The Infernal Plane: Book 5 of the Coiling Dragon Saga

by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi

  “The black drop of water is Destruction Sovereign’s Might. My blue water drop should be Water Sovereign’s Might.” Linley could actually sense that the blue drop of water contained the aura of water. In the past, Linley had been curious… what sort of thing was this, that was capable of making his body so incredibly powerful?

  Linley had never dared to imagine that it might be Sovereign’s Might.

  But today, Linley understood.

  “If I were to use this Sovereign’s Might when executing the ‘Bewildering Shadow’ attack, how powerful would it be?” Linley wondered to himself.

  The strength of an attack was usually dependent on three factors; the divine artifact, the energy level, and the profound mysteries. Actually, if any one of the three factors were freakishly strong, the attack would be very powerful.

  For example, if the understanding of the profound mysteries was at the Paragon-level, then one would be nearly invincible.

  If the energy level was at the Sovereign’s Might level, then naturally it would also be terrifying.

  If the divine artifact was a Sovereign artifact, then one would also be able to dominate the Infernal Realm.

  But of course, if one was strong in one aspect, one couldn’t be too weak in the other two aspects either.

  Linley’s divine artifact was a Highgod artifact, ‘Bloodviolet’. His energy source would be ‘Sovereign’s Might’. As for profound mysteries, he had fused two different ones. With the three combined, he might not yet be able to be much of a threat to a Paragon-level Highgod, but he should have some confidence in dealing with the likes of Elquin.

  However…

  It would be at the cost of expending a drop of Sovereign’s Might.

  “Unless the situation is absolutely critical, I cannot use it. When used at a critical moment, this is a treasure that can save lives and alter fate.” After having encountered so many life-and-death struggles, Linley naturally understood the importance of this Sovereign’s Might. Sovereign’s Might couldn’t be used wantonly; rather, it had to be used to preserve one’s life at a critical moment.

  Linley returned to normal, and as he did, he discovered that Bebe and Delia were staring at him.

  “What are you looking at?” Linley laughed. Actually, Linley was currently in a fine mood.

  Anyone in this dangerous Infernal Realm who suddenly acquired a monstrously powerful item such as this ‘Sovereign’s Might’ would be in an excellent mood. This was a true trump card!

  “Boss, you were standing there without moving and grinning. Did something good happen?” Bebe asked.

  “I grinned?” Linley’s laughter became all the more brilliant. When something happened to someone, of course one would be delighted.

  “Hm? Elquin has given up?” Linley suddenly raised his head, and Bebe and Delia heard the words from up above as well.

  From within the cave, although Elquin was rather unwilling, in the end he still nodded. “Salomon, don’t worry. I, Elquin, am not so greedy as to try and seize your Sovereign’s Might. I trust you can’t bear to use it either.”

  Of course he couldn’t! If he used it, it would be gone. This was something he had exchanged his entire clan’s fortune for.

  “If you force me, then I will have no choice,” Salomon said.

  “Phusro, open the tunnel of this volcano range. Let them out,” Elquin immediately ordered.

  The little golden kitten in his arms let out a gentle call. “Meow…” Immediately, a massive valley appeared in the middle of the entire volcano range, connected to this cavern. Salomon raised his head and looked up at the already darkening skies. Clearly, it was almost nightfall.

  Salomon, in his heart, let out a sigh of relief. “Fortunately, Elquin didn’t force me to use this Sovereign’s Might.”

  “Nisse, let’s go.” Salomon turned his head to look at Nisse.

  Nisse turned to look at that golden pool of magma. That golden pool of magma was still bubbling and boiling, emitting that astonishing heat. Nisse couldn’t help but once more begin to cry.

  “Stop looking,” Salomon said softly.

  “Bebe…” Nisse raised her head to look at the straw hat in her hands, then lowered her head. “Let’s go, big brother!”

  And then, Nisse and Salomon immediately flew out through the enormous valley, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye into the desolate wilderness.

  “All that work for nothing!” Elquin let out a low snort. He had a belly full of suppressed anger right now. He had thought that the fortune of the Boyd clan was about to fall into his hands. Unexpectedly, the so-called fortune was a drop of Sovereign’s Might! This was indeed a treasure, but it was one that was hard to acquire.

