The Planar Wars

by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi

  Bebe was rather helpless.

  “But that Olivier, he was fainted for so long. He still came back to life,” Bebe said hurriedly. “And his soul mutated.”

  “Indeed, when one is in this sort of unconscious state, it’s more common for soul mutations to occur.” Bluefire couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “But Bebe, do you know… that the chances of dying in the unconscious state is even higher!”

  Bebe was terrified.

  “Then why will some people have their souls mutated when they are unconscious?” Bebe asked hurriedly.

  “Even I don’t understand the true reason.” Bluefire shook his head. “However, there is one thing. If that Olivier had only trained in darkness and light when he fainted, once he fainted… when he successfully underwent his soul mutation, he ended up fusing these two types of energy. But if his soul mutation failed, he would have died.”

  “Very few people can become Soul Mutates.” Bluefire sighed. “People who have two divine clones use two types of divine power, and can become Soul Mutates. There are some who survive, but the chances of surviving are still terrifyingly low! Only a single person in the endless history of the entire Infernal Realm has survived a soul mutation with three divine clones.”

  Bluefire looked at Bebe. “Think about it. How many people does the Infernal Realm have? And how long has it existed for? Over the course of the countless ages, the Infernal Realm has only produced a single person who succeeded in a soul mutation with three clones. How high are the chances of death?”

  Bebe’s body was shaking.

  “Then what about four divine clones?” Bebe was now truly frightened, because Linley had four divine clones. Linley was able to use four types of divine energy.

  “Throughout the countless years of the universe, throughout the countless planes, there hasn’t been a single person who held four divine clones who successfully underwent a soul mutation.” Bluefire’s expression was solemn. “The chance of success… is zero!”

  Bebe’s face instantly turned completely white.

  “But just because a person is unconscious doesn’t mean they will undergo a soul mutation,” Reisgem hurriedly consoled him. “Like you said, that Delia fainted as well, but came back to life without undergoing a soul mutation, right?”

  “That’s because Delia only has a single divine clone,” Bluefire said somberly. “But of course, it’s also possible that someone with divine clones who faints won’t necessarily undergo a soul mutation. Only a very small number do.”

  Reisgem wasn’t able to say anything else. All he could do was laugh bitterly.

  Linley’s original body had suffered the attack, along with his three major divine clones. Of the four divine clones, the only lucky ‘survivor’ was the divine fire clone back in the Yulan Plane. If the original body and the three clones were all finished… Bebe understood that it would be virtually impossible for Linley to once more reach the pinnacle of power. Bebe understood very well that in the bottom of Linley’s heart, he still desired to reach the pinnacle.

  This was Linley’s most primal desire.

  Actually, it was also the desire of Doehring Cowart.

  When Doehring Cowart had provided Linley with guidance, he had also entrusted his own hopes and desire to Linley. He hoped that Linley would one day reach the pinnacle of power. What Doehring Cowart had hoped, back then, was that one day, Linley would reach the same level as the War God and the High Priest. But now, Linley had vastly surpassed them.

  Still, the desire to pursue perfection had been engraved into Linley’s bones.

  “Then… then what should we do?” Bebe was panicked.

  “There’s nothing we can do.” Bluefire shook his head. “The supreme technique of a Paragon. No one can save someone hit by it. We’ll just have to wait and see what Linley can do. If Linley’s soul doesn’t undergo a soul mutation, there’s still a chance of survival. But… as soon as Linley’s soul begins to change, then… it can be said that he is dead for sure.”

  Bluefire sighed.

  For someone who had four divine clones to undergo a soul mutation… the chances of success were zero!

  “Others might not succeed, but that isn’t necessarily true for my Boss,” Bebe said hurriedly.

  Bluefire shook his head slightly. “Let’s find a place to rest. As to whether or not Linley’s soul will mutate successfully or fail, that’s up to fate.”

  THE YULAN PLANE.

  Dragonblood Castle.

  “Linley, what is it?” Delia looked at a red-robed Linley.

