Huo Yuhao watched Er Ming walk out of the spatial passage, communicating with Da Ming and the Golden Tree about the situation. Seeing Da Ming's gaze toward him gradually became extremely complex and wary, his eyelids twitched.
Er Ming, you truly are a beast of talent. Your future should be in the media department, not as a warrior.
Shaking his head helplessly, Huo Yuhao landed at the front of the formation. Gu Yuena, Snow Empress, and Bear Lord moved closer, vaguely positioning themselves with him as the leader.
On the other side, Da Ming glanced at Er Ming's still unrecovered right palm, then looked at Huo Yuhao gravely.
"Lord Fire God, we were all once members of the divine realm. Why be so confrontational? If you need to obtain resources and faith to recover yourself through the fall of Shrek, we can certainly negotiate. There is no need to fight."
In truth, Da Ming could not be completely certain that Huo Yuhao was truly the Fire God reincarnated. But according to Er Ming, the other party clearly possessed knowledge that only a deity of the divine realm could have, combined with abnormalities in his strength.
It could be confirmed that Huo Yuhao was definitely a member of the divine realm.
Since the other party was now not denying the title of Fire God, they would address him as such for now.
"The Titan Giant Ape asked a similar question. But shouldn't you be the ones reflecting first?"
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "It was you who interrupted our operation. We did not initiate this conflict with you."
Da Ming was silent for a moment upon hearing this.
Indeed, it was they, the brothers, who had forcibly intervened for the sake of the "Sea God's Plan," trying to take Shrek's people and the Golden Tree, and had thus come into conflict with the Federation and Huo Yuhao.
Otherwise, if they had just quietly stayed in seclusion, this one would probably not have bothered with the two of them.
"The Sea God's Plan is of great importance. We had to act."
Da Ming's voice was low. "Taking some of Shrek's elites and the Golden Tree was to preserve a spark for the future, in case of need. It was not intended to make an enemy of the Federation. As divine officers under the Sea God's command, we certainly have no intention of falling out with our colleagues in the divine realm."
He lowered his stance somewhat, also pointing out his identity, trying to ease the relationship.
Although Er Ming had said this was useless, it might just be that this "fool" had somehow offended the other party. Facing a deity, if a peaceful resolution could be attempted, it was naturally better.
"First Arrogant, Then Deferential."
After the two had exchanged a few words, Gu Yuena had already understood the situation and knew that following the other party's misunderstanding was the best course of action.
So, she exchanged a glance with Huo Yuhao, quickly getting into character, and snorted coldly. "That was then. This is now. What does your past stance in the divine realm have to do with us today? Do not try to get close. As for that so called Sea God's Plan, why not just reveal its contents? If it benefits us, we might consider it. If not."
She did not finish, but the meaning was clear.
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao secretly glanced at Gu Yuena.
This coordination. It seemed that because she had not revealed her Silver Dragon King true body before them, she also intended to wrap herself in the guise of a deity's reincarnation.
Gu Yuena seemed to sense this and smiled secretly.
In the past, Yuhao had pretended to be a deity. Now she was doing the same. It was quite fun, to be honest.
On the other side, Da Ming frowned upon hearing this.
He and Er Ming had learned of this plan after the divine realm had problems and the Abyss arrived. Tang Hao, feeling he needed help, had found an opportunity to contact them. They had not known beforehand.
And after learning of Tang San's Ten Thousand Years Plan, to be honest, he could not say he was without dissatisfaction.
Before that, he and Er Ming had always thought that the Abyss plane had been drawn to them because the overexploitation of various resources by the living beings of Douluo, such as hunting sea spirit beasts and mining rare metals, had weakened the Douluo Continent's vitality, causing unstable laws and leading to such consequences.
After all, if the plane's laws were not flawed, the Abyss plane should not have been able to find a weak point in the Douluo Continent and open a passage to invade.
But heaven had played a cruel joke on him. The reason the Abyss plane had been able to invade the Douluo Continent was actually because Tang San had left a back door. Now that there was a small problem with the plan, they needed the two of them to Clean Up the Mess.
But what could he do even if he was dissatisfied? Things had already reached this point. What was done could not be undone. They could not just abandon the plan, could they? Would the Abyss Saint
Lord, who had been drawn over, obediently left?
Even he, a friend of Tang San, still harbored some resentment toward this plan. One could imagine how others would feel if they learned of it.
Sighing, Da Ming looked at the Golden Tree.
"Should I say it?"
