The Crimson Star Fiend and the Black Ring Fiend fought fiercely using the Sovereign’s Might. In the end, the Crimson Star Fiend had a slight advantage and killed the Black Ring Fiend. This event caused quite a stir in the northwest of the Blood Peak Continent.
It should be noted that even Seven Star Fiend typically possesses only one or two drops of the Sovereign’s Might, which is treasured as a means of survival; it is only commonly used in great battles between Asura or even Sovereign's Emissary.
Neither Jason nor the Black Ring Fiend can be considered mid-level among the Seven Star Fiend. The fact that they possessed the Sovereign’s Might in battle suggests that the allure of the Soul Defense Divine Artifact was slightly greater than the Sovereign’s Might.
Jason didn't dwell on the matter anymore; if there were other challengers in the future, he would just wait for them to come.
He is currently preparing for a major event—his daughter's wedding.
"Olivier, that blockhead, has finally come to her senses and decided to propose," Veronica grumbled after avoiding her daughter and son-in-law.
Jason didn't respond. He was currently experiencing a mix of inner turmoil and joy, unsure how to face the prospect of his daughter's marriage.
Maisiji and Lucy were very happy.
Jason had specifically gone to inform Linley and Beirut of the Indigo Prefecture beforehand.
As for the lords of the other eight cities, Jason sent his men to deliver the invitations.
The lord of Beirut, of course, wouldn't come, but he did give face by sending his three sons to offer their congratulations. Linley and Bebe's group arrived excitedly, as Linley had just returned from Blood War Valley, and the process was similar to the original story. As for the lords of the other eight cities, none of them came in person; they only sent some congratulatory gifts. The situation in Indigo Prefecture was still unclear, and none of the lords wanted to form factions in private at this time.
Veronica, who had been nagging all along, was actually very happy at her daughter's wedding; Jason was a little sad but also somewhat relieved, and drank quite a bit of wine, which was quite intoxicating without Divine Power to dispel it; the other guests were all gathered together, especially those who were from the same Yulan Continent, and they felt like they were meeting old friends in a foreign land.
Jason drank, he eventually ended up drinking at the same table as Bebe and Beirut's three sons.
"Hey Bebe, it's about time you found a wife," the three Purple-Gold Rat brothers took turns advising Bebe.
"Big brothers, actually—" Bebe hesitated, but Harry quickly filled his glass, trying to pry Bebe's mouth open.
Jason showed no mercy, giving them a sharp rap on the head. "How many times have I told you, according to seniority you should call them uncles!"
"Ah, I was wrong." Bebe, her drunkenness half worn off, quickly changed her tune. "Uncles, I'm so sorry!"
Harvey glared at Jason, then turned to Bebe and said, "Bebe, who were you trying to talk about just now?"
Bebe lowered her head and gently shook it.
Linda, covering her mouth, whispered in their minds, "It's Clear Spring."
Bebe's body stiffened as if struck by lightning, then quickly went limp, and she didn't dare to lift her head.
Jason and the three Purple-Gold Rat brothers looked at each other for a while, then looked at Bebe's actions to confirm. None of them expected this outcome.
Jason had actually subtly inquired beforehand whether Bebe had met anyone he liked on the street. It turned out that while Bebe and his friends were indeed involved in the Nisse siblings' situation, they hadn't developed feelings for Nisse.
Jason had initially thought it might be his influence that had changed Bebe's aesthetic sense—but he never expected it to become so outrageous.
Clear Spring is clearly the aloof type.
Jason stopped paying attention to Bebe's love life; the three Purple-Gold Rat King already had many offspring, and it was enough for Bebe to have them help her.
Jason led Bessalie, Delisha, and Linley to his study, invited them to sit down, and then activated a mechanism on the table to open the isolation array in the room.
"I've called you here today to ask you to help me analyze something. You all know about the Black Ring Fiend from ten years ago. I killed his two clones back then, but I checked and found that the original was missing, and the artifacts couldn't recognize a master. So, it's possible that the original, or even a clone, survived at that time. I thought I could use his Interspatial Ring to check his condition, so I preserved his artifacts. But just a month ago, both his Interspatial Ring and the Divine Artifact lost their mastery."
Linley, being the most naive of the three, completely failed to understand why Jason was so nervous. "It's probably because the other clones of the Black Ring Fiend were found and killed by their enemies."
Delisha shook her head. "A dignified Seven Star Fiend deliberately separated his clones to save his life. His other clones must be in very safe places; how could they die so easily? In ten years, the news of the Black Ring Fiend's demise probably hasn't even reached the Blood Peak Continent."
Linley thought Delisha's words made sense, but he couldn't think of anything else.
Jason looked at Bessalie.
Bessalie chuckled softly, "You should first explain why you're so nervous about this, and why you only told the three of us. You must have quite a few advisors in your family."
Jason shrugged. "Well, I did use the Sovereign Artifact back then. When I was underwater, I originally wanted to test if I could do without the Sovereign’s Might, but in the end, I didn't save the Sovereign’s Might, and I also exposed the Sovereign Artifact."
