Book 17, Indigo Prefecture – Chapter 13, Greed!
Linley was currently walking outside the door. His power had risen after the Ancestral Baptism, so naturally, he was quite happy.
“He’s calling for me?” Linley, hearing the shout, couldn’t help but be puzzled.
However, Linley still turned to look behind him, only to see the bald Elder’s face was completely red, and even his eyes had turned scarlet. The man now looked like a rapacious wolf. Linley couldn’t help but grow cautious, while at the same time, he opened his mouth and spoke, “Elder, please let me know what you need?”
“Emanuel, what’s going on?” The handsome youth said.
What’s going on?
Only now did Emanuel awaken from his excitement and regain his clarity. His face returned to normal, and he looked at Linley in front of him. In his heart, he knew: “The appearance of the Azure Dragon ring of the ancestor cannot be made public. I can’t let this Garvey learn of this.”
Emanuel was a member of the a.s.sembly of Elders of the Azure Dragon clan.
He himself was a fourth generation member of the clan, and had lived for countless years. However, in terms of status, quite a few members of the Azure Dragon clan were higher than him.
“If the appearance of the ancestor’s Azure Dragon ring was made public, there’s no way it would become mine.” Emanuel’s thoughts whirled about in his mind, and then he made up his mind, laughing coldly in his heart. “Fortunately, this Garvey had never met the ancestor, and doesn’t know what the Azure Dragon ring looks like.”
Their ancestor, the ‘Azure Dragon’, as a Sovereign, naturally didn’t meet very often with his descendants.
In the Azure Dragon clan, only the sons and daughters of the Azure Dragon, those second generation members, were very close to the Azure Dragon. The third generation members had met him a few times as well. A few fourth generation members had met him as well. As for the others…only a very few genius-level clansmen had been granted an audience by the ancestor.
Garvey had never even seen the ancestor. Naturally, he didn’t recognize the Coiling Dragon ring.
After all, those who joined the a.s.sembly of Elders had reached the Seven Star Fiend level, but that didn’t mean they were born very early on.
“Emanuel, what are you thinking about?” Garvey asked.
“Oh. There’s something I wish to discuss with Linley.” Emanuel said with a laugh.
Linley couldn’t help but grow puzzled. “I’ve never met him. What does he want with me?”
“If you want to chat with him, then just chat with him here.” Garvey laughed, but Emanuel shook his head and said solemnly, “Garvey, I have something very important I wish to discuss with Linley. Garvey, please go back on your own for now. Let me speak with Linley alone.”
“Not only do you want to chat, you want to chat with him alone?” Garvey was rather curious now.
Emanuel couldn’t help but frown.
“Fine, fine.” Garvey laughed. Since Emanuel had made the request, it wasn’t convenient for Garvey to persist. “Then I’ll head out first. Right, Emanuel. We need to have a good discussion regarding the upcoming visit of the Indigo Emissary. I’ll wait for you outside the hall. Hurry up.”
Emanuel immediately beamed. “Fine. I’ll just chat right here in the hall. After I’m done, I’ll immediately come out.”
“Right.” The handsome youth, ‘Garvey’, grinned towards the puzzled Linley. “Kid, work hard. I’ll be waiting for you to join us in the a.s.sembly of Elders.” As he spoke, he left the private room, closing the door as he left.
“Hmph, hmph, now that Garvey is gone, the ancestor’s ring will be mine.” Emanuel couldn’t help but feel excited. As he viewed it, this Linley was just a G.o.d. Even if a G.o.d had a ‘soul-protecting Sovereign artifact’, Emanuel could use a material attack to kill Linley. Naturally, he would then acquire the Sovereign artifact.
“Linley.” Emanuel smiled in a very warm, friendly manner.
“Elder.” Linley was highly suspicious. Why did this person want to speak with him alone?
As the saying went, men of talent were men of courage. Linley had fused three profound mysteries and fused with the ‘black stone’, and was very formidable to begin with. After the Ancestral Baptism, his one and only weakness, soul defense, had been improved upon significantly.
He had no fear of a Seven Star Fiend. Naturally, he was able to face this Emanuel calmly.
“Crackle…” Emanuel immediately set up his ‘G.o.drealm’, surrounding the entire private room with it.
Linley’s face couldn’t help but change. “Elder, what are you doing?”
Emanuel just smiled. “The conversation between us is very important. That’s why I set up my G.o.drealm, to prevent others from eavesdropping.”
