The Great Ruler (Web Novel)
chapter-960

Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and when the fifth day approached, the Nine Netherbird Clan had arrived in the Daluotian Territory as scheduled.

In the Daluotian Territory's Hall of Welcoming Guests.

The Nine Netherbird Clan, among the spiritual beasts of this Great Thousand World, were a great race with a long history. Thus, when they arrived in the Daluo Territory, even Mandela had given them their due respect, temporarily halting her cultivation and personally coming to greet them.

Mandela stood in front of the palace. The Three Kings, Mu Chen, and Nine Nether stood behind her. However, Nine Nether seemed absent-minded. Mu Chen, who was standing beside her, knew that this was because she was still worried.

"Rest assured! Although the Nine Netherbird Clan is strong, the Daluo Territory is no pushover either, so it's a joke if they think that they can disrespect us," Mandela glanced at Mu Chen and Nine Nether and said.

With her keen observation skills, of course she had known what Nine Nether was worried about. There was a Bloodline Bond between her and Mu Chen, after all. It was a kind of contract of living and dying together. If one person dies, the other person would not be able to live either.

Generally speaking, such Bloodline Bonds were not uncommon among these spiritual beasts, but they mostly existed between spiritual beasts of higher-ranking bloodlines, so that both beings could benefit from them. But, in this case, Mu Chen was obviously not a part of the so-called spiritual beasts who possessed a higher-ranking bloodline.

These spiritual beasts' races with special bloodlines had always been somewhat contemptuous of humans. In normal circumstances, the fighting power of the same level of spiritual beasts was generally stronger than that of the same level of human beings. This was because they possessed all kinds of gifts and were born stronger than human beings.

To them, most human beings seemed weak. As such, it was very easy for them to perish before becoming a true Sovereign, so they were extremely resistant to forming Bloodline Bonds with humans, as in their views, there was no benefit to them for doing so, beyond polluting the pure bloodline of spiritual beasts.

In some conservative species of spiritual beasts, once spiritual beasts had established Bloodline Bonds with humans, they were directly regarded as rebels and traitors, with their bloodlines being extracted entirely! Such repercussions were akin to one's receiving a death sentence!

Because of these things, Nine Nether was deeply worried all the time. It wasn't that she worried about what the Nine Netherbird Clan would do to her, as her father was now the Clan Leader of the Nine Netherbird Clan. In addition, she was so gifted and respected, no one in the clan dared to do anything to her. It was more that she was worried about what the Nine Netherbird Clan would do to Mu Chen…

Now, she was more relieved to hear Mandela's assurance, and nodded gratefully to the former. When she was about to say something, her expression suddenly tensed.

Raising her head, she glanced towards the distant horizon. Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning, and in just a few breaths, it transformed into a massive purple bird! The bird's wings were wrapped in thunder and lightning, and it soared towards the palace, along with the howling of the wind!

The massive purple bird hung over the main hall, as numerous silhouettes descended from the sky. The bird and the silhouettes then landed on the open space in front of Mandela and the others.

"Haha, I am Heavenly Sparrow, an Elder of the Nine Netherbird Clan. Dominator of the Daluo Territory, we apologize for imposing upon you today."

When the silhouettes appeared, an aged laugh rang out in the sky. When the laughter spread out, an astonishing spiritual pressure also swept across the world, causing the heavens and earth to be become even more stifling and oppressive.

As the light faded, several figures appeared in front of the Hall of Welcoming Guests. Then, the leader, who was an old man donned in a green robe, appeared. On his green robe, skylarks emerged, and with his every action, a strong sense of oppression was emanated. The overwhelming spiritual pressure also originated from him.

Behind the old man in the green robe, there were several figures, the most striking of which was a slender young man, who also donned a green robe. He was handsome, with thin lips and thick eyebrows, and his gaze was sharp, as if it was a sword that had been left in its sheath, yet to be noticed.

Behind Mandela, the three kings perceived the power of this spiritual pressure, but their eyebrows knit into a frown. Such behavior seemed rather domineering. Were they trying to test how powerful the Daluo Territory was? It looked like they intended to strike after some courteous exchanges. In fact, it seemed that today's events would definitely turn out to be more than meets the eyes!

"I see, it's Heavenly Sparrow Elder from the Nine Netherbird Clan! Since such distinguished guests have arrived, we from the Daluo Territory will naturally do our utmost best to welcome you!"

As the three kings frowned, Mandela just smiled, but she did not strike. However, as her words spread, as if there was a peaceful fluctuation which permeated the room, the overwhelming spiritual pressure calmed down. Even the repressed atmosphere was once again restored to a pure and peaceful state.

Upon seeing how Mandela casually and gracefully employed her means, the elder in the green robes grew more solemn. He glanced at Mandela, before his gaze turned grave. He then said, "I didn't think that the Dominator of the Daluo Territory had touched the rank of an Upper Earthly Sovereign yet. So, it looks like you will soon be able to enter it completely. My heartiest congratulations!"

