The Great Ruler

“Heavenly Sparrow Elder?”

Mu Chen frowned at Heavenly Sparrow Elder, who had suddenly appeared in the sky to stop him. Has he intercepted me because he has realized that the situation is against them? It will be a shame if this is the case.

Swoosh!

As Mu Chen was frowning, air rending sounds broke out beside him and Mandela. Nine Nether, the Three Kings, and the others appeared. They looked unhappily at Heavenly Sparrow Elder, as he had interfered in the fight between Mu Chen and Liu Qing.

“Heavenly Sparrow Elder, I have treated you as a guest, which is why I have given in to you. Don’t go overboard and mess with us,” Mandela said coldly.

When Heavenly Sparrow Elder saw that Mandela was enraged, he quickly said, “I have indeed gone overboard. Mu Chen has performed well in this fight. He has the qualities to become the top guy among the younger generation in the North Territory.”

Liu Qing immediately darted over from behind Heavenly Sparrow Elder. He could not deny what Heavenly Sparrow Elder had said, as he had not had the upper hand during the fight with Mu Chen earlier.

Mu Chen was indeed outstanding. Given his strength, which was only at Grade Five Sovereign, he had managed to take Liu Qing on until now. If they had continued with the fight, they would have given it everything they had. If they were unable to control their strength, they might have ended up getting hurt or killed.

When Mu Chen heard what Heavenly Sparrow Elder had said, he started to loosen up. He did not want to offend the Nine Netherbird Clan, thus it would be best not to push too far in the fight. Moreover, he knew that it would have been impossible for him to defeat Liu Qing if they had continued.

Liu Qing was at the Peak of Grade Six Sovereign, and his combat force was more powerful than Heavenly Dragon Tiger’s, whom Mu Chen had encountered at the Sovereign Secret Treasure. Both of them would have gotten injured if they had not stopped the fight.

When Heavenly Sparrow Elder saw that all of them had been appeased, he stared at Mu Chen and asked, “Why is there an oppression from the real phoenix in you?”

Although the oppression of the real phoenix that Mu Chen exuded was subtle, it was apparent to the Nine Netherbird Clan, as they had the bloodline of the Undying Bird.

In the world of the Spiritual Beasts, the real phoenix was top among the Sovereign Divine Beasts. Every matured real phoenix possessed horrifying power that was equivalent to that of a Heavenly Sovereign.

This level of power was rare in the Phoenix Clan to the point that none of them had ever possessed it. Heavenly Sparrow Elder and Liu Qing’s expressions changed when they noticed that Mu Chen possessed such power, and they found it unbelievable.

Mu Chen was stunned when he heard the question and quickly replied, “This is the Dragon-Phoenix Body that I cultivated in the Dragon-Phoenix Rift.” He had not felt the oppression of the real phoenix emanating from his body. Previously, when he had activated the Dragon-Phoenix Body during fights, none of his opponents had been affected by it.

It seemed that only the Nine Netherbird Clan, who possessed the bloodline of the Undying Bird, would have noticed the oppression of the real phoenix. In this case, Mu Chen possessed the oppression of the real dragon as well, but only those Divine Beasts that possessed the bloodline of the Dragon Clan would notice it…

“Dragon-Phoenix Rift?”

Heavenly Sparrow Elder frowned and said, “Is it the Dragon-Phoenix Rift in the North Territory? I have heard of it before. A real dragon and real phoenix died there. We have sent our men to check it out, and although we have gained something from it, we did not manage to possess the oppression of the real phoenix.”

“Only the one who has reached the 10th step of the Dragon-Phoenix Steps is destined to obtain it. Throughout the centuries, Mu Chen is the only one to have reached the 10th step,” Mandela said flatly.

Heavenly Sparrow Elder was speechless. He knew about the 10th step, and it was apparent that those fine men whom they had sent there had not succeeded in reaching it. However, Mu Chen had managed to do so.

Nine Nether looked at Heavenly Sparrow Elder and said, “Heavenly Sparrow Elder, you have already drawn a conclusion from the fight between Mu Chen and Liu Qing. Can we just forget about this matter?”

Heavenly Sparrow Elder simply smiled and shook his head.

“You!” Nine Nether shouted. She raised her brows and clenched her teeth.

“Little Nine Nether, you should know how serious this matter is. Even I am not in the position to decide this.” Heavenly Sparrow Elder looked sternly at Nine Nether and said, “Throughout the millennium, you are the only one who possesses the purest bloodline among the Nine Netherbird Clan. You stand the highest chance of awakening the bloodline of the Undying Bird and becoming the Primordial Undying Bird.

