Second Time

Chapter 82 - Fall

Shao Yue strode over to moat and observed Liezhu and Shenyu. As usual, Shenyu drifted along the current peacefully while Liezhu clung to her.

"Well, it's about time," Shao Yue said. "I assume you don't want to give up Shenyu?"

"Obviously," Liezhu replied. "I'm not going to change my mind so quickly."

"Then, come with me." Shao Yue extended her hand. "We'll go tell the Ocean Emperor that we're not handing her over."

Liezhu turned into a stream of light and bored into the back of Shao Yue's hand. "Are we going to fight?"

"Maybe. I'll try diplomacy first, but I expect he'll think I'm looking down on him and get offended."

"Do you want me to help?" Shenyu asked.

Shao Yue shook her head. "If you come, I imagine it will only make diplomacy less likely to work. Liezhu and I are enough to kill him anyway."

Shenyu let out a sigh of relief. She could avoid putting in effort for another day. "I'll wait here, then."

The other two Emperors began their journey to the Central Qilin Pavilion.

"You're not bringing that puppet?" Liezhu asked.

"If we do fight, I'm not sure I can ensure its safety," Shao Yue replied. "If it broke, that would be very bad."

"You would be forgiven."

"By Fei, maybe. Not by myself."

The pair eventually arrived at the Central Qilin Pavilion on a peaceful day. The ocean was calm with only small waves pushed by the slight breeze.

Shao Yue went through the normal procedures, climbing the pavilion to reach the top, rather than going in through the window again. She preferred to conclude things peacefully and didn't want to cause any friction right out of the gate.

The Ocean Emperor was alone on the top floor. Shao Yue's confidence grew. If the Thunder Emperor had also been present, the fight would be much more difficult.

"Have you come to deliver the spine?" the Ocean Emperor asked as they walked in.

"No," Shao Yue stated. "As you know, war has broken out. Since you have a neutral position, it's possible that you would assist the devil's path. Because of this, we've determined it's too dangerous to give you such a power increase at this time. Once the war concludes or reaches a point where the outcome is obvious, we'll deliver it."

Shao Yue was pretty confident that she would be leaving the planet before the war ended. If he accepted those terms, she'd just depart with Shenyu and leave the rest for the Steel Emperor to explain.

The Ocean Emperor scoffed. "Doesn't the righteous path have more money than the devil's path?"

"War is rather profitable for businesses such as yours, is it not?" Shao Yue countered. "It seems quite likely that you'd try to manipulate matters to extend it as long as possible, which could include attacking us. Of course, you could come to the Immortal Steel Sect and form a long-term alliance. If Lai Qiao trusts your word, I'll follow suit."

It perhaps seemed like a reasonable request, but Shao Yue had confidence that they would never form an alliance. Providing it as an option allowed her to appear reasonable despite being entirely unreasonable.

"Trust is a rich word coming from someone trying to alter the terms of a deal."

"When it could potentially save millions of lives, remaining honourable becomes less appealing. Besides, for people with lives as long as ours, even a hundred years isn't much."