Book 19, Metamorphosis – Chapter 22, Sixty Years in the Planar Battlefield

“This fellow was pretending to be an enemy. I was happy for nothing.” Bebe waved his hand, withdrawing a red fruit which he viciously ‘crunched’ into with crisp chewing sounds. “Boss, all of these commanders are incredibly sly and careful. Finding a suitable target is tough. How infuriating.”

“If you feel irritated, calm down and train.” Linley just sat down into the meditative position, beginning to train silently.

This sort of life would last for another eight centuries. Linley hoped to make yet another major improvement within these eight hundred years.

Atop the vast, desolate earth, three figures of different heights were staring into the distance, looks of shock on their faces. Bebe’s usage of his innate divine ability had created an illusion that was over a hundred meters tall, and so these three saw it from hundreds of kilometers away. Although the three knew that someone was present a few hundred kilometers away, they didn’t dare go over.

“Hey, that Beirut really did come to the Planar Battlefield.” The shorter man raised an eyebrow, speaking with disbelief.

When Bebe had used his innate divine ability to kill Lancelot, other commanders had seen it, resulting in the rumor of Beirut having arrived in the Planar Battlefield. Although Bebe had also used his innate divine ability on the other side against a violet-robed figure and was seen doing so, that news had only circulated amongst the commanders on that side and hadn’t made it to the enemy side.

“Judging from that illusion, it really was Beirut’s innate divine ability. I thought that the rumor was fake, but it was real! Why has Beirut run over to the Planar Battlefield along with us? Does he want to fight over military merits with us? He has no need of it!” A white-haired, white-browed man with a single horn let out a sigh.

The third was a black-robed, black-haired woman.

“What are you afraid of? We won’t go antagonize that Beirut. But...if we join forces, we don’t need to be afraid of him either.” The black-robed woman said in a gravelly voice.

“Anya [An’ya]! Don’t be too self-confident. According to legend, Beirut is even harder to deal with than a Highgod Paragon.” The white-haired, white-browed man said seriously. “He doesn’t fear the attacks of Sovereign weapons at all, nor does he fear soul attacks...he is completely flawless. In addition, his material attacks and soul attacks are both incredibly powerful! If the three of us fought against him, he would defeat us one at a time.”

The black-robed woman gave the white-browed man a glance.

“Don’t doubt me.” The white-browed man said solemnly.

Beirut had been famous for too short a period of time. Although he had become a Highgod long ago, Beirut had been able to endure being by himself and had remained in the Yulan continent. It was only ten thousand years ago that he had sprang to sudden prominence. Over the course of that rise to fame, he had become known as an invincible figure.

“He has no flaws, and is strong in every aspect.” The shorter man said helplessly.

His innate divine ability, ‘Godeater’, could be described as the most powerful soul attack in existence.

Beirut’s material attacks were executed through a Sovereign weapon. Even the Patriarchs of the eight great clans who had Sovereign artifacts of their own were heavily injured by a single blow of Beirut’s staff. One could imagine how terrifying his material attacks were.

Who could possibly oppose someone like this?

“Let’s go. The three of us need to be careful during this Planar War.” The white-browed man said calmly. “If necessary, we can just acquire fewer military merits during this Planar War. We can participate in the next one! I imagine Beirut wouldn’t be so bored as to participate in the next one as well. And the next Planar War will arrive shortly!”

“Right.” The other two nodded in agreement as well.

The three immediately left.

Beirut. Highgod Paragons. They were at the very top of the world of Deities. Only Sovereigns were capable of easily dealing with them. The difference between them and normal Highgods was simply too vast.

In addition, the three-person squad of experts was in no hurry.

Because...

Although the Planar Wars were carried out only once every trillion years, there was more than one war in each session of the Planar Wars.

It must be understood that there are Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Realms. The ‘Life Realm’ did not participate in this sort of war, and so the other ten engaged in battles against each other, over the course of five sessions of the Planar Wars. The Divine Darkness Plane against the Divine Light Plane was just one, and after it concluded, a short period of time later, other Divine Planes would battle against each other, and even the Higher Realms would participate.

