News from the Water Elemental Plane spread quickly. Some members of the Four Divine Beasts Clan still had Divine Clones in the Skyrite Mountains, so they received the news right away.
"What did you say? Say that again!"
In the Azure Dragon Hall, Gaislesen sprang to his feet, glaring fiercely at Hoke as if he wanted to send him flying with his eyes.
"Patriarch, Barbary led everyone in his clan in an attack on our clan's stronghold on the Azure Dragon Continent. The entire clan was wiped out. He also said that the day the Four Divine Beasts Clan perishes isn't far off..."
Hoke fell to his knees, trembling all over, his heart filled with despair and fear.
"Thud!"
Gaislesen collapsed to the floor, terror written across his face. As the only person in the clan who knew that Reding and the other three had gone to fight the Sovereign of Water, he knew exactly what this meant.
"Leave."
After a long silence, Gaislesen finally forced the words out through clenched teeth, doing his best to keep his composure.
"Patriarch, the ancestors... could they have..."
Hoke hesitated, then asked cautiously.
"Leave!"
Gaislesen's voice rose sharply, cutting Hoke off. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"Yes!"
Hoke quickly lowered his head and left the hall. In his heart, though, he had already guessed the answer.
After Hoke left, Gaislesen sat alone in silence for a long time. He took a piece of parchment from his Spatial Ring, then shakily set it alight with divine power.
"Whoosh!"
The parchment burst into flames. A strange energy fluctuation swept through the air, but the Azure Dragon Sovereign, who should have appeared, did not. It was as if the call had been nothing but an illusion.
"Father!"
Gaislesen dropped to his knees with a thump, tears pattering from his eyes. He couldn't imagine that his father, Reding—the man who had clapped him on the shoulder not long ago and promised they would fight side by side once Gaislesen became the Sovereign of Water—had fallen just like that.
"Ah!!! Sovereign of Water!"
Gaislesen's eyes turned bloodshot as he roared at the sky, as if he could pour out all his endless fury.
But the next moment, Gaislesen slumped to the ground, gazing helplessly at the sky.
What good was anger? What did it matter if he knew who was responsible? Their enemy was the Sovereign of Water, who had killed all four of their ancestors. What could he, a Highgod, possibly do?
"Big brother! Big brother!"
Before Gaislesen could recover, a cool female voice rang out, and a masked woman with green hair rushed into the hall.
"Big brother, something's happened! That bastard Barbary actually dared to attack our Four Divine Beasts Clan. Over on the Water Elemental Plane... Big brother?"
Gaia broke off mid-sentence, stunned by the sight before her: Gaislesen sat slumped on the ground, as though he had lost all hope.
Gaia was utterly bewildered. She had known Gaislesen for countless years, ever since they were born, and had never seen him like this—not even when Ninisha had bullied him and the clan had suffered heavy losses.
"Big brother, what's wrong? What happened?"
Gaia immediately forgot about the Water Elemental Plane and hurried forward to help Gaislesen up.
"Little sister, something may have happened to Father and the others."
Gaislesen's mouth twitched as he spoke in a hoarse voice. Gaia could clearly feel his body trembling slightly.
"Big brother, what did you say?"
Gaia stared at him blankly, unable to understand what he meant by saying something had happened to their father.
"A year ago, Father and the others told me they were going to hunt down the Sovereign of Water. They still haven't returned. Then Barbary from the Water Elemental Plane attacked the Four Divine Beasts Clan. Just now, I used the parchment to call Father, but he didn't answer."
"Thump!"
Gaia stumbled back a couple of steps and leaned against a pillar. Her mouth fell open as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out.
"Big brother! Big brother, something's happened! Big brother? Gaia? What's wrong with you?"
At the sound of an anxious voice, three figures entered the Azure Dragon Hall side by side and saw Gaislesen and Gaia looking utterly despairing.
"What... what happened?"
Gus was the first to come to his senses and asked anxiously.
Gaislesen explained what had happened in a vacant tone.
"No, that can't be. How could this happen? I... I'll contact Father!"
Gus's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. He took out a piece of parchment and set it alight in the air. The energy of the world appeared once more, but the White Tiger Sovereign did not descend.
"How... how could this happen?"
Gus staggered back several steps, then looked at Morei and Mori with a final glimmer of hope.
Seeing this, Morei hurriedly took out a piece of parchment and set it alight. As before, the Black Tortoise Sovereign did not appear.
The Vermilion Bird Clan Leader, Tiya, was still on the Vermilion Bird Continent and had yet to return, but there was no need for her to try as well. Everyone present had already realized what had happened.
"Father!"
Mori, the Black Tortoise Clan's First Elder, collapsed to the ground, his eyes empty.
"We can't sit here and give in to despair!"
Gaislesen shot to his feet and wiped the tears from his eyes.
Seeing his younger siblings overcome with grief, Gaislesen, who had been immersed in sorrow and pain, suddenly realized that with their father gone, he was now the true leader of the Four Divine Beasts Clan. He couldn't grieve alongside his siblings. He had to shoulder the responsibilities of the clan leader.
"Notify the clan members at once. Issue the Four Clan Leaders' Order: all our people in every plane are to abandon everything and return to the Skyrite Mountains. If necessary, sacrifice some clan members as bait to cover the others' retreat."
Gaislesen spoke in a cold voice. He knew the Four Divine Beasts Clan could be facing annihilation.
The disaster on the Water Elemental Plane had largely been the result of a sneak attack. With enough warning, they could still bring most of their people back.
"Big brother, what do we do after we return?"
Gus, the White Tiger Clan Leader, was completely at a loss. He asked instinctively after hearing Gaislesen's words.
"Let's get everyone back first. Surely not every enemy will be willing to risk everything to fight their way to the Skyrite Mountains."
Gaislesen opened his mouth, then finally spoke to reassure Gus.
Even he had no confidence in that. Over the years, the Four Divine Beasts Clan had made no shortage of enemies. Some might not pursue them all the way to the Skyrite Mountains, bent on wiping them out—but even if not all of them came, could the clan withstand those who did? Gaislesen had no idea.
"No matter what, the clan must not perish in my hands!"
A resolute glint flashed in Gaislesen's eyes, and he led the way out of the Azure Dragon Hall.
He had to pass on the order. The Four Clan Leaders' Order had been issued jointly by the four clan leaders and ranked just below the ancestors' commands. He needed to use clan members with Divine Clones to relay it to everyone, arrange for the clan elders to receive them, and prepare for battle.
At that moment, the Four Divine Beasts Clan had lost its backing. As its leaders, they had to shoulder the final responsibility.
After Gaislesen left, Gaia and the others gradually came to their senses. They realized that now was no time for grief, and each of them forced down their sorrow and went to issue orders.
At that very moment, a storm centered on the Four Divine Beasts Clan began to erupt across the Divine Planes.