Chapter 40: Betrayal
Deep beneath the Earth Sacrifice Mountains, beneath the castle where Fernhan resided, lay a dimly lit, vast underground hall.
The hall was cold and eerie. At that moment, Fernhan was the only one inside. He sat on the throne at the head of the hall like a dormant beast, his eyes glimmering faintly in the darkness, lost in thought.
"Tell the Eight Great Families?" Although Fernhan wanted Lin Lei dead and wished for the Eight Great Families to do it, it was merely a fleeting idea. But upon careful consideration, he hesitated.
Because to inform the Eight Great Families, he would inevitably have to send a message.
And delivering that message to the Eight Great Families could not be entrusted to just anyone, nor could it be known by others. For this was a grave crime of 'betraying the clan'! As an elder, Fernhan was confident he could easily convey the message to the Eight Great Families. If the matter were not exposed, it would be fine, but once exposed, he, Fernhan, would have no place left among the Four Divine Beast Families!
"The penalty for traitors is the execution of all clones." Fernhan clearly remembered this punishment.
"To take such a great risk just for revenge against Lin Lei, is it worth it?" Fernhan wanted to do it, yet he hesitated again.
Undoubtedly, Fernhan was proud of being a disciple of the Four Divine Beast Families and would not betray his clan. Yet he also desperately wanted Lin Lei dead!
"This Coiling Dragon Ring belongs to the ancestor! Who does this Lin Lei think he is, a mere junior, to possess it?" Fernhan's gaze turned cold. Jealousy and narrow-mindedness made him increasingly dislike Lin Lei.
"If we continue to let Lin Lei go on like this, one day he will surpass me." Fernhan still clearly remembered the conversation he once had with his mother, the 'Grand Elder.'
At that time, the four clan heads had decreed that Lin Lei no longer needed to take missions at the Blood Battle Valley. Suspecting something, Fernhan went to find the Grand Elder privately afterward and questioned her carefully about why the clan heads had made that decision.
Regarding the matter of the Emerald Archon, the Grand Elder did not wish to speak, so she told Fernhan: "Fernhan, do you realize that Lin Lei is only a Middle-stage God now? A Middle-stage God with the strength of a Seven-Star Demon—when he becomes a High-stage God, how powerful do you think he will be? He is the future hope of our family. Now is not the time for him to take risks!" Hearing the Grand Elder's words, Fernhan was stunned.
He had always thought Lin Lei was hiding his true strength, but he hadn't expected Lin Lei to actually be a Middle-stage God.
In the cold, dim underground hall.
Fernhan abruptly stood up, his gaze icy, and muttered in a low voice: "This Lin Lei is already a Seven-Star Demon. If this continues, once he becomes a High-stage God, he will definitely become the family's trump card. His status will be even higher than mine, standing above me! Am I supposed to spend the rest of my life watching him be arrogant in front of me?"
Just imagining Lin Lei wielding great influence within the family in the future made Fernhan's expression grow even darker!
"No!" Fernhan growled softly. "Absolutely not. Spending my entire life beneath him would be worse than death."
"Lin Lei, he must die. He absolutely must!"
Fernhan's body trembled slightly. "Yes, I only want Lin Lei dead, not the family ruined. That's not betraying the clan, that doesn't count! Besides, I'm not killing him personally; I'm just letting the Eight Great Families do it. Lin Lei would die in battle against the Eight Great Families!"
"That Coiling Dragon Ring..."
Fernhan couldn't help but frown. "If Lin Lei dies, won't the Coiling Dragon Ring fall into the hands of the Eight Great Families?" He grew somewhat anxious, for the Coiling Dragon Ring was, after all, a crucial family treasure.
"No, it's fine. Only Lin Lei's strongest divine clone will be killed; his other bodies are still in the Earth Sacrifice Mountains. Even if the Eight Great Families obtain the Coiling Dragon Ring, they won't be able to bind it." Fernhan convinced himself. "I can retrieve it later when the opportunity arises. Besides, losing one Lin Lei won't affect the family. Our Four Divine Beast Families are already at a disadvantage... At worst, we can just stay in the Earth Sacrifice Mountains. We won't be annihilated."
After intense deliberation, Fernhan finally came to a decision.
"A family with Lin Lei, no matter how strong, is one I can't stay in. A family without Lin Lei, even if a bit weaker, is one where I can be comfortable." The corners of Fernhan's mouth curled slightly upward. He had made up his mind.
"Whoosh!" Fernhan's cloak billowed as he strode out of the underground hall. His decision was now set.
A figure materialized out of thin air in the mountain forest—it was Fernhan. But this was merely one of his divine clones. Fernhan chuckled softly, and his appearance changed from a golden-haired elder to a bald young man.
Then the bald young man, 'Fernhan,' took off at extreme speed...
"Swoosh~~~" The river surged. The bald young man, 'Fernhan,' hovered high above the water, his cold gaze sweeping downward. He spoke in a low voice: "Servants of the Eight Great Families, show yourselves."
Along fixed routes, those lying in wait were typically either intelligence operatives of the Four Divine Beast Families or those of the Eight Great Families. Fernhan could clearly distinguish his own clan members. If they weren't from the Four Divine Beast Families, they were naturally the enemy's!
"Who are you?" A low voice came from beneath the river.
"Remember, Elder Lin Lei of the Azure Dragon clan has taken a cyan phoenix-shaped metal life to Mill City. If you want to kill him, seize this chance. Another elder accompanies him!" Although it had departed in the form of a black phoenix, Elder Fernhan knew that after each departure, the metal life would change color and shape. He had verified this beforehand.
This time, it would take the form of a cyan phoenix upon leaving.
At the same time, Fernhan tossed a crystal ball downward from the sky.
"This crystal ball contains images of Lin Lei's wife, 'Dilia,' and his close friend, 'Bei Bei.'"
As soon as the crystal ball hit the water's surface, a cyan current swept upward, enveloping it and dragging it into the depths. Seeing this, Fernhan let out a cold laugh, then turned and flew back at extreme speed.
Long after Fernhan had departed, a green-haired figure surfaced from the river.
"Elder Lin Lei of the Azure Dragon clan?" The intelligence operative's eyes widened in disbelief. "I never expected to achieve such a great merit." The Eight Great Families had long ordered the elimination of Lin Lei by all means, naturally instructing their operatives to watch closely.
But for so many years, no one had succeeded.
The intelligence network transmitted information swiftly. The Eight Great Families learned of it that very day, sparking a wave of excitement among their clan heads. No one had anticipated such sudden news.
After deliberation, the mission was ultimately assigned to four families, including the Edric Family.