Heavenly Sparrow Elder now possessed the rank of a Lower Earthly Sovereign and enjoyed a position of great reverence in the Nine Netherbird Clan. According to his estimation, the Dominator of the Daluo Territory was, at most, on the same level as him. Thus, if they ever met in a fight, like if the negotiation failed, he should be able to gain the upperhand, at least with the help of the body of the Divine Beast.

However, at the moment, Mandela's strength had obviously surpassed his expectations. An Upper Earthly Sovereign, even among their Nine Netherbird Clan, was at the highest level. Thus, it was unexpected that there would be such a strong figure in such a small territory, which was merely a corner of the Tianluo Continent!

A smile surfaced on Mandela's face, as she said, "You flatter me, Heavenly Sparrow Elder."

She was naturally aware of how prideful these spiritual beasts were, and it was evident that they were not benevolent people, judging from their attitudes. If she had not made a breakthrough in the Great Hunting War, this Heavenly Sparrow Elder would not be so humble now.

Heavenly Sparrow Elder smiled kindly, then turned his eyes to a figure behind him. He smiled and said, "Little Nine Nether, I travelled far and wide to bring you back, do you intend to hide from me now?"

At the rear, Nine Nether saw Heavenly Sparrow Elder's glance, and had no choice but to step out. As soon as Heavenly Sparrow Elder saw Nine Nether stepping forward, a glint flashed in his weary eyes.

He appraised Nine Nether and, in the next moment, a surprised smile emerged on his withered face. "You are a Nine Netherworld Bird indeed, you little girl, you really awakened this bloodline... You are truly the person who has the best bloodline amongst our clan, even in all these thousand years!"

When Mu Chen saw this scene, he asked the Condor King, puzzled, "Is it difficult for the Nine Netherbird Clan to awaken the Nine Netherworld Bird?"

As he was listening to the Heavenly Sparrow Elderly's words, it seemed to him that not many people in the Nine Netherbird Clan could awaken the bloodline of the Nine Netherworld Bird.

"Oh, the Nine Netherbirds themselves are only a race of spiritual beasts, but their evolution is able to evolve into different branches, such as Nine Nether Flames Sparrow, Nine Nether Frosty Sparrow, and so on... The Nine Netherworld Bird is the rarest of these branches, because once it has evolved, it means that its body has the bloodline of the Undying Bird. If there is any chance in the future, it may really evolve into an Undying Bird, which is considered to be a true Sovereign Divine Beast, and a top one at that!" The Condor King laughed as he explained.

"As far as I know, in the past thousand years, Nine Nether is still the only one of the Nine Netherbird Clan that has evolved into the Nine Netherworld Bird."

Upon hearing this, Mu Chen was astonished. He used to know that Nine Nether seemed to possess a good talent, but he never expected her to be so rare among the Nine Netherbird Clan!

As Mu Chen and the Condor King whispered to each other, Nine Nether, who was in front of them, only smiled reluctantly at Heavenly Sparrow Elder. She then said, "Thank you for coming to meet us Elder, but since I am already present, then we are ready to return to the clan."

As soon as she said this, the handsome young man behind Heavenly Sparrow Elder smiled and said, "Your Highness Nine Nether, it's not urgent that we go back yet. There's something else we've come here for, too."

"Who are you?" Nine Nether asked coldly.

"I am Liu Qing, a Law Enforcer of the clan's Law Enforcement Hall," the handsome young man smiled and said.

"Liu Qing?" Nine Nether's gaze focused sharpened, as she found the name familiar. When she had left the Nine Netherbird Clan, this person was the best of the younger generation. She did not expect him to have become a law enforcer of the Law Enforcement Hall, as such a swift speed of promotion was indeed impressive.

"Haha, Little Nine Nether, don't embarrass this kid Liu Qing..." The Heavenly Sparrow Elder smiled, his originally muddy eyes immediately growing sharper. "You are the best of our bloodline, and your fate was to stay in the Ancestral Hall. But, some time ago, we found that your fate was slightly stained, which happened because the bloodline had been tainted. Thus, I came to understand what had happened."

Nine Nether's beautiful face paled, then she said, "That was because I was once severely injured, so the traces were such that they would eliminated in the future, naturally."

The Heavenly Sparrow Elderly shook his head and said faintly, "When I first saw you, I knew that you had formed a Bloodline Bond with others, so you don't have to hide it. You can rest assured that, if anyone in this world dares to force you to sign a Bloodline Bond, then the Nine Netherbird Clan will not let this person escape! Thus, you just need to tell me who you formed a Bloodline Bond with!"

As he finished speaking, a brutal murderous intent emanated from his eyes. Nine Nether gnashed her teeth, as her hands clenched into fists, but she did not say a word.

Heavenly Sparrow Elder glanced at Nine Nether, knitting his eyebrows. "Even if you don't answer, I can sense it. People are present, who possess the bloodline of us Nine Netherbird Clan!"

As he concluded, his voice rumbled like thunder. His gaze was as sharp as the glint of a blade that had just torn through the sky, shooting directly towards Mu Chen, who was standing behind him.

"Young man, am I right?!"