"You, you—everything about you is good, except you're too honest." The white-browed, green-eyed youth pointed at Honest True Lord. "Every truth that comes to your heart just pops right out of your mouth!"
"How the world sees me—why should I care? Even if they lump me together with those old relics of mud-bodied false idols, it would not harm my true nature! Nor need you defend me. When jackals and wolves block the road, speak the truth softly."
Original Heavenly God, who did not care for saving face, seemed to have found a kindred spirit and regarded him with growing appreciation. After a moment, His gaze flickered, and He asked lightly, "Wei State seems to have developed quite well these past few years?"
"Emperor of Wei is certainly a wise sovereign of his generation, and General Wu's military might is certainly unmatched—but heroes rise everywhere beneath heaven. How can they all have fixed quotas?"
River-Subduing True Lord spoke with impassioned force. "If one is allotted to the east and another to the west, if everyone is arranged for, then there is no need for anyone to compete."
"The Platform of the World must still be fought for by the world."
"You stand supreme in Transcendence, a pillar of the Human Race. You ought to be granted this place. As for the rest, however peerless their heroism, how could they be mentioned in the same breath as You!"
"The only main-event slots determined in advance are the ones I have told You about."
The host of this Yellow River Assembly had long ago drawn the lines clearly in his heart. Once he persuaded Original Heavenly God, he could use Original Heavenly God to persuade Brother Hong; everyone else merely needed to be informed. Thus, his tone was certain. "There are seventy-five