“Elder, might I ask what matter you have to discuss with me, Linley?” Linley’s att.i.tude remained very meek and humble.
“Linley, first take a read through the book we just gave you.” Emanuel smiled.
Linley was deeply puzzled, but he still flipped through that book discussing the history of the Four Divine Beasts clan. In front of Emanuel, Linley pretended to be astonished while flipping through it, but in his heart, he was pondering. “Previously, Emanuel had me leave, but now, suddenly, he asked me to stay. And have a private conversation? What is this about?”
While pretending to read and pretending to be astonished, he continued to ponder.
Linley currently had five souls, and so he could focus on doing five things at the same time. This pretense was thus quite simple for him.
“There’s nothing about me that should have attracted his interest.”
As Linley closed the book, he looked towards the bald Emanuel, then pretended to be ‘astonished’ and said, “Elder, our ancestor was a Sovereign? And all four Sovereigns died? How is this possible?”
“This is the truth.” Emanuel said with certainty. “Linley, you now understand the danger our clan is in.”
“Right. I understand.” Linley’s face was solemn.
This wasn’t a pretense. Linley was indeed very worried for the clan’s situation. After all, those eight great clans were staring at them like hungry tigers.
Emanuel said solemnly, “Linley, our Four Divine Beasts clan is facing this enormous crisis. Currently, what we need are true experts! True experts, aside from their own innate power, also need good divine artifacts. Linley, tell me, am I right?”
Linley nodded in agreement. “Divine artifacts are indeed important.”
Emanuel looked at Linley. “Linley, you have a Sovereign artifact, right?”
Sovereign artifact?
These words struck Linley like a bolt of lightning. The look on Linley’s face couldn’t help but change as his head trembled. Only Bebe and Delia knew about his possession of a soul-protecting Sovereign artifact.
Linley immediately regained his clarity.
“Elder, you are joking with me.” Linley stared at Emanuel.
Emanuel let out a chuckle. “Linley, in front of me, you can stop pretending. I’ll tell you this – I am a fourth generation member of the Azure Dragon clan, and I have personally met the ancestor.
“So what if you have?” Linley was extremely cautious right now.
Emanuel looked towards Linley’s finger, and Linley’s face couldn’t help but change. Emanuel laughed. “Linley, I’ll tell you that the ring you have on your finger is the ring which the ancestor previously wore, a soul-protecting Sovereign artifact…the Azure Dragon ring!”
“Azure Dragon ring?”
One thing after another flashed through Linley’s mind like lightning. In the blink of an eye, Linley understood so much.
“I had always suspected that the previous owner of this Coiling Dragon ring is a Sovereign. So it was my own ancestor. Right. Ten thousand years ago, the ancestor died, and the Coiling Dragon ring was thus lost.” Linley now completely understood. “And that drop of blood which allowed my body to transform…so it was the blood of the ancestor.”
The blood essence used to refine this Sovereign artifact was, without question, the blood of the Azure Dragon himself.
That drop of blood had caused Linley’s blood to become very pure as well.
“No wonder there were three drops of water-type Sovereign’s Might. The ancestor himself was a water-type Sovereign.” Linley now completely understood what Emanuel wanted, and he looked at him. “This Emanuel had met with our ancestor, and so most likely he had seen the Coiling Dragon ring and was able to immediately recognize it.”
Linley’s thoughts spun rapidly, but his facial expressions had returned to normal.
“Oh, Azure Dragon ring?” Linley laughed. “Elder, since you recognize it, then I won’t deny it. This is indeed a soul-protecting Sovereign artifact, but that was just in the past. It no longer is! Elder, think about it. The ancestor died. If his soul-protecting Sovereign artifact wasn’t broken, would he have died?”
Emanuel chuckled. “Hmph. When a Sovereign artifact is broken, it definitely won’t be completely destroyed. Otherwise, this Azure Dragon ring would be completely shattered.”
“Elder, you’ve said so much. What do you want?” Linley said solemnly.
Emanuel said solemnly, “Linley, given the rules of our clan, this Azure Dragon ring is one of the treasures of our Azure Dragon clan! A communal possession of the clan! If news that you are in possession of the Azure Dragon ring were to spread out, the clan would definitely confiscate it from you.”
Linley frowned.
“Confiscate?” After knowing that this was the Sovereign artifact of their ancestor, the ‘Azure Dragon’, Linley was indeed worried about this possibility. This Coiling Dragon ring wasn’t just a guarantee of his own strength; it was also a keepsake which cherished the memory of Grandpa Doehring.