  He could only watch as Salomon left with it.

  Inigo suddenly set up his Godrealm, preventing any sound from leaving them. Elquin couldn’t help but glance suspiciously at him. Inigo said softly, “Lord Elquin, I know that the one called Bebe is currently within that pool of liquefied Goldflame. The weapon Bebe is wielding is a treasure. If we seize it, this trip won’t be considered a loss.”

  Although Inigo hadn’t been present at the time, Phusro had informed Inigo of everything that had happened through innuendo.

  Elquin now understood. No wonder Inigo had blocked out sound; he was afraid that Linley’s group would hear them.

  “Bebe’s weapon? That is indeed a treasure.” Elquin let out a sigh. “That is a weapon that only Beirut is capable of forging… a weapon that is completely forged out of divine sparks. It is tough and sharp! Its power far surpasses any ordinary Highgod artifact. It’s only slightly inferior to a Sovereign artifact.”

  A godspark weapon!

  Beirut’s trademark, which only he, Beirut, could forge. Divine sparks were indestructibly tough, and only Godeater Rats were capable of digesting them. Currently, Bebe was only capable of digesting them and was not yet able to refine them, but Beirut was. In the Infernal Realm, a single godspark weapon had an astronomical price!

  “But for Lord Beirut to give Bebe a weapon like this means that their relationship is extraordinary. If I killed him, then that would be offending Beirut. You should know how terrifying Beirut is.” Elquin was rather hesitant.

  Inigo cursed inwardly.

  How could he not know how terrifying Beirut was? Beirut, who had suddenly sprang to prominence out of nowhere, was someone that perhaps ordinary Deities might not be aware of. But those larger clans and those reclusive, hidden experts all knew about him. If one had to use a single word to describe Beirut, then that would be…

  Brutal!

  Many people believed that in the Bloodridge Continent, aside from the Bloodridge Ruler, the number one expert was Beirut.

  “Milord, I know that Lord Beirut is terrifying, but even someone as mighty as a Sovereign can’t know the past or the future. As long as we kill this Bebe while destroying his corpse and all proof of his existence, how would Beirut find out that it was we who did the deed?” Inigo said hurriedly. “If you are afraid that his godspark weapon is too dangerous to keep and runs the risk of Beirut finding out, then you can just go and sell it off at the Blacksand Castle. By then, nobody would know who the killer was. This godspark weapon is worth an astronomical price!”

  54

  Execution

  Faced with Inigo’s enticing suggestions, Elquin began to frown in thought.

  “Lord Elquin. What are you worried about? Beirut definitely wouldn’t find out,” Inigo said hurriedly.

  The little golden kitten in Elquin’s arms meowed as well. “Meow. Master. This Inigo’s words have some logic. Even someone as mighty as a Sovereign can’t possibly know the past or the future. If you kill Bebe, Beirut almost definitely will not find out.”

  Elquin let out a low snort. “Kill Bebe? Your words do make some sense!”

  “Phusro. Have Linley’s group of three come out first,” Elquin instructed.

  The little golden kitten’s eyes lit up as it immediately let out a delica
te little cry. “Meow.” Immediately, the boiling, bubbling golden magma split apart into a tunnel, revealing at the bottom of the pool… Linley, Delia, and Bebe. Their eyes were filled with surprise.

  “Boss, I wonder what they were discussing just now,” Bebe sent mentally.

  Linley was feeling concerned as well.

  While they were at the bottom of the lake, they were able to listen to the conversation going on above them. Before this, they heard Elquin let Salomon and Nisse leave. Bebe was growing rather frantic at that time, but Bebe was unable to leave. He could only wait helplessly at the bottom of the pool.

  But afterwards, there was no longer any sound at all from above.

  Linley was immediately certain, “Inigo and Elquin are up above there. They definitely wouldn’t just be standing there like fools, I wager. They blocked off the sound so we won’t be able to eavesdrop on them. Perhaps they are discussing something that has to do with us.”

  “Discussing something that has to do with us. Can it be that they are discussing whether or not to kill us?” Delia said. Aside from this, Delia couldn’t think of anything else.

