Otherworldly Affairs Office-Chapter 856: Forthcoming Powerful Enemies
After finishing his words, Pei Yan sat silently in his seat and lit a cigar. Xila raised her glass, swirled it around, and continued, "Moreover, that Magic Plane you defeated and humiliated in the team match, I can definitely tell you, this time, several major Planes' Origin will personally cultivate and guide the contestants for this individual competition! Not only that, but the top training resources and materials from each Plane will be poured into these contestants."
"Alright! I already know how strong they can become. Now, tell me what you can offer me and what you need me to do!" After listening to Xila's account, Pei Yan extinguished the remaining half of the cigar, placed it back in the cigar box, picked up the glass of wine in front of him, drank it all in one go, feeling the thick alcohol flow into his body, and tasted the unique bloody taste of the Demon Blood Wine lingering in his mouth. Pei Yan pushed the glass back towards Xila and said straightforwardly.
"Refreshing!" Xila poured another half glass of wine for Pei Yan, gently pushed it towards him, and replied indirectly, "Our Hell Demon Race will withdraw from the next individual competition."
"Uh! Withdraw? Why?" Pei Yan reached for the wine glass and asked in puzzlement.
"Ah, Mr. Pei Yan, do you think with the current strength of our Demon Race, even if we participate, can we win the competition? We've already reached our limit by winning the promises from several major Planes to cultivate more Children of Origin for our Plane, and quickly enhancing our combat power against the Disaster Legion. Wasting resources on a battle without victory is too extravagant for us now. We can't afford this gamble."
As Xila spoke, a flash of disappointment crossed her eyes. If possible, she certainly wanted to win her father's favor and receive support, to compete with the masters from various Planes, to earn dignity and glory for the Demon Race. However, her father did not favor her, nor her brother, and instead chose the man in front of her. Thinking of this, Xila looked up at Pei Yan and said, "So we chose you to take the gamble for us. My father hopes you can travel to the Hell Plane. He's waiting for you there, and you'll receive the full support of the Demon Race's resources. Besides gaining guidance and strength enhancements from my father, you can also receive the aid of a genuine Divine Artifact!"
"Wait! Wait!" This long speech from Xila left Pei Yan somewhat bewildered. Standing up, he held the wine glass and paced in circles three times, then leaned on the back of his chair and asked in confusion, "You're saying your Demon Race will give up the competition and pour resources into me? Okay, we can discuss this later. What about this Divine Artifact? Isn't it said that artifacts are not allowed in the competition?"
"Artifacts are not allowed to be brought into the competition, but based on the current intelligence, all the other Planes will inject their Divine Artifacts into the contestants' bodies. It's a destructive act; the artifact will merge with the contestant, greatly enhancing their power, at the cost of the artifact being permanently destroyed and irreparable."
"Is it worth it to destroy three artifacts to win four?" It was the first time Pei Yan heard that Divine Artifacts could be used this way, and he lamented after a moment of astonishment.
"Why not? These Children of Origin are very young. After merging with the artifacts, although the artifacts disappear permanently, these Children of Origin will represent the highest combat strength and Guardian Gods in their respective Planes for years to come. This will inevitably happen. Not only for this competition, but it's also preparing for a possible final battle with the Blood Demon, anticipated to rapidly bolster the high-level combat capacity of the Planes!" Xila's expression turned desolate again. In addition to vying for the competition prizes, this action serves as a warning to the Blood Demon. The high-end combat force stacked up hopes to make the Blood Demon wary of the upcoming battle, forcing it back to the negotiating table, and reasonably dividing the new landscape among the major Planes. If the Blood Demon remains stubborn and goes his own way, then these top combat-ready Children of Origin will become the vanguard against the Blood Demon.
However, all of this doesn't concern her anymore. The Demon Race allowed only two slots to absorb artifacts and evolve, one for her brother and the other for Pei Yan, which explains Xila's love-hate relationship with the carefree Pei Yan before her. From today onward, her power will no longer catch up with these people's steps.
"In that case, your Demon Race equally values the enhancement of combat power. Why not use the artifacts on your own people instead of me?"
Pei Yan's retort was like a sharp sword that hit Xila's sore spot. Seeing her grasp a wine glass, face filled with anger, silent for a long time, Pei Yan pressed on, "Is this just for those few Origin Seeds as the first-prize bonus? Something that was promised to you anyway? You don't need to invest such a huge cost for the artifact among the first-prize rewards? Sorry, those five artifacts are also what my Division is determined to win, absolutely impossible to concede! Miss Xila, you should know I never believe that pies will fall from the sky. Give me a reasonable explanation to let me trust that this isn't a trap!"
"Cooperation!"
The two cold words squeezed out from Xila's mouth didn't satisfy Pei Yan. He pursued the matter, "Cooperation? Aren't we already cooperating? What more cooperation do you need? What additional price does my Division have to pay? Just two words, cooperation, is too cursory! Explain the specifics?"
"Specifics? The specifics are that I'm too weak! My father thinks I'm unqualified to bear the burden of merging with the artifact, with no impact on changing the future battleground. Is this explanation satisfactory enough for you?"
"Uh...!" Faced with a sudden outburst from Xila, slamming her wine glass down on the table and roaring, Pei Yan was left speechless for quite some time.
After a long while, Xila calmed her excited emotions, smoothed the stray hair on her forehead, and sighed, "My father only asked me to pass this information on to you. Whether you accept it or not is up to you! But he said at the end of the call, if you doubt this condition, you might as well inquire about this with the Origin of your world. If she agrees, you can then head to the Hell Realm to meet him. I believe they've reached some agreement, just like you said. We're all pawns, and there are things we're not privy to! I've conveyed what I needed to, and the rest is up to your own will!"
"Miss Xila, I...!" Pei Yan, watching as Xila finished speaking and got up to leave, was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say.
"Pei Yan, I understand your cautiousness. It's a rare quality in the world of Cultivators. Only cautious people can survive to the end. But I also want you to know that even in the Cultivator world of the strong dominating the weak, there are still emotions between people! Our Demon Race also values gratitude and repayment; we are not emotionless monsters! Don't always think of people as so evil!"
