The Deal Is Sealed

Qingxian Hall

Di Xin carefully sized up the middle-aged man before him. With his scholarly air and imposing presence, it was hard to believe he was the ruthless man who had dared to confront a Saint head-on.

"Kong Xuan pays his respects to the current Human King."

Kong Xuan smiled faintly, his bearing calm and composed. The moment he entered the hall, he noticed Di Xin scrutinizing him, and he saw through everything about Di Xin at a glance.

Above the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm and below the Quasi-Saint realm...

In other words, Di Xin posed not the slightest threat to him!

Strength was the foundation of everything.

"Your subjects Bi Gan and Shang Rong pay their respects to the Great King."

"Royal Uncle, you have traveled far and worked hard. Go rest at your residence for a while. Fei Zhong, you may withdraw as well."

"Great King, this Kong Xuan..."

"Yes!"

Bi Gan had witnessed Kong Xuan's Supernatural Power and was worried that Di Xin might be attacked by him. But the moment he opened his mouth, Fei Zhong tugged at his sleeve from behind. Only then did he leave with Fei Zhong after offering his assent.

In the vast Qingxian Hall, only Di Xin and Kong Xuan remained. The silence made the indescribable, ineffable atmosphere between them even more pronounced.

"You're not quite as imposing as I imagined."

Di Xin suddenly spoke. He pointed at the jade table beside them and sat down opposite Kong Xuan.

Within the sea of his heart, the Kongtong Seal rose and fell, radiating boundless light. It concealed his thoughts among the countless members of the Human Race, preventing anyone from sensing them.

Kong Xuan was no pushover. This was also Di Xin's first time negotiating with an existence like him, so he naturally intended to be more cautious and test the waters step by step.

"Tea or wine? I only have ordinary stuff here."

"Wine. Even without circulating my magic power, it can still get me a little drunk."

Kong Xuan smiled. Even his manner of speaking was like chatting with an old friend.

"Since Pangu split open the heavens, the two most imposing figures have been the ancestors of the two races. One was the Dragon Clan's originator, Ancestral Dragon, and the other was Eastern Emperor Taiyi. Unfortunately, both have now transformed into the Great Desolation. My cultivation is far inferior to theirs, so naturally I wouldn't dare put on airs."

"That's right. No matter how grand your ambitions, if strength cannot support them, they will ultimately be nothing but an empty dream."

Di Xin sounded somewhat wistful as well. He filled his cup with wine and pushed it forward with his right hand. The cup came to a steady stop before Kong Xuan without spilling a single drop.

Whether his strength was sufficient or not, he had to maintain his presence!

"So it's better to live freely."

Kong Xuan raised his brows slightly and tapped his finger lightly on the table. Ripples slowly spread across the wine in his cup like a breeze brushing over the surface.

As expected, he had refused...

Di Xin raised his cup and drained it in one gulp. This old peacock had lived in the human world for who knew how long. When it came to schemes and intrigue, Di Xin truly was no match for him.

Their conversation, translated, went like this:

Di Xin: Do you want to conquer the Great Desolation?

Kong Xuan: Everyone who tried to conquer the Great Desolation is dead.

Di Xin: Their strength was insufficient.

Kong Xuan: I'm not doing it!

Sigh! In that case, he could only use his "sincerity" to move this old peacock!

"To be frank, I wish to recruit you. Whatever you want, you can state it directly."

—Thud!

Kong Xuan's finger stopped on the tabletop. He looked up at Di Xin in surprise. He had dealt with plenty of straightforward people and knew more than a dozen Human Kings from past generations, but this was the first time he had met one so blunt.

"Why?"

How do you know I'll accept your recruitment?

Di Xin filled his cup again and, borrowing the influence of the wine, "let his true feelings flow":

"In the eyes of an existence like you, I'm no different from the guards outside this hall or the ants crawling across the earth. Under normal circumstances, why would you notice me, let alone come here specifically to meet me?

"Since you came to see me, it means I have something you want, and you have already prepared to help me in exchange for it.

