Su Daji's radiant beauty lit up the hall. She smiled with serene ease, as if they were discussing nothing more than flowers and moonlight, rather than matters of life, death, and freedom for every Dharmakaya.
Yet the atmosphere inside the hall was fraught and oppressive, with a strange undercurrent roiling beneath the surface. Many Dharmakayas were on guard against one another, afraid of becoming stepping stones for someone else.
Looking at Su Daji and sensing the atmosphere, Meng Qi furrowed his brow, perplexed. This was clearly something that should have been tense and oppressive, yet it seemed to be heading toward a contest. The warmth and consideration, the reluctance to go too far—all of it stood in stark contrast to how she had forcibly summoned every Dharmakaya to the banquet earlier.
If she were truly worried about powerful figures from other factions, she would surely have made inquiries first and excluded anyone obviously connected to them. She would not have cast such a wide net and taken her time selecting people, trying to make them fight one another. And if someone with powerful backing suffered a mishap because of this, would the mighty figures behind them really think Golden Ao Island had nothing to do with it?
Something about this was quite odd.
Daji was as lovely as a flower. Smiling, she said, "Those destined to face tribulation, or those with extraordinary backgrounds, may not yet be strong enough or have reached a high enough realm. To let them make the most of their 'strengths,' I intend to hold a free-for-all."
A free-for-all? Meng Qi was briefly at a loss. What kind of free-for-all?
As he considered the matter, he also weighed the situation, communicating with Master Lu, Su Wuming, Gao Lan, and the others about when to make their