In Hell, the Chaos Sea was shrouded in gray mist. Black seawater flowed beneath waves of destruction, which formed countless life-devouring whirlpools.
Of the seven regions in all of Hell, this was the largest. Beneath a pitch-black starry sky stretched a sea as lifeless as death, where it seemed no living creature could survive.
Unlike Hell's five continents, the two seas had far fewer inhabitants. Their environments were unsuitable for weaker beings, especially the Chaos Sea, which contained tremendous amounts of destructive power. In many areas, even ordinary High Gods risked perishing.
However, the number of powerful beings in the Chaos Sea and the Star Fog Sea was no less than on the five continents. One reason was that the two seas' environments were better suited to cultivation and combat, drawing many powerful beings. The other was that the two Sovereigns who controlled them were the two strongest in Hell.
At that moment, deep in the Chaos Sea, on the bottom of its endlessly dark waters, stood an enormous city built from ancient, gray stone blocks. It radiated a terrifying presence that seized the heart.
Even in the depths of the dark sea, where ordinary High Gods could not venture, the city stood firm. It was called Wukun City, and its master was the true ruler of Hell, the Sovereign of Destruction, Utrade.
At that moment, inside Castle of Destruction in Wukun City, a figure wrapped entirely in a black robe sat upon a throne. Below him, Xingyi, dressed in purple robes, bowed his head as he reported.
"Xingyi, are you saying that Reding and the other three clashed with Hope, and even seemed intent on fighting him?"
Utrade sat above him. His hoarse voice revealed nothing of his feelings.
"Yes, my lord. It began when an elder of the Four Divine Beasts Clan clashed with Ninisha, the Lightning Paragon who serves Lord Hope..."
Xingyi slowly raised his head and briefly recounted what had happened, feeling conflicted.
"Reding and the other three are becoming more and more arrogant."
Utrade's brows knitted beneath the darkness. He was displeased with what Reding and the others had been doing lately.
Although Utrade had begun researching the Four Divine Beasts' Innate Divine Ability long ago and regarded them as his prey, he did not want them to die yet. It was far too soon, and their deaths would not fit into his plans.
Utrade's research into the Four Divine Beasts' Innate Divine Ability was not even halfway complete. He had not yet reached the point where he needed large quantities of their essence blood. A Divine Beast's essence blood was the source of its power, and there was only so much of it.
If the Four Divine Beasts died, the amount of essence blood would be fixed: every use would mean less remained. But if they lived, he could periodically take a small portion of their essence blood, allowing them to replenish what they lost over time.
Thus, Utrade's plan was to keep the Four Divine Beasts alive and periodically trade with them for some of their essence blood. Once his research reached its final stage, he would decide whether to kill them based on whether he needed to use a large quantity of essence blood all at once.
But if the Four Divine Beasts clashed with another Sovereign, they could perish, and their essence blood might fall into someone else's hands, introducing variables. That was not the best outcome for Utrade.
"Hmph!"
Utrade snorted. Then Sovereign's Might surged within him, and a wave of energy instantly projected toward Bloodridge Continent.
Bloodridge Continent, Skyrite Mountains, Azure Dragon Hall.
"Whoosh!"
A gray drop of water condensed from thin air. A vast amount of Destruction Sovereign Power appeared in an instant, transforming into the indistinct figure of a man in a black robe.
"Hm?"
Reding and the other three sensed the surge of Sovereign's Might and abruptly opened their eyes. They appeared in Azure Dragon Hall at the same time.
"Greetings, Sovereign of Destruction!"
The four of them, with Reding at their head, bowed together, their voices filled with respect. Unlike their defiant manner toward the Sovereign of Water, all four acted with utter deference before the Sovereign of Destruction.
"Reding, Hope is a Sovereign, after all. You went too far by clashing with him. You are Sovereigns of Hell, so you should at least follow some rules."
Utrade's voice was extremely hoarse, giving no hint of his mood, yet it carried an imposing authority.
"Yes, my lord. We were only indignant in the heat of the moment. This matter is over, and we won't clash with Lord Hope again."
Reding lowered his head and responded respectfully, showing none of his usual arrogance.
"See that you don't!"
After speaking, Utrade's figure vanished without lingering.
"Big brother!"
As soon as the Sovereign of Destruction left, anger flashed across Lius's face. He turned to Reding, the Azure Dragon Sovereign.
"Pay him no mind. We'll continue with our plan. The moment Palhouse leaves the Water Elemental Plane, we'll strike and kill Hope!"
Reding's expression darkened. He raised a hand to stop his younger sibling from speaking further, then declared his resolve.
Reding was dissatisfied with the Sovereign of Destruction's attitude, but he could not say much about it openly.
The Four Divine Beasts were nothing before the Four Rules Sovereigns. Even if the other Law Sovereigns couldn't defeat a Rule Sovereign, they still had a chance to escape. The four of them, as Lower Sovereigns, couldn't even run.
"But, big brother, given the Sovereign of Destruction's attitude, if we fight Hope, might he...?"
Black Tortoise Sovereign Bowen hesitated, then spoke up to warn him.
"Then what? Are we supposed to keep enduring this forever? Utrade hasn't attacked us yet, but that doesn't mean he never will. We can't just sit around and wait to die."
White Tiger Sovereign Lius widened his eyes, clearly displeased.
"Enough. Both of you, calm down!"
Reding raised his right hand, cutting off their argument at once. His voice had grown more authoritative.
Lius and Bowen promptly fell silent. The four siblings got along well in their daily lives, but when something truly important came up, they always followed their eldest brother Reding's decision.
"The Sovereign of Destruction has been researching our bloodline all along. The only reason he hasn't killed us is that the time isn't right. He doesn't want us to clash with other Sovereigns because he's afraid that if we perish, our Divine Beast Essence Blood will fall into someone else's hands."
A faint icy-blue glow appeared in Reding's eyes, and his voice carried a trace of self-mockery.
Reding understood their predicament perfectly. Many Sovereigns wanted to study their bloodline, especially Utrade and Oufu. One of them hadn't made enough progress in his research and didn't want to kill the four living specimens just yet.
The other was currently focused on his ultimate technique and couldn't be bothered with them. But sooner or later, Utrade's research would make a breakthrough, and Oufu would finish his ultimate technique. If they did nothing, only ruin awaited them.
Sometimes Reding wondered whether, if the four of them had never become Sovereigns, they might not have become such coveted prizes in the eyes of the Sovereigns. Perhaps then they wouldn't have to live so exhausted and stifled.
But Reding quickly collected himself and continued, "We can't sit around and wait to die. Before Utrade decides to kill us, and before Oufu takes an interest in us, we must grow stronger. So this time, we must hunt down Hope and seize the Supreme God Token!"
"Even if Utrade is displeased, he won't kill us for now, because we're more valuable to him alive. Then we'll keep searching for the final token, obtain the Supreme God of Destruction's Supreme Artifact, kill Augusta, and seize the Overgod Sword."
"Then Gaislesen can become a Sovereign of Water with two Supreme Artifacts, giving him the means to protect himself against the Rule Sovereigns."
Reding finished and looked down at the other three, resolve written across his face.
"Don't worry, big brother. We'll succeed!"
White Tiger Sovereign Lius clasped Reding's hand. Her white eyes brimmed with the resolve to live or die alongside him.