Chapter 910: Mending

The banquet table fell silent; High Priest Hutian and the Shengnyu were both stunned. The smell of wine dissipated in an instant, leaving only the scent of gunpowder.

The Shengnyu was dumbfounded, but Hutian was much more composed.

He had no extra expression, only pressing his lips tightly together, staring at the Kun Sword.

Then he stood up abruptly, said nothing, and flicked his sleeves as he left.

The Shengnyu was even more sluggish, clearly at a loss. She looked at the faces around the table—all different, yet all very unfamiliar—and finally took a few quick steps to follow Hutian. There were no more guests at the banquet.

Watching Priest Hutian leave without a word, the Kun Sword looked grim and said, "As expected of a Tianmo; they have no human heart, no sense of shame. He does not think he is wrong."

The Zhen Sword said, "First, he doesn't think he's wrong. Second, in that situation just now, he couldn't say anything. He could neither admit nor deny it, so he could only leave, shelving the topic without a response. That is also where this old thing is cunning."

He turned his head to the other Sword Saints and said, "Tianmo are all like this. Shall we give up on the peace talks?"

The Kun Sword looked at him and said, "Are you speaking out of anger, or have you thought this through?"

The Zhen Sword laughed, "In such a short time, it couldn't be called thoroughly thought through. But right now, this is truly what I think. I know what their bargaining chip is; if it succeeds, it might solve all problems, but it would let them off the hook. I personally feel that is letting them off too easily. If everyone's intention is truly to fight to the end and pay blood for blood, then let's ignore them and fight to the end."

The Kun Sword paused, silent for a moment. After a while, he sighed, "Talking to them... can it really solve all problems? Including those of the entire world?"

The Zhen Sword nodded.

The Kun Sword said, "Then... let's continue talking. Fighting alone cannot solve all problems. If we can save everyone, that should be the top priority."

The Zhen Sword sighed lightly, "In that case, the Kun Sword is truly wise and righteous."

The Kun Sword shook his head, "What kind of wisdom and righteousness is that? I am just a muddled person. Problems that I struggle to figure out, you have already understood; you were just waiting for me to think it through. You talk to them; I am not good at this, nor do I wish to see them. I am going back first. Call me when I am needed." Having said this, he also left.

The other Sword Saints were not surprised; the Kun Sword's personality was relatively simple and down-to-earth. Although his strength was already among the very best in the Human World, he still maintained simple emotions and concepts, possessing the same joys and sorrows as a young person. This was a good thing, showing he had returned to his original, pure self, but some situations were not suitable for him.

In fact, among the Sword Saints, there were few truly suited to handling major affairs. Being a Sword Saint is a cultivation realm, not a measure of worldly capability. Cultivating a Sword Heart does not necessarily mean the smarter the better; on the contrary, the purer the better. And as cultivation grows and status rises, there is less and less need to use one's brain, and the world encourages them to follow their hearts. Thus, among the mere eight Sword Saints, it is normal for more than half to be muddled, and it would even be normal if not a single one were clever in a worldly sense.

Under these circumstances, the current Qian Sword was at least a qualified leader capable of holding the situation together, and the Zhen Sword could be called sharp and decisive, capable of getting things done; this could be considered good luck for Humans.

In fact, the Qian Sword also had self-awareness. He was fine as the final decision-maker, but he was not skilled at the process of maneuvering and the details of negotiation, so he left it to others to do, which was best for the overall situation. Thus, he stood up and said, "Hutian will likely not return. Let's stop here for today; tomorrow, let the Xun Sword go talk to them. I will listen at the table."

The Zhen Sword agreed, then added, "It would be best if he didn't come back immediately. If he were to return today, I would actually have to think higher of him. To swallow one's pride after being humiliated—that is the mark of someone who achieves great things."

However, facts proved that the Tianmo leadership, like the Human leadership, was not superior in wisdom or character. Hutian did not return after leaving. It was said he was still wandering at the exit of the Ganyu, seemingly intending to leave directly. In the end, he returned.

That night, both sides were very quiet. Hutian and the two visitors stayed in the specially prepared Reception Hall. No one went to visit them, but they were not mistreated; all hospitality remained high-standard.

By the next morning, both sides finally began the negotiations.

The negotiation table was divided into two sides. On this side, the Qian Sword sat in the middle, with the Zhen Sword and the Xun Sword sitting on his left and right to hold the line; the Kun Sword did not appear. On the other side were Priest Hutian and the Shengnyu.

Logically, the less important positions on the sides of the negotiation table should have been filled by secondary figures to prepare materials and take records; there were people for such tasks.

But the Tianmo side was left with only two people. One side sat in a row, the other side stood lonely with two; this inevitably created a stark contrast. The Qian Sword gave them face, and five people sat at the table, two on one side and three on the other. Both sides had one staff member for written records, and there was no one else. This was a genuine "small meeting."

"Since there are no outsiders, let's get to the point. Everyone knows in their hearts that your situation is indeed critical, otherwise you would not have come to seek help. As for us, if we lacked sincerity, we could have chosen not to accept a plea for help from a mortal enemy. Since we agreed to talk, we came with sincerity. Everyone wants to reach an agreement. Let's talk openly and honestly."

