After a while, Si Yao got up. Su Xiao Li was still asleep. She had kept her eyes on him all night and only finally succumbed to sleep just before dawn.
When he entered the living room, he found Angel Yan, Angel Chase, and Angel Mo Yi already sitting on the sofa, having come in through the front door as casually as if they were in their own home.
"Oh, you're up?" Angel Yan crossed her legs, still wearing that cheeky grin. Her gaze flicked meaningfully toward the master bedroom. "Looks like our little girlfriend's pretty tired..."
Si Yao ignored her teasing and came over to sit down. "What is it?"
Ever since the Huang Village incident, the three angels had left Earth.
Now they'd suddenly returned, and showed up first thing in the morning. Chances were, they'd come with a mission.
Seeing that Si Yao wasn't taking the bait, Angel Yan dropped her playful expression. She leaned forward slightly, her tone turning more formal. "All right, down to business. The queen is very interested in you, a being from the ancient Pangu Civilization, and sincerely invites you to visit Merlot Heavenly Court in the Angel Nebula for the highest-level exchange between civilizations."
"Not interested." Si Yao rejected her without a moment's thought. "I'm not going to travel all that way just to meet someone, much less cross who knew how many light-years to pay a visit to some queen."
"If she wants to meet me, tell your Angel King to come here herself."
Angel Yan seemed to have expected that answer. She didn't look particularly surprised, but simply nodded. "I knew you'd say that. But there's someone else who's very interested in you. She should be arriving on Earth in person before long."
She paused, a faintly playful glint in her eyes, then added, "And based on some old scores, there might be a little grudge between the two of you..."
"A grudge?" Si Yao raised an eyebrow. He couldn't remember antagonizing any angels, except...
Angel Yan didn't name the person outright, instead hinting at it with a teasing tone. "Sumali... that Second Generation Sky Scum you cleaned out and fed to the crocodiles. I heard from Zhi Xin that he... seems to have had a complicated old relationship with one of the bigwigs at Merlot Heavenly Court."
She looked at Si Yao and said meaningfully, "That seasoned homebody who's barely stepped outside in thousands of years has actually asked to come to Earth herself this time... Do you think she's only curious about you as a Pangu Old God?"
That was hint enough.
The special person who was "interested" in Si Yao and might have a "little grudge" with him was none other than the Heavenly Base King—He Xi.
And the source of that grudge was probably Sumali, whom he had killed and whose Silver Blade he had taken.
Of course, He Xi probably wouldn't pursue Sumali's death.
Nor would she bother with the resources Si Yao had taken from Sumali.
But the Silver Blade was a sensitive matter.
They hadn't brought it up before because Si Yao's circumstances were unusual. Raising the matter wouldn't resolve anything and could instead cause an even greater conflict.
And with He Xi's arrival—an Ancient Being who held an extraordinary position in the Angel Civilization, almost on equal footing with Holy Keisha—the Silver Blade Matter would have to be dealt with.
After all, everyone knew Quicksilver Weapons were regulated items belonging to the angels.
Besides the angels, only the demons in the Known Universe had Quicksilver Weapons. If Si Yao went around hacking people up with that flying dagger, what were the angels supposed to do?
If possible, the angels didn't want to come into conflict with Si Yao, an Old God from an ancient civilization.
So the Silver Blade issue definitely had to be resolved.
And the only one who could resolve it, and had the authority to do so, was He Xi.
Deep in the distant reaches of the universe, a gigantic Wormhole Station turned slowly, radiating a deep blue light.
The elegant, streamlined Heavenly Base Four slipped soundlessly into the wormhole like a silver flying fish gliding into a current, heading toward Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy.
In the ship's Main Control Room, He Xi lounged in the pilot's seat, her silver hair falling loosely around her. A thoughtful expression graced her beautiful face. Her student, the young Angel Zhi Xin, sat upright in the copilot's seat, looking somewhat puzzled.
"Master," Zhi Xin finally asked, unable to hold back any longer, "according to the information Yan Jie sent back, Mr. Si Yao may be aloof, but he isn't unreasonable. He even allowed Yan Jie and the others to observe him for a long time, and indirectly helped wipe out the demons. Do we really need to be so... cautious on this trip?"
She was referring to the fact that He Xi had specifically brought Heavenly Base Four.
The ship wasn't just a ride. It was also equipped with a powerful independent computing system. It couldn't match the Heavenly Base Computing Group that He Xi used while stationed at Merlot Heavenly Court, linked to the entire defense system of Heavenly City, but its Computing Power was still enough to dominate the Known Universe—and certainly more than enough to deal with Morgana.
At that, He Xi sighed softly and rubbed her brow. Her tone was tinged with helplessness. "Little Zhi Xin, you're oversimplifying things."
Her gaze turned to the Star Belt streaming past outside the window.
"A thousand years ago, Lieyang Tiandao made a great show of force and descended upon Earth. And what happened? That Monkey on Earth beat them so badly they were left severely weakened. Even Pan Zhen didn't dare fight him head-on, and they slunk away in retreat."
