Just as the Plane War in the Water Elemental Plane had ended, far away in Hell, on Bloodridge Continent, at the Skyrite Mountains...
A towering sculpture stood on the outskirts of the mountains, its surface carved with the forms of enormous divine beasts. From afar, one could make out a colossal Azure Dragon sculpture radiating a terrifying aura.
At the four corners of the Skyrite Mountains stood sculptures of the Four Divine Beasts: the Azure Dragon, soaring through the sky with a soft cry; the White Tiger, roaring with fierce dominance; the Black Tortoise, steady as Mount Tai; and the Vermilion Bird, reborn from fire. Together, they surrounded the ancestral home of the Four Divine Beasts Clan.
Within the Azure Dragon Clan's territory, patrol warriors occasionally flew along the Dragon Path. Whenever they looked toward the blue hall at the highest point, their faces showed reverence. That was the Azure Dragon Hall, the highest council chamber of the Four Divine Beasts Clan.
"Boom~~"
A terrifying pressure surged skyward from inside the Azure Dragon Hall, instantly weighing down every member of the clan.
Inside the hall, four figures sat in a circle. Suddenly, the blue-haired figure in green robes, who had been sitting calmly with eyes closed, opened his eyes. A terrifying aura burst from his body, and dozens of spatial rifts appeared around him.
Only the Four Divine Beasts Sovereigns—the ancestors of the Four Divine Beasts Clan—could cultivate in seclusion inside the Azure Dragon Hall. The figure in green robes whose aura had suddenly erupted was the Azure Dragon Sovereign, Reding.
The first to react was the woman seated to Reding's right. She wore a fiery-red robe, and her exquisite red hair spilled down her shoulders. A blazing spark flickered between her brows, while the terrifying pressure of a Sovereign revealed her identity.
The Vermilion Bird Sovereign, Nimo!
"Big brother? What's wrong? Is there an enemy?"
Nimo's fiery-red eyes snapped open. In an instant, her red robe transformed into a layer of faint golden wings, as if a phoenix were taking flight. Her expression was full of alertness.
"Has another Sovereign approached?"
The brown-haired man seated to Reding's left narrowed his eyes. His arms swelled several times over, and an aura as immovable as a mountain radiated from him. His divine sense quickly swept the surroundings before he shook his head and spoke.
The Black Tortoise Sovereign, Bowen!
"Big brother, what's going on?"
The last to rise was a young man in loose white robes. A blood-red king's mark was etched on his forehead, and his hand instantly transformed into a sharp tiger's claw. Though wary, he looked puzzled with his white pupils.
The White Tiger Sovereign, Lius!
Though they had no idea what had happened, the Four Divine Beasts had been so close for so many years that they were practically one. The instant the Azure Dragon Sovereign, Reding, released his aura, the other three had swiftly prepared for battle.
"Enough. Calm down. There's no enemy nearby!"
In an instant, the Azure Dragon Sovereign withdrew the energy within him. His voice was complicated as he spoke, then he slowly descended to the floor.
At his words, the other three relaxed slightly and stood down, but they soon turned to their eldest brother with puzzled expressions.
"Just now, I received a portion of Willpower."
A look of astonishment flashed through Reding's ice-blue eyes. He sighed helplessly as he spoke.
"What? Willpower? Was it from the Plane Battlefield? The Water Elemental Plane actually won?"
The White Tiger Sovereign, Lius, cried out in shock, his grayish-white pupils filled with disbelief.
"How could that be? Is the Sovereign of Water really that powerful?"
The Vermilion Bird Sovereign, Nimo, murmured in disbelief, her little mouth slightly agape. The Four Divine Beasts hadn't gone to the Plane Battlefield, so they had no idea what had happened.
The Four Divine Beasts Sovereigns didn't take part in the Plane Wars. They knew that this was the Water Elemental Plane's tenth battle, and that if it won, every Water Sovereign would receive a portion of Willpower.
But in their view, the Water Elemental Plane had no chance of winning. After all, the Twelve-Winged Angels of the Chief Sovereign of Light were widely recognized as powerful, and it was unlikely that the Water Elemental Plane could persuade the other planes to help it win ten battles in a row.
"As expected of the oldest Sovereign from the dawn of creation. It seems the Sovereign of Water has a trump card of his own."
Ripples of surprise crossed the usually composed face of the Black Tortoise Sovereign, Bowen.
"Unfortunately, it doesn't mean much for us."
The Azure Dragon Sovereign, Reding, rubbed his temples with a troubled look, then could only sigh in resignation.
Ordinarily, a Sovereign receiving an extra portion of Willpower and becoming ten times stronger would be cause for celebration. But Reding felt only bitterness.
The Water Elemental Plane had won ten battles in a row, so Reding, as one of the Water Sovereigns, would also receive a portion of Willpower and become one level stronger. But to him, that Willpower was of little use.
The Four Divine Beasts were only Lower Sovereigns in their true forms. Even as Super Divine Beasts, they could barely contend with ordinary Midgod Sovereigns. An extra portion of Willpower still wouldn't make them a match for a Sovereign.
Yet all their enemies were Sovereigns. Unlike ordinary Sovereigns, the Four Divine Beasts could use their innate bloodline abilities to unleash attacks on par with a Sovereign. That was their advantage, but it also made them coveted targets.
After countless years, every Sovereign wanted to grow stronger. The bloodlines of the Four Divine Beasts were treasures that many Sovereigns wanted to obtain.
