Yaxiu's sudden reversal of roles left the angels dumbfounded. First and foremost, as long as there was even a one-in-ten-thousand chance, they had to take him alive. The consequences of killing Yaxiu were far too dire: not only would the Divine Lords lose the simplest path to ascension, but more importantly, Fanxing would undoubtedly gather the Supreme share faster than the four Divine Lords.
Once Fanxing monopolized enough of the Supreme share, the four Divine Lords would still be unable to ascend to the Sorcery Supreme. Therefore, the risk of Yaxiu dying was almost as grave as the risk of him being seized by Fanxing.
What was more, Yaxiu was not refusing to go with them; he was merely demanding sufficient sincerity, meaning there was still room for negotiation. But when it came to a monumental transaction involving world secret realms, angels simply lacked the authority to make such a decision—over the past several thousand years, the Divine Lords had never once traded a world secret realm! Who would be foolish enough to sell off such cornerstone treasures of a divine kingdom to anyone else?
"You don't have the authority to negotiate with me at all. Go back and ask your Divine Lords for instructions."
Yaxiu waved his hand dismissively. "However, as a meeting gift, we'll take this Ancient Battlefield. This world secret realm can count as one of the ten; you'll only need to scrape together nine more."
"You can't!" Bell-Listening immediately objected. "You—"
"Afraid I'll ascend to become a Divine Lord? Fine, I won't take it." Yaxiu took Sonia's hand. "Allowing her to take it should be fine, right? She's merely an ordinary demigod, still a very long way from becoming a Divine Lord."
"Sword Princess, go claim the Ancient Battlefield!" Yaxiu said loudly. "If you won't yield a single step, then we won't retreat a single step either! Bell-Listening, when that happens, you can carry my corpse back to report to the All-Knowing Weaver!"
Seeing the red-haired Sword Princess actually moving to claim the Ancient Battlefield, the usually resourceful and decisive Bell-Listening unexpectedly hesitated. Yaxiu had stepped right on her bottom line. If Yaxiu had demanded one of their own world secret realms, absolutely no one would have entertained him. But the problem was that what Yaxiu wanted was the Ancient Battlefield; Naglfar and West were both dead now, and Bell-Listening had no desire whatsoever to help the Lord of the Endless Abyss defend his realm.
To wage war against them and drive Yaxiu into a corner just to prevent them from seizing the Ancient Battlefield? If Yaxiu really died, how would she explain it to the All-Knowing Weaver?
Furthermore, Yaxiu was not claiming it himself, but letting his lover have it. Even if the Sword Princess raised her divine kingdom and ascended to become a Divine Lord, would the Divine Lords fear her? In fact, it might be even better: if the Sword Princess ascended, she would inevitably have to set foot in Heaven, which was the home turf of the four Divine Lords.
Vichy and the others stared at Yaxiu in astonishment. None of them could believe that at such a life-and-death juncture, Yaxiu had actually bluffed the angels, and had even used sweet talk to make them tacitly permit the Sword Princess to seize the Ancient Battlefield. Any woman who had lived with Yaxiu for a while knew he would never cow down to authority out of fear of death. Only when facing girls would Yaxiu soften into a Lalafell; at all other times, he was more like a spring. The harder you pressed down on him, the more resolute his rebound would be—he would rather die than not snap back fiercely at you!
Just as Sonia was about to permeate the Ancient Battlefield with her source mana, a melodious, pleasant voice suddenly sounded from behind Angel Bell-Listening: "Bell-Listening lacks the authority to negotiate with you, but surely I do?"
The crowd looked toward the Hanging Gardens in shock. Even Bell-Listening turned her head blankly, gazing at the leggy, mature woman with long pink-purple hair sitting in the garden pavilion. No one had noticed when she had appeared, as if she had been sitting there from the very beginning, sipping afternoon tea and enjoying desserts.
She tilted her head slightly and cast a distant glance at Yaxiu. A shudder ran through Yaxiu, feeling as though his very soul had been seen straight through.
"Ah, this seems to be the first time you've seen me like this." She stroked her cheek. "Actually, I still prefer my appearance in the Nation of Stars. Liveliness and cuteness suit my personality better."
"Stop nauseating people, All-Knowing."
No demigod present dared to utter such words. Thus, the one who spoke them was a man stepping out from the Mountain of Corpses and Sea of Blood. His skin was pale as snow, his black hair cascaded down to his waist like a waterfall, his eyes shone blood-red like brilliant gemstones, and a supple, nimble wolf tail swayed behind him. His fangs were menacing, his claws razor-sharp.
The sea of blood voluntarily supported his distinct-knuckled bare feet until his tall figure reached the shore.
Whether it was the cold Blood Saint Fireworks or the impulsive Moon Shadow Autumn Leaf, the moment they saw him, they both flew down and dropped to one knee, their voices trembling: "Ancestor, we..."
"The agreement didn't say we could descend with our wills, and by all accounts, four world secret realms and eight angels should have been enough to finish the mission."
Flowing wind sketched an outline, swirling flowers formed a body, falling snow dotted color, and moonlight draped over as clothing. A spectacle-wearing, orange-haired youth quietly appeared amidst the shifting dance of Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon. He landed between the Demon Hunt Angel and the Nurse Hatred Angel, waving his hand to signal that they need not bow, and sighed, "Though seeing you all take a trip down here doesn't surprise me one bit."
"Disgrace."
Sonia turned her head and saw a distinct-knuckled hand suddenly thrust out from the mass grave beside her. By the time Yaxiu rushed over and pulled her away into his arms, a blood-filthied warrior crawled out from the pit. His hair was aged and ash-white, his skin like weathered stone, his features deeply carved by the passage of time.
"I will thoroughly discipline West and Naglfar when I return," the aged warrior gritted his teeth and said. "Until they wash away this disgrace, there will be no place for them in the Hall of Brave Souls!"
"And you," the aged warrior turned to look at Sonia. Both Sonia and Yaxiu holding her felt a piercing pain from his gaze. "You want to become the master of the Ancient Battlefield? You want to become the master of this Ancient Battlefield that has gathered every valiant warrior throughout history? Even if I let you have it, could you ever gain the Ancient Battlefield's recognition?!"
"Of course they can become the masters of the Ancient Battlefield," the pink-purple-haired mature woman laughed. "So long as Yaxiu is willing to cooperate with us, what does it matter if we help the young lady take charge of the Ancient Battlefield? Or are you reluctant to part with it?"
"Now then, let's talk, Yaxiu Heath."
At this moment, the angels lowered their eyelids and fell silent, leaving only four pairs of eyes fixed upon Yaxiu.
"The angels cannot make the call, but we can," she said with a smile. "To negotiate with all of us at the same time—you can truly be considered the first in history."
The All-Knowing Weaver. The Supreme Lord of the Blood Moon. The Fantasy Lord of Joy. The Lord of the Endless Abyss.
Facing four Divine Lords at the same time, the abyssal, crushing pressure caused Yaxiu to sway slightly. But he quickly steadied his mind and turned to look at the girls beside him. The Sword Princess was expressionless, the Witch's hair colors were in disarray, the Silver Lantern pursed her lips tightly, Vichy turned her head away to avoid his gaze, Daedalose wore a cold expression, and Felix was trembling uncontrollably, yet both of her hands gripped his Supreme Tail Feather tightly...
Yaxiu raised his head, courageously meeting the All-Knowing Weaver's gaze head-on.
Then, crossing his twin swords into an X, blade clashed against blade with a crisp, resonant clang.
Chapter 1167