“Four, five, ten... it's hard to say. After all, they know I've arrived, and they've been waiting for me.” After a slight pause, the Sovereign continued with his usual arrogance, “To put it bluntly, to deal with a massive potential threat like me, it would only be natural for even the three First Ancestors they speak of to show up.”
Xu Xian was speechless.
Yet, he felt it made sense.
Indeed.
To deal with this fellow, one had to go all out. Just as the three First Ancestors of the Li family had been so decisive back then, sacrificing their lives as three Immortal Emperors to suppress him without reservation—only then did they earn a moment of peace.
Otherwise...
Xu Xian pondered silently, taking sip after sip of wine.
The final battle of their thousand-day flight was about to begin.
What he faced was unknown power and unpredictable variables.
How many Ancestral Spirits? He didn't know.
How many death traps? He wasn't sure.
And then there was this fellow in front of him.
Would he take the opportunity to stab him in the back?
That was also hard to say.
This was no longer a matter of being cautious; it was about praying that the goddess of luck would stand on his side.
Li Shuhe's previous concerns were not without reason.
Having come this far, if he fell on the eve of dawn like the Twilight Giant, it would truly be too much to bear.
The Sovereign said lazily, “Actually, you're doing alright. You have some strength. As long as you keep up, it won't be a big problem. Besides, it's obvious you're the one the Li family has been waiting for. So, that little lady will protect you even at the cost of her life. Her... well, her personality isn't great, and her way of speaking could drive someone to an early grave, but she does have strength...”
“Oh?” Xu Xian asked with interest. “Even you noticed that?”
Along the way, they had encountered hundreds or thousands of battles, yet the number of times Li Shuhe had actually struck was very few.
The Sovereign also took a drink of the strong liquor and glanced at the youth as if looking at an idiot. “Nonsense. Anyone could see it. Throughout this journey, she deliberately held back just to give you some experience. Her methods run deep. Though, she's still a bit short compared to me.”
While praising others, he never forgot to elevate himself—this was the Sovereign's usual tsundere manner.
Xu Xian chuckled, not denying it.
The Sovereign looked back over his shoulder and changed the subject. “However, while you won't have much of a problem, those fellows might not have your luck.”
Xu Xian didn't deny that either. He just took a large gulp of the strong wine and sighed without cause, “We do what we can and leave the rest to fate. That's all we can do.”
The Sovereign reminded him, “Don't you have a cup of Emperor's Blood?”
Xu Xian asked knowingly, “What are you trying to say?”
The Sovereign didn't look at him, saying nonchalantly, “So, you can save one person.”
If you don't drink it yourself, someone else can.
The Sovereign continued, “You can think about who to save. Forget the little red-haired one; that kid is just like you, his pride is through the roof. Unless someone puts a knife to his throat, he definitely won't drink it. The others, though, might not be the same. Think about it: should you give it to your half-master's-wife, that woman Jin Qing, or that little girl who's weak but loves to talk big...”
Xu Xian finally understood; so this was what he was getting at.
However, his words didn't necessarily come from a place of ill intent.
This Emperor's Blood was indeed a heaven-sent opportunity for everyone present except himself and Lu Yuan.
Not to mention, it could save their lives and help them survive.
In the future, when they entered the Immortal Land, with the boost from the Emperor's Blood, their Great Dao would be steadier and faster.
After all,
the geniuses of the mortal realm were truly insignificant here above the Heavens. Their talent was ultimately mediocre...
It wasn't as if the Sovereign had actually taken a liking to them.
As Xu Xian had said, their aptitudes were too ordinary in the Heavens—too ordinary for the one before him to take such great pains.
But who should he give it to?
And should he even give it at all?
Xu Xian rarely gave him a smile and said, “I didn't realize you were such an old pervert...”
The Sovereign was stunned.
An old pervert? Where did that come from? But he quickly realized that in his suggestion, he had indeed forgotten the three men and only included the three women.
He didn't get angry, nor did he explain.
