“Bebe actually became a Highgod? He’s even faster than me.” Baruch shook his head and laughed. Baruch had also reached a bottleneck in the Laws of Water, and would become a Highgod with one more step.
“Clan leader, perhaps tomorrow you’ll become a Highgod as well,” Linley said consolingly. How could Baruch compete against Bebe? Bebe had those soul slice fragments and thus rose in power at an unnatural speed.
“Uncle, my father is now a Highgod as well. Is he going to be as powerful as you?” Ina’s eyes were shining as she looked towards Linley.
“Not just yet,” the nearby Wade said confidently. “Uncle Bebe just reached the Highgod level; he’s going to need time for training, whereas my father was able to kill Seven Star Fiends even before he reached the Highgod level. He’s much more powerful now.” Wade clearly felt very proud of Linley.
“But Father himself said…” Ina didn’t really understand.
“He’ll be a match for me.” Linley laughed calmly.
“Father…?” Wade looked towards Linley, puzzled.
“Wade, even I don’t feel confident in my ability to resist your Uncle Bebe’s innate divine ability,” Linley explained. Once Bebe reached the Highgod level, his normal attacks might be ordinary in power, but his innate divine ability ‘Godeater’ was unquestionably an absolutely dominating ability. How many Highgods would be able to endure the ‘Godeater? After all, there wasn’t even a way one would be able to counter the Godeater technique.
“Boss, stop boasting about me,” a voice rang out. Bebe, wearing that straw hat, walked out of the room with a smile on his face
“Father!” Ina immediately ran over.
Linley just chuckled in surprise. “Bebe, being so modest? How rare.” This was completely different from Bebe’s normal temperament. Linley could sense… that Bebe had indeed reached the Highgod level.
“Come inside and sit,” Nisse welcomed everyone warmly.
Linley, Baruch, and the others all immediately entered the living room. Nisse quickly prepared beverages for everyone. Bebe’s face was all smiles, and he was so delighted that even his eyebrows were jumping up and down. Laughing loudly, he said, “Boss, don’t boast about me any longer. After having become a Highgod, I know what level of power I now have.”
“Oh?” Linley said, puzzled.
“I finally understand that Grandpa Beirut… tricked me!” Bebe said resignedly. Beirut had once told Bebe that once Bebe became a Highgod, his power would be close to Beirut’s.
“My most powerful attack is indeed comparable to Grandpa Beirut’s. But that’s just my innate divine ability. I’m at most able to use my innate divine ability twice before my spiritual energy is essentially used up. Without my innate divine ability, all I’m good for is taking hits… I’m pretty much an unkillable humanoid golem.” Bebe was clearly rather unhappy. “Compared to Grandpa, I’m still a long way off.”
Linley laughed. “Bebe, that innate divine ability of yours would allow you to at least kill two supreme experts within a short period of time. That’s enough,” Linley said. “Your grandfather didn’t lie to you. When you execute that innate divine ability, how many Highgods can possibly overcome you?”
Bebe sighed emotionally, “I heard that when Grandpa blocked the eight great clans in the past, he only used a single black staff. Every single Elder of the eight great clans who was struck by that staff immediately died, and even the Patriarchs who used Sovereign artifacts against it were badly injured. Grandpa never even used his innate divine ability…”
Linley couldn’t help but shake his head. “Bebe, your grandfather has fused quite a few profound mysteries,” Linley said. “You haven’t even fused one. How can you compete against your grandfather?”
Lord Beirut’s punches and kicks possessed devastating levels of power… but Bebe had to use his innate divine ability to fight at that level. Clearly, Bebe was rather unhappy about this.
The nearby Baruch said in a booming voice, “Bebe, innate gifts are one thing, but hard work is necessary as well… I, too, have heard that the strength of your body is even greater than Linley’s Dragonform. The problem is, you haven’t fused any of the profound mysteries at all. I imagine that given how Lord Beirut can be one of the ultimate figures of the entire Infernal Realm, he surely must have fused quite a few profound mysteries.”
“Right.” Bebe nodded.
