Augusta's body fell, drifting in the spatial turbulence like a piece of flotsam in the river of chaotic space.
One sword strike, and the Light Ruler 'Augusta' was dead!
"Augusta is dead?"
"Lin Lei, he killed Augusta?"
Many Sovereigns gasped. For countless ages, it had been a very, very long time since a true Ruler had fallen.
"Good riddance."
Death, Destruction, and over a dozen other Sovereigns who had already guessed the relationship between Augusta and Oph felt a flicker of pleasure in their hearts!
...
"Boom!" "Boom!"
Two streaks of light shot out from Augusta's corpse at tremendous speed. One was a ring, the other a light sword.
"Stay!" Unable to pursue in time, Lin Lei could only control his fused Sovereign power, condensing it into a 'sphere' far away, intending to block these two Supreme Divine Artifacts.
"My Supreme Divine Artifacts, are not yours to keep." Oph's deep voice echoed in Lin Lei's mind. The light sword in midair suddenly blazed with intensified light, and with a "pop" sound, it pierced straight through the sphere. Lin Lei only saw two streaks of light, and then both Supreme Divine Artifacts vanished from sight.
Seeing this, Lin Lei sighed inwardly.
The Supreme Divine Artifacts originally belonged to the Ruler of Fate, 'Oph'. Controlled by Oph's will, their flight speed far exceeded that of any Sovereign.
In the void, billions of miles from Lin Lei.
Oph, clad in white robes, reached out his right hand and caught the 'light sword' flying towards him. This light sword was the 'Fate Supreme Divine Artifact', and on another body like 'Augusta', it naturally couldn't display its full power. But in the hands of the Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', its might greatly increased.
The ring was also placed on Oph's finger.
...
Oph could remotely control Augusta's Supreme Divine Artifacts from a distance and wield them without needing a blood contract. Observing this from afar, the numerous Sovereigns, especially those who hadn't previously realized Oph and Augusta were one and the same, were utterly shocked.
Even the dullest person would understand after seeing this!
Oph and Augusta were one person!
"Ah, Lord Oph and Augusta are actually one person! Then... Lord Oph had long achieved Great Perfection, gaining an extra share of Will Power. He once achieved ten consecutive victories in a Planar War, gaining another share of Will Power. Possessing a Sovereign clone would also transform a Ruler of Fate's soul, granting yet another share of Will Power! Although his Sovereign clone is now dead, what was lost was only the Will Power contained within the Sovereign spark; the Will Power his soul had already increased remains unchanged. So now, Lord Oph is..."
All the Sovereigns were completely stunned.
By this point, everyone realized Oph's terrifying strength!
The transformation of the soul is irreversible. Once the soul is enhanced, it doesn't decrease just because a clone perishes.
Therefore, Augusta's death had no effect on the Ruler of Fate 'Oph's' strength. It only meant that Oph had lost one life.
"So, he has a full two more shares of Will Power than me! No wonder he could catch my Supreme Divine Artifact bare-handed." The Ruler of Destruction, 'Uthred', his face calm as water, watched everything silently.
All Sovereigns watched... waiting to see how the Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', would retaliate against Lin Lei.
...
"Whoosh!" The Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', reached his maximum speed, crossing billions of miles of sky. In less than a minute, he had traversed billions of miles and appeared within Lin Lei's line of sight.
Lin Lei stood in the void, holding the Life Supreme Divine Sword, surrounded by swirling spatial turbulence.
"Your speed is truly fast." Lin Lei actually praised him with a smile.
"Your courage is truly great." The Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', smiled at Lin Lei. "It seems you're full of confidence."
"But I sense you're quite confident as well," Lin Lei said with a faint smile. "You think just one Supreme Divine Artifact is enough to kill me? Oh, I almost forgot, you're also a member of the Bulai Clan, and you've even split your soul's thoughts into two parts. For countless ages, studying like a madman without pause, you must have some ultimate technique."
Hearing Lin Lei say this, a smile appeared on Oph's face.
"I am proud to be born a member of the Bulai Clan. Although my physical defense is far inferior to that of the Four Divine Beasts or divine beasts like the Black Turtle, my Bulai Clan members possess limitless potential," the Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', said, a strange light in his eyes. "Character determines destiny! Because the complexity of thought limits the achievements of many geniuses. But I can discard the complex thoughts that hinder my progress, casting aside all evil, greed, and madness, leaving only what I need."
Lin Lei smiled calmly. "So, we have the insane, domineering, and greedy Augusta, and the aloof, dedicated, top-tier powerhouse 'Oph'?"
"Exactly." Oph nodded with a smile. "To be honest, the innate abilities of my Bulai Clan members aren't strong enough. Back when I achieved Great Perfection, although I had a Sovereign clone, I wasn't confident of guaranteed victory over the other elemental Rulers. So, I had to hide my strength. I couldn't let them fear me. If the three of them joined forces, I would definitely lose. Therefore, I couldn't let them know Augusta was me."
