Lord of the Mists: Book 8 of the Coiling Dragon Saga

by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi

  This wasn’t very practical.

  First of all, if he were to lie and use the Chief Sovereign of Destruction to deceive others, that would be deceiving the Chief Sovereign of Destruction.

  Secondly, if there were any other Sovereigns nearby, they surely wouldn’t just watch as Linley arrived, then teleported back to the Yulan Plane right away! Most likely, as soon as Linley told the teleportation staff members where he was going, his lies would be seen through.

  “Describe what happened in the fight over the red caltrop diamond in detail to me,” Beirut said solemnly.

  “Alright. Back then, the eight Paragons and I all arrived at Lionheart City. We were all trying to guess at the real meaning of the three words, ‘Lion Heart City’, and what they meant…” Linley began to describe in detail everything, including how the Chief Sovereign had descended a projection clone.

  As Beirut listened, he began to frown.

  “The Chief Sovereign of Light actually went into chaotic space and was hastening towards the Okerlund Plane?” Beirut said in surprise.

  “Right. Clementine told me. This was precisely why the Chief Sovereign of Light was so angry, I suppose,” Linley said.

  Beirut fell silent.

  “If you are going to take it for your own… then…” Beirut pondered carefully.

  “Linley!” Beirut suddenly said. “Let’s do this. Your original body and Bebe shall remain in the Okerlund Plane for now. Pretend to have gained a sudden insight and begin to engage in closed door training. Shut yourself in for ten days or so.”

  “Lord Beirut, are you saying…?” Linley was slightly stunned, but then he understood. “You are telling me to delay? As time passes, those Sovereigns will no longer remain by the teleportation arrays? But that’s not necessarily true; if the Sovereigns just go ahead and begin training in the area around the teleportation arrays, they could easily wait for ten million years.”

  Sovereigns were in possession of eternal life. What was a ten million year wait to them?

  “That isn’t the reason.” Beirut laughed calmly. “A little while later, you’ll know.”

  “Alright.” Linley still trusted Beirut greatly.

  Only, Linley was puzzled… Beirut asked him to remain in the Okerlund Plane for ten days? Why?

  WITHIN CHAOTIC SPACE.

  The Chief Sovereign of Light had already embarked on the way back.

  “Chief Sovereign, that Linley and Bebe are actually in no hurry to leave the Okerlund Plane. They’ve suddenly begun to train, right there in the air above the sea. Linley seems to have gained some sort of insight. Bebe is next to him, standing guard,” the communications staff reported back immediately to the Chief Sovereign of Light.

  “He had an insight? Linley has several divine clones. One reached the Paragon level, and the others are gaining insights as well. His talent is indeed formidable.” Although the Chief Sovereign of Light didn’t have any positive feelings towards Linley, he still had to somewhat sigh in approval in his heart.

  Given the Chief Sovereign of Light’s speed, that very day, he returned back at the Divine Light Plane.

  THE ELEVENTH DAY after Linley acquired the red caltrop diamond!

  Within Dragonblood Castle.

  Linley was accompanying his father, Hogg, drinking and chatting. Right at this moment, Beirut suddenly walked over from a nearby door.

  “Linley!” Beirut said solemnly.

  “Father. I’ll go accompany Mr. Beirut first,” Linley said. Hogg knew that Linley and Beirut had something important to discuss, and so just laughed and withdrew.

  “Follow me,” Beirut said calmly, then flew out.

  Linley hurriedly followed.

  “Swoosh…” Beirut flew forward, with Linley hurriedly following from behind.

  “So fast.” Linley was startled that he was actually almost unable to keep up.

  Linley’s divine clones had all undergone a soul mutation as well, and his bodies were all very powerful, and also in possession of strong Will. They were all capable of using fused divine power as well. The speed of his divine clones wasn’t that much weaker than his original body’s. And yet, he was almost unable to keep with Beirut!

  In the blink of an eye, Linley and Beirut departed from the Yulan continent region and arrived within the South Sea region.

