Fair Competition

Liangshan, dawn had just begun to break. The morning light chased away the night's chill, but it couldn't dispel the smoke lingering over the battlefield or the complicated emotions in the hearts of Xiong Bing Lian's members.

Si Yao felt the fullness brought by the five million True Points in his mind, along with the subtle changes from his various abilities' increased Manifestation Degree. His mood was quite pleasant.

He had more than accomplished the purpose of this trip. There was no need to stay any longer.

His gaze shifted to Su Xiao Li nearby. She was still a little shaken, but her eyes brimmed with admiration and trust. He said mildly, "Let's go."

Su Xiao Li immediately trotted over and obediently stood beside him.

Si Yao paid no attention to Sun Wukong lying on the ground or the members of Xiong Bing Lian in the distance, whose expressions varied. His thoughts stirred.

[Space Displacement Technology] activated!

Soft white light instantly enveloped him and Su Xiao Li. Their figures vanished silently, as if erased from the scene, leaving behind no wormhole fluctuations or energy residue.

They had arrived abruptly and left just as cleanly.

Sun Wukong struggled to sit up. Looking at the spot where the two had disappeared, he grimaced and rubbed his chest, which still ached faintly. His expression was complicated, but in the end, he let out an amused chuckle. "Heh... Pangu Civilization? That's interesting..."

He turned to look at the dejected members of Xiong Bing Lian nearby, their heads bowed like wilted plants. A hint of helplessness flashed in his Fiery Golden Eyes.

Those kids had taken quite a beating last night. First, Su Xiao Li had wiped out the whole team in a sparring match. Then Sun Wukong had beaten them until they couldn't fight back. Finally, they'd witnessed a God-Tier Battle far beyond their understanding. Their confidence was probably shattered.

But setbacks were a kind of education, too.

Sun Wukong's gaze swept over them before settling on Liu Chuang, who was avoiding his eyes and keeping his head down, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

"Hey! You there! Yeah, you, Liu Chuang!" Sun Wukong pointed at him and beckoned with a finger. "Get over here! Old Sun's got something to say to you!"

Liu Chuang's heart sank. Grimacing, he trudged over reluctantly.

Sun Wukong slung an arm around Liu Chuang's neck and dragged him aside, then began giving him some "in-depth" ideological guidance.

It was about the responsibility of being the Nuoxing War God, about the past and the future, and about how to become a true warrior instead of a street thug.

The members of Xiong Bing Lian supported one another as they looked at the place where Si Yao and Su Xiao Li had disappeared. Then they glanced at Liu Chuang, whom Sun Wukong had pulled aside and was now lecturing with his head bowed. They felt a jumble of emotions.

There had been too much to take in last night. Su Xiao Li's strange abilities and tremendous combat strength, Sun Wukong's world-ending power, and finally Si Yao's Black Dragon Form and the terrifying Blood Spear that had severed the Golden Cudgel... All of it had shaken their understanding to the core.

Some were thrilled to have witnessed a higher level of power. Others were troubled by their own insignificance and helplessness. Still others were reflecting on the mistakes in their command and decision-making.

The little confidence they'd built from their Super Genes had been shattered by the clash between those two "Gods" last night.

Zhao Xin dropped onto the ground with a sigh. "I thought I was about to die a glorious death... This is what Immortals fighting really looks like!"

The sky was finally bright. But dawn for Xiong Bing Lian seemed especially heavy.

Super Seminary, top-floor Meeting Room.

Morning light poured through the enormous windows, driving away the tension left over from the night before.

Angel Yan sat with her legs crossed elegantly, lightly tapping her fingers against the tabletop. Her conversation with Lena, who sat at the head of the table, seemed to be drawing to a close.

"...That's the general situation." Angel Yan summed up. "The threat from the demons remains. Morgana won't easily give up Earth, such an important piece on the board. Queen Kaisha hopes Earth can receive better protection and develop within the framework of the Justice Order. Of course, that requires your understanding and cooperation."

Lena nodded, her expression much more relaxed than before. After a night of conversation and observation, her impression of the Angel Civilization had improved quite a bit.

The Angels liked to meddle in other civilizations' affairs under the banner of "justice," but she had to admit that compared with the other powerful God-Tier Civilizations in the Known Universe, the Angels' way of doing things was already "gentle," even "merciful."

She had never personally experienced Lieyang Tiandao at its height, during its most overbearing era, but she had caught glimpses of it in Pan Zhen's words and some ancient records.

