Hearing what Xingyi and Uthred were getting at, Hullei narrowed his eyes and chimed in, "An Intermediate Sovereign pretending to be an Overlord—doesn't that mean he's been treating us like fools?"
Augusta scoffed as well. "Of the mere thirteen Overlords in the world, one turns out to be an impostor."
Karin, another Fate Intermediate Sovereign, looked even more displeased. "By that logic, he's not even as strong as I am, yet he puts on those lofty airs and keeps everyone at a distance!"
The Sovereigns began voicing their opinions, hurling insults left and right. Vivian's expression instantly turned cold. "Are you saying I deliberately caused trouble, or that I have terrible judgment?"
Earth Overlord Arturo hurried to smile placatingly. "My lord, we didn't mean that at all. After all, none of the Sovereigns thought the matter through at the time, which was how Desterie managed to take advantage of the situation!"
Arturo's point was that Vivian had recommended Desterie for the Overlord position because she hadn't thought it through. And it wasn't just Vivian—all the Sovereigns had failed to consider it carefully. Everyone was in the same boat. Framed that way, his explanation gave Vivian plenty of face.
Seeing that he had become the target of everyone's accusations, Desterie smiled calmly. "It seems you all think I'm unworthy of my position. Lord Uthred, Xingyi, have I understood you correctly?"
"Indeed," Uthred replied coldly. Xingyi immediately voiced his agreement as well.
Uthred continued, "Desterie, even if Vivian proposed you become an Overlord, you should have clarified the matter yourself. Instead, you went along with it and enjoyed the benefits. Hand over the Supreme God Token, and we'll let you off for deceiving and fooling us this time."
Desterie burst out laughing. "I didn't kill the Four Divine Beasts only because, at the time, I knew nothing about the Sovereigns' power or the Laws and didn't dare act rashly. Now you insist on believing I pretended to be an Overlord, and there's nothing I can say to convince you. Back when I entered the Plane Battlefield, a terrifying place where even Paragons could find themselves in danger, I wore a Material Defense Sovereign Artifact and a Soul Defense Sovereign Artifact to be safe. Even with my own formidable defenses, I wouldn't have felt secure otherwise.
"But you've all seen it yourselves: after I became a Sovereign, the boost from the Willpower of a Sovereign Spark made my soul defense impervious to the Four Divine Beasts' combined attack. So what, now that Xingyi has said one thing, you've all decided my material defense is weak and that I'm unfit to be an Overlord?
"What is Xingyi, that he thinks he can question me and look down on me?
"And if I follow Lord Uthred's suggestion and hand over the Supreme God Token, who should I give it to? If I give it to Lord Uthred, will the other Overlords accept that? If I give it to Lord Orloff, will Lord Uthred accept it?"
Uthred narrowed his eyes, a dangerous look appearing in them. Desterie was going on and on, and Uthred was running out of patience.
"Hand over the token. What happens after that is for the rest of us to settle among ourselves. It has nothing to do with you!"
Desterie smiled at that and took a moment to catch his breath before continuing. "Lord Uthred, this concerns my reputation, so I can't just ignore it. Lord Orloff agreed earlier that I should find a way to prove myself. I have a simple, direct solution that will make the truth clear. Would you be willing to give it a try? If you agree, I may be willing to hand over the Supreme God Token."
Uthred had been about to cut him off, but after hearing the rest, he reluctantly accepted the proposal and asked directly, "Who do you want to fight?"
Desterie smiled calmly. The Sovereigns weren't fools; the only way to prove his strength was through a real fight. He glanced from the corner of his eye at Xingyi. "Him! Star Sovereign Xingyi. Xingyi, do you dare fight me? A battle that can decide both victory and defeat—and life and death. How far we go will depend on our own strength!
"If I lose, I'll tell you where the Supreme God Token is. Of course, I won't keep it in a Spatial Ring, use a Sovereign clone to stop you from finding it, or seal it inside a Sovereign-level Magic Array.
"Of course, since I'm an 'Overlord' and he isn't, to make this fairer, a draw will count as my loss!
"But if Xingyi loses, I'd like to ask Zijing to give me something."
Zijing, taken by surprise at being singled out, reflexively asked, "What?"
The next second, she regretted it. She shouldn't have responded at all. She hadn't been involved in this conflict from the beginning, yet somehow she was being asked to put up a stake.
"The Soul Stone!" Desterie declared firmly.
The Soul Stone nurtured by the Zijing Divine Beast was one of the most precious Heaven and Earth Exotic Items in the Coiling Dragon World, surpassed only by Sovereign Sparks and Supreme Artifacts. It could make Gravity Space a hundred times more powerful at the god level, allowing one to fight across levels. It could even play a major role in the dangerous circumstances of a Soul Mutation.
Amethyst, Soul Gold Beads, and Sovereigns' Might could all replenish soul power, but they had to be used actively. When Linley underwent Soul Mutation, Resjing had plenty of Amethyst and Sovereigns' Might, yet there was nothing he could do. A soul caught in the throes of mutation was completely unconscious and couldn't absorb the energy in Amethyst or Sovereigns' Might. At such a time, only the Soul Stone could help.
Zijing showed a hint of hesitation, so Uthred sent her a voice transmission. "Zijing, agree to it. If he really wins your Soul Stone, I'll owe you a favor!"
Her superior had spoken, and he wasn't asking her to give something away for nothing. Zijing pressed her lips together and said, "I agree to those terms. But the Soul Stone only works for people who cultivate the Earth Laws. It probably won't be much use to you."
Desterie smiled. "I have my reasons."
Then Desterie turned to Xingyi, who was struggling to decide, and said with a smile, "What's wrong, Lord Xingyi? Didn't you just assess my strength? Why are you afraid now? Do you doubt your own assessment, or were you lying to all the Overlords?"
Turn his own tactics against him and throw his accusation right back at him, leaving him no way out!
Xingyi had been angry at being mocked and humiliated. When Desterie challenged him, he'd instinctively wanted to refuse, but Desterie's words had blocked his way out. Being accused of deceiving the Overlords was a small matter; standing in the way of the Overlords obtaining the Supreme God Token was far more serious!
Xingyi was just about to speak when Uthred sent him a voice transmission. "Xingyi, even if Desterie has strong soul and material defenses, his attack power was nothing special during the Plane War, as everyone saw. Agree to this fight. There's a good chance it'll end in a draw, and you won't be in danger."
"But, my lord, the fact that Desterie dared to propose such a wager shows he's very confident. I..." Xingyi hesitated.
"Xingyi, if you take part in the fight, I'll owe you a favor. If you win, I'll owe you two. Besides, what you just told me—wasn't it really just as Desterie claimed in his defense...?"
So Xingyi took a deep breath. He didn't reply to Uthred through their voice transmission, but faced Desterie and answered, "Fine! Remember what you said. A draw counts as my win!"
Hearing that answer, Desterie smiled with satisfaction. His projection clone immediately vanished, leaving only a faint echo behind. "Xingyi, I'll be waiting for you outside the Mulan Material Plane. Let me make this clear beforehand: if any other Overlord comes too close while we're fighting, then the deal is off. I'll return to the Material Plane immediately."
Before you continue