Coiling Dragon

by welyjesch

  For example, if Linley’s divine earth clone was destroyed, he would become unable to use the Blackstone Space. However, Linley absolutely could let his original body continue to fuse a Demigod divine earth spark, a God divine earth spark, and a Highgod divine earth spark.

  When the time came, Linley would still be able to execute the ‘Blackstone Space’. Only, he wouldn’t be able to make any further improvements.

  “This time, aside from the two aforementioned Elders retiring from Bloodbath Gorge, there are also six Elders who have fought in Bloodbath Gorge for three thousand years already who will be retiring from Bloodbath Gorge! Thus, of our group of sixteen, there needs to be three who will fill the positions.”

  Immediately, the Elders began to chat with each other through divine sense or ponder to themselves.

  “Three Elders need to go to Bloodbath Gorge?” Linley also knew what going to Bloodbath Gorge represented.

  “Because of the order of the Patriarch, punishing Emanuel to go serve with the Grand Elder, thus of the sixteen of us, Emanuel absolutely must go to Bloodbath Gorge. Two more must therefore be chosen out of the remaining fifteen.”

  Linley couldn’t help but glance at the distant Emanuel out of the corner of his eyes. Emanuel remained silent, his face unchanging. Clearly, he already knew about this.

  “Everyone, let’s choose two Elders to participate.” The Second Elder looked at everyone.

  “Me!” A voice rang out from next to Linley. It was Elder Garvey. Elder Garvey laughed, “I wanted to go last time, but in terms of power, I was weaker than the others, so I was excluded. This time, it is my turn, right?”

  “I nominate myself for a slot!” Immediately, another Elder spoke out. “The other Elders are battling for the clan outside, while I am remaining within the mountain. I feel miserable!”

  “Garvey, it’s not your turn yet.” Yet another Elder spoke out. “I nominate myself.”

  There were differences in power amongst the Elders as well. Garvey was clearly a fairly weak one. As for Bloodbath Gorge…the more powerful one was, the better it was when they entered.

  “I’ll go as well.” Of the sixteen Elders, one of the three females, a jade-haired woman, laughed. “I truly wish to emulate the Grand Elder and to serve with her fighting for the clan.”

  “For the sake of the clan, I’ll go as well.”

  Linley, quite surprised, watched this scene. Originally, he thought that people would try to push it off onto others. However, Linley now discovered that eight of the sixteen were so valiant as to volunteer themselves, casting concerns regarding life and death to the side.

  “Enough.” The golden-haired Elder shouted with a frown.

  Linley turned to look. The golden-haired Elder was the Third Elder of the clan, the son of the Grand Elder. His name was Forhan. Forhan had another status…he was the father of Emanuel.

  The golden-haired Elder, Forhan, said in a low voice. “I understand that everyone wishes to do battle for the sake of the clan. But in battle, the more powerful a person is, the better! Thus, in my heart, I have made two choices. The first is…”

  Forhan suddenly pointed at Linley. “Elder Linley!”

  Linley was slightly startled.

  “Forhan, the question of who goes is a decision each person individually. It isn’t a matter for others to decide upon.” The Second Elder said.

  Forhan furrowed his forehead stubbornly, then said in a clear voice, “As members of the clan, and with the clan facing danger, how can any of us ignore this? Look at the twenty Elders in Bloodbath Gorge. The vast majority of them have been battling there for thousands of years. According to the rules, every thousand years, they can retire. But they have not!”

  “It is all for the sake of the clan! For the sake of making it so that our Azure Dragon clan’s prestige will not lower!”

  Forhan looked at Linley. “The reason I choose Linley is because Linley’s Gravitational Space is very unusual, with the power of the gravity being miraculously great. Even Seven Star Fiends will generally have their speed greatly reduced within his Gravitational Space. When experts do battle, if Linley were to coordinate with several Elders, his power can definitely be unleashed to an extremely great effect.”

  The Elders in the hall all immediately understood.

  If Linley were to coordinate with several Elders while using his Gravitational Space, it would indeed be a tremendously effective supporting measure.

