Ten years later, four waves of the Laws of Heaven and Earth descended at once. Four Middlegod sparks took shape and merged into the bodies of four figures.
"Whew, I finally broke through."
A young man in a blue robe let out a breath, his face brightening with delight.
"Heh heh, Big Brother Baruch, you haven't left us behind!"
Behind the blue-haired young man, a brown-haired youth wore a smug expression.
"Amanda, you've got some nerve saying that. If we hadn't waited for you, Big Brother would have broken through a year ago."
The white-robed youth beside him smacked Amanda on the head and grumbled.
"All right, Bolei. The four of us stick together, no matter what."
Baruch smiled and raised a hand to stop Bolei. Warmth welled up in his heart.
The four figures were the newly born Four Divine Beasts of the Qingya Plane: Azure Dragon Baruch, Vermilion Bird Haide, White Tiger Bolei, and Black Tortoise Amanda.
"Buzz~~"
The next moment, an energy that seemed to press down on Heaven and Earth appeared, and a figure in a blue robe materialized, accompanied by two others, one purple and one white.
"Sovereign!"
Baruch immediately stood and bowed to Hope.
"Greetings, Sovereign!"
The other three stopped their horseplay and bowed to Hope as well.
Hope looked at the four figures who had just become gods and nodded slightly, his tone easygoing.
"Not bad. In just ten years, all four of you have become Middlegods."
Though he had long anticipated the Four Divine Beasts' talent, Hope was still somewhat surprised. The moment they were born, the Laws of Heaven and Earth descended, and the Four Divine Beasts became Lowgods outright. Now, in just ten years, they had all fused their profound mysteries and become Middlegods.
Their talent was thanks to the four of them cultivating together. The Four Divine Beasts were Heaven and Earth's favored children, and when they were together, they could achieve twice the results with half the effort, whether cultivating or doing anything else. Compared with the God-Eater Rat, who had only become a god upon reaching adulthood, their speed was enough to leave anyone speechless.
"All right, remember this: no matter how talented you are, this world is never short of geniuses. Don't slack off in your cultivation."
A blue gleam flashed through Hope's eyes as he swept his gaze over the four, pausing briefly on Black Tortoise Amanda.
Amanda seemed to sense it, and immediately bobbed his head like a pecking chicken, making it clear he would work hard at cultivating.
"These are four Spatial Rings. I've prepared divine artifacts for you inside. Next, spend some time training on the Qingya Continent. Remember to be careful. If you run into danger, I may not be able to save you in time."
Hope waved his right hand, and the four Spatial Rings landed in the hands of Baruch and the others.
"Yes, Sovereign!"
As the eldest, Baruch nodded firmly. He had no idea just how powerful the Sovereign they followed really was, and he took Hope's warning that he might not arrive in time to save them at face value.
After saying goodbye to Hope, the New Four Divine Beasts quickly left the Divine Beast Continent and flew toward the Qingya Continent.
"Sovereign, the New Four Divine Beasts' talent is frighteningly incredible, isn't it?"
After Baruch and the others left, Ninisha was the first to break the silence, her tone full of admiration.
"Yes. At this rate, it won't be long before they break through to become Highgods. And their Innate Divine Ability can be combined."
Bayer's long, narrow brows fluttered in the wind, and his tone carried a hint of envy. Even a Paragon High-God could be surprised by some of a Super Divine Beast's talents.
"Sovereign, if the four of them break through to become Highgods and reach Asura strength, could the two of us withstand their Combined Innate Divine Ability?"
Ninisha fell silent for a moment, then looked at Hope and asked what was on her mind.
Bayer looked to Hope as well. He had the same question. In the past, the Four Divine Beasts had been Sovereigns, so even though they had heard that the Four Divine Beasts Sovereigns could combine their Innate Divine Ability, they hadn't paid it much attention. That had been a matter concerning Sovereigns, after all.
But now, the new Four Divine Beasts were gods. If they broke through to become Highgods, or even reached Asura strength, just how powerful would their Combined Innate Divine Ability be?
"You two don't have Soul Defense Sovereign Artifacts. You wouldn't stand a chance."
Hope's gaze swept over Ninisha and Bayer as he gave them a definite answer.
Although no Paragon High-Gods had been born in the early days of Heaven and Earth, and Reding and the others had never fought a Paragon before becoming Sovereigns, Hope had sensed the Four Divine Beasts' Innate Divine Ability at close range. He was certain that the Four Divine Beasts, as Highgods, could kill a Paragon High-God with it.
The Four Divine Beasts were the most powerful Super Divine Beasts in the world. Each of them was a Super Divine Beast on their own, and the power of their combined Innate Divine Ability far surpassed that of a God-Eater Rat or an Amethyst Divine Beast.
"Sovereign, are you planning to keep them as trump cards and have them join Ninisha in the Plane Battlefield?"
Bayer was momentarily astonished, but he quickly put aside the idea of going to the Plane Battlefield to obtain a Soul Defense Sovereign Artifact and asked instead.
As a Paragon High-God who had personally driven back the Twelve-Winged Angel in the tenth war on the Water Elemental Plane, Bayer knew a great deal about the situation there. So he immediately thought of the possibility that the New Four Divine Beasts might enter the Plane Battlefield.
"Exactly. Ninisha might not be able to win on her own."
Hope nodded. There was no need to hide anything from Ninisha and Bayer.
"Sovereign, if I only have to deal with the Twelve-Winged Angel, I can handle it alone."
Ninisha couldn't help speaking up. A few arcs of electricity flashed through her purple hair.
"I know. But the Chief Sovereign of Light won't give up so easily after suffering a loss. His Paragon emissary, the Light Paragon Clementine, will probably make a move."
Hope shook his head and briefly explained.
Ninisha fell silent at that. She was confident in her own strength, but she couldn't claim she could help the Water Elemental Plane win while under pressure from Clementine. After all, Clementine didn't need to win; a tie would be enough for him, but it wouldn't be enough for her.
"Augusta, I wonder how much preparation you'll make. But this time, I'm determined to win!"
Hope looked into the void, as if his gaze could pass through the Spatial Turbulence and reach the Radiant Divine Realm.
Hope was determined to secure nine and ten consecutive victories for the Water Elemental Plane in the next Plane War. He had not only Lightning Paragon Ninisha, but also the new Four Divine Beasts, now Highgods.
Ninisha was a Paragon High-God, but she was only one person. It would be difficult to guarantee ten consecutive victories for the Water Elemental Plane. Besides, Hope had once secured ten consecutive victories, so the other Sovereigns would be even more wary of him.
Hope wasn't concerned about what most of the Sovereigns thought. His main focus was Augusta, because Augusta had not only the Twelve-Winged Angel, but also the Light Paragon Clementine and even the Fate Paragon Magnus.
Magnus had not publicly revealed that he was a Paragon, but Hope knew his true strength. The best way to guarantee a second ten-game winning streak was to send Ninisha and the Four Divine Beasts down the two Star River Passages separately.
"Augusta, if you send two Paragons into the war, I'll let you see the Four Divine Beasts kill a Paragon High-God."
Hope sighed inwardly, then gathered his thoughts.