Utrade's Sincerity, the Dormant Four Divine Beasts Clan

Just as Dannington was facing the siege alone, a projection avatar of the Sovereign of Destruction descended upon the Qingya Plane.

In the Qingya Plane, Hope, who was above the South Sea, suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the gray energy condensing in the void.

"Utrade, what brings you to my Qingya Plane?"

Hope flicked his hand, and a blue curtain of water completely covered Divine Beast Island, ensuring not a single trace of aura leaked out.

The gray energy condensed into the figure of Utrade. Utrade first glanced at the water curtain over the South Sea with a look of confusion, then withdrew his gaze, not paying it any mind.

"Hope, I need the Highgods of the Four Divine Beasts Clan. For now, the Four Divine Beasts Clan cannot be destroyed."

Utrade did not bother with excuses this time, stating his true intentions directly.

"Oh? You want me to let the Four Divine Beasts Clan go? As a Sovereign, I would not lower myself to take action against them. As for my envoys, Ninisha is a Paragon after all, and she has a long-standing grudge against the Four Divine Beasts."

Hope chuckled, blue and white light flickering within his black, star-like eyes.

"I will give you this blueprint in exchange for ten trillion years of peace for the Four Divine Beasts Clan. How about it?"

Utrade remained silent for a long moment before moving his right hand, causing a scroll inscribed with special patterns to materialize.

"Hm? What is this?"

Hope was slightly taken aback. He took the blueprint and examined it carefully, then looked at Utrade with a meaningful expression.

"This is a magic array blueprint from my past research. Perhaps you will find it interesting."

Utrade spoke with an expressionless face, as if he had just tossed aside something as common as could be.

"You give this to me—aren't you afraid I might also develop the ultimate technique of the Four Divine Beasts?"

Hope raised an eyebrow. This blueprint was very similar to the magic array Reding and the others had used in their previous battle, so naturally, Hope was eager to obtain it.

Although it was a discarded, used blueprint, some of the contents—especially the underlying logic—still held some value. Thus, Hope was somewhat surprised that the Sovereign of Destruction would use this for a trade; even if he no longer had use for it himself, he shouldn't have handed it over to him.

"Do you think the ultimate technique I researched relies solely on the bloodline of the Four Divine Beasts?"

Utrade sneered, noncommittal toward Hope's words.

Utrade had spent countless years researching. His ultimate technique was not merely centered on the fusion of the Four Divine Beasts' bloodlines; it also incorporated his own past techniques and the principles of the Wukun Essence Blood. He had absolute confidence that only he could perfect this move.

Hope was not a divine beast and lacked the Wukun Essence Blood. In Utrade's view, even if Hope held the essence blood of the Four Divine Beasts, he could do nothing with it.

"I accept this blueprint. I will have Ninisha and Bayer leave, and they will not enter the Tianji Mountain Range for ten trillion years."

Hope put away the magic array blueprint and nodded.

Utrade said nothing more. Seeing that Hope had agreed, he dissipated directly into the void.

Above the Tianji Mountain Range, Dannington retreated in a somewhat disheveled state, with Ninisha and Bayer following closely on his left and right.

"Chi chi~~"

Suddenly, a massive pressure emerged in the void. The three Paragons who had been fighting stopped their movements and looked up at the sky simultaneously.

After blue light condensed into shape, two figures stepped out: they were Hope and Palhouse.

"Greetings, Sovereign!"

Ninisha and Bayer put away their Sovereign artifacts and bowed in unison.

"Dannington greets the Sovereign of Water!"

Dannington felt his heart tighten, then he also bowed slightly in salute.

"Ninisha, Bayer, let this battle end here. After consulting with the Sovereign of Destruction, I have agreed to seal off the Tianji Mountain Range for ten trillion years."

Hope nodded slightly, then swept his gaze over Bayer and Ninisha as he spoke softly.

"I understand, Sovereign!"

Ninisha nodded; she had no objections to Hope's decision. Although her relationship with the Four Divine Beasts Clan was not good, she would not defy Hope's will over such a trivial matter.

"Yes, Sovereign!"

