The Five Peaks of Myriad Streams

Ged's reaction confirmed Du Chen's conjecture—he first started, then chuckled. "No way, my royal father will pay any amount of ransom or a vast treasure trove for me; it will definitely buy back my life!" He gazed expectantly into the distance. "One of the Five Peaks of Myriad Streams? Ha, I actually get to meet one of the five strongest Battle Gods in the current era!"

His excitement made Du Chen both amused and curious. While engaging in battle earlier, Ged, though not a strategic genius capable of commanding with unwavering composure, was still a competent general. At the time, Du Chen had thought him a battle-hardened Sea-race veteran, and the difficulty humans faced in discerning the age of the Sea-race from their appearance only solidified this notion.

But upon seeing him now...

What intrigued Du Chen was: who exactly were the five Battle Gods of the Five Peaks of Myriad Streams!? One must understand that in the Battle God World, due to the supreme status of Titled Battle Gods, epithets had become rampant. Any random group of nobodies dared to ape the titles of Titled Battle Gods, concocting ostentatious monikers for themselves like "Five Sky-Piercing Generals," "Three Sacred Imperial Warriors," or "Lightning Thunderbolt Hands"...

In such an environment, the only epithet Du Chen genuinely paid attention to was that of Charlemagne, recognized across the Three Continents as the Battle God Academy's fastest-advancing disciple in history! Charlemagne, the Foremost Battle God beneath the Starry Sky!

The reason he remembered him was that Du Chen himself was the second fastest in the Academy's history of advancement! It was only with the almost cheat-like assistance of the Precious Lotus Scripture that he achieved second place, compelling Du Chen to remember this prodigious senior from three centuries ago!

However, Du Chen mused, since Deboning himself had just admitted these five were the strongest Battle Gods of the current era, it must be true! He gazed towards the northern distant sea, his heart filled with anticipation.

A sea breeze suddenly rose, and the northern sky abruptly darkened. A furious gale erupted, and black clouds rolled in, pressing down. A figure charged forth like a black dragon breaking through the sea, and as he advanced, the surging qi-gale beneath him cleaved the sea surface like a sky-reaching greatsword, leaving a long wake…

Before the person even arrived, the immense pressure made Du Chen's breathing quicken. As the figure drew closer, Du Chen fixed his gaze. Tattered sailor's clothes, disheveled hair, a slovenly face unwashed for days, and a pair of oversized slippers – it was, unbelievably…

"Damn it, looks like I'm not needed anymore!? What a wasted trip!"

Roland!

He reached into his embrace, scratched himself, and muttered, glancing at the situation atop the lotus platform, "Hey, you in the black clothes!" (He was referring to Deboning.) "Who are you!? Your build and aura seem a bit familiar!"

Deboning chuckled dryly twice. Naturally, it wouldn't do to mention that on Mount Tianshan, Roland, you were all formidable and majestic, battling the Undead Philip, only to be scared witless and flee in disarray by young master, while I, myself, lay unconscious on the ground, abducted by young master!

After asking and seeing Deboning offer no reply, Roland didn't press further. Instead, he glared at the sea and boomed, "Someone from the Academy told me that some Sea-race folks were causing trouble in the Palkin Sea south of Battle God Isle, but that damned old fossil Zigurd refused to lend a hand... Whoever did it, step forward!"

Ged was still being restrained by Deboning. He scrutinized Roland, a profound sense of disappointment welling within him. *This is one of the Five Peaks of Myriad Streams!? This image!? Yet, the aura of the man before him couldn't be faked!* Ged felt doubly disappointed. He then looked at Deboning, thinking to himself, *Could this be the true demeanor of a Titled Battle God?!*

In truth, Roland's power, even after sealing his sword, was still slightly superior to Deboning's. However, Ged, an Eight-Star Battle God, was not yet capable of discerning the subtle differences in aura between peak Nine-Star Battle Gods. He only knew that both Roland and Deboning were equally formidable and unfathomable! Yet, in terms of appearance and bearing, Deboning clearly held the advantage!

Du Chen replied in a husky voice, "It was Prince Ged of the Great Delta Sea-race who led his forces to besiege Crown Prince Arthur of Reno. Now, we've captured Ged and are preparing to head to Battle God Isle!"

Roland nodded. "Hm, then it's no business of mine! You must have already negotiated the terms, right!?"

"How could it be none of your business!?" Du Chen, understanding Roland's temperament, directly stated, "Arthur is yours to handle, and the Sea-race mess is yours too. Ahead lies the Battle God Sea; we'll take our leave!"

