In the void, the Rule Sovereign of Fate still stood silently in his white robes.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"...
Around the surface of the Rule Sovereign of Fate, whether near his thighs or his shoulders, a hazy luminescence was evaporating. It was as though water had been brought to a boil, simmering and churning. That hazy glow shrouded the Rule Sovereign of Fate's body, while his eyes remained fixed on the spear thrusting toward him.
The black long spear pierced forward.
In that instant, the Rule Sovereign of Fate's gaze turned razor-sharp.
"Whoosh~~" His right hand swept forward in a sudden, violent motion, as though he were churning heaven and earth themselves. The frozen space around them trembled.
*Crack!*
The Rule Sovereign of Fate's right hand had, against all expectation, seized the tip of the black long spear.
The Rule Sovereign of Destruction stared at this in horror, then let out a resigned sigh: "I've lost after all."
"Utreade." The Rule Sovereign of Fate's eyes shimmered with an unusual light as he spoke. "What do you call this technique you created?"
"It was inspired by the ultimate arts of the Four Divine Beasts. It's called 'Spacetime Disarray.'"
"Spacetime Disarray? A formidable technique. After all these years, I have finally sensed the aura of death." The Rule Sovereign of Fate sighed with emotion.
The Rule Sovereign of Destruction let out a lonely, bitter laugh: "Enough, Alf. A loss is a loss! This technique, 'Spacetime Disarray,' is without question the strongest move I have ever developed. It multiplies my strength more than a thousandfold. And yet, it still wasn't enough to defeat you. Ha ha..." The Rule Sovereign of Destruction's laughter carried a note of desolation and powerlessness.
"Utreade," the Rule Sovereign of Fate said gravely, "I can tell you plainly—this technique of yours is primarily a soul attack! And I possess a Soul-Defensive Supreme Artifact! Therefore, the most powerful aspect of your 'Spacetime Disarray' is ineffective against me. But 'Spacetime Disarray' has effects beyond the soul attack—it also distorts time and space. However, for countless ages, the main direction of my research has been in the physical realm. Body enhancement, material attacks, and so forth. Even so, I had to exert myself to the absolute limit to block your spear under those restraints."
The Rule Sovereign of Destruction sighed.
He understood.
The moment he had created 'Spacetime Disarray,' he had known. The other two Rule Sovereigns were no match for him!
With the soul-shattering impact of 'Spacetime Disarray,' anyone without a Soul-Defensive Supreme Artifact would absolutely be unable to withstand it. But as it happened, the Rule Sovereign of Fate had one! Back when the Rule Sovereign of Fate had completed his Supreme God task, he had chosen this Soul-Defensive Supreme Artifact. Many had thought him foolish, selecting something so seemingly useless.
After all, what other Sovereign could possibly threaten his soul?
But who could have guessed that it would prove useful right now.
"You should remember our agreement." The Rule Sovereign of Fate's gaze burned with intensity.
The Rule Sovereign of Destruction glanced at him and smiled bitterly: "Of course I will honor it."
The ten Sovereign-level experts watching from a distance were all stunned when they saw the battle had concluded.
"How is this possible? Lord Alf. He was able to withstand such a swift strike even under those world-binding constraints?" The Rule Sovereign of the Water System could hardly believe it. Every other Sovereign had felt the world-binding effect of that 'Spacetime Disarray.'
"Lord Alf actually won."
The assembled Sovereigns were shaken to their core.
"Frightening." That was the only word in Lin Lei's heart.
The Rule Sovereign of Life smiled gently: "The Four Divine Beasts' combined attack from years past may have affected spacetime, but its primary function was still a soul attack! Alf possesses a 'Soul-Defensive Supreme Artifact,' so against him, that technique served mainly as a restraint. But the fact that he could block that spear even while bound..."
"Utterly useless."
The Rule Sovereign of Death couldn't help but curse under her breath.
Lin Lei couldn't help but glance at the Rule Sovereign of Death. He had never seen this cute, lovely young girl so flustered and exasperated before.
"Lin Lei." The Rule Sovereign of Death suddenly transmitted her voice to him.
"What is it?" Lin Lei looked at her in puzzlement.
"There is something I need you to promise me." The Rule Sovereign of Death's transmission was solemn.
"Please, go ahead," Lin Lei said quickly, though he couldn't help wondering—what could the Rule Sovereign of Death possibly need from him?
The Rule Sovereign of Death transmitted: "You must remember, no matter what... the three of you from the Yulan lineage must never, under any circumstances, give the Four Divine Beasts' divine blood to Alf!"
"Hm?" Lin Lei was bewildered. "My Sovereign, may I ask why?"
"Ugh." The Rule Sovereign of Death sighed. "Lin Lei, do you know why Utreade just now swapped his Supreme Artifact for a Highgod Artifact?"
"I really don't," Lin Lei admitted. He had been wondering the same thing—why swap a Supreme Artifact for a Highgod Artifact? Wouldn't that only weaken his strength?
The Rule Sovereign of Death transmitted: "In truth, this time the four of us Rule Sovereigns gathered together. After judging your matter, as you all departed one by one, the Rule Sovereign of Destruction—'Utreade'—proposed another duel with the Rule Sovereign of Fate. But the Rule Sovereign of Fate declined, because... he considered such duels beneath him."
"After that, the Rule Sovereign of Destruction revealed that he had created an ultimate technique similar to the Four Divine Beasts' innate divine abilities." The Rule Sovereign of Death's voice carried a note of wonder. "We were all shocked, but this madman Alf was intrigued. However, a technique modeled after the Four Divine Beasts' combined innate divine abilities—its power was easy to imagine. Even this madman Alf had no certainty of winning. So, the two of them reached an agreement."
"What agreement?" Lin Lei asked quickly.
"The agreement was this: once the Rule Sovereign of Destruction unleashed that technique, he would only be permitted to attack using a Highgod Artifact. If the Rule Sovereign of Fate failed to catch it with his bare hand, he would be declared the loser! But if the Rule Sovereign of Fate, even while under the technique's effect, still managed to catch the Highgod Artifact with his hand, he would be declared the winner." The Rule Sovereign of Death explained.