Book 20, The Crown’s Riddle – Chapter 29, Begging to be Spared
“This red caltrop diamond is actually a fake!” Chegwin hovered there in midair, his long green robes fluttering. The muscles at the corners of his eyes were twitching. He couldn’t help but lower his head to look at the corpse of Brodie amidst the mountain forests. “Information which the Fiend Castle guaranteed as being real...definitely wouldn’t be fake. I made my own investigations as well, and the dwellers of the Lotte tribe had proof as well! Thus, the red caltrop diamond definitely was a treasure. Where is the real one, then?”
Chegwin had collected quite a bit of intelligence.
“Your Lordship, Brodie’s corpse only had a single divine spark inside it. We investigated earlier. He had more than just a single divine clone. The true red caltrop diamond must have been taken away by his original body.” A Seven Star Fiend standing behind Chegwin sent mentally to him.
“I know!” Chegwin’s eyes were filled with insidiousness as he let out a cold snort.
Chegwin wasn’t a fool. Of course he knew what Brodie had schemed. The Infernal Realm had countless Demigods and Gods; for some of them to use divine sparks to become Highgods was nothing. There were many Deities who wanted to be dazzlingly glorious for a brief instant, even if it meant dying, so long as it was in an explosive manner!
They didn’t want to die silent, unknown deaths to bandits or in battles. Deaths of no value.
Indeed, Brodie’s death had caused the many Seven Star Fiends here to all remember him!
“He produced a divine clone and toyed with an entire group of experts. Hmph. He probably did so in order to draw our attention here and keep us here, while his original body took his wife and fled somewhere else.” Although Chegwin was enraged, he also deeply embedded the name ‘Brodie’ into his mind.
Actually, if Brodie’s divine clone had shattered the interspatial ring, given Chegwin’s strength, once he calmed down, he probably would’ve still been able to guess at the truth! In addition, the news that Brodie had divine clones could be easily verified by the Lotte tribe. Thus, it would be easy to extrapolate that Brodie’s original body had taken the red caltrop diamond and fled. If he knew he had to die, would he carry the red caltrop diamond with him and waste it?
Since he wouldn’t be able to avoid them, why not intentionally leave behind a ring and use it to mock these experts?
“I’ve been harmed catastrophically by this Brodie.” Chegwin felt bitterness in his heart. He couldn’t help but glance at the distant Linley and Bebe. “If I really did acquire the red caltrop diamond, then it wouldn’t matter if I offended Linley. But I didn’t...given Linley’s temper, he probably won’t let me off easily.”
Previously, although Linley and Chegwin had some disputes in the Planar Battlefield, the main players on that stage were Linley and Magnus, with Chegwin and Oman just being supporting characters. Thus, prior to today, Linley didn’t feel much of a grudge towards Chegwin, and couldn’t be bothered to act mercilessly towards him.
Chegwin understood this as well, which was why when he saw Linley, he didn’t flee.
But now...the situation was different!
“I mocked him directly and insulted him...what is he going to do?” Chegwin felt nervous. He wanted to immediately flee, but right now, Linley and Bebe clearly weren’t paying any attention to him. If he were to immediately flee, he would probably draw Linley’s attention and be captured by Linley.
Thus, Chegwin just stood there quietly, hoping Linley wouldn’t pay attention to him. He would wait for Linley to leave!
And just like that, Chegwin stealthily kept a watch on the distant Linley and Bebe.
Not just Chegwin; all of the hundred-plus Six and Seven Star Fiends were keeping a watch on Linley as well. They all wanted to know...how Linley would take his revenge on Chegwin!
“Let’s go!” Linley’s words caused Chegwin to feel overjoyed.
“Your Lordship, those two are going to leave now.” The two Seven Star Fiends were overjoyed as well. They, too, let out relieved sighs.
“Boss, we’re going to leave, just like that?” Bebe couldn’t help but say.
“Oh...right. I almost forgot about something.” Linley was about to leave, then smile and turned and looked towards the distant Chegwin. “Bebe, it’s good that you reminded me. I might’ve forgotten about this, otherwise. Bebe, just now, who was it that said to me, if I have any ability, I can go ahead and try to drive him into chaotic space?”
Bebe, hearing this, let out an ‘emotional’ sigh and explained cooperatively, “Boss, who else could it be? Of course it is our fearless, intrepid Mr. Chegwin...aside from him, how many others would dare enter chaotic space?”
