The Hunt

"I believe we should immediately report this to Lord Baldivi."

A middle-aged man with cyan hair spoke.

As his words fell, the remaining people in the castle hall began to discuss among themselves.

"The golden mountain phenomenon appearing deep within the Purple Crystal Mountain Range—this is absolutely a matter concerning the future of the Eighteen Families Alliance."

"Exactly, for such a major event, it's naturally most appropriate for Lord Baldivi to handle it personally."

"Let us request Lord Baldivi!"

The Eighteen Families Alliance meeting, which should have been solemn, instantly turned into a chaotic marketplace.

"Boom~!"

An old man with short, dark-blue hair and a resolute face suddenly slammed the table and roared:

"If we have to consult Lord Baldivi on every single matter, then what use are we Alliance Elders?"

Lucio spoke with deep anguish.

"Lord Black Wind is right. Lord Baldivi, honored as the Rainbow Sun Prefect Lord, cannot possibly attend to every detail himself."

"Exactly. The Alliance Elders were originally established to make decisions. Now, consulting Lord Baldivi on everything is clearly inappropriate."

Lucio was a Seven-star Demon.

His title was Black Wind Demon!

Even now, that name struck fear into the hearts of all who heard it.

In Hell, to obtain the title of Asura, one had to either become a Prefect Lord or a Purgatory Commander.

There was no other way.

Lucio's strength was more than a match for Prefect Lords slightly weaker than those in Hell.

However, challenging a Prefect Lord was itself a high-risk, high-reward endeavor.

As long as one held the position of Prefect Lord long enough, they often had the chance to receive Sovereign Power bestowed by a Sovereign God.

Such good fortune typically occurred on the eve of an impending Plane War.

Sovereign Gods also needed Prefect Lords to work for them, at the very least to help recruit legions for participation in the Plane War.

Prefect Lord-level experts who excelled at organization and coordination were especially valued by Sovereign Gods.

Additionally, Prefect Lords and Commander-level experts had the right to organize elite squads to participate in the Plane War.

This was a rule established by the Sovereign God Council countless trillions of years ago.

It had long become customary.

In fact, a very small number of super experts skilled in command would even be kept by Sovereign Gods as Legion Commanders.

Take the Purple Thorn Legion, for example!

The Purple Thorn Legion Commander was always a trusted favorite of the Purple Thorn Sovereign God.

Elite squads were one thing, but the type of Prefect Lord who excelled at commanding large-scale wars...

Whether in Hell or other God Planes, they were highly sought after.

"I support Lucio!"

Although the Eighteen Families Alliance stood united, that was only true when facing external threats.

Within the eighteen families themselves, conflict and power struggles had never ceased.

Fortunately, Baldivi was not only the Rainbow Sun Prefect Lord but also the Sovereign's Emissary of the Purple Thorn Sovereign God.

With a material attack Sovereign Artifact and such strength and status, he had long occupied the position of Grand Elder of the Eighteen Families Alliance.

For countless years, no one had ever shaken Baldivi's position.

So what if one became a Prefect Lord?

The Purple Thorn Continent had nineteen prefectures, each with at least ten cities.

Nineteen prefectures.

That also meant nineteen Prefect Lord-level experts. Within the eighteen families, there were also those who served as Prefect Lords, just not near the Purple Crystal Mountain Range.

Additionally, there were at least five Alliance Elders who clearly possessed Prefect Lord-level strength.

So-called Alliance Elders!

In practice, they were held by the clan leaders or the strongest members of each family.

Seven-star Demons within the clans only served as Elders in the Alliance, not as Alliance Elders.

With so many experts gathered, the Eighteen Families Alliance had a total of over two hundred Seven-star Demons.

Thus, the eighteen families could withstand the countless forces who eyed the output of the Purple Crystal Mountain Range with envy and greed, and still firmly hold onto this foundation.

No strength?

They'd probably be eaten down to the bone, not even a scrap left.

So many Seven-star Demons, such formidable families, and an alliance formed by eighteen powerful families.

Yet with this kind of power, the only one actually serving as a Sovereign's Emissary was Baldivi.

From this, one can see just how high the status of a Sovereign's Emissary truly is.

Baldivi also held onto the position of Grand Elder of the Eighteen Families Alliance.

He had veto power over any unsettled family matters.

"The Mist Sea riot is about to end. Even if we go to invite Lord Baldivi now, it's too late. It would take him at least several decades to get here."

The Hell Plane was too vast!

The Purple Thorn Continent, with its boundless territory, stood proudly as the largest of the five continents, occupying nineteen of the one hundred and eight prefectures of Hell.

This land, though adjacent to the magnificent and wondrous Purple Crystal Mountain Range, could not be easily crossed in a short time.

However, even the sprawling expanse of the Purple Thorn Continent could hardly compare to the two great oceans of Hell—the Star Mist Sea and the Sea of Chaos.

The area of the Star Mist Sea was enough to dwarf the other five continents of the Hell Plane.

And the even more vast and boundless Sea of Chaos was so immense that words could hardly describe it.

Above these two great oceans, although there was no super-massive landmass like the Purple Thorn Continent, countless islands were scattered like stars, each forming its own unique prefecture.

These islands, if they were in a Material Plane, could not be called islands—they would be continents, and supercontinents at that.

Every single island was land far surpassing the Magnolia Continent.

But by the scale of Hell, they were not worthy of the name 'continent,' nor did they have comparable size or importance.

They were pearls in the ocean, dreams for adventurers, and the birthplace of countless legends.

On the islands of the two great oceans, which were like stars filling the sky, it was naturally impossible for all of them to have official cities recognized by the Sovereigns.

But almost every island was occupied and inhabited by life.

Some were tribes.

Some were powerful special lifeforms.

Or, some were simply families established by super-strong experts.

"Since you all support me, then from now on, everyone must carefully guard their respective jurisdictions."

Lucio, with his short, dark blue-black hair and resolute face, spoke.

"Don't worry, I guarantee not a single bird will get through."

"Although the Purple Crystal Mountain Range is vast, as long as the Eighteen Families mobilize their strength, it's easy to seal off the entrances and exits!"

A group of Alliance Elders chimed in.

Although they all supported Baldivi's authority, none of them opposed Lucio's statement.

In fact, many Alliance Elders believed that Lucio's aggressive plan was more in line with the interests of the Eighteen Families.

It was precisely because of this.

Lucio always had a considerable number of supporters within the Eighteen Families.

Interest had always been the most straightforward means of uniting people.

"Just wait!"

"In at most a few decades, the Mist Sea will contract again, and the location of the Golden Mountain will be exposed outside the Mist Sea."

"First, send a batch of ordinary High Gods to investigate. We absolutely cannot let anyone who might leave the Purple Crystal Mountain Range get away."

The alliance meeting proceeded, with elders continuously proposing specific hunting measures.

Ordinary Seven-star Demon Elders could not participate in family resolutions, but they still had a say in the specific implementation plans after the resolutions were made.

"Hahaha, I've finally become a god in the Fire Element Law."

With fiery red hair that seemed to burn continuously, Hermes appeared directly in front of Leis Jing.

"I say, Leis Jing, how bored must you be to wait here for me?"

The burning hair was just an external manifestation of the Fire Element Law after his recent promotion to Middle God. There was no need to mind it; after a while, this phenomenon would naturally disappear.