"Heh, you're quite the slacker!" Roland looked at Du Chen with surprise, then suddenly said, "Your aura... is that you!?" He recalled the Holy Light on Mount Tianshan that had made his heart palpitate, but among Du Chen's seven lotus tattoos, only the first three shared a similar aura, while the Fourth to the Seventh Lotus each possessed distinct energies. At this moment, Du Chen hadn't revealed the 'Fourth Lotus' that had driven Roland mad that day, and moreover, due to the continuous battles depleting his inner strength, the aura emanating from his lotus platform wasn't as potent, leaving Roland still somewhat unsure!

"We're meeting officially for the first time, aren't we!?" Du Chen motioned for Deboning to toss Ged towards Roland. By now, they were nearing the Battle God Isle waters, and the Battle Gods guarding Arthur also safely carried Arthur, flying him to Roland's side.

Du Chen let out a hearty laugh. "Then, we'll take our leave! However, to avoid some trouble, we humbly request your esteemed self to keep an eye out. If the Sea-race pursues us... heh heh!" He cast a glance at Ged, then turned with Deboning, ready to fly away.

"Go on, go on. As long as Arthur is fine, I couldn't care less who you are!" Roland waved his hand impatiently!

"Hey! Wait up!" Sea-race Prince Ged shouted at Deboning, "Esteemed Sir, would you consider taking me as your disciple!? Any amount of pearls is fine! As long as you accept me..."

*Thump!

*

Roland mercilessly rapped Ged on the head. "Kid, you should worry about saving your own skin first!" He then tapped his own head, staring at Du Chen's departing figure and muttering, "Hm, it definitely wasn't them, otherwise, I'd have been bloody well dead by now!"

This remark was overheard by Ged, still in his grasp. The young prince thought, *This man possesses a powerful aura, yet utterly lacks confidence. There's no way he could compare to the black-clad Battle God who subdued me in a single move earlier!*

Du Chen and Deboning quickly vanished into the vast expanse of the Battle God Isle waters. Arthur slowly awoke. "I'm not dead!? I'm out of danger, then!" He looked at the surrounding seascape and urgently said, "We're already in the Battle God Sea region!? Quick, take me to that damned Francis; I'm going to settle scores with him! I'm going to..."

...

The moment Du Chen entered the Battle God Isle waters, seeing no one around, he hastily removed his mask and changed his clothes. Even the lotus platform beneath his feet was switched to the 'The Sixth'!

"Good, no one found out it was me this time! *Sigh*!"

Du Chen sighed dramatically, teasingly saying, "Later, I'll have to concoct an excuse to deceive Jamis and the others – that upon seeing a brother in danger just now, I acted impulsively, without thinking things through... It's truly exhausting! Deboning, when you see them later, just say that by the time we reached the battlefield, two mysterious Battle Gods had already rescued Arthur. At the time, they were using a hostage to threaten the Sea-race and sent us a message not to interfere... That way, Annie and the others should think that those two might be friends of the Lionheart King, who chanced upon the situation and came to rescue an old friend's grandson!"

Du Chen pondered for a moment longer. "Damn it, I'll probably have to fabricate quite a few lies once we return to Battle God Isle! Oh, right, Annie and the other classmates don't know your true strength, do they? Tell them you're... an Eight-Star, no, a peak Seven-Star Battle God; that should suffice!"

He spoke as he thought, and there was only one reason for doing so: revealing his strength had both advantages and disadvantages. If the Holy Church, King Lanning, and mysterious organizations knew of the power Du Chen possessed, for now, it seemed beneficial. But if others were to learn of Du Chen's strength, the trouble would likely be immense!

Not to mention others, but if Zigurd alone knew Du Chen's true background, Du Chen would probably have to expend considerable effort and smooth talk to conceal the Yessar Church's involvement – because if Zigurd discovered that the entire Yessar Church had infiltrated his territory and violated countless academy rules on his grounds, it would be a miracle if that old fossil didn't go mad!

After thorough consideration, Du Chen asked, "By the way, what was that about the Five Peaks of Myriad Streams that Ged mentioned earlier?"

Deboning sneered. "It's nothing terribly remarkable. It was just Roland and a few others, still in their prime, full of youthful vigor, fighting a battle on Mount Wanliu in the Azure Heaven Continent for some empty fame! That was many years ago..."

"Oh? Tell me about it!" Du Chen grew greatly interested.

"Back then, Roland, known as the Emperor of Swords, was unmatched across the Einz and Yakun Continents. And Ben, the Beastmen's Foremost Battle God, known as the Blade of Heaven, challenged him to a duel on Mount Wanliu, all for empty fame!" Although Deboning spoke with disdain, his gaze unconsciously drifted southward, towards Mount Wanliu!

