Published: March 2, 2025
Two guardians walked one in front and one behind, sandwiching Bai in the middle, as if transporting a prisoner, leading him straight towards the distant palace complex.
Along the way, all three remained silent, with the guardian at the back occasionally looking up, a puzzled expression on his face as he watched Bai's back.
In this era, it wasn't very common to be personally received by the sovereign...
In contrast, Bai moved leisurely, as if enjoying the scenery, with a look of interest on his face—this was not his first time here.
But every time he came, Bai always had some new sensations.
Last time it was disgust...
This time, it could be called hatred...
Until the three of them entered the grand hall side by side, they passed through corridors, courtyards, and gardens, finally reaching the location where the sovereign was currently situated.
The Hall of Contemplation...
From a distance, Bai could already see the figure of the sovereign, the Old Man with a White Beard, kind and amiable on the outside, but with a malicious heart wrapped within. He hesitated for a moment before casually walking inside.
“I sensed the trigger of the restrictions, so, have you encountered danger?” the sovereign said without turning his head, and Bai merely nodded.
“I was unlucky this time. I didn't expect that a trivial matter would draw Wen Yu's attention. He found me and wanted to search my memories, and left with no choice, I had to activate the restrictions. As for our cooperation, I think exposure is inevitable.”
“Was it Wen Yu's true self that came after you?”
“No, just a powerful soul puppet avatar. My skill system is not yet mature and perfected. Even if it's just a soul puppet avatar of Wen Yu, it's not something I can contend with.”
Bai spoke the lie to the sovereign without hesitation. Upon hearing this, the sovereign said no more; he simply turned around to look at Bai.
“My demands of you aren’t high. I just need you to have strength on par with Tang Haofei. Of course, it would be even better if you could compare to Wen Yu. But judging from the current situation, it seems you are rather disappointing…”
“I can do it! I said this when you found me thirty years ago! What do you think I sought the Baru demon beast for?” Bai retorted sharply to the sovereign, and then sighed.
“Now that the Baru demon beast has been taken by Wen Yu, I want to ask you to help me retrieve it from his hands…”
“That’s impossible… After all, he is my current first choice. I can't damage Wen Yu's interests for your backup.”
“What if I say that for me, a Baru avatar is barely usable?”
“Well, that makes things much easier…”
Through a question-and-answer exchange, the two settled this matter—using the sovereign's influence to retrieve a Baru demon beast avatar from Wen Yu would definitely not be an issue.
“And regarding my personal safety… I also want to ask you to help me make an agreement with Wen Yu…”
“Like what Tang Haofei did?”
“Like what Tang Haofei did!”
“…”
The sovereign fell silent for a moment, then gently nodded.
“Actually, compared to Tang Haofei and Wen Yu, I prefer you. Once, you were unrestrained and had no desires. This kind of life seemed beautiful, yet it wasted your own experiences, intellect, and time. Compared to Wen Yu and Tang Haofei, you indeed lack time for growth…”
“This is something I can also discuss with Wen Yu, but I assume all your movements will probably be monitored by him. Your intellect won’t have any room to exert itself; every move you make will be thoroughly analyzed by a group of people. You will have no privacy left, nor will you have space to employ strategies. Yes, just like Tang Haofei.”
“Therefore, I believe this isn’t a good choice. Firstly, it would cause great disruption to your actions and limit your performance; and secondly… you understand Wen Yu’s methods. Just like in the last sequence ranking battle, Wen Yu crippled Tang Haofei. If given the chance, I’m sure he will resort to underhanded tactics against you as well. Your intellect ultimately cannot make up for the gap in strength between you two.”