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The wind was bone-chillingly cold.

The vibrant Northern Kingdom, a land of flowers and birdsong, was suddenly covered in a layer of frost.

Ye Zichen sighed. He’d underestimate how intensely Gu Li wanted the Divine Mausoleum key fragment.

Over a hundred people.

All of them diviners or higher.

That was enough experts to hold and protect any city save a capital.

The numbers Gu Li displayed earlier were shocking enough. Ye Zichen had wondered how on earth he’d brought so many demons into the Northern Kingdom’s territory.

But now, it seemed he had even more troops in reserve.

Had Gu Li fought his way in, one city at a time?

No, that didn’t make sense!

Everyone involved in the ambush was, based on their auras, a member of the god race.

Not even the imperial sovereign-level Great Sage could see through their disguise, and that was factoring in the Fiery Eyes of Truth. If he couldn’t tell they were demons, who could the people of the Northern Kingdom?

It seemed they’d used some method to disguise their auras, then taken advantage of the Northern Kingdom’s friendly relations with the god race to sneak in.

They must have spared no expense.

Ye Zichen couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

Never mind the Left and Right Special Emissaries at Gu Li’s side. Just the other experts were enough to give him and the Great Sage a real headache.

He suddenly regretted crushing the Hermit Emperor’s talisman. Even if he made it in time, what could he do to turn this situation around?

“Are you surprised? Are you excited?” Gu Li jeered as he reveled in Ye Zichen’s ashen expression. He slipped his hands into his pockets, his eyes narrowing into slits as he laughed.

How incredibly satisfying!

He’d seized the upper hand against Ye Zichen yet again.

His expression! The look in his eyes!

This was exactly what he’d wanted to see!

Surprise!

Indignation!

And a hint of bitterness!

It didn’t matter how Ye Zichen truly felt on the inside. That was what Gu Li saw written on his face.

“Go ahead and run! See if you can escape even now. Aren’t you awfully good at that? Why did you stop all of a sudden? Aren’t those fellow members of the god race? Hurry up and talk things over with them. They might even let you go! Go ahead and tell them that you’re the master of the Emperor Star, one of the few chosen to transcend. Who knows? They might very well be willing to become your lackeys!”

Gu Li’s laugher was hideous, and his smile was sinister as he stared directly into Ye Zichen’s eyes. It was clear just looking at him that his temperament was distorted.

“Ye-zi.” The Great Sage’s divine sense transmitted directly into Ye Zichen’s sea of consciousness.

“Don’t worry. I already shattered the talisman the Hermit Emperor gave me. He should get here before long, and who knows? He might bring the other great emperors with him,” responded Ye Zichen.

“That makes things simple.” The Great Sage grinned hideously as he clenched his staff and surveyed the surrounding demons. “Enter the Yao-Sealing Pagoda and wait for the great emperors to get here.”

“But you…”

“I naturally want to play with them for a bit,” said the Great Sage viciously. “I’ve felt stifled ever since arriving in the Northern Kingdom. This is the perfect chance to vent!”

“Can I trust you’ll be alright?” asked Ye Zichen seriously.

“Just wait and see. These weaklings can’t even touch me. They don’t call me the Victorious Fighting Buddha for nothing!” said the Great Sage.

It seemed this really was the best method.

Ye Zichen naturally wanted to join the Great Sage and face their enemies head on, but both of them were well aware that at his cultivation, he’d struggle just to defend himself, and that was even taking his mastery over the five elements into account.

Waiting it out inside the Yao-Sealing Pagoda was naturally his best choice.

The Great Sage wanted to stay out to vent his frustrations, but if anything went wrong, Ye Zichen could naturally pull him inside as well.

“Alright.” Ye Zichen nodded. “Be careful.”

With that, he reached out with his awareness and connected with the Yao Sealing Pagoda. The Great Sage hefted his staff and was just about to charge the demons when…

“Hey…!”

Ye Zichen’s connection to the pagoda was interrupted. His divine sense was sealed in place, unable to connect. A black-robed man stood in front of him.

The Left Special Emissary.

He was one of the two experts who always stuck to Gu Li like glue. His finger pressed between Ye Zichen’s brows, and he used his divine sense to seal Ye Zichen.

The Great Sage quickly realized what was happening, and he swung his staff at the Left Special Emissary with all his might.

The Right Special Emissary, the other of Gu Li’s personal bodyguards. He wore black leather gloves, which flashed with faint light.

His hands firmly grasped the Great Sage’s staff, rendering it completely immobile.

At the same time, others popped up and placed the tips of their blades right at the Great Sage’s vitals, completely sealing his movements.

“You can’t just hide in the Yao-Sealing Pagoda. If you do, this will get awfully troublesome.” Gu Li rubbed his hands together, then slowly looked up. He glanced aloofly at Ye Zichen. “The Yao-Sealing Pagoda is the top Auxiliary Divine Artifact in existence. Although it disappeared and was off the list for a while, in its absence, the top spot on the leaderboards remained absent.”

The Yao-Sealing Pagoda was forged out of cosmic iron Emperor Hades had found Outside, combined with a series of incomparably precious materials. Even an imperial expert would struggle to damage its exterior. It was called an auxiliary divine artifact, but it was defensive too.

“If I really let you slip inside and you’re determined to turtle up inside, there’d really be nothing I could do.”

Gu Li walked up to Ye Zichen, his hands behind his back, but even now, Ye Zichen had a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. Gu Li didn’t know where this smile had come from, but it pissed him off.

He slammed his fist right into Ye Zichen’s gut. Ye Zichen’s stomach cramped, and he felt something sour rise up at the back of his throat. However, before he could cough up, Gu Li grabbed him by the jaw. “Can you smile for me again?”

“Why should I listen to you? Why should I smile just because you told me to?” said Ye Zichen.

“If I don’t, do you dare kill me?”

Gu Li strengthened his grip, and Ye Zichen could hear his jaw starting to crack. Gu Li glared at him, then viciously flung him away. “I honestly don’t understand where you get all this confidence. How dare you speak like that to me?”

Gu Li wiped his hands on Ye Zichen’s clothes, then narrowed his eyes. “In the past, someone always popped up out of nowhere to save you, but this time, everyone here is under my command. Just try and find someone to save you now!”

As soon as the words left Gu Li’s lips, and before he could break out into a grin, a voice transmitted from above. “For my sake, how about you spare them?”