Petrov Family

Blood Nether City was built atop Blood Ghost Mountain.

Blood Ghost Mountain was not a single peak, but consisted of one main peak and more than a dozen side peaks of varying sizes. Aside from the Demon Castle, Blood Nether Castle, and Undead Castle built on the main peak, as well as the Blood Battle Stage built on one side peak, the remaining side peaks were residential areas.

Some particularly powerful families could occupy an entire side peak with just two or three households. In terms of status, such families ranked only below the City Lord in Blood Nether City.

The Petrov Family was one of them.

At this moment, the Petrov Family's gates were tightly shut, and there were noticeably more Mid-level God clansmen on patrol. After passing through the front courtyard, one would arrive at a great hall protected by a Magic Array.

At the head of the hall sat an old man with dry gray-white hair. His eyes were silver-gray, faint, tiny scales covered his exposed skin, and his aura carried a vicious edge.

This old man was the Petrov Family's patriarch—Waldo Petrov.

Besides the old man, five others sat on either side of the hall. All five were members of the Petrov Family, and all were family elders and powerful figures within the family.

The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat stifling. The old man at the head swept his gaze over the five of them, his tone filled with an indescribable gravity. "What do we do about this now? Come up with a plan."

The five people in the hall looked at one another. A middle-aged man was the first to speak. "Sigh, no one expected Lord Ailin to... to be... an Asura Expert."

Thinking of Ailin's strength, the middle-aged man could not help but tremble slightly. An Asura Expert... How could one appear in Blood Nether City? And he had even happened to kill a Four Divine Beast Family Elder.

"Now is not the time to talk about that."

Waldo's expression was grave. "What matters most right now is how we deal with what may come next. Elder Bensgodo came to Blood Nether City because of our information. The Four Divine Beast Family will definitely learn of this. Given how the Four Divine Beast Family operates, if we mishandle this, it may bring disaster upon us. We may not even need the Four Divine Beast Family to act. Once word gets out, I fear the City Lord will not spare us either."

Hearing the old man's words, the five of them all felt a chill run through their bodies.

Setting the City Lord aside for the moment, they knew the Four Divine Beast Family's ways all too well. They had thought this risk would let them board the Four Divine Beast Family's great ship and develop their own family alongside it. Who could have expected something like this to happen? They truly had terrible luck.

And that Bensgodo—how could he still be killed after using Sovereign's Might?! What a disgrace to the title of Four Divine Beast Family Elder. Naturally, they did not dare say such words aloud and could only think them in their hearts.

"Sigh, I said long ago that dealing with the Four Divine Beast Family was like an infant seeking a tiger's hide. Now we're trapped between advancing and retreating."

One elder's tone carried a trace of despair.

Neither the City Lord nor the Four Divine Beast Family was someone they could afford to provoke.

"What use is there in saying that now?!"

Waldo's face was extremely ugly. "Who could have known things would turn out like this?! If not for that Ailin... even if the matter had been dangerous, it would not have become this bad!"

It was no wonder he was furious. This situation had truly exceeded all their expectations. After all, let alone a Four Divine Beast Family Elder challenging the Blood Battle Stage, even an ordinary Seven-star Demon would not easily encounter danger.

Thus, to them, using the news of the Blood Pattern Ice Mine to latch onto the Four Divine Beast Family was merely a matter of time.

But a problem had arisen. Ailin had appeared out of nowhere, and the Four Divine Beast Family Elder had been killed.

When they had watched Bensgodo being killed, it had felt as though their hearts had stopped beating.

To others, it might have merely been watching a battle between powerful experts, but to the Petrov Family, it was as though the end of the world had descended.

With Bensgodo dead, retaliation from the Four Divine Beast Family was inevitable. Even if they were not the target and were merely swept aside in passing, the Petrov Family would likely vanish. Given the Four Divine Beast Family's habits, such a thing was perfectly normal.

If what they had done spread through the family, the other family members would probably flee as well.

