"Are you a Pinnacle Highgod?"
This question was not merely a perplexity gnawing at Clementine's mind. Even the other seven Pinnacle Highgods flying toward the scene from afar were consumed by shock and disbelief! Lin Lei hadn't even undergone dragon transformation, yet he had managed to gravely wound Clementine through a Highgod artifact.
What kind of strength was this?
It had to be over ten times greater! More than ten times the strength of an invincible Pinnacle — was there truly such a person beneath the Chief Gods? And this was without dragon transformation. If Lin Lei were to transform, how many times would his power multiply compared to a Pinnacle Highgod? Lin Lei's very existence was something utterly inconceivable.
"Pinnacle Highgod?" Lin Lei raised an eyebrow.
"Could it be that you've broken through further? Are you saying that after reaching the Pinnacle, it's possible to break through even beyond that?" Clementine fired off questions in rapid succession. The tokens of the Chief Gods, while valuable, held limited appeal to Pinnacle Highgods. Having reached the Pinnacle, they had already lost their drive. They believed they had reached the absolute peak. Each of them lived freely and carefree, some reclusive, others wielding influence over entire regions.
But upon seeing Lin Lei, these Pinnacles all realized that it seemed further improvement was still possible!
In an instant, their hearts blazed with fervor.
"No. Could it be that, as a fellow Pinnacle, I can't simply be dozens of times — even a hundred times — stronger than you?" Lin Lei said with a faint smile.
"I..." Clementine faltered. "You — it's because of your body?"
"Exactly. I am a Pinnacle Highgod, but what sets me apart from all of you is my body. My body is comparable to a Highgod artifact," Lin Lei said with a smile. Even at this point, Lin Lei had no intention of revealing his secret.
"A body comparable to a Highgod artifact? That's simply... how is that possible!"
Clementine understood everything now!
Both were Pinnacles, both wielding Chief God energy. Logically, their power should have been equal. But Lin Lei's body was as formidable as a Highgod artifact. Such a powerful body made Lin Lei's physical attacks dozens — even nearly a hundred — times stronger than those of an ordinary Pinnacle!
"What's so impossible about it? Hemmers, for example — although he hasn't reached the Pinnacle, his natural talent is so extraordinary that his pure physical attacks already rival a Pinnacle's. Tell me, if he reached the Pinnacle and gained Will of Laws, wouldn't his physical attacks far surpass all of yours?" Lin Lei said calmly.
Without the Pinnacle, Hemmers was already that strong. If he ever reached the Pinnacle, he would absolutely surpass all other Pinnacles.
"I understand." Clementine let out a long sigh.
"Lin Lei, you are the foremost being beneath the Chief Gods for all of eternity," Clementine said, his gaze complicated as he looked at Lin Lei.
Clementine grasped Lin Lei's reasoning, but among all the Pinnacle Highgods, not a single one possessed a body comparable to a Highgod artifact.
After all, across all the countless planes, throughout all of history, those whose bodies were powerful enough to rival a Highgod artifact — Hemmers could barely count as one, Belrut was another... all told, there were fewer than ten! Across all the countless planes combined, fewer than ten. And among these terrifyingly gifted individuals, what were the odds that even one would become a Pinnacle Highgod? Was that realistic?
The Pinnacle represented countless life forms across countless planes, accumulated over countless years — a number so vast it was beyond imagination. And yet only slightly over twenty Pinnacle Highgods had ever emerged.
The probability was vanishingly small, virtually approaching zero.
People like Hemmers and Belrut numbered fewer than ten in total. The chances of any of them reaching the Pinnacle were unrealistic.
In truth, as dictated by the workings of heaven and earth, those with extreme natural talent found cultivation far more difficult. Never mind Belrut and Hemmers — even the forebears of the Four Divine Beast clans had never achieved the Pinnacle.
Heaven was fair!
If Lin Lei had developed normally, he never could have grown this powerful. He could never have obtained a body as formidable as a Highgod artifact!
But when he had four divine clones and his soul underwent the extraordinary mutation — it succeeded!
Lin Lei's mighty body was not something he had been born with. It was forged later through the fusion of divine power!
From the moment his four divine clone soul mutation succeeded, it was destined — a miracle was born!
Lin Lei's "Will of Laws" and "fused divine power," which surpassed the Pinnacle, compensated for his deficiencies in the profound mysteries of the Laws, enabling him to rival a Pinnacle Highgod. And his body, as formidable as a Highgod artifact, elevated him far beyond them all.
"Clementine. You've asked your questions — now hand over the Red Diamond Crystal," Lin Lei said, fixing his gaze on Clementine.
"I had intended to present it to the Chief God. Oh well." With a flip of his hand, a Red Diamond Crystal appeared in Clementine's palm. Holding it, Clementine smiled at Lin Lei. "This Red Diamond Crystal does indeed possess some peculiar effects for nourishing the soul. But for us Pinnacles, it's no longer of any use."
Clementine casually tossed the Red Diamond Crystal to Lin Lei.
A treasure's effects diminished according to the level of the person wielding it.
If a mortal held the Red Diamond Crystal, its power would likely strengthen that mortal's soul to the Saint Realm level in mere moments.
A Midgod holding it would also feel their soul grow stronger — a Midgod could even slay an ordinary Highgod. However, if a Highgod held the Red Diamond Crystal, their soul would not be further enhanced.
The power amplification worked the same way. The stronger the wielder, the weaker the boosting effect.
The Red Diamond Crystal was merely a token, not a Chief God artifact. Its power was special, but it was far from invincible.
When Bromley had held it, he could kill a Six-Star Demon.
But that Mord, who possessed all nine Spirit Pearls, had nearly been finished off by Lin Lei — a Lin Lei who hadn't even achieved the breakthrough with fused divine power.
The room for further improvement was already minuscule.
For Pinnacle Highgods, whether in soul or body, having absorbed the Will of Laws had already pushed them to the absolute limit of ordinary gods. Even holding the Red Diamond Crystal or all nine Spirit Pearls, the best they could hope for was a ten or twenty percent boost at most. A marginal increase in recovery meant nothing when facing an opponent dozens of times stronger.
"This healing effect is essentially negligible for a Pinnacle Highgod." Lin Lei reached out and caught the tossed Red Diamond Crystal. A gentle energy seeped into his body, enveloping his soul — just as it had when he'd held the nine Spirit Pearls. This modest soul-nourishing capability had absolutely no effect on Lin Lei's already formidable soul.
On the surface, Lin Lei remained calm, but inwardly his heart trembled with tension.
"The Red Diamond Crystal — this is definitely the Red Diamond Crystal!" Lin Lei's mind screamed. "All three tokens — I've obtained every single one!"