Linley looked at Jason with a questioning gaze.
Jason added, "In the Necropolis of the Gods, a Sovereign took a liking to me and granted me the identity of Sovereign's Emissary in advance. Once I have the strength of Asura, he will officially make me the Sovereign's Emissary."
Linley swallowed hard, glanced at the two people beside him, and realized that both of them knew about it.
Bessalie said, "Do you think that the Black Ring Fiend might have revealed that you possessed Sovereign Artifact before it died?"
Jason stated bluntly, "To be honest, I suspect that the Black Ring Fiend's clone was previously within one of the Eight Great Clans."
Delisha followed their train of thought, "Before, there was the matter of the Soul Defense Divine Artifact. The Eight Great Clans only found vague clues, yet they spread the news all over Infernal Realm. But now, no one is reacting much. It means they want to make a big deal out of this."
"Won't they give up on opposing Uncle Jason?" Linley was clearly too naive compared to the three of them.
Jason said, "Linley, I called you here for two reasons. First, we're on the same level, so I'm not afraid you'll find out I possess Sovereign Artifact. Second, I want you to know that the struggle between the Seven Star Fiend involves not only direct combat but also clandestine intrigues and schemes."
There was a moment of silence in the room.
Bessalie asked, "Is there anything noteworthy among the Black Ring Fiend's relics?"
Jason pulled out a drop of black liquid.
"The Darkness Sovereign’s Might?" The group was all surprised.
"I remember that the Black Ring Fiend used the Death-attribute Sovereign’s Might before," Delisha said, biting her finger.
Jason said, "I'm actually wondering too. Perhaps this Black Ring Fiend participated in several Planar Wars and obtained the Sovereign’s Might on different Planar Battlefield."
Linley had never heard of Planar Wars, but wisely refrained from asking.
Bessalie denied it, saying, "No, regardless of which Planar Wars one participates in, it is the Sovereign’s Might Sovereign whom one serves. If it is a six- or Seven Star Fiend, then it is under the command of whichever Sovereign Sovereign's subordinate it enters the Planar Battlefield."
Clearly, as the daughter of the former lord, Bessalie knows something about the Planar Battlefield.
"The Ashcroft Clan, also known as the Nether Snake Family, possesses the Death Sovereign’s Might," Linley finally managed to interject.
Delisha also said, "According to intelligence, this Black Ring Fiend has a good relationship with the Ashcroft Clan, and his challenge to you may have been instigated by the Ashcroft Clan."
What are the characteristics of the Ashcroft Clan?
Linley replied, "Every member of the Ashcroft Clan possesses a unique supernatural ability, a very powerful soul attack, but they lack agility; in addition, their bodies can extend like snakes, becoming very flexible."
Because of the battle years ago, Linley somewhat underestimated the Soul Annihilation of the Nether Serpent.
Delisha was somewhat worried. "In the past, they might not have targeted you, since your Sovereign Artifact cannot be transferred, and there was no benefit in dealing with you. But now that it's public knowledge that your wife is from the Four Divine Beasts Clan, if it were me, I would definitely choose to nip you in the bud."
Bessalie sighed, "The Ashcroft Clan's reputation is legendary in the Netherworld. Their patriarch is a super divine beast, Sovereign's Emissary of the Western King of the Netherworld Continent. He possesses an offensive Sovereign Artifact, top-tier palace master strength, and is especially skilled in soul attacks. His divine abilities can easily break through Soul Defense Divine Artifact."
"They probably wouldn't send their patriarch to cause me trouble, would they?" Jason felt that the other side would likely send a top-tier Seven Star Fiend, with the full Sovereign’s Might.
Bessalie added, "As far as I know, the Ashcroft Clan has three members who have broken through the Spirit Fox's Defensive Divine Artifact, including the patriarch. Besides, they didn't say they wanted to fight one-on-one, so I suggest you stay home for a while."
Alternatively, you could go to the Indigo Prefecture and hide there for a while, which would be a good opportunity to travel with the three young masters of Beirut. With your talent, you should be able to reach the normal Asura level in ten thousand years, and then they won't make things difficult for you.
Normally, Jason should back down at this point. In order to survive without looking bad, just like Bessalie said, Jason is guaranteed to be at least Asura level, or even a top-tier Asura, in ten thousand years. Who will bully whom then is still uncertain.
"But what about the Rhine Clan?" Delisha asked.
"Move them all into Moonwheel City!" Bessalie said, but it was clear from her tone that she was joking.
"Why don't we go to Lord Beirut and ask him to protect you?" Linley clearly didn't consider Beirut an outsider.
Jason didn't dare to go. Even Linley in Beirut only gave him a little benefit and didn't personally help him out. If Jason dared to ask, he would definitely get beaten up.
The four people looked at each other in bewilderment.
Finally Jason sighed, "Let's fight then, he's just a Asura." Jason, unusually defiant, added, "Linley, I heard you have a lot of Amethyst? Give me some more, please."
"Oh, okay." Linley nodded: "But—"
"I'm sending my Water Clone over here!"