The Sovereign of Destruction had secretly captured members of the Four Divine Beasts Clan, and had repeatedly sought out the four of them to demand a few drops of their blood for research.
The Sovereign of Fate had never shown any interest, but his friend, the Sovereign of Light, Augusta, had made a few moves both openly and behind the scenes.
The Four Divine Beasts weren't fools. They knew they were in grave danger, so they never dared to separate, for fear that one of them might be killed by a Sovereign. At the same time, the four of them were planning for the future.
They had never taken part in the Plane Wars, because there was no real point for them. Their only way to truly fight Sovereigns was their Combined Innate Divine Ability, which depended on the four of them balancing their bloodlines in a special way.
So even if they helped one of the Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire planes win ten battles in a row, their strength wouldn't change. Only if all four elemental planes each won ten battles could each of the Four Divine Beasts receive another portion of Willpower.
Otherwise, the power of their Combined Innate Divine Ability wouldn't increase. But that was impossible—even if they sacrificed the entire Four Divine Beasts Clan, it still couldn't happen.
"Big brother, now that the Water Sovereigns have received Willpower for winning this battle, should we still consider the Sovereign of Water a target?"
After a long silence, the Black Tortoise Sovereign, Bowen, was the first to break it.
The Four Divine Beasts Sovereigns understood their predicament and had no intention of waiting helplessly for disaster. They had been studying their ultimate technique, and after all these years, they had made a breakthrough: they could now use their Innate Divine Ability twice in succession, instead of just once.
So they had been planning to hunt one or two Sovereigns and have members of their clan refine the Sovereign Sparks, adding one or two Sovereign-level fighters to their ranks and fundamentally changing their situation.
They couldn't just pick their targets at random. After ruling out the Four Rules Sovereigns, they had to consider not only the strength of the Seven Law Overlords, but also the strength of the Four Divine Beasts Clan's Highgods. For instance, although the Sovereign of Darkness was relatively weak, the strongest Dark Highgod in the clan was only a Six-Star Fiend who had fused three Mysteries.
Sovereigns had to fuse at least five Mysteries, but that assumed they spent time cultivating with the power of faith. It didn't mean that any Highgod who refined a Sovereign Spark would instantly become a Five-Fusion Sovereign. If the clan's Highgod refined a Dark Sovereign Spark, a Sovereign who had fused only three Mysteries would be too weak. It would take time for him to cultivate until he had fused five, and the Four Divine Beasts didn't dare gamble that nothing dangerous would happen in the meantime.
So Reding and the others had chosen two targets: the Sovereign of Light, Augusta, and the Sovereign of Water, Hope.
For a long time, the Four Divine Beasts' first target had been the Sovereign of Light, Augusta. Killing him would bring them the greatest reward: not only would they obtain a High-level Sovereign Spark, but they would also gain a Supreme Attack Artifact. The clan also had one or two Seven-Star Fiend Light Highgods.
Then, if they gave the Sovereign Spark to a clan member who cultivated the Laws of Light to refine, the Four Divine Beasts Clan would have a Sovereign of Light wielding the Fate Overgod Sword.
The Sovereign of Water, Hope, was their second target. Among their children, Gaislesen was slightly stronger than the others, and the Sovereign of Water, Hope, wasn't a divine beast, so he appeared relatively weak.
But now that the Water Elemental Plane had won ten battles in a row, Hope had grown stronger. An extra portion of Willpower wasn't a problem; they were confident they could fight him with the advantage of their Innate Divine Ability. But Hope wasn't the only Water Sovereign. There was also Palhouse.
"The Water Element Intermediate Sovereign, Palhouse, is a Paragon. With this extra portion of Willpower, he's now on par with a Sovereign. He's a loyal subordinate of the Sovereign of Water, Hope, and the two spend most of their time together. If we go after Hope, we may have to fight them both at once..."
The Azure Dragon Sovereign, Reding, murmured softly, sinking into thought.
An Intermediate Sovereign who was a Paragon was already nearly as powerful as an ordinary Five-Fusion Sovereign. Most Sovereigns weren't Paragons, but they had generally fused part of a sixth Mystery. With the natural advantages of a divine beast's innate ability and physical strength, Palhouse had been somewhat weaker than a true Sovereign. But with an extra portion of Willpower, he was now a Sovereign in every sense.
From the four of their perspective, the best plan was to kill either Augusta or Hope—or even both—give their Sovereign Sparks to clan members to refine, and gain two Sovereigns as well as an Overgod Sword.
But killing either of them came with its own difficulties, and Reding had his concerns. Augusta had the favor of Oufu, the Sovereign of Fate, and killing him might draw Oufu's attention.
Hope, on the other hand, had a subordinate who was practically a Sovereign, Palhouse. Though the Four Divine Beasts' Innate Divine Ability was powerful, until recently they could only use it once in a short time. They had now found a way to use it twice, but killing both Hope and Palhouse at the same time would still be difficult.
"Let's kill Augusta first. Oufu's favor is only useful while Augusta is alive. Afterward, once Milton has refined the Sovereign of Light's Spark, the five of us can go after Hope together!"
Reding fell silent for a moment. Then a look of resolve flashed through his eyes as he set their future course.
"Augusta! Hope!"
A glint flashed in Reding's eyes, then the four figures in the secret chamber fell quiet once more.
But at that very moment, a gray sheet of paper and a golden bead radiating golden energy flew out of a spatial rift that was about to close, landing before them.