  “Linley’s own power has been made clear to everyone as well. He vastly surpasses Emanuel. As I see it, just based on the power of his body, in our clan, Linley should rank number four! Even I feel I am inferior.” Forhan looked at Linley. “Linley, why don’t you speak for yourself. Are you willing to go?”

  Linley laughed as he looked at Forhan. “Third Elder, I want to ask, who is the other person you have chosen?”

  Forhan said solemnly, “The two people I selected…one is Linley, while the other is myself! I believe that in terms of strength, nobody here dares to say that they have definitely surpassed me. Last time, I didn’t go to Bloodbath Gorge…I’ve regretted it for a long time now. This time, I insist on going!”

  Linley frowned.

  The other person Forhan had chosen was actually Forhan himself?

  “Linley?” The Second Elder looked at Linley. “What are your own thoughts?”

  These Elders all admitted that in solo combat, some of them would dare say that they were not inferior to Linley. But in terms of group combat…none of them dared to say that they were superior to Linley. In group combat, the effect of Linley’s Blackstone Space truly was too good.

  Once his Blackstone Space appeared, his own power would not be impacted, but the opponent’s speed would drastically drop. Even Seven Star Fiends, in a battle situation like this, would be defeated lopsidedly.

  “I’ll go!” Linley nodded.

  “Linley, not bad.” Forhan laughed as he spoke.

  Linley just smiled back at him, while musing suspiciously to himself, “This Forhan seems to want to force me to go to Bloodbath Gorge. The way he acted just now…if I were to refuse to go, most likely the other Elders would look down upon me. Why does he want to force me to go? Can it have to do with his son, Emanuel?”

  “Alright. The people have been chosen. Forhan, Emanuel, Linley, the three of you, after the conclusion of this Conclave, can go directly to Bloodbath Gorge.” The Second Elder looked at Linley and the other two. “The three of you, take care of yourselves.”

  “Take care of yourselves.” These four words caused Linley to feel relieved of a sense of pressure he hadn’t realized he had been bearing.

  “Bloodbath Gorge?” For some reason, Linley suddenly felt a hint of anticipation.

  Ever since he had learned that the clan was in a crisis, Linley had known that one day, he too would battle on behalf of the clan. Only, he hadn’t imagined that the day would come so quickly.

  Linley and the other two selectees were going to Bloodbath Gorge. Naturally, they wouldn’t be assigned any other activities. After the Conclave of Elders concluded, the other thirteen Elders all bade farewell to and sent off Linley, Forhan, and Emanuel.

  “Linley, I truly want to go with you.” Garvey laughed. “Remember. Help kill a few extra enemies for me.”

  Linley smiled and nodded.

  Garvey’s face suddenly turned solemn. “Remember, you need to be careful. Protecting yourself is most important. Killing enemies is secondary to that.”

  “Right.” Linley nodded.

  “Enough. The three of you, you can head off. After arriving in Bloodbath Gorge, obey the commands of the Grand Elder.” The Second Elder said. Linley, Forhan, and Emanuel immediately made their farewells to each of the Elders, then immediately started to fly into the heart of the Skyrite Mountains.

  The Skyrite Mountains were divided into four major areas, which each of the Four Divine Beasts clan were in control of.

  In the core of the Skyrite Mountains, deep within a m
ountain valley, was Bloodbath Gorge. The place where the elites of the Four Divine Beasts clan gathered.

  “The security here truly is tight.” Linley looked at the air above the gorge. There was an enormous number of roving warriors on patrol. Not just the azure armored warriors of the Azure Dragon clan, but also the golden armored warriors of the Vermilion Bird clan…

  There were patrolling warriors from all four of the Four Divine Beasts clans. When these people saw Linley’s group of three fly over, they immediately saluted.

  Linley, Emanuel, and Forhan flew directly into the depths of the gorge.

  Book 17, Indigo Prefecture – Chapter 21, The Grand Elder

  Within the quiet, gloomy depths of Bloodbath Gorge.

  Three human figures were descending at high speed landing on the ground.

  Linley inspected his surroundings. Bloodbath Gorge was sparsely populated. As he stared straight forward, the only thing he could clearly see was an erect stone monument. As for the other buildings that could vaguely be seen through the mist, there was no way to see them clearly.