Hutian showed no sign of yesterday's discord and said calmly, "Exactly, let's be open and honest. I heard the two of you also went to the Ten Thousand Gods Assembly? Then I don't need to elaborate; you all saw the terrifying appearance of that Evil God and know it is a monster that cannot be faced alone. That Evil God is insatiable, wanting to devour all existence, both visible and invisible. If left unchecked, no place will escape the final outcome of destruction. Therefore, we sincerely invite all living beings under its Shadow to resist it together."

In negotiations, one must naturally seize the initiative. Previously, Hutian mentioned that peace was a common desire, meaning peace was not something only they wanted, but something everyone wanted, so everyone should strive for it equally—but he was scolded back by the Kun Sword. Now, he stopped mentioning peace itself and instead brought up the importance of resisting the Evil God together, still requiring the other side to strive for it actively. In short, he could not let his side fall completely into a position of begging the other.

The Zhen Sword laughed, "We did indeed see the Ten Thousand Gods Assembly. We happened to see the exciting finale, the grand spectacle of the gods falling. At that time, we thought the Evil God had died. How did it come back to life? The way that so-called Taixiong God appeared, I even thought he was some great hero who defeated the Evil God."

Hutian said, "Even if the Taixiong God is not a great hero, he is a god who survived a direct confrontation with the Evil God, possessing valuable combat experience and powerful strength. He is currently in our camp, a banner of resistance alongside Priest Haotian."

In fact, he himself did not like the Taixiong God. This guy was ruthless when poaching subordinates, taking many of his own, but there was no help for it; right now, only the Taixiong God was worth mentioning, so he had to hold his nose and praise him.

The Zhen Sword said amusedly, "Previously, Haotian's partner was the Left Upper God, but the Left Upper God was killed by the Evil God, and now it's changed to the Taixiong God. This is a downgrade, isn't it? Could the Taixiong God be stronger than the Left Upper God? Back then, the two of them combined couldn't do it, so why would it work now?"

Hutian felt a bit stifled, but he knew that using rhetoric alone wouldn't work; he had to reveal some trump cards. He said, "Of course, in terms of Divine Power, the Taixiong God is not as strong as the Left Upper God, but he possesses a trump card that even the previous generation of gods did not have. He has obtained the power of the Main God."

At this, even the Qian Sword was stunned. The Zhen Sword said in astonishment, "Really? Is he that impressive?"

The reason the two of them were shocked was, of course, not because of the Taixiong God, but because of Tang Zhao. They were the only ones who knew that the Taixiong God was Tang Zhao. The other Sword Saints did not know, and upon hearing that Tang Zhao had obtained the power of the Main God, they could not help but be extremely shocked—what big move had this kid made again, and how did he get connected to the Main God?

Moreover, this god of his was a fake, yet he obtained power; was the Main God not picky?

Hutian thought he had finally played a card that shocked the other side, so he relaxed slightly and said, "Exactly. The Main God bestowed power upon him and also gave him a promise: to strike once at a critical moment. It is equivalent to the peak full-strength strike of the Main God during his lifetime; if used well, it is enough to overturn the entire situation."

The Zhen Sword muttered, "Good fellow."

This exclamation was, of course, still about Tang Zhao. If what Hutian said was true, then Tang Zhao's depth of strength had increased again, and his status on the Tianmo side had increased again.

He was almost becoming the boss of the Tianmo.

He seemed to have become almost equivalent to the Evil God, and he had become the boss in the Tianmo Jie. When his strength grew further and surpassed this batch of Sword Saints, he could reach the top in the Human World as well; that would truly be the number one in the Three Realms. It would be the number one in each of the three realms, all three being the clones or alt-accounts of one person.

Looking at Tang Zhao's growth trajectory, the Zhen Sword felt that day would come sooner or later, and perhaps very soon.

However, at this moment, he was standing in a position opposite to the Taixiong God, so he put on a look of disdain and said, "Since you have such ability, what do you need us for? Just unleash your Main God's power and slay that Evil God."

Hutian shook his head, "It is not that simple. We have the weapon for victory, but we still need to drive the weapon into the Evil God's vital point. Moreover, the Main God is far-sighted; it proposed a very grand plan. To solve all problems once and for all. This is the real reason we had to come find you."

The Zhen Sword had already vaguely guessed it, but continued to act disdainful, "Oh, what is it?"

Hutian said, "On one hand, to eliminate the Evil God; on the other hand, to restore the collapsed world."

The Zhen Sword raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that blowing it a bit too big? To say we can separate the world so it stops collapsing and then slowly wait for the world to repair itself is one thing, but how can it be restored? Have you not heard that a broken mirror is hard to mend?"

Hutian said, "Although it is broken, it can be repaired. The material for the repair is the Suiyu. The Suiyu can now be considered a world itself; using a world to repair a world is just right!"

The Zhen Sword laughed even more, "The Suiyu? Not to mention how to cut and stitch the Suiyu just enough to repair two worlds. Just saying, can this current Suiyu be used to patch others? It needs to be repaired itself."

Hutian stood up abruptly, which made his momentum seem much stronger. He said in a deep voice, "That is why I say it kills two birds with one stone. Things that look hard to do have a ready-made good material to fill the gap. First repair the Suiyu, then use the Suiyu to repair the two worlds. The key lies in that very Evil God! Take down the Evil God, and not only will we eliminate this scourge, but we will also make the best use of it. Use it to... mend the Heavens!"