"They invited Zigurd, the Dean of Battle God Academy, to be a witness. But unexpectedly, once the battle began, neither of them held back, dragging Zigurd into the fray. Then, Battle Gods from all corners, hearing the news, seized the opportunity to make a name for themselves across the land... However, Mount Wanliu was enveloped in a dense battle qi-gale from the battle of those three, and ultimately, only two Battle Gods managed to reach the summit: one was Sea Emperor Thanes, and the other was Constantine, formerly the leader of the Five Great Divine Dragons of Mount Miglio, now a rebel! This battle raged for three days and three nights. In the end, Mount Wanliu, which was protected by nature's blessings, was utterly shattered by them, leaving only five individual mountain peaks intact beneath their feet. In the aftermath, the once unified Mount Wanliu transformed into five isolated peaks. Those five Battle Gods were recognized as the strongest of their era, and because those five isolated peaks remained unshattered under the protection of their battle qi, they became a sacred land acknowledged by all Battle Gods. They were subsequently referred to as the Five Peaks of Myriad Streams!"

Du Chen listened, completely captivated, and couldn't help but ask, "What was the final outcome? Who was the strongest!?"

"Hard to say!" Deboning's answer startled Du Chen. "The ultimate result is said to be Roland as the strongest, followed by Ben and Constantine, and then Sea Emperor Thanes and Zigurd. However, battles between Battle Gods are full of variables. Take Sea Emperor Thanes, for example: as a Sea-race being, he fought his opponents in a mountain range, which put him at a natural disadvantage! And it's rumored that Constantine, wary of the Dragon-race's pursuit, arrived hastily and departed in a hurry, perhaps not exerting his full strength during the duel!"

Deboning suddenly sighed. "*Sigh*, unfortunately, back then I was tracking the lost The Weeping Tear and didn't get to witness that epic battle with my own eyes..."

Du Chen understood Deboning's disappointment, offered a few words of comfort, then asked, puzzled, "That doesn't sound right. You and the other three Saints, for example, are all Battle Gods of supreme power, though your reputations aren't widespread. I imagine there must be some reclusive top-tier Battle Gods in this era who didn't participate in that great war. This battle alone cannot determine the strongest Battle Gods of our time!"

Deboning nodded. "Precisely. Above them, I know of at least three others! These three would absolutely surpass the Five Peaks of Myriad Streams!"

"Which three?" Du Chen quickly pressed.

"The first is Baylistor, the Dragon God who expelled the Divine Dragon Constantine from Mount Miglio. Among the Dragon-race, the strong are revered, and Baylistor's ability to rank above Constantine proves his power undoubtedly surpasses Constantine's by more than a single level! And the second is Pontiff Sama IX, who hasn't made a move in fifty years. The last time he was known to act, he unleashed a miracle, destroying a city that had been declared a cult stronghold! As for the third person..."

Deboning suddenly smiled. "Young master, you should be able to guess him; this person is very closely related to you!"

Du Chen frowned in bewilderment. "Someone with such power, and closely related to me... could it be...?"

"Indeed, it is your Maternal Grandfather, Grand Pontiff Berengar!"

Du Chen's mind was filled with endless imaginings of his maternal grandfather's past grandeur. Alas, he had already disappeared on Mount Tianshan.

Deboning continued. "The Old Grand Pontiff possessed the divine power of Yessar, and his true strength was in no way inferior to the heroes of the Era of Fallen Gods. However, your maternal grandfather once said that after the War of Fallen Gods, countless Battle God experts emerged, but only one truly deserved the title of 'strongest'…"

"Who?"

"Charlemagne, the Foremost Battle God beneath the Starry Sky!"

Du Chen suddenly laughed. "A figure from three hundred years ago... perhaps by now... Why are you shaking your head?"

Deboning said solemnly, "Young master, how old do you think I am this year?"

Du Chen scrutinized him. "You look about forty, but in reality, you must be sixty or seventy, right?"

Deboning smiled but didn't answer, merely saying, "There are two major thresholds for the lifespan of human Battle Gods. As long as one can become a Six-Star Battle God and form their unique Martial Battle Soul or Demonic Battle Soul, their body can draw upon Elemental Primal Force to ward off signs of aging, making it easy to live past a hundred! And when one transcends the boundary between the Eighth and Ninth levels, unifying their Twin Souls and cultivating a Natural Primeval Soul, their body fully integrates with natural elements, becoming indistinguishable! Barring accidents, while their lifespan can't compare to the Dragon-race, who live for millennia, reaching two or three hundred years is still quite easy!"

Du Chen was startled. "Charlemagne could very well still be alive!?"

Deboning nodded, speaking unhurriedly, "It is said that the ultimate end of the Battle God's Path is to fully merge with all elements, thus living as long as heaven and earth! Alas, no one throughout history has ever reached that realm!"