As Zheng Ya found himself in a dilemma, on the mountaintop east of the lava pool in the northern border, the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Yin stood side by side, admiring the beautiful sunrise, laughing and chatting: "Empress Yin, this time I schemed to kill Zheng Ya, you have nothing to say now, right?"
"Haha, I wish you every success, we'll talk about it later!" The Queen of the Underworld was unmoved by his excessive flattery.
The two had made a bet beforehand: whoever killed Zheng Ya or enslaved him would win.
The winner dominates the overall situation, and the number of people who ascend to the upper realm through the Battle Seal accounts for 70%.
The stakes in this bet were the cooperation agreement that the two publicly announced.
It can be described as killing multiple birds with one stone. Not only did it resolve the situation where the two were scheming against each other and could not unite against external forces, but it also motivated the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators' offering group with this bet and united their hearts!
In this way, the fighting force was integrated.
This is the fundamental reason why the two of them could command Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, lead their cultivator groups to various parts of the world, assist the enemy legions in slaughtering the world, and be invincible.
Although their combined forces ultimately crushed the unruly cultivators and some stubborn elements in the world, without causing substantial losses to Zheng Ya, they essentially gained control of the world.
Even if Zheng Ya's planning of the people involved them, and they outwardly submitted to their rule, it could still be considered that they had turned the tide.
Currently, the struggle between them has escalated to the level of a resource war.
In order to curb Zheng Ya's humanistic thinking and guide the people to outwardly submit while secretly accumulating resources and transmitting intelligence for him, the two repeatedly caused cases of resource loss and disappearance. Only then did the retired emperor release two forces to disrupt the situation.
This was to restrain Zheng Ya's actions and to set up an ambush.
They were just waiting for Zheng Ya to willingly fall into their trap and meet his death.
The retired emperor laughed triumphantly, "Haha, Empress Yin, why are you so stubborn and unwilling to admit defeat?"
"We are husband and wife, one body. Even if we lose, I'll grant you one-tenth of the ascension slots, is that alright?"
"Don't be so smug. We'll talk after you take down Zheng Ya!"
Don't forget that Zheng Ya is as cunning as a fox. Many people in the world are willing to sacrifice themselves for him and become his substitutes and puppets. Be careful not to be tricked by him again. "Hmph," the Empress Yin snorted defiantly, though she was actually unsure of herself.
The retired emperor said disdainfully, "Empress Yin, your attitude clearly shows that you are overthinking things."
I do not believe that releasing two groups of loyal followers who have served their direct descendants for generations would not be enough to lure Zheng Ya into a trap.
Do you really think Zheng Ya is willing to sacrifice those two factions, and then, with my support, create a reputation for him being ruthless and heartless, leaving him with an infamous legacy for eternity?
"Ha, don't forget that Zheng Ya is unaffected by cause and effect; any infamy is irrelevant to him."
"The world's resources and imperial seals are what he most wants to fight for. Does infamy matter to him?" Empress Yin stubbornly refused to admit defeat.
This was also a way of indirectly provoking the retired emperor to go all out against Zheng Ya.
Although Empress Yin did not want to lose to the Emperor Emeritus, she never hesitated to take advantage of Zheng Ya and Wu Wei, the transmigrators, to their deaths, and instead ruthlessly attacked them when they were down.
The retired emperor, however, understood her thoughts but dared not say that she was implying that he was heartless and abandoned his family for the sake of seizing the imperial seal: "Haha, Empress Yin's worries are understandable."
But don't forget, Zheng Ya ignored the loyalists who protected his own people and went to his death, earning a reputation for being ruthless and heartless, which is equivalent to losing the hearts of the people.
At that time, it will be difficult for him to win over the people and compete for our resources.
This is our lowest possible result.
In my view, he will inevitably be captured on his own, thus cementing his reputation as a savior of the world, and he will face death with equanimity. I look forward to it.
"So Zheng Ya is a chivalrous and righteous person after all?" Empress Yin said strange things to provoke the retired emperor, she just didn't believe in evil.
Throughout history, there have been many examples of people knowingly choosing to die.
But those were all desperate measures taken out of desperation, and they only achieved lasting fame before their death.
If it's about achieving immortality, only a fool would choose to die.
The retired emperor was too lazy to argue with him: "I have set up ambushes in both the north and south, laid out deadly formations, and laid a trap to wait for you."
"Just sit back and wait for the good news that Zheng Ya will walk right into our trap and meet his end!"
"Haha, then I wish you every success!" Empress Yin left with those words, leaving the Emperor Emeritus bewildered in the wind: "I'm so angry! Men, set up another line of defense for me. We must make sure Zheng Ya never returns."
The cultivators under the command of the "No" Emperor Emeritus went all out to lay a tight net.
The cultivators across the land were frequently mobilized, heading in different directions to set up ambushes at the two locations in the north and south, but none of them escaped the monitoring of Zheng Ya's science array data network.
Is this an unconventional final battle?
Liu Yuan and the entire consortium watched the cultivator team ambush through the virtual screen, and everyone was on tenterhooks, hoping that Zheng Ya would ignore it.
Walking right into a trap is something only a fool would do; just ignore him and everything will be fine.
At worst, they can expose the evil intentions of the retired emperor and his ilk through a virtual screen afterward, thus preserving their reputation.
Liu Yuan and the others had a simple idea: Zheng Ya's safety was everything. "Master, you are the leader of the pilgrimage."
He is the one who created interstellar spaceships and developed scientific and technological products; there is no one else in the world who can replace him.
Your safety is paramount; you mustn't take any risks.
"I understand how you feel, but what I want to say is that some things, even if you know it's a dead end, you still have to go through with it."
This is called a man's responsibility: knowing what to do and what not to do.
In order to unite the people of the world and help them save themselves and create a new world for the Four Continents, if I, as the initiator, do not step forward and set an example, everyone in the world will be suspicious. How can I unite people's hearts and minds and achieve the great cause of pilgrimage? Zheng Ya decided to personally travel to the places where the incident occurred in the north and south.
Liu Yuan was frantic, not knowing how to dissuade her. Strangely, Xie Baochai and her brother appeared, standing on the rocks in the morning breeze and the rising sun, saying, "You can't take the risk. The world is waiting for you to save it."
"Haha, you're a rare guest!" Zheng Ya was quite surprised by the arrival of the siblings.
It's rare to find someone who won't act until they see results actively advising others.
Xie Baochai smiled faintly: "My brother and I have come to thank you for saving our lives, and we also hope that for the sake of the safety of all people, you will protect yourself and not take any risks..."
"Oh, the way you two siblings are acting makes me feel really awkward," Zheng Ya asked with amusement.
Xie Baochai said with shame, "I know you are blaming my brother and me for being selfish and never thinking about the safety of others."
He devoted himself wholeheartedly to saving his family and working tirelessly to ensure the continuation of the family line, even causing the deaths of many innocent people in the process.
Compared to your efforts to save the world, Xiang Zuo is like a firefly compared to the bright moon—insignificant, even a sinner.
But it is precisely because of this, your selfless dedication, that my siblings and I have come to realize our own shortcomings. Like everyone else who hopes for your safety, we siblings and I look forward to you saving the world and ushering in a new world together.
"Since your safety is of paramount importance, how can you easily take risks and delay the vital task of saving lives?"
"Hmm, what you said speaks to the hearts of you and your brother. It's not easy!" Zheng Ya retorted sarcastically. In the end, it was all about self-preservation; they didn't want to perish with the world.
Xie Baochai was filled with shame: "You are right, but what can I, a mere woman, do to ensure that my younger brother continues the Xie family line?"
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