"Arrogant!"
The Old Ancestor of the Wang family felt a sudden sense of foreboding upon hearing Xu Mu's words. He was about to strike Xu Mu.
But just then, he heard a scream.
"Ah!!!"
Everyone present turned their heads quickly towards the sound.
Tens of thousands of meters away, the Demon God's body was engulfed in a purplish-red flame, and he let out a pained and venomous cry.
"That's Qiongqi!"
The crowd recognized the source of the fire. It was a ferocious tiger, white and yellow, with protruding bones on its back, as if wings were about to sprout. Flames flowed from its eyes, emanating a noble and terrifying aura. The fire burning the Demon God originated from it.
That was Qiongqi's Samadhi True Fire!
"Qiongqi can use spatial arts, that's why it could catch up to the Demon God!"
"Excellent!"
Yao Huo and the others were overjoyed. They had thought no one could catch up to the Demon God, but with Qiongqi's appearance, the Demon God was trapped, giving them a chance to obtain the Celestial Book.
"Quick, go!"
All the Domain Lords moved out in unison, ignoring Xu Mu, and headed to surround and attack the Demon God.
But Xu Mu stood his ground, showing no intention of moving, only tightening his grip on the sword in his hand.
The Wine Immortal Daoist did not join the pursuit.
He knew that Xu Mu's calm stance must have a reason.
"His own speed is no match for these Domain Lords, and Qiongqi cannot transport people through space. The Heavenly Tree hasn't acted either, so what will you do?"
The Daoist pondered, puzzled. Despite his confidence in Xu Mu, he couldn't fathom how Xu Mu could kill the Demon God before everyone else.
But then, a blinding golden light flashed in the space.
The light emanated from Xu Mu's hand.
"What is that!"
The Daoist covered his eyes, astonished.
The object in Xu Mu's palm not only shone with golden light but also exuded a pressure from a primal bloodline level, instinctively making him feel subservient.
Boom, boom, boom!
Following that, a series of thunderous roars echoed through space. The golden light, accompanied by an incredibly noble aura, descended upon the area.
All the Domain Lords sensed its presence and turned their heads in alarm, trying to see what it was.
But as they turned, they saw an unknown creature, resembling a snake, but shimmering with noble golden light.
Before they could comprehend what it was, in a fraction of a breath, the golden light, with Xu Mu, charged forward.
"Go there and kill him. Then we'll be even!"
Xu Mu grabbed the end of its tail and vanished instantly.
A golden flash streaked through the scene.
Its bloodline pressure stunned everyone, and its speed was terrifying. The Domain Lords in the area halted their advance, for the golden light had reached its destination.
They stared in shock at the golden creature before the Demon God, unable to believe their eyes.
Roar!!!
"Is that... a dragon?!"
Someone exclaimed. With deer antlers, a snake's body, and fish scales, shimmering with golden light and possessing a noble bloodline, what else could it be but a dragon!
"Stop!"
While everyone was stunned by the dragon, only Yao Huo reacted. The golden dragon was carrying Xu Mu.
And Xu Mu had already raised his sword, intending to kill the Demon God!
"No!!!"
The Demon God, burning with Samadhi True Fire, tried desperately to dodge but had his arm severed by Xu Mu's sword.
"Ah!!!"
He cried out in agony, attempting to beg for mercy, but Xu Mu followed up with another swift strike. He dodged with all his might, but his soul was gradually being chipped away by the sword.
In that moment, the Demon God felt immense despair.
He was truly going to die. He had failed to seize this excellent opportunity for resurrection, ruined by a mere human.
"Kill me, and you won't fare well either!" the Demon God roared in anger, then shouted, "I have passed on the Celestial Book's methods to Xu Mu. Come find him if you dare!"
As he spoke, a wisp of grey mist emerged before his body.
It swirled with light and instantly struck Xu Mu, like some form of inheritance.
And during this process, Xu Mu's demonic sword pierced the Demon God's heart. With a series of screams, the latter was purified into white smoke by the Dao Source.
The Demon God vanished into smoke, dead.
Upon witnessing this, Yao Huo's pupils contracted to their smallest point, and his body froze.
The Old Ancestor of the Wang family was shocked, but then a flush of color appeared on his face.
The Demon God was dead, but he had stated that the Celestial Book was given to Xu Mu.
No one knew if the Demon God's words were true or false, but regardless, Xu Mu had to possess the Celestial Book.
Because that would give them a reason to kill him.
Therefore, the Old Ancestor of the Wang family coldly shouted:
"Xu Mu, hand over the Celestial Book!"
He He, standing beside him, also spoke:
"A man's wealth is his own ruin. Hand over the Celestial Book, and we will spare your life!"
"Who says Xu Mu definitely has the Celestial Book? This matter requires investigation!" the five-stage elder from the Demon Eradication Division spoke, interrupting the clamor.
He turned his head and called out to Xu Mu:
"Since you are an internal member of our Demon Eradication Division, we will bypass the cumbersome legal procedures. Return to our division with us, and let Lord Yao Huo interrogate you."
"We are all family, and we will not wrong or frame you. Rest assured."
Xu Mu sneered:
"Preposterous!"
"May I ask which law of the Great Xia I have broken that warrants taking me back for interrogation?"
"You are simply coveting the Celestial Book!"
The elder hadn't expected Xu Mu to bring such matters to the fore and his face turned ashen. Just as he was about to reprimand Xu Mu, the King of Linghai spoke:
"What 'return for investigation'? It's clear your Demon Eradication Division wants to monopolize this Celestial Book!"
