Given the size and appearance of this plane, it was clearly related to battle.
However, this battle could not possibly be one between Sovereigns.
Even a battle between Lesser Sovereigns would be enough to completely shatter this plane apart.
In the entire Coiling Dragon Universe, there was no place more suitable for Sovereigns to battle than the spatial turbulence itself.
If not Sovereigns, then it could only be battles between Deities.
For a moment, the Sovereigns all cast envious gazes toward Destruction Chief Sovereign Wordred.
As of now, the only confirmed Paragon, Danniton, was Wordred's Sovereign Emissary.
Regardless of what rules this battlefield possessed, with Danniton under his command, Destruction Chief Sovereign Wordred held a tremendous advantage.
The Sovereigns' speculations did not continue for very long.
After all, although the plane jointly created by the Four Edict Overgods was sturdier than even the Four Higher Planes, its total area was only about a million kilometers across.
"What a pity. I failed to record the instant when the Four Edicts first fused together…"
After the Four Overgods stopped, Locke also put away Mirror Flower, Water Moon, sighing inwardly with slight regret.
They had arrived too late, causing him to miss the transformations that occurred at the moment the Edicts fused together.
After completing the creation of the Planar Battlefield, the four Edict Overgods did not disperse. Instead, they looked toward the forty-four Sovereigns present.
With only a single glance, all the Sovereigns felt their heads grow dizzy as a stream of information entered their minds.
Just now, the Overgods had used a method unknown to the Sovereigns to transmit certain information regarding the burden of the universe directly into their minds.
And the Sovereigns now understood the purpose of the plane created by the Four Overgods.
After digesting the information within their minds, the Sovereigns once again turned their gazes toward the Death Chief Sovereign and Locke Chief Sovereign.
For countless years, the Death Chief Sovereign had established the Sovereign Pact, while Locke had established the duties of Sovereigns.
Furthermore, over all these years, the impeccable character of the Death Chief Sovereign and Locke Chief Sovereign had earned the trust of the Sovereigns.
Of course, the most important point was that even if all the Sovereigns present joined forces, if the Death Chief Sovereign and Locke Chief Sovereign wished to kill them, none of them would be able to escape.
The gap in power was simply too great.
Although there were still the three other Edict Chief Sovereigns—Destruction Chief Sovereign, Life Chief Sovereign, and Fate Chief Sovereign—the Sovereigns still remembered that during the previous Sovereign Assembly, the Death Chief Sovereign had made a request to the Death Overgod and obtained an offensive Overgod artifact.
Right now, among those three, no matter who it was, if they could force the Death Chief Sovereign to unleash a second strike of her whip, all the Sovereigns would respectfully acknowledge them as the strongest.
Now, with the Overgods asking the Sovereigns to discuss the matters of the Planar Battlefield and establish its regulations, considering the wisdom previously displayed by the Death Chief Sovereign and Locke Chief Sovereign, they would surely devise rules satisfactory to everyone.
Under such circumstances, the Death Chief Sovereign naturally stepped forward without hesitation.
"Everyone, you have all absorbed the information left behind by the Overgods and now understand the purpose of this plane."
"Beings above the Saint-level possess endless lifespans."
"However, the material planes, Divine Planes, and Higher Planes all have limits to what they can bear."
"An excessive number of eternally living beings would place an enormous burden upon the material planes, Divine Planes, and Higher Planes."
"If this continues over a long period of time, those material planes, Divine Planes, and Higher Planes burdened beyond their limits would all face the danger of collapse."
"As for the material planes, from the current situation, everyone has done fairly well. We may continue maintaining the same approach in the future."
During the first War of Faiths, the Sovereigns, in order to increase the size of their Sovereign Armies, had frantically extracted Saint-level experts from the forces under their command within the material planes.
And it was precisely from that point onward that Plane Overseers appeared within the various material planes, supervising the Saint-level beings within them and forcing them to leave the material planes within a certain period of time. Otherwise, the Plane Overseers would personally imprison them within planar prisons.
Through a strange twist of fate, the Sovereigns' actions had caused the number of Saint-level experts within the material planes to remain within a stable range. Over these tens of millions of years, not a single material plane had collapsed due to being unable to bear too many immortal beings.
"As for the Divine Planes and Higher Planes…"
At this point, the Death Chief Sovereign could not help but glance toward the newly created Planar Battlefield and sigh softly.
The Four Edict Overgods had already given their answer.
If one wished to resolve the problem of excessive immortal beings within the Divine Planes and Higher Planes, then only war and slaughter could accomplish it.
"To alleviate the burden upon the world, Planar Wars are indispensable."
"However, aside from the Sovereign Armies, we also cannot forcibly compel other Deities to go die."
"We cannot coerce them, but we can tempt them with benefits."