"Not long ago, Morgana descended in person, trying to revive the Demon Legion. And what happened? That elite squad of hers was wiped out by Si Yao with a wave of his hand, and she herself was forced to flee in a panic."
"One Sun Wukong, one Si Yao... There's something damn strange about Earth!"
She paused, looked away from the stars, and turned to her serious-minded student. Her tone grew more grave. "On the surface, we're going to have a friendly exchange and discuss the Pangu Civilization. But the core issue is settling who the Silver Blade belongs to. It's a Quicksilver Weapon, a regulated item. It absolutely can't be allowed to fall into the wrong hands—especially not into the hands of a powerful being whose allegiance is unclear."
"We don't yet know whether he's friend or foe. The fact that he was willing to deal with Angel Yan and the others doesn't mean he'll show an old fossil like me any courtesy. What if we can't reach an agreement?"
He Xi spread her hands, a sheepish look appearing on her face—one that didn't quite suit her status. "I'm not Kaisha. I've never been much good at head-on combat. I can handle a clash of Computing Power with someone like Morgana, but if our opponent has the kind of overwhelming combat strength as that monkey on Earth..."
"Then your master here would be in a very awkward position!"
Her direct combat strength wasn't any greater than Morgana's. Si Yao had forced Morgana to retreat, which meant he had the power to threaten He Xi just as well.
When facing an "Old God" who could dismantle the Demon Legion in an instant and seemed to wield some unknown, powerful divine force, no amount of caution was excessive.
Zhi Xin froze. She really hadn't thought that far ahead. She had mostly based her judgment on the relatively "peaceful" encounters Yan Jie had reported.
"But Yan Jie..."
"Your Yan Jie was lucky. She didn't step on any of his land mines." He Xi cut her off, her tone tinged with amusement. "Besides, are you sure that little bit of cheek from Yan Jie wouldn't count as disrespect in the eyes of a truly ancient being? Maybe he just can't be bothered to argue with someone younger."
Zhi Xin: "..."
She suddenly thought her master made a lot of sense.
"Then, Master, what do you plan to do about the Silver Blade?" Zhi Xin couldn't help asking.
Demand it outright? That could lead to a conflict.
Accept the status quo? That went against the angels' principles.
He Xi didn't answer directly. Instead, she smiled mysteriously and raised her right hand. A long metal box appeared in it, giving off a bone-chilling cold.
She opened the lid. Inside lay an exquisitely crafted, elegant longsword, its entire surface gleaming with the distinctive luster of Dark Silver!
The blade was long and slender, its lines smooth. It radiated a powerful Energy Fluctuation, clearly no ordinary weapon.
"Here. We'll trade this for it." He Xi lightly flicked the blade with her finger. It rang with a clear hum as she spoke in a carefree tone.
Zhi Xin stared at the longsword, which had clearly just been painstakingly forged at the cost of who knew how many precious materials. Then she thought of that tiny Silver Blade Flying Dagger, and her mouth fell open. She was completely dumbfounded.
"M-Master..." Zhi Xin felt as if her brain had stopped working. "You're... you're going to trade a brand-new Dark Silver Long Sword this large for a tiny Silver Blade Flying Dagger that was looted from an enemy?"
This wasn't an equivalent exchange. It was a huge loss—a loss so bad it would make her ancestors weep!
Her master, He Xi, was famous throughout the Angel Civilization for her shrewdness... ahem, for her wisdom and foresight.
For thousands of years, she'd always been the one to get the better end of every research deal and transaction. When had she ever made such an obviously unprofitable trade?
"Master, you... you're not joking, are you?" Zhi Xin couldn't help but check. "Isn't this too steep a price?"
Seeing her student's incredulous expression, He Xi chuckled. She closed the sword case and leaned back lazily in her seat.
"Little Zhi Xin, you can't judge things by their apparent value." He Xi raised her index finger and wagged it gently. "You think we're losing? Trading a pile of cold metal to avoid the possible risk of antagonizing an ancient Old God?"
She paused, her gaze growing profound. "With the Silver Blade in Si Yao's hands, it's a liability for us—a potential spark that could ignite a conflict. By offering this longsword in exchange, we first make our Angel Civilization's position clear. We respect his strength and status, and we're willing to trade an 'equivalent' item instead of forcibly taking it. That gives us the best chance of avoiding a conflict."
"Second, it's a test—and an investment. I'm willing to pay a price far beyond what's reasonable. What I'll get in return isn't just a flying dagger, but a better impression of me, and of our Angel Civilization. He'll see that the angels are reasonable, even generous. That goodwill might prove more useful than ten Dark Silver Weapons at some crucial moment in the future."
On the surface, she was going to Earth to deal with the Silver Blade Flying Dagger. In truth, that was just an excuse.
The one she was interested in wasn't Sumali, who'd been fed to crocodiles, nor the resources he had possessed, nor the Silver Blade Flying Dagger.
It was Si Yao!
Pangu Civilization, Ultimate Fear, the Void...
One damn problem after another. When the hell would they finally get a break?!
Before you continue