There would be five consecutive sessions of Planar Wars.

Generally speaking, if they were carried out quickly, the entire thing would be concluded in ten thousand years. Even if they were carried slowly, the Planar Wars would still conclude within a million years. After the five battles concluded...they would restart after a trillion years passed!

A trillion years was a very long period of time. If an expert had latent potential, a trillion years was more than enough time for him to completely bring his latent potential to the surface.

If a person remained an ordinary Highgod after a trillion years, then even if you gave him ten times or a hundred times the amount of time, he still probably wouldn’t increase in power any further. In addition, during each Planar Wars, a large number of Highgods and commanders would die. This mechanism ensured that the number of supreme experts in the various planes didn’t rise to an excessively large figure.

But of course, it also made the strong even stronger!

Beirut had arrived at the Planar Battlefield!

This news quickly spread amongst the various commanders. The commanders all knew each other, and although many of them didn’t quite believe it the first time they heard it, when Bebe had once again used his innate divine ability to kill that black-robed man, others had witnessed it in addition to those three.

This news was now completely verified!

This caused an earthquake in the entire battlefield!

Within a military camp.

A beardless, middle-aged man with silver hair and elegantly drooping eyebrows was seated facing a golden-haired youth. The two were drinking wine.

“Mr. Magnus, you don’t believe me?” The golden-haired youth laughed.

“I believe you.” The silver-haired, middle-aged man raised a long eyebrow, then shook his head uncomprehendingly. “However, Beirut is someone who can be said is at the peak of Deities. He should care more about his status. Even if he decided to take a stroll about the Planar Battlefield, he should remain within one of the military camps and smile while watching the other commanders kill each other. He shouldn’t lower himself to go butcher those commanders.”

“Mr. Magnus, that’s just your own viewpoint.” The golden-haired youth laughed.

Magnus was also someone who stood at the very peak of the world of Deities! Although he stationed himself at a military camp, this was simply out of boredom. It was a game to him.

There was still a gap between ordinary commanders and Highgod Paragons or the likes of Beirut. For Beirut or Magnus to go attack those ordinary commanders really was an act of butchery.

“No. Although I’ve never met this Beirut, I’ve heard some stories of him. He’s the type of person who is extremely capable of enduring and hiding. He’s definitely not the sort of person who would be bored and lower himself to slaughtering ordinary commanders.” Magnus shook his head. “I suspect...that perhaps it isn’t Beirut who used that technique.”

“Not him?” The golden-haired youth was startled.

“Right. Perhaps in the universe, there is another person who also possesses Beirut’s supreme technique as well.” Magnus said meditatively.

Bebe had only become a Highgod two centuries ago.

The members of the Four Divine Beasts clan only knew that Bebe was Beirut’s ‘grandson’; they didn’t know that Bebe was like Beirut, someone capable of the ‘Godeater’ innate divine ability...much like how the children and descendants of the Azure Dragon didn’t all necessarily have the Azure Dragon’s strength. They didn’t think that Bebe had that sort of power.

Bebe’s reputation had yet to spread.

The Planar Battlefield. At the top of a tall mountain peak.

A white-robed man with crimson eyebrows was currently leaning against the mountain. The wind rustled past his long black hair, but he simply leisurely held his cup of wine, lowering his head to take a sip. It was Bluefire, who had entered the Planar Battlefield not long ago.

In the Planar Battlefield, the various commanders all hid their tracks. Who dare to reveal himself, much less stand at the top of a mountain?

At the top of the mountain peak, staring down at the endless world, Bluefire laughed and shook his head. “Innate divine ability, ‘Godeater’? Mm, it seems Bebe and Linley had arrived at this side of the Stellar Sea as well.” Bluefire casually stood there at the top of the mountain, drinking his wine, but if someone were to stare at him from afar, they wouldn’t see anyone there.

The strange thing was...

The space surrounding Bluefire was distorted.