  Beirut suddenly came to a halt, and Linley did so as well.

  “Lord Beirut you, you are…?” Linley said, puzzled.

  “Didn’t you say that you want to know a way to return to the Yulan Plane?” Beirut’s eyes had a special light in them. A smile that wasn’t a smile played on his lips as he looked at Linley.

  Linley was completely baffled.

  “The way is very simple! Pass through chaotic space and return to the Yulan continent.” Beirut laughed calmly.

  “Pass through chaotic space?” Linley was startled. According to legends, even Paragons would be helpless within chaotic space. “Lord Beirut, this… chaotic space is very terrifying. Highgod Paragons that are driven within can do nothing but be carried away by the currents. Although I am stronger than Paragons, I’m not necessarily going to be able to withstand chaotic space.”

  Linley didn’t have much confidence!

  “I’m not asking you to go alone,” Beirut said with a smile, and then he opened his hand into a palm.

  With a palm blow, he slashed open the air!

  “Rumble…” The weak spatial walls of the Yulan Plane ruptured, immediately revealing a massive spatial tear.

  Material planes were very weak. At Linley’s level, experts could just use their control over elemental essence to chop out a small pocket dimension within a material plane. But of course, this was something they could only accomplish in a material plane. If it were the Infernal Realm or the Netherworld, there was no way this could be done.

  Sovereigns, however, could even create their own independent divine plane through their terrifying control over elemental essence.

  Independent divine planes versus pocket dimensions formed from material planes.

  From this one, one could tell the terrifying difference in power between Sovereigns and Deities.

  “Follow me.” Beirut grabbed Linley, took a step forward, then threw him through the spatial rift.

  “This… Lord Beirut!” Linley was shocked.

  He was grabbed and pulled by Beirut directly out of the Yulan Plane and into chaotic space.

  Multicolored flows of chaotic space spun everywhere in such an eye-catching, beautiful manner. But Linley was now trapped, and one surge after another of chaotic energy clashed against his body. Linley didn’t hold back at all, instantly activating the fused divine power within his body to resist the clashing chaotic energy.

  “Crackle…” A spatial tear appeared nearby.

  Chaotic energy crashed against Linley, wanting to drive him into the spatial rift, but Linley resisted.

  “The energy of chaotic space truly is frightening. No wonder even Highgod Paragons are helpless. However, I’m able to just barely move against the current.” Linley discovered that, at full strength, he was still able to resist the spatial flows and move forward. Linley felt as though…

  He was a toddler who was advancing through rapid river waters.

  “Linley, how do you feel?” Beirut’s voice rang out.

  Linley turned to look.

  Beirut stood there with a faint smile within streams of chaotic energy, not paying them any attention at all.

  “Lord Beirut, you…?” Linley was surprised.

  Even Paragons would be washed away by the chaotic streams of energy. But Beirut just stood there, unmoving.

  “Haha, if you move at that slow speed, even thousands of years wouldn’t be enough for you to make it from the Yulan Plane to the Okerlund Plane.” Beirut, seeing Linley’s movement speed, couldn’t help but laugh. As he spoke, Beirut released a strand of green light from his body, covering Linley within it.

  “It is easy to get lost within chaotic s
pace. Your original body is in the Okerlund Plane, and so you should know the correct direction. Guide the way. I’ll make haste.”

  Beirut led Linley forward. Under the protection of the green light, they transformed into a flash of green lightning and instantly disappeared.

  46

  BEIRUT, SOVEREIGN?

  Chaotic streams of energy shot out in every direction at high speed. Linley, under Beirut’s guidance, advanced at high speed.

  Linley was currently completely stupefied. “How can this be? To be able to move at such a terrifying speed, even in chaotic space; it can be said that he is completely ignoring the chaotic energy flows. Beirut… his power…?” Linley turned his head to look at Beirut, who was by his side. His eyes were filled with disbelief.

  There were no other possibilities.

  Beirut had definitely surpassed the Deity level. Beyond the Deity level, there was only… the Sovereign level!