Linley suspected that the toughness and strength of a Highgod Godeater Rat’s body was probably comparable to that of a divine spark. Most likely, it was tens of times or even a hundred times more powerful than his Dragonform. As for Lord Beirut? Most likely, even if he only fused four or five profound mysteries he would still be more than powerful enough to dominate the continents.
With such a powerful body as the base, matched with four or five fused profound mysteries… Beirut definitely had the ability to trample all comers in the Infernal Realm, especially since he had a Sovereign artifact.
“Who knows how many profound mysteries Lord Beirut has fused.” Linley was curious. He had learned from his past conversations with Beirut that the latter hadn’t reached the Paragon level. However, his innate gifts were simply too powerful; even if he ‘only’ fused four or five profound mysteries, he would still be comparable to a Highgod Paragon.
“I need to work hard to fuse profound mysteries as well.” Bebe clenched his teeth.
Seeing the look on Bebe’s face, Linley couldn’t help but laugh. “Then Bebe, I’m just going to wait and see how well you do in your fusing.”
“Bebe,” suddenly, the nearby Nisse spoke out.
“Hm?” Bebe looked towards her.
“Have you forgotten something?” Nisse stared at Bebe. “Something very important!”
Nisse’s stare caused Bebe to feel rather puzzled. He couldn’t help but scratch his head. “What are you talking about?”
Nisse was so upset, she didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. In the end, she explained, “Back then, you told me that after you became a Highgod, then…”
“Oh… are you saying, go pay a visit to your brother, Salomon?” Bebe immediately realized what she was talking about, and his face went sour. “You were serious about that?”
Nisse’s face immediately became downcast. She fell silent. That look on Nisse’s face caused the atmosphere of the entire hall to become rather awkward. Linley frowned, then immediately sent through divine sense, “Bebe, what’s this about?” Today was clearly a festive day; how did it end up being so unhappy?
“Boss, Nisse’s been here all these years, and has always wanted to go visit her elder brother, Salomon. But you know as well as I do… Salomon, that fellow who forgets the kindness of others, should feel lucky that I don’t go kill him. Go pay a visit to him?
“Problem is, I didn’t want to reject Nisse outright so I just told her that I wasn’t strong enough yet, and that the trip back would be dangerous. I said that after I became a Highgod, I would be strong enough to escort her to the Jadefloat Continent. I just spoke casually, wanting to make her feel better, but who would’ve imagined… that she always kept these words in her heart.” Bebe had a sour look on his face.
Linley completely understood. Bebe hadn’t been serious about it, but Nisse had always remembered it. After all, after the death of her parents, all she had left was her elder brother. Although Salomon hadn’t treated Linley and the others with sincerity, he had always been devoted to his younger sister.
“When you promised me that… you were just saying it to make me feel better?” Nisse finally asked, a hint of moisture in her eyes.
Bebe was stunned… but he was the obstinate sort. Years ago he had used his ultimate attack with that godspark weapon, wanting to kill Salomon with it. The Seven Star Fiend, Elquin, blocked his attack to save Salomon, resulting in Elquin losing a divine artifact of his own.
Given the situation, how could Bebe willingly lower his head and go ‘pay a visit’ to Salomon? Most likely, Salomon also felt a hint of hatred towa
rds Bebe.
“Ninny, the way your elder brother treated us that year… and the fact that he tried to get my Boss and Delia killed…” Just as Bebe said these things, Nisse’s tears actually began to uncontrollably leak outwards. He was her only brother, after all.
Delia, seeing this, knew that things were headed in a bad direction. She immediately said through divine sense, “Bebe, stop saying these things. Although Salomon behaved in a rather scummy way back then, it was because he falsely believed Linley had betrayed him. Make the trip for Nisse’s sake. Otherwise, Nisse will forever have a thorn in her heart.”
“I’m sure Linley agrees with me on this,” Delia simultaneously sent the divine sense into Linley’s mind as well. Clearly, Delia knew that Linley’s words were the most effective for persuading Bebe.
“Forget it, Bebe. Give Salomon a chance. If Salomon refuses to show regret and change his ways, then you can act accordingly,” Linley sent mentally. Linley could imagine how Nisse felt. She hadn’t done anything wrong, after all. She was blameless in this matter.
