Patriarch Augustus furrowed his brow as he stood on the balcony, turning his gaze toward the distant Sea of Divine Prisons in unexpected silence.
"Patriarch." Monteiro spoke up urgently. But Patriarch Augustus offered no response. Monteiro understood—the Patriarch was deep in thought—and he stopped pressing, though anxiety gnawed at him inside. "With the Patriarch's temperament, he very well might ignore this matter. If that happens, who'll go to kill that God-Devouring Mouse and the others?"
"No. They must be killed, both of them." Monteiro turned the problem over and over in his mind, searching for any way.
Though Monteiro was an important figure in the Augustus clan, he had no significant personal ties to any Grand Perfection powerhouse.
Avenging themselves on the Planar Battlefield was extremely difficult. After all, anyone capable of slaying other commanders on the battlefield would certainly be no weakling. To have absolute confidence in killing them, only a Grand Perfection expert would do.
The total number of Grand Perfection Highgods across all planes was small to begin with, and they were scattered across the various planes. Some Grand Perfection Highgods hid themselves in material planes; others secluded themselves in remote places. Getting a Grand Perfection expert to agree to anything was an enormously difficult task.
Not everyone could, like the elven powerhouse 'Okarower,' compel a Grand Perfection expert to owe them a favor.
Forget Monteiro—even Patriarch Augustus, the head of the foremost clan, had no absolute confidence in summoning a Grand Perfection expert to his side.
"Describe the strength of each member of Lei Sijing's team," Patriarch Augustus said, his voice flat as he gazed out at the Sea of Divine Prisons.
"Yes." Monteiro brightened immediately. "Their team has four members in total: Lei Sijing, a powerhouse whose strength approaches Uman's, a young man from the Azure Dragon clan, and the God-Devouring Mouse! Among the four, Lei Sijing is the strongest. Of course, that God-Devouring Mouse is also terrifying—its innate divine ability is far too powerful."
"Oh?" Patriarch Augustus turned his head sharply, fixing Monteiro with a piercing stare. "That powerhouse approaching Uman's level—is there nothing special about him?"
"Uman can handle him." Monteiro said with certainty.
If Uman fought Lei Hong, then yes, Uman wielded a Lord-grade divine weapon that specifically countered Lei Hong. Even if the battle grew difficult, Uman could still kill Lei Hong.
"If we want to kill the Azure Dragon clan youth and the God-Devouring Mouse, the difficulty is considerable." Patriarch Augustus shook his head slightly. In truth, he was hesitant about whether to launch an attack at all. Those people—Lüyi, Xiaswei, and the rest—weren't even members of his Augustus clan. Their deaths would have no impact on his family.
If a Messenger of a Highgod was lost, the Highgod could simply take on another.
Monteiro grew anxious. "Patriarch, if they had only killed me, I could accept it. But this time they killed a full four of our people! And you know what kind of person Lei Sijing is—he delights in stirring up chaos. He already had a grudge against our clan, and after this victory, he'll be broadcasting it everywhere, gloating. If our clan shows no reaction at all, then—"
Patriarch Augustus's brow knotted together, and that crimson mole on his forehead seemed to flare with red light.
He immediately issued his command: "Monteiro, go and invite Uman here. At the same time, send someone quickly to invite Chegewen as well."
Though Uman's most powerful divine clone had gone to the Planar Battlefield, he still had other clones residing within the clan. As for 'Chegewen,' he also lived near the Sea of Divine Prisons. He was a Messenger of a Highgod serving under the Radiant Sovereign and maintained close ties with the Augustus clan.
"Yes!" Monteiro could barely contain his joy.
So there was hope after all. Monteiro was thrilled. Though he didn't know exactly how the Patriarch planned to arrange things, now that the Patriarch knew the strength of Lei Sijing's side, Monteiro was confident the Patriarch would dispatch a team with absolute certainty of victory.
If you don't strike, fine—but when you do, you must win.
---
The Planar Battlefield. A stretch of barren wasteland.
"Whoosh, whoosh—" Cold winds howled across the desolate landscape, whipping up sand and stones. Through the bitter wind, two figures could be faintly seen walking side by side. As they drew closer, their features became clear. One wore a golden robe with silver hair cropped short, his features chiseled and severe. This was none other than 'Uman,' who had narrowly escaped with his life in the previous battle.
Beside Uman walked a tall, thin figure draped in a green robe. At the center of his forehead was a closed vertical eye—remarkable and unmistakable. This was Chegewen.
"The Patriarch really does dote on that Monteiro, doesn't he? Going so far as to orchestrate a retaliatory strike over this matter." Uman scoffed. "And he's dragging me along with you."
Chegewen smiled faintly, an oddly bewitching expression on his face. "Uman, the Patriarch is, after all, the Sovereign's most favored son. And he spoke to me personally—how could I refuse to give face? But Uman… for those four of Lei Sijing's to have driven you lot to that extent, they must be quite strong."
"I already told you—only the God-Devouring Mouse was troublesome." Uman said with self-mockery.
That battle, once word spread, would certainly affect Uman's reputation.
"But this time, we have absolute confidence." Uman said with a smile.
"That's not certain yet. It all depends on whether *he* agrees." Chegewen shook his head. "He may not necessarily agree to this."
"If he doesn't agree, the two of us alone would indeed face difficulty." Uman looked ahead.
As they spoke, the two had arrived before a military encampment. The guards at the perimeter immediately fixed them with wary stares. Anyone bold enough to traverse the Planar Battlefield alone was invariably a supreme powerhouse. Uman spoke without hesitation: "Go and inform your commander—tell him Uman has come to pay a visit."
"Please wait a moment, my lords." One of the soldiers bowed slightly and hurried off to deliver the message.
Only a brief moment passed.
"Gentlemen, the Commander invites you in." The soldier returned.
Uman and Chegewen walked through the gates side by side and soon arrived at the entrance of an ancient courtyard. Standing at the gate was a handsome young man with golden hair. The moment he spotted Uman and his companion, he broke into a smile: "Uman—and Chegewen as well! What an unexpected honor to have you two come to see me. Please, come in!"
Uman stepped forward and lowered his voice: "Ramsen, is Master Magnus here?"
"He is." The golden-haired youth blinked. "You've come to see him?"