"Of course, that also led to having 182 children! In reality, those children were all talented human infants selected from material worlds shortly after birth. Infants that age can't possibly remember events from when they were one or two years old. Raised by Augusta, they naturally believed Augusta was their father. Naturally, the Augusta family came into being. This way, who would suspect Augusta was me?"
Oph smiled easily.
"You were so cautious in the past, but now, it seems you're not afraid anymore?" Lin Lei asked with a faint smile.
The Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', nodded with a smile. "To be honest, now, among the four elemental Rulers, I don't consider the other three at all. Because... all these years, I've never revealed my full strength. You managed to destroy one of my bodies, which is impressive. Out of respect for you, today I will reveal everything. Even if you die, I'll let you die knowing why."
Lin Lei's brow furrowed slightly.
Oph spoke with absolute confidence.
"Kill me? Augusta also said he wanted to kill me, but in the end, he was killed by me," Lin Lei said with a smile. But suddenly—
"Shing—"
The Life Supreme Divine Sword in Lin Lei's hand instantly transformed into a streak of green light. A dark-green beam, compressed to the limit and as thin as a finger, flashed past in an instant. The space was sliced like cloth cut by scissors, leaving an incredibly thin crack. Before even the divine sense could probe it clearly, Lin Lei's Life Supreme Divine Sword had already pierced towards the Ruler of Fate, 'Oph'.
His ultimate technique—Sword Intent!
After fusing the four laws completely, Lin Lei's power increased a thousandfold, becoming terrifying. The might of this strike was unimaginable.
"Clang!"
A crisp sound.
Oph even watched Lin Lei with a smile, making no effort to block with his Fate Supreme Divine Artifact. He allowed Lin Lei's sword to strike his body.
"What!" Lin Lei's expression changed drastically.
"Impossible!" In the distance, the Ruler of Destruction, the Ruler of Death, and many other Sovereigns watching couldn't help but cry out. They had roughly estimated the power of Lin Lei's strike just now. If relying solely on physical defense, logically, no one should be able to withstand it, not even a Ruler!
"Haha..." Oph couldn't help but laugh.
"Since the creation of heaven and earth, including the one you just completed, Lin Lei, a total of seven Supreme Divine Artifact missions have been issued. Among them, the other three elemental Rulers and you, Lin Lei, each obtained one Supreme Divine Artifact, completing only four missions! Publicly, it's known that I obtained the Soul Defense Supreme Divine Artifact, and Augusta obtained the Offensive Supreme Divine Artifact. But there was another Supreme Divine Artifact mission. Do you know who completed it?" Oph was very pleased with himself.
Lin Lei was shocked. "Could it also be..."
"Also me," the Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', said with a beaming smile. "This Supreme Divine Artifact is the Material Defense Supreme Divine Artifact!" As he spoke, a pure black armor surfaced on Oph's body. This defensive Supreme Divine Artifact had already merged with Oph's skin.
Lin Lei felt his heart go cold.
The many Sovereigns watching from a distance fell completely silent.
Heavens!
This Oph was too monstrous! One person possessed the Soul Defense Supreme Divine Artifact, the Offensive Supreme Divine Artifact, and the Material Defense Supreme Divine Artifact! With these three Supreme Divine Artifacts, even if Oph just stood there, probably no one could kill him!
"Oph..."
The Ruler of Destruction, the Ruler of Death, and the Ruler of Life completely lost their ambition to compete. These three Supreme Divine Artifacts were enough to send anyone's confidence plummeting into an abyss.
"Usually, I transform this defensive Supreme Divine Artifact into the 'Augusta Garden'. I have already refined and bonded it to me. Under my control, it emits not a trace of aura. Although many people are curious about my floating garden and know Augusta Garden is unusual, no one knows... it is the Material Defense Supreme Divine Artifact transformed," Oph explained.
Augusta Garden turned out to be the Material Defense Supreme Divine Artifact!
Oph seemed to be in a very good mood, actually revealing all these secrets so completely.
"What? After hiding for so many years, you're revealing everything today?" Lin Lei and Oph were a million miles apart, and Lin Lei was on high alert.
Two peak existences among the Sovereigns stood in the spatial turbulence, separated by a million miles, speaking loudly. Their voices boomed like thunder.
"Haha, I no longer need to hide." Oph smiled. "As for why I no longer need to hide... you'll know soon enough." Oph showed no sadness at all over losing a Sovereign clone; instead, there was pride and smugness in his tone.
"Oh?" Lin Lei smiled.
"Whoosh!" Lin Lei immediately became a streak of rainbow light, fleeing at high speed towards the distance.
"This is terrible! Oph actually has three Supreme Divine Artifacts! Not to mention his own strength isn't weaker than mine, even if it were slightly weaker, with these three Supreme Divine Artifacts in hand, he's already completely invincible. I didn't expect that right after my breakthrough, I'd encounter such a monstrous being," Lin Lei thought helplessly.
