Book 17, Indigo Prefecture â Chapter 3, Azure Dragon Clan
According to what Linley had learned on the way, as well as what he had heard from Beirut, as Linley saw it, the Four Divine Beasts clan was extremely powerful. At Miluo Island, after seeing the many scryer recordings, he had mentioned to Castle Master Mosi the fact that he was headed for Indigo Prefecture, and Mosi had discussed the Four Divine Beasts clan.
From what Mosi had said, it seemed as though the Four Divine Beasts clan had fallen on hard times.
But even despite that, it should still be almost comparable to the Bagshaw clan.
âThe Bagshaw clan, at Miluo Island, is in complete control. No one dares offend them! Despite countless years having passed, Miluo Islandâs fame remains widespread. Thereâs no way something like this could happen at Miluo Island, where those who serve the Bagshaw clan will be killed!â
Linley really couldnât believe it.
The Indigo Prefecture could be said to be the main headquarters for the Four Divine Beasts clan. How could something like this happen within the borders of the mighty Four Divine Beasts clan? How could a truly powerful clan allow something like this to happen?
Anyone who thought about it for even a moment would understand.
If a truly powerful clan encountered something like this, they would definitely eradicate the entire âBoleyn clanâ, killing them as a warning sign to frighten others!
âThe situation doesnât make sense.â Linley narrowed his eyes. The joy he had felt upon arriving at his clanâs territory instantly evaporated, and Linley began to worry. It seemed as the situation the Four Divine Beasts clan was in wasnât what he had thought it would be.
In the metallic lifeform, Tarosse, Bebe, Delia, and the others were all mystified by what they had just seen.
Tarosse said with a solemn look, âLinley, it seems as though the Four Divine Beasts clan doesnât have much power within Indigo Prefecture.â When Linley had invited Tarosse and the others to Indigo Prefecture, he had said that that within the Indigo Prefecture, given the strength and influence of the Four Divine Beasts clan, they shouldnât encounter any more dangers.
But now, it seemedâŠ
âI donât understand either.â Linleyâs face was solemn.
After all, he had never gone to the Four Divine Beasts clan before. All he knew, he gained from outside sources of information.
âIâm sorry. It seems as though Iâve caused everyone to enter a dangerous situation.â Linley couldnât help but say towards Olivier, Tarosse, and the others. When he had invited them to come with him, he had wanted for all of them from the Yulan continent to be together and that there wouldnât be much danger.
As he saw it, there shouldnât be any dangers in the main lair for his clan.
But it seemed he was wrong!
Dylin laughed. âLinley, donât worry about it. No matter what happens, my life can be considered to belong to you. What have I to fear?â
âLetâs go. Even if someone wants to kill us, first they have to have enough power to do so!â Tarosse said.
Linley nodded. If the Four Divine Beasts clan was comparable to the Bagshaw clan, then, as an incredibly powerful force, there was no way they would simply be destroyed. As the saying goes, a camel which died of starvation is still larger than a horse.
Mosiâs words implied that the weakened Four Divine Beasts clan was still comparable to the Bagshaw clan.
But before its downfall?
How could such an originally incomparably powerful clan possibly be completely destroyed?
âLetâs go to Fansi City first.â
Fansi City was a city in the eastern part of Indigo Prefecture, and was the first city which Linleyâs group was heading towards in Indigo Prefecture. Fansi City was just like every other city in the Infernal Realm; it was very bustling!
The streets were rowdy and filled with people everywhere.
âBoss, where shall we go to find the location of the Four Divine Beasts clan?â Bebe asked, puzzled.
The War God, OâBrien, laughed. âAny place works. For example, the Fiend Castle. We can just ask some people there. There are definitely people here in the Indigo Prefecture who know quite a bit regarding the exceedingly famous Four Divine Beasts clan.â
Asking around at the Fiend Castle was indeed an excellent idea.
âNo rush. Letâs go to the Bloodridge Castle first!â Linley said.
The Redbud Continent had Redbud Castles, while the Bloodridge Continent had Bloodridge Castles. The two were the same; they both purchased and sold large quantities of items.
âWhy are we going to the Bloodridge Castle?â Dylin asked.
