"Questioning your own strength?"
Lin Lei looked at Baruch, deliberated for a moment, and said: "Midgod!"
An expression of surprise appeared on Baruch's face, followed quickly by admiration: "Lin Lei, you're just a Midgod, yet you defeated Aslu with ease. That's simply unbelievable. How did you manage it?"
Lin Lei didn't quite know how to answer.
The reason he was so powerful as a Midgod involved many factors.
"Oh." Baruch seemed to realize he shouldn't have asked that question, and smiled. "Let's not talk about that then. Since you're this formidable as a Midgod, once you reach Highgod, you'll surely become a true powerhouse of our Azure Dragon Clan. In that case, there are some things I'll tell you in advance."
Lin Lei listened carefully.
"These are matters that our Azure Dragon Clan generally does not share with weaker clan members," Baruch said with a sigh.
Lin Lei felt puzzled. "Weaker clan members? But the Clan Chief himself is only a Midgod. How would he know about these things?" In Lin Lei's eyes, Clan Chief Baruch was indeed considered weak among the Four Divine Beast Families.
But Baruch continued: "Lin Lei, do you know about the past glory of our Four Divine Beast Families?"
"I do." Lin Lei nodded. "I've read books about the Four Divine Beast Families. In the past, the influence of the Four Divine Beast Families spanned across the four Supreme High Divine Realms and several Divine Kingdoms. But it seems that about ten thousand years ago, all our forces withdrew from the other planes, retreating back to the Infernal Realm."
"That's right." Baruch sighed. "Our Four Divine Beast Families did indeed have influence reaching across all four Supreme High Divine Realms. But do you know why our families became so powerful?"
Lin Lei shook his head.
This was something he'd been curious about too — why were they so powerful?
"I'll tell you. The reason our Four Divine Beast Families were so strong in the past was because..." Baruch's eyes lit up, his breathing grew heavier, and his face flushed with excitement. "The ancestors of our Four Divine Beast Families were four Sovereigns!!!"
"What?" Lin Lei's mind went blank.
"Clan Chief, what did you just say? Sovereigns? I didn't mishear, did I?" Lin Lei asked urgently.
Sovereigns were beings who looked down upon all creation from on high. Even the most terrifying Demon Lords or Lords of Hell were mere ants before a Sovereign. A Sovereign could kill a Demon Lord with a mere thought.
The ancestors of his own family were Sovereigns?
The ancestors of the Four Divine Beast Families were four Sovereigns?
"That's right, you didn't mishear!" Baruch declared solemnly. "The ancestors of our Four Divine Beast Families are indeed four Sovereigns. And it was precisely because of the existence of these four Sovereigns — especially given how united they were — that they cultivated the family members. The Four Divine Beast Families were already formidable on their own, and with the support of four ancestors behind them, they dominated across all the major planes, unrivaled by anyone!"
Lin Lei's mind was in complete chaos.
Sovereigns? Four Sovereigns?
He knew that among the seven systems — Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, Light, and Darkness — each had only seven Sovereigns! The Sovereigns were scattered across the major Divine Realms and the four Supreme High Divine Realms. And given their pride, it would be very difficult for them to unite without friction.
But with four Sovereigns joining forces, it was no wonder the Four Divine Beast Families were so powerful!
Presumably, the other Sovereigns wouldn't want to offend these four Sovereigns lightly.
"The ancestor of our Azure Dragon Clan is the Water System Sovereign. The ancestor of the White Tiger Clan is the Wind System Sovereign, and the ancestor of the Vermilion Bird Clan is the Fire System Sovereign. As for the ancestor of the Black Tortoise Clan, he is the Earth System Sovereign!" Baruch declared gravely.
Lin Lei's mind was a whirl.
The lofty Sovereigns — behind the Four Divine Beast Families stood four Sovereigns!
It was impossible for the Four Divine Beast Families not to be powerful.
"If things had continued like this, our Four Divine Beast Families would have remained invincible across all the major planes. But everything changed about eleven thousand years ago, when an unexpected event occurred!" Baruch said.
Lin Lei also knew that something had happened to the Four Divine Beast Families roughly ten thousand years ago. What exactly was this unexpected event that led to his family's decline?
For something to cause the decline of a family backed by four Sovereigns, there could only be one possibility — that the Four Divine Beast Families' backing had been destroyed! At this thought, Lin Lei couldn't believe it. "Four Sovereigns — who could possibly defeat them? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Even as his mind raced, Lin Lei still looked at Baruch, waiting for the answer.
"All four ancestors are dead!" Baruch said in a heavy voice.
Lin Lei held his breath.
So it was true!
"All four Sovereigns are dead? How is that possible?" Lin Lei blurted. To kill a Sovereign, one would at least need to reach the level of a Sovereign. But the Four Divine Beast ancestors had been four of them!
Four Sovereigns — who could possibly kill them?
"They are indeed dead," Baruch said helplessly. "Though we don't know the cause of their deaths, the fact is beyond doubt. It was precisely because the four ancestors died that our Four Divine Beast Families faced our crisis!"
"Crisis?" Lin Lei frowned.
"Yes." Baruch's brows knitted together with worry. "The four ancestors had excellent relationships with each other. For the countless years that four Sovereigns existed, the Four Divine Beast Families were incredibly arrogant and dominant."
Lin Lei nodded to himself. With four Sovereign ancestors, it would be strange if the Four Divine Beast Families weren't arrogant.
"Where there are people, there is conflict. It was precisely because of their arrogance, and precisely because they were too powerful, that when the Four Divine Beast Families clashed with other families, they naturally tended to be domineering," Baruch said.
Lin Lei understood. The past Four Divine Beast Families would have been strange not to be domineering.
"For countless years, killings and battles occurred frequently. Naturally, the Four Divine Beast Families accumulated some enemies, but they never cared — because they were powerful and unafraid!"
Baruch shook his head. "But then, the four ancestors died!"
Baruch looked at Lin Lei. "Those who dared to fight against the Four Divine Beast Families, even if not as strong as them, wouldn't be far behind."
Lin Lei nodded in agreement.
"Those families were each powerful in their respective planes. But compared to the Four Divine Beast Families, they still fell considerably short. After all, the Four Divine Beast Families had four Sovereigns backing them. But when those four Sovereigns died..."