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"Pleasant cooperation? What a sarcastic remark…"
Di Tian gave a self-deprecating smile, his expression forlorn, unsure if he was laughing at Feng Zaixing, at himself, or at both.
"If the Beast God doesn't like it, a different word will do. Whether it's like-minded or colluding, the most important thing in the world is to recognize who is an enemy and who is a friend, and to establish a unified front. The Beast God and the Spirit Beast Clan can be our friends."
Feng Zaixing's smile was warm, but his words were sharp, making Di Tian ponder and Le Zhengyang's forehead twitch.
They could be friends, and naturally, they could also be enemies. The choice rested solely on Di Tian's thought.
At this moment, Le Zhengyang's mindset had greatly shifted, and various thoughts flooded his mind.
He had originally thought that today's events were a coincidence, with the military and the Spirit Transfer Pagoda tacitly colluding to suppress Shrek, but now it seemed… too coincidental!
Feng Zaixing had known the Beast God's whereabouts long ago; he had clearly been waiting for him to form an alliance with Star Dou.
Meeting Di Tian in private and secretly plotting against Shrek, Tang Sect, and the Spirit Transfer Pagoda would ruin his reputation if exposed, yet he remained calm and composed. This Mind was something Le Zhengyang had never witnessed in his life; those he had watched grow up in his own Family couldn't compare.
"Could it be that our Old Ancestor truly had a premonition, deeply resenting the foolish and idiotic people who appeared at the end of the Spirit Hall era, and thus wanted a clever one to revive the Family's prestige?"
An unrealistic thought appeared in Le Zhengyang's mind. He found it absurd, yet also logical.
After all, while Feng Zaixing used him to intimidate Di Tian, how could he not also be using Di Tian's power to intimidate himself?
After this incident, he would certainly not underestimate him and would use all the Family's strength to help him rise rapidly.
And even after understanding all this… he would still make this choice, the choice that benefited himself, the Le Family, and Feng Zaixing the most, and he would be even more resolute.
Mutual benefit and a united front—these words were also meant for himself.
"Using two quasi-Divine Ranks to snatch chestnuts from the fire, this young man has a lot of guts…"
Quietly calming his breathing, Le Zhengyang secretly decided to bury these things deep in his heart.
Some matters are best left unsaid. If the Angel Family had a successor, he could die with a smile; now, he only regretted coming too late.
"Since we've reached a consensus today, why not make an agreement? Na'er is the love of my Mind, Di Tian, you cannot take away what I love."
With the general cooperation settled, Feng Zaixing patted Na'er beside him and spoke with a calm smile.
Upon hearing this, Di Tian's pupils immediately narrowed, and he excitedly said, "That's impossible! She is the hope of the Dragon Clan!"
The hateful human actually wanted to keep the master, even more excessive than Huo Yuhao.
Looking at the unperturbed Feng Zaixing, Di Tian's eyes flashed: "When did you know she was from Star Dou?"
Na'er's face changed dramatically, her purple eyes flickering, like a cautious young cub.
"After her Spirit Awakening." Feng Zaixing said without changing his expression, uttering the prepared explanation.
"Her Bloodline surpasses all recorded Dragon Spirit Masters. There has never been a Dragon Spirit True God in human history, so she can only have come from you, and she has a very deep connection with you."
"Although the Tool Spirit is a bit abnormal, after much thought, this is the only explanation."
Di Tian nodded, his gaze darkening: "You are very clever. I might as well tell you, her body will change very soon, and we must come for her; if you forcibly keep her, there will be great disaster."
Feng Zaixing nodded lightly, extended a finger, and said, "Her body is very strange; our Body Sect cannot fully understand it. Perhaps you can bring her benefits."
"But, within one year, I must see her again, and I will not allow her to suffer any harm; otherwise, I can do what I did for Huo Yuhao."
Di Tian immediately widened his eyes, his chest heaving violently, and he angrily said, "You are quite open and undisguised; do you think you have me cornered?"
As his words fell, a chilling wind suddenly swept through the world. Feng Zaixing raised his eyes and scanned his surroundings, which remained as calm as ever: "The Beast God thinks too highly of me, but since I dared to come see you, I naturally planned everything out, and you wouldn't believe I came unprepared."
"She calls me big brother, and I must take responsibility. I know she is a transformed Spirit Beast, but that has nothing to do with me; if I dare to scheme against Shrek and Tang Sect, adding a Star Dou is no big deal."
He said indifferently: "Kill me, and Star Dou's plans will come to naught. Your information will appear on the desks of the four major forces and five great Families within a day, resulting in mutual destruction. I don't ask for much, only for my Junior Sister's safety."
Di Tian stared intently at the young man, the black clouds above his head almost congealing into a ferocious, enraged Dragon.
"Roar—"
At this moment, a giant dark-gold palm appeared out of thin air, grabbing directly at Na'er behind Feng Zaixing!
"Don't even think about it!"
As things changed, Le Zhengyang flashed forward, punching to meet the giant palm head-on.
