Xu Yanli sat perfectly still, simply watching her.
Gu Yuena stared at him for a long time before the pressure slowly faded.
"When did you find out?" she asked. Her voice was still cold, but the killing intent from before was gone.
"Since the day you clung to my leg." Xu Yanli smiled. "You didn't hide that hint of cold purple light in your eyes very well."
Gu Yuena fell silent for a moment.
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
"Afraid of what?" Xu Yanli spread his hands. "If you wanted to kill me, you would've done it already. There'd be no need to wait until now."
Gu Yuena said nothing, her purple eyes fixed on his face as if sizing him up all over again.
"You want me to help persuade Bi Ji." It was a statement, not a question.
Xu Yanli nodded.
"Why should I?" Gu Yuena leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. Her tone was utterly indifferent. "Bi Ji is a Ferocious Beast with over five hundred thousand years of cultivation, a big shot in the Soul Beast Clan. Why should I let her sacrifice herself for you?"
"Because I can give her a better way to live." Xu Yanli's smile faded. He looked at her earnestly. "Because once I become a god, I can solve the plight of the Soul Beast Clan. Because I know where Dragon Valley is."
Gu Yuena's pupils contracted sharply.
"What did you say?"
"Dragon Valley." Xu Yanli enunciated each word. "The place where the Dragon God fell ten thousand years ago, where countless dragons were laid to rest. The dragon bones, dragon souls, and the legacy of the Dragon Clan there would be enough to multiply the Soul Beast Clan's strength several times over."
Gu Yuena stared at him,