"I heard Paragons rarely take part in Plane Wars, but a Paragon showed up in the Plane War ten thousand years ago!" some soldiers chatted.
"That's not all. You're way behind on the news. In the last Plane War, not only did a Paragon High-God appear, but I heard a Sovereign was born too!"
"A Sovereign? Where did you hear that? You're definitely making it up!"
"Why would I lie to you? Hey, one of my elders works in Qingteng Prefecture. He told me himself. The Prefecture Lord mentioned it after returning from the Plane War. It's absolutely true!"
"The Prefecture Lord of Qingteng? I suppose only a powerhouse like him would have the confidence to take part in a Plane War and make it back alive."
"A Sovereign! A legendary Sovereign! What would it matter if I died on the Plane Battlefield, as long as I got to see one?"
"Stop dreaming. You have to be at least a Six-Star Fiend to join the Plane Battlefield. Are you even a Four-Star Fiend yet?"
"Enough!" Seeing the soldiers getting excited and forgetting their duties, the squad leader shouted, "What kind of behavior is this? Stay alert and do your jobs. Train hard, and maybe many years from now, you'll be the Paragons everyone envies!"
"Come on, Captain, don't joke around. Paragon High-Gods are not something we can even dream of..." A soldier, caught up in the conversation, reflexively argued back. But when he turned and saw the squad leader's chilling gaze, he promptly shut his mouth and got back to work.
Nearby, the Saint-level and Lowgods, who had just arrived in the Life God Realm from a Material Plane and had barely been noticed, looked at each other in bewilderment.
Paragons, Sovereigns—what were those? They sounded amazing!
Desterie was flying at breakneck speed and naturally paid no attention to the soldiers' conversation. Following the direction he remembered, he flew onward until a divine sense swept over him by chance. It paused on him, slightly surprised.
Normally, no god would dare probe someone moving at such a terrifying speed. But if the one doing the probing wasn't a god, they could be more casual about it.
The divine sense sent him a message, its tone respectful. "Lord Desterie, it's you! I thought you were a Paragon. When did you arrive in the Life God Realm? Why not come by and have a chat?"
He'd just arrived in the Life God Realm and had already run into a Sovereign.
Desterie smiled. "Infillia? I just got here myself. I didn't expect you to be in the Life God Realm too. Since you've invited me so warmly, I'd be rude to refuse!"
Not long afterward, in a valley on the edge of a broadleaf forest, a quaint little bamboo house stood veiled beneath layers of dense mist. Desterie sat face-to-face with a young man whose hair resembled flames. The youth had a bright smile and looked a lot like Nawi.
"I didn't expect you to be in the Life God Realm. So, of the four Fire-style Lower Sovereigns, Nemo is in Hell; the Four Divine Beasts are a power unto themselves; Moerzha joined Lord Uthred and is also in Hell; Boteer joined Lord Orloff in the Heavenly Realm; and you joined Lord Vivian in the Life God Realm. Doesn't that leave the Fire Overlord all alone?" Desterie said with great interest.
"Heh, I was the last one to leave. Otherwise, I'd have had a hard time in the Fire Divine Plane as the only Fire-style Lower Sovereign left," Infillia said with a loud laugh.
"The south of the Life God Realm thrives in the heat. It's actually quite suitable for cultivating the laws of fire. So I chose to settle here."
Desterie nodded. "Actually, I've heard that the Undying Volcano, where the Nemo Clan lives, would suit you even better. But I suppose you wouldn't dare compete with Nemo."
Infillia sighed. "The four of them together hold the rank of Overlord. Not everyone has your strength and courage to stand up to them, my lord."
Desterie consoled him. "You're still lucky, in a way. You're a Sovereign yourself, high above the rest. Nemo probably won't think of you as long as you don't cause trouble. Look at those gods, bullied mercilessly by the Four Divine Beasts Clan. Take the Edric Clan, for example. They're a powerful clan in their own right, but when the descendants of the Four Divine Beasts come and shit all over them, they don't dare fight back."
Infillia said, "The Four Divine Beasts Clan bullies the Edric Clan, but the Edric Clan has oppressed other gods too. The big fish eats the little fish, that's all. Still, it's strange. Since the last Plane War ended, the Four Divine Beasts Clan has become a lot more restrained."
Desterie grew curious too and speculated, "The Four Divine Beasts Clan restraining themselves? That really doesn't make sense. If they knew the Four Divine Beasts had been designated Overlords, they'd be even more arrogant. Even if they didn't, they still wouldn't hold back. It's not as if they're worried about me!"
Infillia explained, "They seem to be concentrating their efforts on collecting Heaven and Earth Exotic Items. They'll take any kind, no matter what it is. Maybe they've got important business to attend to, so they don't have time to bully men and women. Heh, I wonder what's gotten into the Four Divine Beasts. They never used to care about Heaven and Earth Exotic Items."
Collecting Heaven and Earth Exotic Items? Taking any kind they could get?
Desterie immediately perked up. Something was definitely going on with the Four Divine Beasts.
At this point in time, with what seemed to be a Supreme God Mission being issued, what else could the Four Divine Beasts Clan be doing this for? Taking any Heaven and Earth Exotic Item they could get was just a way to avoid drawing suspicion.
The Four Divine Beasts had most likely obtained the Supreme God Mirror. Too bad for them they'd run into him, a prophet. No matter how deeply they hid it, it wouldn't help. Since he and the Four Divine Beasts were mortal enemies, he might as well use this opportunity to complete the Supreme God Mission and make the Four Divine Beasts do the work for him!
Fenglin City was one of the ten cities in Qingteng Prefecture. Frost maples grew abundantly around the city, and their leaves were eaten year-round. They had a slight effect on purifying the soul's power and could help improve the speed of law deduction.
Desterie was sitting in the finest restaurant in Fenglin City, savoring phoenix marrow with maple leaves and ice-dragon liver.
Just then, a squad of soldiers rushed in. "Make way, make way! Lord City Lord has reserved this floor. Whether you've finished eating or not, hurry up and leave! Anyone who leaves now will receive a thousand Cloud Stones in compensation!"
Seeing that they belonged to the City Lord, everyone else quickly took the compensation and went downstairs. Only Desterie continued to sip his wine at his leisure.
Seeing him, the Highgod soldier leading the group glared at him menacingly. "Why haven't you left yet? Are you looking to die?"
Desterie smiled faintly. "The Sovereign has decreed that no one may fight inside the city. Is the City Lord allowed to break the Sovereign's rules?"
The soldier leader was at a loss for words. He naturally wouldn't dare say that. After taking another look and deciding Desterie didn't seem like someone to trifle with, he gritted his teeth and said, "This is the City Lord's banquet. You've disrupted it. Do you think you can stay inside the city forever?"
Desterie gave the soldier a wry look. "To keep me from leaving the city, your City Lord would need to be capable of doing so."
"You!" The soldier leader was furious. "Our City Lord is a Seven-Star Fiend! You're just an ordinary Highgod without even a Fiend Badge, and you dare run your mouth!"
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