Negotiation

As the last ember of spirituality in the werewolf's pupils faded, his broken demigod soul body dissolved into thousands of streaming rays of light. Amid the radiance, an open-air exhibition hall with a glass dome condensed from illusion into reality, coming to rest upon the blood-drenched Ancient Battlefield. Inside the hall hung paintings in rich, heavy pigments—landscapes, portraits, religious scenes of every variety—yet every single piece inevitably featured a wolf or a werewolf. At times savage like beasts, at other times civilized like humans, neither truly man nor truly beast, it was obvious that the painter, though a werewolf, had been born into a human-dominated civilized society. Unable to shake his racial consciousness yet yearning for a greater civilization, this subconscious tangle of inner turmoil was laid bare across every canvas. Yet within an exhibition hall of such austere and refined elegance stood three wonders steeped in the scent of blood: "Beast Blood Boiling," a pyramid of skulls amassed from the warriors of countless races; "Duel," a warrior's statue composed of every weapon that had ever existed in history, from sharp swords to long spears; and "Battlefield Curtain," a tapestry woven from the scalps of warriors of all races and creatures of the Void Realm. All three were Eternal Wonders erected upon the Ancient Battlefield—crystallizations of sorcery that required no source power from a sorcerer to activate, eternities carved when the Divine Lords conquered immortality! Compared to the Law of Swords' Sword Rain Pond, although the Ancient Battlefield required a certain amount of time to spin up its cycle of battle intent, its upper limit was higher. Had the werewolf been given a few more minutes to build his momentum, Yaxiu didn't doubt for a second that even his ordinary attacks would have reached the six-wing level. These secret realm wonders were never designed with five-wing demigods as their hypothetical targets; only six-wing Divine Lords were worthy of such an extravagant rite. An unowned world secret realm and unowned Eternal Wonders lay right before their eyes, yet the sorcerers could not spare so much as a glance toward these treasures. Not just Yaxiu's group—even the Bell-Listening Angel and her companions were stunned by the spectacle before them. A murky, dark-red sea of blood flooded over the Ancient Battlefield. At the heart of the bloody sea rose a mountain of corpses heaped from countless severed limbs and shattered remains. The bodies upon the corpse mountain seemed fresh and scalding, continuously oozing hot blood, while pale maggots roiled in the crimson tide and ten million flies swarmed the mountain like bees gathering nectar. Perhaps influenced by Harvey, Yaxiu found himself actually able to appreciate the aesthetic of death constructed by this Mountain of Corpses and Sea of Blood. Still corpses, flowing blood—stillness and motion, life and death, achieving a flawless composition. Without requiring any external interference, the Mountain of Corpses and Sea of Blood formed a new ecosystem of its own... So filthy, so hideous, yet brimming with such pure, surging vitality that it was truly breathtaking. Breezes drifting through the air carried wafts of floral scent, while fluttering petals drifted like snowfall. The source of this snow was the moon suspended high in the heavens, its descending brilliance illuminating the scars of the wind... Even though this was an aesthetic panorama named "Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon," no one dared admire a landscape where truth and illusion were so indistinguishable. Wind beheld flowers, flowers beheld snow, snow beheld the moon, and the moon beheld the wind. You seemed to perceive everything, yet when you focused your mind, there was nothing there at all. The rupture between reality and illusion was enough to shatter a mortal's worldview—causing dizziness at least, and soul collapse at worst! Furthermore, the term "Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon" reminded Yaxiu and his companions of the smuggling route through the Distant Sky—gathering the four materials of wind, flower, snow, and moon, combined with a Dream-Entering sorcery spirit, allowed one to refine a Dream-Awakening sorcery spirit, break free from the Prime Angel's dream, and reach Ruby Mountain. Yet thousands of years ago, the four materials had been completely depleted. Seeing this world secret realm now, they faintly deduced that a Divine Lord had uprooted those Void Realm resources entirely. The most ordinary of them was the Hanging Gardens suspended in midair. A profusion of vibrant blossoms, tiny bridges spanning trickling streams, and a pavilion nestled at the garden's center—aside from floating in the air, it seemed to possess nothing extraordinary; if anything stood out, it was merely how small it was. Yet this only deepened the dread felt by Yaxiu and