Chapter 834: Giving Up (Did I set the timer wrong?!)

During the three days Wei Zhangle spent flying into the sky, he accomplished great things and had no small impact on the world; the experts on both sides, such as the Sword Saints and Sword Immortals, saw it all and were deeply shocked. Tang Zhao had not appeared, yet he had also accomplished great things; having just rushed back from the Tianmo Jie, the aftermath of his actions was no less significant than those of Wei Zhangle, yet almost no one knew.

He did not wish for too many people to know, merely saying: "I went to many places this time and gained further insight into the shamelessness and baseness of the Tianmo. I believe they are capable of anything. Moreover, there are definitely Tianmo who would risk their lives to obstruct the plan to change the airship, and they are numerous. Therefore, it is too risky for Zhangle to follow. I strongly advise him not to go; if he must be the one to persuade the Tianmo, then I will go in his stead."

"No!"

Zhangle spoke immediately, cutting in before anyone else to decisively reject the idea, saying: "Either no one goes, or I go. Brother Zhao... Tang Zhao, this matter was mine to begin with; if not I, who shall save the world? The Highnesses have all seen and approved; you should give up now, shouldn't you?"

At this moment, the Six Dragon Sword also sighed and said in a formal tone: "Highness Jingxing, we have all seen Zhangle's strength. In terms of concealing the world, even if you are not inferior to him, it is hard to say you are better. Let us not argue over this."

Tang Zhao smiled and said: "I have precisely decided not to argue."

Others might have been fine, but Zhangle was very surprised and asked: "Really? You are withdrawing, and letting me go this time?" Although it was a good thing, this did not fit Tang Zhao's temperament, did it?

Tang Zhao said solemnly: "Yes. Because I have found more important things to do. To speak shamelessly, that matter is even more 'if not I, who?'. However, you doing the great deed in the end does not conflict with me going to see the Tianmo in your place this time. Because this time is truly dangerous. Those airship factions are just followers of evil gods, they are lunatics; they will not allow anyone to obstruct the airship's takeoff, so they will never let you off."

Zhangle hesitated slightly. The Six Dragon Sword felt it was acceptable and was about to support it, when the Dry Sword said from above: "What evil gods?"

Tang Zhao said: "This is some information I uncovered." He told everyone the intelligence revealed by Gong Yubai and confirmed through interrogation after he returned, saying: "Zhangle just mentioned this point too; he saw that the countless classified instruments in the cockpit were all for show and actually useless. Their technology is very mediocre; even the instruments usually used by the most powerful Shengnyu have to be purchased from the 'White Jade Shines' of the Human World, which shows their overall backwardness. Since it is clearly dogtail grass, how could it bloom into a peony? What is truly useful is that green, slimy monster; that is the tentacle of the evil god controlling the Great Ship. And the pilots Zhangle saw are sacrificing their bodies and minds to the evil god. Once they reach the Void, the ones being sacrificed will be the Humans. The one million young talents we are sending to negotiate are actually just a million bundles of firewood."

Even though the hall was filled with experts of great cultivation, they could not help but curse in unison. Someone shouted even louder: "Withdraw, let us withdraw! Even if Zhangle's plan fails, we will all perish together rather than become food in their mouths. If you ask me, we shouldn't have agreed to cooperate with them in the first place; we have long known what kind of character those Tianmo have, seeking skins from a tiger..."

The Dry Sword coughed, and the Sword Immortal stopped immediately, remembering that it was the Kun Sword who had started the matchmaking for this affair, and it had been approved by everyone, so it was not easy to blame further.

The Kun Sword spoke: "This matter was indeed reckless. The Tianmo are truly base; even at this stage, they only have schemes and exploitation. Since that is the case, it is not safe for Azhao to go either; let us simply not go. We will not open our plans to them either; let them die holding their evil god and broken ship."

Tang Zhao laughed: "While this would strike a blow to them, it is too easy on them. In my opinion, it is better to follow the original plan and use them, letting them spend money and effort only to end up with nothing."

The Kun Sword said: "If we really want to save them, they will have gained a massive benefit. Even if we demand more resources, it is hard to make them end up with nothing; either way, it is benefiting them."

At this time, the Dui Sword said with a smile: "The reason the Kun Sword thinks this way is because you are a kind person with no malice in your heart. Not everyone here is a kind person. Previously, because we considered the impending disaster and thought everyone should cooperate sincerely, we had no intention to harm others. Since these Tianmo do not know what is good for them and only scheme, we can all put our heads together and think of good ways to make them suffer losses."

A burst of laughter erupted in the hall. Ever since the extinction crisis loomed, everyone's mood had been more oppressive day by day, but today they had a chance to be slightly happier. Many were rubbing their hands, thinking of ways to trap the Tianmo. Tang Zhao did not continue to talk about the Sovereign, but said: "I may have obtained a Fragment of the five-colored monster encountered by the airship. I think if I study it, there should be some gains; if I can find its weakness, that would be even better, at least everyone would have the power to fight when facing scattered monsters."

The Dry Sword nodded and smiled: "This is also a good thing. If you need support, just ask; whoever you need, just say so. Jingxing... although Azhao has been out for so long, he has done more than all of us, and Zhangle is also outstanding. It is truly good; now the waves behind push the waves ahead, it is already the era of you young people."

