“Golem?”
Bebe and Linley were stunned.
“So it was a golem. No wonder I couldn’t sense its aura. No wonder, when Bebe used his innate divine ability, he failed.” Linley didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. The gray-robed man turned and was about to leave, but Bebe called out, “Hey, don’t leave in such a hurry!” As he spoke, he flew over.
“Swoosh!” The Deathgod Golem immediately flew over, wanting to block Bebe while speaking in the human language, “What are you intending to do?”
“We are on the same side. Can’t I ask a few questions?” Bebe stared at the Deathgod Golem.
The gray-robed figure himself was already far away. The Deathgod Golem he left behind naturally wasn’t something he was worried for; even if he lost it, that just meant he had one less golem.
“The two of you…” the Deathgod Golem said calmly. “How do I know if you are on my side? Perhaps the two of you killed some ordinary soldiers of my side, and then bound the badges with blood and used them to disguise yourselves. Who can be certain as to whether or not you two are fakes?”
Linley and Bebe were stunned.
It was possible to be imposters?
But when he thought about it carefully, it made sense. All they had to do was come up with a way to kill an ordinary soldier, then remove their own badge before binding an enemy badge. Thusly done, they would have a disguise. Once the Planar War ended, they could simply put their own badges back on. Linley and Bebe hadn’t thought of this yet.
“Even if you aren’t imposters, people on the same side can still kill each other!” the Deathgod Golem said, then left.
Linley and Bebe didn’t try to stop the Deathgod Golem.
“Boss, I’m starting to understand why that allied camp commander was so wary of us,” Bebe said. “He was just like that previous person; afraid we would act against him.” Bebe also understood that it wasn’t that they were afraid of the two of them; rather, they couldn’t be bothered to kill people on the same side.
This was because even in success, there would be no military merits gained.
But in failure, one’s life would be lost. Naturally, the gray-robed man had chosen to leave.
“He was afraid we’d kill him?” Linley said helplessly. “But I won’t gain any military merits for killing him. Oh, wait!” Linley had a sudden thought, and he finally understood why it was possible for people on the same side to want to fight each other.
“Eh?” Bebe looked at Linley, puzzled.
“People on the same side… might kill each other as well.” Linley sighed emotionally.
“How can that be?” Bebe didn’t understand.
“It’s simple. Two people who are close friends. One enters the side of the Divine Darkness Plane, the other enters the side of the Divine Light Plane. For example, Bebe, you and I might be located in opposing camps. I’ll kill people on my side and obtain red badges, which are useless to me, but I can give them to you! And when you kill someone on your side and acquire a golden badge, you can give it to me to use.” Linley smiled bitterly.
Bebe now understood as well.
The Lord Prefects, Tartarus Lords, and others who were supreme amongst Highgods had many friends at the same level. For example, Beirut; he might even have friends of the same level in the Celestial Realm. They absolutely could join different camps and use this strategy.
“Thus, we can’t trust people on our side, unless we know them well,” Linley said with resignation.
No wonder the black-robed, bald youth, upon realizing that he didn’t recognize Linley, immediately had Linley leave.
“It seems we need to be careful as well.” Bebe pursed his lips. “Even if we encounter allies, we can’t be too careless.”
“Right.” Linley, too, began to feel how dangerous these Planar Wars were.
Aside from true friends, outsiders were not to be trusted. And the status imparted by a badge might not be true!
“Just now, that fellow was quite clever to use a Deathgod Golem as bait,” Bebe said with a chortle. “Boss, we can do this also. Nobody, regardless of the side, will be able to sense the aura of a badge on a Deathgod Golem. They’ll take the golem to be an enemy and ambush it! We’ll hide nearby and counter-ambush them instead.”
Linley couldn’t help but laugh.
This was indeed a good method.
The Planar Battlefield was a million kilometers in diameter. If one flew at high speed, it wasn’t a very long distance, but in this sort of place, where attacks and battles occurred in secret… in such a large area, the few dozen or a few hundred commanders would be like drops of water in the sea. If they were hidden somewhere, it would be very hard to find them.