his companions. A vital characteristic of a world secret realm was its ability to alter the environment and imprison foes. The mission of the Bell-Listening Angel and her cohort was unquestionably to capture Yaxiu; restricting his escape had to be their top priority. Yet they had brought a world secret realm so small, one that didn't even alter the environment. Either the All-Knowing Weaver was exceedingly arrogant, or the Hanging Gardens simply didn't care whether Yaxiu ran! Yaxiu had cast Refraction Guardian on Felix and Daedalose early on. Merely looking at these world secret realms would affect one's psyche; without this layer of protection, the two of them might have already fainted. The earth was divided equally between the Ancient Battlefield and the Mountain of Corpses and Sea of Blood; the sky was the domain of Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon; and perched between them sat the Hanging Gardens. Four world secret realms belonging to four different divine kingdoms overlapped—a spectacle unimaginable even in the Kingdom of Heaven wars before the era. Yet no angel considered this an overreaction. Perhaps they had harbored such thoughts before, but after witnessing the fate of those two Throne Angels under the Abyssal Lord of Avici, every single one of them sincerely extolled their Divine Lords' wisdom: the man before them truly warranted such a grand reception. Yaxiu Heath. A mortal who seized the Supreme Holy Grail. A deputy sovereign of the Kingdom of Heaven whom the Supreme of Stars sought in vain. One of only two sorcerers in the world who possessed a Supreme Tail Feather. He had single-handedly dragged four sorcerers through the Hell trials (in the eyes of outsiders, it was entirely Yaxiu's doing, with Sword Princess and the other three acting as a cheerleading squad). What was more, all four of those sorcerers had been nurtured by him: Sword Princess had merely been a village girl; the Witch was an empress meant to serve as a god's vessel; Silver Lantern was clearly dead yet he pulled her back; and Weixi was an absolute heavyweight—the Spectre Prophet, who had wreaked havoc for a millennium without ever bowing her head, was actually willing to wash her hands and cook broth for him. Every angel was an incomparable genius who had suppressed their own era; otherwise, they would never have won the favor of a Divine Lord. What grand sights had they not witnessed? Yet when they looked over Yaxiu's résumé, they realized that this was a sight they truly had never seen. However, upon seeing that Yaxiu was a touch organ of the Four Pillar Gods—now the Five Pillar Gods—the angels felt enlightened. Such an outrageous record was far too ahead of its time for an ordinary mortal, but for a touch organ of the Four Pillar Gods, it made complete sense. All their perplexities vanished at once: Why was Yaxiu such a genius? Power bestowed by the Lord of Myriad Radiance. Why did Yaxiu always reap the greatest rewards from every adventure? Wisdom granted by the Sovereign of Wind, Rain, and Snow. Why did Yaxiu escape death every single time? Vitality fortified by the Ever-Burning Heart. Why did Yaxiu have so many women following him? Sensual allure amplified by the Soul of Illusory Freedom. If he were a chosen one brute-forced into existence by the Four Pillar Gods over so many years of squandered resources, then none of this was surprising. Nor did the angels envy Yaxiu; after all, becoming a touch organ of the Four Pillar Gods meant merging one's soul into them. That was no longer acting as a dog, but as a sensory organ for evil gods. Word was that Yaxiu was also the sole touch organ of the Fifth Pillar God. All the nourishment needed by a newborn evil god had to be provided by its touch organ; heaven only knew what cruel, horrifying rites Yaxiu had to perform to satisfy the Fifth Pillar God's cravings. "Allow me to make introductions," said the Bell-Listening Angel standing before the Hanging Gardens, spreading her hands. "First, starting with myself: Cherub Bell-Listening, serving under the All-Knowing Weaver. A sound sorcery demigod, and temporary gardener of the Hanging Gardens. "Beside me is Cherub Last Words, a mind demigod." Beside Bell-Listening stood a black-haired girl wearing an aluminum-alloy style metal face mask, her hair tied in a sickle-weasel ponytail. Hands stuffed into her pockets, she did not speak, only nodding toward Yaxiu and the others. "Those two are Blessing Angels serving under the Supreme Lord of the Blood Moon: Fireworks and Autumn Leaf. The former is a demigod of both blood and fire factions from the Blood Saint clan; the latter is a fist-and-claw demigod of the Moon Shadow clan, who also specializes in the rarer Gluttony faction." Above the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, a man and a woman hovered in midair. The man was richly dressed with a scarf wrapped around his neck, looking cultured and refined