"No, absolutely not."
As soon as John finished speaking, Superman intended to say something, but the ever-quick Batman beat him to it, rejecting John's proposal.
It was a joke. The other party was a ruthless individual who had easily destroyed the entire Senaegan fleet, someone who didn't even regard Superman as a threat. What weight could a mere Green Lantern carry? Moreover, if negotiations broke down, with only John going in, there wouldn't even be a chance to escape.
Fortunately, Bai Qi did not keep them waiting long. The doors of the side hall were soon pushed open again, and Bai Qi, clad in golden armor, walked in slowly. The golden armor, inlaid with numerous gems, glittered under the sunlight, exuding an air of opulence.
Superman and the other superheroes were instantly captivated by the ostentatious aura emanating from Bai Qi. However, they quickly regained their composure, averted their gaze, and adjusted their mindset.
To be frank, Bai Qi would not have worn such extravagant attire if he had a choice. But as a monarch, a certain image had to be maintained, especially when receiving foreign envoys. He couldn't possibly appear in just a torn loincloth. Even if Bai Qi's power was immense and he could easily crush any nation, such an appearance would be scandalous and disrespectful.
After entering, Bai Qi slowly sat on a large and comfortable custom-made chair. Behind him, over a dozen maids, led by Rem, presented Bai Qi with various exquisite teas and snacks.
Bai Qi picked up a biscuit the size of a millstone and popped it into his mouth. He then took a sip of hot tea and looked at the stunned Justice League members, saying, "My maids are excellent at making tea and snacks. You can try them; they taste really good."
The group looked at the tea and snacks before them. They were indeed excellent, both in appearance and taste, of the highest quality. However, with important matters yet to be addressed, who had the appetite for snacks?
Seeing that they had not moved for a long time, Bai Qi grew bored. He put down his teacup and said, "I can see you are not interested in the tea and snacks. Very well, state your purpose for coming here."
Upon hearing that Bai Qi was finally addressing the main issue, John, who could no longer contain himself, immediately spoke up, "Holy Lord, we have come..."
"Audacious!"
Before John could finish his sentence, Rem roared, forcibly interrupting him. She directly took out her astonishingly large flail and reprimanded, "How dare you be so disrespectful as to call His Majesty by his true name! You must be tired of living."
As Rem finished speaking, the remaining dozen or so maids also drew their respective weapons, appearing ready to dismember the Justice League members at the slightest command from Bai Qi.
The Justice League members frowned at John's rash behavior. However, they also realized that he was, after all, a king. Addressing him by his name was indeed extremely disrespectful. Rem and the maids' reactions were understandable.
But since John was a member of the league, his companions naturally could not stand by and watch him be torn to pieces. Batman, with his quick thinking, stepped forward to apologize, "Your esteemed Majesty, please forgive his rudeness. He has been missing his girlfriend terribly these past few days, which led to such an impolite act."
With Batman setting the example, the other members of the league followed suit.
Bai Qi waved his hand, "I forgive him."
He then looked at the maid corps and said, "Except for Rem, the rest of you may leave."
The maid corps were 100% loyal to Bai Qi. Without any hesitation, they collectively bowed to Bai Qi and orderly exited the side hall.
"Alright, let's discuss the real matter at hand." After the maids left, Bai Qi turned to Batman and asked, "My time is very precious, so tell me, what is your purpose for coming here?"
John still wanted to speak, but having learned from the previous experience, Diana, standing behind him, quickly covered his mouth, forcing him to swallow the words that were about to escape.
This time, Batman took the lead in speaking.
"It is like this, Your Majesty. We have a friend in your hands, and she is very important to us. We hope you will return her to us."
"Oh?" When Bai Qi heard that the Justice League members were coming, he had already guessed their intentions. However, he still feigned ignorance and asked, "How would I know? It seems I have no fundamental conflict with the Justice League, so why would I be holding your friend?"
Seeing Bai Qi playing dumb, Superman's eye twitched wildly. You haven't had any conflict with the league yet? Then what was the fight they had last time? His back was still faintly aching from it. However, to allow the conversation to proceed, Superman certainly could not openly bring this up.
Batman, clearly having anticipated Bai Qi's feigned ignorance, continued, "Your Majesty is joking. Did you not recently display your mighty power and destroy the Senaegan fleet?"
Bai Qi nodded, "Yes, there was such an incident."
Upon saying this, Bai Qi feigned shock and exclaimed, "Could it be that your friend is a Senaegan?"
Faced with Bai Qi's question, even Batman could only admit it helplessly.
"No, no, no, this is impossible," Bai Qi said, feigning disbelief. "You are superheroes who protect Earth. How could you be friends with the Senaegans, who are invaders? I understand now, you must be joking with me. But I must say, this is not a very good joke."
Hearing Bai Qi say this, John could no longer bear it and blurted out, "Shayera is a good girl. She was forced to do this. We..."
Before John could finish, Diana covered his mouth again. Bai Qi, with a sly smile, said, "Oh, so the friend you mentioned is called Shayera? It is indeed a pleasant name. However, she is, after all, a member of the Senaegan race. Whether she was forced or acted willingly, she participated in the invasion of Earth, and therefore, she must receive her due punishment."
As he spoke, Bai Qi snapped his fingers lightly. A cultivation pod rose beside him, containing Hawkgirl Shayera's body. At this moment, Shayera lay in the cultivation pod, like Sleeping Beauty.
Upon seeing Hawkgirl, John could no longer suppress the strong emotions within him. He rushed forward, intending to pull the sleeping Hawkgirl out of the cultivation pod.
As he got closer to the cultivation pod, Rem suddenly appeared before John, swinging her flail fiercely.
John, being a Green Lantern with rich combat experience, reacted immediately, conjuring a shield with his ring to block in front of him. However, in the next moment, the heavy flail smashed directly through the condensed shield and struck John, sending him flying backward.
Fortunately, Superman intervened in time, catching the recoiling John from behind. Otherwise, if he had truly slammed into the wall, it wouldn't have been just a minor injury; it would have been a matter of whether he could keep his life.