“Brother Ye, that’s awfully unkind of you. Why are you only targeting me?
Gu Li leaped backward several paces, then tilted his head as if feigning helplessness.
“You ought to be attacking Black Dragon, not me!” he sighed. “For better or worse, we’re both from the Modern Realm, aren’t we?”
Despite his nonchalant exterior, Gu Li’s heart trembled instinctively.
He managed to dodge Ye Zichen’s sudden attack, albeit barely. Even so, the force of the shockwaves alone stung his face.
“Hmph, so you inherited the power of the Master of the Three Realms after all,” snorted Gu Li darkly. He looked directly at Ye Zichen, his gaze completely focused. “But you’re going to die anyway.”
“Shut up,” said Ye Zichen, barely sparing Gu Li a glance before las.h.i.+ng out once more.
He wasn’t attacking randomly; he’d thought this through. As he stood between Black Dragon and Gu Li, Black Dragon clearly gave him a stronger sense of crisis.
Facing two enemies at once was difficult.
If he took both of them on at once, he’d undoubtedly be at a disadvantage. It was better to go all out and finish off Gu Li, then worry about Black Dragon.
This was no time for complacency. He had to act prudently.
“Hah!” Ye Zichen roared, then attacked without any extra flourishes. He simply slammed his fist at Gu Li.
Bang.
This time, though, Gu Li didn’t dodge. Instead, he raised his right arm and took Ye Zichen’s fist head on.
“Tch…..” Ye Zichen’s fist shook as it collided with Gu Li’s arm. He couldn’t help but gasp.
“What a strong body,” he exclaimed inwardly, then took a few quick steps backward.
“Brother Ye, you’re really hurting my feelings,” said Gu Li, patting his arm.
Then he looked at Ye Zichen in confusion. “What are you only attacking me for? How about you go fight Black Dragon instead? I guarantee I won’t try any surprise attacks.”
As soon as Gu Li finished his sentence, Black Dragon spoke up as well. “I can promise the same thing. You two can settle your personal grudges privately; I absolutely won’t intervene.”
Black Dragon was undoubtedly telling the truth. Yes, he’d worked with Gu Li to taunt Ye Zichen earlier, but that was only because Ye Zichen was their mutual enemy.
There was no way he could forget how much he hated Gu Li.
If not for the fact that he hated Ye Zichen even more, he might very well have teamed up with him to fight Gu Li instead.
Gu Li wasn’t particularly surprised by Black Dragon’s response. He fully understood the nature of their relations.h.i.+p and hadn’t truly expected Black Dragon to help him.
He was just glad Black Dragon wasn’t actively working against him.
Even so, he maintained his usual playful grin and laughed, “Black Dragon, Boss, you’re really heartless!”
“Same to you,” said Black Dragon indifferently. He shrugged, then took a few steps back. “Carry on, you two.”
“What a tragedy!” said Gu Li, stroking his cheek. He sighed, expression pained.
Before long, he got his expression back under control.
“Brother Ye, you hit me twice. It would be rude not to return the favor” said Gu Li. “Be careful!”
His words were polite, but Ye Zichen didn’t let his guard down. Despite Ye Zichen’s caution, Gu Li’s attack was extremely crafty.
The resulting ear-splitting rumble drew the Beast Region expert’s attention. They scattered their enemies. As they caught their breath, they turned to look at the source of the commotion.
“That’s…. Isn’t that Emperor Ye?”
Hearing this, practically everyone turned to look.
“It really is him!”
After repeatedly confirming Ye Zichen’s ident.i.ty, the warriors’ faces lit up with joy.
Then they heard someone call out, “Emperor Ye has returned with reinforcements! Before long, more allies will arrive. Everyone, you’d hold out until they get here!”
These words powerfully stimulated the bloodied soldiers’ will to fight. They fought even harder. Before long, it seemed as if the demons and zombies were on the verge of retreat.
“Emperor Ye, your appearance really seems to have boosted their morale.”
After a brief struggle, Gu Li created distance between himself and Ye Zichen, then grinned as he watched the battered soldiers fight their way through the battlefield.
Ye Zichen remained silent. He simply stared ahead, nerves taught.
There was a gulf in their abilities. Even though it wasn’t immediately obvious, it was clear enough for him to sense it.
If he’d absorbed the power of the seal himself, Gu Li couldn’t possibly defeat him. However, the little golden sword had swallowed it all up instead.
“As expected.”
Gu Zichen stood high in the sky. As he watched their fight from above, he couldn’t help but frown. Just as he predicted, without the power of the seal, Ye Zichen was weaker than Gu Li.
It wasn’t a big difference. Even so, it was undoubtedly fatal. You have to remember….
Black Dragon stood a few paces away, watching like a tiger stalking its prey.
He said he wouldn’t intervene but if he sensed that Ye Zichen was vulnerable, would he really just sit and watch?
Things didn’t look good.
Gu Zichen couldn’t intervene. He’d spent more than eighty percent of his strength warding off those old fogies from the G.o.d Realm.
He had no strength to spare!
Crack.
Gu Li cracked his neck. He, too, had sensed the gap in their abilities.
“Brother Ye, are your hands trembling?”
A grin tugged at Gu Li’s lips. He stretched lazily, then there was a loud crash as a pair of grey wings sprouted from his back.
“They see you as their savior. If I defeat you, don’t you think they’ll sink into despair? Thing is, I just love watching others sink into despair. The look in their eyes as they abandon all hope…. It’s truly beautiful.”
Rumble.
Instantly, he spread his wings and his light-brown skin turned to bronze. He narrowed his wild grey eyes and said, “you have something of mine. It’s about time I take it back.”
Whoosh.
Suddenly, Gu Li disappeared from Ye Zichen’s line of sight. His sudden disappearance stunned even Black Dragon..…
Even he couldn’t locate Gu Li!
Ye Zichen didn’t move. He simply closed his eyes, shocking Black Dragon even further.
Had he given up?
Given his understanding of Ye Zichen, there was no way he’d do something like that. It seemed he was using his spiritual awareness to try and pinpoint Gu Li’s location.
“Die.”
Suddenly, Gu Li appeared behind Ye Zichen.
He drew closer, so close his attack would be all but impossible to dodge.
Bang!
Rumble.
Rumble.
He attacked like lightning, his blow practically impossible to avoid. Gu Li was at an absolute advantage. Shockingly, though, he soon felt himself slammed into the earth. When he looked up, he saw Ye Zichen spread a pair of pure, snow-white wings.
“If not for you, I might’ve forgotten… I have wings like that too!”