The Western battlefield, the divine camp, white mist formed ribbon-like star rings, encircling a fluorescent green planet. Twenty celestial gods guarded the planet from different directions. This was the most majestic planet He Li had ever seen, feeling like the true abode of gods.
He Li met with a divine race soldier. After a conversation, the soldier asked He Li to wait there while he went to deliver a message.
Not long after,
A handsome man, not particularly tall, flickered into existence before He Li.
Without a doubt, who else could this beautiful male celestial god be but Xia Min'ao of the Imperial Spirit Divine Race?
"Realm God Min'ao, I am He Li," He Li said, greeting him warmly.
Xia Min'ao smiled and nodded gently, "Realm God He Li, I am Xia Min'ao."
Both were very polite. After exchanging greetings,
Xia Min'ao relaxed, grinned, patted He Li on the shoulder, and said, "I knew of you when you were fighting in the lower realms, but back then, you weren't you. You were Xia Peishu, our senior. After tens of thousands of years in the lower realms, you became my junior. It's truly incredible."
He Li smiled, unsure how to respond. The relationships within this divine race were quite chaotic.
"Come, I'll take you to meet Divine Lord Yuqiang. He is the Divine Lord of the Brilliant Moon Tribe, very gentle and easy to talk to."
"Alright."
He Li followed Xia Min'ao to meet Divine Lord Yuqiang. He Li felt like a cosmic wanderer, whose first action upon arriving anywhere was to pay respects, then act recklessly, only to be disliked by the local powers and eventually driven out.
"Greetings, Divine Lord Yuqiang," He Li said respectfully to the middle-aged man with average looks and stature seated on the divine throne.
"Hmm, Realm God He Li," Divine Lord Yuqiang smiled slightly, scrutinizing He Li carefully, and then said, "Divine Lord Si'an informed me about you when he sent his message. You are a very promising new god. Now that you are here on the Western battlefield, as long as you do not disrupt it, I will certainly accommodate you."
"Thank you, Divine Lord Yuqiang."
He Li also observed Divine Lord Yuqiang. Just as Xia Min'ao had said, this Divine Lord's demeanor was different from the cold, taciturn Divine Lords he had met before. He was gentle, and most importantly, he smiled.
Divine Lord Yuqiang looked at He Li and chuckled, "No need for such formality, nor for suspicion. I know you became a god through humanity, then lost your three natures, and became a god again with a mortal heart. Your humanity is complex, filled with doubts and suspicions.
When I was a new god, I was looked after by Divine Lord Xia Bailin, who saved me multiple times on the Central battlefield. It is thanks to him that I achieved my current position as Divine Lord. Now, as a Divine Lord guarding the battlefield, I naturally should look after the juniors of the Imperial Spirit Divine Race."
He Li glanced at Xia Min'ao.
Xia Min'ao nodded gently.
Only then did He Li reply, "Yes, thank you, Divine Lord Yuqiang."
Although still a bit bewildered, since they had spoken so, and he could indeed receive much convenience, and celestial gods did not lie, Divine Lord Yuqiang would act as he said. He Li had experienced this deeply.
Did he not see that Olugus, who bluntly said he wanted to kill him, truly dared to do so?
Divine Lord Feile said he disliked him and wished he were dead, but he would not make a move against him and would even protect him on the Southern battlefield. He had indeed done just that.
Celestial gods were truly a group of adorable beings.
After leaving Divine Lord Yuqiang, He Li, along with a group of followers, went to the stone tower where Xia Min'ao resided.
"Is there no war on the Western battlefield?" He Li asked. He hadn't seen any war or even small-scale battles on his journey here; it was a scene of peace.
Xia Min'ao replied, "Good old men meeting with unmotivated fellows. Our Divine Lord Yuqiang and the Desolate Tribe's Desolate Lord Xiling both have unmotivated mindsets. If you don't attack, I won't attack.
If you are unwilling to sacrifice the lives of your divine soldiers, I am unwilling to sacrifice the lives of our desolate soldiers. Thus, we remain in a stalemate.
Externally, it's euphemistically called: a standoff."
"As long as we don't meet, there's basically no war. If we happen to encounter each other, we'll fight a battle, and if there are casualties on both sides, we'll stop and leave."
He Li was utterly shocked. Was the Western battlefield this laid-back?
"Is that Desolate Lord Xiling also an interesting fellow? Is he really in such a stalemate with Divine Lord Yuqiang? Never initiating an offensive?"
Xia Min'ao shrugged and said, "Not exactly. Desolate Lord Xiling is a later arrival. The previous Desolate Lord was a violent one, constantly besieging the divine camp. Our scouting parties were also brutally killed.
Later, Divine Lord Yuqiang, perhaps having grown tired of it, directly killed that Desolate Lord and then swept through more than half of the Western battlefield.
Then, Desolate Lord Xiling arrived, and things became as they are now.
To be honest, in the past nearly fifty thousand years, I haven't seen Desolate Lord Xiling's face. Like Divine Lord Yuqiang, he doesn't appear on the battlefield."
He Li understood. Divine Lord Yuqiang was afraid of trouble, so he didn't appear on the battlefield. Desolate Lord Xiling was afraid of being killed, so he also didn't appear on the battlefield.
This wasn't kindness; it was fear. After all, few Divine Lords could kill a Desolate Lord with a single strike. When Divine Lords and Desolate Lords fought, it was usually a mutual torment, a war of attrition where neither could overcome the other.
You sacrifice your life-bound bone blade, summoning bone gates,
And I'll counter with my divine statue's true form.
Or it's a beam struggle: you unleash a surge of divine power, and I unleash a surge of desolate divine power, then repeat the above steps.
He Li had only seen two Desolate Lords killed: Xia Keduo and Yan Ping. Divine Lord Yuqiang was the first he had heard of.
"How powerful is Divine Lord Yuqiang?" He Li asked.
Xia Min'ao pondered for a moment and said, "He's slightly weaker than Divine Lord Xia Huchu, but stronger than the Divine Lords of the other four battlefields.
As for Divine Lords guarding the battlefield, only Divine Lord Shentu of the Central battlefield can match Divine Lord Yuqiang; the other Divine Lords cannot."
Hearing this, He Li understood.
Xia Keduo pursued freedom and ease; he was about to be promoted to Divine King.
Divine Lord Yuqiang was naturally Buddhist-like; he looked down on all other Divine Lords.
Therefore,
It still depended on talent.
Talent might not be used, but it must exist. Those with extremely high innate aptitude would see their cultivation soar even if they were just idling.
Xia Min'ao always wore a smile, his eyes gentle. Although his name contained the character "Ao" (pride) and he hailed from the proud Imperial Spirit Divine Race, he displayed no trace of arrogance, but rather humility and politeness.
When He Li spoke, Xia Min'ao looked him in the eye, listened attentively, and then responded earnestly, without any hint of perfunctory.
He Li couldn't help but smile. He had met all six members of the Imperial Spirit Divine Race, and each had a distinct personality.
Among them, Xia Yeqi was the most arrogant.
Xia Keduo was the most unconventional.
Xia Min'ao was the most gentle and polite.
Xia Fuling was the most calculating.
The Imperial Spirit Divine Race was truly a miraculous divine race.
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