Coiling Dragon

by welyjesch

  Within Linley’s interspatial ring.

  This was a lifeless space. A large number of items was hovering there within it, including that canteen filled with Sovereign’s Might, the adamantine heavy sword, Bloodviolet, inkstones, azurite…and atop a little mountain formed from inkstones and azurite, there was a tattered, tarnished, unremarkable crown.

  The tattered crown just lay there.

  Suddenly…

  The nine soul pearls appeared within that lifeless space. The nine crystalline jade-green soul pearls seemed so brilliant and beautiful.

  The strange thing was, that tattered crown actually levitated into the air and flew towards the nine soul pearls, which also flew towards the tattered crown.

  The nine soul pearls formed into a circle around the tattered crown.

  “Swish!” “Swish!” “Swish!”

  The nine soul pearls suddenly shot towards the tattered crown from each direction, instantly merging into the ‘settings’ of the crown. And then, everything turned calm again. A green light flowed atop the tattered crown, causing it to emanate a faint green aura. It was no longer as tattered and tarnished as it was before.

  There were nine small settings and one large setting to this crown!

  The nine small settings looped around the crown from front to back, while the center-front of the crown had a large, rhombus-shaped setting. This rhombus-shaped setting was completely empty.

  Linley had no idea as to what had just happened within his interspatial ring. Previously, Linley had spent quite some time inspecting the tattered crown, and after becoming a Soul Mutate, Linley had inspected it yet again. But he couldn’t find anything special about it, and thus, he had tossed it into his interspatial ring and stopped paying attention to it.

  Perhaps, one day, Linley would take out the crown or the pearls, only to discover the secrets of the crown.

  But when would that happen? No one could say.

  A metallic lifeform shaped like a vicious tiger floated there above the mountains. This enormous metallic lifeform had more than a hundred people within it, with the leader being a silver-haired, silver-robed Molde.

  He was standing at the front of the metallic lifeform, staring through the translucent metal towards the distant mountains ahead.

  “Go there and reclaim the armor.” The silver-haired Molde said coldly.

  “Yes, Lord Prefect.” The white-browed man knew exactly where the battle had taken place. He immediately led a squad of ten people towards that gorge, flying at high speed.

  The silver-haired Molde stared coldly at the distant mountains, his heart filled with a murderous intent. He could still sense the presence of the Sovereign artifact. Clearly…Linley’s group didn’t take it away or destroy it.

  “My power is now much weaker. If someone were to challenge me…” This was what Molde was concerned about now. As a Lord Prefect and one of the 108 Asuras of the Infernal Realm, he had to face challengers, with the loser giving up the position and the winner becoming the new Asura or Lord Prefect. Thus, Molde had to reacquire that Sovereign artifact.

  With a defensive Sovereign artifact, Molde was confident in his ability to maintain his position.

  A long time later…

  The figures of the white-browed man and his squad flashed forward, with the white-browed man holding that blood-colored armor in his hands.

  “Hmph.” The silver-haired Molde’s eyes flashed, and a large corridor instantly appeared within the metallic lifeform. The blood-colored armor flew through the corridor towards Molde, then entered Molde’s body.

  “Move out. We’re going back.” Molde said calmly.

  “Yes, Lord Prefect.” The group replied in chorus.

  And then, Molde strode to a private room deeper in the rear cabins of the metallic lifeform. The door to the rear cabin shut. There was no hint of light within this room.

  The silver-haired Morde sat down quietly in the meditative position. Within the gloomy, dark room, Morde’s face appeared equally gloomy and dark. His wolf-like eyes, in this dark room, appeared all the more terrifying and heart-shaking.

  “You ruined my son, then also ruined my future prospects!” In that room, Molde didn’t need to conceal in the slightest his killing intent. A wild, savage aura filled the room, but because of Molde’s Godrealm, the aura didn’t leak outside at all, and so those subordinates outside had no idea what was occurring within.

  Molde’s eyes flashed savagely. “Fine. Since you ruined me, then I will ruin you as well!”

