Akasha had sensed only nineteen Sovereigns in the Infernal Realm, not including himself. That meant that the foreign Sovereign wasn’t a native of the Infernal Realm. He must have learned about the battle of Sovereigns outside the Infernal Realm and teleported into the Infernal Realm from another plane before joining the battle.
He didn’t stop the battle and watched the Intermediate Sovereign of Wind dominate the Intermediate Sovereign of Darkness. Akasha raised an eyebrow when Reisbud, the Intermediate Sovereign of Destruction, attacked an Intermediate Sovereign of Earth.
Reisbud unleashed the innate ability of the Amethyst Godbeast, Amethyst Space and charged. Even if her body wasn’t comparable to a Sovereign artifact, it shouldn’t be far off. As if announcing the start of the battle again, the Sovereigns of Destruction each chose their target and attacked. Because Akasha didn’t appear, it caused the two groups led by High Sovereigns to target them, thinking they were easy prey. Now that Akasha had revealed his might, they wanted to take revenge.
Of course, the other Sovereigns wouldn’t just stand by and backed them up. Pazuzu also took action to save the Intermediate Sovereign of Darkness that followed him. He was smart, too. If he took action against the Sovereigns of Destruction, Akasha might stop him, but it was different if he targeted the foreign Sovereign.
Akasha watched with interest. The foreign Sovereign attracted his interest, not because he was from another plane, but because of his appearance. Most of the Sovereigns liked to use their true forms. Standing in this group made Akasha stand out because of his less than two meters height and humanoid appearance. That foreign Sovereign stood at two meters tall and looked completely human.
“Give me death!” Pazuzu flew toward the foreign Sovereign.
The foreign Sovereign’s attack intensified. Suddenly, the manifestation of a purple qilin appeared above the foreign Sovereign. Lightning shrouded its body. It stared down at the Darkness Sovereign and opened its mouth. A burst of purple lightning shot out, piercing a hole in the target’s head. After this, the qilin phantom disappeared.
The light in the Darkness Sovereign’s eyes dimmed, and Sovereign spark flew out. The foreign Sovereign was already extremely close to the Darkness Sovereign, so when the Sovereign spark appeared, he reached out and grabbed it before any accidents could happen.
The foreign Sovereign immediately dripped a drop of blood onto it. Darkness-type Sovereign power spread filled the chaotic space. A new Sovereign of Darkness had appeared.
At the same time, the battle between the other Sovereigns stopped. Akasha noticed that before then, Reisbud had succeeded in killing the Intermediate Sovereign of Earth, but at a high price. Cracks littered her crystalline body, and she was missing a few spikes, but her eyes were incredibly bright.
Pazuzu didn’t attack, but asked, “What’s your name?”
The dual Sovereign of Wind and Darkness stared back at Pazuzu with no fear. “Xulei.”
Akasha repeated the name on his lips. He had lived for millions of years in the Infernal Realm, but he never heard of someone with a name like Xulei. He just chalked it up to the difference between the Four Higher Realms.
“Did you know Somnus was a Sovereign under my command?” Pazuzu asked. “Now that you killed him, how do you plan to make up for your mistake?”
Xulei sneered. “Stop wasting useless words. If you want to fight, then fight!”
“Since you want to die, then fall under my hands!” Pazuzu charged at the incoming Xulei.
Many gods think Pazuzu occupied the advantage. If the comprehension of the edicts and laws were equal, then a higher-ranked Sovereign possessed around strength a hundred times greater. Even if Xulei refined a second Sovereign clone, he would only get another portion of Will, increasing his strength by ten times since the Will in the Sovereign spark couldn’t merge. Not only that, Xulei just used his divine abilities, so he should be taxed at the moment.
To many Sovereign’s surprise, Xulei possessed strength greater than Pazuzu. Even Akasha was surprised. He could see that Xulei only used wind-type Sovereign power, so it meant that Xulei likely had already merged seven or eight profound mysteries of wind to dominate Pazuzu to this extent.
“Enough!” Pazuzu said as his humanoid form changed.
He originally stood over a hundred meters tall, making Akasha think he was a titan. Obviously, he was wrong. Pazuzu’s head transformed into that of a snake, his hands turned claws, two pairs of wings sprouted out of his back, and a scorpion tail grew out.
Pazuzu hated his true form because it was so ugly, and he hated Xulei for forcing him into his true form. He didn’t have a divine ability, his body produced a venom that even Sovereigns would fear. His tail pierced toward Xulei, intending to pump the later to death with his poison.