Within a mountain cavern. Linley and Bebe were within the cavern, while each of them also controlled a Deathgod Golem, flying not too far away from them.
“We encountered a person when we first entered the Planar Battlefield, but now it’s been another month, and we haven’t encountered anyone,” Bebe mumbled. “Based on what you said, Boss, we have to be careful even when just travelling around. This sort of slow, plodding pace… how long is it going to take for us to reach the Stellar River.”
“Don’t be impatient,” Linley laughed as he spoke. He was very patient. “It is possible for battles to occur between commanders in any location here in the Planar Battlefield. We don’t need to run around wildly. Doing so would be very dangerous, and the chances of encountering someone isn’t that high either. If we occasionally set up an ambush, our chances might be higher.
“But if everyone is waiting in ambush, then nobody will encounter anybody,” Bebe rebutted.
“That’s why we’ll advance a little bit every few months, changing every so often,” Linley said calmly. “We have eight centuries! Plenty of time!”
What was most critical in a place like this Planar Battlefield was patience. Whoever became impatient and revealed their traces would most likely be observed by others, which would make things dangerous. Linley knew how much power he had… a commander specialized in soul attacks would make things tough for him. And… most commander-level experts were skilled in soul attacks!!!
“If you aren’t able to keep waiting, you start training,” Linley said with a laugh.
“Got it.” Bebe pursed his lips.
Linley, too, had his true body in a state of maximum vigilance, while his divine clones were focused on training.
Who amongst the commanders weren’t elites? In addition, quite a few of the commanders had been in the Planar Battlefield before. All of them had their own strategies.
Linley’s cautious, guarded approach produced no results in the first three months. Although they did encounter one person, that person was on their side as well, and so Linley and Bebe didn’t attack.
“Let’s change places! Most likely, there are very few enemy commanders who will pass through this place.”
“Boss, you should’ve made this decision long ago. As I see it, let’s go to the other side of the Stellar River. I imagine that the enemy camp must have quite a few enemy commanders!”
After having waited for three months, in the end, Linley still decided to leave this mountain cave. That very day… Linley and Bebe slept away, advancing forward towards the Stellar Sea.
Within a squat but large mountain, there was actually a spacious room.
A violet-robed, black-haired man was currently seated in the meditative position, while three people were seated next to him. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the stairs below. Bowing, he said, “Milord, our people outside have discovered the forces of the Divine Plane of Darkness. One is a youth, while the other is a youngster! Master, these two people aren’t in the documents you provided.”
“Oh, strangers?” The violet-robed, black-haired man opened his eyes, a hint of violet light flashing through them.
“Yes, Master.” The figure bowed.
“Very good. It’s time to go hunting.” The violet-robed, black-haired man
’s body swayed, then disappeared from the secret room.
In the Planar Battlefield, Linley wanted to ambush others, but others wanted to ambush Linley as well. It all came down to whose detection skills were better, whose stealth skills were better, whose strategies were better! This was Linley and Bebe’s first time in the Planar Battlefield. They had too few experiences to rely upon, and so it really was quite hard for them to attempt to ambush others.
But now…
They had been locked onto by others!
“Boss, which place should we set up camp? How about let’s head directly to the side of the Stellar Sea, right over there… hmph, if someone comes over, we’ll go fight them,” Bebe sent mentally. He had no hesitation in his eyes; rather, he had a hint of excitement.
“If we just set up camp by the river, we’ll be treated by others as a punching bag.”
Linley’s forehead suddenly creased.
“What is it?” Bebe said, puzzled.
“Swoosh!”
Linley suddenly turned his head, only to see a blurry, translucent white arrow instantly arrive in front of him. Linley’s first reaction was…
“Rumble…” An earthen yellow light exploded forth from his body, instantly encapsulating a region of a thousand meters. This was Linley’s supreme technique… Blackstone Space!
