That was how the negotiations between Yi Jun, the leader of the Swordbearers, and me had come about. Judging from the description on this jade token, he had not dared to exaggerate the facts. Of course, he had not meant well either.
The Star Realm was no pushover, either. Although this third power appeared harmonious and even somewhat weaker than the two colossi, its people were more nimble-minded. They knew how to survive in the cracks between superpowers, so they were even more adept at scheming. They also made a better show of things.
On the surface, they played the peacemaker; behind the scenes, they had begun dividing up some regions with the Heavenly Realm as reserves. This was a classic case of repairing the plank road in the open while secretly crossing through Chencang. They had no intention of suffering a loss, of course, which also made them the hardest to satisfy. After all, when the Star Realm had taken Li Poxiao and Li Guxian away, it had also taken away quite a few Chosen Ones of outstanding quality who had deep ties to the Star Realm. They appeared to be baring their hearts to us, but in truth, they harbored some unspoken motives.
That was how things stood. The Heavenly Realm had become a fattened sheep; the only question was which part they planned to shear.
As for the change from refusing to cut off even an inch for the past two thousand years to feeling cheated if they did not take a slice now, it was actually because my "return of the king" had left them utterly dumbfounded. I might have been strong, but I was still far from possessing the true deterrence and influence of the Heavenly Realm's leader back then. That had led them to