The clash between the Four Divine Beasts and the Sovereign of Water quickly spread through the circle of Sovereigns. After all, Xingyi of the Star Fog Sea had witnessed everything with her own eyes, and Yage Huerlei also knew the whole story.
The Thunder Divine Plane, one of the Seven Divine Planes.
On the Xinya Continent, in the Taluoulei Region, purple light blanketed the land for tens of thousands of miles in every direction.
At the heart of the Thunder Region, a massive floating city drifted high in the sky, ten thousand miles above the ground. A golden halo enveloped the entire castle.
In a palace etched with endless purple lightning at the center of the castle, a middle-aged man with flowing golden hair and a lightning-shaped mark between his brows leaned back on the throne.
Below him, a purple-haired young man stood with his head respectfully bowed. It was Yage Huerlei, recently returned from Hell.
In Purple Thunder Castle, at the heart of the Thunder Region, there was only one person who could make Yage Huerlei bow his head so respectfully: his father.
The Thunder Sovereign—Huerlei!
"Yage, are you saying Reding and the others clashed with Hope?"
The lightning mark between Huerlei's brows flashed, and a mocking curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Yes, Father. The Four Divine Beasts Clan fought Ninisha, and then the Azure Dragon Sovereign and the Sovereign of Water both appeared..."
Yage Huerlei nodded and quickly recounted the whole story.
"Ninisha, a Lightning Paragon, was snatched away by Hope again! She's clearly a Paragon from my Thunder Divine Plane. That Hope..."
Huerlei rested his right hand on the armrest, a trace of displeasure showing on his face. But he soon composed himself.
Standing below, Yage Huerlei was shaken by his father's words, but said nothing. It was best not to speak out of turn about matters concerning the Sovereigns.
"I know the situation now. Yage, you may leave."
Huerlei rubbed his brow. Purple lightning flickered faintly as he waved a hand.
"Yes, Father!"
Yage bowed his head and replied in a low voice, then quickly left the hall.
The Netherworld, one of the Four Supreme Planes. Unlike Hell, which had five continents, the entire Netherworld consisted of a single enormous continent and the Nether Sea.
Nether Mountain was known as the tallest mountain in the Netherworld. It stood a million meters high and stretched for more than ten thousand miles in every direction. It was also one of the largest mountains in all the Divine Planes.
Three-colored clouds and mist surrounded Nether Mountain. Natural chains formed along the surface of the clouds, winding around the mountain and brimming with lightning powerful enough to kill a Highgod.
Beyond the purple mist at the summit stood a black palace floating in midair.
The palace was purplish-black and hundreds of meters tall, like a small mountain. A massive sphere atop its spire radiated lightning, while countless chains hung down along the mountainside.
At that moment, inside the palace, a blood-red figure sat on the throne.
She was a pretty young woman with blood-red hair. A deathly aura shone in her crimson eyes, an unusual contrast to her exquisitely beautiful, graceful figure.
There could be no doubt about the identity of the red-haired beauty who lived atop Nether Mountain, the most dangerous place in the Netherworld.
One of the Four Edicts, the Sovereign of Death—Thanatos!
"Rumble..."
Life Sovereign Power gathered in the void, then a kindly white-haired old man appeared. He bowed to the girl on the throne.
"Priestley, what is it?"
The Sovereign of Death lifted her eyes and looked down at the Nether Sovereign, asking in a low voice.
"Sovereign, the Four Divine Beasts clashed with the Sovereign of Water in Hell."
The Nether Sovereign Priestley stroked his willow-like beard and answered.
"Oh? Hope and Reding? Reding and the others certainly have some nerve! They've crossed Hope. The four of them probably won't survive much longer."
The Sovereign of Death looked surprised, then spoke thoughtfully.
The Nether Sovereign below shuddered at her words, then cautiously asked, "Sovereign, the Four Divine Beasts Clan started the provocation from beginning to end. Lord Hope was probably just there because of his Paragon envoy. Surely this won't escalate into a battle between Sovereigns?"
The Nether Sovereign was feeling uneasy. Many years had passed since the Sovereign Covenant was established, and there had been no battles between Sovereigns since.