  “There are so many soldiers of the Four Divine Beasts clan above the gorge, but so few people within Bloodbath Gorge itself. That makes sense. After all, everyone in here is at least a Six Star Fiend.” Linley continued to carefully inspect Bloodbath Gorge. As for Emanuel and Forhan, they strode forward with large steps.

  Just as they walked away, Emanuel turned his head to look at Linley. “Linley, you’ve never been here before, right?”

  “No, I’ve never been here before.” Linley didn’t have any goodwill towards Emanuel at all.

  “Whooooosh.” Suddenly, a cold wind began to howl. Linley felt his body turn cold, and he couldn’t help but be startled. “The wind is actually so icy, here in Bloodbath Gorge.”

  Forhan couldn’t help but laugh. “Linley. Bloodbath Gorge is at the heart of the Skyfire Mountains, and is an extremely cold location. The cold wind within the gorge would cause any Demigods who came here to immediately be frozen. However, to you, Linley, this cold wind naturally doesn’t have much impact.”

  “Elder Forhan, let’s continue to move forward.”

  Linley couldn’t be bothered to chat too much with this father-son pair in front of him. He immediately advanced deeper into the gorge. There were quite a few round stones located within Bloodbath Gorge, as well as some wild grass. However, the center of it was a neatly paved stone road.

  In front of Bloodbath Gorge, on one side of the stone road, there was a tall, massive stone monument.

  The stone monument was covered with two dark red words that were written in cursive, like flying dragons or dancing phoenixes. The two words were, ‘Blood Bath’. Linley, upon seeing these two words, sensed a bloodthirsty, murderous aura emanate from it, and he couldn’t help but feel his own murderous desires rise in response.

  “Forhan, Emanuel, so it’s actually the two of you this time. Haha…” A straightforward, clear laugh rang out. Linley turned to look, and saw an amiable, friendly-looking middle-aged man laugh as he walked over. This man had long sideburns, but they were very neatly trimmed, giving him quite a fresh, sharp appearance.

  Linley looked at the newcomers.

  “Arhaus [Er’hao’si]!” Forhan laughed and went to greet him, giving the man with the sideburns a big hug. “Long time no see.”

  “It really has been quite some time since we’ve met.” This man named ‘Arhaus’ beamed towards Forhan as well, then looked at Linley. Rather puzzled, he said, “I knew that this time, three Elders were coming, but I’ve never met this one before…oh, I know!”

  Arhaus had a look of sudden understanding on his face, and he laughed as he said to Linley, “In Bloodbath Valley, I’ve heard that our Azure Dragon clan has a new Elder.”

  “I am Arhaus. Elder Linley, right?” Arhaus laughed as he extended his hand.

  “Right. Elder Arhaus, greetings.” Linley laughed and extended his hand as well.

  Linley had a good impression of Arhaus, but as for Forhan and Emanuel, Linley, from the bottom of his heart, disliked this father-son pair. Both Emanuel and Forhan made him feel as though they were sinister and vicious. Emanuel’s actual actions, in turn, had confirmed Linley’s judgment.

  “We warmly welcome the three of you. Come, let’s go meet the Grand Elder.” Arhaus laughed.

  “Mother?” Forhan’s eyes couldn’t help but light up.

  Linley glanced sideways, seeing the looks on Forhan and Emanuel’s faces. The two clearly were very eager to meet the Grand Elder. The Grand Elder and Patriarch ‘Gislason’ were actual siblings, brother and sister, and in the clan, her power was second only to that of the Patriarch’s.

  “Linley, it’s been a long time since our clan has had a new Elder.” Arhaus said warmly. “I’ve heard that you’ve previously sparred with Emanuel, and that you are incredibly strong. In the future, when you do battle for the clan, you definitely have to win some glory for our Azure Dragon clan.”

  “Definitely.” Linley laughed and nodded.

  Forhan, seeing how Arhaus was continuously chatting with Linley, couldn’t help but interrupt. “Arhaus, what’s the current situation in the struggle between our Four Divine Beasts clan and the eight great clans?”

