Yu Xiaogang grew more and more agitated as he spoke, as though he had already seen the day the Spirit Hall Empire fell.
He stretched out a hand and pointed at the golden words on the Heavenly Curtain, his tone impassioned:
"The Spirit Hall Empire has acted against the natural order and will surely be crushed beneath the wheels of history."
"If Great Tang joins us at this moment, it will not only follow Heaven's will, but also secure a place in the future New World."
"Otherwise..."
He did not finish, but anyone could hear the threat in his tone.
If Great Tang failed to appreciate the favor, then once the alliance won, there would likely be no good outcome for it.
"Heh."
A cold, contemptuous laugh interrupted Yu Xiaogang's impassioned speech.
Qian Renxue raised her chin slightly, her golden eyes looking at him as though he were an ant that did not know its place.
"An unruly rabble like you dares speak of Heaven's will?"
Her voice was cool and pleasant, yet it carried a chill that seeped into the bones.
"You merely got lucky and picked up a spot at the bottom of the rankings, and that has made you this arrogant?"
"Before absolute strength, so-called alliances are nothing more than weaklings huddling together for warmth."
Qian Renxue turned around, her golden dress dancing in the wind and making her appear like an untouchable goddess.
She could not even be bothered to refute Yu Xiaogang's ridiculous theories.
Because she was a God.
A being above mortals.
"You..."
Yu Xiaogang's face turned livid at the words "unruly rabble."
His theories and strategic abilities were what he took the most pride in, yet she had reduced them to nothing.
Just as the two stood at daggers drawn and the tension was about to explode completely,
Wu Zetian behind the beaded curtain frowned slightly.
This was Daming Palace.
It was her territory.
What kind of conduct was this, having these two quarrel and make a scene in her court?
Just as Wu Zetian was about to speak and rebuke them,
Li Xin, who had been standing in the shadowy place at the corner, finally moved.
He merely took one step forward.
Tap.
The crisp sound of his footsteps rang with exceptional clarity through the vast hall.
Then,
an indescribably terrifying aura centered on Li Xin instantly swept across the entire hall.
It was not merely the oppressive force of Soul Power.
It was a tremor that originated from the depth of the soul.
Like an ancient ferocious beast awakening, or a God King descending upon the mortal world.
The air, which had been filled with endless arguments, instantly froze beneath the wash of that aura.
"Silence."
Li Xin's voice was soft and even.
There was not the slightest hint of joy or anger in it.
Yet these two simple words were like an unquestionable imperial decree, directly sealing everyone's mouths.
Only then did the people in the hall truly see the man they had been overlooking all along.
His fitted clothes outlined a tall, straight, slender frame.
His long golden hair fell loosely behind him, tied into a ponytail at the back of his head, giving him a wild and unrestrained air.
His face had sharp, chiseled features, with sword-like brows reaching his temples and an imposing heroic bearing.
Especially his eyes.
They were calm and deep like an ancient well, yet faintly carried an aura of supremacy over the world.
He simply stood there quietly.
Yet he seemed to become the center of the entire world.
Every ray of light and every gaze instinctively converged upon him.
At that moment,
Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu, standing behind Yu Xiaogang, both froze slightly.
They had seen countless outstanding youths.
Even Tang San was a dragon among men.
Yet the unique presence exuded by the man before them was something they had never encountered before.
It was the steadiness born of weathering countless trials, the composure of someone who held everything in his grasp.
So strong.
So handsome.
The same thoughts sprang into the two girls' minds at once.
Even Qian Renxue, who had always held herself above others, had her pupils suddenly contract.
She stared fixedly at Li Xin, stormy waves rising in her heart.
This aura...
had actually made the Angel Divine Power within her feel a trace of fear?
How was that possible!
She was someone on the verge of Becoming a God!
Could this man, who did not appear particularly old, also be one of the Gods?
And a God even stronger than the God of Angels?
Great Tang Empire had actually concealed such a trump card?
Compared with Qian Renxue's shock and wariness,
Yu Xiaogang's feelings were entirely different.
The oppressive force rushing toward him made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
The humiliation of being forcibly pressed down and made to lower his head instantly ignited the nameless fury in his heart to its peak.
Ever since Tang San's rise, wherever he went, people respectfully addressed him as "Grandmaster."
When had he ever suffered such treatment?
What was more, this was the negotiating table, a place where status and standing mattered.
Some brat who had appeared from nowhere dared tell him to be silent?
"Who are you?"
Yu Xiaogang forced himself to withstand the pressure and shouted with a dark expression.
His hands gripped his sleeves tightly, attempting to preserve his crumbling dignity.
"This is the site of negotiations between the Two Great Empires and the Spirit Hall Empire."
"Even Her Majesty the Empress has yet to speak. What place do you have to speak here?"
The more Yu Xiaogang spoke, the more justified he felt, and his back unconsciously straightened a little further.
He fixed Li Xin with a sharp gaze and assumed the posture of an elder:
"Youngster, if you do not understand the rules, then learn more."
"I am the state preceptor of the Heaven Dou Empire, and the Grandmaster of the Anti-Spirit Hall Empire Alliance."
"You—what right do you have to act so presumptuously before me?"
The moment those words fell,
the entire hall sank into a strange Deathly Stillness.
Even Qian Renxue looked at Yu Xiaogang as though he were an idiot.
Was this man tired of living?
Li Xin tilted his head slightly, his heterochromatic eyes sweeping over Yu Xiaogang with indifference.
That gaze
was like one directed at a wild dog barking madly at a dragon.
There was no anger.
Only apathy.
"Right?"
The corners of Li Xin's lips lifted, revealing an amused smile.
Before he could speak,
a fragrant gust of wind suddenly burst through the air.
It was so fast that even Flender, a Soul Saint, failed to react.
A light-blue afterimage instantly crossed dozens of meters.
Slap!
A crisp slap, sharp enough to make one's teeth ache, suddenly exploded through the hall.
Immediately afterward,
a figure was sent flying.
Yu Xiaogang did not even have time to cry out before his entire body flew through the air like a rag doll, tracing a graceful arc.
With a thunderous crash,
he slammed viciously into a pillar in the hall.
Pfft!
A mouthful of blood sprayed out, mixed with several shattered teeth that scattered across the polished floor.
Yu Xiaogang clutched the side of his face, which had instantly swollen like a pig's head, his eyes filled with confusion and terror.
Who am I?
Where am I?
I got hit?
Everyone was stunned.
The male members of the Shrek Seven Devils had no time to look at their Grandmaster's miserable state.
Their gazes were all fixed blankly upon the young girl who had suddenly appeared in the center of the hall.
Before you continue