"That's right! Trying to monopolize the sacred relic's opportunity won't be that easy!"
The crowd echoed these sentiments, slowly closing in on Xu Mu.
Yao Huo looked at Xu Mu, hands behind his back, and said confidently:
"That golden dragon was merely a Stage Four entity."
"Innate divine abilities like that probably can't be used many times."
Xu Mu's eyes narrowed slightly:
"So what do you intend to do?"
"I will give you a chance to live." The man's expression was serious. "You are a peerless genius of our Demon Eradication Division. As long as you hand over the Celestial Book inheritance, I will overlook everything that has happened. Furthermore, I can apply for an opportunity for you to borrow the Celestial Book."
"This is the best outcome for you."
Before Xu Mu could reply, the Wine Immortal Daoist let out a sarcastic laugh:
"An opportunity to borrow? Who do you think you are?"
"If you had obtained the Celestial Book, would you really be willing to share this opportunity with others? Yao Huo, stop pretending to be righteous!"
Upon hearing this, Yao Huo's armored flame manifestation took a step forward, placing itself between the numerous Domain Lords and Xu Mu.
He spoke coldly:
"Think whatever you wish, but given the current situation, it seems only I can save your lives!"
...
The Wine Immortal Daoist heard this and glanced at the approaching crowd. His expression remained unchanged.
Normally, Yao Huo's words would be true.
Facing so many Domain Lords, only by joining forces could they two safely protect the Celestial Book. If he refused to cooperate with Yao Huo, then Yao Huo would become an additional enemy.
In that scenario, he and Xu Mu would be completely defenseless.
But now, it was different, because they had the help of the Heavenly Tree.
The leader of the Heavenly Tree alone could easily contend with all the superhumans present.
Because the leader of the Heavenly Tree was a being comparable to a peak Human King!
On the other side, Annie and Mordekaiser exchanged a glance, their expressions grave.
If Xu Mu truly agreed to hand over the Celestial Book to Yao Huo, even if all of them joined forces, they would have little chance of snatching it back.
Two half-step Human Kings joining forces could only be defeated by a Human King; numbers would not suffice!
"You can also agree to cooperate with me. We will share the Celestial Book, how about it?"
Annie spoke, extending an olive branch to Xu Mu.
"I can also agree. As long as you share the Celestial Book with me, the Golden Silver Merchant Guild will cover all your expenses for the rest of your life, and I will not go back on my word!"
Jin Dafu, the western head of the Golden Silver Merchant Guild, also spoke. He had quietly detached himself from the Old Ancestor Wang's faction, followed by a crowd of fifth-stage Domain Lords.
At some point, he had bribed many with gold and silver, successfully leading away a large group of Domain Lords, including the King of Linghai.
Seeing this, the superhumans who remained with the Old Ancestor Wang were dumbfounded, especially He He, whose eyes nearly bulged out.
He never imagined things would turn out this way.
Aside from them, even the powerhouses on the World Ranking and major figures who held power were clamoring to form alliances with Xu Mu.
And it was clear that regardless of which side Xu Mu ultimately chose to ally with, they would easily be able to deal with them, and therefore, would no longer fear the Celestial Book being stolen.
"Damn it!"
The Old Ancestor of the Wang family grunted, his face ashen.
They had been completely abandoned. Because his relationship with Xu Mu was the worst, Xu Mu would never choose to ally with him!
"Ridiculous, what right do you have to talk about alliances!"
Yao Huo scoffed upon hearing everyone's words and turned back disdainfully, mocking them:
"Xu Mu must ally with me, because I am the strongest."
"Annie, your partner, his name is Mordekaiser, right? Since the injuries on your shoulders and stomach haven't healed, don't try to interfere!"
Yao Huo's manifestation reached out and pulled down two thick rivers of flames from the sky, his killing intent palpable. This made the two-meter-tall man's face turn extremely grim.
He had originally intended to intercept Yao Huo alone and hadn't sustained any severe injuries. The shoulder wound had only bled a little, which was insignificant. However, later, for some unknown reason, Xu Mu had managed to control his mutated body and entered one of the acupoints where he had imprisoned the Demon God, causing him considerable discomfort.
Although this couldn't be considered a severe injury, in an already disadvantageous situation, these two minor wounds could very well be the trigger for his demise.
Annie also fell silent, not refuting.
Seeing this, Yao Huo continued:
"And you, a group of ordinary Domain Lords without manifestations, what right do you have to talk about alliances? If we form an alliance, can you truly stop me?"
Jin Dafu and the Old Ancestor of the Wang family remained silent. They indeed lacked the confidence to stop Yao Huo, even with the Wine Immortal Daoist, as the latter was clearly not lightly injured, his face consistently pale.
"Therefore, only I have the right to talk about alliances."
"And only I can save your life!"
Yao Huo finished speaking and turned his gaze back to Xu Mu.
He believed that after hearing the previous conversations, Xu Mu would wisely choose him as an ally. Because other than that, unless Xu Mu allied with everyone else and ganged up against him, he could guarantee his safety with absolute certainty.
But if that were the case, it would be no different from making the Celestial Book public. Moreover, he had no enmity with Xu Mu, and Xu Mu wouldn't act that way.
"Forget about alliances." Xu Mu's brows unfurrowed, and he spoke calmly. "Those who go back on their word and are only driven by profit are not worthy of being my allies."
Yao Huo's smile froze upon hearing this:
"What do you mean?"
Xu Mu smiled:
"I mean, no matter who it is, I will not choose to ally with anyone."
"Because I refuse to!"
...