"This—this is..."
The White Tiger Sovereign, Lius, read the words on the paper and sprang to his feet. A powerful gust of wind erupted around him, and his whole body trembled slightly.
"The Overgod Mission!"
The Azure Dragon Sovereign, Reding, caught the golden Soul Essence, then picked up the gray Destruction Supreme God Appraisal. A glint flashed in his eyes.
"That's wonderful, Big Brother! We..."
The usually steady Black Tortoise Sovereign, Bowen, was also filled with delight. He could hardly wait to rush out and search for the other two tokens.
"Calm down!"
The Azure Dragon Sovereign, Reding, took a deep breath to steady himself, then sternly cut off his younger siblings' excitement.
"Listen carefully. We must be extremely cautious about this. Sovereigns have fallen in the past while competing for Supreme God Tokens."
After a moment of silence, the Azure Dragon Sovereign, Reding, spoke slowly, a hint of coldness entering his eyes.
"Big Brother, what should we do? Should we go search for them ourselves?"
The White Tiger Sovereign, Lius, was the first to recover from his excitement. He looked at Reding as he spoke.
"No. If we go out and search in person, it'll easily attract the attention of the other Sovereigns. If we draw the Rule Sovereigns' attention, we'll be in danger."
The Azure Dragon Sovereign shook his head firmly, rejecting Lius's suggestion.
Although the Four Rules Sovereigns all possessed Supreme Artifacts, that didn't mean they wouldn't want another one. If those four learned about the Overgod Mission, they might attack the Four Divine Beasts. They couldn't afford to be careless about this.
"Then, Big Brother, what should we do? Should we send our clansmen to search? If the Four Divine Beasts Clan starts collecting Heaven and Earth Wonders on a large scale, won't that attract attention from all sides of the divine planes?"
The Vermilion Bird Sovereign, Nimo, sounded worried. Her pale-red brows were knit with concern.
Supreme God Tokens were special Heaven and Earth Wonders. They might be in a divine plane, a Material Plane, or the Spatial Turbulence. Finding them wouldn't be easy.
Searching the many Material Planes was especially difficult. Sovereign true forms couldn't enter them, while projection clones had to approach a Material Plane before they could go in. The best option was to send members of the clan to search.
However, though the Four Divine Beasts Clan had influence throughout the divine planes, they were also watched by all sides. It would be difficult to hide any moves they made. If they attracted the attention of another Sovereign, they would be at a disadvantage.
"Find the Supreme God Tokens..."
Reding murmured, eyes closed as he fell into thought.
Generally speaking, it wasn't unusual for a Sovereign's clan to send people to collect Heaven and Earth Wonders.
After all, Sovereigns had an infinite lifespan, and Heaven and Earth Wonders were unusual objects found throughout the world. A few could even increase a Sovereign's strength. Whether out of simple curiosity or a desire to grow stronger, it was perfectly normal for Sovereigns to collect them.
But if they suddenly told their clansmen to search for Five-Colored Blood Crystals and Wutie Black Swords, the purpose would be too obvious. That would arouse suspicion.
"Tell Gaislesen and the other three to have their clansmen redouble their efforts to collect all kinds of Heaven and Earth Wonders. As for what the other Sovereigns think, we'll claim that after gaining another share of Willpower, I found a possible way to improve our combined ultimate move. We need Heaven and Earth Wonders that might strengthen our souls or bloodlines!"
After a long while, the Azure Dragon Sovereign, Reding, abruptly opened his eyes and spoke with conviction.
They certainly had to gather the Supreme God Tokens. But whether the four of them searched personally or sent their clansmen, either approach could attract the attention of the other Sovereigns. So the best course was to come up with a reason unrelated to the Overgod.
The Water Elemental Plane had won ten consecutive Plane Wars, and Reding had gained another share of Willpower. He had new insights into their combined ultimate move. Claiming they needed Heaven and Earth Wonders that could strengthen their souls to improve it was entirely plausible.
"That's a reason, but, Big Brother, will the other Sovereigns believe it?"
The Black Tortoise Sovereign, Bowen, fell silent for a moment before asking.
Using the Water Elemental Plane's ten consecutive victories and the Willpower gained from them as a pretext, they could claim to have found a possible way to improve their ultimate move and need special Heaven and Earth Wonders to help. On the surface, it sounded plausible. But the connection between improving an ultimate move and needing Heaven and Earth Wonders still wasn't convincing enough.
