Meanwhile, on Zijing Continent, after Hope left, Ninisha and Dili left the restaurant.
"Miss Dili, are you also a Sovereign Envoy?"
Ninisha was quite friendly toward Dili. Having just become a Sovereign Envoy and knowing little about the situation, she took the initiative to ask.
"Miss Ninisha, I'm not an envoy of the Sovereign. I serve another Water Sovereign, and by his command, I follow the Sovereign."
A warm smile spread across Dili's fair face, and she treated Ninisha with great enthusiasm.
As an envoy of Palhouse, the Water Element Intermediate Sovereign, Dili had known him before he became a Sovereign. Moreover, after serving as a Sovereign Legion Commander for many years, she had learned some of the secrets between Sovereigns.
The legendary Sovereign of Water rarely accepted Sovereign Envoys. So far, he had only had two. And the Sovereign had just treated Ninisha with obvious favor, so Dili naturally made sure to treat her as warmly as possible.
"The Sovereign?"
Hearing this title, Ninisha was somewhat surprised. Dili had called the Sovereign that in the restaurant, too, and Ninisha had been puzzled at the time. Now that she had heard it again, she was naturally curious.
Although Ninisha had heard plenty about Sovereigns and their envoys, she knew little about the Sovereigns themselves and was unaware of the hierarchy among them.
Seeing Ninisha's expression, Dili understood. She didn't hide anything. "Miss Ninisha, although all Sovereigns seem lofty and untouchable to us, there are differences between Sovereigns."
"The Four Edicts and Seven Laws encompass seventy-seven Sovereigns, seven for each element. Of the Sovereigns in each element, the strongest is called the Sovereign. They are the eleven most powerful people in the world. The Sovereign you serve is the Sovereign of Water, and the Sovereign I serve is also one of his subordinates."
"So that's what it means to be a Sovereign!"
Surprise flickered in Ninisha's pale violet eyes. She hadn't known there was such a hierarchy among Sovereigns, and the Sovereign had chosen her as his envoy.
"That's right, Miss Ninisha. You can continue traveling for a while. You only need to visit Cangming Island in the Water Elemental Plane within a hundred million years. I'll travel with you for now, and when the time comes, I'll guide you to Cangming Island."
Dili continued smiling warmly. She was giving Ninisha every possible consideration.
"Within a hundred million years?"
Ninisha's lips twitched slightly. She had cultivated for only a little over ten million years, so a hundred million years still seemed like a long time to her.
But Ninisha understood that to Sovereigns, who had lived for countless ages, a hundred million years was hardly any different from a single day. She said no more and traveled on with Dili, exploring as they went.
A million years later, in Yemu Prefecture, at Diyi City.
"Boom!"
Beyond Diyi City, a sea of flames surged across the Chisiwei Plain, dyeing the entire sky crimson.
Two figures stood side by side, ten thousand meters apart. On the left was a purple-haired woman in a blue robe: Ninisha, who had been traveling through Hell with Dili.
On the right stood a red-haired, muscular man over two meters tall. He wore ancient-looking armor and held a great axe. Two dark horns rose from his head, and his entire body radiated scorching heat.
If Diyi City's administrators had seen him, they would have been shocked. They had seen the red-haired man's likeness in the Floating Shadow at Diyi City. He was none other than Cromwell, Prefect of Yemu Prefecture and a powerful Fire Asura.
Ever since becoming a Sovereign Envoy, Ninisha had stopped visiting the Battle Arena at Fiend Castle. Her purpose in entering the arena had been to fight Prefects. The arena itself held no appeal for her.
Now, she no longer needed to go to such lengths. Dili took her directly to visit Prefects throughout the region, where she could spar with them face-to-face.
Most of the Prefects on Zijing Continent knew Dili, a veteran Prefect-level powerhouse from the Water Elemental Plane. Whenever she visited, those who were home welcomed her warmly, and none refused Ninisha's request to spar, given that she was a new Sovereign Envoy.
The two women had arrived near Diyi City when they encountered Cromwell, the Prefect of Yemu Prefecture. As soon as he saw Dili, he warmly welcomed them. Before long, Ninisha and Cromwell were sparring.
"Hahaha! What a thrill! Ninisha, take this!"
Cromwell laughed excitedly as he swung the great axe wreathed in flames. Snakes of fire coiled around his body.
"Hiss!"
Fire-elemental divine power erupted from Cromwell's body. Dozens of fire snakes roared and surged toward the purple-haired woman.
Ninisha merely smiled. Her spear traced two strange arcs, forming a pale purple, semicircular shield. The moment the fire snakes struck it, a wave of purple suction swallowed them and reduced them to nothing.
"What—what kind of move is that?"
Cromwell's eyes widened. He had seen plenty of powerful cultivators who practiced the Laws of Lightning, and he had fought Langsiluo, a commander-level powerhouse, in the Lightning Elemental Plane. But he had never seen anyone dispel his attacks so effortlessly.
At the edge of the Chisiwei Plain, two more figures hovered in the air, quietly watching the battle high above.
The green-haired woman in front was Dili. Behind her stood a man with white eyebrows and golden eyes, his expression respectful.
"Lady Dili, what kind of move did Lady Ninisha use? How could she counter Lord Cromwell's ultimate move so easily?"
The man with white eyebrows and golden eyes glanced at Dili's expression, then cautiously asked.
He was Stuart, the City Lord of Diyi City, a veteran Seven-Star Fiend under Cromwell, the Prefect of Yemu Prefecture. He had happened to be in Diyi City when the Prefect met Dili and Ninisha, who had come from afar. Since the Prefect was entertaining his guests, Stuart had been assigned to accompany them.
Although Stuart had been a Seven-Star Fiend for many years and was accustomed to his lofty status, serving others didn't bother him in the slightest. On the contrary, he kept a very low profile, because he knew all too well the gap between a Seven-Star Fiend and an Asura.
In the early days of the world, a Seven-Star Fiend of his caliber might have had a chance to challenge an Asura. But after countless years of slaughter, every Asura was formidable. Stuart knew his own limits and remained humble in their presence.
"This move is a defensive technique Ninisha came up with after fighting the Prefect of Lanfeng Prefecture a hundred thousand years ago. Even another Asura would find it difficult to break through."
Dili smoothed her green hair as she answered, her voice full of envy.
During this time, Dili had accompanied Ninisha as she fought many Prefects, and she had seen firsthand how terrifying Ninisha's comprehension was. Almost every battle left Ninisha with a new insight.
Not long ago, Ninisha had told her that she had nearly fused her sixth Mystery, with only the final sliver of a bottleneck left before she could achieve perfect fusion. Dili had nearly been left speechless.
The last time Dili had seen such terrifying cultivation speed and comprehension was before Bayer became a Paragon. She couldn't help feeling that she might be about to witness the birth of a Lightning Paragon.