A Yin silently watched Huo Yuhao for a moment, then glanced at Gu Yuena. Suddenly, she transformed into a blue haired beauty, stepped out of the Golden Tree, and laid down a green barrier around them, cutting off all detection.
"Both of you, as Da Ming said, your participation in the encirclement of Shrek today should be for certain resources from Shrek Academy, or perhaps the status and faith you might gain afterward. Stopping us now should also be for those things. Just tell me your demands directly. If I can satisfy you, would you let us leave? We will not interfere with whatever happens to Shrek next."
Huo Yuhao was wary of A Yin's strength. But A Yin was equally wary of Huo Yuhao.
A deity of unknown depth, a being suspected to be the main god level Fire God reincarnated, was equally troubling to A Yin. The other party's unknown strength was one concern. The Abyss plane Eyeing Covetously was another. She dared not go all out on the Douluo Continent.
Not to mention, Gu Yuena beside Huo Yuhao was also a deity.
In their brief exchange earlier, Gu Yuena, like her, had held back and not revealed her true strength. But she had displayed astonishing seven element control and divine consciousness power. The latter undoubtedly indicated that she was also a deity.
Before Er Ming arrived, A Yin had made various guesses about Gu Yuena's true identity. For a moment, she had even linked her to a forbidden existence, the Silver Dragon King.
But this guess was directly overthrown by A Yin after Er Ming came and informed them that Huo Yuhao was the Fire God.
Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena had not communicated in front of them, but such details as their positioning already revealed their relationship. Would the Silver Dragon King cooperate with a human deity? And even hand over leadership to a human deity at a time like this?
By the same logic, regardless of whether Huo Yuhao was the Fire God, as a deity who had been cast down to the mortal realm because of the Golden Dragon King, how could he possibly be with the Silver Dragon King, and appear to be on good terms?
Impossible. No matter how one thought about it, Gu Yuena being the Silver Dragon King was impossible.
Then, excluding the Silver Dragon King, given the elemental control Gu Yuena had just displayed, it was highly likely that she was also one of the seven elemental gods.
The seven elemental gods had always shared the same breath and branch, exchanged much, and could even form an elemental array. Who would believe that they truly had no insight into or ability to mobilize other elemental powers?
It was merely a matter of strength.
He just did not know which of the seven elemental gods Gu Yuena was.
At this point, A Yin had been successfully led astray by Er Ming.
And facing two beings suspected to be first class gods, A Yin was naturally very wary. Who knew how much divine consciousness power the other side had left?
Even if they only had the power of a first class god's single strike, she might not be able to withstand it. After all, she was not skilled in combat herself, and was far inferior to Xiao San's "Blue Silver Entanglement."
Therefore, seeing Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena fall into thought upon hearing her proposal, A Yin continued, "Both of you, continuing to fight is disadvantageous for both sides. After all, there is still the Abyss plane outside. If we go all out and he notices, there will certainly be complications. You have not yet recovered. I imagine you do not want to face a full scale assault from the Abyss plane either."
Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered. He slowly nodded.
That was about enough.
If he continued to push, making A Yin want to Fight to the Death, it would not be good. Now was not the time for a direct confrontation with her, nor was it the time to confront the Abyss Saint Lord.
"Fine. Give us the Golden Tree. You can leave."
Huo Yuhao revealed his true intention. "Of course, the Golden Tree without you."
A Yin's pupils contracted. She found it both inconceivable and yet Within Reason.
So that was vast. Their goal was the life energy within the Golden Tree. Did they want to use it to resurrect other deities and reshape their true bodies? Or did they want to rely on its energy to recover to the true god level?
The energy within the Golden Tree was truly terrifying. Before each generation's Sea God Pavilion Master died, they would basically pour all their cultivation into it, increasing the Golden Tree's and Shrek's foundation.
That was not energy that a few Limit Douluo could match. Even helping Yun Ming break through to the divine level had only consumed about one third of the Golden Tree's foundation. If not for the fact that Yun Ming could only briefly maintain that state, that green gold divine ring could have persisted.
In other words, without using the spirit soul method, the Golden Tree's energy could directly condense three million year spirit rings.
Even now, with only two thirds of its energy left, it was enough to allow the two deities before she to recover to the true god level.
At this moment, A Yin hesitated.
Should she really let two deities recover to the true god level so quickly for the sake of temporary peace?
Seeing A Yin's difficulty, Er Ming's temper also flared.
They had not completely lost. Why did they have to be so aggrieved?
