"Elders, our Four Divine Beasts Clan has been dormant for far too long. So long that some fools out there actually dare to come knocking and bully us! Ren, the Liang'an Prefecture Lord of Bifu Continent, actually dared to destroy the Azure Dragon Clan elder Emmanuel's divine clone! Tell me, what should we do?"
Tia, the Vermilion Bird Patriarch, raised her right hand and looked down at the many elders below as she spoke in a stern voice, her tone full of authority.
Boom!
As soon as she finished speaking, the entire crowd erupted into an uproar, and the hall descended into chaos.
"Damn it! A mere Prefect actually dares to kill an elder of our Four Divine Beasts Clan! Patriarchs, let me go into battle. I'll behead that Ren!" Blue, a young genius elder of the Azure Dragon Clan, was the first to speak, his voice brimming with anger and determination.
"Patriarch, we absolutely can't let this go. How can a mere Prefect insult our Four Divine Beasts Clan? Let me go. I'll make sure to kill that Ren!" An elder of the Vermilion Bird Clan quickly looked up, determination in her eyes as she gazed at Tia.
"Patriarch..."
"Grand Elder..."
The noisy voices rang through Vermilion Bird Palace. More than a hundred people all spoke at once, every one of them demanding to go into battle. Only the four people at the front remained silent.
The three men exchanged glances, each seeing relief in the others' eyes. At that moment, all three let out a slight sigh of relief. If it was just an ordinary Prefect who had killed an elder, things would be much simpler. As long as they weren't going to war with the Augusta Clan, everything could be worked out.
Only the silver-haired woman, Caroline, remained in her original pose, as if she hadn't heard a thing. She had no interest in any of it—not the more than a hundred elders volunteering for battle, nor the discussion among the other three Sovereign Envoys.
"All right, quiet!"
Gaia's brows furrowed as she barked a command. The entire hall fell silent at once, and no one dared speak again.
Although Gaia was only the Azure Dragon Clan's Grand Elder, the elders of the other clans in the Four Divine Beasts Clan also held her in great awe. The hierarchy of the Four Divine Beasts Clan was clearly defined. Aside from the ancestors, the four Patriarchs and two Grand Elders were in charge.
Gaia was especially well known for her impartiality. She never showed favoritism toward clan members who had done wrong, no matter who they were—even her own sons and grandsons. As a result, she held great prestige within the clan, and most elders were rather afraid of her.
"We four have already discussed this matter. Big Brother isn't here right now, but we absolutely cannot let this go. We must deal with it seriously!" Tia swept her gaze over the many elders below, then spoke slowly. Her voice suddenly rose as she continued:
"A hundred years ago, the Venna Clan of the Wind Divine Plane laid hands on our people. Today, Ren of Bifu Continent has attacked us as well. Our Four Divine Beasts Clan has been dormant for so long that the people of the Divine Planes have forgotten our strength!"
"So this time, we'll overwhelm them with absolute force and make our Four Divine Beasts Clan's name known. We'll show the entire Hell—and the people of every plane—our might!"
"By order of the Patriarch, the Four Divine Beasts Clan hereby issues a death warrant for Ren, Prefect of Liang'an. Those whose names I call will all set out. Fuerhan, Kifusi, Banton..."
As each name was called, one figure after another stepped forward. Every face was filled with the will to fight, as if they were ready to lay down their lives for the honor of the Four Divine Beasts Clan.
Tia selected thirty Seven-Star Demon elders from the four clans and arranged for four honorary elders to join them. She would lead the group herself, along with Gaia, Grand Elder of the Azure Dragon Clan, and Morey, Patriarch of the Black Tortoise Clan. Together, seven Asuras and thirty Seven-Star Demons would head to Bifu Continent to uphold the might of the Four Divine Beasts Clan.
"Isn't this force a little too strong? Is it really necessary?" Felix, a black-haired young man, couldn't help asking Hansen through voice transmission. With a lineup like this, they could easily wipe out several Asura clans. Sending them after just one man, Ren, was clearly overkill.
"Still don't get it? The real purpose of this battle isn't to kill Ren. It's to flaunt the strength of the Four Divine Beasts Clan to the Divine Planes and make sure everyone knows that anyone who offends the Four Divine Beasts Clan will die. Even if it's a Prefect, the clan can still send dozens of Seven-Star Demons and seven Asuras to surround him."
Hansen, a red-haired, burly man, rolled his eyes and replied through voice transmission. He was starting to wonder why Felix seemed even more thickheaded than he was, when he was the one who looked more honest.
Just as the Four Divine Beasts Clan's punitive force set out for Bifu Continent, elsewhere...
Wind Divine Plane, Wind God Mountain.
White mist covered the entire mountain range, whose peaks rose and fell and stretched for a thousand miles. Cyan currents flowed all around it, making it look from afar as if a vast breeze were sweeping past.
At the summit of Wind God Mountain stood a magnificent azure hall, a hundred meters tall at its center. Manors of various sizes surrounded it, forming a sprawling complex, while countless divine-level beings bustled to and fro.
This was the home of the Venna Clan, an Asura clan on the Enya Continent of the Wind Divine Plane.
But today, the members of the once-mighty Venna Clan all looked terrified. Inside the hall at the summit, the stern-faced man at the head of the clan clenched his fists and glared at the two visitors before him.
"Patriarch Gaiseresen, may I ask what brings the two of you to the Venna Clan today?"
Venna's eyes shone with a deep blue light, and his cyan brows fluttered. His restless mood was plain to see as he did his best to ask in a calm voice.
At that moment, the clan's highest-ranking member, Patriarch Venna, had willingly taken a seat below the two guests. Several clan elders stood behind him, not even daring to sit down. That was because of the two figures now occupying the seats of honor.
Across from Venna, two figures sat in the Patriarch's usual seats. One was a stern-faced man with flowing green hair, dressed in a robe embroidered with cyan patterns. The other wore a white robe whose patterns blended perfectly into it, making it look like tiger fur.
Even without transforming, everyone present recognized them: Gaiseresen Reding, Patriarch of the Azure Dragon Clan, and Gus Lius, Patriarch of the White Tiger Clan.
"Oh? You don't know why we're here? An elder of your Venna Clan actually dared to bully someone from my White Tiger Clan, and you dare ask what we want?"
The White Tiger Patriarch sneered, his voice sinking. A tiger's might rolled off the patterns on his robe, and the temperature in the room suddenly dropped.
"Bully him? Yel Gus of your clan openly harassed our Young Patriarch's wife and even told the Young Patriarch to give her to him. The Young Patriarch merely didn't agree on the spot, and you call that bullying?"
An old white-haired man behind Venna couldn't help speaking up in protest. Terry Venna had been there since the clan's founding and had watched the Young Patriarch grow up. Seeing this, he couldn't help but speak.
"Shut up!"
Venna reacted first. He swung his hand and slapped Terry across the face, holding nothing back. Terry was sent flying, blood pouring from his mouth.
Before you continue