The earth-shattering tremors stirred up dust everywhere. Feng Zaixing, pulling Na'er, walked out of the rolling smoke and dust, and calmly said to Di Tian and the newly appeared burly man:
"Attacking with just a word, Your Excellency Xiong Jun's temper is a bit too fiery. Do you wish to attract the powerhouses of Mingdu and choose this place as your burial ground?"
"Teacher, please ask him to calm down."
As his words fell, a streak of red light, like a hurricane, tore through the black clouds in the sky. Armor condensed in the Void Realm, reflecting the light and shadow of a plane.
Mu Ye stepped through the air, his Divine Rank mecha transforming into a three-meter heavy sword, like the lord of a small plane, his Aura like a surging torrent, pressing down on Xiong Jun.
"Stealing my disciple, did I agree to that?"
Xiong Jun's eyes blazed with fierce light, and he sneered, "Humans are all full of schemes; I've seen through you all long ago!"
"I'm afraid you don't have the ability. This is no longer your era of dominance!"
Mu Ye sneered repeatedly, his eyes filled with killing intent. The crimson soul wave tore through the long clouds, suppressing the Void Realm.
"Almost there," Feng Zaixing thought to himself.
Stepping forward, he looked at Di Tian and said, "Beast God, can't you even control your subordinates?"
"After two more moves, you won't be able to seal off this area either. You know the consequences then."
Di Tian's expression changed slightly. He looked at Le Zhengyang and Mu Ye, then swept his gaze towards Xiong Jun, and shouted, "Stop all of you!"
The powerful voice, accompanied by a dark, storm-like soul wave, spread out, and the Aura of the three masters simultaneously receded.
"Di Tian?" Xiong Jun's eyes were bloodshot as he questioned Di Tian's attitude.
Di Tian's eyes changed several times, finally letting out a sigh.
He opened his palm, a black scale appeared, and he threw it towards Feng Zaixing.
"This is a scale shed by this King during my Undergoing Tribulation. Keep it, and this King will act if you encounter danger."
With that, Di Tian clenched his hand forward, and a Void Realm vortex enveloped Na'er, instantly bringing her to his side.
"I ask Your Excellency to swear by the honor of your Dragon Clan to treat my Junior Sister well and return her within a year."
The Dragon scale flew before him, but Feng Zaixing did not take it, only quietly looking at Di Tian.
Di Tian turned his back, and said faintly, "You don't need to say that. If anything happens to her, I will pay with my life and apologize to the Dragon God."
As his words fell, black winds and chaotic currents swept through the sky. Spatial light streams enveloped his forlorn back, Xiong Jun's hesitant eyes, and Na'er's reluctant face.
Feng Zaixing waved to Na'er, smiling as he bid farewell: "Temporary separation is for a better reunion. We will wait for you to return."
Na'er immediately burst into tears, large, wet teardrops rolling down her purple eyes.
"Big brother, wait for Na'er to come back…"
The world returned to peace, as if Di Tian and his group had never appeared.
Feng Zaixing reached out and grasped the black Dragon scale, his eyes filled with myriad emotions, and he sighed.
"Still not strong enough. Despite all the careful planning, separation is inevitable."
Mu Ye patted his shoulder, comforting him: "You've already done very well. That was the Beast God, after all."
"I have a premonition that even if we joined forces, perhaps…"
Le Zhengyang nodded sullenly: "The Beast God is very strong, and his mastery of space is something this old man has never seen in his life. He couldn't be stopped."
"If it weren't for that, why would I talk nonsense with him? I talked so much my mouth went dry trying to fool him."
With Di Tian completely gone, Feng Zaixing's sharp Aura dissipated. He drank an energy drink and, uncharacteristically, swore.
The essence of his negotiation was a bluff, using information asymmetry to make the other party misunderstand his strength, thereby achieving a result favorable to himself.
So-called cooperation, to put it plainly, was mutual exploitation. This was the limit he could strive for. He was unwilling to hope that Gu Yue would be as foolish as in the original story, making a silly bet.
Throwing out Tang Wulin was based on the same principle, to broaden Di Tian's perspective, not to be limited to the Silver Dragon King's trivial gains, but to have the ability to seize the inheritance of the old gold.
The inverse scale was a pleasant surprise; he hoped it would be useful in the future.
"It's been three years. Tang Wulin's parents are about to be taken away. Preparations must be made, and also Shrek…"
On the way back to Mingdu, various thoughts flashed through Feng Zaixing's mind. He turned to Le Zhengyang and asked with a smile:
"Old Ancestor, Shrek should have received inquiries from the Federation by now. Are you also going to join the negotiation table?"
"If you're lucky, you might get some good things for prolonging life from the Tang Sect's Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
"Oh?"
...Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Shrek City, the Sea God's Pavilion was brightly lit, with eleven Sea God's Pavilion elders filling the seats.
The Sea God's Pavilion Master, Atlas Douluo Yun Ming, sat in the main seat, his brows tightly furrowed.
An old woman in simple attire sat in the first seat to his left, her face grim, her tone cold and hard:
"I've heard about what's happening outside, old woman. It seems Shrek hasn't bared its fangs to the outside world for too long, to have so many ignorant fools baring their teeth at us!"
"Yun Ming, you've been somewhat derelict as the Pavilion Master."