Linley and Bebe’s question and answer session caused Chegwin’s distant group of three to have changed looks on their faces.
“Flee!” Chegwin instantly sent the mental message.
Immediately, there in the skies above the Neville Mountains, Chegwin and the two Seven Star Fiends serving him scattered in every which way at high speed.
“Swoosh!”
Multiple blurry, dream-like figures flashed about in the skies, and then a single blurred form appeared next to Chegwin. With a ‘bang!’ sound, Chegwin’s fleeing body was brought to a halt, then knocked flying backwards. But then, in a flash, the blurred figure once more appeared in front of Chegwin.
“Mr. Chegwin, where are you planning to go, and without saying a single word?” Linley’s face still had that smile on it as he looked at Chegwin.
But Chegwin saw the cold look in Linley’s eyes!
How could Linley let Chegwin off, given what Chegwin had just done? If he could let even something like that pass, where would Linley’s face go?
For example, Sovereigns might not want to interfere in the matters of Deities, but if a Deity dared to mock a Sovereign or interfere in a Sovereign’s important matters, or violate a Sovereign’s majesty in some manner, that Sovereign probably wouldn’t easily spare the violator either! Linley’s status alone, as a supreme being amongst Deities, made it so that he would not allow others to so easily insult him!
“Lord Linley.” Chegwin forced out a smile. “I...I was muddleheaded for a time.”
“You aren’t muddleheaded.” Linley shook his head repeatedly. “What were you muddleheaded about? You are quite intelligent! Didn’t you say so yourself? Even if I drive you into chaotic space, the almighty Sovereign of Light will intervene and rescue you.”
Chegwin’s face turned ugly.
The Chief Sovereign of Light, save him?
That would be because he was holding the ‘red caltrop diamond’, supposedly an Overgod talisman. For the sake of a possible Overgod talisman, the Chief Sovereign of Light would intervene and expend tremendous efforts in chaotic space to save him! But if he didn’t have the red caltrop diamond, the Chief Sovereign of Light wouldn’t necessarily immediately go save him.
What sort of status did a Chief Sovereign have?
Perhaps, one day, when he was in the mood, he might go save Chegwin. But by then, perhaps a hundred million years or a trillion years would have passed.
“Lord Linley, you have the exalted status of Paragon. I’m not worthy of your anger.” Chegwin said hurriedly. “I, Chegwin, am willing to offer you, Lord Linley, all my wealth and all my Sovereign’s Might. Lord Linley, please spare me this time.” Chegwin looked hopefully at Linley.
But Linley only looked back silently at Chegwin.
Chegwin’s heart clenched.
“Wealth? Sovereign’s Might? Tell me...do I lack for these things?” Linley finally said.
“Lord Linley, what do you wish me to do? Just tell me!” Chegwin said hurriedly.
Chegwin no longer cared about his face. He knew very well...that he had no divine clones outside, and so once he became trapped in chaotic space, even if the Chief Sovereign of Light went to find him, given how enormous chaotic space was, how would the Chief Sovereign of Light locate him? The amount of effort needed would be very great!
Would the Chief Sovereign of Light roam the endless tides of chaotic space for him?
If he were a Paragon, perhaps the Chief Sovereign might do so despite the exhaustion of it. But Chegwin wasn’t yet qualified to make the Chief Sovereign do this for him yet!
“If I become trapped in chaotic space, I might be trapped there forever. Nobody would speak to me, and I wouldn’t be able to see anyone else. I would just be constantly brought by the tides of chaotic space from one place to another. A life worse than death.” Chegwin understood this in his heart.
“Lord Linley?” Chegwin was currently very obedient, very respectful.
“Boss, why waste words with him?” Bebe snorted coldly, then glanced at Chegwin. “Chegwin. You want to just leave, as though nothing happened? You really are a dreamer! If you, Chegwin, were to offend a Sovereign and even seize something belonging to the Sovereign, can it be that just because you begged for mercy, the Sovereign would spare you? Although my Boss can’t compare to Sovereigns, he’s not so easily abused either.”
Linley smiled, then extended his hand, chopping to the side with it...
“Riiiiiiip!”
It was like cloth being torn apart. A hundred meter long spatial tear suddenly appeared, several meters wide. An astonishingly strong suction power filled the surrounding area.
“Linley, the Chief Sovereign won’t spare you!!!” Chegwin began to bellow as he moved to flee.