  The fire Linley had a terrible look on his face. Shaking his head, he said, “My original body and my three major divine clones have already lost their consciousness.” His soul was divided into five parts, each of which could sense the other. But right now, his divine fire clone could no longer sense the consciousness of his original body and his other divine clones. The situation was very dire.

  “What!” Delia’s face changed.

  “Just now, even I thought that my original body and three divine clones had died, but the strange thing was, after suffering that attack from Magnus, they didn’t die. The situation is still terrible, though. Those four souls are very weak; they could be extinguished at any moment.” The fire ‘Linley’ had a solemn look on his face. His original body and his three major divine clones had lost consciousness. Linley naturally didn’t know that this was because the Soulstone was providing him with a hint of life.

  Delia’s face was ashen. She was extremely worried.

  “Linley, you and your three divine clones won’t die, right?” Delia knew very well that if that happened, that represented that Linley’s future was destroyed. The surviving divine fire clone was just a weakling. Delia understood… that Linley had a heart which wanted to pursue personal strength. He wouldn’t be willing to be a weakling.”

  “I don’t know.”

  The fire Linley closed his eyes and said, “Whether it is life, or death…”

  THE PLANAR BATTLEFIELD was as silent as ever, with the occasional sounds of battle peppering it.

  Within a desolate mountain.

  Reihom had been contacted by Reisgem through Sovereign power long ago and had returned. Bluefire, Bebe, Reihom, and Reisgem were all together in the living room, while Linley was in a nearby room, lying on a bed quietly, not a hint of life in his body.

  “It has been seven full days. Linley hasn’t moved at all,” Reisgem said, frowning.

  “Mr. Leylin, take another look,” Bebe said hurriedly.

  Of the four, only Bluefire dared to go investigate Linley’s soul; after all, Linley’s soul was currently extremely weak, weaker than even an ordinary person’s soul, so weak that if someone was not careful, it was possible that Linley’s soul would be completely erased.

  “I’ll take a look.”

  Bluefire stepped into the room.

  “I hope the Boss can improve. I hope the Boss can improve,” Bebe said repeatedly.

  Moments later, Bluefire stepped out, his forehead furrowed.

  “What is it?” Bebe hurriedly asked.

  Bluefire shook his head slightly. “The Fate-type Sovereign power that has flooded Linley’s soul has weakened greatly already. But similarly, that Soulstone has shrunk dramatically as well.” The Soulstone was formed from the distilled spiritual essence of the Redbud Sovereign. The more of its energy was used up, the smaller it would naturally become.

  Once its energy was used up, the Soulstone would vanish.

  “The Soulstone has shrunk dramatically?” Bebe lowered his head, chewing on his lips, not knowing what to think.

  The Fate-type Sovereign power that permeated Linley’s soul was disappearing, but the Soulstone was shrinking as well.

  The fifteenth day of Linley’s coma.

  Within the cave.

  “The Fate-type Sovereign power is almost gone.” Bluefire had a rare hint of a smile on his face. “But there’s still a bit of the Soulstone left. It will definitely be able to perse
vere to the very end. I expect that the Sovereign power of Magnus’ soul attack will dissipate today.”

  Bebe’s face had a rare, surprised smile on it.

  “However, even after the Fate-type Sovereign power dissipates, it is hard to say if Linley will wake up or not. With the soul having lost consciousness, it is hard to say how long this sort of situation will last.” Bluefire shook his head.

  Bebe nodded slightly.

  “Everyone, let’s be happy. At least there’s hope for Linley to wake up.” Reisgem laughed merrily.

  “Right. There’s a hint of hope.” Bebe nodded heavily.

  Just as Reisgem and Bebe were waiting expectantly, suddenly, everyone sensed a hint of a ripple from Linley’s room. “Can it be that the Boss is waking up?” Bebe was delighted.

  “What’s going on?” Bluefire was the first to charge into the room.

  Bebe, Reisgem, and Reihom followed him in. Within the room, Linley himself was lying there calmly, not a hint of life coming from his body.