  “Lord Beirut, you, you are a Sovereign?” Linley asked.

  “Haha…” Beirut laughed clearly, and he couldn’t help but stroke his black beard. “Linley, I’m able to casually fly at high speed through chaotic space, at a speed which is a hundred times faster than you are able to fly at in a material plane. You tell me. If I’m not a Sovereign, what am I?”

  Linley was stupefied.

  Beirut was clearly admitted that he was a Sovereign!

  “Sovereign, but, this, how can this be?” Linley, for a moment, was completely dazed and confused. “Lord Beirut, there’s no way for a Sovereign to enter a material plane. Material planes are completely unable to withstand the terrifying power of a Sovereign’s energy.”

  In the Okerlund Plane, the Chief Sovereigns of Destruction and Light had only been able to manifest their planar projection clones.

  “Haha… amongst Deities, there is indeed the saying that Sovereigns are unable to enter material planes.” Beirut stroked his beard and smiled. “However, to speak more precisely… foreign Sovereigns are unable to enter material planes!”

  “Foreign Sovereigns?” Linley frowned.

  “Linley, do you know the principle behind why Sovereigns are unable to enter material planes?” Beirut changed to a different topic.

  “Principle? Isn’t it simply because Sovereigns possess too much energy, and material planes are unable to withstand them?” Linley said.

  “Linley, if it were true that Sovereigns possess too much energy and material planes are unable to withstand them… think about that carefully. If the Sovereigns contract their energy and don’t let it leak out of them, how could a material plane collapse?” Beirut laughed.

  “That’s true.” Linley didn’t understand.

  If a Sovereign were to contract his energy and his aura, even if Linley was standing before him, Linley wouldn’t sense anything at all.

  Given how powerful their abilities at contracting their auras were, why would they cause a material plane to collapse?

  “Thus, your earlier words were not completely accurate,” Beirut said with a calm laugh.

  Beirut said with a sigh, “I imagine that even if you ponder it until your head starts hurting, you still won’t understand. Let me tell you, then! This has to do with the birth of one’s soul! Every single day, a material plane will give birth to new life, and every single living creature will possess a soul! For example, the living creatures of the Yulan Plane will have souls that are compatible with the Yulan Plane. The Yulan Plane is their home!”

  Linley couldn’t help but nod.

  He felt it as well…when he returned to the Yulan Plane, although the elemental essence in the Yulan Plane was far less dense than the Infernal Realm’s, Linley still felt very comfortable. It just felt different. Linley had always thought that this was just a psychological effect, but now, it seemed, it was because his soul had been born in the Yulan Plane.

  It made sense!

  When mortals died, their souls would enter the Netherworld and they would turn into undead. After an undead died, its soul would shatter and dissipate!

  When Deities died, their souls would shatter and dissipate!

  Since souls could dissipate, naturally, souls could be born as well!

  When each infant was born in a material plane, when each magical beast was born, they would all gain souls! These souls would naturally have a special link to the plane they were from.

  “Foreign Sovereigns are unable to enter material planes. This is because of their souls. Their souls were not born from these material planes, and when they enter one, they will naturally be rejected by the material planes! The energy of material planes and Sovereigns will naturally reject each other, but because the energies of the Sovereigns are too powerful, they will cause the entire plane to collapse!” Beirut explained in detail.

  Linley now understood.

  It was this mutual rejection that caused the material plane to collapse.

  “If, however, the Sovereign’s soul was birthed within a particular material plane to begin with, then the material plane would be like his home! Even after he became a Sovereign, the material plane wouldn’t reject them. Since there is no rejection, Sovereigns would naturally be able to enter this material plane.” Beirut laughed.

  “Lord Beirut, are you saying… that if a Sovereign’s homeland was a particular material plane, then he would be able to return to that material plane, while being unable to enter any others?” Linley said.

  “Right.” Beirut laughed calmly. “Of the countless material planes of the universe, my Sovereign body is only able to enter the Yulan Plane. As for the other material planes, I am unable to enter.”