There was no way Linley would give it up.
“Right. The clan is currently in a state of crisis. This sort of treasure definitely cannot be left on you, where it is wasted.” Emanuel said solemnly. “A good treasure has to be matched with an expert. Only then can its full power be drawn out.”
Linley let out a cold snort.
Emanuel continued, “If it is confiscated, this sort of treasure would be given to someone of at least the Seven Star Fiend level, and a formidable one. The Azure Dragon ring, in the hands of an ultimate expert…can cause a powerful Seven Star Fiend to become an Asura level expert.”
Linley naturally understood this logic.
It was precisely because he himself had this Coiling Dragon ring that he could ignore the difference which G.o.ds and HighG.o.ds had in terms of the soul.
“Therefore, Linley, for the sake of the clan, and for your own sake, please give me this Azure Dragon ring.” Emanuel said.
“Do you think that is actually going to happen?” Linley chuckled.
Emanuel said hurriedly, “I understand that you can’t bear to part with it. This is very understandable. How about this…I guarantee that so long as you give me the Azure Dragon ring, I will bestow upon you enormous wealth. A trillion inkstones. What do you say?”
A trillion inkstones?
This person really was taking him for an inexperienced G.o.d.
“No need.” Linley shook his head.
Emanuel’s face sank. “Linley, you should know that for me, killing you is simplicity itself.” In his heart, however, Emanuel knew that first of all, it was forbidden for the Azure Dragon clansmen to casually kill each other, and secondly, he was worried that he wouldn’t be able to kill Linley in one blow.
This was because Linley had a Sovereign artifact, hence his worry.
If Linley were to flee from this private room, things would be complicated. After all, outside the private room, there was Elder ‘Garvey’, as well as the black-robed men.
“Killing me is simplicity itself? Didn’t you just say I have a Sovereign artifact?” Linley snickered. “I have a Sovereign artifact, but you’ll be able to kill me in one blow? What’s more, the rules of the clan state that clansmen are not permitted to kill each other.”
“Hmph.”
Emanuel let out a cold snort. “If I, an Elder, were to kill you, who would dare interfere? Linley, I’ll give you a final chance. I am willing to use a drop of Sovereign’s Might to trade for your Azure Dragon ring. In addition, I am also willing to create a contract bond with you and guarantee that I won’t kill you to prevent the secret from being exposed. What do you say?”
“Sovereign’s Might?” Linley glanced at Emanuel in surprise. “This baldy is actually willing to part with it?”
Linley knew very well that although Sovereign’s Might was precious, it was far inferior to a Sovereign artifact. Sovereign’s Might was a one-use item. Almighty Sovereigns were able to easily bestow more Sovereign’s might. To Sovereign’s, Sovereign’s Might was something that they could provide as much of as was needed!
But Sovereign artifacts were different.
Sovereign artifacts were to Sovereigns what divine artifacts were to Deities. To create a Sovereign artifact, the Sovereign had to expend both time and effort. It was very difficult, which was why Sovereign artifacts were incomparably precious.
“Right. Sovereign’s Might.” Emanuel laughed coldly. “This drop of Sovereign’s Might is one of my most important treasures. Linley, I hope you won’t force me.”
An attempt to cow him through threats?
Most likely, an ordinary G.o.d, when faced with this circ.u.mstance, would have surrendered in fear long ago and offered the Sovereign artifact. But Linley was different. Because…even if he had to fight Emanuel head on, Linley wouldn’t fear him at all.
“Force you? How am I forcing you?” Linley smirked as he spoke.
Emanuel’s gaze instantly grew cold, and rage began to fill his chest. The angry Emanuel let out a furious snort. “You are looking for death!” Ignoring all else, Emanuel sent a backhand blow directly towards Linley.
He was hoping to kill Linley with a single blow, then seize the Sovereign artifact.
“Boom…”
The power of this slap caused Linley to feel the whole world was turning dark.
Linley’s right hand immediately transformed into a draconic claw, colliding with that palm.
“BANG!” Linley was sent flying outwards, smas.h.i.+ng viciously against the door of that secret room. The door blew apart, and Linley immediately flew out. “Save me, Elder Garvey, save me!” Linley’s voice was like a thunderclap, echoing throughout the main hall.
Emanuel’s face instantly turned exceedingly ugly to behold. “He’s going to die!”
“Swis.h.!.+” Emanuel immediately flew out from the private room.