The great battle continued, He Li fighting the God King and Desolate King to the death. As he had said, the battle of God Kings would only end in death. The golden cauldron illuminated the last broken lands of the Divine Realm, the battlefield like a gladiatorial arena.
Suddenly,
From the starry river above the golden cauldron, dozens of divine lights burst forth. These were powerful attacks that only God Lords could unleash, striking towards the golden cauldron, attempting to break it and liberate this killing cage.
A divine light streaked from afar. It was Xia Hu Chu. He stood atop the golden cauldron, just as he had stood alone to guard the clan realm. With his own strength, he blocked an attack launched by over a dozen God Lords.
Xia Hu Chu looked up at the figures appearing in the starry river and coldly bellowed, "Kill!"
Boom boom boom...
The God Lords guarding the Divine Realm, from all directions, attacked the starry river in unison. They did not, as He Li had instructed, proceed to the central battlefield, but remained here, awaiting the moment of life and death.
"Yu Li Che! Take our clan leader away."
Xia Hu Chu shouted to Yu Li Che, who had rushed from the golden gate, and simultaneously sent Xia Bai Lin, enveloped in divine light, to Yu Li Che.
Yu Li Che was also heavily injured, wounded by the explosion of the golden gate. How could the gate between the lower and divine realms be so easily destroyed? For this, Yu Li Che had sacrificed his divine statue’s true form, channeling most of his divine power into it before shattering it, along with the golden gate.
Having lost most of his divine power, he had no surplus to heal his wounds. Yet, worried about the Divine Realm’s battlefield, he had rushed back with his injuries.
"You guys are..." Yu Li Che paused for a moment, then exclaimed with joy, "He Li has advanced to the God King realm?"
Yu Li Che was extremely excited. Everything was proceeding according to Chen Du's plan, step by step as Chen Du had envisioned. They, the so-called God Lords and God Kings, were merely pawns manipulated by Chen Du.
He deeply admired Chen Du.
"Where is Chen Du?" Yu Li Che asked again.
"Killed by the God King," Xia Hu Chu replied. His gaze shifted from the starry river battlefield to Yu Li Che. Seeing Yu Li Che's injuries, he frowned and said, "You are severely wounded and cannot participate in the battle. Hurry to the central battlefield and summon all God Lords to reinforce."
Yu Li Che remained silent. The moment he heard that Chen Du was killed, his heart ached as if pierced by a needle.
Within the Divine Realm, among these clan leaders and God Lords, only he could have a proper conversation with Chen Du. To Yu Li Che, Chen Du was not just a partner, but a junior and a close friend.
"Yu Li Che!" Xia Hu Chu shouted, his eyes fixed on him.
"Alright, I'll go." Yu Li Che snapped back to reality and, carrying the gravely wounded Xia Bai Lin, rapidly moved towards the central battlefield.
Xia Hu Chu watched Yu Li Che’s disappearing back and suddenly felt a chill. This was bad. If Yu Li Che, carrying the severely injured clan leader, arrived at the central battlefield, wouldn't it expose the chaos in the Divine Realm?
No, perhaps it was already chaotic. He Li's advancement to God King was clearly sensed by all God Lords. How could those God Lords not guess?
In the central battlefield, the only ones who could be trusted were Xia Ye Qi and Xia Min Ao. Xia Min Ao was only at the Realm God level. Among the God Lords reinforcing the central battlefield, several were not on their side. If chaos erupted, the central battlefield would be difficult to defend, and even the Xia Ye Qi brothers might perish.
Presumably, He Li had considered this earlier, hence instructing them to go directly to the central battlefield.
After a moment of thought, Xia Hu Chu drew a long sword from the void and looked up at the starry river battlefield.
In the starry river battlefield, the God Lords like Sais, who were engaged in combat, simultaneously heard Xia Hu Chu's voice.
"You go stabilize the central battlefield, leave this place to me!"
"Xia Hu Chu?" Sais suddenly retreated, turning to look at the man approaching with a sword.
"Xia Hu Chu?!" The other God Lords also looked at Xia Hu Chu. They didn't understand. The situation was clearly a sure victory; why couldn't they resolve this side first before going to the central battlefield?
"Ask no more questions, go quickly!" Xia Hu Chu had already passed them, charging towards the dozen or so God Lords.
Sais hesitated, then turned and roared, "Go!"
Sais led them away. Only Xia Hu Chu remained on this battlefield, facing fourteen God Lords alone.
"Kill him. Even if he is the most outstanding among God Lords, he cannot withstand our simultaneous attack," one God Lord said coldly.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
In the starry river, fourteen brilliant divine lights ignited, all targeting one entity.
Xia Hu Chu was incredibly proud. Even if he was alone, in battle, he never defended. With his single sword, he charged towards the fourteen brilliant divine lights.
...
Central battlefield, outside the Divine Clan camp.
Four Demon Kings lay on the ground, covered in blood, on the verge of death. Xia Min Ao had a large hole blasted through his chest, leaning against a stone tower, gasping for breath.
Huai Xi lay on the other side of the battlefield, his golden armor shattered, his golden spear broken. His fate was unknown.
Xia Ye Qi’s armor was in tatters. With his spear in one hand and the head of God Lord Yi Yao in the other, dragging Yi Yao's corpse, he walked step by step towards the Divine Clan soldiers who were pointing swords and daggers at him, wanting to tear him apart, towards the five God Lords who stood coldly watching him, each holding a weapon.
Every step Xia Ye Qi took struck the hearts of the Divine Clan soldiers. Each step was like a heavy hammer blow to their minds, resounding thunderously.
