For a moment, no one in the Great Hall answered. Every gaze fell on Qu Yao, who stood silently among them. Their looks were resolute; without a word, they had all made the same choice.
Under their collective stare, Qu Yao's heart tightened. Sensing trouble, she frowned in exasperation.
"Why are you all looking at me? Don't tell me you want me to deal with them?"
Shang Zhen, Chen Mo, and Dao Lord Shou Gu nodded together, their expressions solemn and certain.
Shang Zhen stepped forward and delivered the verdict.
"Fellow Daoist Qu, this calls for quick thinking, careful maneuvering, and a little deception to test them. You're the only one with the temperament, bearing, and way with words for it. It has to be you."
There was no arguing with them now.
Qu Yao looked at their determined faces and felt the mood throughout the hall. She knew she could no longer refuse.
After several futile attempts to protest, she sighed. Resignation flashed in her eyes as she bowed and accepted the difficult, dangerous task.
The Myriad Worlds Chamber of Commerce's private guest room was quiet and elegant. Sandalwood incense curled through the air, while gentle spiritual mist wound around the pillars and shut out the noise beyond.
Gui Ying sat with the cultivators from Heavenly Jade City. The Spiritual Tea on the table had long gone cold, and the cups were empty. Silence filled the room.
They had waited a long time without any response from the Myriad Worlds Chamber of Commerce. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
Their faces darkened, and they began to think of leaving.
To Gui Ying, the prolonged silence was clearly the chamber's polite way of refusing an alliance.
His fingertips tapped lightly. A cold, uncanny trace of Dao Resonance stirred around him as