  “Unfortunately, I’ve already destroyed that sheet of special paper. Otherwise, it would be much easier for me to convince the Sovereigns. With just a simple plan, I could easily cause Linley to die! But now that I destroyed that paper, it will be a bit tricky!” Molde pondered silently for a moment, considering what to do, then laughed coldly. “Still, it doesn’t matter. Although the paper was destroyed, at least I still know what the secret is. Since the soul pearls are no longer in my hands, there’s no point to keeping this secret.”

  When Molde thought about what was going to occur, he couldn’t help but feel a hint of eagerness in his heart.

  “You ruined me. So I’ll ruin you!” Molde growled. “I will publicize this secret…I will make it known to everyone, make it known to all of the Sovereigns!!!” His voice, filled with rage, made this secret room feel so sinister, so cold…

  Book 20, The Crown’s Riddle – Chapter 14, True, False

  Although he wanted to make the secret public, this wasn’t actually an easy thing to do.

  If Linley were to learn of this secret before it made its way to the Sovereigns, then Linley would probably immediately return and immediately kill Molde! Molde pondered for a moment, then came up with a simple scheme.

  Skymount Prefecture. The Lord Prefect’s estate. The main hall.

  A hundred Highgod warriors were standing respectfully before the main hall, awaiting the Lord Prefect’s arrival.

  “I wonder what the Lord Prefect summoned us all here for!”

  They all mumbled to themselves, but then, moments later, a person emerged from a side door of the main hall. It was the silver-haired Molde. Molde’s cold, sinister gaze swept across these Highgods, and all of them instantly stood up straight, not daring to look around or seem the slightest bit indolent. Molde strode to the front of the hall.

  Seating himself atop his throne, Molde swept the people before him with his cold gaze. “I have a secret assignment for all of you! If you reveal this assignment…hmph, whoever reveals it will have his entire clan put to death.” Military order was quite strict in the prefectural armies. Still, annihilating an entire clan because of revealing a secret was unheard of.

  The hundred Highgods all felt their hearts tremble. They felt misery in their hearts. How was it that they were the ones to end up with this mission?

  “But don’t worry. As long as this mission isn’t revealed, nothing will happen.” Molde said calmly. “In addition, once you accomplish it, every single person will be awarded a billion inkstones!”

  All of the Highgods were shocked.

  These Highgods spent countless years building up their wealth, and yet still probably only had a few hundred million inkstones. They weren’t Seven Star Fiends; they didn’t have an extravagant amount of money. A single assignment with a reward of a billion inkstones? This was an astronomical amount of money.

  Molde waved his hand, and one piece of black paper after another appeared in front of him.

  “Whoosh!”

  These pieces of paper suddenly flew downwards towards each person. Every single one of the hundred Highgods received a piece of paper. These Highgods couldn’t help but look towards the paper, and with but a single glance, they completely memorized the contents of it.

  At the same time, the faces of the hundred Highgods completely changed.

  This secret…was truly terrifying.

  “Did you see it?” Molde let out a cold laugh. “You don’t need to worry about if t
his information is true or false, but you must remember one thing! You cannot leak it out! If you leak it out…hmph.” Molde swept the group below with his gaze.

  “Your subordinates do not dare.”

  After one person fell to a knee, the other ninety nine soldiers all hurriedly knelt as well.

  “Excellent.” Molde said calmly. “Fifteen of you, stand over there. You fifteen, go over there…”

  ….

  “…and that leaves twenty five of you. You will form six squads!” Molde’s divine power flew out, easily spreading out across six people in the six groups. The first five groups had fifteen, while the last one had twenty five.

  “Squad one, you will head to the western part of the Infernal Realm, to the Karol Continent. The fifteen of you will hand those sheets of paper to fifteen different people. This is the list of names and addresses! Remember, on the journey, no matter what, do not let this information be leaked out.” Molde once more instructed, then sent a black parchment flying towards squad one.

  “Squad two, you will head to the eastern part of the Infernal Realm, to the Jadefloat Continent. This is the list of names and addresses.”

