Dongbo Xueying, Lady Qianhe, Qing Jun, the Primordial Master, the Island Master of Time and Space, and other Rulers all gazed distantly at the Mother Goddess Cult’s stronghold—an ancient, beautiful spherical fortress.
“Let’s see what other tricks the Mother Goddess Cult has up their sleeves.”
“Now that they’re suppressed and sealed by the Twelve Yuan Chen Pillars, what else can they do? If they had any powerful means, they wouldn’t have allowed us to set up the pillars one by one.”
“The power of the Twelve Yuan Chen Pillars is at the Void God level. Only because Bloodblade himself has touched the threshold of Void God and utilized the refining methods from the ‘Atlas of All Things’ could they be forged. I refuse to believe they can break free.”
The Rulers watched from afar, chatting casually among themselves.
They were waiting, anticipating the Mother Goddess Cult’s response!
Time passed, minute by minute…
Dongbo Xueying and the others were patient. Even if the Mother Goddess Cult intended to counterattack, they would likely need time for internal discussions.
“Hmm?” Bloodblade Divine Emperor suddenly showed surprise, and Dongbo Xueying and the others noticed it too.
Rumble—
A passage suddenly opened in one part of the spherical fortress. Standing at the entrance was a towering giant with greenish-brown skin, barefoot and clad only in tattered cloth. His eyes were eerily calm, like an endless abyss. However, due to the void chains sealing the entire fortress, the tusked giant stood at the entrance but could not step out. He spoke: “Bloodblade Divine Emperor, this is merely an avatar of mine, carrying no weapons, storage treasures, or any other items. Even my robes are condensed energy. Let me out.”
His words were inaudible to Dongbo Xueying and the other Rulers, but Bloodblade Divine Emperor, who controlled the Twelve Yuan Chen Pillars formation, could hear them clearly.
Buzz—
A ripple of energy instantly swept through the tusked giant’s avatar.
Indeed, it was just an avatar—his robes were energy constructs, and he carried nothing.
“Come out,” Bloodblade Divine Emperor willed, and an invisible force wrapped around the avatar, teleporting it outside the fortress.
…
Though Dongbo Xueying and the others couldn’t hear the tusked giant’s words, they saw him being moved outside. Once outside, they could all sense him from afar. Since it was merely an avatar, they easily scrutinized every detail.
“Just an avatar.”
“No items, no threat.”
The Rulers observed the tusked giant. Despite the vast distance, their keen perception allowed them to see even the finest details of his form. Only Bloodblade Divine Emperor personally approached the avatar, while Dongbo Xueying and the others remained stationed at their respective Yuan Chen Pillars, watching from afar.
Guarding the pillars was too crucial to neglect.
“Are all the Rulers here?” The Tusked Patriarch glanced around. Though he couldn’t see them, he guessed as much and smiled faintly.
“Speak. What do you want?” Bloodblade Divine Emperor appeared before him, his tone indifferent.
The Tusked Patriarch studied the white-robed Bloodblade Divine Emperor and sighed. “Bloodblade Divine Emperor, you are truly cautious. No matter the situation, you never let your guard down. Even now, with victory assured, the other Rulers remain stationed at the Yuan Chen Pillars. And I suspect their true bodies are still in the Heart of the Lake.”
“They are,” Bloodblade Divine Emperor confirmed.
“You never gamble, no matter the temptation,” the tusked giant mused. “We laid trap after trap, killing you time and again, yet it was all for naught.”
Bloodblade Divine Emperor replied coldly, “For a hundred thousand years, we faced temptation after temptation. But I knew—if we risked our true bodies, we might have won. But at what cost? Total annihilation. By refusing to gamble, our true bodies remained safe. We could forge endless avatars and continue the fight, wearing you down. Even without considering anything else, once your divine crystals were exhausted, victory was inevitable.”
“If the outcome was certain, why take the risk?” Bloodblade Divine Emperor’s voice was icy.
“You are disciplined.”
The Tusked Patriarch sighed. “But for many warriors, knowing is one thing; acting is another. When victory seems within grasp, recklessness is natural. A pity… a true pity.”
“Is that all you came to say?” Bloodblade Divine Emperor pressed. Dongbo Xueying and the other Rulers watched and listened intently from afar.