"Flee?" The Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', similarly transformed into a brilliant light, pursuing at high speed.
Purely in terms of Will Power, the Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', had three more shares than an ordinary elemental Ruler. Lin Lei, on the other hand, had one more share than an ordinary elemental Ruler. However, Lin Lei possessed fused Sovereign power. It could be said that in terms of brute force, they should be roughly equal.
However, Lin Lei was not particularly skilled in speed.
The Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', had studied for countless years, having honed his defense, offense, and speed to the absolute limit.
At this moment, during the chase, Oph was clearly faster than Lin Lei by a significant margin.
"So fast!"
"Such speed is incredible."
In the spatial turbulence, many Sovereigns observing this scene were completely stunned. Whether it was Lin Lei or the Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', in terms of speed alone, they had surpassed all other Sovereigns.
"This Lin Lei is actually this strong," the Ruler of Destruction sighed. Having flown to his side, the Ruler of Death, clad in purple, also sighed: "Lin Lei is strong, but Oph has hidden his power far too deeply. Now that he's revealed his strength, we no longer even qualify to challenge him."
The Ruler of Destruction nodded helplessly.
With three Supreme Divine Artifacts in hand, who dared to fight Oph?
...
Some were terrified, while others were delighted. Those Sovereigns who had submitted to the Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', were now overjoyed.
"Haha... So Lord Oph is actually this powerful. Among Sovereigns, Lord Oph is absolutely invincible!" A man with black horns and long hair couldn't help but laugh.
"Everyone, Lord Oph is about to kill that brat Lin Lei. Oh, Lin Lei has already fled into the Life Sovereign Plane. Let's chase after him and watch," the Fire Elemental Ruler 'Betie' said with a smile. His words immediately drew the support of many nearby Sovereigns. By now, they all considered Lin Lei a dead man.
Lin Lei was strong, likely stronger than the other three elemental Rulers.
But the one chasing Lin Lei was Oph! Oph, who possessed three Supreme Divine Artifacts and was unfathomably deep!
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"...
In the spatial turbulence, a large number of Sovereigns also headed towards the Life Sovereign Plane.
...
In the Life Sovereign Plane, Lin Lei was fleeing at maximum speed ahead, while the Ruler of Fate, 'Oph', was getting closer and closer behind him.
Although they started a million miles apart, after a short chase, Oph was about to catch up.
"Not good, that move again!" Lin Lei's expression suddenly changed.
The distance between them was now less than ten miles. Just at that moment, a massive aura surged from behind. Lin Lei's fused divine sense easily detected... the phantom images of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird appeared above, below, to the left, and to the right of 'Oph'.
Billions of miles of space were instantly frozen.
Below on the earth, many powerful beings who had been either cultivating or fighting were also bound by this solidified space. They were horrified but unable to move.
"Shoo!" A transparent beam of light shot from Oph's mouth towards Lin Lei.
Space-Time Disarray!
"Hmph." Lin Lei turned his head and opened his mouth.
Similarly, one after the other, two transparent sword shadows shot out. They were Lin Lei's most powerful soul attacks.
The transparent beam collided with the transparent sword shadows.
The first transparent sword shadow trembled violently and dissipated instantly. The transparent beam also shrank significantly in volume. Immediately after, it collided with the second transparent sword shadow. "Boom," the second sword shadow also dissipated. The remaining faint transparent beam had just entered Lin Lei's body when it was scattered by Lin Lei's soul power.
"Impressive, you actually blocked that move," Oph's voice echoed in Lin Lei's mind.
"The amplification amplitude of this move of yours is far inferior to Uthred's," Lin Lei retorted via sound transmission.
Lin Lei's soul attacks and material attacks, in terms of their mysterious principle amplification strength alone, were ten times stronger than those of a Great Perfection cultivator!
The 'Space-Time Disarray' Oph unleashed had an amplification amplitude of only a few dozen times. It was only a few times stronger than Lin Lei's soul attack, not enough to kill Lin Lei.
"Haha, that's because the bodies of Augusta and me only each refined one drop of the Four Divine Beasts' essence blood," Oph explained.
"Refined one drop?" Lin Lei was puzzled.
He had given them 11 drops of Azure Dragon essence blood, and even more of the other three divine beasts' essence blood. Why did Oph and Augusta each only refine one drop?
But Lin Lei had no time to think further.
"He's catching up again."
This time, Oph didn't use a soul attack. Instead, wielding the Fate Supreme Divine Sword, he moved to engage Lin Lei in close combat.
"Hmph." Linlei gritted his teeth, suddenly turned around, and charged straight at Oph!
They were only several hundred meters apart. At the speed of Sovereigns, charging at each other would be incredibly brief. However, Oph was a peak existence among Rulers, and his reaction speed was also极致 swift. Since Lin Lei attacked first, he was prepared and immediately unleashed a 'Sword Intent'.
...
The Abyssal Blood Peak Continent.
"Blue Fire, what's happening?" Beilute's worried voice sounded in his mind.