Exchange

"Enough, Aier."

"We've known each other for several thousand years, and I'd like to think I have some experience judging people."

"Besides, I can get a general sense of someone's personality from the way they play chess."

"You don't have to force yourself to act this way around me."

"You have nothing to ask of me. I'm the one who forced my expectations on you, hoping you'd respond."

"That was my fault."

Pash returned Aier's bow and offered a sincere apology.

It was clear that he cared a great deal about Aier.

"Overgod, you're too kind."

Aier smiled. "I'm grateful that you think so highly of me."

"However, I have no intention of becoming an Overgod Envoy."

That was a lie.

Aier wasn't sure how long he could keep his unusual nature hidden from the Overgods.

Before it was exposed, he needed to find someone who could protect him and give him enough time to grow.

So even if Aier were to become an Overgod Envoy, he would only choose one of the Four Rule Chief Sovereigns.

The first he ruled out was Fate Chief Sovereign Augusta.

If Aier's secret were exposed, Augusta would undoubtedly be the first to want to study him.

If Aier wanted protection, only the other three Chief Sovereigns could keep Augusta from acting openly against him.

The second Aier ruled out was Destruction Chief Sovereign Utrede.

For one thing, Utrede already had a Paragon, Dunnington, among his followers, which made Aier far less important to him.

For another, Utrede was a fanatic about cultivation. In order to surpass Fate Chief Sovereign Augusta, he had studied the Four Divine Beasts Overgods' Fusion Innate Divine Ability and secretly abducted many members of the Four Divine Beasts Clan.

Aier suspected that the Four Divine Beasts Overgods had sent their clan to spread out across other Divine Planes and Supreme Planes partly to preserve their bloodline.

Still, they probably never imagined that after they were killed by Radiant Sovereign Augusta in the future, the Four Divine Beasts Clan members on the other planes would all be driven out by the forces of those planes and forced to flee back to Hell.

Even then, they would endure more than ten thousand years of brutal pursuit and slaughter.

If someone like Linley, a child of destiny, hadn't appeared, the Four Divine Beasts Clan might well have become nothing more than a footnote in the history of the Coiling Dragon Universe.

As for the Chief Sovereign of Death, although she wasn't a Paragon, she possessed a treasure like the Heart of the Netherworld, which made her every bit as powerful as the other three Paragon Rule Chief Sovereigns.

Indeed, if the battle took place in the Netherworld, even Augusta—with all three Overgod Artifacts in his possession—might not be her match.

The Heart of the Netherworld let the Chief Sovereign of Death draw on the power of the entire Netherworld in battle. Within the Netherworld, she was invincible.

Aier speculated that if the Chief Sovereign of Death found a way to let the Netherworld continue growing, she might eventually break free of the Coiling Dragon Universe's limitations and become a Hongmeng Controller when the Netherworld grew into a true universe.

That left Sovereign of Life Vivia, whom Aier considered his best choice for protection.

First, as Sovereign of Life, Vivia was every bit as powerful as Utrede had been before creating Space-Time Chaos.

Both were Paragons, and their bodies were as tough as Sovereign Artifacts.

Moreover, judging by the fact that the Life Supreme Plane didn't participate in the Plane War, and by Vivia's later conduct, Sovereign of Life Vivia seemed to have the kindest personality of all the Overgods.

"I understand."

Pash nodded. "Over the countless years, apart from Dunnington, who became Lord Utrede's envoy for certain reasons, not a single other Paragon has become an Overgod Envoy."

"I only came here because I wanted to be your friend."

"I wonder if I'm fortunate enough to become your friend, Aier."

Aier was the first Paragon Pash had met in person.

But before this, Pash had heard from other Overgods how those Paragons regarded them.

Some Paragons didn't take the so-called "Overgods" seriously at all.

They thought the "Overgods" were nothing more than "lucky ones" who had been born early and gotten lucky enough to obtain Sovereign Sparks.

They believed that if they had all lived in the same era, they could have killed every last "Overgod" and seized their Sovereign Sparks to become Overgods themselves.

Pash worried that Aier might be like that, in which case coming to befriend him would only invite humiliation.

But after spending these past few thousand years together, Pash felt that he and Aier got along quite well.

"Having an Overgod as a friend is an honor for me, too."

Aier smiled and nodded slightly at the offer of friendship.

"Don't call me 'Overgod.' My name is Pash. Just call me by my name."

Seeing Aier's response, Pash said with delight.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony, Pash."

"That's more like it, Aier."

Now that Aier had addressed him by name, Pash stopped calling him "Lord Aier" and likewise used his name.

"By the way, Pash, do you have any Earth Element Sovereign Power?"

"If you do, I'll trade you Destruction Sovereign Power for it."

"I do. How much do you need?"

A smile appeared on Pash's face.

Aier had asked him, which meant he truly considered him a friend.

Of course, he didn't offer to simply give Aier the Earth Element Sovereign Power.

Friends were equals.

This time, they would trade Sovereign Powers.

Such exchanges were quite common among the Overgods.

After all, each of them had subordinates or Overgod Envoys of every element.

When they rewarded their subordinates for working for them, giving them Sovereign Power that matched their own element allowed them to wield it more effectively.

Of course, Pash would be the one losing out a little.

As a Lesser Destruction Sovereign, he had an inexhaustible supply of Destruction Sovereign Power.

He had to trade with the Earth Element Overgods to obtain Earth Element Sovereign Power.

But that was no trouble for Pash.

After all, Earth Element Overgods also came to him to trade Sovereign Power.

"Not much. Just ten drops."

Before leaving Liang'an Prefecture, Aier had already emptied its storehouses. He had taken most of the treasures and a small portion of the Inkstone to the Qingya Plane with his original body.

His Earth Element Divine Clone had carried off the remaining Inkstone and refined it into Sovereign Power.

Ten drops of Sovereign Power made up most of Aier's current savings.

"Good."

Pash waved his hand, and ten drops of yellow Sovereign Power radiating immense pressure appeared in his palm.

"Excellent!"

Aier put away the ten drops of Earth Element Sovereign Power, then took out ten drops of Destruction Sovereign Power refined from Inkstone and held them out to Pash.