Bayer nodded as well. He had little interest in this affair to begin with, and he had only come to assist Ninisha because of Hope's orders.

Hearing Hope's words, Dannington breathed a sigh of relief. This meant he would not have to keep fighting. Although he was confident in his ability to save his own life, fighting Ninisha and Bayer at the same time was still too disadvantageous.

"Dannington, I leave the rest to you."

Hope glanced at Dannington, then he and Palhouse turned into shadows and dissipated.

After exchanging brief greetings with Dannington, Bayer and Ninisha also turned into streaks of light and vanished instantly, as if they had never appeared at all.

"Whew! Today was truly a mess."

Dannington sighed softly, then descended like a meteor, landing between the Four Divine Beasts Clan and the Eight Great Clans.

Seeing Dannington return alone, Bolin and the others had dark expressions, but they dared not say anything, waiting quietly for Dannington's instructions.

"From this day forth, for ten trillion years, you are forbidden from entering the Tianji Mountain Range. This is the Sovereign's command!"

Dannington's expression was icy, and a terrifying pressure directly enveloped the patriarchs of the Eight Great Clans.

Instantly, all eight of them, including Bolin, shuddered. They bowed their heads in unison to acknowledge the order and signaled for their armies to slowly retreat.

"Mr. Dannington, thank you for your help. The Four Divine Beasts Clan will always remember your kindness."

Gaislesen watched as the Eight Great Clans retreated one after another, then stepped forward first, speaking with great caution.

Times had changed; he, Gaislesen, was no longer the child of a Sovereign, and he had to be careful when dealing with an existence like Dannington, especially since Dannington had done them a favor.

Gus, Tiya, and the others also spoke up one after another to express their gratitude, and Gaislesen even invited Dannington to sit inside the Azure Dragon Hall.

However, Dannington did not show a pleasant face to the members of the Four Divine Beasts Clan either.

"No need to thank me. I came here under the orders of the Sovereign of Destruction; if you want to thank someone, thank the Sovereign. Besides, in ten trillion years, no one will care about you anymore."

Dannington cast a faint glance at Gaislesen, then ignored them entirely, transforming into a streak of light and shooting into the sky.

"Big Brother, this Dannington, he..."

"Hold your tongue! Gus!"

Before the White Tiger Clan patriarch could finish, Gaislesen immediately interrupted him, speaking firmly:

"From now on, everyone in the clan must address him as Lord Dannington!"

Meeting Gaislesen's stern gaze, Gus opened his mouth, but in the end, he did not say anything more.

Although they had reached this point, the White Tiger Clan patriarch Gus still hadn't completely shed his old habits, even subconsciously saying things disrespectful to Dannington that only the son of the White Tiger Sovereign could have said.

But as the eldest brother, Gaislesen was very clear-headed. They were different now; they had to show the utmost respect to someone as powerful as Dannington who had also done them a favor.

"Big Brother, what should we do next? Ten trillion years is not a very long time."

Tiya interrupted Gaislesen and Gus, speaking with a worried expression.

"Starting today, all clansmen are to abandon all indulgences, seize every moment to cultivate, and prepare to face the battle ten trillion years from now."

Gaislesen was silent for a long moment before speaking in a deep voice, then added:

"Gaia, you are responsible for supervision. If any clansman wastes resources or slacks off, they must be punished. At the same time, identify the talented clansmen and cultivate them."

"Before the final showdown, increase the number of Seven-Star Fiends as much as possible. Also, urge the elders; we must produce a few more Asuras within these ten trillion years. As for us, we must put our full effort into attempting to break through to the Paragons."

After Gaislesen finished speaking, he looked at the others earnestly, his expression filled with determination.

Each of them knew in their hearts how difficult this would be, but they had no other choice. The ten trillion years were the Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of the Four Divine Beasts Clan, and the six of them had to bear it.

"Don't worry, Big Brother. In ten trillion years, one of us will definitely break through to the Paragon level. When that time comes, we will wipe out the Eight Great Clans and settle the score with Ninisha!"

The White Tiger Clan patriarch Gus seemed to be trying to boost everyone's morale, thumping his chest hard a few times.