A Deal!

“Why are you sighing, Senior? He’s near death; we can just kill him!” Xu Xian said.

The Sovereign was confused. “Near death”? What did that mean?

Li Shuhe was also lost, turning her gaze toward the Little Book Spirit in the void.

“Near death”?

She had heard it shouting the same thing just now...

Li Shuhe frowned slightly, finding it difficult. “It won’t be easy!”

The Sovereign’s mouth twitched. He was truly speechless. Was that what he meant?

“Xu Xian, are you sick in the head?”

Xu Xian looked over sideways. “Hmm? Weren’t you the one bringing up old matters and intentionally provoking us?”

The Sovereign cursed, “Is that what I meant? I meant, you’re afraid I’ll kill you, but don’t you think I’m afraid she’ll kill me? Who am I? I am the Twilight Emperor! Who sealed me? Her ancestors! Who did her ancestors die because of? Because of me! Compared to what’s between her and me, our little squabble is nothing! I was sealed for a million years, and you even dug up my grave, yet I can set aside my prejudice. What’s your problem? This deal is fair. Do you really think I’m taking advantage of you? I’m undying. By cooperating with you, you’re the one who benefits...”

The Sovereign talked a lot, leaving Li Shuhe and Xu Xian stunned.

The core was simple: the deal was fair. Xu Xian feared the Sovereign, and the Sovereign feared Li Shuhe. It balanced out.

He’d set aside the million-year seal and the grave-robbing; Xu Xian and Li Shuhe should set aside their prejudice too. It was equal.

So, this cooperation was each getting what they needed.

Furthermore, as he mentioned, Xu Xian was the beneficiary. He had no reason to refuse.

It was just as Xu Xian had suspected.

To be honest, after hearing him out, Xu Xian felt there was some logic to it.

The Sovereign was in a pathetic state, it was true, but with his abilities, escaping this wasteland wasn’t a huge problem. At worst, he’d get beaten again, have his body destroyed, or be dragged back to be suppressed by the darkness for another few centuries.

But for Xu Xian...

Losing meant death.

In comparison, he was indeed getting a small advantage.

But was Xu Xian the type of person who liked taking advantage of others?

Yes!

He was.

Grudges aside, Xu Xian was indeed interested in the cooperation, which is why he had kept testing and bickering.

They were enemies in the mortal world, but here Above the Heavens, things were out of their hands.

It was just like Fang Xiaoyao, or Bai Ze who had followed him all this way.

There was no absolute right or wrong in the world, only different positions.

In Fanzhou...

The Wendao Sword Sect was the world’s enemy because it was an outlier—it sealed the Sky Gate and beat them up.

But in Cangming...

The greatest enemy of any living being was the darkness.

Especially now, while they were fleeing through the dark wasteland.

However, being interested was one thing; actually doing it was another.

This was a gamble with lives; no one wanted a ticking time bomb by their side.

The Sovereign could set aside prejudice because he knew they couldn't kill him. He had that confidence. Xu Xian was different; he really couldn't do anything to the Sovereign, which is why he had compromised in the mortal world and let him out of the cage against his initial intent.

He looked at the Sovereign calmly and said, “Wasn’t that your own fault?”

He deserved to be sealed.

He deserved to have his grave dug up.

The Sovereign was truly furious. He gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, fine, fine. You’re something else. Completely stubborn.”

He came with sincerity, only to be slandered by the youth.

How unjust.

He thought: I am a grand emperor, do I have no face? Am I so untrustworthy and looked down upon?

Fine.

Just fine.

“Take it or leave it. We’ll go our separate ways. Just pretend I never came.”

The Sovereign cursed, truly agitated by Xu Xian.

Xu Xian felt secretly satisfied, but he spoke up to keep him. “Actually, if you want to cooperate, it’s not impossible...”

The Sovereign had a sour face. “Spit it out.”

