"My king, are we really going to bring that stupid Three-Headed Giant Dog with us when we invade next time?"
After the Demon Monarch Wujie had gone some distance, a handsome-looking Great Devil stepped out from the shadows of the castle and asked.
"Consort, don't you know me by now?"
Great Devil Alba chuckled.
"That useless Wujie invaded a plane of this level and didn't even get a taste of the spoils."
"Don't let Wujie's calm appearance fool you. He's already badly wounded."
If the Plane Will hadn't forbidden the five monarchs from devouring one another, Wujie would never have made it out of my castle.
Great Devil Alba thought to himself.
"So that plane is very powerful?"
The handsome-looking Great Devil asked at just the right moment.
The Great Devil shook his head, then explained, "I've already sensed it. The owner of this mass of flesh has a slightly higher energy level than I do, but I could easily defeat him in a real fight."
"It's inevitable that a plane of such a high level would give rise to a few powerful beings of this caliber."
"I expect that unlucky Wujie ran into two or even three of them at once. Otherwise, given our nature, we wouldn't have been in such a sorry state."
"In short, I have nine Great Devils. Even if we faced three opponents of that caliber, we'd still have the advantage!"
Meanwhile, Wujie returned to his territory.
"The bait is set. Alba, I refuse to believe you won't take it."
"Once you're beaten to a pulp—or even killed in that plane—the Plane Will will have no choice but to rely on me even more and hold me in higher regard!"
"..."
Xie An was seated at the guest of honor's place at the banquet.
The other War God Temple members and members of the Yuanen Clan sat separately as hosts and guests.
The banquet was lavish. A huge fish head at the center of the table faced Xie An.
Yuanen Zhentian sat in the seat of honor beside the host, showing just how much importance he attached to Xie An.
After a few rounds of drinks and several courses of food,
"Temple Master Xie, let me offer you a toast. Thank you for coming to our aid," Yuanen Zhentian said, standing with a cup of wine in hand.
Xie An rose unhurriedly. "There's no need to thank me, Chief Yuanen. Protecting the safety of the continent is the War God Temple's duty."
Yuanen Zhentian drank first. "Temple Master Xie, I'll drink mine first."
"There is one thing I've been wondering about, though. I'm not sure if I should ask."
Xie An raised an eyebrow and smiled. "As it happens, I also have a somewhat discourteous request. In that case, please go ahead, Chief Yuanen."
A yellow-brown glint shone in Yuanen Zhentian's eyes as he asked in a deep voice, "How did you know that my daughter-in-law, Yehui, was the key to opening a passage to the Demon Plane?"
That was right. From the very beginning, Xie An's purpose had been clear. He had directly told Yuanen Zhentian why he had come.
Yet this was precisely what worried Yuanen Zhentian most. With his strength as a Limit Douluo, he had never detected anything unusual about his daughter-in-law since she came to the Yuanen Family. How could Temple Master Xie, who was a thousand miles away, have known so accurately?
Wasn't that a little too much of a coincidence?
"What? We helped your Yuanen Clan repel the Demon Plane, and now you're standing here accusing us of ulterior motives?"
Dark Phoenix Douluo shot to her feet and shouted.
Yuanen Zhentian merely smiled without replying, his eyes still fixed on Xie An.
Clearly, he wanted Xie An to give him a proper explanation.
Yuanen Zhentian knew it was unreasonable to ask this way.
But as the head of the Yuanen Clan, his decisions affected the family's fate. He had to ask certain questions.
Xie An waved a hand, signaling Dark Phoenix Douluo to calm down.
"Yu Lai, sit down."
Dark Phoenix Douluo was about to say more, but then she saw the calm look in the Temple Master's eyes.
She snorted and sat back down.
"Chief Yuanen, how long has the Yuanen Clan been living in seclusion here?"
"My clan has been living in seclusion for over a thousand years."
"Have you ever heard of the Abyss Plane?"
"I have. When I traveled the continent, I heard about it, but I don't know the details."
"Chief Yuanen, I won't deceive you. As a Limit Douluo, you should have been entitled to know about this long ago."
"Six thousand years ago, for reasons unknown, a plane called the Abyss collided with the Douluo Plane."
"Our ancestors expended great effort to seal the breach caused by the collision."
"But a few smaller passages remained."
"That's right, passages much like the Demon Passage we saw today."
"I won't hide this from you: if you fly northwest to the Endless Mountains, you'll find the most powerful army in the Federation stationed there."
"With your strength as a Limit Douluo, you could make the round trip in two days."
Yuanen Zhentian lowered his head in thought. After a long while, he finally spoke. "I believe that a man of Temple Master Xie's character wouldn't deceive me. I just don't understand what this has to do with Yehui."
Xie An smiled. "I haven't finished yet. Chief Yuanen, do you know how advanced the Federation's technology is nowadays?"
Yuanen Zhentian shook his head to show that he didn't know.
"I can tell you with absolute certainty: the Federation has developed weapons capable of killing me."
"As for your daughter-in-law Yehui, the Federation's research into technology and other planes has reached a level you couldn't imagine."
"From just a drop of blood, they detected her connection to the Demon Plane."
As he spoke, Xie An took out a small sample of blood. It was the blood Yehui had left behind a few days ago.
Your son should know better than I do where this blood came from.
Yuanen Zhentian turned to look at Tian Dang, who was seated among the guests.
"Father, Yehui and I spent some time at the War God Temple. The temple conducts a physical examination once a year."
Yuanen Zhentian's brows remained tightly furrowed. After a long while, he let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry, Temple Master Xie. As the head of the Yuanen Clan, I have to be cautious about certain matters."
As he spoke, he filled his cup again.
"I'll punish myself with a drink to make amends to you, Temple Master Xie."
With that, Yuanen Zhentian drained the cup.
Xie An watched him finish the wine but didn't stop him.
To be honest, Xie An understood Yuanen Zhentian's concerns.
As the War God Temple Master, Xie An carried no lighter burden than Yuanen Zhentian.
But understanding didn't mean he had no temper.
He had come to help the Yuanen Clan in good faith, even though he did indeed hope to recruit them.
It might have been taking advantage of their predicament, but he had no ill intentions toward them.
After all he had done, he hadn't received the gratitude he deserved. Instead, he had been met with suspicion. Anyone would have felt uncomfortable.
If the Yuanen Clan didn't have something to offer and he hadn't wanted them to truly become one of his own, Xie An would have left the banquet in anger under ordinary circumstances.
"All right, I don't blame you, Chief Yuanen."
"Now that I've answered your question, may I make my request?"
There were still formalities to observe, so Xie An asked with a smile.
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