“Fine, Boss. I’ll give that fellow one chance!” Bebe glanced at Linley, then said towards Nisse, “Your elder brother really was a bastard for doing what he did!”
“My brother has regretted it ever since. He really didn’t know the truth of the situation and mistakenly accused you, which is why he acted that way. Afterwards, he really regretted it,” Nisse said hurriedly.
Bebe reached out with his hand, taking Nisse’s. “Ninny, fine then. For your sake, I’ll accompany you on a visit to see your elder brother… but whether or not things work out will depend entirely on his attitude! If he tries to give me any attitude, then don’t blame me when things go south!” Bebe still couldn’t fully swallow his anger.
“My elder brother will definitely apologize,” Nisse said hurriedly, and a hint of a smile appeared on her face once more.
“Father, Mother,” Ina finally dared to speak out, “I want to go with you as well!”
“No way.” Bebe frowned. “Ina, you haven’t even become a Deity. We’ll be going to the Jadefloat Continent. The journey will be a long one, and if we encounter any danger on the way over, the slightest shockwave will kill you.”
Nisse agreed. “Nana, wait for the future.”
Seeing that both her father and her mother were of one mind on this, Ina felt quite resigned.
The next day, as per Nisse’s request, Bebe accompanied Nisse in leaving the Skyrite Mountains and heading towards the Coldcalm Prefecture of the Jadefloat Continent. This was a very long trip which would most likely take close to a century before they returned.
As for Linley and Delia, they accompanied Wade and Ina on a tour of Indigo Prefecture.
Despite having been in Indigo Prefecture for so many years, they hadn’t had a chance to visit many of the famous places of Indigo Prefecture. While they encountered some difficulties when adventuring in the Indigo Prefecture, Linley was so powerful that he was able to effortlessly resolve them.
A HUNDRED YEARS of roaming about had passed. During these hundred years, Linley’s four divine clones had focused on their training, with the fastest gains being made by his divine water clone, which finally started on a sixth profound mystery.
His divine wind clone was working on the eighth profound mystery as well… but his divine fire clone was doing terribly, still stuck on four mastered profound mysteries and not having made any progress in gaining even a basic understanding of the other two. Clearly, Linley’s talent with regards to fire was significantly weaker.
Within a metallic lifeform. Linley was seated on a chair.
“Linley, you’ve reached the sixth profound mystery in water. Look at how happy you are!” Delia brought over a plate of food and wine.”
Linley’s eyes were shining. “Wrong. I’m not happy because I’ve reached the sixth profound mystery in water. I’m happy because my Profound Mysteries of Strength and Gravitational Space have started to connect just slightly.” Linley was indescribably happy. “It’s been two hundred years. More than two centuries have passed since the affairs between our Four Divine Beasts clan and the eight great clans have come to an end. I’ve finally made a small improvement in the Laws of the Earth! This improvement signifies that I now have hope of fusing four profound mysteries.”
“Fusing four? How long will it take?” Delia asked.
“Not sure. Although the Profound Mysteries of Strength are fusing with the ‘Essence of the Earth’ and ‘Gravitational Space’, it’s just a connection; they aren’t completely fused yet. Fortunately, it is completely fused with the Throbbing Pulse of the World. After the other two are completely fused… I’ll have four profound mysteries, fused into one.”
Linley knew that in order to have four mysteries fused, he would have to separately fuse the Profound Mysteries of Strength with the other three profound mysteries. And then, he would begin a final, complete fusion.
“But how long will it take?” Delia asked again.
“If I’m fast, a few centuries or a thousand years. If I’m slow, ten thousand years.” Linley laughed.
“So long?” Delia laughed as well.
Linley said solemnly, “Delia, I’ve been training for roughly two thousand years now, in total. If I continue to train at this rate… to be able to fuse four profound mysteries within ten thousand years is a cause for celebration.” Linley stared out at the Infernal Realm from outside the window.