"Of course it isn't enough. To make the other Sovereigns believe us, we need to take one more 'crazy' step. In a little while, we'll go to the Amethyst Mountain Range, find Zijing, and ask her for a Soul Stone!"
A trace of reluctance flashed through the Azure Dragon Sovereign, Reding's eyes, but resolve quickly replaced it.
"Wait, Big Brother! A Soul Stone is Zijing's life-bound treasure. This..."
The Vermilion Bird Sovereign, Nimo, was stunned. Even though they had a good relationship with Zijing Sovereign, that request was too much. Besides, they had nothing of equal value to offer in exchange.
Only Amethyst Divine Beasts could produce Soul Stones, and it took countless years to form even one. Since the creation of the world, Zijing had produced only one, which she had given to Leisijing. The Soul Stone she was currently nurturing would take a long time to complete. If she were forced to give it up now, she would suffer severe harm.
The only things they could offer that were valuable were their strength and their essence blood. Their essence blood was precious, but Zijing had no use for it.
Back when the world had first been created, their strength could have protected Zijing. But now that the Sovereign Covenant was in place, Zijing, who served the Sovereign of Destruction, didn't need their protection.
At least, the Vermilion Bird Sovereign, Nimo, thought that if they did this, the only Sovereign they were close to might turn against them.
"Not only that, we're also going to the Sovereign of Destruction and trading three drops of our essence blood for the Wukun Essence Blood of the divine beast Wukun."
The Azure Dragon Sovereign's eyes were filled with resolve. He spoke decisively. "In short, we'll trade treasures and essence blood with the Sovereigns, making everyone believe we've found a way to improve our ultimate move and are willing to do anything to perfect it—even souring things with Zijing and making a deal with the Sovereign of Destruction. That way, we can conceal our real goal: the Supreme God Tokens."
If asking Zijing Sovereign for a Soul Stone had shocked the other three, then asking the Sovereign of Destruction for Wukun Essence Blood left them dumbfounded.
The Sovereign of Destruction had visited the Skyrite Mountains several times before and discreetly asked whether they could give him a few drops of their essence blood. Reding had refused him outright several times. But the Four Divine Beasts lived in Hell, after all, and they couldn't keep refusing the Sovereign of Destruction forever. In the end, they had given him a drop of each of their four kinds of essence blood.
The Sovereign of Destruction hadn't approached them for a long time since then. Now they were going to seek him out and offer a trade.
When the Azure Dragon Sovereign finished speaking, the other three fell silent, considering whether Reding's plan could work.
Reding's plan was not complicated. They would take a few "crazy" steps—even risking a falling-out with their friend Zijing and trading with the Sovereign of Destruction—to convince the other Sovereigns that they were collecting Heaven and Earth Wonders to perfect their supposed new ultimate move. That would conceal the Overgod Mission.
There was still some risk, but if they could keep the Overgod Mission hidden, the Rule Sovereigns would be far less likely to target them.
The Sovereign of Destruction was especially eager to study their ultimate move. Once he received a few drops of essence blood, he would spend a long time studying them and would be even less likely to notice the Overgod Mission.
If everything went well, they would obtain a Supreme Material Defense Artifact. Next, they only had to kill the Chief Sovereign of Light as planned, and they would gain a Supreme Attack Artifact. If they gave both artifacts to a clan member who cultivated the Laws of Light, they could instantly create the most powerful Chief Sovereign of Light—one who belonged to the Four Divine Beasts Clan and possessed two Supreme Artifacts.
Then, the five of them would have a Chief Sovereign of Light with both a Supreme Attack Artifact and a Supreme Material Defense Artifact, along with the soul attacks and restraints contained in the innate divine abilities of the Four Divine Beasts. They would have the beginnings of a chance to face the Rule Sovereigns. They still wouldn't be a match for the Sovereign of Destruction or the Sovereign of Fate, but at least they might barely manage to escape.
"Big Brother, let's do it."
After a long while, the White Tiger Sovereign, Lius, spoke first, firmly taking his place beside Azure Dragon Reding.
"Though we can't avoid turning Zijing against us, Big Brother, I support you!"
The Vermilion Bird Sovereign, Nimo, was the second to speak. There was a hint of reluctance in her expression, but her resolve was unwavering.
The Black Tortoise Sovereign, Bowen, said nothing. He simply looked at Reding with firm resolve, making his position clear.
"Good. Then let's get started!"
A flicker of emotion flashed through the Azure Dragon Sovereign, Reding's eyes, and he spoke with determination.