"But I don't know what I possess that could make you serve me. So I can only let you name it yourself. Then I'll be able to judge whether I can bring it out in exchange, and whether your assistance is worth that price!"

"You see through people's hearts remarkably well."

Only then did Kong Xuan raise his cup and drain it. After setting it down, he curled his right hand. A stream of clear spring water flowed from the wine pot into the cup, and the fragrance of wine immediately filled the hall.

"Do you know who your opponent is?"

Di Xin smiled and pointed at the ceiling.

"But in this era, my Human Race is the protagonist of Heaven and Earth. You should feel that more deeply than anyone."

"That's right. The Human Race is the true darling of Heaven and Earth."

Kong Xuan drained another cup, his thoughts gradually drifting back to the age when the Dragon and Phoenix races had faded and the Wu and Demon races had run rampant.

"I am Nuwa. Today, I created humanity and attained sainthood..."

"I am the Supreme Pure One. I teach humanity, and today I attain sainthood..."

"I am Jade Pure Primordial..."

"I am Ultimate Pure Heavens..."

It was precisely because the Six Sages had attained sainthood that he had later chosen to integrate himself into the Human Race. By borrowing Human Race Destiny to obscure the Heavenly Dao and conceal the karmic debts and tribulations of the Phoenix Race, he had been able to cultivate safely and acquire his current Supernatural Power.

But now, the Human Race was split into four and its destiny had scattered and weakened. The Heavenly Dao had once again locked onto him in the darkness. Thus, for the past ten thousand years, he had been stuck before the stage of severing the three corpses, not daring to take another step.

"If I help you, how far can you go?"

How far can I go?

Di Xin was stunned. He truly had never considered that question.

Sweep across the Eight Wastelands, unify the Six Directions, and restore the name of Human Emperor? Was that ambition a little too small?

Or should he use humanity to resist the Heavenly Dao, transform the darling of Heaven and Earth into its master, command the turning of the seasons, and hold life and death in his hands? That was somewhat unrealistic.

After pondering for a moment, Di Xin raised his head and met Kong Xuan's eyes. He spoke each word clearly:

"Heaven belongs to the Heavenly Court, earth belongs to the netherworld, and between Heaven and Earth, my Human Race stands supreme!"

"Between Heaven and Earth, the Human Race stands supreme? I thought you would say you wanted to pull one of the Six Sages from their throne."

Kong Xuan grinned, but Di Xin's next words wiped the smile from his face.

"If we don't try, how will we ever know?"

"Hahahaha! Di Xin, you're arrogant enough!"

Kong Xuan came back to himself and threw his head back in laughter. Interesting. This was truly too interesting!

If we don't try, how will we ever know?

"Good! Until the day you die, I will stand on Chaoge's side. Unless a Saint appears, I, Kong Xuan, will not retreat a single step!"

"Then what do you want?"

The Kongtong Seal appeared above Di Xin's head. The gazes of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors all descended upon this place, and they were shocked when they saw Kong Xuan.

"Kong Xuan? His Supernatural Power is probably no weaker than mine."

"Are you recruiting Kong Xuan? I couldn't accomplish that back then, yet this little fellow is truly interesting. If he succeeds, I'll bestow Xuanyuan Sword upon him!"

"Then I'll give him my Dragon Horse as well."

As Human Emperor Xuanyuan and Earth Emperor Shen Nong joked, Kong Xuan spoke again:

"I want the Human Race to do everything in its power to help me break through the third corpse and attain the Supreme Being fruition."

"Agreed!"

"Accept his terms!"

"Promise him!"

The Three Sovereigns spoke in unison, their voices spreading throughout the entire hall. Kong Xuan had hidden himself among the Human Race for who knew how many years. No one understood his current battle prowess better than they did!

This deal would not be a loss!

"Then it's a deal!"

Di Xin laughed heartily and raised the wine cup in his hand, waiting for Kong Xuan to finalize the agreement.

"It's a deal!"

—Ding!

The jade cups clinked lightly, wine splashed in all directions, and Kong Xuan was won over by Di Xin!