Winning is Important

The Twilight Emperor, shedding His usual solemnity, leaned forward slightly with a wicked grin. "Are you begging me?"

Xu Xian was stunned.

The book spirit was dazed.

The looks they exchanged were quite intriguing.

Logically, He was an Emperor.

Even setting aside His status, there were so many grievances between Him and Xu Xian that He shouldn't be acting like this.

Xu Xian didn't feel any sense of amusement; he felt only the Emperor's mockery.

A boring trick.

A different kind of provocation.

The Twilight Emperor didn't care. People have times of anger, resentment, and hatred... so naturally, they have times of pleasure. Just like today.

Xu Xian had come.

And He was quite happy about it.

It was within His expectations, exactly according to plan.

With a high curl of His lips and a light arch of His brow, He said, "I admire you. I always have. If you are willing to beg me, I will agree to your request."

Xu Xian was amused.

"Heh... interesting."

The Emperor smiled but said nothing.

Xu Xian responded with an equally flippant tone, "And if I don't beg?"

The Twilight Emperor clicked His tongue, looking slightly regretful. "Then I might have to disappoint you."

"Oh? You don't want to leave?"

"Of course I do," the Twilight Emperor said directly. Then His tone shifted, becoming confident. "I will be able to leave eventually. Whether it's a bit earlier or a bit later doesn't matter to me. I'm not in a rush. I just wonder... are you in a rush?"

The provocation was heavy.

Xu Xian could understand why.

After all, He had suffered setbacks twice at Xu Xian's hands.

Once in the Emperor's Tomb.

Once during the Sword Inquiry of the world.

Now, He wanted to regain some face. It was only natural.

But Xu Xian wouldn't give Him the satisfaction.

Xu Xian gave a contemptuous smile. "Whether you leave or not isn't up to you."

The Twilight Emperor struck a pose. "Oh? You want to use force? I'm so scared..."

Xu Xian said coldly, "I didn't come here today to negotiate. I came to notify you. If you are willing to go, I will open the Sky Gate. All our grievances and rights and wrongs will be settled once we are Above the Heavens. If you refuse to go, then don't blame me for replaying that dream all over again..."

The youth was domineering.

The Emperor felt a flicker of unease.

Only the little book spirit was left in a daze...

The Twilight Emperor's expression remained unchanged as He provoked, "Replay it? What, do you love failure that much? It's only been a few years; have you forgotten how you lost everything in that dream? I don't think you want to replay it; I think you want to repeat the same mistakes."

Xu Xian smiled disdainfully.

"Heh!"

The Twilight Emperor was relentless. "Do you dare to gamble?"

Xu Xian gazed at Him quietly and asked back, "You should be asking yourself—do you dare to gamble?"

The two stared at each other in silence for several breaths...

A few moments later, the mockery in the Twilight Emperor's eyes deepened. "You kid, you really are something."

Xu Xian retook the initiative, exposing Him mercilessly. "You entered my heart demon and orchestrated that great dream. Wasn't your intention to make me settle for the next best thing, to force me to compromise and use me to leave this cage of Fanzhou? Now that I'm here, hasn't it gone exactly as you wished?"

A radiant light flowed in the Twilight Emperor's eyes...

Xu Xian continued in a low, eerie voice, "In the end, you should be the one begging me. After all, you are the biggest beneficiary of all this—you get to sit back and reap the rewards without taking any risks. In contrast, I have to bear immense risks and might even lose my life. Tell me, am I right or wrong?"

The Twilight Emperor remained silent, His eyes gradually narrowing...

He was silent because the youth had seen through Him, and He was wary because the youth possessed such deep insight.

He didn't deny orchestrating the dream and participating in the youth's Heart Demon Tribulation.

Besides trying to make Xu Xian sink into the dream and shatter his dao heart, He also wanted to use that dream to show him the consequences of mutual destruction.

Fanzhou sinking.

The Wendao Sword Sect destroyed.

Left all alone, having lost everything.

He believed that Xu Xian could not afford such a price. Even if He failed in the heart demon, Xu Xian would be cautious upon waking and choose another path.

And there was only one such path.

The path of compromise.

Letting Him go.

Leaving Fanzhou.

