Lin Lei took two deep breaths in succession, his chest rising and falling like a bellows, before settling back into calm.
"Since that Augustus agreed to the Ruler of Fate, 'Olf,' he must be going all out. No wonder he's kept the Twelve-Winged Divine Angels so well-protected, rarely letting them out on missions." Lin Lei's gaze turned cold. "My mother is most likely a Twelve-Winged Divine Angel. In another six hundred years, if I don't intervene, she'll definitely be sent to the Plane Battlefield!"
Lin Lei's brow furrowed slightly as he murmured, "Six hundred years…"
Whether it was Beirut's request or the request of the Four Divine Beast clans, both demanded that Lin Lei kill Augustus. He had originally planned to increase his strength and then go kill Augustus — fulfilling the expectations of Beirut and the Four Divine Beast clans while rescuing his mother all at once.
It would be killing multiple birds with one stone!
"But now, I have to make trade-offs!"
"One option: give up on my mother, devote myself to cultivation, and after I've succeeded, kill Augustus."
"Second option: find some unknown Fire-type Lower God to kill, refine the Fire-type Lower God spark, increase my strength, and then kill Augustus."
"Third option: submit for now, endure in patience, lower my posture! Go negotiate with Augustus!"
Lin Lei made his decision almost in an instant.
Give up on his mother — impossible.
Killing a Fire-type God for no reason was something Lin Lei couldn't do either. Moreover, doing so would violate the agreement of the Four Great Ruler Gods.
"Fine." Lin Lei took a deep breath, his gaze resolute. "Submit for now. Endure."
"Lin Lei!"
Just then, two figures walked into the garden — Beirut and Qing Huo. Although Lin Lei hadn't managed to kill Augustus last time, the strength he'd displayed was still slightly superior to Augustus's. If the two fought to the death, Augustus's chances of dying were higher.
That was why Augustus didn't dare provoke Lin Lei again.
Naturally, Beirut and Qing Huo could now freely stay in Hell with their God-cloned bodies. Having hidden themselves in the Yulan Plane for so many years, they were now able to move about freely in the outside world, and of course they were delighted.
"Lin Lei, the Blood Peak God just came by. Was there something important?" Beirut said with a smile, stroking his beard.
As fellow Gods, they had naturally noticed the Blood Peak God's arrival. But since the Blood Peak God, 'Pash,' was clearly seeking out Lin Lei alone, the two of them had refrained from showing themselves. They only came out after the Blood Peak God had left.
"It's about the Plane War and my matter of taking on God messengers. A Plane War will begin in six hundred years, with Hell and the Heavens on opposing sides. This particular Plane Battlefield is extremely important," Lin Lei explained, then went on to recount all the detailed information.
Beirut and Qing Huo listened attentively.
After hearing everything, they sighed and marveled.
"So that's how Augustus got so lucky. No wonder the Ruler of Fate owes him a favor," Beirut remarked.
"The Twelve-Winged Divine Angel legion truly can play a decisive role on the Plane Battlefield," Qing Huo agreed in amazement. "Deployed all at once, they can practically guarantee victory in a Plane War. And ten consecutive victories in a row — the rewards are truly staggering. No wonder even the Ruler of Fate had to ask Augustus for help."
The last Plane War Lin Lei had experienced was between the Divine Plane of Light and the Divine Plane of Darkness.
Because the outcome of that particular war wasn't very important, the Gods behind the scenes had intervened less.
"Lin Lei, what did you just say? The Twelve-Winged Divine Angel legion is going to the Plane Battlefield — doesn't that mean…?" Beirut suddenly realized. "Your mother…"
"That's right." Lin Lei looked at Beirut helplessly. "Tell me, do I have any other choice?"
Beirut pondered for a moment.
Six hundred years…
It had taken Lin Lei five thousand years to achieve his current level. For him to make a major breakthrough in just six hundred years — even Beirut himself had no confidence in that.
"So you…" Beirut looked at Lin Lei.
"I've decided. Tomorrow, I will set out for the Divine Plane of Light," Lin Lei said calmly, his gaze drifting toward the distant sky. It was as though his eyes pierced through the barriers of space itself, seeing all the way to the Divine Plane of Light.
Beirut nodded after a brief silence. "If you want to achieve great things, sometimes you have to know when to bend and when to stand tall. In Augustus's eyes, you're just a Perfect-stage God with no real potential. He probably doesn't regard you with much fear. The chances of a successful negotiation with him are quite high. As for the future… there will be time to deal with him then."
Beirut was a man who could be decisive in killing and equally patient when it was called for.
Back when he had discovered the Four Divine Beast corpses, he had known that seizing them was incredibly dangerous. But he had understood that if he succeeded, he would transform from a mere God into a God of the Realm. And his decision had been grounded in the circumstances of the time: first, the Rulers wouldn't care about a single Highgod; second, in a Material Plane, one enjoyed the plane's natural protection; and third, as a Divine Devouring Mouse, he feared no spatial chaos.
With advantages to leverage, confidence, the courage to take risks, and the patience to endure — that was how the current Beirut had been forged.
Otherwise, how could the Yulan lineage have produced three Gods of the Realm?
"I hope it turns out as Grandfather Beirut says," Lin Lei nodded.
In the vast Divine Plane of Light, a streak of light shot skyward from a teleportation array, crossing millions of miles in the blink of an eye.
The wind cut like a blade. Below stretched an endless ocean. Lin Lei, dressed in a sky-blue robe, flew at a tremendous altitude, his incredible speed propelling him forward. The quiet, focused look in his eyes was as sharp as a cold blade's edge.
"Hm?" Lin Lei's brow furrowed slightly. "I didn't expect the Ruler of Fate, 'Olf,' to actually be here."
Upon arriving at the Divine Plane of Light, Lin Lei's fused divine sense had instantly enveloped the entire plane. Every disturbance within it was under his control. He naturally detected the Light God, 'Augustus,' but who would have thought that Augustus was together with Olf?
"He being here makes it even better," Lin Lei thought to himself.