âBebe, do you still remember how we had gone shopping for books that time in the Redbud Castle?â Linley turned to look at Bebe, who hurriedly nodded. âI remember. That time, we went to buy some books regarding the geography of the Infernal Realm.â
âRight. Last time, we only went to investigate the general geography of the Infernal Realm, which is why in the books we bought, the information regarding each of the 108 Prefectures was very brief. But that time, however, we did see quite a few books which discussed each prefecture in detail.â
There had been five or six centimeter thick books that discussed each prefecture.
Those detailed books each focused on one prefecture, and naturally would discuss and point out some of the unique areas in a prefecture, as well as provide some very detailed information on some of the most powerful clans. Most likely, even some ultimate experts would be described within.
Deliaâs eyes lit up, and she nodded in agreement. âBuy one which goes into detail regarding the âIndigo Prefectureâ. The Four Divine Beasts clan is very famous in Indigo Prefecture. It will definitely be described in detail, and the location will be clearly mentioned as well.â
Linley laughed and nodded.
If they asked others, others might point them to a specific place which they didnât even know was located where.
After all, they had never had a detailed map of the Indigo Prefecture. They only knew the rough geography of the place. By buying a detailed book regarding the Indigo Prefecture, they would even get a clear understanding of the geographical information in the Indigo Prefecture.
âBuying books? Iâve never gone book shopping in the Infernal Realm.â Tarosse laughed.
âYou normally lived on Miluo Island. Why would you need to buy books? Youâd only go buy them when you needed them.â Linley said, then headed towards the Bloodridge Castle.
The three castles in every single city were bustling with activity. Following the flow of people, Linleyâs group quickly reached the Bloodridge Castle. At the gate to the Bloodridge Castle, there were Bloodridge Army soldiers standing guard.
âHeh heh, I must say, the uniform of the Bloodridge Army is quite stylish. Itâs much better than that of the Redbud Army and the Starmist Army.â Bebe said softly as he looked at the Bloodridge Army soldiers at the gates.
Linley glanced at them. âThe baleful aura it emanates is rather heavier than that of the Redbud Army and the Starmist Army.â
âLetâs go.â As he spoke, Linley led the group into the first floor of the Bloodridge Castle. The way the Bloodridge Castle was organized was quite similar to the Redbud Castle. Linleyâs group easily found the room which specialized in selling a large number of books.
In the room, there were only three people, one of whom was the staff member.
âWhat do you want to buy?â Seeing Linleyâs group walk in, and that most were Highgods, the staff member immediately came to welcome them.
âWhich book has information regarding the location of the Four Divine Beasts clan?â Bebe was the first to say.
But Linley said, âThis place should have a detailed description of the entire Indigo Prefecture, right? Give me that book.â
âWe do.â The female staff member withdrew an enormous, black covered book that was two fingers thick, then walked over and handed it to Linley. âThis one should be the book with the most complete introduction to the Indigo Prefecture.â
Linley immediately accepted it and began to flip through it.
This book, in its table of contents, was divided into âgeographyâ, âdangerous areasâ, âfamous peopleâ, âclansââŠand so on and so forth. From the table of contents, Linley easily found the top ranked âFour Divine Beasts clanâ.
âPage 158!â Linley couldnât help but grow excited.
The first thing which drew Linleyâs attention wasâŠ
The Four Divine Beasts clan was actually the general term for four mighty clans of divine beasts.
They were:
The Azure Dragon clan: The Redding [Leiâding] clan!
The Vermilion Bird clan: The Nimo [Neâmo] clan!
The White Tiger clan: The Laius [Liâeâsi] clan!
The Black Tortoise clan: The Bowen [Boâwen] clan!
The Four Divine Beasts clan was led by the Azure Dragon clan, the Redding clan. The four great clans were joined together into one, and were spread throughout the Four Higher PlanesâŠ
While reading the detailed information regarding the Four Divine Beasts clan, Linley couldnât help but begin to sweat. The history of the Four Divine Beasts clan simply astonished Linley. So originally, the Four Divine Beasts clan wasnât just limited to the Infernal Realm!
âDivine Water Plane, Divine Earth Plane, Divine Fire Plane, Divine Wind Plane, and the Four Higher Planes of the Celestial Realm, Netherworld, Infernal Realm, Life RealmâŠthey all have branches of the Four Divine Beasts clan!â
Linley was completely thunderstruck.