  Delia and Bebe both felt rather worried.

  After all, their lives were in the hands of others right now. Although the opponent temporarily hadn’t killed them, that didn’t mean that they were truly going to be released. Compared to Delia and Bebe, Linley actually felt a hint of confidence. Confidence that came from those two drops of Sovereign’s Might!”

  “If we really are in life-threatening danger, even though I can’t bear to waste it, I’ll use one of the drops of Sovereign’s Might,” Linley said quietly to himself.

  He had already made his preparations.

  As the golden magma split open, Linley spoke out. “Let’s go out.” Immediately, Linley’s group of three flew out from the pool of golden magma and landed on the flat floor of the cave. At this time, Linley’s group discovered a massive valley that had appeared at the side of the cave, one that led to the outside world.

  This valley was the one through which Salomon and Nisse had left through.

  Linley’s group didn’t flee. If the opponents wanted to kill them, their speed would be far insufficient for fleeing.

  “Mr. Elquin, thank you for showing mercy to the three of us,” Linley bowed slightly and said courteously.

  Elquin was slightly startled, and then he laughed inwardly. “This young fellow named Linley is rather sly. The first thing he did was to thank me. If I was someone who cared about face, it would be rather difficult for me to kill him after that. Wait… I didn’t want to kill him anyhow.” Elquin couldn’t help but turn to glance at Inigo.

  Kill Bebe. Steal the godspark weapon?

  “Only if my brain was seized by a fever would I do such a thing!” Elquin chuckled in his heart.

  Indeed. If he killed Bebe, Beirut might not know who the murderer was.

  But… if Beirut was truly enraged and began to investigate and used all of his influence, in the end, it might not be impossible for him to discover who the killer was. At which point in time, he, Elquin, would definitely lose his life!

  “A godspark weapon… even if I truly were to seize it, I wouldn’t dare use it myself. If I used it, wouldn’t that be as good as admitting that I was the killer? Even if I sold it, I would at most be able to earn some money. A godspark weapon isn’t as valuable as ‘Sovereign’s Might’. It would be a bad bargain for me to lose my life in exchange for making a little bit of money.”

  Elquin’s calculations were quite clear.

  When he wanted to kill Salomon, he wasn’t afraid; after all, Salomon himself had to spend the entire fortune of the Boyd clan and also a favor in order to have Aiken help out. This meant that Aiken didn’t actually care too much about Salomon. If Aiken had bequeathed Salomon a drop of Sovereign’s Might without asking for anything in exchange, that would mean that Aiken valued him highly.

  “Killing Salomon doesn’t matter, but killing Bebe… although the chances are low, if I actually were to be discovered, I would definitely die.” Eqluin didn’t wish to anger Beirut.

  “Lord Elquin,” Inigo warned, and the little golden kitten in Elquin’s arms wagged its tail gently.

  Linley was still very much on guard. Right now, he had already drawn the drop of Sovereign’s Might into his body. “I hope you won’t force me to waste this drop of Sovereign’s Might,” Linley murmured to himself.

  Elquin might have some valuable treasures, but how could those treasures compare with Sovereign’s Might? Even the entire fortune of the Boyd clan was most likely less than a drop of Sovereign’s Might.

  Elquin glanced coldly at Inigo, then turned to Linley’s group and laughed. “Linley and Bebe, right?” Elquin’s pale face had a rare smile atop it. “My apologies for getting you involved in this. The three of you can leave now.”

  Inigo was flabbergasted.

  The little golden kitten in Elquin’s arms raised its head to look up at its master as well.

  “Lord Elquin?” Inigo said hurriedly.

  “Hrm? Do you have an objection?” Elquin looked towards him.

  Inigo had to force out a smile and say, “No objection.” In his heart, he was angrily cursing. “On this trip, I lost a fortune of over ten billion inkstones and many subordinates, but I didn’t get anything in exchange. These bastards. They all deserve to die. They all deserve to die!!!”

  Inigo wanted to vent his anger upon Linley’s group, but unfortunately, in front of Elquin, he didn’t dare act.

  Linley, Delia, and Bebe were overjoyed.

  “Then we truly must thank you, Mr. Elquin,” Linley said hurriedly.