“The Planar Wars...ten commanders must die for someone to have enough military merits for a Sovereign artifact. In addition, quite a few commanders who are killed had badges in their interspatial rings, which go to waste! For each Sovereign artifact to be acquired, far more than ten commanders will die.” Bluefire let out a light sigh.

“Whoosh!”

Bluefire slid down the mountain, moving like a comet and quickly disappearing from that space.

Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, sixty years passed.

Inside a mountain cave within the Planar Battlefield.

“We lost yet another Deathgod Golem.” Bebe mumbled.

Linley, who was training nearby, opened his eyes. “Nothing to show for it?”

“Nothing.” Bebe said resignedly.

Controlling the Deathgod Golems was originally meant to be Linley’s job, but Bebe was bored and so he would occasionally take over. Only, Linley hadn’t imagined...that ever since he had acquired that gold badge and that white badge, he had not acquired a single extra badge despite the passage of sixty years. In addition, Linley discovered that the commanders he did in fact find were ones whom he couldn’t take action against.

Because...

If they encountered solo experts, those experts were either too cautious or too strong.

The other possibility was a team of two or three experts, or sometimes even four. With them moving together, even if Linley and Bebe attacked and killed one of them, the others would make sure that Linley and Bebe wouldn’t be able to flee.

“How did this Deathgod Golem end up being destroyed?” Linley laughed.

“Boss, this time, we actually encountered Hemmers.” Bebe said helplessly. “How could we end up running into that big idiot again?”

Linley could only laugh bitterly.

“Be patient. The Planar Wars will go on for a thousand years. As it goes on, the survivors are increasingly those who have certain abilities to rely upon. It won’t be so easy to find someone to kill. What I hope for is that in the next eight hundred years, I’ll be able to fuse a fourth profound mystery. At that time, I won’t have much to fear.”

Linley knew very well that although he was fairly powerful, in reality, in terms of soul defense and soul attack power, he was inferior to other commanders. However, after he fused a fourth profound mystery, given his innate azure aura in his sea of consciousness, his soul defense would rise nearly tenfold, while his material attack would also increase nearly tenfold.

By then, aside from a few people like Beirut, others wouldn’t be capable of making Linley feel afraid.

“I need more time!” Linley closed his eyes, his original body and his divine earth clone focused on training.

But after just three months...Linley broke through! But of course, the breakthrough wasn’t in the Laws of the Earth; Linley was still a long ways off from finishing his fourth fusion. This breakthrough was...in his divine wind clone!”

“Eh?” Bebe suddenly glanced at Linley.

An enormous surge of the natural laws descended upon Linley, and a large amount of wind-type elemental essence began to swirl above him. From within Linley’s body, yet another body flew out...one with long green hair and a green robe. His divine wind clone. Just then, Linley had finally, completely mastered a ninth profound mystery in the Laws of the Wind.

“Wow, Boss, you mastered the Laws of the Wind as well.” Bebe began to laugh.

“Yes, I’ve finished them.” Linley’s original body flew to one side. His elemental affinity for earth and wind were both ‘exceptional’; only, over the course of his training, he had favored earth more. Who would have imagined that of the four elements, wind would actually end up being his third slowest, behind both earth and water?

However, he had finally become a Highgod!

Now, only ‘fire’ was missing.

“Not good!” Linley’s face suddenly changed.

“What is it, Boss?” Bebe was still feeling excited and happy at Linley’s breakthrough.

“The descent of the natural laws. Such a major, noticeable event will definitely attract quite a few people.” Linley said hurriedly. Linley was instantly frantic; other commanders might come over while his divine wind clone’s divine spark was in the middle of the transformation process, which made him temporarily unable to move, albeit for just a short period of time...

But that short period of time was enough to allow other experts to come over.

“What is there to fear!” Bebe’s eyes actually lit up. “If one comes, we’ll kill one. If two come, we’ll kill two. If we can’t kill them...we’ll flee!”

Linley couldn’t help but feel helpless. Still, Linley immediately set up his ‘Blackstone Space’, which passed through the stones of the mountain, creating a hemisphere five hundred meters in size.