Lin Lei stumbled out into the corridor, blood smearing the corner of his mouth.
He immediately pushed off the ground, becoming a streak of light as he shot toward the great hall. Inwardly, Lin Lei sneered, "This Emmanuel—still wants to kill me? But until it's absolutely necessary, there's no rush to reveal my strength." Even as he fled, he shouted, "Elder Jiawei, save me!"
The explosion of the sealed chamber's door and Lin Lei's thunderous cry—how could any Highgod possibly fail to hear it?
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" ...
Several figures were seen hurtling through the air at tremendous speed, led by the handsome young man Jiawei.
"Don't even think about escaping!" An angry roar rang out as Emmanuel shot after Lin Lei like a sharp arrow.
Spotting Jiawei and several black-robed figures, Lin Lei immediately dashed behind them and said urgently, "Elder Jiawei, Elder Emmanuel is trying to kill me!" Jiawei's handsome face darkened with fury.
"Emmanuel, what are you doing!" Jiawei barked.
The bald-headed Emmanuel halted, glared at Lin Lei, then turned to Jiawei. "Jiawei, step aside."
"Lin Lei is one of our clansmen. Why do you want to kill him?" Jiawei was clearly displeased. "So that's what this was—you wanted to meet with Lin Lei alone just so you could kill him."
"No," Emmanuel quickly replied.
Seeing Jiawei appear, Emmanuel knew things were going to get complicated. This was the scenario he feared most. Yet he was also shocked: "That palm strike of mine actually failed to kill him. A Sovereign Artifact really is remarkable—truly useful for saving one's life."
At that moment, Lin Lei's mouth was smeared with blood and his face was deathly pale.
Emmanuel believed that his palm had failed to kill Lin Lei because of the Coiling Dragon Ring.
What he didn't know...
...was that the blood on Lin Lei's lips and his pale complexion were all deliberately faked.
"That strike? With my defenses, it couldn't have harmed me in the slightest," Lin Lei sneered inwardly. "But there's still no need to reveal my strength now." From the moment he arrived at the Four Divine Beast Families, Lin Lei had made up his mind: first, he would quietly stay by his relatives, and only once he had cultivated to the Highgod level would he go out and fight.
Moreover, once he reached the Highgod level, he would be far more useful.
He couldn't reveal his strength now—once he did, those peaceful days would surely come to an end.
"Lin Lei, tell me—what happened?" Jiawei looked at Lin Lei.
"Elder Jiawei, I never provoked Elder Emmanuel at all, yet he tried to kill me for absolutely no reason," Lin Lei said. The matter of the Coiling Dragon Ring absolutely could not be exposed. At that moment, Lin Lei had also altered the ring's appearance.
Even ordinary divine artifacts could change their appearance, so a Sovereign Artifact naturally could as well.
Lin Lei regretted not having altered the Coiling Dragon Ring's appearance in the past. For one thing, no one had ever discovered it, so he had let his guard down. For another, as his strength grew, he had become overconfident. Who could have anticipated such a situation?
"Emmanuel?" Jiawei turned to look at him.
"Jiawei, are you going to believe me, or believe him?" Emmanuel's anger surged, his expression turning extremely ugly. "This Lin Lei has offended me. Today, I will kill him no matter what. Jiawei, step aside."
The black-robed figures in the corridor were all shocked—Emmanuel was completely losing his composure.
"Emmanuel!" Jiawei barked coldly. "This is the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range! The clan has rules against wanton killing. What do you think you're doing?"
"Elder Emmanuel, I'd also very much like to know why you're trying to kill me," Lin Lei said, staring straight at Emmanuel.
"Yes—why do you want to kill him?" Jiawei also fixed him with his gaze.
Emmanuel glared at Lin Lei, his eyes practically shooting flames. He was furious—at Lin Lei for being so ungrateful: "I even offered a drop of Sovereign's Might, and he still refused. He's forcing my hand." Emmanuel had already made his decision.
"Elder Emmanuel, why so angry? Seems to me I should be the one who's angry," Lin Lei sneered. "At worst, we'll both go down together!"
Emmanuel's heart lurched.
What worried him most right now?
It wasn't Jiawei's interference—it was the fear that Lin Lei himself would publicly reveal the Azure Dragon Ring. Once it was public... even if the clan confiscated it, there was no way Emmanuel would get his hands on it.
"Fine, Lin Lei," Emmanuel sneered. "You're ruthless."
"Ruthless? You're the one who pushed too far," Lin Lei shot back.
Jiawei and the other black-robed figures nearby were all confused—they had no idea what Lin Lei and Emmanuel were talking about.
"Elder Emmanuel, let this junior offer you a piece of advice!" Lin Lei fixed Emmanuel with his gaze, a faint smile at the corner of his lips. "Don't be too greedy—greed kills. What's yours will be yours, and what isn't will never be."
Emmanuel laughed from the depths of his fury.
"Kid, I'll throw those words right back at you," Emmanuel snarled. "Don't be too greedy—greed kills!"
"Oh? Greed kills?" Lin Lei broke into a smile. "Most honored Elder, you're a powerful Seven-star Demon, and I'm just a mere Demigod. I admit my strength is inferior to yours, and it wouldn't be hard for you to take my life—but you can't go around bullying people."
"What on earth are you two talking about!" Jiawei roared in frustration.
"Emmanuel," Jiawei continued quickly, "if Lin Lei truly did something wrong, you can report it directly to the Elder Council. The council will deal out appropriate punishment."
Emmanuel took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "Lin Lei, your offense is something I cannot tolerate. Here and now, I challenge you to a life-and-death battle!"
"A life-and-death battle?"
Jiawei and the black-robed figures in the corridor were all stunned. Jiawei stared at Emmanuel in disbelief and transmitted a divine sense message: "Emmanuel, what are you doing? He's only a Demigod! If you truly want to kill him, just report it to the Elder Council—why resort to a life-and-death battle?"
How could Jiawei know that Emmanuel wanted to personally kill Lin Lei and seize the Azure Dragon Ring?
The black-robed figures all looked at Lin Lei, a hint of pity in their eyes.
"Excuse me, but what exactly is a life-and-death battle?" Lin Lei's voice rang out.
Elder Jiawei and everyone else were momentarily stunned. This Lin Lei actually didn't know what a life-and-death battle was.