  “No need to thank me. Be careful on your journey.” Elquin’s smile was very sincere, as he very much wanted to demonstrate his friendliness. This was the way some people simply were; if they didn’t want to offend you, they would go out of their way to be friendly to you. But once they decided to kill you for your treasures, they wouldn’t show any mercy.

  Linley, Delia, and Bebe exchanged glances.

  “Let’s go.” Linley laughed.

  He didn’t have to waste a drop of Sovereign’s Might. Naturally, Linley was very happy.

  Just as Linley, Delia, and Bebe were flying out, suddenly… “Swish!” A black shadow of a sword scraped past Linley. The ripples in the air created by this sword shadow alone caused Linley’s draconic scales to emit a clear sound.

  “What is this?” Linley was badly startled.

  Linley’s group immediately came to a halt and looked to the side. In front of them, a tunnel appeared, split open by this sword shadow. A callous looking man dressed in a long robe wielding a longsword flew out. It was the long-missing Six Star Fiend… Learmonth!

  Learmonth immediately discovered Linley’s group, while at the same time, as he lowered his head, he saw that below, Inigo and Elquin were standing there.

  “The others?” Learmonth asked Linley.

  “All dead,” Linley immediately replied.

  Learmonth shook his head slightly. However, seeing that Linley’s group was still alive, Learmonth still felt a hint of pleasure. After all, on the journey over, Linley’s hard work in training and his performance had caused Learmonth to feel appreciation for him.

  “Swoosh!” Learmonth immediately flew downwards.

  Linley’s group had just flown up; the distance between them and the cavern below was merely ten meters or so. They were able to see everything within the cave clearly.

  “Boss, let’s take a look first,” Bebe said. Linley and Delia were in no rush to leave either. After all, neither side was interested in killing them. Why not watch?

  “It is you?” Learmonth frowned upon seeing Inigo.

  Clearly, Learmonth remembered having previously seen Inigo before at the battle at the castle of sand.

  Inigo, upon seeing Learmonth, couldn’t help but have his face change. However, remembering that Elquin was by his side, he still squeezed out a smile. “Inigo pays his respects
to Mr. Learmonth.”

  “Phusro!” Elquin let out an unhappy growl.

  “Meow. Master. He’s very powerful. He’s able to easily breach the stone walls. I’ve already done what I could to guide him astray, but he still managed to make his way here,” the little golden kitten said in a low, aggrieved voice.

  Learmonth turned to look at Elquin. “I am Learmonth. Might I ask who you are?”

  “Elquin,” Elquin said calmly. He didn’t hold Learmonth in any regard, although he had heard from Inigo of Learmonth’s strength.

  “Elquin?” Learmonth’s eyes lit up. “You are the former Seven Star Fiend, ‘Elquin’?” Learmonth knew the names of some of the ultimate experts of the Infernal Realm.

  “Oh, you recognize me?” Elquin lifted an eyebrow.

  Learmonth’s eyes were shining, and his entire body emanated a battle-ready aura. In a clear voice, he said, “I, Learmonth, am a Six Star Fiend. That which I desire the most is the chance to challenge a Seven Star Fiend!”

  Elquin couldn’t help but frown. In the Infernal Realm, there was a group of people that dearly loved battle! They loved to challenge experts. Elquin very much disliked this type of person, because this type of person was very hard to deal with. However, this Learmonth in front of him was clearly this type of person.

  “Today, I’m in a bad mood. I don’t want to fight any longer. You can fuck off,” Elquin said.

  “Meeting a Seven Star Fiend is a rare event. How could I give this chance up?” Learmonth laughed. “By your side, you have Inigo, who should be the mastermind behind the attack on us. Ever since I became a Six Star Fiend, I have never yet failed a mission.”

  As soon as he spoke…

  “Swish!”

  An astonishing gray sword aura suddenly appeared, scraping directly past Elquin’s body. Inigo, shocked, immediately retreated at high speed, his own flexible sword appearing in his hand.

  “Clang!” The sword energy and the flexible sword intersected.

  Inigo’s face instantly turned ashen, and then he slumped powerlessly to the floor, before completely collapsing.