They stared intently at the blood-soaked Xia Ye Qi. He was too powerful. Six God Lords had surrounded and attacked him, yet they couldn't kill him, and he had even killed Yi Yao.
"Thump!"
Xia Ye Qi stopped, standing directly in front of those Divine Clan soldiers. He raised his hand and threw Yi Yao's corpse before the five God Lords. He planted his spear on the ground with a clang, clang sound.
"I'm standing right here. Can you kill me?"
Xia Ye Qi's voice was not loud, but it was forceful and resonant. The Divine Clan soldiers behind him also took their positions, forming defensive formations against the enemy, ready for battle.
A God Lord narrowed his eyes, looking at Xia Ye Qi, and asked, "Are you that confident that He Li can defeat the God King? Let me tell you, Xia Ye Qi, the God King is invincible. He Li will suffer the same fate as Xia Ku Duo."
It seemed that from this moment on, they finally displayed the wisdom expected of God Lords. They had the ability to think independently and make their own choices.
They were not mere killing machines serving the battlefield.
The five of them looked at Xia Ye Qi, who stood holding his spear, with varied expressions. Their intentions were clear: they were loyal to the God King, and always had been, including Yi Yao.
Therefore, during the battle, they stayed together and did not participate in the struggle between He Li and Shen Tu.
Xia Min Ao forced himself to take a breath. Despite this, his voice remained weak. He asked, "Shen Tu and Xun He were thrown out..."
"That's right!"
A God Lord interrupted Xia Min Ao's question and stated directly, "Fishing requires bait. To catch a big fish, one needs expensive bait. If we hadn't thrown out those two to attract your attention, how could we have remained so hidden?"
Having received the answer, Xia Min Ao stared at them blankly, then sighed, chuckling helplessly, "Those two are truly pathetic. To their death, they never knew that the God King they served had already written their demise."
Then,
Xia Min Ao looked up at the five God Lords and the Divine Clan soldiers behind them, sneering, "Since Shen Tu and Xun He can be so easily abandoned, you should also think about your own consequences."
"The situation has come to this. Why bother with psychological warfare?" one God Lord scoffed, raising his hand and waving. "Kill!"
The Divine Clan soldiers began to attack Xia Ye Qi and his companions.
The five God Lords attacked simultaneously, intending to hold Xia Ye Qi. A direct kill was impossible. When Xia Ye Qi was at the Realm God level, he had fought six Desolate Clan Realm Gods alone and remained undefeated. Now, at the God Lord level, he was also a standout among God Lords.
They were not overconfident. Moreover, when the six of them had surrounded and attacked Xia Ye Qi earlier, he had still managed to kill Yi Yao. Although it was a desperate blow from Xia Ye Qi, he himself was also heavily injured.
However, given the current situation, wearing down Xia Ye Qi was the best option. Who knew who Xia Ye Qi's next desperate blow might kill?
The two factions of Divine Clan soldiers within the Divine Clan camp clashed. Above, Xia Ye Qi fought five God Lords alone.
Crack!
Xia Ye Qi's spear snapped. He was hit in the chest by a punch.
Puff!
Xia Ye Qi spat out a large mouthful of blood, but he did not retreat. Instead, he discarded his broken spear, grabbed the head of that God Lord with both hands, and unleashed a torrent of divine power.
"Ah!!!"
The God Lord roared in agony. The fist that had struck Xia Ye Qi's chest exerted force again, directly piercing Xia Ye Qi's chest.
Simultaneously,
Xia Ye Qi's eyes sharpened, and the entwined divine power exploded.
Bang!
The God Lord's head exploded. Because his arm had pierced Xia Ye Qi's chest, the headless corpse hung there in front of Xia Ye Qi.
"Cough cough..."
Xia Ye Qi coughed twice, blood surging from his mouth. He calmly reached out and pulled out the arm from his chest, discarding the headless corpse. Covered in blood and grime, Xia Ye Qi looked up at them, grinned like a demon, and said:
"Four left."
...
"As you can see, I am willing to abandon all of them to achieve my goals. But you cannot. Humanity is a burden. I am suppressing not only the path to becoming a God King but also their burdens. They need not be troubled by love or affection. He Li, I admit your strength, but you cannot kill us. You can only watch as they die for you, just like Chen Du."
The God King spoke. On the mountain peak behind him, a scene was displayed, showing Xia Ye Qi fighting five God Lords, the Demon Kings heavily injured, Xia Min Ao on the verge of death, Huai Xi’s fate unknown, and the Divine Clan soldiers who followed him fighting desperately within the encirclement.
He Li gripped the Corrupted Blood Forest Great Saber and looked at these scenes, his body, even his pupils, trembling.
They died for you, just like Chen Du...
They died for you, just like Chen Du...
They died for you, just like Chen Du...
This sentence echoed incessantly in He Li's ears, reverberating in his mind. He instinctively took a step back, wanting to immediately return to the central battlefield.
But,
In the starry river outside the golden cauldron, Xia Hu Chu was still fighting fourteen God Lords alone. He could not abandon him. If he moved the golden cauldron now, regardless of which battlefield he went to reinforce, the God King or the Desolate King would definitely go to the other battlefield and slaughter everyone.
What should I do?
What should I do?
He Li's expression was slightly dazed, constantly asking himself what he should do.
Should he withdraw the golden cauldron and go save them?
But after withdrawing the golden cauldron, whom should he save? Should he save Xia Hu Chu, or should he go to the central battlefield to save Xia Ye Qi and the others?
He Li continuously questioned his heart, constantly making decisions and then negating them. At this moment, his heart was being twisted like a knife.
Suddenly,
The God King smiled confidently and said, "He Li, I'll give you a choice. You die, and they live. How about it?"
He Li slowly raised his head and looked at the God King...