"You think you can run?"
Ren's expression turned cold. His body instantly became a streak of Azure Light and sped after Conofier. As he passed over Alfred's head, a green wind blade swept by. Alfred lost consciousness at once, and a Godhead fell to the ground.
"He's fast!" Conofier sensed the surging fluctuation of Sovereign's Might coming from behind. His face darkened as he swung his right hand, sending ochre ripples out to form a massive black wall.
"Boom!"
A layer of Azure Light appeared around Ren. Sovereign's Might transformed into two rushing streams of water, which spun rapidly and formed a lightning bolt that struck the wall. In an instant, cracks spread across the black wall before it shattered and vanished into the void.
"Damn it!"
Feeling the fluctuations behind him drawing ever closer, Conofier furrowed his brows. He could tell that if things continued like this, he would have a hard time escaping. The Wind Law Profound Mysteries ultimately gave their practitioners an edge in speed over those of the Earth Element.
"Ren, don't push your luck! We represent the Four Divine Beasts Clan. You should know what that means. Leave now, and we can pretend none of this ever happened. Keep chasing us, and the Four Divine Beasts Clan will never let you off!"
Conofier sent a message to Ren, trying to threaten him with the Four Divine Beasts Clan. But the only response was a green blade of energy hurtling toward him at incredible speed.
Void—Dimensional Slash!
The surrounding space seemed to freeze for an instant. Countless Dimensional Blades converged from every direction, forming a huge green lotus that enclosed Conofier and Emmanuel at its center.
"Ren, y-you really dare to kill us? The man beside me is Emmanuel, an elder of the Azure Dragon Clan of the Four Divine Beasts Clan!" Conofier sensed the terrifying energy all around him and finally felt the threat of death. He couldn't help shouting.
"Ren, stop! Otherwise, my grandmother Gaia will never forgive you!" Emmanuel was also stricken with panic. He frantically sent a message, shouting his threat even now.
"Boom!"
The only answer was a massive explosion at the center of the lotus. Space within a hundred meters shook, and enormous spatial rifts appeared. Terrifying divine power surged into the colorful Spatial Turbulence, carrying Conofier and Emmanuel's Godheads and Spatial Rings with it. They vanished into the turbulence.
"Emmanuel, huh? He holds a pretty high position in the Four Divine Beasts Clan. But it makes no difference to me." Ren put away his weapon and watched the slowly healing space.
Ren knew how powerful and protective the Four Divine Beasts Clan was. But he also knew how arrogant and domineering its members could be. Even if he spared Emmanuel and Conofier, they wouldn't spare him. If he was going to offend them anyway, he might as well go all the way.
"Looks like I have to become a Paragon as soon as possible. Only then can I face the Four Divine Beasts Clan's pursuit without fear!"
After lingering at the scene for a moment, Ren turned into a streak of light and sped away toward the horizon. He needed to find a quiet place and complete his breakthrough as soon as possible. Then, even if the Four Divine Beasts Clan came after him in full force, he'd have the confidence to face them.
On the Azure Dragon Main Road in the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range, an anxious figure sped through the sky.
"Hm? Isn't that Elder Emmanuel? What's going on? Why is he in such a hurry? He looks absolutely furious." A patrolling soldier below watched him pass and couldn't help muttering under his breath.
"Keep your voice down. Elder Emmanuel has a bad temper. If he hears you, you'll be in for it." The soldier beside him quickly patted his shoulder and whispered a warning.
Emmanuel hadn't noticed the ordinary soldiers' murmuring at all. All he wanted now was revenge, no matter the cost. He would make Ren pay in blood!
In the Elder Hall district, inside a mansion at the heart of the area, a blond man sat cross-legged on the grass, eyes closed as he rested.
The elders of the Four Divine Beasts Clan could all live in this district. But the central area was usually reserved for elders of great strength and seniority. The blond man was one of them. As a third-generation member of the Four Divine Beasts Clan and a grandson of the Azure Dragon Sovereign, he was also the only son of Grand Elder Gaia. Fuerhan held a lofty position.
"Hm? Emmanuel? What's that brat doing here?" Fuerhan opened his eyes and looked in surprise at the streak of light in the distance. Though they were father and son, they didn't see each other often. His son rarely came to visit without a reason, so Fuerhan was caught off guard.
"Whoosh!"
Emmanuel landed on the ground, his face filled with anger and grief—an expression Fuerhan had never seen before. A foreboding feeling rose in his heart.
"Father, my Divine Clone was destroyed! You have to avenge me!" With a thud, Emmanuel dropped to his knees and poured out his grievance to the blond man, tears streaming down his face.
"What did you say?"
The blond man, who had been sitting on the grass, sprang to his feet. A terrifying killing intent blazed in his eyes, and the air around them turned much colder.
Watching his son weep, Fuerhan felt as if his heart were being cut. His son had only two Divine Clones: one Water Divine Clone and one Wind Divine Clone. He didn't even have the chance to restore his strength by refining a Godhead.
"What exactly happened? Who did this? How dare anyone attack an elder of my Four Divine Beasts Clan!" A cold killing intent flashed in Fuerhan's golden eyes as he asked in a menacing voice.
"Father, it was Ren, the Prefect of Liang'an in Bifu Continent. That Ren actually..." Emmanuel began pouring out his "grievances" as if emptying a bag of beans.
According to his version of events, the former Prefect of Liang'an, Alfred, had approached him of his own accord and offered him a Heaven and Earth Treasure, hoping to form a friendly connection with the Four Divine Beasts Clan.
But then that arrogant Ren had defeated the Prefect and claimed the treasure for himself. He had even insulted the Four Divine Beasts Clan when Emmanuel went to "discuss" the matter with him. Unable to tolerate it, Emmanuel had asked Copperfield to help.
"Good, good, good! Just a mere Prefect, and he dares to be so bold as to kill an elder of my Four Divine Beasts Clan. I never imagined that, after Venna, someone would dare to go even further!"
Fuerhan said "good" three times. His golden hair billowed, each strand standing on end. He looked like a furious lion, radiating overwhelming rage.
It had been many years since an elder of the Four Divine Beasts Clan who was a Seven-Star Demon had been killed. Not long ago, in the Wind Divine Plane, an elder of the Venna Clan had "offended" the Four Divine Beasts Clan. When one of the clan's elders had gone to demand an explanation, Venna had only dared to offer a few excuses. He hadn't dared show their elder the slightest disrespect.
Yet this Ren had dared to kill Emmanuel. Fuerhan felt that perhaps the clan had been too gentle in recent years, making outsiders think the Four Divine Beasts Clan was easy to bully.
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