"It has been quiet for too long," Xia Ye Qi suddenly said. He then extended the hand he had kept in his sleeve and gently waved it towards the sky outside the window, as if grasping something.
"The荒族 (Huang Clan) has increased their forces by more than sevenfold, with eleven 荒主 (Huang Lords) at the middle stage of the 合宇境 (He Yu Realm) and above. The central battlefield has a total of fourteen 荒主 (Huang Lords)."
After Xia Ye Qi finished speaking, he turned back, looked past He Li, and directly at Xia Min Ao, asking, "Given this situation, what should be done?"
Xia Min Ao did not panic; his expression remained unchanged, and he smiled, saying, "It's all because He Li is too much of a draw. Those eleven 荒主 (Huang Lords) have come specifically to kill He Li."
Xia Min Ao narrowed his eyes and said, "If my guess is correct, the reinforcements from the Divine Realm will arrive soon. However, no matter how many Divine Lords and Divine Realm armies arrive, they will not immediately stand with us. Even those Divine Realm beings who are affiliated with He Li cannot give 申屠 (Shentu) and 旬河 (Xunhe) an opportunity to purge their rivals. Chen Du must have given instructions, so I don't need to worry about that."
"On the contrary, we can use this opportunity of the 荒族 (Huang Clan) army's advance to kill 申屠 (Shentu) and 旬河 (Xunhe)."
He Li shifted his gaze and asked in a low voice, "How do we do that?"
Xia Min Ao smiled mysteriously and pointed in the direction of the stone tower where Yan Li resided, asking, "Your good elder brother, I wonder if he can stop the advance of eleven 荒主 (Huang Lords) at the middle stage of the 合宇境 (He Yu Realm) and above."
He Li was speechless. Why were these schemers so black-hearted? This was the elder brother he had just recognized. Although he and Yan Li were not close, and they were still in the awkward stage of forced smiles, in terms of status, he and Yan Li were indeed brothers.
Stop eleven 荒主 (Huang Lords) at the middle stage of the 合宇境 (He Yu Realm) and above?
Why not just ask Yan Li to die directly?
He Li shook his head and was about to refuse.
"I can!"
All three looked towards the window on the other side. Yan Li, clad in blood-red armor, stood with his arms crossed, looking coldly at the three. His gaze only softened when it fell upon He Li.
Yan Li looked at Xia Min Ao, feeling displeased. Such low cultivation, yet he had the audacity to sit beside Xiao Si and issue orders to him.
Although Yan Li thought this, he spoke again, "Since Xiao Si trusts you, I also trust Xiao Si. Those eleven suicidal old fellows are my responsibility; you don't need to worry."
After speaking, Yan Li no longer looked at Xia Ye Qi and Xia Min Ao. He turned to He Li, nodded gently, and vanished with a flicker of his form.
Xia Min Ao and Xia Ye Qi exchanged a glance, blinked, and after a long while, sighed, "He Li, your good elder brother is quite handsome."
He Li forced a smile and said, "I am a little worried. After all, there are eleven 荒主 (Huang Lords) at the middle stage of the 合宇境 (He Yu Realm) and above. I don't even have the confidence to retreat unscathed. My brother... elder brother, I'm afraid..."
"I understand your concerns. If your brother doesn't come, this task would have to fall to Ye Qi. Of course, Ye Qi would surely die. Compared to Ye Qi, your brother is still stronger."
Xia Min Ao looked at the conflicted He Li, his smile fading, and said solemnly, "He Li, don't you understand yet?"
He Li looked up, "Understand what?"
Xia Ye Qi turned to face the window, his expressionless.
Xia Min Ao said, "We are experiencing war. This is not a duel between two gods where you can try again if you lose. War is cold; it's a massive meat grinder. We are all the meat. Regardless of status, everyone must hold the resolve to die for victory. Those Divine Realm soldiers who follow you can die at any time, and those Demon Kings are on the brink of death in every battle. Why can't we? In war, we are the same as them. I can die, Ye Qi can die. Don't think I'm cold-blooded; war is like this. It's not child's play, not a game, but real combat, real bloodshed staining the sky."
"Therefore, put away your compassionate heart. Don't think we are dying for you; you are merely a medium for us to achieve our goals. If you weren't He Li, if you weren't Xia Pei Shu, if you weren't Yan Si, and it were someone else, we would still fight and die for them."
Xia Min Ao usually had a smiling, good-natured demeanor and was very patient, but when it came to cold-blooded clarity, he was the most stone-hearted and unyielding.
Xia Min Ao finally said, "The Demon Race wants to rebuild the 归墟 (Guixu), the 御灵神族 (Yu Ling Divine Race) wants to wash away their shame, and those Divine Realm beings who follow you want future status. That's why we, who are completely unrelated, and even have past grievances, follow you. If you hesitate and become soft-hearted, what are we to do?"
"Min Ao."
Xia Ye Qi turned and stopped Xia Min Ao, shaking his head at Xia Min Ao. Then he said to He Li, "Ku Duo trusts you, and we trust you."
"I don't know if you truly are willing, but at this point, whether you are willing or not doesn't matter much. Perhaps you have many constraints, but what can be done about that?"
"The momentum has arrived. You are destined to be the one at the forefront of the tide."
He Li pursed his lips and smiled, "Are you guys using moral blackmail?"
Xia Min Ao and Xia Ye Qi looked at each other, not understanding.
He Li stood up, glanced at the two, said nothing, and left directly.
He Li went to find Yan Li. The two brothers sat opposite each other at the table, both feeling awkward. Yan Li would occasionally glance at He Li, then quickly avert his eyes, but he couldn't help but steal cautious glances at He Li.
This scene amused He Li, who asked, "The way you're looking at me makes me feel like you wronged me in a past life."
To He Li's surprise, Yan Li's expression slightly changed, and he nodded seriously.
He Li's expression became conflicted, and he smacked his lips with difficulty. Damn it, you can't deny it, he really shouldn't have spoken.
"I didn't protect you well enough, allowing those damned gods to shatter your body and force you into reincarnation."
Immediately after, Yan Li clenched his fist and said solemnly, as if making a vow, "This time, I will not act recklessly. I will protect you well."
"Don't worry about those 荒主 (Huang Lords) and 荒神 (Huang Gods). I also know what the 合宇境 (He Yu Realm) means – roughly, to merge with the universe and appear beyond the heavens. Although I am not as powerful as I was in the 蛮古纪元 (Man Gu Era), I am now in that realm, no, even higher. I can completely block those eleven fellows. If it comes to a desperate battle, I can kill them all, but if I do, I'll probably have to return to the river of time to slumber. I've only just met you, and I'm reluctant, but if it's necessary, I will."
He Li looked at Yan Li in astonishment. Seeing Yan Li's solemn and serious demeanor, he grinned and said, "Brother, you don't need to do this. Just entangle with them, delay them. There's no need to fight to the death. I've only just met you too."
Yan Li heard the word "Brother" again and his face instantly lit up with joy. He grinned foolishly and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you, Brother."
...