Perhaps realizing that her smile had become a little too villainous, Xie Antong coughed lightly, reined in her overly animated expression, and became a bit more serious.
"Mm... sorry. I really was a little too excited."
"You really were a genius back then. You founded Divine Punishment at that point in time, and your immense popularity gave Divine Punishment quite a bit of recognition too, laying the groundwork for today."
As she spoke, she smiled at Lu Ce, her eyes narrowing into crescents.
Perhaps because he had seen her smile too often, Lu Ce suddenly realized that after that divine power had been forcefully absorbed, although she had begun to resemble Joy and her smile always carried a hint of mockery—
She still seemed different somehow. There was less chilliness in it, and more brightness and directness.
He instantly frowned. Having dealt with his seven masks for so long, he was extremely sensitive to such things. He felt that this one difference might be their greatest opportunity!
After all, if she completely imitated Joy, then she truly had little chance of defeating the other party.
However, before he could think further, he was abruptly interrupted. A face suddenly appeared right before his own as Xie Antong leaned in close.
She stared at Lu Ce seriously, though with a trace of suspicion, and said:
"This really is such a coincidence..."
"Could it be that you had already considered the possibility of a day like this back then? Or did Pain tell you something?"
"Did you already know that my future path would be Joy, so you prepared this method of advancement for me?"
Lu Ce: ...
Xie Antong's powerful mind had already sent her associations spiraling wildly. At this rate, she was probably about to connect the whole matter to the