“You are the future pillar of the Nine Netherbird Clan, and we will do all that we can to remove anything that will hinder your progress!”

Having said that, Heavenly Sparrow Elder looked sharply at Mu Chen, which sent a chill up his spine.

When Mandela heard it, she froze. She seemed to have underestimated the importance of Nine Nether to the Nine Netherbird Clan. Judging from what Heavenly Sparrow Elder had said, Nine Nether could become as powerful as a Heavenly Sovereign in the future. This was enough for the Nine Netherbird Clan to be overprotective of Nine Nether.

After all, there had never been a Heavenly Sovereign in the Nine Netherbird Clan throughout the millennium!

The Nine Netherbird Clan saw it as a hidden danger that Mu Chen and Nine Nether’s bloodlines were bonded together. If Mu Chen were to be killed, Nine Nether would have to pay a high price, even if she managed to stay alive. This might hinder her from evolving. The Nine Netherbird Clan would not be able to bear such a consequence.

This issue seemed to be knotty… although Mandela was not afraid of the Nine Netherbird Clan, she had to admit that their heritage of the Spiritual Beasts’ race was richer than Daluo Territory’s.

Daluo Territory had depended on Mandela to sustain it. If she died, Daluo Territory would be in the same situation as the Divine Pavilion, but the Nine Netherbird Clan was different. Although they did not have any Heavenly Sovereigns, they had many Earthly Sovereigns. If Heavenly Sparrow Elder died, it would only be a loss to them, but it would not come to a point where they would perish.

Nine Nether clenched her fists and stared hard at Heavenly Sparrow Elder. After taking a deep breath, she said in a threatening tone, “If you act recklessly, don’t blame me for doing the same.”

When Heavenly Sparrow Elder heard Nine Nether’s threat, he turned grave. He was furious with Nine Nether for being so stubborn, but he suppressed his anger and sighed.

Heavenly Sparrow Elder turned to look at Mu Chen and said, “Young man, when will you stop hiding behind her?”

Mu Chen gently pulled Nine Nether back. He smiled flatly at Heavenly Sparrow Elder and said, “At the worst, we can break off the Bloodline Bond. I believe you have a way to do it.”

If this was the only way to resolve the matter, Mu Chen would not want to be a burden to Nine Nether. If he did not agree to break the bond, it might implicate the entire Daluo Territory should Mandela get involved in order to protect him. She might not be able to bear the consequences, and that was not what Mu Chen wanted to see.

“Mu Chen!” Nine Nether became furious. The Nine Netherbird Clan indeed knew of the way to break the bond, but it would cause great harm to Mu Chen.

“Ha, you are behaving like a man now,” Heavenly Sparrow Elder said. After a while, his expression changed and he said, “The worst case scenario is to break the Bloodline Bond by force. However, we may not have to do this. It will depend on you…”

When Mu Chen heard what Heavenly Sparrow Elder had said, he quickly asked, “Do you have other solutions, Heavenly Sparrow Elder?”

Nine Nether stood beside him and looked doubtfully at Heavenly Sparrow Elder. She knew that other than breaking the bond by force, there was no other way to do it.

“There is no other way to break the Bloodline Bond.” Heavenly Sparrow Elder smiled. He looked at Mu Chen, who looked disappointed, and said, “However, if you can get the people to accept you, they will let this matter rest. You will then gain the friendship of the Nine Netherbird Clan as well.”

When Mu Chen heard it, he smiled wryly and shook his head. Although he had not met the Nine Netherbird Clan, judging from Heavenly Sparrow Elder’s earlier reaction, the people would not have allowed him to be bonded with Nine Nether in the bloodline.

This alternative solution provided by Heavenly Sparrow Elder was not feasible.

“All this is rubbish!” Nine Nether shouted angrily. She knew that Heavenly Sparrow Elder was beating around the bush.

Heavenly Sparrow Elder ignored her reaction and said, “Nine Nether, do you know why we are summoning you?” Nine Nether was stunned and shook her head. She had thought that they had suspected there was a problem in her bloodline. However, after hearing this question, she realized that it could be due to some other reason.

When Heavenly Sparrow Elder saw her reaction, he shook his head and said, “The Land of the Divine Beasts is about to appear.”

“Land of the Divine Beasts?”

When Nine Nether heard these words, she looked shocked and became nervous. After a while, she calmed down. From her expression, she seemed to know the connotation behind the Land of the Divine Beasts.