With matters reaching this point, the Dry Sword had set the tone, and the content of the meeting shifted to more specific details. By now, the content of the meeting was completely different from what was originally planned. Originally, everyone had come to discuss how to use a two-pronged approach: supporting Wei Zhangle's plan while making the Tianmo support it, and simultaneously fighting for more spots in the airship plan. Now, it had completely shifted to focusing on Wei Zhangle's plan, with the airship plan effectively reduced to a mission of how to viciously sabotage it to vent their anger.

Tang Zhao suggested that they could try to control that ship, use the evil god for their own purposes, and let the Tianmo reap what they sowed. However, he did not mention the Sovereign, which greatly reduced the feasibility, and no one was optimistic. Someone even said: "Even if it were feasible, it is not necessarily worth trying. Those gods of theirs are strange and mysterious; we don't even know what they are, and they are the hardest to deal with, let alone an evil god. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble."

Tang Zhao said nothing. In fact, he had his own considerations. He absolutely supported Wei Zhangle's plan, so even if they seized the airship, it would be meaningless; it would not be worth it just to trap the Tianmo. However, he felt that if he could truly tame the airship with the Sovereign's sword, there would be great benefits—not for the present, but for the future. At present, the Human World could not even deal with the Tianmo world and treated invading worlds like snakes and scorpions; the airship could at most be used for escape, but that did not mean it would always be this way. In the future, when the Human World completely defeated the Tianmo and its strength reached a certain level, it could fully take the initiative to explore the Void. In the words of Chen Zong: "Our goal is the sea of stars."

Tang Zhao naturally wanted to replicate the spaceship Chen Zong spoke of, or build a genuine Rune Formula airship with his own technology, but he also knew that it was a massive project; starting to accumulate technology today, he did not know if it would succeed in several hundred years. If he could directly control and apply the evil god's airship, it would actually be quite good. As long as one cast aside the obsession with technology in one's heart, one would find that there is no difference in nobility between god-powered airships and nuclear-powered airships.

However, even he knew this was just a blueprint—or rather, there wasn't even a blueprint, at most an opening report. Now, although he had incorporated the Holy Spring and finally pieced together nearly ninety percent of the Glasses, he had not truly grasped the authority of the Sovereign of that year. Moreover, even if he fully grasped it, he would still have to carefully deal with the evil god; those were all matters for the future, not imminent, and others would not be interested. Only the Kun Sword supported him slightly: "If Jingxing Sword thinks of a way and it has some feasibility, it is no problem for me to provide support." A few other friendly Sword Saints and Sword Immortals nodded, indicating personal support.

The rest of the meeting was to discuss details, and there were still many constructive opinions. In the end, everyone became excited and discussed it heatedly until evening. Finally, the Dry Sword said: "Alright, given this atmosphere, I should keep you for a meal, but many of you are not here in your true bodies, just shadows; staying would just be eating wind. Go back, have a good meal, and arrive on time. We old folks... and you who are going, as well as Jingxing Sword, all prepare yourselves."

The meeting dispersed. Tang Zhao stood up, and Wei Zhangle ran over, smiling: "Brother Zhao, you finally returned. Was the journey smooth?"

Tang Zhao laughed: "It was fairly smooth, and there were some unexpected gains. Zhangle—" He looked at Wei Zhangle solemnly and sighed: "Three days apart, one should look at each other with new eyes; two months later, you are truly completely different."

Zhangle said: "What about you, Brother Zhao? You can still look at me with new eyes, but when I look at you, I have long had to crane my neck and still cannot see you."

The Six Dragon Sword pulled them out to eat. Zhangle still needed to eat, and although the Sword Immortals' need for food and drink was greatly reduced, they still did not refuse delicacies. This Little Heaven Beyond Heaven of Jianshan actually had wine shops and restaurants, which were said to be opened by the Sword Saint's family.

The three ordered some wine and food. Zhangle was a bit tipsy and joked: "Brother Zhao, since you aren't competing with me, is it because you are convinced by me and feel that I am the first choice for the plan?"

Tang Zhao smiled: "I have always known you were the first choice. But I never gave up the competition; it is also because I am used to being competitive. Carrying the world is a dream I have always had. Not competing this time is, first, because I know you are truly formidable, and second, because I have seen hope."

Wei Zhangle was feeling good and asked casually while holding his wine cup: "What hope?"

Tang Zhao said: "The hope of keeping you."

Wei Zhangle's hand shook, and the wine in the cup spilled out. He stared blankly at Tang Zhao. The Six Dragon Sword was overjoyed and said: "Are you saying it's true, Azhao? Are you saying that Zhangle doesn't have to sacrifice himself after shielding the world?"

Tang Zhao looked at Wei Zhangle calmly and said: "The price paid for using the Vanishing Sword is not a sacrifice in the traditional sense. Zhangle should also be prepared for a true... disappearance."

Zhangle's eyes were bright as autumn water and calm as a flat lake, saying: "You should know that for me, disappearance is not a bad thing. Perhaps my life was originally waiting for this day."

Tang Zhao said: "I know, but there are still people in this world who want you to stay. I want to keep you. I will do my best to... find you back!"

? The timer was set wrong... actually didn't intend to ask for leave.