"I hadn't wanted to kill him, but I have to say, the people of the Four Divine Beasts Clan really are a bunch of arrogant lunatics."
Ninisha rubbed her brow with a weary sigh, then briefly recounted what had happened.
"Ah, if only I'd known. I should have gone with you."
After hearing Ninisha's account, Dili sighed helplessly. As the Sovereign Legion Commander of the Water Elemental Plane, she had dealt with the Four Divine Beasts Clan on the Azure Dragon Continent and had witnessed firsthand just how overbearing they could be.
If she had been in Ninisha's shoes, she would most likely have endured the insult and handed the Five-Colored Blood Crystal straight to Emmanuel. Then the matter would have been over.
It would have been humiliating for someone of her standing—a Prefect-level powerhouse and a Sovereign Envoy—to bow to a Seven-Star Fiend. But given how overbearing and fiercely protective the Four Divine Beasts Clan was, it was the only way to avoid offending them.
Ninisha had come from the Thunder Divine Plane, where the Four Divine Beasts Clan had little influence. As a result, she didn't know much about how they operated and hadn't agreed to Emmanuel's demand right away.
In the end, the moment Ninisha first refused Emmanuel, she was bound to offend the Four Divine Beasts Clan. Even if she had spared Emmanuel and Kedun in the end, nothing would have changed.
"Dili, you don't need to worry too much. I don't have a clan backing me, and the Laws of Thunder are adept at speed. It won't be easy for the Four Divine Beasts Clan to kill me."
Seeing that Dili looked troubled, Ninisha spoke up to reassure her.
"Ah, Ninisha, you don't understand the Four Divine Beasts Clan. They're a bunch of shameless lunatics..."
Dili's mouth twitched. With a bitter smile, she went on to tell Ninisha about the clan's past.
There was one fundamental reason why countless people across the divine planes feared the Four Divine Beasts Clan: the Four Divine Beasts Sovereigns had no shame. Whenever the clan ran into a problem they couldn't resolve, they never hesitated to lower themselves and handle it personally.
In the past, there had been Prefects who couldn't hold back after being bullied by the Four Divine Beasts Clan and fought back. One of them, a powerhouse who cultivated the Laws and Profound Mysteries of Darkness, was especially skilled at concealing his presence. He hid and assassinated members of the clan, escaping several times even after Gaislesen and the others surrounded him.
Then Reding, the Azure Dragon Sovereign, stepped in and killed him with a single thought, striking terror into countless lives across the divine planes.
"The Four Divine Beasts Sovereigns actually act like that?"
Ninisha's brow furrowed at once, and she fell into thought.
She realized she had underestimated just how shameless the Four Divine Beasts Clan and its Sovereigns could be. She was in an extremely dangerous position.
She had assumed that the worst the clan could do was send people to surround her. Although it had several Asuras whom she couldn't face head-on, she believed she could protect herself and escape with her speed and strength.
But if a Four Divine Beasts Sovereign intervened, none of that would matter. After all, Sovereigns and gods could already be considered two entirely different kinds of beings.
"Ninisha, why don't you ask the Sovereign for help? I'm afraid only a Sovereign can protect you now."
After a long silence, Dili finally made the suggestion and stated where she stood.
Even Dili herself thought the idea was a little far-fetched. Sovereign Envoys were servants, after all. How could a Sovereign possibly make an enemy of another Sovereign for their sake?
"Would the Sovereign help me? I'm only a Sovereign Envoy."
Ninisha hesitated, her brow furrowed.
"It's worth a try. The Sovereign seems to value you. Maybe the Sovereign will help. Don't worry. If things come to the worst, I'll fight the Four Divine Beasts Clan alongside you! Between us, we can surely kill one or two of them."
A determined killing intent flashed in Dili's blue eyes, and her voice carried a note of resolve.
In truth, given Dili's usual temperament, she should have turned and left. This matter had nothing to do with her, after all, and staying with Ninisha could only draw trouble her way.
But this time, after thinking it over, Dili decided to take a chance. For one thing, the Four Divine Beasts had given her plenty of grief over the years, and she had a score to settle with the clan.
More importantly, the Sovereign of Water seemed to value Miss Ninisha. Perhaps Ninisha really could receive protection. What if the Sovereign actually stepped in?
Most importantly, she had dealt with Palhouse and Bayer, so she knew something about the Sovereign of Water's eye for choosing Envoys. She didn't know how the Sovereign of Water could tell, but Dili suspected Ninisha might have a chance of reaching Paragon.
If Dili stood firmly by Ninisha's side now, Ninisha would surely be grateful. And if Ninisha reached Paragon, the Sovereign would certainly protect her. The Four Divine Beasts Clan would no longer be able to do anything to her.
By then, Dili would have earned the favor of a Paragon High-God who had become a Sovereign's Envoy. So she decided to take a chance.
"I understand, Dili. Thank you."
Ninisha fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and slowly nodded. She took a piece of parchment from her Spatial Ring, and its strange magic runes immediately began to burn.
Meanwhile, on Bloodridge Continent, in the Lianyun Mountain Range.
Deep in the mountains lay a lake stretching a thousand miles in every direction. At its center stood a beautiful island.
The island was home to countless lovely plants and birds, making it seem like a secluded paradise.
On the island, inside a simple cone-shaped hall, two figures sat facing each other across an ancient stone table.
One of them was the nominal ruler of Bloodridge Continent and one of the Seven Sovereigns of Hell: Pashi, the Bloodridge Sovereign.
The black-haired young man with sharp brows and bright eyes across from him was Hope, who had left Zijing Continent. Between them stood a stone table and a chessboard.
"My lord, your move."
Pashi gently shifted a chess piece, then smiled at Hope. He looked quite relaxed.
"I have to say, Pashi, your skill is as formidable as ever."
Hope studied the position on the board, repeatedly calculating his next moves in his mind, then remarked with a sigh.
"You're no slouch yourself, my lord—and you keep getting stronger. I've played chess with many Sovereigns, and you're the strongest player I've ever known."
Pashi toyed with the chess piece in his hand, speaking in a lighthearted tone, though he was far from calm inside.
Pashi wasn't trying to flatter Hope. As a kindly Sovereign known for his many hobbies, Pashi had played chess with a great many Sovereigns. Most couldn't beat him even once, while only a few managed to win occasionally.
Among those few were the Sovereign of Destruction, Teresia, and Hope, the Sovereign of Water. What was more, Hope had beaten him more often than the Sovereign of Destruction had. Pashi had long suspected that the Sovereign of Water had reached Paragon ages ago.
However, Pashi had never told anyone, not even the Sovereign of Destruction, despite being one of that Sovereign's subordinates.
Pashi had always cultivated the image of a kindly man who never competed or fought for anything. He had no desire to become stronger and simply enjoyed life. Aside from chess, he wanted nothing and never offended anyone. Even when the Four Divine Beasts Clan made Bloodridge Continent its lair, he never showed any displeasure.
Yet how could a Sovereign who had lived from the dawn of the world until now really be a kindly old man? Pashi simply knew what he wanted and understood his own limits. He never competed for Overgod Missions, Heaven and Earth Wonders, or anything else that Sovereigns might fight over.
"Hmm? Ninisha's contacting me already?"
Just as Hope was about to make another move, he suddenly sensed a summons. Raising his eyebrows in surprise, he looked toward Zijing Continent.
"My lord?"
Pashi, seated across from Hope, cautiously ventured a question.
"Wait a moment."
Hope said this, set down the chess piece in his hand, and then formed a projection clone on Zijing Continent.