like a professor preparing to give a lecture, his eyes blood-red. Paying no heed to Bell-Listening's words, he kept his head bowed, reading a poetry collection in his hands. The woman was a full two meters tall, slender, and though she wore a nun's habit, she exuded the vibe of a rogue. Heavy dark circles ringed her eyes, and an enormous wolf tail swayed beneath her habit. Hearing Bell-Listening expose her details, her head tilted at a ninety-degree angle as she rasped sinisterly, "Haven't seen you in a thousand years, Bell-Listening. You look even tastier." "Those two over there are Poetry Angels serving under the Fantasy Lord of Joy: Demon Hunt and Nurse Hatred. Don't let their murderous titles fool you; Demon Hunt is an alchemy demigod, and Nurse Hatred is a water sorcery demigod. Compared to battle, their greatest strengths lie in managing the divine kingdom, though their combat prowess is by no means inferior. Underestimating them will cost you dearly." The two angels blending into Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon on the other side were also a man and a woman. The man wore tactical goggles completely covering his eyes and was clad from head to toe in ultra-sleek black armor. The woman wore azure feather robes with knee-length sleeves, her appearance gentle and elegant. Facing Bell-Listening's introduction, she smiled faintly. "Angel Bell-Listening flatters us." "Lastly, there were the Principalities you just killed—stalwart warriors under the Abyssal Lord of Avici." Bell-Listening's tone soured when mentioning these two dead men. "Unlike us, the Abyssal Lord of Avici dislikes giving code names to angels; they address one another by their real names. The archery demigod was named Naglfar, and the shield-warrior demigod was named Vist. As an aside, although Vist was a werewolf, he had nothing to do with the Moon Shadow clan. Vist was a werewolf evolved from beastmen, whereas Autumn Leaf became a Moon Shadow wolf from a human curse, so—" "Cut the crap!" the Moon Shadow nun, Autumn Leaf, bellowed, carrying the faint might of a roar. A sharp sense of peril made the hair on Yaxiu and the others stand on end. "We came to take them away, not to watch you chat!" "We rarely get a chance to come down, Autumn Leaf—why are you in such a hurry to return? It's been thousands of years; aren't you sick of chasing your own tail in the back garden?" Bell-Listening spread her hands. "Besides, we haven't seen each other in so many years. Isn't catching up for a bit rather nice?" "Chat all you want, I couldn't care less," Autumn Leaf said, pointing at Yaxiu with a sinister sneer. "Then I'll take him back to report to the Ancestor first. The Ancestor's banquet is already prepared, just waiting for him to be served." "As if ours isn't the same," Bell-Listening said leisurely. "The All-Knowing Weaver has looked forward to meeting Yaxiu for a long time as well. But Yaxiu's strength is plain for all to see. Combat was never our optimal choice from the beginning. If we can accomplish our mission through negotiation, why must we start a war?" "Sorry," Yaxiu said calmly. "I don't believe mere negotiation is enough for me to hand my life over to you." Bell-Listening did not immediately reply. Instead, she glanced at the girls beside Yaxiu. To the sound sorcery demigod's surprise, when confronted by four world secret realms and six angels, not only did the four demigods—Sword Princess and the others—instantly assume battle stances to fight side by side, but even the two Sanctuary sorcerers, Felix and Daedalose, showed not the slightest trace of timidity. It seems sowing discord within their team won't be easy... Bell-Listening's mind raced, yet a warm smile surfaced on her face. "Yaxiu Heath, we are not your enemies. At the very least, we have no desire to take your life. You bear no grudge against the Divine Lords, and my Weaver even quite admires you and Igola. What reason do you have to die? "In fact, were it not for your Supreme Tail Feather, the Divine Lords would never have dispatched us to descend and target you. With your strength and your record, you are bound to elevate a Kingdom of Heaven and ascend to Divine Lord in the future; you even have your angels prepared. Now that the Senluo Azure Lord has fallen, the moment you step into the Seventh Heaven, you will be able to take the Azure Lord's place, governing one layer of Heaven and gazing upon the River of Flowing Gold. "How much needless suffering have you endured entirely because of the Supreme Tail Feather?" Bell-Listening spoke eloquently. "Without the Supreme Tail Feather, the Supreme of Stars would never have sent the Law of Swords and the Law of Stars to hunt you down. In the mortal world, you would be the only demigods; so long as you didn't cross the line, the Divine Lords would have no time to pay you any mind. The only issue would be the disappearance of the Six Hells, preventing five-wing demigods