Lifting the seal.

In Xu Xian's eyes, this was the least risky option for Fanzhou, and for the Emperor, it was the most advantageous choice.

Therefore, he would definitely choose it.

Just as He knew Xu Xian would come looking for Him.

That was why He had been so smug just now, why He had been in such a good mood—because He had won this round of the heart demon. But now...

He wasn't so happy anymore.

The initiative had returned to the youth.

Xu Xian's confidence stemmed from this.

After waking from the dream, he had been uncertain.

He had spent nearly a hundred days sitting in silence before he finally confirmed the Twilight Emperor's intent.

He knew the Twilight Emperor hadn't lost that round; at most, it was a draw.

He had indeed shaken Xu Xian's resolve.

After seeing through His intent, Xu Xian had been resistant and tried to find other ways.

But it was all to no avail.

So when Lu Yuan mentioned it, his instinct was to resist.

He delayed again and again until he sat in that dark room in the Immortal Pavilion and finally made up his mind.

He didn't dare gamble with Fanzhou's future.

Just as the Twilight Emperor didn't dare gamble with His own.

He feared Xu Xian would choose mutual destruction, as He would also pay a heavy price.

If He destroyed His own physical body, it would take a long time to recover.

He didn't lack time, but He couldn't guarantee that no other variables would occur during that long period.

He wanted stability.

So did Xu Xian.

That was why Xu Xian had come.

Although their goals differed, the result they wanted was the same.

Xu Xian wanted Fanzhou to be safe.

The Emperor wanted Himself to be unharmed.

Of course, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At least from the Emperor's actions, Xu Xian had gained one piece of information.

He and the dark creatures were not on the same side.

They were related, but they did not come from the same source.

He was also wary of the Breath of Darkness, so He wanted to ensure He had the power to protect Himself after being unsealed.

Both had their own agendas, and every word was a test.

They weren't like-minded; they were simply coincidentally aligned.

After a long silence, the Twilight Emperor smiled and said, "You're still so confident—so confident I kind of want to kill you."

Xu Xian also smiled. "I look forward to that day."

The Twilight Emperor continued His threats with a smile, "I promise it will be soon."

Xu Xian seemed to grow impatient and urged, "So, tell me, are you going or not? I don't have much patience, and I have some bad habits..."

"What bad habits?" the Twilight Emperor asked.

Xu Xian gave a mirthless smile. "I'm a gambler!"

Those few words were filled with threat and warning.

It was as if he were saying: If you don't agree, I really will gamble everything against you.

One more time.

Let's see who suffers more.

The Twilight Emperor's eyes turned sinister. He was certain Xu Xian wouldn't dare to gamble, but not wanting to be outdone, He remained firm. "Then let's gamble a round?"

Xu Xian's gaze didn't waver. He replied readily, "Fine."

Another stare-down, another psychological battle.

An intense struggle played out in the unseen space where their gazes met.

A stalemate...

A confrontation...

Finally, the Twilight Emperor backed down.

He laughed heartily to ease the awkwardness. "Hahaha! Fine, you've got guts."

Xu Xian was relentless. "Your answer?"

The Twilight Emperor compromised.

"Fine."

As the saying goes, the barefoot do not fear those with shoes. The Twilight Emperor felt that, compared to Xu Xian, He was definitely the one with shoes.

Gambling? That was for children.

He was an Immortal Emperor.

Xu Xian suddenly smiled triumphantly. "Wouldn't it have been easier if you'd just said that earlier?"

The Twilight Emperor's figure began to fade, born from nothing and returning to nothing.

Before He vanished, He didn't forget to remind Xu Xian, "That bad habit of yours—remember to change it."

Xu Xian was slightly suspicious.

The Twilight Emperor emphasized, "Gambling is bad!"

Xu Xian: "????"

Watching the Twilight Emperor disappear, Xu Xian laughed out loud at the vast, swirling snow.

"Heh, interesting."

"But..."

"I still won this round."

The little book spirit was still completely lost and couldn't help asking, "Where did you win?"

Xu Xian gave it a meaningful look. "It doesn't matter where I won. What matters is that I won."

The little book spirit stared with its head tilted. Every day lately, it felt like a total idiot.