  But his body was now covered with all sorts of elemental essences. Earthen yellow earth essences, blazing red fire essences, faint green wind essences, azure water essences… a large amount of elemental essences of these four types were being attracted by Linley’s body, and they swirled around him.

  Although Bebe didn’t know whether or not Olivier’s body had attracted large amounts of two types of elemental essences when he was unconscious, Bebe knew one thing… Linley was most likely undergoing a soul mutation.

  “A soul mutation?” Bluefire had never seen a soul mutation either, but seeing this, he had a guess.

  Bebe stared at the unconscious Linley, tears welling in his eyes.

  Undergoing a soul mutation with four divine clones? To date, not a single person had ever succeeded.

  82

  A TERRIFYING TENACITY

  Within the quiet stone room, Linley lay there silently, four types of elemental essences lovingly swirling around his body. In the quiet stone room, aside from Linley, only Bebe was present. As for Bluefire, Reisgem, and Reihom, they didn’t disturb Bebe. They knew very well how deep Linley and Bebe’s affections for each other were.

  Bebe quietly stood by Linley’s side, his little face covered in tearstains.

  “Boss.” Bebe forced out a smile. “Two thousand years. In my heart, the person I’ve always admired the most was you. Honest! When we were young, I always slept or fooled around, but, you, Boss, always worked hard to train, never relaxing at all. I know that part of this had to do with your father, and also with Grandpa Doehring, but you never gave up, right?”

  “In addition, on our journey together, we’ve met with many seemingly intractable problems. That King of Fenlai was powerful, right? You were just a youth, but you ended up killing that King, right?”

  “Even the then-seemingly all-powerful Radiant Church was destroyed by you. You pulled it out by the root and destroyed it, right?”

  “In the Necropolis of the Gods, when we encountered so many difficulties, and even seemingly fatal dangers, we made it all the way through, right?”

  “We adventured together through the Infernal Realm, and we never fell down. We even fought our way through the Planar Battlefield, this most terrifyingly dangerous of places! And haven’t we acquired four commander badges?”

  Bebe gnawed his lips, staring at the ‘slumbering’ Linley. “Boss, you won’t fall down now! It’s just a soul mutation, right? After overcoming so many challenges, you aren’t going to fall down on me now, right? I trust, Boss, that you will definitely succeed, because… you are my Boss. The Boss that I trust and admire the most.”

  As Bebe spoke, his tears began to well up in his eyes once more. He forced himself to not let them fall.

  The more confident his words were, the more panicked he felt.

  In truth, Bebe had no confidence whatsoever! This was because Linley had four major divine clones. His soul mutation would thus be impacted by four types of elemental essences. This sort of situation was very terrifying. If he was to succeed… Linley would be, in the course of countless years and countless planes, the one and only person to have undergone a soul mutation with four clones.

  But would he be able to endure?

  Not a single person had done so in all of history!

  “Boss, you’ll definitely succeed. Definitely,” Bebe murmured in his heart.

  Everyone who knew Linley’s situation had no confidence in Linley being able to succeed. They didn’t even see Linley as having a 10% chance. Even Reisgem, Bluefire, and the others, upon learning that Linley was undergoing a soul mutation, felt their hearts sank. All they could do was to pray to the heavens and hope that Linley would struggle through.

  THE YULAN PLANE. The Forest of Darkness. The metallic castle.

  Two people were seated opposite from each other, one dressed in a long black robe, the other in a long white robe. One had drooping whiskers and small eyes; Beirut. The other had crimson eyebrows; Bluefire! The looks on the faces of both Beirut and Bluefire weren’t too pleased right now.

  “What is the situation? Is there a chance of improvement?” Beirut said, frowning.

  “The situation is very dire.” Bluefire let out a long sigh. “I really don’t have much faith in a soul mutation. If Linley is able to succeed, then it will be an unexpected surprise. But if he fails… Linley will never be able to reach the peak again.”

  Beirut shook his head and sighed. “I was too impatient to reach my goals.”