The direction of the gravity was towards Linley!
“Crunch!” The translucent white arrow entered his body.
The speed was too fast. Linley wasn’t able to dodge at all.
“Bebe, kill that assailant!” Linley only had the chance to give this single shout through divine sense, then whole-heartedly focused on defending against the soul attack.
“BANG!”
The translucent arrow continued to inexorably strike towards Linley’s soul, but when it smashed against the translucent scaled membrane, it instantly shattered, transforming into white specks of light. These specks of light instantly discovered that the defensive power at the damaged hole was weaker, and immediately attacked there.
“Crackle…” Linley’s azure spiritual energy transformed into rays of invisible sword-ripples, repeatedly smashing against the white spots of light.
“Who is this? Reisgem? The appearance is completely off, but the gravity is so strong… fortunately, I started far away.” The violet figure was originally within a few hundred meters of Linley when he launched his ambush. If he had been closer, Linley and Bebe would have discovered him.
Although Linley’s Blackstone Space was set up to cover a large distance, the violet-robed figure was very fast. While resisting the power of the gravity, he managed to flee the Blackstone Space region. But as he fled from the region, Bebe reached a distance of just two or three hundred meters from him.
“SHKREEEEEEEEE!”
The enraged Bebe once more used his innate divine ability.
“Eh?” The violet-robed man, who had continuously paid attention to the space behind him, was terrified upon seeing the enormous phantom of a Godeater Rat. “Just now, that was Reisgem’s supreme technique, but this one is Beirut’s!” The violet-robed man’s body suddenly exploded with white light. It was Sovereign’s Might!
His speed instantly increased to a new limit.
“Rumble!” The strange ripples of Bebe’s innate divine ability flew towards him at high speed!
“Dammit, I let him get away!” Bebe said discontentedly.
His innate divine ability was executed through relying on his spiritual energy, and there was a process of waves, as well as a distance limit. Bebe had been two or three hundred meters away to begin with. Given that in this moment of crisis, the enemy had also used up a drop of Sovereign’s Might to flee at full speed, the enemy had managed to put enough distance between them.
“What is going on? Those two young strangers… one actually had Reisgem’s supreme technique, while the other had Beirut’s supreme technique. What incredibly bad luck. Today, I, Oona, very nearly died in their hands. I didn’t get anything, but ended up wasting a drop of Sovereign’s Might. Jeeze!” The violet-robed man felt extremely discontent as well. “Not good… as my Sovereign’s Might continues to leak outwards, it’ll definitely attract the attention of other commanders. Terrible, terrible!
47
A CHOICE
Bebe was still staring unhappily towards the direction in which the violet-robed man had ran. Unfortunately, the violet-robed man’s speed was normally above his to begin with. After using Sovereign’s Might, he vastly outstripped Bebe. Bebe could do nothing besides just watch as the man fled. If it hadn’t been for the fact that he was slower, Bebe wouldn’t have used his innate divine ability at the earlier distance of two or three hundred meters.
“Just consider yourself lucky!”
Bebe glanced warily at the surrounding area, then turned and shot back towards Linley like an arrow.
“Boss, are you alright?” Bebe asked, worried.
Linley opened his eyes and glanced at the surrounding area. “The battle just now might have drawn the attention of others. Bebe, let’s move first and talk later!” Amongst the commanders of the Planar Battlefield, Linley could only be considered a low-level one, while Bebe at most would be a mid-level one. The two weren’t yet powerful enough to be able to openly welcome challenges from others!
“Swoosh!” The two transformed into blurs, disappearing from the skies.
Moments after they left, a black-robed figure suddenly appeared in midair. It paused here for a moment, glanced around, and then left.
In the Planar Battlefield, only high-ranking commanders would dare to fly in the air, as they were confident in being able to fight any opponent. After all, it was easy for people on the ground to see those of them in midair. For example, Linley and Bebe only moved about on the ground.
After hiding in a deep cave, Linley and Bebe let out sighs of relief.