As one of the top God-Tier Civilizations in the Known Universe, Lieyang had never been known for polite or patient diplomacy.

Did Gods need to reason with mortals?

When the two sides wielded power on completely different levels, what they called "negotiations" were often just unilateral announcements or orders.

Even the Strong Nations on Earth treated Weak Nations this way, let alone God-Tier Civilizations dealing with the many civilizations that hadn't yet ventured beyond their home planets. It was nothing short of a Dimensional Strike.

As the most powerful civilization in the Known Universe, the Angels could have imposed their will just like Lieyang—or even more brutally.

Instead, they had chosen to establish the "Justice Order," spending enormous resources and effort to uphold "justice" and "balance" across the Known Universe. There was inevitably some self-interest involved, but in practice, they had also sheltered many weaker civilizations.

To Lena, this kind of thankless behavior seemed rather "idealistic," but it also showed a touch of humanity and lacked the coldness of divinity.

Their so-called "overbearing" behavior was already quite restrained.

With the power the Angels possessed, did they really need other civilizations' permission to do whatever they wanted in the universe?

With the serious business mostly settled, Angel Yan changed the subject. Her beautiful eyes, as though able to see through people, held a hint of amusement as she looked at Lena. "By the way, little Goddess of Lieyang, you seem especially interested in that Old God from the Pangu Civilization..."

Hearing this, Lena didn't act bashful. Instead, she straightened up and admitted it openly. "That's right! I'm interested in him! What, is that not allowed?"

She narrowed her eyes, sounding almost warning. "Don't the Angels already have Galaxy Power as your 'future'? Don't try to have your cake and eat it too. You're not taking him from me!"

"Pfft—" Angel Yan burst out laughing at Lena's blunt, almost childish declaration. She waved a hand, her tone light. "Take him from you? Hardly. But if we're talking about who knew him first, we were here before you. We've been staying at Si Yao's little villa lately, in constant companionship."

"What?!" Lena's eyes widened, and she nearly leaped out of her chair. "You... You stayed at his place?! When did that happen?!"

She felt like her mind was about to explode! What was this? Had someone stolen her home?

No, wait! She hadn't even started pursuing him properly, and they'd already been "living together"?!

Seeing Lena's disbelief and barely contained frustration, Angel Yan smiled even more broadly. She deliberately spoke at a leisurely pace. "What? Does the Goddess of Lieyang have to control that, too? Or are you more interested in the Angels' Galaxy Power? If you are, I can represent the Angels and say we don't mind you spending more time with him."

"Who'd be interested in that loser?!" Lena shot back irritably. Then she eyed Angel Yan suspiciously. "You... Don't tell me you really have your eye on Si Yao?"

Angel Yan didn't answer directly. Instead, she turned slightly and glanced at Angel Chase and Angel Mo Yi standing quietly behind her. The corners of her lips curled into a meaningful smile. "Isn't it perfectly normal to be interested in a Male God who's powerful, mysterious, and, so far as we can tell, doesn't fundamentally conflict with the Angels' values?"

"True Male Gods are few and far between in the Known Universe. Now someone like Si Yao has suddenly appeared—a man of unfathomable strength, in possession of unknown Ancient Technology, and... well, in Earth's terms, he's got the looks and the presence. Is it really strange that the Angels would be interested in someone like that?"

"Of course, he may lack some of the 'mercy' and 'love' that we Angels uphold." Angel Yan shrugged.

"But that's only natural. He's an Old God who knows how many tens of thousands of years old, awakened from an ancient slumber. Do you expect him to feel the same tender emotions and compassion for life that we do? The fact that he hasn't come to view All Beings as Ants and turned cold and ruthless is already remarkable."

"So," Angel Yan concluded, her smile still bright, "fair competition, Little Lena. After all, excellent Male Gods are always in high demand."

Lena watched Angel Yan's poised, seemingly confident expression. Her teeth ground together, but she had no comeback.

She realized that when it came to shamelessness and verbal sparring, she—a "young girl" barely in her twenties—was no match for this seven-thousand-year-old Old Demon!

"Hmph! Fair competition it is! You think I'm afraid of you?" Lena held her head high, trying to save face. "We'll see!"

"Then we'll see." Angel Yan stood up.

"Oh, right. There's still a little of the Angels' work inside Galaxy Power's body. Would you like to try developing it?"