  “It has nothing to do with you.” Bluefire shook his head. “After my original body entered the Planar Battlefield, I originally stayed quite close to Linley, but after Linley made his breakthrough, I relaxed. Who would have imagined that Magnus would suddenly appear. Alas. It was my mistake. I didn’t get there in time to save him.”

  A hint of a bitter smile was on Beirut’s face. “It was so hard to encounter an appropriate person. If Bebe were to learn the truth, he would probably hate me!”

  “This isn’t your fault either. Who would have known this would be the case?” Bluefire shook his head.

  “If my plans succeeded, Linley and Bebe would have been grateful to me. But given the current situation…” Beirut shook his head. “Once Linley’s original body and his three clones perish, then he will have lost his future potential. My plans would have completely failed as well. I will have no options but to find another suitable candidate.”

  Bluefire sat there, a hint of unwillingness in his eyes.

  “Beirut, don’t be in a rush to render your verdict.” Bluefire frowned. “The results aren’t out yet. Linley might be able to survive this.”

  “If he really does survive it and successfully completes his soul mutation, then this will be a major cause for celebration.” Beirut lifted an eyebrow. “But if Linley truly becomes a Soul Mutate, then I’ll have to change my plans.”

  “Are you saying…?” Bluefire was startled.

  Beirut nodded slightly. “Right!”

  “This… is this doable?” Bluefire was stunned. “It seems as though in the countless years of the existence of the universe, no one has ever succeeded.”

  “Why isn’t it doable?!” Beirut’s eyes flashed with a crafty light. “To be honest, if Linley were to succeed in his soul mutation, then my plans will have a high chance for success. And once we succeed… I feel excited just thinking about it. If the experiment is a failure, it won’t impact Linley much, nor will it impact me much, but if it is successful…”

  Bluefire’s eyes revealed an eager light as well.

  “But of course, we’re just talking right now. We’re just daydreaming.” Beirut laughed bitterly. “It’s still far too early. It’ll be good if Linley even manages to survive this current situation.”

  “Right. Let’s see if he can survive this!” Bluefire nodded as well. “Success means Linley’s future prospects are limitless! Failure… you and I will have no choice but to ensure that Linley’s future life will be a peaceful one. He’ll
never be able to rise to the top again, at the level of being able that causes tempests and waves in the world.”

  “Nobody can help him now.” Beirut nodded slightly. “He will have to rely on himself!”

  “It’s too late for regrets. We have to face reality!” Beirut’s gaze was hard and calm. “If he succeeds, his potential will be limitless. If he fails… that will not be our fault.”

  TIME FLOWED ON. The Planar Battlefield was very quiet, with a few rare major battles. Almost everyone was awaiting the final battle’s arrival.

  The 33rd day of Linley’s coma Reisgem and the others were gathered within the cave.

  Bluefire walked out from Linley’s stone room. Reisgem, Reihom, and Bebe hurriedly went to welcome him. “What is it, Mr. Bluefire?” Bebe was the first to ask. Bluefire glanced at them, then shook his head and said, “Although the Fate-type Sovereign power of Magnus’ attack is gone, it used up a large amount of the energy of the Soulstone. Today, the Soulstone’s energy was completely used up!”

  “Are you saying…?” Bebe was shocked.

  “From today onwards, no outside force can help Linley.” Bluefire sighed. “In the past, with the assistance of the Soulstone, he was able to hold on. But now that the Soulstone is unable to help him… he will have no one but himself to rely on against the soul mutation.”

  “But the Boss’ soul is so weak. Will he be able to hold?” Bebe was so worried, he was about to cry.

  Bluefire, Reisgem, and Reihom were all silent.

  Not long ago, when Bluefire had investigated Linley’s soul, he discovered that during the soul mutation, Linley’s soul was like a tiny flame that encountered a mighty wind time and time again. Fortunately, the black stone’s energy constantly replenished him, restoring energy to Linley’s soul, allowing him time and time again to hold fast against the clashing powers of the soul mutation process.

  “Who knows?” Bluefire shook his head.

  The atmosphere within the cave seemed so cold, so gloomy…