Chapter 656: Cooperation?

"You..."

Di Zui's brows were tightly locked; he looked back, gazing at the youth leaning lazily against the back of his chair, attempting to discern something.

What did he mean by saying that?

Was this remark from Ren Yidao actually a bluff? Or did he truly know something?

This...

"If you want to ask, you might as well sit back down, have something to eat and drink; we have plenty of time." Ren Yidao crossed his legs with an air of composure and said leisurely, "Of course, if your pockets are empty, I can treat you, you know."

"..."

Regarding Ren Yidao's teasing and goading, Di Zui had no reaction; he had no intention of engaging in a battle of wits with Ren Yidao, and he disdained to argue with words.

He sat back down and, without turning his head, gave a slight nod toward the shopkeeper, who was completely unaware of everything happening here.

!!!

The next second, the shopkeeper stood up immediately, rolled up his sleeves with a solemn expression, and walked quickly toward the back kitchen.

An honored guest had arrived.

He was going to cook personally!

"Oh? Shopkeeper Wu can actually cook himself!"

Ren Yidao was truly a bit surprised this time; he hadn't noticed before that this shopkeeper, who smiled happily all day, could stir-fry a few dishes, so he couldn't help but exclaim:

"Different, this treatment is truly different! It has to be you insiders; as expected, Ren's strength wasn't enough before, so I wasn't qualified for him to cook personally."

Di Zui still ignored Ren Yidao, staring at him expressionlessly, observing his every move without any concealment, attempting to judge something from his body language.

And Ren Yidao very frankly allowed him to observe, even actively opening up some Restrictions to make it easier for him to figure out his current state.

"You..."

Just like that, the two sat opposite each other without a word for quite a while, until dish after dish of tempting food was served; only then did Di Zui finally close his narrowed eyes, nod thoughtfully, and say slowly:

"You are akin to the Heavenly Dao; no, you are fused with the Western Desert Heavenly Dao. You are the Heaven of the Western Desert... So, that Fox-Faced Buddha in the Western Desert before was also you."

The world knew that the Fox-Faced Buddha who occupied the Western Desert Dao Fruit had a connection to Ren Yidao, but very few could guess the true relationship between the two.

Not master and disciple, not fellow sect members.

He is him; the two are one!

After figuring this out, Di Zui understood much more about Ren Yidao's sudden rise, and his heart eased quite a bit.

Although such an origin was equally astonishing, at least it could be traced.

Di Zui was analyzing seriously over there, while Ren Yidao was enjoying the free meal with complete indifference.

Although he could afford to pay, the taste of a free meal was just different—it was much more delicious!

It's truly fragrant!

"Mm-ah, right, this dish of yours is really well-made; the color, aroma, and taste are all complete, and it melts in the mouth..."

After swallowing a mouthful of Spirit Poultry Meat covered in sauce, Ren Yidao wiped his mouth with satisfaction, leaned his body against the back of the chair, and looked at the serious-faced Di Zui with a smile:

"You have also noticed my current state. I occupy the Heavenly Dao of the Western Desert, and in terms of the rules of Heaven and Earth, I am close to the state of the Dao Fruit. Therefore, the Dao Fruit's rejection of me is minimal; this is also the reason why Ren can open a path for all living beings in the world."

"I am the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao is me; it is nothing more than this."

The expression of Di Zui's Incarnation did not change, but his eyes became incomparably deep, and a dangerous aura emanated from his body.

"Alliance Leader, don't be so serious; it makes it seem like I'm the only one doing this. Aren't you also eyeing the Zhongzhou Dao Fruit?"

Di Zui's brows twitched, wanting to say something, but he was interrupted by Ren Yidao in advance.

"Alliance Leader, don't be in a hurry to deny it; it's useless. Even if you deny it, I won't believe it, so don't waste your effort."

"Occupying the territory of one Divine Continent, using oneself to become the Heavenly Dao, seizing the initiative, and coming into contact with the Dao Fruit... This move is not a secret; many people can think of it, but those who have actually achieved this in this world are few and far between."

Being able to achieve this requires many prerequisites: sufficiently powerful strength, a force capable of shaking a Divine Continent, and a perfect point in time.

The right time, the right place, and the right people—nothing can be missing.

"Furthermore, there are many people eyeing it covetously who will not let them succeed easily and will think of every way to trip them up."

"Looking at the world, there are not many organizations that meet these conditions right now. The Butian Alliance occupies Zhongzhou, and although the Southern Border Divine Dynasty will be coveted by Immortal Gods, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"Only the Eastern Wasteland has heroes rising together, scattered and divided; the Immortal Gods cannot decide a winner, and those who aspire to the Eastern Wasteland Heavenly Dao will all gather in the Eastern Wasteland."

Ren Yidao did not mention Beiming Divine Continent; he had long since regarded this place as his own private territory and would not allow outsiders to touch it in the slightest.

Di Zui had been thinking since Ren Yidao spoke; finally, his brows relaxed slightly, and he asked: "So, you guessed the goal of the Butian Alliance; is this your confidence?"

"But... do you think you can manipulate me by relying on this?"

Di Zui's voice was calm, but the place where the two were located was not stable; ripples appeared in the air.

An Emperor cannot be provoked.

"Manipulate? No, I would rather call this... cooperation." Ren Yidao ignored Di Zui's reaction and smiled: "It is just a proposal for cooperation."

"I have only one request: before the Dao Fruit descends, you and I will not interfere with each other, and everything will wait until after the Dao Fruit descends to compete fairly."

"To put it more directly, do not influence the secular mortals; let them live freely. As for the Immortal Gods, you can recruit whoever you want, and I will not interfere or obstruct."

"The Immortal Gods belong to you, the mortals belong to me."

That is all.

Ren Yidao's words made Di Zui silent again; after a long time, he shook his head, seemingly puzzled, and asked slowly: "Why do you want to trust them?"

"Just a group of mortals; what is worth you placing high hopes on?"

He truly did not understand; Ren Yidao had made a big scene to lure him here, yet the request he finally proposed was so simple...

Just to let the mortals go and not influence the secular world?

What exactly is this...

"Why? Why should I tell you my reasons?"

Ren Yidao laughed loudly, raised his cup to drink, and said easily: "I am willing to open a path for all living beings, willing to fight for a chance for them, because I was once a mortal, and I am one of them."

"As for whether they can ultimately succeed, and whether they will disappoint me, it makes no difference to me; the opportunity has been given to them, and how the results turn out afterward is no longer my concern."

"I know you must have other means on your side, and you are also worried that I might secretly trip you up, so rather than us fighting until both sides are injured, it is better to cooperate."

"I don't care who you are; since you claim to be Sin, do you intend to let the common people suffer disaster once again?"

Ren Yidao stared at the Incarnation of Di Zui, deep meaning hidden in his eyes, and asked:

"I will only ask you one thing..."

"You and I have nothing to do with each other, how about that?"