The Tusked Patriarch shook his head. “I admire you. Your mastery of formations is unparalleled. The ‘Void Polarity Formation’ forced us out of hiding, and now the Yuan Chen Pillars have trapped us—all your doing. And you discovered early on that Bloodblade the Betrayer was our spy, yet feigned ignorance and turned the tables on us. To this day, I still don’t understand—how did you uncover him?”
“That is a secret,” Bloodblade Divine Emperor said coldly.
Though he had harbored suspicions, it was Dongbo Xueying’s intelligence that had confirmed Bloodblade the Betrayer’s treachery.
“Still so guarded, even now,” the Tusked Patriarch said, his expression weary, his gaze distant. “Our people thrived in our homeland, growing mighty beyond measure. But our universe aged and collapsed. This cosmic passage to yours was our only hope… We had no choice but to fight. Had we possessed boundless cosmic energy and ample resources, we might have prevailed.”
Bloodblade Divine Emperor sneered. “Stripped of treasures and external advantages, in raw strength alone, you were never our equals.”
The Tusked Patriarch stiffened.
It was true.
He had to admit—the cultivators’ ability to create avatars meant each Ruler had three bodies, offsetting their numerical disadvantage. In direct combat, the cultivators were undeniably superior.
“Enough of this. Our Guardians are nearly extinct, and many of our Patriarchs have fallen. After a hundred thousand years of battle, we have lost,” the Tusked Patriarch said. “I come today to plead for mercy—a chance for survival.”
“Mercy?” Bloodblade Divine Emperor scoffed. “Why should we grant you mercy? Imprisoned until the end of this cosmic epoch, you will all perish. Even if you return through the passage to your collapsed universe, death awaits you. Your fate is sealed.”
“It is.”
The Tusked Patriarch nodded. “First, we still possess the power to strike back. Though we cannot win, we can make you pay dearly. Second, if you spare us, we can offer treasures and knowledge in return. Third… we fight only to survive.”
Bloodblade Divine Emperor fell silent, privately conferring with the other Rulers. Dongbo Xueying and the rest deliberated swiftly.
“Is he bluffing? Can they still retaliate?”
“Trapped as they are, how can they make us suffer? Is this a threat, or do they truly have a hidden card?”
“Hmph. They sought to conquer our universe. Now they beg for mercy?”
“Let me question him further.”
…
Bloodblade Divine Emperor fixed his gaze on the Tusked Patriarch. “What form would this ‘mercy’ take?”
“Two paths,” the tusked giant said. “First, you have ties to that Bone Qianluo, do you not? He possesses a Chaos Vessel. Allow us to board it and depart this universe. Second, continue imprisoning us until one of your cultivators ascends to Void God. Before the cosmic epoch ends, your Void God will lead his people beyond this universe—take us with them.”
“This is our final hope.”
“The war is lost. We seek only survival,” the Tusked Patriarch said, meeting Bloodblade Divine Emperor’s gaze.
…
With no alternatives left, the Mother Goddess Cult had no choice but to bow their heads and plead for life. The decision now rested with the cultivators.
The feeling of holding another’s fate in their hands was intoxicating. Dongbo Xueying, Lady Qianhe, Pang Yi, Bloodblade Divine Emperor, and the others pondered carefully, yet their hearts swelled with satisfaction.
“Could it truly be over? Has the war ended so abruptly?” Dongbo Xueying felt everything had moved too swiftly. He had barely awakened, joined the battle, and now—victory?
Of course, to him, it seemed sudden.
The other Rulers felt differently.
Bloodblade Divine Emperor, the Primordial Master, the Abyssal Progenitor, the Hellfire Ruler, Pang Yi, Qing Jun, the Island Master of Time and Space, the Master of Ten Thousand Palaces, Lady Qianhe—their hearts surged with emotion. The past hundred thousand years had exhausted them. They had fought tirelessly, schemed relentlessly, died countless times. Time and again, victory had seemed within reach, only to reveal itself as another trap.
They were weary, yet they had fought on.
And now—
Dongbo Xueying had brought them fortune. The war was finally ending. Though instinct kept them wary, joy blossomed in their hearts.
“Speak your minds,” Bloodblade Divine Emperor addressed the others. “Should we grant them mercy?”
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