Back then, Blood Ridge Chief God killed Moerode in Lüyan City within the Tianshan Prefecture.
That huge commotion naturally attracted the attention of Lüyan City's Lord and numerous Highgod powers, but Blood Ridge Chief God ordered that city lord to ignore the matter. Moreover, Blood Ridge Chief God also destroyed the corpse, erasing all traces. With a Chief God's word... the Lüyan City Lord naturally dared not meddle further.
The matter was then left unresolved.
Moerode, fearing pursuit by Lin Lei at the time, had secretly hidden himself alone in Lüyan City, renting a mansion. Though Moerode died, the soldiers of Tianshan Prefecture did not know, still believing their Prefecture Lord was alive and well.
In the Tianshan Prefecture, at the original location of Moerode's mansion, a large number of soldiers were stationed.
The blood-red sun hung high in the sky when suddenly a bolt of lightning slashed across the heavens, finally halting above that Prefecture Lord's mansion and transforming into a human figure. This person stood in midair, straight as a javelin. Though lean, an overbearing aura radiated freely from him. His ink-black hair, long enough to reach his buttocks, drifted casually in the wind.
On his back, he still carried a war blade.
This person was none other than the powerhouse 'Rein' whom Lin Lei had met back in the Starry Fog Sea. In those days, Rein already possessed terrifying strength approaching the 'Asura' level.
"This is the Prefecture Lord's residence. You should withdraw immediately." Instantly, numerous soldiers flew into the air, with the lead figure shouting angrily at Rein.
Rein was deliberately releasing his aura while hovering above the Prefecture Lord's mansion—a clear provocation.
Rein's gaze swept over the crowd below, his tone indifferent: "From this day forth, I, 'Rein Bolnos,' am the Tianshan Prefecture Lord!" His voice boomed like thunder, echoing between heaven and earth. The hundreds of thousands of soldiers stationed nearby, as well as the residents of villages further out, heard every word clearly.
"Preposterous!" a withered old man shrouded in a black robe roared angrily. "Our Tianshan Prefecture Lord is Lord Moerode. If you wish to become Prefecture Lord, then follow the rules—first become a Seven-Star Demon, then come and issue your challenge."
The soldiers below were also greatly angered.
Could one simply declare themselves Prefecture Lord? To proclaim oneself Prefecture Lord so brazenly while hovering above the Prefecture Lord's mansion—it was utterly ridiculous.
"Rumble~~~"
Terrifying energy, thick and black as ink, condensed in the sky above. That aura of energy made the soldiers below tremble with fear. Especially among the stronger ones, like the withered old man in the black robe, whose face changed drastically: "This much divine power of a Chief God..."
Immediately after, the chief god power energy filling heaven and earth coalesced into a giant face tens of meters high.
"Whoosh—"
A terrifying chief god's might spread outward.
"Chief God!" All the soldiers plummeted to the ground, trembling as they knelt in reverence.
"Chief God." Rein also descended to the ground, kneeling.
"The former Tianshan Prefecture Lord 'Moerode' committed a capital crime and has been executed. From this day forth, the Tianshan Prefecture Lord shall be the one before you, 'Rein.'" A voice like thunder boomed in everyone's ears and minds. Overwhelmed by the chief god's aura and might, none of the soldiers dared to lift their heads.
Then, that giant face tens of meters high abruptly dissipated. The world returned to clarity.
Only then did the soldiers dare to raise their heads. Seeing the chief god had gone, they straightened up.
"Greetings to the Prefecture Lord!" Those with quick reactions immediately knelt on one knee toward Rein.
"Greetings to the Prefecture Lord!" Instantly, hundreds of thousands followed suit, kneeling on one knee and shouting in unison.
Rein's gaze, sharp as an arrow, swept around the circle. A hint of a smile involuntarily appeared on his face. After so many years of bitter cultivation, he had finally become a Prefecture Lord, earning a spot among the 108 Asuras of Hell.
However, Rein had been appointed by a Chief God, rather than defeating the Prefecture Lord according to the normal rules. So... naturally, there would certainly be many who were unconvinced. One could imagine that in the future, many Seven-Star Demons would come to challenge Rein.
"Come then. The more the better." Rein's eyes gleamed.
High above Kaluosh Continent in Hell, a black dragon metallic lifeform soared through the sky.
"The Prefecture Lord is actually dead! Didn't we make this trip for nothing?" Inside the metallic lifeform, fifteen Highgod soldiers were gathered together.
Those sent to the Starry Fog Sea to relay the news had moved faster, but the Highgod soldiers sent to Kaluosh Continent had not yet delivered their message. In fact, among the hundred-odd Highgod warriors, over the past century, only about forty had successfully delivered the news. The others, especially those in remote regions, naturally took even longer.
By the time Rein descended and released the divine clones of the hundred soldiers trapped in the mansion, these soldiers learned that Moerode was dead.
"Since Moerode is dead, even if we deliver this, there's no reward. Brothers, let's go. Let's head back."
"After traveling for over a hundred years, it was all for nothing."
These soldiers were clearly feeling disgruntled.
"Hey, I say, let's just sell this information directly. This is big news, and if we sell it to the intelligence department of a Devil's Castle, we can get a good price. Anyway, Moerode is dead; even if we leak the news, he can't kill us."
"Right, this kind of information is definitely worth a high price."
"This news also mentions Lord Lin Lei. I think Moerode was deliberately trying to frame Lord Lin Lei." These soldiers did not believe the news was true.
Soon, these soldiers, who had made a fruitless journey and could no longer expect a reward from Moerode, chose to sell this earth-shattering piece of information to a Devil's Castle. A Devil's Castle had many internal departments—escorts, assassinations, treasure hunts, and so on, with numerous tasks. Naturally, they would also purchase intelligence and information.
This intelligence was bought by the Devil's Castle, and those soldiers who no longer feared Moerode also informed the Devil's Castle that this intelligence was what Moerode had ordered them to deliver to various Prefecture Lords and Chief God envoys.
Since it had fallen into the Devil's Castle's hands, such intelligence, the Devil's Castle would naturally sell it at a good price to numerous powerhouses. Naturally, this news soon reached the ears of some powerful figures in Hell.