..."
"At that time, the Water Divine Plane had only one Intermediate Sovereign and three Lesser Sovereigns."
"Among them, the Intermediate Sovereign of Water, the Bilbo Sovereign, had been invited by the Chief Sovereign of Fate to the Celestial Realm."
"One of the Lesser Sovereigns was the Azure Dragon Sovereign, who had already moved into the Skyrite Mountains of the Infernal Realm together with the other Three Divine Beast Sovereigns."
"As a result..."
"Only two Lesser Sovereigns remained stationed within the Water Divine Plane."
(End of Chapter)
⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon! Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSims
Next Bonus Chapter at 3400 Powerstones