  “How good can it be?” Arhaus shook his head and sighed. “The eight great clans are simply relying on superior numbers to win. All combined, their eight clans have more Seven Star Fiends than we do. If we continue fighting like this…most likely in just ten or twenty thousand years, our entire Four Divine Beasts clan will have less than ten Seven Star Fiends.”

  Hearing this, Linley was shocked.

  “In ten or twenty thousand years, we’ll lose that many?” Linley couldn’t help but say. “Currently, our Four Divine Beasts clan should have nearly a hundred Seven Star Fiends.”

  The Azure Dragon clan alone had thirty six. The four clans, combined, should have more than a hundred Seven Star Fiends. How could it be possible that in as short a period of time as ten or twenty thousand years, only ten would be left?

  “Linley, I hear that you just joined the clan recently.” Arhaus said resignedly. “You aren’t too familiar with the situation. However, I trust that at the Conclave of Elders, you should have learned of our losses in the past thousand years.”

  Linley nodded.

  In the past thousand years, they had killed two enemy Seven Star Fiends, while two of their own Seven Star Fiends had been weakened as well.

  “Our Azure Dragon clan alone has lost two Seven Star Fiends in the past thousand years. Of course, Jeffs, when using his original body to fuse with a divine spark, will be able to recover his strength. But still, he’ll have lost any chance to gain in strength in the future.”

  Arhaus said, “In a thousand years, our Four Divine Beasts clan, all combined, has lost five. In especially brutal periods, it’s normal to lose as many as ten Elders. You do the math. How many will we lose in ten thousand years?”

  Linley did the math, and he was stunned.

  In ten thousand years, at least seventy or eighty Elders would be doomed.

  “That’s why I said that if this continues, in ten or twenty thousand years, our clan will have lost almost all of our Seven Star Fiends.” Arhaus said bitterly. “Nothing we can do. The eight great clans…even if we exhaust all of our Elders against them, they will most likely still have half of their Seven Star Fiends remaining!”

  Linley nodded.

  As soon as he had arrived in the Azure Dragon clan, Linley had heard that any one of those eight great clans were comparable to the Azure Dragon clan. The number of Seven Star Fiends in the eight great clans, all combined, definitely was far greater than the number the Four Divine Beasts clan had.

  “Linley, do you know how many Elders we had before the ancestor died?” Arhaus said.

  “How many?” Linley asked.

  “More than sixty. And that was just our Azure Dragon tribe.” Arhaus said, and Linley couldn’t help but sigh in shock. “No wonder i
t was said that the Four Divine Beasts clansmen dominated each of the major planes. Not only did we have a strong supporter, we ourselves had tremendous power.”

  “Only, while we were regrouping, enemies attacked from every direction. Linley, you must understand that the clans which pursued us all the way to the Infernal Realm just represent the minority. We have many enemies in the other planes.” Arhaus said resignedly.

  The Four Divine Beasts clan truly had too many enemies.

  As many as eight clans were still in pursuit of them. Most likely, when the Four Divine Beasts clan had been spread across each of the major planes, the number of enemies they had was far more than their current number.

  “All we can do is go all out.” Forhan said solemnly.

  “Right. We can only go all out!” Arhaus said as well. “If we just hide in the Skyrite Mountains like turtles in a shell and don’t even fight back, most likely we’ll become the laughing stock of the major clans of the Infernal Realm. Our Four Divine Beasts clan cannot be humiliated like that!”

  While they were chatting, Linley and the others were heading deeper into Bloodbath Gorge.

  Within Bloodbath Gorge, there was an organized array of buildings that were arranged in rows like soldiers, divided into various areas. On the way over, Linley encountered small groups of experts as well, all of whom were at least of the Six Star Fiend level of power.

  Linley couldn’t help but sigh in amazement.

  “This is the true foundation of a great clan. And a great clan which has fallen, at that.” Linley was amazed, while at the same time, stunned by the savagery of the warfare between the Four Divine Beasts clan and the eight great clans.

  “We’ve arrived at the Azure Dragon Palace!” Arhaus said.

  Linley lifted his head. In front was a building that was at least thirty meters tall, completely dark red in color. At the tip of the building, there was something that was dimly glowing with azure light. There were four buildings of this appearance within Bloodbath Gorge.