Threatened into Admitting Defeat

"What kind of power is this? It actually stirred the rules and order."

The smiles vanished from Lord Bird and Grandpa Jingbi's faces, and their expressions grew solemn as they looked at Su Ye. The young man before them seemed unchanged.

Yet they could sense a force within him that threatened the rules and order of the Void God Realm. That force belonged to no one else; it was his own. That was why the Order Divine Chain had merely appeared without descending.

But how was this possible? With his cultivation, how could he stir the rules and order? Could he be some old monster reborn, now drawing upon the Dao fruits of his previous life?

Though the War Goddess couldn't see as much as Lord Bird and Grandpa Jingbi, she could sense that the person before her was powerful. Still, she felt no fear. Her gaze brimmed with blazing battle intent.

The more powerful her opponent, the more excited she became.

Hum.

Runes swirled around the War Goddess, their radiance dazzling. She crossed her hands before her full chest, and countless runes gathered, manifesting as a book.

"The Great Dao Divine Book, the Deer-Hunting Academy's signature art!"

The Heaven Mending Pavilion disciples watching from nearby cried out in alarm, their eyes filled with shock. They hadn't expected the War Goddess to use the Deer-Hunting Academy's signature art.

"War Goddess, you've gone too far."

One of the Heaven Mending Pavilion disciples couldn't stand it any longer and shouted.

The Great Dao Divine Book had an astonishing origin. It was a Heaven-Tier Treasure Art, but had been lost in antiquity. The Deer-Hunting Academy had inherited only a fragment, yet it remained terrifying—powerful enough to rank among divine Treasure Arts, and far beyond ordinary Treasure Arts. The War Goddess was already powerful, and now she was using such a fearsome art. She was simply bullying him.

The War Goddess didn't look at the Heaven Mending Pavilion disciple. She looked at Su Ye instead. Though she had now used her signature art, she still felt uneasy. First, her cultivation was suppressed to the Blood-Moving Realm, so she couldn't fully unleash the power of the Great Dao Divine Book. Second, the other person felt far too strange. He seemed to be standing right in front of her, yet at the same time, it was as if he were in another world.

"The Great Dao Divine Book?"

Su Ye looked at the golden book in the War Goddess's hands. Its pages bore rows of profound characters, each formed from runes—in other words, characters of the Great Dao. They were deeply mysterious.

The War Goddess said, "The Great Dao Divine Book is the signature art of our Deer-Hunting Academy. It's a Heaven-Tier Treasure Art, though incomplete, and still astonishingly powerful. If you join the Deer-Hunting Academy, you can learn it."

Patterns appeared in Su Ye's gaze, letting him see more. He looked at the Great Dao Divine Book and nodded. "It is indeed a powerful Treasure Art. Could I trade another Treasure Art for it?"

The War Goddess's expression shifted slightly. He hadn't accepted her offer; instead, he wanted to make a trade. It seemed he didn't want to join their Deer-Hunting Academy. "Why?"

Hum.

The air rippled, and veils of gray mist appeared, shrouding the area and cutting it off from the outside world.

"A month ago, Xia Youyu of the Heaven Mending Pavilion found me," Su Ye said without hiding anything. It was no secret, after all. Before long, his true self would arrive at the Heaven Mending Pavilion.

Besides, he had sealed off the area because he didn't want anyone to know. If trouble arose later, he didn't want the Wind Clan dragged into it.

"Xia Youyu."

The War Goddess understood at once. Like her, Xia Youyu was one of the most outstanding young talents of her generation. She represented the Deer-Hunting Academy, while Xia Youyu represented the Heaven Mending Pavilion. Moreover, Xia Youyu had been traveling through the Great Wilderness lately, seeking promising talents for the Heaven Mending Pavilion.

She hadn't expected Xia Youyu to meet him before she did.

The War Goddess said, "The Deer-Hunting Academy is no weaker than the Heaven Mending Pavilion. You haven't joined the Heaven Mending Pavilion yet. If you join our academy, we'll make you a priority for cultivation. In the future, you can reign supreme across the Great Wilderness."

"Reign supreme across the Great Wilderness?"

Su Ye shook his head. His future lay far beyond the Great Wilderness. It lay at the summit of Heaven.

He strode toward the War Goddess. With every step, his aura rose another notch. As he continued forward, it grew ever more terrifying, making the void roar as if it could scarcely bear his fearsome power.

"You win."

Su Ye came to stand before the War Goddess. Looking at her peerlessly beautiful face, he smiled radiantly. His smile seemed guileless.

But the War Goddess couldn't smile. Su Ye's aura had already stunned her, as if she were trapped in a swamp, unable to move at all.

"I—"

The War Goddess had just begun to speak when a hand suddenly covered her mouth. Her face flushed with anger, and she glared at Su Ye.

Su Ye ignored her murderous glare and said very seriously, "Think carefully before you answer."

The War Goddess trembled with rage. She felt he was humiliating her.

Seeing that she didn't understand, Su Ye spelled it out. "You won. I lost. Don't get it wrong. If you understand, blink once."

The War Goddess glared at Su Ye. Her blood qi surged, and runes swirled around her as she tried to break through the invisible restraint around her. But that force was far too powerful; she couldn't break free.

"Ugh."

Su Ye sighed. "I'm doing this for your own good. Why can't you understand? Those two Old Schemers aren't ordinary people. When you announce that you won, they'll teach you their Treasure Art, and you'll have to teach it to me."

The War Goddess looked at Su Ye coldly. Now she understood: this shameless fellow was trying to trick the two old men. But he wanted her to go against her own conscience.

Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

When Su Ye saw she wasn't playing along, he looked troubled. He gazed at the peerlessly beautiful face so close to his and let a roguish smile curl his lips. "Believe it or not, I'll strip you bare."

The War Goddess's beautiful eyes blazed with fury. He actually dared to threaten her like this.

"Don't look at me like that. You brought this on yourself."

Su Ye stretched out his left hand and held it an inch from the War Goddess's full chest. Grinning, he said, "Make up your mind, or I can't promise what I'll do."

The War Goddess's peerlessly beautiful face was icy, and her eyes brimmed with a sharp, terrifying killing intent. Since emerging into the world, she had never suffered such humiliation. He was forcing her to admit defeat.

"Soft?"

Su Ye said in surprise. He poked at the Golden Armor, and one section caved in. This left him genuinely astonished.

The War Goddess froze in place. He had actually... dared to...

"Don't look at me like that. It wasn't me. You bumped into me yourself."

Su Ye hurriedly protested, looking utterly innocent. It wasn't his fault. She'd moved too much and bumped into his hand herself.

The War Goddess glared at Su Ye, her eyes full of killing intent. She wanted to kill this shameless scoundrel right then and there. He actually dared to... Even if it was her, he still deserved to die.

Su Ye hardened his tone and threatened her. "Your grandpa didn't scare easily. Hurry up and agree, or don't blame me if I really do something terrible to you."

For the sake of the Treasure Art, he was all in.

And the consequences?

In the face of a Treasure Art, nothing else mattered.