  “Squad three, you will head to the southern part of the Infernal Realm, to the Muja Continent. Squad four, head to the northern part of the Infernal Realm, the Redbud Continent. Squad five, the five of you, head to the Starmist Sea…and squad six, you head to the Chaotic Sea.”

  Molde delivered the lists of names and addresses to these people. These names were primarily names of Sovereign’s Emissaries. But of course, there were also many Lord Prefect level figures. The wider the net, the greater the chances of attracting interest from Sovereigns.

  Six of the seven major regions of the Infernal Realm had squads assigned. The only region not assigned was the Bloodridge Continent!

  Molde knew very well that if he spread this news out to the Bloodridge Continent, it would most likely quickly spread to Linley’s ears.

  “Each of you, leave a divine clone here in my estate.” Molde said calmly. “You have to keep a tight watch on each other. If anyone leaks the secret, immediately report it to me.” The reason Molde selected these individuals was because they were all fairly loyal, and because they all had divine clones.

  “Yes, Lord Prefect.”

  A hundred clones emerged.

  “Then head out.” Molde didn’t wish to waste any time. The hundred Highgods assented, and then separated into six squads and left. With the members of the squads keeping an eye on the other members, and given how deadly the consequences of exposing the secret was, as well as the rich reward of a billion inkstones for successfully completing the mission, Molde felt confident that nothing would go amiss.

  Molde laughed calmly. “Bloodridge Continent? I’ll go make that notification.”

  Molde was still an Emissary of the Bloodridge Sovereign. It wasn’t hard for him to go pay a visit to the Sovereign. If he went in person, there was no way that Linley would learn the secret.

  That very day, Molde flew out of the castle and headed towards the residence of the Bloodridge Sovereign.

  The Bloodridge Continent. Cloudlink Mountains.

  Deep within the Cloudlink Mountains, there was a lake that was a thousand kilometers in circumferences. The air above the lake was perpetually covered with mist and fog. This sort of scene was actually quite common in the Infernal Realm, and many few people would pay attention to it. As for those people who lived near the Cloudlink Mountains, they all knew that anyone who entered deep into the middle of the lake would disappear into the mist, and then, dazed, reappear on the shore.

  No one knew what was in the center.

  “Splash…” The waters of the lake gently rolled out in waves, lapping at the shore.

  A figure descended from the skies at high speed, landing at the edges of the lake. It was Molde. Molde stood there at the side of the lake for a moment, then flew into that endless fog.

  At the center of the lake, there was a small island. The island was filled with all sorts of beautiful flowers, and all sorts of flying birds that lived here peacefully.

  On the island, there was a plain, unadorned, cone-shaped palace. In the rear side of the palace, amidst the flowers, there was a stone table, where two men were seated, facing each other, staring raptly at the many chess pieces on the table. Behind these two men, there were two maids, whose faces were covered in smiles.

  One of the two men had long, blood-red hair. This man had a wavy, blood-colored tattoo on his face. He was currently smiling, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the chess pieces.

  Opposite him was a silver-haired, hawk-nosed man. This hawk-nosed man had two long, narrow eyes. Occasionally, a hint of a cold aura would flash within his eyes, capable of causing one to to tremble.

  “Teresia [Te’lei’xi’ya], you lose again, haha.” The blood-haired man said with a loud laugh.

  “Another one, another one! I just learned this game!” The hawk-nosed man said hurriedly. “Boson [Bo’shen], you’ve been playing for years.”

  “Fine, let’s play again. You’ll still lose though.” The blood-haired man said with a laugh.

  This was a game with 256 pieces, representing soldiers and generals. Although it seemed to be simple, it actually contained within it many different ways of mobilizing armies. It also required a person to be adaptive and act based on the opponent’s situation. The more powerful one’s soul was, the more complicated one’s thought patterns would become, and the more interesting this game would be. In addition, one side would only win after all of the pieces of the other side were completely eliminated.

  Even if one was slightly losing at the beginning, one still had a chance to win by using fewer numbers to overcome superior numbers.

  Different situations required different resolutions. If one managed to calculate things out thoroughly, a single game could last for a very long time. These two people could spend several years playing a single game.