Xulei frowned and dodged out of the way. He didn’t continue to entangle with Pazuzu and flew back into the Infernal Realm. Pazuzu didn’t give chase because he knew that if the two battled to the death, he had a high chance of dying.
Akasha’s eyelashes flickered as he watched Xulei flee. He didn’t think the dual Sovereign left because he feared Pazuzu, but for another reason. The purple qilin clearly belonged to the lightning attribute. If he was Xulei, he would definitely want to get his hand on the High Sovereign Spark of Lightning.
His eyes narrowed and, without another word, returned to Arcadia. The other Sovereigns looked at each and then followed Akasha inside. They had enough battle for the time and wanted to go back to recuperate, especially Reisbud.
Once he sat back on the throne in Akashic Palace, Akasha closed his eyes and used an ability of the Sovereign spark he rarely used. The ability to form projections into other planes. Not long later, a projection clone appeared in the other higher realms, and finally stopped in the Life Realm.
Unlike the Infernal Realm, the ratio between land and water was fifty-fifty and exuded a serene atmosphere. His projection formed above a mountain surrounded by constant thunderstorms. Seconds later, a man wearing purple robes with lightning crackling in his eyes appeared.
“You are?”
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Akasha’s projection smiled. “You can call me Akasha, the High Sovereign of Destruction. You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
Upon hearing this, the expression of the purple-robed man turned serious. “My name is Hurley.”
Nineteen Sovereigns lived in the Life Realm. Of the nineteen, there were two High Sovereigns, the High Sovereign of Life and the High Sovereign of Lightning. The High Sovereign of Life’s name was Viviane, and she was the first lifeform of the Life Realm. The towering tree that reached the sky was her true body.
Years ago, Hurley had attempted to defeat Viviane and become the overlord of the entire Life Realm, but failed. After learning the horrifying strength belonging to a Sovereign of the edicts, Hurley didn’t dare to look down on Akasha. Thankfully, it seemed that Akasha didn’t have any ill will toward him.
“Hurley, right?” Akasha repeated, hearing another familiar name.
“Do you come here for anything?” He had seen Akasha’s projection descend and talk to Viviane, and it seemed like Akasha was looking for him.
“To help you.”
“To help me?”
“Yes,” Akasha said. He then explained his conjecture to Hurley, and how he was likely Xulei’s target. Upon hearing this, Hurley didn’t scoff but took it seriously, surprising him. “I thought you would get mad at me for warning you about the danger of an Intermediate Sovereign.”
Hurley smiled. “I don’t know about others, but I definitely won’t look down on lesser-ranked Sovereigns. To tell the truth, I was not the first High Sovereign of Lightning?”
“Oh?” Akasha looked at Hurley with interest.
“The former High Sovereign of Lightning was Zeus,” Hurley said, and a proud smile appeared on his face. “I was originally only a Lesser Sovereign of Earth, but I actually managed to kill him and refine his Sovereign spark to get my current position.”
“You’ve fused five profound mysteries of Earth?” Akasha asked with some shock. The only way he could think of for Hurley to kill a High Sovereign as a Lesser Sovereign was for the former to have fused five mysteries, and for the latter to fuse none. Even then, both sides should be equal.
Akasha had always thought Hurley had obtained the High Sovereign Spark of Lightning before obtaining a Lesser Sovereign Spark of Earth, but it seemed that he was wrong. If it happened according to his thoughts, then Hurley should have aimed for an Intermediate Sovereign Spark of Earth and Lesser Sovereign Spark.
Hurley laughed. “That’s right, it’s my greatest achievement. That Xulei you speak of should have fused a large amount of mysteries as well. However, I’m not afraid. Even if my talent in the Law of Lightning isn’t as great as my talent in the Law of Earth, I still have an additional portion of will.”
“It seemed like I was worried for nothing,” Akasha said.
“No, your warning helped me a lot. I might have underestimated him, giving him a chance to seriously injure me at a critical moment,” Hurley said. His words contained traces of reminiscence, as if recalling a distant yet vivid memory.
Hurley broke out of his memories and turned toward the distance. Akasha followed his line of sight. As a projection, he didn’t have the sensing capabilities as a Sovereign in the Life Realm. He saw a dot that was growing bigger and bigger until he could see Xulei.
Xulei’s eyes flickered to see Akasha. He frowned but didn’t slow down his speed and pulled out a seven-branched sword from his robes.
