Chapter Twenty-Three: Sadista
On the Yulan Continent plane, at the peak of a towering iceberg deep within the northern polar ice fields, dwelled the plane overseer, Hogg.
Atop this iceberg, there were eleven complex hexagram-shaped magic arrays.
When Belutu of the Dark Forest gazed northward, Hogg was standing before one such magic array. The intricate formation blazed with dazzling radiance, beams of light shooting skyward, and the center of the array shimmered like something out of a dream.
Even Hogg could not suppress the excitement on his face.
"They're here." Hogg's eyes lit up. In the center of the magic array, a hazy group of figures had appeared. Gradually, the radiance of the formation faded, revealing the dozens of people who now stood within it. The aura each of them naturally radiated was enough to make one's heart tremble.
Every last one of them was a divine-level powerhouse!
The man at the forefront wore an ornate black robe embroidered with gold trim, looking like a gentleman dressed for a banquet. Upon seeing Hogg, he smiled and said, "Hogg, it has been thousands of years. You've worked hard all these years."
Hogg immediately bowed with deep respect. "Lord Sadista! It is my honor to serve the family!"
Sadista pressed his palms together before his chest, occasionally rubbing the ring on his finger that glowed with a faint reddish light, and said with a light smile, "Hogg, the information you relayed to the family was rather brief. Why don't you explain the current situation on the Yulan Continent in more detail?"
"Yes." Before Sadista, Hogg was as meek and humble as a servant.
"Lord Sadista, not long ago, the passage between the Yulan Continent plane and the plane of imprisonment developed some problems, allowing a great number of divine-level powerhouses to escape in large numbers. Although Lord Belutu went and sealed the passage, quite a few divine-level powerhouses had already gotten out."
"Apart from a small number who have already departed for the High Realms and divine planes, most of the escapees remain on the Yulan Continent plane. I fear they are all attempting to enter the Tomb of the Gods!"
Sadista nodded slightly.
"Hogg, are there any highgod-level powerhouses?" Sadista asked.
"There is one! His name is Adkins. Lord Adkins currently resides in the O'Brien Empire. He is clearly also aiming for the Tomb of the Gods," Hogg replied respectfully.
"Adkins?" Sadista frowned.
He did not care about ordinary powerhouses, but Adkins being a highgod was enough to put him on guard. Though Sadista himself had been hardened by countless battles in the High Realm of Hell, he understood the significance. To survive in the plane of imprisonment and cultivate to the highgod level — Adkins was far from the kind of inexperienced highgod that the major powers and great families of Hell churned out using divine sparks.
A follower behind Sadista immediately spoke up. "Lord Sadista, there's no need to worry. That Adkins is certainly no match for you."
"Silence." Sadista frowned again.
His follower instantly fell silent.
Hogg then said respectfully, "Lord Sadista, some time ago, the four midgod subordinates of Adkins clashed with the Dragon Blood Castle in what is now the Baruch Empire."
"Oh?" Sadista looked at Hogg with some puzzlement.
He did not understand why Hogg was bringing up midgods. But Sadista knew that Hogg would not speak without reason.
"However, Adkins's side suffered a crushing defeat!" Hogg said with a smile. Seeing the surprised expression on Sadista's face, he continued, "There are midgods inside the Dragon Blood Castle as well, and most importantly, it is a place under Lord Belutu's protection!"
"This time, Adkins's faction took a severe loss, yet Adkins didn't dare to provoke Lord Belutu," Hogg said.
Sadista nodded slightly. "That Adkins is at least sensible enough not to stir up trouble with Belutu. Still, this is somewhat inconvenient. If Adkins were arrogant enough to anger Belutu and we could borrow Belutu's hand to dispose of him, that would be ideal. But as things stand, it complicates matters."
"Uncle, could this Belutu really kill Adkins?" a young man behind Sadista asked.
Sadista was well aware of Belutu's terrifying power. He said with a light smile, "Belutu's strength is far beyond what you can imagine. Ten thousand years ago, during the destruction war on the Yulan Continent, you should know — the Purpleblood Demon who once ruled Hell, the twelve-winged highgod angel of the Light Divine Plane… every single one of those figures was at the absolute pinnacle of the highgod level."
"The Purpleblood Demon?" the young man exclaimed in astonishment.
In the High Realm of Hell, the Purpleblood Demon was already a legendary figure. Many of Hell's powerhouses even believed the Purpleblood Demon had the strength to earn the title of 'Asura.'
Asura!
In Hell, that was an supremely honored title — one bestowed only upon the very apex of highgod powerhouses.
"The result of that battle was that every last highgod perished! Not a single one survived. The only one who lived was Belutu!" Sadista sighed. "Although I don't know the exact details of that battle, based on that alone, Belutu should be even more terrifying than the Purpleblood Demon. Tell me — would such a powerhouse face any uncertainty in killing a mere Adkins?"
The moment Sadista spoke those words, everyone behind him gasped in awe.
They were merely midgods and lowgods. Many of the deeper secrets were things they had no right to know even within the family.
"Oh, right — Hogg. The Yulan Continent should be the location of one of the Four Divine Beast Family's branches, shouldn't it?" Sadista suddenly asked. "Are there still descendants of the Four Divine Beast Family on the Yulan Continent plane?"
"There are, and quite a few of them," Hogg answered.
Sadista's expression changed.
"Hmph, they still exist?" His face turned cold as ice, a layer of frost seeming to settle over his features. "How many are there? Kill them all — leave no one alive!"
But Hogg shook his head. "Lord Sadista, the Dragon Blood Castle I mentioned earlier is precisely the stronghold of those Four Divine Beast Family descendants. Quite a few Undying Warriors and Dragon Blood Warriors have gathered there. In particular, a young man named Lin Lei has an extraordinary relationship with Lord Belutu."