When the giant space fish's life force finally faded away, Yu Lian felt a pang of sorrow too. He couldn't help thinking that the "big fish" the emperor kept talking about looked an awful lot like him.
Was that a threat? The emperor had never bothered with him before, but if he really became a threat, the emperor could deal with him as easily as he'd caught that fish. Was that what he meant?
Heh. What a petty threat. If I were really afraid of the Nine-Ring True God, would I be standing here?
Yu Lian sneered inwardly a few times, his fighting spirit beginning to gather.
But before he could speak, the emperor said, "Don't worry. I meant this space fish, not you. At my station and at my age, I no longer have the patience to make veiled remarks."
Realizing that the emperor had a point, Yu Lian immediately felt a little deflated. All he could do was exchange a few polite words. "I never imagined that someone as exalted as Your Majesty would take pleasure in going out to clean up. Still, your power is comparable to that of a deity. Anyone who didn't know better might think you were threatening the entire universe."
"If I wanted to threaten the universe, I wouldn't need a fish. Besides, that sort of thing is the youngsters' job. Why would I need to do it myself? It's beneath me. At my age, doing such a thing would be even more beneath me."
If anyone else had said this, it would have sounded like empty boasting. Coming from the emperor, however, it somehow seemed perfectly reasonable.
"I merely wanted a change of pace after sitting still too long. Rulers of my age can govern with a light touch and leave the