  This was a war simulation game that a general in a material plane had developed to be used to help train military officers. But Sovereigns with eternal life who had no real pursuits loved to find and play these time-consuming games.

  “This game of the 256 Soldiers and Generals…where did you find it?” The hawk-nosed man laughed.

  “This? I discovered it from the ‘Siya’ material plane. I must say, this game is far more complicated and exciting than those games I played in the past. It’s quite fun!” The blood-haired man laughed as he began to control his pieces and make them move.

  Those two women smiled as they watched, quietly chatting through divine sense.

  “Sovereigns feel bored as well.”

  “Lord Teresia, Sovereign of Wind, probably won’t be able to win. Last time, the Chief Sovereign of Destruction competed against our Sovereign for a thousand years without winning a single match.”

  Right at this moment, a maid flew over from afar, then bowed and said, “Sovereign, Molde has come. He has an important matter to discuss with you, Sovereign.”

  “Molde? Why is he coming at a time like this?” The Bloodridge Sovereign, Boson, frowned.

  The hawk-nosed man laughed. “Haha, Boson, hurry up and deal with him.”

  “Don’t try to rearrange the pieces and don’t try to cheat. I’ve memorized all of the pieces’ locations.” The Bloodridge Sovereign, Boson, gave Teresia a glance, and then walked away.

  Within the Sovereign’s main hall.

  The Lord Prefect of Skymount, Molde, was standing respectfully in front of the main hall. He saw a bloody mirage suddenly appear, and then, there in the main hall, the Bloodridge Sovereign took form.

  Molde raised his head. Seeing the Bloodridge Sovereign, he couldn’t help but feel his heart tremble, and he hurriedly knelt down.

  “Is there something you need from me?” The Bloodridge Continent said calmly.

  The Bloodridge Sovereign was a lofty, exalted Sovereign, after all. He might jest and jape with with the other Sover
eigns, but in front of Deities, he, a Sovereign, was far beyond them.

  “Sovereign, I just learned of a tremendous, heaven-shaking secret.” Molde said respectfully.

  “Oh?” The Bloodridge Sovereign couldn’t help but give Molde a careful look. “Speak!”

  “Sovereign, please look at this.” Molde produced a black piece of parchment. The Bloodridge Sovereign’s gaze fixed upon it, and instantly, that black parchment flew over towards him, then hovering in front of him. Sweeping it with a glance, the Bloodridge Sovereign’s face changed slightly as he then looked downwards towards Molde in surprise.

  Molde remained on his knees, not daring to speak.

  “Where did you obtain this information from?” The Bloodridge Sovereign said in a low voice. “How could a scroll containing such information possibly be made from such ordinary paper?”

  “I acquired it by accident.” Molde said hurriedly.

  He didn’t dare say that he had already acquired the nine pearls previously. If he did…the Sovereign might be so infuriated at the fact that he hadn’t offered it right away that he might kill Molde.

  There was nothing Molde could do. He had already destroyed that original piece of paper.

  Would Sovereigns necessarily believe it when they saw an earth-shaking revelation on an ordinary piece of paper?

  If that green paper was still here, the Sovereign would definitely believe it! Because Sovereigns, at a glance, would know exactly where that green paper came from. Naturally, they would believe the words it contained. But the words on an ordinary piece of paper…would the Sovereigns believe it?

  “You claim that Linley has those nine soul pearls?” The Bloodridge Sovereign said.

  “I’m not the one making the claim. It is this piece of paper which states it.” Molde didn’t dare say anything else. This secret was simply too great. If he got involved, then he, a Lord Prefect, would probably lose his little life.

  “Your most powerful divine clone is dead? Who killed it?” The Bloodridge Sovereign suddenly asked.

  Molde was stunned. It was Linley who destroyed his most powerful divine clone. If the Sovereign wished to investigate, this would be fairly easy to discern. If one was to lie to a Sovereign, one would have to consider what sort of lie one was going to tell. If one was going to tell a lie that would be easily discovered, it would probably be better to tell the truth instead. But if the lie couldn’t be discovered, then never admit it, even under threat of death!