“Bebe, you weren’t able to catch him?” Linley said with a laugh.
“Nope! That fellow was hidden really far away. Boss, when you spread out your Blackstone Space, he quickly escaped from it. I used my innate divine ability, but I wasn’t able to reach him with it in time,” Bebe said unhappily. “That fellow really is a bastard. He hid so far away when he attacked. He didn’t even dare to draw too close!”
Linley shook his head. “This is the Planar Battlefield, not a dueling ground. Everyone’s strategies are different! In addition, there are more experts here than just those of the Divine Darkness Plane and Divine Light Plane. Even supreme experts from other planes have decided to come in support of one side. Thus… the experts here are from throughout the Four Higher Realms and the Seven Divine Planes. This is a terrifying battleground. It makes sense for everyone to be so cautious!”
Bebe felt the pressure now, as well.
Aside from the Planar Battlefield, what other place could possibly attract these supreme experts to all gather in one place and think of ways to kill each other?
“I wonder how many commanders are here,” Bebe mumbled.
“As I see it, the Divine Darkness Plane and Divine Light Plane each have at most twenty or thirty commanders. The other planes, all combined, should have more! If ten come from each Higher Realm and from each Divine Plane, more than a hundred would be present.” Linley sighed. “In addition, that’s a conservative estimate. Aside from commanders, there are some other experts who previously were Lord Prefects or regional lords who might have retired long ago, but who have only grown in power. They might come as well!”
Bebe nodded.
Indeed… those people came in as ordinary soldiers.
For example, Linley and Bebe. Bebe was here as an ordinary soldier, but in terms of power, was Bebe weak? It was the same principle. In the Planar Battlefield, there were perhaps only a hundred or so true ‘commanders’, but there were more who held commander-level power.
Over the course of countless years, quite a few supreme experts had given up their positions, possibly because they knew that they wer
e weaker than their challengers. Some couldn’t be bothered to fight over power, and so gave up their positions. As for others… well, it wasn’t good to underestimate anyone.
“Only very few dare to act arrogantly in the Planar Wars.” Linley shook his head and laughed. Those who were arrogant without sufficient strength died early on. The only people who dared to be arrogant now were the likes of Dunnington. “Thus, that person who attacked me can be considered to have used an excellent method. If the first blow was unsuccessful, immediately flee.”
“Too diabolical,” Bebe muttered.
“It is diabolical, but it is also safe.” Linley took a deep breath. “Bebe, as I see it, we should use his method in seeking out targets! We’ll launch sneak attacks… and if we fail, immediately leave without any hesitation.”
“Heh heh, it feels bad being ambushed by others, but pretty great ambushing them.” Bebe’s eyes lit up.
Linley laughed resignedly.
Who wanted to be ambushed? But there was nothing they could do. If they fought openly, they would die upon encountering more powerful experts.
“When ambushing, the two of us will work jointly.” Linley had been planning this on the way back. He immediately said, “When we find a target, Bebe, use your innate divine ability, ‘Godeater’. I’ll immediately execute a material attack! There are very few people capable of blocking my Mirage sword!”
Linley was very confident.
Bebe’s ‘Godeater’ ability acted on a person’s soul and divine spark, while Linley used material attacks.
“Bebe, against what sort of person would your ‘Godeater’ ability fail?” Linley asked.
He had to know the power of Bebe’s ‘Godeater’ ability in order to plan things out.
“Oh. Grandpa mentioned a few things before. Those who are at the Paragon level should be able to resist my innate divine ability,” Bebe said.
Linley nodded. “Anyone else?”
“Those who have soul-protecting Sovereign artifacts should be able to block as well,” Bebe said, then began to laugh. “But don’t worry. Very few people have Sovereign artifacts. Most likely only a portion of commanders have Sovereign artifacts, which are divided into three types. There are very few soul-protecting Sovereign artifacts, and also very few people in possession of them.”
The Planar Wars Page 38