"As for treasures capable of making Deities risk their lives to obtain them, among the things we Sovereigns can provide, nothing surpasses Sovereign's Might and Sovereign artifacts."
"We can therefore use Sovereign's Might and Sovereign artifacts as rewards for participants within the Planar Wars."
"Now then, everyone, let us first discuss how the rewards should be established in order to attract the greatest number of Deities into joining the Planar Battlefield."
"The rewards to be exchanged during each Planar War shall be the responsibility of the Sovereigns of the participating planes themselves."
Next, under the proposal of the Death Chief Sovereign, the Sovereigns collectively discussed and established the various rules of the Planar Battlefield.
These included the duration of each Planar War, the rule that participants could not leave the battlefield before the war concluded after entering it, and so on.
During this process, Life Chief Sovereign Wawaya stated that the Life Realm would not participate in the conflicts of the Planar Battlefield, and this was permitted by the Overgods.
Thus, the first Planar War of the Coiling Dragon Universe officially began!
…
The Planar Wars were a great cleansing carried out every hundred million years by the Overgods upon the Deities within the Divine Planes and Higher Planes, in order to reduce the burden upon the universe as a whole.
Therefore, the Sovereigns did not conceal the matter of the Planar Wars. Instead, they spread the news throughout the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes.
Aside from the Life Realm, every Divine Plane possessed a planar teleportation array leading directly into the Planar Battlefield.
When the Planar Wars began, any Deity wishing to participate could enter the battlefield through these planar teleportation arrays.
At present, throughout the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes, news regarding the Planar Wars was spreading everywhere.
"Have you heard? The rewards for the Planar Wars!"
"How could I not? By now, probably only those isolated places with blocked information haven't heard yet."
"Then tell me, do you think the news is real?"
"Of course it's real. My relative's aunt's second son is a soldier in a Sovereign Army. According to him, the news was personally released by the Sovereigns themselves."
"After the war ends, participants who accumulate one hundred soldier badges can exchange them with a Sovereign for a drop of Sovereign's Might."
"Those who accumulate ten Commander badges can exchange them for a Sovereign artifact."
"One Commander badge can be exchanged for one hundred soldier badges, but soldier badges cannot be exchanged into Commander badges."
In cities of all sizes, living beings were discussing the matter.
It could be said that as long as someone started the topic, seven or eight others would immediately gather around to discuss it together.
"Mhm. I heard that if soldiers don't enter the battlefield alongside a Commander, they'll be randomly assigned to another Commander."
"And on the battlefield, if soldiers disobey a Commander's orders, the Commander has the authority to directly kill them."
"So right now, we're all thinking that if there's a Commander willing to bring us along, then that's fine."
"But if we don't know any Commander and end up assigned under some black-hearted Commander, we probably won't make it back alive."
"That's true."
"I heard the Commanders in the Infernal Realm are being selected within the Chaotic Sea. One hundred and eight cities, selecting one hundred and eight Purgatory Commanders."
"Hiss, one hundred and eight…"
"That's not how you should think about it. Although the Infernal Realm has one hundred and eight Purgatory Commanders, not all of them will necessarily participate in the Planar Wars…"
"That's true too."
At the end of every discussion, someone would inevitably ask whether anyone intended to head to the Planar Battlefield. If so, everyone could travel together and look after one another.
…
Netherworld, Mount Netherworld.
"Locke, what thoughts do you have regarding the Planar Battlefield?"
Within the Sovereign palace, the Death Chief Sovereign asked Locke.
"My thoughts regarding the Planar Battlefield?"
Hearing the Death Chief Sovereign's question, Locke rubbed his chin.
"Well, I do have a few guesses."
"In my view, if the Planar Battlefield merely exists to reduce the world's burden and eliminate excess Deities, then over time, the Sovereigns will inevitably grow lax."
"And once the Sovereigns become lax and stop paying attention to the Planar Battlefield, based on the numbers of newly born Deities and deceased Deities, I estimate that in roughly over ten trillion years, the Divine Planes and Higher Planes will once again become overburdened."
"So, the Overgods may reward the planes that achieve victory in the Planar Wars."
"The only thing capable of making Sovereigns truly care is Will."
"Therefore, it's possible that once a plane reaches a certain number of victories or consecutive victories in the Planar Wars, the Overgods will bestow rewards of Will in order to stimulate the Sovereigns' enthusiasm toward the Planar Wars."
At this point, Locke lowered his head and looked toward the Death Chief Sovereign.
"Lilia, according to my speculation, achieving ten consecutive victories in the Planar Battlefield has a high probability of granting a reward of Will."
"Do you want that reward?"
Tens of millions of years ago, before Locke had become a Sovereign, he had once thought about first helping the Death Chief Sovereign achieve ten consecutive victories in the Planar Wars, allowing her strength to increase before he himself became a Sovereign.
(End of Chapter)
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