He chuckled. “Heh, then let's say I am.”
Xu Xian was naturally just joking. He tested him, “Aren't you on the best terms with Bai Ze? Why didn't you suggest I give it to him?”
The Sovereign said confidently, “That kid is decent. He lent me a robe, so I will protect his life myself. You don't need to worry about him. Besides, the friction between you two is quite deep; you wouldn't be willing to give it to him anyway.”
Xu Xian said nothing, taking it as the truth. Bai Ze's luck was indeed quite good.
“Think about it carefully. There isn't much time left~” the Sovereign said meaningfully, looking at the silver-white line in the far east.
Xu Xian thought for a moment and asked him, “How about you give me a few more cups, and I'll have them all drink it?”
The Sovereign looked at him calmly.
“Don't look at me like that. I'm just recruiting lackeys for you.”
The Sovereign couldn't be bothered to speak. The beads of Xu Xian's abacus were practically hitting him in the face.
The Sovereign said, “I have none!”
Xu Xian said, “You do!”
The Sovereign said, “Even if I did, I wouldn't give them to you.”
Xu Xian said, “You have no vision!”
The Sovereign couldn't be bothered with him anymore. He stood up and walked away.
The Sovereign had been annoyed into leaving, but Xu Xian didn't feel happy because of it. Instead, his melancholy remained, now joined by hesitation.
The Little Book Spirit quietly emerged and sat on his shoulder as usual. With its small hands cupping its face, it also looked toward the distant horizon and said, “Actually, he's quite right.”
“Hmm?”
“Having struggled so hard to get to this point, it would be such a pity to just die. Living is better in every way. He's just at odds with you; he's not a demon...” it offered a fair assessment.
Xu Xian finished the strong wine in the howling wind. Then, he inadvertently looked back at the group, the light in his eyes growing even darker.
He said, “I know!”
The Little Book Spirit didn't speak again. The point had been made, and it also wanted to enjoy this final moment of silence.
The mountain rain is coming, and the wind fills the tower...
Dark clouds weigh upon the city, threatening to crush it...
...
On the west bank of the Spirit River,
a magnificent, grand pass stood like a creation of the heavens.
A million troops of the Far East Army were stationed here. Atop the high city walls, battle flags fluttered, and cold armor gleamed.
The wind from across the Spirit River blew over, slapping against the icy city walls and letting out a wail like a ghost's cry...
At this moment, atop the high city, a figure in white armor stood elegantly.
It was a general,
and also a woman.
Her dark hair was tied high atop her head.
The silver-white battle armor outlined her body with graceful elegance.
A pair of long eyebrows, sharp as swords yet also like the dark pigment of distant mountains, stretched naturally.
Her skin was like paper, yet showed not a hint of fragility.
She stood on the city wall, her emerald eyes looking out at the vast, boundless land beyond the city.
From her perspective, other colors would occasionally flash between the gray and white, only to vanish in an instant.
That was a battlefield, and also a hunting ground!
Starting from the Spirit River,
and ending at this city,
this territory of mountains, valleys, and gorges spanned nearly several million miles.
They and the spirits coming from the other side had given it a common name.
【Hunting Ground】
Within this Hunting Ground, the Ancestral Spirit Hall tacitly allowed the existence of living souls.
They allowed living souls to hunt Death Spirits, Grey Spirits, dark spirits, and even Small Spirit Lords and Great Spirit Lords within this Hunting Ground...
And in return,
those living souls who crossed the boundary also became the whetstones for the dark creatures.
This was a coliseum belonging only to the brave. Here, below the level of Immortal King, strength was respected. You could be the hunter, or you could be the prey.
The prerequisite was,
you had to be able to enter alive and leave alive.
At this moment,
as she looked at that Hunting Ground, a world-shaking duel between kings was already being played out in her mind.
Spirit Sequence Five, with a golden vertical marking on his forehead, stepped onto the city wall and approached her from behind, saying respectfully:
“Third Sister!”
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