Hurley didn’t show any weakness either. A shield formed of pulsating lighting-type Sovereign power over his body, and he stretched his hand out. A bolt of lightning flew from the mountain peak and into his hand. When the lightning dispersed, only a purple-spear remained in Hurley’s hand.
Instead of waiting for Xulei to arrive, Hurley flashed forward with his spear, posed to pierce Xulei. A terrifying amount of lightning condensed at the spear tip, causing an enormous tear in space to appear in the Life Realm.
Xulei didn’t show any signs of backing down. Wind-type Sovereign power coated his sword, and he swung it, creating another enormous tear leading to chaotic space. The moment the seven-branched sword collided against the purple-gold spear, an enormous explosion occurred in the Life Realm.
Both Hurley and Xulei flew into chaotic space, but the aftermath of their attacks caused untold devastation to the life nearby. Be it saint or deity, anyone grazed by even a little strand of energy perished.
Akasha didn’t care and was about to enter the chaotic space to watch the battle, but a sigh caught his attention. The sigh sounded soft but filled the entire Life Realm. Green life-type Sovereign power rained down from the world tree in the middle of the Life Realm, shielding the saints and deities affected by Hurley’s and Xulei’s attacks.
“Viviane is really merciful,” Akasha said softly before entering the chaotic space.
Outside, many Sovereigns from the Life Realm had already entered to spectate the battle between Hurley and Xulei. As Akasha expected, Hurley had the upper hand, but not by much. Still, he couldn’t help but narrow his eyes and glance at the Sovereign of Lightning of the Life Realm. If Xulei grabbed another Sovereign spark, he had a feeling that Xulei would become far more dangerous.
Viviane appeared in the chaotic space seconds later. Like she was described in the novel, Viviane was a beautiful middle-age woman with a crescent-shaped brow with eyes that glittered like stars. The only thing not mentioned was her elf ears.
“Viviane.”
“Akasha.”
“If thar Xulei suddenly takes actions against the other Sovereign of Lightning, can you stop him?” Akasha asked.
Vivan lost her smile, dimming the intoxicating aura she exuded. As a Sovereign of Life, her thought process was more pacifist-like, but she still knew when to fight. “I can, but you need to give me a reason.”
“I always feel as if Xulei is hiding some big secret. If he is able to refine a Lightning Sovereign Spark, even a Lesser Sovereign Spark, then he might be able to threaten us,” Akasha said and explained his thoughts.
“If that’s the case, I’ll keep an eye out,” Viviane said.
Akasha nodded. He couldn’t hope that Viviane would take action just because of his own suspicion. In fact, he didn’t count on it. His true body had already entered the chaotic space and was flying toward her. He blinked when he felt another projection form.
It was a beautiful maiden with bright red hair. Akasha didn’t even need to guess who she was. “Hello, I’m Akasha.”
“Hmmm,” the High Sovereign of Death grunted.
“Sister,” Viviane said helplessly.
The High Sovereign of Death grunted again, not taking her eyes away from the battle. “Morgan.”
Akasha shrugged at Viviane’s apologetic smile. Still, he was quite satisfied upon learning the High Sovereign of Death’s name. He had always been curious about it in the novel. With his curiosity sated, he turned to observe the battle again.
So far, Hurley had the absolute advantage over Xulei, but Xulei was only suppressed. No attack Hurley unleashed could deal a severe injury to the latter. They were scratches at most. Most of the Sovereign thought the battle would last for years since Sovereigns had an endless amount of Sovereign power. A few thought Xulei would flee, and some Lightning Sovereign prepared to hide behind Viviane in case Xulei changed his target.
Against their expectations, something changed with Xulei. The green Sovereign power took on a dark, almost black tint. Xulei slashed his sword out, but to everyone’s surprise, that attack almost knocked Hurley’s spear out of his hand. It also left him defenseless for a brief second. An opportunity Xulei did not miss.
With another slash, the seven-branched sword pierced Hurley’s chest. Had he not been fast enough, the sword would have been impaled into his head, killing him.
“Viviane.” Akasha called out, but the High Sovereign of Life had already taken action before he finished. Xulei demonstrated strength ten times greater than before. If he got another Sovereign spark, he would equal or exceed the High Sovereign of the edicts.
While Viviane stopped Xulei, Akasha’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Xulei, as if wanting to see through him. “Fusion Sovereign.”