Vichy suddenly asked, "Did the All-Knowing Weaver seal off our intuitive perception and prophecy miracles?"
Bell-Listening smiled faintly. "As expected of the Spectre Prophet, to actually notice the Weaver's 'Web.' For any target that steps into the Web, no prophetic perception will detect danger—it is lifted only when they actually encounter a crisis. Prior to that, not even a Divine Lord can perceive the slightest anomaly."
Vichy drew a deep breath. "Losing to the All-Knowing Weaver, whose prophetic sorcery stands unrivaled in the Void Realm, leaves me thoroughly convinced. But when was the Web laid? Over the past two months and more since entering Senluo, I've always—"
The Spectre Prophet caught herself mid-sentence. Yaxiu said calmly, "The Star Bridge Hall. The four Divine Lords held back Astral Law and Sword Law for us, giving us the opportunity to escape through the portal into Senluo, wasn't it? That was when the All-Knowing Weaver cast the Web over us?"
"Helping you was thanks to the Lord of the Endless Abyss," Bell-Listening said with a shrug. "Though we suffered heavy losses as well. To tamper with the portal, we had to sacrifice our most loyal believers. Now the Five Nations have become Fanxing's backyard; we hold no influence whatsoever there.
"Still, given Silver Lantern's degree of control over this world, as well as your prophetic capabilities, Spectre Prophet, we never descended ahead of time to avoid causing unnecessary misunderstandings. It wouldn't do to frighten you into fleeing right into Fanxing's cage.
"Besides, you were bound to come meet Silver Lantern's true body, weren't you, Yaxiu?" The Bell-Listening Angel clapped gently. "We only needed to monitor the surroundings of Silver Lantern's true body, and we were certain to wait until you appeared... After more than two months of waiting, our efforts weren't in vain after all."
Weise's body trembled, her face instantly draining of color. Beside her, Sonia immediately steadied Silver Lantern's shoulder, but before the Sword Princess could say anything, Silver Lantern waved her hand, signaling that she was all right.
At that moment, Weise realized Yaxiu had taken a firm hold of her hand. She looked up and saw that although Yaxiu was gazing at the Bell-Listening Angel, every word he spoke seemed meant to reassure her: "If I had truly gone to another nation, you wouldn't be here to kidnap me—you would have unleashed maximum firepower to destroy me outright, wouldn't you? Only in Senluo did you have the confidence to abduct me to the Seventh Heaven before Fanxing could react."
"It's an invitation to stay in the Kingdom of Heaven for a while, not a kidnapping," Bell-Listening clarified with a smile, though her tone suddenly turned cold.
She could already hear the resolve in Yaxiu's voice.
Furthermore, her psychological maneuver had failed once again. Silver Lantern, who had believed she brought harm upon Yaxiu, not only saw her guilt vanish upon hearing his explanation, but the battle intent in her eyes burned even fiercer.
As the All-Knowing Weaver's chief mouthpiece, this was the first time Bell-Listening had failed to gain any advantage in a war of words.
"Compared to you lot, I still prefer the werewolf." Yaxiu flicked two longswords from his sleeves. "Since war is inevitable, why waste time on negotiations that both you and I know are bound to fall apart?"
The Sword Princess gripped her hilt, the Witch drew threads between her ten fingers, Silver Lantern opened her tome, and Vichy let out a sigh as she condensed her flame halberd. Even Felix and Daedalose readied themselves for battle.
"Yaxiu Heath."
All warmth vanished from the Bell-Listening Angel's voice, leaving only icy, overbearing pressure. "Forcefully slaying Naglfar and West was indeed impressive. But before your eyes, there are still three world secret realms—and six angels."
In truth, Bell-Listening had not intended to fight Yaxiu. Introducing the details of each angel had not been done out of boredom, but to make Yaxiu and his companions understand that they were facing forces of the Divine Lords who had ruled the world for thousands of years.
In her plan, as long as they displayed the world secret realms to show the might of their various factions, Felix would inevitably be terrified, the death-fearing Vichy would most likely defect, and that country girl Sonia would panic and spark internal discord within their team.
Once their party fractured, what capital would Yaxiu have left to stubbornly hold out?
Yet now, even Felix, a mere Sanctuary, was not cowed. Though her legs trembled, she still dared to stand behind Yaxiu. Bell-Listening was beginning to wonder if something had gone wrong with the Kingdom of Heaven's propaganda and education in the mortal realm. Did these people have any idea what kind of overwhelming, earth-shattering power they were facing?
Just as the tension reached a boiling point, Yaxiu glanced at the angels and suddenly broke into a broad smile. "All right, I'm willing to go with you. But which Kingdom of Heaven am I supposed to go to?"
Bell-Listening did not hesitate: "The All-Knowing Heaven, of course!"
"Bullshit!" Nun Autumn Leaf barked furiously. "He must come to the Blood Moon Heaven!"
"The Fantasy Heaven is the finest place in the world," Nurse Hatred said leisurely.
Had the werewolf not died, he surely would have jumped up and shouted, 'The Endless Heaven is the great realm you ought to visit!'
"If all of you just talk without offering any benefits, it makes things rather difficult for me," Yaxiu said with a chuckle. "Is there no compensation package?"
The angels froze. "Compensation?"
"I'm going to offer the Supreme Holy Grail to your Divine Lord. Could it be that your Divine Lords won't grant even the slightest reward?" Yaxiu put on a shocked expression. "Even Fanxing promised me the position of Vice-Monarch of the Kingdom of Heaven! Do your Divine Lords expect to take my Supreme Holy Grail without offering a single thing? In that case, even if I have to die fighting, I'd rather break out, defect to Fanxing, and slaughter every last one of you stingy Divine Lords and angels."
Bell-Listening hesitated for a moment. "What do you want?"
"Ten world secret realms, each containing three Eternal Wonders," Yaxiu stated his price outright.
"Impossible!" Autumn Leaf blurted out frantically. "Even the Supreme Lord of Stars cannot possess ten world secret realms! Besides, Eternal Wonders are extraordinarily rare; having even one in a world secret realm is already remarkable. A world secret realm with three Eternal Wonders is a major realm painstakingly cultivated by a Divine Lord!"
Nurse Hatred could not resist chiming in, "Thirty Eternal Wonders would already contain thirty gods."
"I never said one faction had to shoulder it all. Aren't there four factions among you? Can't you pool your resources?" Yaxiu said. "Surely four Divine Lords together can't fail to scrape together ten world secret realms?"
Bell-Listening considered it for a moment, then said, "We can negotiate—everything can be negotiated. But we must take you back to the All-Knowing Heaven first."
"Out of the question. What if you go back on your word?" Yaxiu shook his head in refusal. "Pay an advance deposit first: three world secret realms. I don't even need them for myself; let the Sword Princess, the Witch, and Vichy take them first. Only once that step is fulfilled will I agree to go with you. Otherwise, let's just fight to the bitter end.
"If I die, the Supreme Holy Grail will disperse. Keeping me alive not only offers the possibility of obtaining the Supreme Holy Grail, but also prevents Fanxing from monopolizing the Supreme share. My value far exceeds ten world secret realms. But if you aren't even willing to offer three, it's hard for me to believe your sincerity."
Chapter 1166