“Swish.” Linley seemed to have teleported as he suddenly appeared and grabbed him by the neck. He tossed Chegwin backwards, casually, as though he were tossing an animal, sending Chegin flying into the spatial rift. Chegwin bellowed with rage, “The Chief Sovereign won’t spare you!!!” His voice continued to echo in the area, but the astonishing spatial rift had already completely vanished.
Linley glanced backwards.
“This Chegwin...if he didn’t have Sovereign artifacts protecting him, I would really want to kill him.” Bebe said hatefully. “Now that we’ve driven him into chaotic space, I imagine the Chief Sovereign of Light will eventually go save him.”
Clearly, everything Chegwin had done had caused Bebe to be extremely unhappy.
“Saving him won’t be that easy, unless he has a divine clone in the outside world.” Linley glanced at the group of Six and Seven Star Fiends who had stupefied looks on their faces. Then he said, “Bebe, there’s no point staying here. Let’s go back. Oh, let’s send those two back first.”
Linley and Bebe immediately led the round-faced youth and the grim-looking elder onto their metallic lifeform and left.
In midair, a hundred-plus experts and members of the Lotte tribe sighed in amazement at what they had seen.
“How truly powerful. That is what a Highgod Paragon is like! With a casual swipe of the hand, without using any Sovereign’s Might, he was able to create such a terrifying spatial tear. When will my material attack be a tenth the strength of Lord Linley’s?”
“Supposedly, that Chegwin is comparable in strength to the 108 Asuras of our Infernal Realm, and would be ranked amongst the more powerful ones. Chegwin alone was more than enough to slaughter all of us, but in front of Lord Linley...did you see that? Chegwin was like an infant; when he was grabbed, he wasn’t able to resist at all. With a casual toss, he was thrown into that spatial tear. This Lord Linley...he’s too strong!”
“Earlier, Chegwin was behaving so arrogantly. Haha. That’s what he gets!”
“He deserved it! He should’ve thought about his own status. For someone like him to offend Lord Linley? Isn’t that like delivering a sheep to the mouth of a tiger? He was looking for death.”
In the eyes of this group of experts of the Infernal Realm, it was only reasonable for Linley to teach a lesson to and punish Chegwin in such a manner. If Linley hadn’t done so, he would’ve actually been questioned by people behind his back.
Linley’s group wanted to locate Brodie’s divine clone’s whereabouts, but there was no way to do so. The most likely possibility was that Brodie had left through a teleportation array! There was no need for someone to record his name or other information when using the array, and each year, there were many people in the Infernal Realm who, for the purposes of trade or something else, would travel through a teleportation array.
How would they search for him?
In addition, Linley wasn’t qualified to search for him, because the soldiers who were in command over and guarded over the teleportation arrays belonged to the Sovereigns.
The Divine Light Plane. The Godsgaol Sea!
“Rustle....” Countless waves of deep blue seawater lapped forward. As the number one sea of the Divine Light Plane, the Godsgaol Sea was vast and deep. Deep within it, there was dazzling number of islands, scattered like stars in the skies.
In the air above the sea, there were currently two figures battling against each other, causing space to constantly shatter.
“Screeeech!”
An illusory phantom of an enormous Fire Phoenix that was thousands of meters long had suddenly appeared behind a short red-haired man. And then, the red dot at the center of the man’s forehead suddenly lit up, and a red ray of light shot out, instantly piercing through the skies and shooting towards the long-haired, black-robed man in front of him.
The black-robed man let out a growl, and then layers of watery curtains appeared around him.
“Clash...”
The watery curtains were pierced through, and then the red light entered the black-robed man’s body. The black-robed man’s body trembled, then he spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Blunner [Bu’lun’er], let’s just stop it here.” The black-robed man said hastily. In terms of speed, he was inferior to the man in front of him. Someone fast could flee from a stronger opponent, but someone slow had no choice but to just take more blows and beg for mercy.
“In your dreams.” The red-haired man let out an angry snort, the fiery red sickle in his hand chopping down slowly...
“Riiiiiip.” A tear in space formed yet again.
But right at this moment...
“Whoosh!” A green blur suddenly shot out from the spatial tear, and it flew straight towards the red-haired man. The red-haired man was shocked. “Something flew out from the spatial tear? There’s something that can survive, undamaged, in chaotic space?” The red-haired man couldn’t help but reach out to grab it.
A green piece of paper thus appeared in his hands.