"Lord Fire God, are you not going too far? In a real fight, you may not necessarily have the advantage. You have already taken the Sea God's Vast Sea Universe Cover. Wanting the Golden Tree too is simply insatiable."
In response, Gu Yuena and Snow Empress simultaneously released their divine consciousness, pressing down on Er Ming.
Their sudden move caught Er Ming off guard, making him dizzy.
Snow Empress said coldly, "You proposed the terms of negotiation. Want to go back on them? Fine. Then let us continue fighting. But let us see if you can bear the consequences."
Considering the bigger picture, neither side would show too many trump cards. A Yin would be fine. But Da Ming and Er Ming might not be.
Da Ming could also see this clearly. He could not help but glare fiercely at Er Ming.
After all, these people still had the Federation's support behind them. Even if they did not use their trump cards, as long as they could hold them off until more Federation experts or Di Tian arrived, he and Er Ming would Die with Regret.
Seeing his big brother's warning glare, Er Ming helplessly shut his mouth.
On the other side, Huo Yuhao could also see A Yin's hesitation. "As the Life Core of the Douluo Continent, leaving the Golden Tree now should not have much impact on you, should it? After all, your true foundation is no longer the energy inside the Golden Tree, but the life energy backed by the Douluo Continent."
After A Yin merged with the Golden Tree and obtained the status of Life Core, the Golden Tree had become merely a vessel for her. In the original work, when the Golden Tree was gone, A Yin could still roam and create a new Tree of Life.
Moreover, leaving the Golden Tree might not even affect her strength much. After all, although the reborn Tree of Life in the original work had absorbed a lot of Abyss energy following Tang Wulin, it did not match the strength A Yin later displayed.
Both the Life Core and the Plane Lord were existences backed by the plane. A single Golden Tree could not represent A Yin's current foundation and strength.
"And you should understand what the Golden Tree is actually exchanging for."
Huo Yuhao glanced at Da Ming and Er Ming, causing the two beasts to feel a chill.
They dared not push A Yin too hard now, nor could they do anything to her. But as Snow Empress had thought, those two were another matter.
He had not attacked the small plane earlier and tried to kill Er Ming precisely for this moment. The essence of this transaction was exchanging the Golden Tree for Da Ming and Er Ming's safe departure.
After hearing Huo Yuhao call out her identity, A Yin knew she could no longer find an excuse. And whether it was for the sake of friendship, or to have someone to contribute to Xiao San's plan when she was unable to act, she needed Da Ming and Er Ming to leave safely.
Therefore, A Yin's eyes changed for a few seconds. Finally, she took a deep breath.
"Fine. The Golden Tree is yours. But I hope we will not continue to stand on opposite sides in the future."
Huo Yuhao did not reply.
A Yin had not expected the other party to make a promise. She herself did not believe they could coexist peacefully.
She hesitated no longer. Her form slowly floated up, her hands forming seals. Vast life energy surged from her body, resonating with the Golden Tree below.
A seed of life separated from the Golden Tree. The entire Golden Tree shook violently, its whole body blazing with gold light, yet more restrained and condensed than before.
Da Ming and Er Ming watched from afar, their feelings mixed. They knew that A Yin had made this compromise to protect them. This feeling of friendship moved them, yet also made them more frustrated. With their strength, they had actually become bargaining chips in a trade.
"Alright. Take the Golden Tree and go. Farewell."
A Yin gently pushed, and the Golden Tree slowly flew toward Huo Yuhao. She herself turned and walked toward the planar passage opened by Er Ming.
Da Ming and Er Ming quickly snapped back to reality and turned to leave without looking back.
Huo Yuhao quickly caught the Golden Tree, using his divine consciousness power to check it dozens of times. After confirming that A Yin had not tampered with it, he breathed a sigh of relief and showed a gentle smile. He no longer paid attention to the departing A Yin and the others.
On the Douluo Continent, there was no better life energy for reshaping a true body than the Golden Tree, which had once been the host of the Plane Core.
A promise from the past was about to be fulfilled.
Teacher Electrolux, you will soon be able to step into this world in your most perfect form, in your own body.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao's undisguised joy made Snow Empress and Gu Yuena pause.
They had never seen such a pure, such an undisguised joy and anticipation on Huo Yuhao's face. That smile seemed to pierce through his long maintained calm and scheming, revealing his most authentic self, genuinely rejoicing for a cherished promise about to be fulfilled.
Infected, the two smiled knowingly and quietly watched this scene without disturbing him.
***
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