Xu Xian said solemnly, “I have a forbidden divine ability called the [Beast Control Seal]. If you are willing to sign a contract with me, acknowledge me as your master, and enter a symbiosis, then it’s a deal. What do you think?”

The Sovereign was stunned... only one phrase came to mind.

The height of audacity!

Those should have been his lines! How could they sound so natural coming from this kid?

Li Shuhe was dazed...

She thought Xu Xian was incredibly brave. A mere Mortal Immortal wanting an Immortal Emperor to be his servant? At his age, she wouldn't have dared to dream of such a thing.

Of course...

Xu Xian couldn't hear her thoughts. If he could, he would have argued: What’s wrong with being a Mortal Immortal? When I was in the sixth stage, I dared to force an Immortal King into a contract.

The two were silent for a long time...

The Sovereign lost his temper completely. He gave Xu Xian a thumbs up and laughed in anger. “You’re something else!”

Xu Xian raised his eyebrows. Weren’t you fond of forcing me to drink your emperor’s essence blood? Now, I’ll let you feel what that’s like.

“Are you signing or not?”

The Sovereign sneered, “In your dreams!”

Xu Xian didn’t expect him to agree anyway. He said indifferently, “Then there’s nothing to talk about.”

The Sovereign flicked his sleeve. “Pretend I was never here!”

He was about to leave.

Xu Xian didn’t stop him, but Li Shuhe called out to him.

“Wait!”

“What now?”

Li Shuhe nodded. “Fine.”

The Sovereign let out a surprised sound, stunned for a moment. Then he looked at Xu Xian with immense smugness, giving him a provocative glance.

He looked exactly like a petty person who had just gotten his way.

Li Shuhe also looked at Xu Xian, her tone inquiring. “Is that okay?”

Feeling the Sovereign’s gaze, Xu Xian was extremely annoyed. Feeling Li Shuhe’s gaze, he was flattered.

He said respectfully, “I will follow your lead, Senior!”

The tears in Li Shuhe’s eyes didn’t fade, but her stiff lips curved up slightly.

“Let’s go.”

She turned and headed east. The Twilight Emperor slowly rose into the air, passing by Xu Xian’s side with even more smugness.

“What are you standing there for? Let’s go.”

Xu Xian looked at his back and spat. “Pah...”

The Little Book Spirit on his shoulder also spat. “Pah...”

They followed, but kept a relative distance.

An argument ended; a deal was silently struck.

Cooperation.

Fleeing through the grey land until they reached the Spirit River.

Both sides had their own agendas and remained wary of each other.

Li Shuhe and Xu Xian wanted to use the Twilight Emperor’s power to minimize unknown risks. The Sovereign wanted the same.

He had lost a battle, after all. For a long time, he wouldn't be able to fight an Ancestral Spirit at the Immortal King level.

With Li Shuhe leading the way, even if they encountered those two again, they could at least escape safely.

If the timing was right, they might even counter-attack and avenge his defeat.

There weren’t many excuses or reasons.

It was just about profit.

But it wasn't material profit; it was self-interest...

The Sovereign’s joining left the eight others confused and extremely wary. This guy with blood-red pupils clearly looked like a natural-born king.

The pressure radiating from him made them feel an inexplicable chill.

Especially Lu Yuan, who knew some of the inside story. He was completely numb.

Plotting with a tiger...

Either they were crazy, or the world was.

Fortunately...

After the Sovereign joined, Li Shuhe no longer just led from the front but stayed close to the group. This eased most of their worries and anxiety.

On the way, Lu Yuan asked about the situation several times, but Xu Xian remained silent. Some things weren’t just hard to explain; they were too troublesome to even start.

The Sovereign leaned in, still provocative and smug. He shamelessly reached out. “Hey, kid, give me some immortal plant essence to patch me up?”

Xu Xian: “No!”

The Sovereign: “Don’t be stingy.”

Xu Xian was full of disdain. “Don’t you have your own?”

The Sovereign squinted at him, answering with a question of his own. “What do you think?”