  Everything was now clear.

  “The Yulan Plane. Our home!” Linley let out a sigh.

  He was born in the Yulan Plane, and his soul was born from there as well. The Yulan Plane was his home! No matter what level of power he attained, the Yulan Plane, his home, would never reject him, its child.

  “Lord Beirut, since you are a Sovereign, then, then why hasn’t your Sovereign body entered the Higher Planes, and instead remains here in the Yulan Plane?” Linley said, puzzled. “Also, why did your divine clone become the Emissary of the Bloodridge Sovereign?”

  “I had my divine clone become an Emissary because I wished to help the Four Divine Beasts clan.” Beirut laughed calmly. “As for the reason why my Sovereign clone hasn’t gone to the Infernal Realm or another Higher Plane, and instead remains in hiding in our homeland, that is because… if my Sovereign clone leaves our homeland, the Chief Sovereign of Light will pursue and attack!”

  “The Chief Sovereign of Light will pursue and attack?” Linley was shocked.

  So it seemed as though Beirut was hiding from enemies, which was why he hadn’t left.

  Beirut’s method was quite effective. The Yulan Plane was Beirut’s home, but not the home of the Chief Sovereign of Light. Beirut could hide there without emerging, but the other Sovereigns wouldn’t be able to enter.

  “Why would the Chief Sovereign of Light want to kill you?” Linley was very puzzled.

  “Haha… of course he wants to kill me. His hatred for me is bone-deep. The only reason why my divine clone is permitted to remain safely in the Infernal Realm is because I managed to persuade the Chief Sovereign of Destruction to assist me, after paying a tremendous price.” Beirut laughed loudly. “Forget it. Enough about that. What matters now is to receive your original body and return to the Yulan Plane as soon as possible.”

  Linley nodded.

  Beirut leading him through chaotic space was quite dangerous as well. After all, since Beirut could enter chaotic space, so too could the Chief Sovereign of Light!

  “No wonder Lord Beirut asked me to wait for ten or so days. He probably wanted to delay for a bit longer, so as to wait for the Chief Sovereign of Light to return to the Divine Light Plane.” Linley now completely understood why Beirut had asked him to wait for ten days.

  Linley’s original body was within the Okerlund Plane, while his divine clones were wi
th Beirut. Through the connection between his bodies, he was able to easily locate the correct direction, making it so that Beirut didn’t make any wrong turns while navigating the chaotic streams of this region.

  “Lord Beirut, will the Chief Sovereign of Light pursue and attack us?” Linley was rather worried. Worried for Beirut.

  “Don’t worry. How would he even know that we are in chaotic space?” Beirut said confidently. “In addition, when I entered chaotic space, I spread out my divine sense. The reach of a Sovereign’s divine sense is far beyond what you can imagine. As soon as he enters the range of my divine sense, I will have ample time to prepare.”

  Linley nodded slightly.

  The divine sense of a Sovereign could easily stretch across the entire Infernal Realm or the entire Netherworld. In addition, that clearly wasn’t their limit. From this, one could imagine how vast a distance it could reach. And thus, one could also imagine how powerful a Sovereign’s Will was. It was countless times more powerful than a Paragon’s will.

  THE OKERLUND PLANE.

  “Rumble…”

  The waves of the sea rolled forward. Linley sat there in the meditative position above the sea, with Bebe standing guard by his side.

  Suddenly…

  Linley opened his eyes, revealing a hint of a smile on his face. He sent mentally, “Bebe, let’s prepare to enter chaotic space.”

  “Chaotic space?” Bebe was shocked. “Boss, are you preparing to return to the Yulan Plane through chaotic space?”

  “Yes. However, not through my own powers.” Linley smiled.

  “Then, if it isn’t you… who? A Sovereign? Which Sovereign is willing to help us?” Bebe was very puzzled.

  “You will soon know.” Linley was intentionally secretive.

  Through the connection between his bodies, Linley could clearly sense that his divine clone and Beirut had already reached the outer perimeter of the Okerlund Plane.