Hearing Zijing's sarcastic remarks, Bowen was at a loss for words. He had no counterargument, and even Leiding couldn't respond in time. Instead, Ers, who usually wasn't much good at thinking things through, quickly replied, "Maybe Orloff and Desterie's method for strengthening their bodies was just a smokescreen. Desterie may have already obtained a Sovereign Artifact Body with Orloff's help, but he's simply kept it hidden."
"Enough. All of you, stop talking!" Uthred closed his eyes, his temper flaring. "Bowen, you say Orloff was planning to set up Lilith. I can't rule out that possibility. He'd do anything for his research, and I believe he'd even abandon Angnak to achieve his aims. But you're saying he'd lend the Supreme Artifact to Lilith's emissary for this? Absolutely impossible!
"What's more, I'll tell you this: only a Sovereign can make a Supreme Artifact acknowledge them as its master. We saw Desterie refine a Sovereign Spark with our own eyes, and we also saw you use your Combined Innate Divine Ability against him. At any point during that time, when could he have secretly refined the Supreme Artifact and made it acknowledge him, without any of us noticing?
"You're all so ignorant, so full of wild imaginings. You haven't even figured out other people's true strength or circumstances. No wonder you keep losing to Desterie!
"Don't bring this up again. Your plan to hunt down an Overlord is also suspended for now. Quite a few Overlords are keeping an eye on you!"
Uthred's order was absolute, but Leiding still tried to argue. "My lord, we had no intention of hunting—"
"Do you really think I'm blind to what you've been doing in the Water Divine Plane? It's not just me anymore; even Polk has figured out what you're up to. And now that you've revealed the power of your Innate Divine Ability, you wouldn't have much chance of success even if you risked attacking!
"Enough. The four of you can go back. From this moment on, make a great show of collecting the remaining Supreme God Tokens with all your effort! Even if I can't complete the Supreme God Mission, I won't let them get the chance to complete it!"
Seeing that Uthred was truly furious, the Four Divine Beasts didn't dare say anything more. They withdrew in frustration, leaving Zijing behind to continue their private discussion.
After the Four Divine Beasts left, the atmosphere immediately relaxed. Zijing asked, "My lord, do you have other plans for the Soul Stone?"
Uthred nodded wearily. "Zijing, I never thought you'd really lose a Soul Stone. Don't worry; I'll still honor the favor I promised you. But I hope you won't leave Hell for the next few years. Desterie dared to make me lose face. He relied on his powerful defenses, tricked and killed Xingyi, and refined the Destruction Sovereign Spark. I'd like to see whether he dares come to Hell and demand the Soul Stone from me—and whether his defenses can withstand my attacks!"
Zijing gave a slight nod, but she was still worried. "The Four Divine Beasts have absolutely no intention of disobeying you. Everyone wants to become stronger, though, so I hope you'll forgive them this time. All the Sovereigns witnessed today's battle, including the other three Rule Overlords. If you attack Desterie, wouldn't that risk violating your agreement?"
Uthred nodded. "That's true. And if he keeps a Sovereign clone permanently in the Material Plane with a Supreme God Token, then even if I kill one of his clones, I won't be able to get the token. But, Zijing, I can't rest easy without killing him once. Would Orloff and the others really be able to do anything to me over him?
"My only concern is that he won't dare come.
"As for forgiving the Four Divine Beasts, I really don't understand the way you get along. If I had punished them, how could they still be alive? Go back without worry."
High above the Sea of Chaos, the Four Divine Beasts hovered amid howling winds. Black Tortoise Sovereign Bowen looked at his eldest brother, Leiding, anxiously and didn't know what to say. "Big brother, I'm sorry."
Leiding gave a bitter smile. "It's fine. You were only trying to help me back then. I just didn't expect her to find out in the end. It's only natural that she doesn't want to be close to us anymore."
Guilt showed on Bowen's face. "If it weren't for me, we might have moved our base in Hell to Zijing Continent. Tianji Mountain Range is a fine place, and it's where you were born, big brother. But if you could have a beauty in your arms and live in Amethyst Mountain Range, there'd be no need to bother Pash here."
Nemo had a fiery temper and cut Bowen off. "Big brother, Bowen, what time is it? You're still worrying about Zijing? We've suffered one setback after another lately, losing both the girl and the battle. Now even Uthred is displeased with us. If things go on like this, we'll be isolated and helpless before we ever get our hands on a High-level Sovereign Spark.
"I think we should do as Uthred said and find the other Supreme God Tokens for him as soon as possible. That'll make up for our mistakes and help us maintain our relationship with him. Otherwise, one day Desterie will come knocking. Our Combined Innate Divine Ability won't do anything to him, and physical attacks won't break through his defenses either. But we won't be able to withstand his attacks. Then we'll truly be at the end of our rope."
White Tiger was also filled with regret and anger. "Angnak just had to get himself killed. Who'd have thought killing him would bring us Desterie, a thousand times more troublesome than Angnak! And Zijing, too—she doesn't care at all about the bond we shared back then. At a time like this, she actually kicked us when we were down!"
"Instead of sitting here blaming fate and accusing me of kicking you when you're down, why don't you look for the reasons yourselves? All these years, have you worked hard at cultivating? Have you learned your place? If you weren't always stirring up trouble, why would everyone dislike you? And if you knew your place, why would you have secretly hidden the Supreme God Mirror? Now other people hold the initiative, and you can barely take a single step forward." Zijing burst out of the sea and flew up to meet the four brothers at their height. Her voice was gentle, but her words were sharp and her gaze cold.
"Zijing, how much longer are you going to hold a grudge over what happened back then? Don't forget that big brother was the one who helped you save the unborn Resjing. Otherwise, you'd be all alone now!" Nemo couldn't stand Zijing's incessant nagging and said bluntly.
Zijing smiled and looked at the tall Azure Dragon Chief God, Leiding. A trace of warmth showed in her eyes. "I'll always remember what Leiding did for me, but that doesn't mean I can pretend certain people and certain things never happened. I'm going back. Take care of yourselves."
Watching Zijing's retreating figure, Nemo was so furious that his hair burst into flames of every color. "So what if she's an Intermediate Sovereign? If she does that again, I'll make her taste the power of our Combined Innate Divine Ability! We've already lost one Intermediate Destruction Sovereign. Losing another wouldn't matter."
Leiding felt helpless but didn't try to talk him down. Ers and Bowen shook their heads, suppressing their laughter. Their second sister had said that many times before, but as long as their big brother still had feelings for Zijing, it would never happen. The four of them were one body, sharing honor and disgrace, living and dying together.
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