Based on the description within the book, the Four Divine Beasts clan was considered an extremely, terrifyingly powerful clan throughout the Four Higher Planes as well as the Seven Divine Planes. They were spread everywhere, but of course, in the Infernal Realm, Indigo Prefecture was a headquarters for the Four Divine Beasts clan.
âThey are so powerful?â Linley found it hard to believe.
âBoss, lemme see.â Bebe, seeing the look on Linleyâs face, couldnât help but snatch the book over from Linley and begin to read it carefully as well. As he read, Bebeâs eyes began to grow round. âWow, Boss, the Four Divine Beasts clan is really badass.â
Delia leaned over to look as well.
âThey really are quite formidable.â Delia was stunned as well.
âWe can leave now. I now know where the Four Divine Beasts clan is located.â Linley couldnât help but smile. The Four Divine Beasts clan was the root and foundation of his own Baruch clan, which could only be considered one of the many branches.
Naturally, Linley was delighted at how powerful the main clan was.
âWait.â Linley suddenly frowned.
If the Four Divine Beasts clan truly was so powerful, then why was it that when he came, he saw that member of the Boleyn clan, the one who could grow golden wings, be so arrogant and unbridled?
âYou are looking for the location of the Four Divine Beasts clan?â Suddenly, a clear voice rang out.
Linleyâs group turned to look. The speaker was that female staff member.
The female staff member laughed and said, âIf you want to just follow the information in the book to look for them, thereâs no way youâll find the Four Divine Beasts clan.â
âEh?â Linley was stunned.
âWhy not? Is the book fake?â Bebe immediately asked.
The female staff member shook her head. âNo, the descriptions in the book are real.â
âIf they are real, then why canât we find them?â Bebe said.
The female staff member laughed. âThis book is in general circulation and for sale in every single city in the Infernal Realm. Because the Infernal Realm is too vast, just sending it out to each location will most likely take a thousand years.â
Linley nodded. To send it throughout the Infernal Realm, it would indeed take upwards of a thousand years.
âBecause the shipping process alone takes so much time, the geographical information in the book will be re-evaluated and updated once every million years. This book is several hundred thousand years old, and it described what the situation was like for the Four Divine Beasts clan hundreds of thousands of years ago.â The female staff said.
The Infernal Realm was vast and endless. A million years, in the ancient history of the Infernal Realm, really wasnât much.
âAre you sayingâŠ?â Linley began to understand.
âRight.â The female staff member laughed. âIf you asked others, they might not know, but since Iâve always lived in Indigo Prefecture, Iâm quite familiar with the Four Divine Beasts clan. The Four Divine Beasts clan, roughly ten thousand years ago, underwent a huge change. The branches that had been located in the Divine Planes or the other Higher Planes all returned and regrouped here in the Indigo Prefecture of the Infernal Realm.â
Linley now understood.
Lord Beirut had not deceived him. The current Four Divine Beasts clan really was in Indigo Prefecture.
Delia asked, puzzled, âWhat caused the Four Divine Beasts clan to summon and concentrate all of their branches here in the Indigo Prefecture?â Delia didnât understand.
âIâm not sure.â The female staff member said with a laugh. âThat year, a large number of experts of the Four Divine Beasts clan returned, but when they did so, they shook the entire Indigo Prefecture, because when they returned, they brought countless battles with them!â
âCountless battles?â Linley was stunned.
âRight.â The female staff member nodded, then laughed. âBut of course, Iâm just a minor figure, and what I know is limited. All I know is that back then, the battles were quite fierce. Afterwards, the Four Divine Beasts clans that had been scattered throughout Indigo Prefecture all came together at one location.â
âOne location?â Linley still clearly remembered what that book he had read had said.
As that book had described it, in the Four Divine Beasts clan, each of the four clans was located in one of four locations.
âRight. The Four Divine Beasts clans are living quite close to each other now. The place they live is known as the Skyrite Mountains!â The female staff member said.
Hearing this, Linley immediately thought back to when he had first read the book giving a general introduction to the geographical features of the Infernal Realm, and the information it had regarding the Skyrite Mountains. The Skyrite Mountains were a very famous area within the Indigo Prefecture.
It could, in fact, be described as the mountain range which symbolized the Indigo Prefecture.