A thousand years later...
The Water Elemental Plane, the Cangming Sea, Lake City, the Battle Arena.
"Splash, splash, splash~~"
Azure-blue currents seemed to come alive as they swept across the entire arena from every direction. A silver-haired figure onstage kept dodging, but in the end, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and shout:
"I concede!"
The currents quickly receded, transforming into a blue-haired young man who landed on the ground with a smile.
"Great! Big brother's already won ninety matches in a row."
In the stands, Black Tortoise Amanda took a specially prepared piece of monster leg meat from his arms, took a fierce bite, and mumbled through a mouthful.
"Don't just talk about big brother. You'd better hurry up and cultivate, kid. You're the slowest one."
White Tiger Bolei glared at Amanda in exasperation. He was at a loss over his younger brother Amanda's playful nature.
Their training on the Qingya Continent had ended quickly. After all, with the strength of the four of them, there was hardly anyone in the Qingya Plane who could match them, even without using their Innate Divine Abilities.
So, after only a hundred years, the four of them had arrived in the Water Elemental Plane and begun a new round of training in the Cangming Sea.
Meanwhile, inside the City Lord's Mansion, two figures sat facing each other. A blue-haired woman and a middle-aged man with brown hair stood respectfully behind them.
If anyone in the city saw the brown-haired man, they would immediately recognize him as Lake City's lord, Bertram, a powerhouse at the level of a Seven-Star Water Starer.
Normally, the city lord held the highest position in a city. Yet today, in the City Lord's Mansion, Bertram stood in the back, not daring to make a sound.
The blue-haired woman standing before Bertram was Dili, a Sovereign Legion Commander and one of the Prefects of the Water Elemental Plane.
Several hundred years earlier, Dili had suddenly arrived in Lake City. As a Sovereign Legion Commander, her appearance had frightened Bertram into coming out to greet her respectfully at once. He had wondered whether one of his subordinates had somehow offended her.
When he learned that she had only come to arrange for a few High Gods to train, Bertram had immediately patted his chest and promised there would be no problem. He then gathered information on every High God in the city and arranged special matches for them at the Battle Arena.
Though Dili had never told him who the four were, Bertram guessed they were probably junior members of a family she valued greatly. He therefore hadn't dared to slack off in the slightest.
Today, however, Bertram was still shocked. Two Sovereigns had arrived in Lake City, and only then did he learn that the four people named Baruch had been sent by a Sovereign.
"Baruch has fused three Mysteries, far ahead of his three younger brothers. Arrange for him to fight a High God who refined a divine spark."
Hope set down his teacup, thought for a moment, then spoke.
"Yes, Sovereign!"
Dili quickly replied with respect, then left the room with Bertram.
Before long, a middle-aged man with red hair slowly stepped onto the Battle Arena.
"Huh? A High God? What's going on? Isn't this the Battle Arena for Mid Gods?"
Someone in the stands cried out in surprise.
"Yeah, what's this? A High God—how are we supposed to fight him? They must have made a mistake, right?"
Although the Battle Arena for Mid Gods wasn't as lively as the one for High Gods, it still drew a sizable crowd. The match immediately attracted plenty of attention.
Onstage, the red-haired High God, Layton, also felt embarrassed. After all, as a High God, picking on a Mid God was humiliating.
But the city lord had issued the order, so Layton could only accept. He moved his right hand, and a scarlet whip appeared. Golden spikes along its length radiated searing heat.
"A High God?"
Baruch felt no fear or worry at all. Instead, his blood seemed to boil with excitement.
"Come on!"
A layer of azure light appeared over Baruch's body. Then a large volume of blue water surged into being around him, turning into streaks of light that shot toward Layton.
"He's actually attacking me first?"
Layton was stunned for a moment, then felt anger blaze in his chest, as though he had been insulted. He swung his scarlet whip, sending its spikes flying. They transformed into blazing blades of light that converged on Baruch from all sides.
"Bring it on!"
Baruch had no intention of dodging. Azure dragon scales appeared over both his hands, and a powerful surge of blood energy burst forth.
"Boom~~"
A tremendous impact rang out. Layton felt a terrifying force strike his body, and he plummeted uncontrollably through the air.
"What—what kind of body is that? And his dragon scales... Are they from the Azure Dragon branch of the Four Divine Beasts Clan? How could he be here?"
Layton's mind reeled. He quickly shot into the air in a flash of scarlet fire, putting distance between himself and Baruch as he kept swinging his whip.
But Layton was astonished to discover that he was actually slower than the Mid God before him. He couldn't avoid close combat at all.
A while later...
"I concede!"
More than a dozen wounds had appeared on Layton's body, and blood streamed from them. In the end, he had no choice but to admit defeat.
Baruch didn't press the attack. After landing, he simply gave a slight nod. Defeating a High God head-on didn't feel particularly special to him.
"Sovereign, if Baruch and the others continue training in the divine planes, there's a risk their talents will be exposed."
In the City Lord's Mansion, Palhouse sat opposite Hope. After thinking for a while, he frowned and voiced his concern.
"You're right. Perhaps we should find a more suitable place."
Hope nodded slightly. Palhouse had raised a concern he was considering as well.
The four of them were his trump card. For now, he didn't want the other Sovereigns to know about them. After all, the emergence of the New Four Divine Beasts could stir up a huge storm.
But Baruch and the others needed to train. The Material Plane was too small for them, yet there was a chance the other Sovereigns might discover them in a divine plane. They would be safe in the short term, but the risk would grow over time.
On the surface, they appeared to be people with the bloodline of the Four Divine Beasts Clan. Even a Sovereign couldn't identify their true origins at a glance. But their bloodlines and Innate Divine Abilities were far too unusual.
The Innate Divine Abilities of the Four Divine Beasts were different from those of the Four Divine Beasts Clan. After all, the Four Divine Beasts were true Super Divine Beasts. Even when they didn't use their Combined Innate Divine Ability, their individual abilities were distinct from those of the clan.
Even Gaislesen and the others were nowhere near Reding in terms of their Innate Divine Abilities. This was the suppression brought by their bloodlines, and it couldn't be changed.
If Baruch and the others came into close contact with a Sovereign, there was a good chance they would be recognized as people with the bloodline of the Four Divine Beasts Clan—and exceptionally powerful ones at that. If they used their Innate Divine Abilities, a Sovereign would immediately realize that the four of them were actually the Four Divine Beasts themselves.
Even if they stayed in the Water Elemental Plane, other Sovereigns might still visit from time to time. It would be best to keep the four of them out of every other Sovereign's sight until the next tenth Plane War.
"Palhouse, gather Saints and divine-level experts in the Water Elemental Plane. I'll build a new plane beside the Qingya Plane for them to train in!"
Hope thought for a moment, then spoke to Palhouse.
"A new divine plane?"
Palhouse was taken aback, then nodded. It was a major undertaking, but it was certainly a good solution.
For a Sovereign, building a divine plane wasn't difficult. With his status, gathering some gods to send there would be easy as well. A small divine plane would be just right for the New Four Divine Beasts to train in.
"This plane will be called the Graveyard of Gods!"
Hope lightly tapped the table and began to imagine how to construct the Graveyard of Gods.