As a Sovereign clan, the Four Divine Beasts Clan naturally had no shortage of Sovereign's Might. But that didn't mean its members could use it whenever they pleased.
As the clan's de facto leader, Gaiseresen managed the Sovereign's Might alongside the other clan heads, so he naturally had plenty. The clan elders, however, could only receive what the clan head allocated to them.
To ensure the safety of clan members who traveled abroad, it was essential to give them Sovereign's Might as a trump card. But too much of it could make them dependent, robbing them of the motivation to cultivate.
Thus, members of the Four Divine Beasts Clan were given limited amounts of Sovereign's Might. The clan's Seven-Star Demon elders each received a basic allotment of ten drops, while Six-Star Demons received five. The clan replenished these amounts for its members at regular intervals of hundreds of millions of years.
In addition, elders who rendered meritorious service to the clan could receive extra rewards. Elder Bru of the Azure Dragon Clan, for instance, had more than twenty drops of Sovereign's Might. This ensured that the elders had enough for dangerous situations and urgent needs, without allowing them to use it whenever they pleased. It also prevented clan members from becoming too dependent on Sovereign's Might and growing lazy in their cultivation.
As a fourth-generation member of the clan, Emmanuel had originally received ten drops, just like the Azure Dragon Clan's more than sixty other elders. But over the years, he had often fought people who had "spoken out of turn" to him, and he'd lost count of how many he'd killed. Few of them had forced him to use Sovereign's Might, but he had still spent six drops. After giving one to Copperfield last time, he had only three left.
It would be a long time before the clan's next scheduled replenishment. He didn't want to hand over another two drops for Copperfield to use against Ren; otherwise, the years ahead would be difficult for him. So Emmanuel kept frowning as he left Liang'an City with the others and arrived in Beifei City, still unable to make up his mind.
Emmanuel's inner turmoil didn't cause the slightest stir among the crowd. Everyone was focused on the battle between the two Asuras, and the Four Divine Beasts Clan members mixed in with them attracted no attention.
Three days later, Liang'an City...
"Lord Prefect."
Inside the Prefect's residence, the white-haired butler Hobbs stood with his head respectfully bowed, not daring to breathe too loudly. He was afraid the new Prefect might take a dislike to him and casually kill him.
"Notify Fiend Castle to issue a Fiend Mission to hunt down Alfred's Divine Clone. Have the Prefecture Army take part in the hunt as well. After that, manage Liang'an Prefecture as you did before." Ren merely glanced at Hobbs, saying little. He had never been interested in administration.
"As you command, Lord Prefect." Hobbs breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the new Prefect, Lord Ren, had a decent temper. He promptly replied with respect.
"Good. You may leave." Ren waved him away casually.
"Yes, my lord. Hobbs takes his leave." Hobbs bowed and left the residence, hurrying toward Fiend Castle. He needed to issue the mission to hunt down Alfred's Divine Clone. As for whether he had any qualms about hunting down the former Prefect, he could only scoff inwardly.
The Prefect, his butler, the Prefecture Army, and Fiend Castle were connected through cooperation under the rules laid down by the Overgods. Usually, they had no personal feelings for one another. Besides, Alfred was no longer the Prefect. In Hell, killing was what came naturally.
In a secluded courtyard in Beifei City, the brown-haired Alfred clenched his fists, his face dark.
Having lost his strongest Divine Clone and been left with only an Earth Divine Clone at the Six-Star Demon level, Alfred was consumed by hatred.
"Damn it! This is impossible! Is there really no other way?" Alfred had spent days thinking, but still couldn't come up with a way to take revenge and kill Ren.
As an Asura, he had roamed Liang'an Prefecture for hundreds of millions of years and had naturally made some friends. But now that he had lost his Lightning Divine Clone, those friends would probably stop being friends in an instant. No one would help him take revenge by going after someone stronger than Ren.
He had considered giving up on revenge and going into hiding. If he changed his appearance, his Six-Star Demon strength would be just enough to survive in Hell. But he feared Ren would issue a Fiend Mission to hunt down his Divine Clone. If that happened, he would be forced to live on the run. Changing his appearance was easy; changing his soul's aura was not. He couldn't keep running forever.
"Unless I use that Heaven and Earth Treasure. But I have no way to reach them..." Alfred shut his eyes and fell into thought. His only remaining trump card was his original Spatial Ring. As long as he was alive, Ren couldn't open it, so its contents had to be safe.
Inside the Spatial Ring were two drops of Sovereign's Might he had saved, as well as a Heaven and Earth Treasure he had collected years ago: the Crown of Bright Life, which contained life energy. If he offered these as bargaining chips, he might be able to persuade some powerful experts to help him.
He had acquired the Sovereign's Might on the Planar Battlefield and still had two drops left. As for the Crown of Bright Life, he had found it many years ago. It contained a peculiar energy that could instantly heal his injuries—its effects were even better than those of Sovereign's Might.
However, the Crown of Bright Life's life energy seemed limited. After the Planar War, he had used it too many times, and it had begun to lose its luster, darkening until it looked almost like black iron. It had very little life energy left.
Still, the Heaven and Earth Treasure itself was valuable. Many super experts liked collecting such treasures, and it was rumored that even the Overgods had their favorites. If he offered up the crown, perhaps he could persuade a super expert to go after Ren.
But he had no way to contact any of these super experts. Their residences weren't made public, and the only ones he knew of in Hell were Dannington in the Chaos Sea and Aiken on the Zijing Continent. He had no idea where either of them lived.
After a long silence, Alfred opened his eyes and sighed. He changed his appearance, becoming a "bearded man," and left the courtyard. Beifei City wasn't far from Liang'an City, so he'd better leave as soon as possible. He could put off revenge for now.
"Kid, are you looking for trouble? How dare you offend our Four Divine Beasts Clan!"
The moment Alfred stepped outside, he heard a commotion and an argument. Two groups of people who seemed to have gotten into a dispute came into view. He hadn't planned to pay them any attention, but the words "Four Divine Beasts Clan" made him glance over. Then his eyes lit up.
"Right! The Four Divine Beasts Clan! How could I have forgotten them? Given how domineering they are, if I tell them about the Heaven and Earth Treasure, they'll probably go straight over and seize it. Then I won't have to worry about Ren surviving!"
Alfred stayed hidden to watch the young men from the Four Divine Beasts Clan. After they left, tossing out a final, "We'll kill you once you're out of the city," he immediately followed them.
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