"Hope may have kept a low profile all these years, but that doesn't mean he has no temper. Reding and the others are no match for him. If their blood essence falls into Hope's hands, I wonder what Utrade's expression will be."
The Sovereign of Death stretched lazily. Her blood-red hair fell to her shoulders, and a hint of anticipation crossed her face.
As one of the oldest Sovereigns in the world, the Sovereign of Death was among those who knew Hope's temperament best—better even than Palhouse. Though the matter seemed to have passed for now, she believed neither the Four Divine Beasts nor Hope would let it go.
The Water Elemental Plane, in the Cangming Sea. The million-meter-tall Cangming Tower was surrounded by milky-white mist, forming a forbidden zone that ordinary Gods could not enter.
At that moment, inside the upper levels of Cangming Tower, a round-faced, middle-aged man looked solemnly at the young man seated high on the Sovereign's throne.
"Sovereign, I'd like to replenish my Sovereign Envoys after the losses we suffered in the last Plane War. What do you think...?"
Palhouse bowed his head and reported his plans to Hope.
As the Sovereign second only to Hope in the Water Elemental Plane, Palhouse handled most of the affairs there. He also arranged the main forces on the Plane Battlefield, and his Sovereign Envoys made up a key part of those forces.
In the last Plane War, the Water Elemental Plane had won ten battles in a row, but the fighting had been fierce. Almost all of Palhouse's envoys and those of several other Sovereigns had perished, with the exceptions of Barbary and Dili. The Water Elemental Plane had suffered heavy losses overall, so Palhouse planned to visit other planes and find a few suitable replacements.
He had already made these plans, but after his recent clash with the Four Divine Beasts, he hesitated over whether he should leave.
"Go. If you don't leave, the fish won't take the bait!"
Hope spoke calmly, his expression unruffled.
"Yes, Sovereign!"
Palhouse shuddered at his words, nodded, then turned and left.
A thousand years later, word began to spread that Palhouse, a Water Element Intermediate Sovereign, had appeared in the Fire Elemental Plane and was searching for suitable Sovereign Envoys.
Hell, the Skyrite Mountains, Azure Dragon Hall.
"Is the information reliable?"
Reding looked at Gaislesen, who had delivered the report. His expression was grave, and the pressure within him unconsciously spilled out.
"Father, the information is absolutely reliable. A hundred years ago, Tiya went to the Vermilion Bird Continent under the pretext of selecting outstanding younger members of the clan. While traveling with the family's disciples, she saw Sovereign Envoy Palhouse up close. She can confirm that it wasn't an Energy Avatar, but the Sovereign's true body."
Gaislesen was so excited that he was trembling.
Not long ago, the Four Divine Beasts had given him a mission. They told him their next plan was to hunt the Sovereign of Water, and that they would give him the Sovereign Spark. They also told him to prepare himself. Gaislesen was thrilled beyond words.
"Good. You may leave. Be ready."
Reding fell silent for a long while before speaking, his expression now resolute.
"Yes, Father!"
Gaislesen suppressed his excitement and quickly left Azure Dragon Hall. He then sat cross-legged nearby and waited for the outcome.
"Eldest Brother, Palhouse has left the Water Elemental Plane."
Nimo, the Vermilion Bird Sovereign, was the first to look toward Reding. Her voice held barely concealed excitement.
Palhouse had made no effort to hide his movements, so word that he had gone out to look for Sovereign Envoys had spread quickly several hundred years earlier. To make sure he hadn't sent out an Energy Avatar, they had even arranged for Tiya to go to the Fire Elemental Plane.
As a Sovereign's daughter, Tiya had been in close contact with Sovereigns many times. She knew the difference between the pressure of a Sovereign's true body and that of an avatar, and wouldn't mistake one for the other.
"Prepare to depart. This time, we'll make sure to kill Hope!"
Reding's voice was steady, as if imbued with an invincible majesty.
The next moment, Reding swept a hand through the air and entered the Spatial Turbulence first. The other three followed close behind, flying toward the Water Elemental Plane.