“I no longer have any regrets. I only hope that one day, I will reach the peak of training. Whether it be in ten thousand years, a million years, or even longer… I will continue to pursue my goals.” Linley’s eyes were filled with a hopeful light.
That year, Doehring Cowart had set him on the path of training. Although Linley’s number one priority had been revenge, while training to gain his revenge, Linley had fallen in love with training and the feeling of constantly exceeding his own limits.
“Linley, you will definitely succeed. I will be with you the entire time, and wait for you to reach that peak!” Delia and said in a soft voice, taking Linley’s hands into her own.
4
IRONKNIFE GORGE
Linley tightly held Delia’s hands in his own. “The pinnacle… right. That day will definitely come, one day.” Linley would forever remember the figures of Beirut and Dunnington. They were his goals!
Suddenly, a snicker from off to the side. Linley turned to look, only to see Wade and Ina peeking at them. Upon seeing that Linley had noticed them, the two quickly tried to retreat to their own rooms.
Linley couldn’t help but laugh. “Wade, Nana, hurry up and come over. Right, Nana… your father and your mother have already returned to the Bloodridge Continent. They are now heading to Indigo Prefecture. Most likely, in a year or so, they’ll have returned.”
“Father is about to return?” Ina stuck her head out, a look of surprise and delight on her face.
Linley laughed and nodded. As he and Bebe were spiritually linked, the two could sense the rough location of each other.
“Oh, that was pretty fast,” the nearby Delia said. “Bebe and Nisse, on this round trip, just spent a bit more than a century. It seems they didn’t stay too long in the Coldcalm Prefecture. I wonder how Bebe and Salomon acted towards each other.”
Linley smiled calmly. “No matter what, Bebe won’t let himself get the worst of it.” Given Bebe’s current level of power, how could Salomon be a match for him? Although Salomon was Nisse’s older brother, Bebe had a temper. Linley knew very well that if Salomon went too far… Bebe might not kill him out of consideration for Nisse, but he would still teach Salomon a harsh lesson.
“Linley, how about let’s go visit Lord Beirut? It’s been so many years since we have visited. We can wait for Bebe there as well,” Delia advised.
“Great, great. Let’s go to Great-Grandfather’s place!” Ina was the first to react.
The Lord Prefect’s residence of Indigo Prefecture. Linley, indeed, had never visited this pla
ce before. He immediately laughed and nodded, “Fine, then. Let’s go to Lord Beirut’s place. Bebe knows exactly where I am, so he’ll head directly there as well.”
Linley’s group immediately turned the direction of their metallic lifeform, sending it towards the Lord Prefect’s residence.
INDIGO PREFECTURE. The Lord Prefect’s residence. This was located in the northern part of the northern district of Indigo City, the chief city of the ten great cities of Indigo Prefecture. The more than half of the entire northern district seemed to be reserved for the Lord Prefect, while the personal soldiers and servants of the Lord Prefect numbered in the tens of thousands.
Linley’s arrival naturally resulted in a warm welcome from Beirut. Linley’s group thus settled down here for now.
In the blink of an eye, nearly a year passed.
Linley and Delia were currently strolling through a flower garden, which was filled with all sorts of fresh flowers. Red ones, blue ones, yellow ones; flowers were spread everywhere. The couple strolled while enjoying the fragrance of the flowers. This was indeed a very enjoyable thing. But suddenly…
Linley turned to look towards the west, smiling slightly. He then turned his head to look at the nearby Delia. “Delia, Bebe and Nisse have already reached Indigo City. I imagine that they’ll arrive soon.”
“They’ll arrive soon?” Delia couldn’t help but reveal a hint of joy, but then a hesitant look appeared on her face.
“Delia, what is it? Speak.” Linley and Delia had been together for so long that Linley could tell from a single glance or a look on Delia’s face what she was thinking. Delia hesitated, then said, “Linley, we’ve been in the Infernal Realm for nearly two thousand years. The Four Divine Beasts clan has already solved its crisis, and you have become a Highgod. I think… that it might be time for us to return to the Yulan continent, right? Sasha and Taylor, our two kids… I really want to see them.”
The Planar Wars: Book 7 of the Coiling Dragon Saga Page 3