from condensing Hell Wings—yet that problem is no problem at all for you, is it?" Bell-Listening and the other angels could naturally tell that Yaxiu and his companions possessed three pairs of Hell Wings. Though they did not know how he had condensed Hell Wings while Hell was sealed, Yaxiu was a touch organ of the Five Pillar Gods; nothing that happened around him was bizarre enough to shock them, so the angels paid it little heed. "So, Yaxiu, we have not come to harm you, but to liberate you from suffering and steer your strayed path of sorcery back on track," Bell-Listening smiled gently. "Why cling to a crown that does not belong to you, cutting off your own path and bringing harm to those at your side?" Every sentence seemed spoken for his benefit, every word meant to ease his worries. Bell-Listening's voice carried a mesmerizing, soul-stirring allure; listening to her, even Felix began to feel that perhaps Yaxiu was in the wrong. But the moment Felix touched Yaxiu's Supreme Tail Feather, she snapped back to her senses, firmly siding with Yaxiu and glaring warily up at the angels suspended in the sky. "You're making it sound so tempting. Now that I think about it, the Supreme Tail Feather truly has brought me far more trouble than benefits. What you say isn't without reason," Yaxiu replied with an airy nonchalance. "However, do you have a way to extract my Supreme Holy Grail?" "A method can be deliberated over time and explored gradually. For now, the first priority is ensuring your safety and stopping the Supreme of Stars from continuing to hunt you," Bell-Listening said with an earnest expression. "We will escort you to temporarily reside in the All-Knowing Heaven. As for quality of life, rest assured, the All-Knowing Heaven will make you feel right at home—so comfortable you won't even think of leaving." "Hey!" the nun Autumn Leaf couldn't help but yell. "It hasn't been decided that it'll be your All-Knowing Heaven!" Angel Nurse Hatred said calmly, "The environment of the Fantasy Heaven is no worse than the All-Knowing Heaven's." Earlier, when Bell-Listening took charge of negotiations, they could keep quiet. But now that Bell-Listening was trying to abduct Yaxiu with sweet talk alone, if they remained silent, they wouldn't be able to report back to their Divine Lords. "As expected. If even Fanxing hasn't figured out a way to extract the Holy Grail, how could Yinzhi and the others be faster than her?" Yaxiu murmured thoughtfully. "Still, don't Yinzhi and the others only need me? Why does it seem like you want to take all of us away?" "To keep you from being bored, of course," Bell-Listening replied with a radiant smile. "Besides, no matter how wonderful a divine kingdom is, it will still be an unfamiliar place to you. Having familiar friends around will put your mind at ease. And if you missed your friends and wanted to visit them, wouldn't that be troublesome? Far better for all of you to be guests in the All-Knowing Heaven together." Yaxiu pondered. "So they're hostages... Afraid I'll run? Unlikely. Afraid I'll commit suicide? Possible. If Fanxing comes to seize me, you would use Sword Princess and the others to coerce me into killing myself—preferring to kill me rather than let me fall into Fanxing's hands? That can be the only reason." Faced with such an accusation, Bell-Listening merely smiled and responded, "The Weaver will absolutely ensure your safety and will never allow Fanxing to take you away." A chill welled up in everyone's hearts. The situation had become clear: the four Divine Lords had not devised a method to extract the Supreme Holy Grail, yet even so, they wanted to strike first, snatching Yaxiu away to keep him protected. It didn't matter if they couldn't extract the Supreme Holy Grail. The crucial point now was to prevent Fanxing from seizing Yaxiu's Supreme Holy Grail. After all, the total share of the Supreme Holy Grail was limited. Once Fanxing acquired over ninety percent of the Supreme share, no one else would ever be able to advance to Sorcery Supreme. From then on, this world would exist forever beneath the shining stars, and Fanxing's reign would endure for all eternity. The four Divine Lords' best option was naturally to take Yaxiu's Supreme Holy Grail for themselves, allowing them to ascend to the Supreme rank. Their second-best option was to hide Yaxiu away, preventing Fanxing from monopolizing the Supreme share. The worst-case scenario was to kill Yaxiu, delaying Fanxing's ascent to the pinnacle of sorcery for as long as possible. This was perhaps the most ruthless zero-sum game in the history of sorcerers: the Supreme share was fixed; the more you consumed, the less was left for me. If you devoured it all, my hope of reaching the pinnacle would be extinguished forever. Perhaps it was precisely for this reason that the seven-wing rank was named Sorcery Supreme—at the supreme apex, there had only ever been room for one!