Why don't we flee before the Four Divine Beast Family reacts? The Nether Sea is so vast. As long as we escape, there may still be a chance to survive.

An elder could not help but send a voice transmission.

Waldo's breathing grew heavier, and he clenched his teeth. Flee? Are we supposed to abandon the foundation we have built in Blood Nether City over countless years?

In the Divine Plane, the rise of a family was not so simple. This was especially true for the Petrov Family, which already lacked powerful experts. Accumulating their current foundation had been even more difficult.

Flee? If the Four Divine Beast Family truly wants us dead, the Nether Sea will not be safe either. What city does not bear traces of the Four Divine Beast Family?

Another elder replied.

The Four Divine Beast Family's members were spread too widely. Not only were they found throughout the cities of the Divine Plane, it was said that even many Material Planes had members of the Four Divine Beast Family.

This alone meant that not everyone had the ability to survive the Four Divine Beast Family's pursuit. Unless they hid in remote mountain ranges and never showed themselves again. Though they were not particularly powerful, they were still High-Gods. How could they endure such a life?

Are we supposed to wait here and hope the Four Divine Beast Family shows us mercy and overlooks us?

The elder who had spoken first sounded agitated, his face even turning slightly red.

"I have an idea. It might work."

A young man seated at the end suddenly spoke.

"Oh? Andre, what idea do you have? Say it quickly."

Waldo spoke directly.

The others all looked toward Andre as well. Andre had been the Petrov Family's genius in recent years. In less than ten million years, he had completed the Demon Castle's Five-star Demon mission and become a family elder.

To become an elder of the Petrov Family, one had to become a High-God independently. So long as one became a High-God, relying on their family bloodline, one could generally possess strength close to that of a Five-star Demon.

Of course, only close. Whether one could actually become a Five-star Demon still depended on one's own talent.

Andre was exceptionally talented. Even among Five-star Demons, his strength was formidable.

Andre let out a deep breath, then cautiously sent a voice transmission. Since we cannot fathom the Four Divine Beast Family's attitude, why don't we seek refuge with Lord Ailin, the one who killed Bensgodo?

What?

Seek refuge with Lord Ailin?

The others were greatly surprised. In a sense, their current predicament had been caused by Ailin. It was only because Ailin was too powerful that they did not dare harbor any dissatisfaction toward him.

Silence. Let Andre continue.

Waldo suddenly spoke, stopping the others. He then looked at Andre, his tone becoming more serious. Explain your specific thoughts and reasons.

All right.

Andre nodded, then said seriously, To the Four Divine Beast Family, the death of a Seven-star Demon clansman is something they will never let go. Our Petrov Family will inevitably be implicated.

At such a time, even the City Lord cannot possibly step forward for us. Besides, we concealed the matter of the Blood Pattern Ice from the City Lord from the start. Even without Bensgodo's death, if the City Lord learned of this matter, we would likely still be punished.

Therefore, neither the Four Divine Beast Family nor the City Lord can be relied upon.

But Lord Ailin is different. Lord Ailin killed Bensgodo, so he will naturally be the Four Divine Beast Family's primary target for retaliation. If we can seek refuge under Lord Ailin, then as long as Lord Ailin remains unharmed, we will have a chance to survive as well. And judging by Lord Ailin's strength in killing Bensgodo, the Four Divine Beast Family may not truly be able to deal with Lord Ailin.

If even Lord Ailin cannot protect us, then I fear we have no other choice.

As the others listened to Andre, their brows all furrowed tightly.

Waldo also frowned at this moment. That may be so, but how can we make Lord Ailin willing to protect us?

Clearly, this was the most crucial issue.

Andre glanced at everyone, then said, We should do what we originally did to establish contact with the Four Divine Beast Family.

You mean the Blood Pattern Ice Mine?

Waldo immediately understood.

Andre nodded. However, this may not necessarily succeed. If it fails...

As he spoke, Andre shook his head and did not continue.

If this fails, then it will be the Petrov Family's fate. At that point, we can only abandon everything and flee for our lives.

Waldo also let out a deep breath.