"Shhh shhh~~" The cold wind howled, pressing the wild grass flat against the ground.
The corpses of Langslo and Yuland lay on the ground, devoid of life. Before their deaths, both had been peak powerhouses ruling over their respective planes, commanders among commanders! They had entered this plane battlefield hoping to climb one step higher, to accumulate enough military merits to obtain a Sovereign artifact, and to rise among the ruling class of their worlds.
But alas...
If some succeed, others must fail.
One commander's success is bought with the deaths of ten other commanders, or the fall of a hundred thousand Highgod soldiers! Unfortunately, Langslo and Yuland had become those who failed.
"Hu, hu!"
The wind stirred — then stopped.
Two figures appeared on the battlefield. Both wore blue-green robes, both had blue-green hair, and their faces and heights were identical. The only difference between them — the only one — was their eyebrows: one pair gold, the other white. Anyone who didn't know them would have mistaken these two for the clone and original of the same person.
If Lin Lei had been here, he would have recognized them: the legendary twin commanders of the Wind Godplane.
"Big brother, did you see that?" the white-browed young man said gravely.
The gold-browed youth glanced at the two corpses on the ground and nodded slightly. "I saw it. Although I've never witnessed that legendary Belute use his innate divine ability, based on the phantom images we saw before, that shadow just now should have been the God-Eating Mouse's phantom!" Earlier, when Bei Bei had activated his innate divine ability, the God-Eating Mouse phantom had been over a hundred meters tall — visible to anyone from a great distance.
That was precisely why Lin Lei and Bei Bei had left immediately.
The white-browed youth nodded. "This Langslo — even the two of us together would have struggled against him. He was incredibly difficult to deal with. Langslo's soul defense was extremely powerful. To kill him, only a Sovereign Highgod could have done it — or, of course, Belute, with his terrifying innate divine ability. Belute's innate technique ignores ordinary commanders' soul defenses. The one who struck just now was almost certainly Belute!"
Belute had risen to fame only a little over ten thousand years ago.
And as for Bei Bei — very few people knew about him. Bei Bei had reached Highgod status without ever making a big splash. How could these powerhouses from other planes possibly know about him? So they assumed it was Belute who had attacked!
"Why would Belute even come to the plane battlefield?" the white-browed youth furrowed his brow. "With his strength, he has no need for this place. His fists alone are enough to rival Sovereign artifacts. This battlefield is already chaotic enough, and now he sticks his nose in... it's just bullying people!"
"And what if he is bullying you? Would you dare go fight Belute head-on?" the gold-browed youth said with a faint smile.
It was precisely because they had spotted the God-Eating Mouse phantom that they had deliberately waited before approaching. They were terrified of running into Belute.
"Alright, little brother, let's go. Stay alert — if we run into Belute, keep our distance." The gold-browed youth cast one last glance at the two corpses on the ground, then turned into a phantom and drifted away. His brother followed close behind. On the empty clearing, only the two lifeless corpses remained.
A low, charred hill. Deep beneath its belly lay a spacious cavern.
Lin Lei and Bei Bei had burst up from underground and carved out this hideout.
"Haha, boss, big haul! A massive haul!" Bei Bei cheered excitedly, setting down the heavy dark-purple armor in his hands and tossing a spatial ring beside it. But just as he was about to say a few more words of excitement, he suddenly froze.
"Boss!" Bei Bei stared blankly at Lin Lei.
At this moment, Lin Lei was gazing at the golden badge in his hand, his eyes brimming with emotion — tears were faintly visible in them.
"I finally... finally got a golden badge." Lin Lei clutched the golden badge tightly in his palm, pressing it to his chest. In that moment, the badge seemed to transform — into his father, into George and Yeru, and precious memories from his childhood and youth flooded his mind.
The golden badge — to Lin Lei, did it represent the chance to accumulate merits for a Sovereign artifact?
No.
It meant bringing back the father who had been taken from him in his youth. It meant bringing back the brothers who had died wrongfully and in despair.
"Father, Yeru, George..." Lin Lei closed his eyes and whispered. "I can save at least one of you now! My father, my brothers — you must wait for me, wait for me to leave this plane battlefield. You've already held on for nearly two thousand years — just hold on a little longer!"
"Wait for me..."
Tears slipped unconsciously from the corners of his eyes.
Ever since setting foot in the Underworld, these past decades had been filled with crushing pressure on Lin Lei's shoulders. It was as though a massive stone was perpetually weighing down on his heart! First, he had traveled to the Nether Mountain to meet the 'Ruler of Death,' and had finally, painstakingly, obtained a sliver of hope. Then, in the Nine Hells, he had challenged the Lord of Redcliff and succeeded, earning the qualification to enter the plane battlefield.
And that was only the beginning.
After entering the plane battlefield, Lin Lei had constantly felt the pressure. He was consumed by uncertainty, and deep in his heart lurked a faint fear.
This seemingly tranquil plane battlefield concealed far too many powerful beings. Lin Lei feared that he would encounter a truly supreme powerhouse who would kill both him and Bei Bei. His own death wouldn't be可怕的 — but if Bei Bei died, Lin Lei would be consumed by guilt forever. And more than that... he would never get another chance to save his father, to save his brothers.
During his first half year in the plane battlefield, he had failed again and again. It had even begun to make Lin Lei doubt himself.
Anxiety. Unease. These emotions had wrapped around him like a vice.
Though Lin Lei had maintained a calm exterior while lying in ambush, his heart had been racing — because he hadn't managed to hunt down a single commander. He doubted whether he could ever obtain a commander's badge. Amid that gnawing unease, Lin Lei had dragged himself through each day. And then... just moments ago, that sudden, fierce battle had turned it all around.
It had brought him joy.
"I succeeded. A golden badge at last," Lin Lei told himself. "Bei Bei and I, working together — we can do this. It's been less than a year, and I've already earned a golden badge. And this plane war still has nearly nine hundred years to go. I will earn enough golden badges."
One success had brought peace to Lin Lei's heart.