Chapter 1371: Getting Into His Bed First

Ye Guan left the tiny pagoda immediately, scanning his surroundings. He looked as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

Is she coming to kill me upon noticing my growing strength?

He dared not underestimate her. After all, he had suffered multiple losses at her hands. Glancing around cautiously, he asked,

"Master Pagoda, is she hiding in the shadows?"

Little Pagoda replied,

"I sensed a wave of divine sense sweeping over you, and that divine sense definitely belonged to Fan Zhaodi..."

Ye Guan frowned.

"She's in hiding?"

Little Pagoda hesitated before saying,

"I'm not entirely sure."

Ye Guan's expression darkened. Master Pagoda really needed an upgrade!

"Little Soul, what about you? Do you sense that lady?"

Little Soul boldly replied,

"Master, don't be afraid! I am invincible now! Who cares about Fan Zhaodi? If she comes, I can fight ten of her at once!"

Ye Guan was at a loss for words.

Little Pagoda was equally dumbfounded.

Ye Guan had them scan the area again, but they still found nothing. He frowned deeply but decided to ignore it for now and focus on his own affairs.

Unlike Master Pagoda, Little Soul was reliable. If Fan Zhaodi were truly here, he wouldn't be afraid of her.

***

After returning to the Mu Clan Estate somewhere in the Mu Region, Mu Zhen immediately convened a clan meeting. The faces of the Mu Clan's experts were extremely solemn inside the grand hall.

They hadn't expected that the Emperor Sword Clan would stab them in the back. What was originally supposed to be a great battle had ended abruptly. Supreme Emperor Guan had crushed the opposition with overwhelming might.

Moreover, he even had Supreme Emperor Origin Essences on hand! To make matters even worse, the Di Clan and the Dao Clan had already received a wisp of Supreme Emperor Origin Essence.

What was the meaning of that? It meant that these two clans now had the potential to produce a Supreme Emperor!

The Mu Clan was now in a dire situation, but they couldn't do anything at all.

Mu Zhen's gaze swept across the hall. "What are your thoughts?"

Mu Shuo stepped forward and solemnly said, "Father, we have no choice but to surrender."

Surrender!

As soon as the word "surrender" was spoken, the faces of many Mu Clan members darkened.

Mu Shuo added, "At this point, we have no other options. Supreme Emperor Guan's goal is clear. He intends to unify the Ten Desolate Universe. If we don't surrender, there is only one outcome for us—death."

In truth, the best time to surrender had already passed.

Back when Ye Guan was fighting the Jun Clan, if her father had heeded her advice and surrendered, like what the Dao Clan had done, the Mu Clan wouldn't have been in such a passive position.

At the time, surrendering would have been seen as offering aid in a time of need, but now... Mu Shuo could see it clearly—the Mu Clan no longer had a choice. If they were to refuse to surrender, they would all perish.

"What a joke!" an elder of the Mu Clan stepped forward, sneering at Mu Shuo. "You're just inflating the enemy's prestige while diminishing our own! Yes, Supreme Emperor Guan is strong, but don't forget that was sealed by seven Supreme Emperors working together.

"He no longer has the strength of a Supreme Emperor! As for the Di Clan, the Dao Clan, and the Emperor Sword Clan... yes, they're powerful. But besides our Mu Clan, we still have the Qin Clan, the Yuan Clan, the Divine Clan, and the Royal Clan!

"Supreme Emperor Guan can't act recklessly, or he'll see us unite against him!"

"Unite, my ass!" A white-haired elder stepped forward, glaring at the elder. "Old Yu, have you lost your mind from eating shit? You still can't see what's going on here? Use your pig brain and think—why did the Di Clan, the Dao Clan, and the Emperor Sword Clan submit to Supreme Emperor Guan?

"Do you really think their clan leaders are all idiots? Do you not remember how the Jun Clan summoned a Supreme Emperor's remnant soul? And what happened afterward? The remnant soul was annihilated!

"If that still doesn't make it clear to you, then let me spell it out for you—Supreme Emperor Guan has never lost his power! He's been pretending to be weak this whole time!"

Everyone was stunned.

Elder Mu Yu glared at the white-haired elder, furious. "Mu Xiao, you can argue with me, but don't insult me!"

Mu Xiao snapped, "Insult your ass! You're a fool! You might as well die if you're too blind to see what's going on!"

The hall fell silent.

Elder Mu Yu was so furious that he was trembling. His aura flared up as if he were ready to attack.

Mu Zhen frowned and said, "Mu Xiao, mind your manners."

Mu Xiao snorted before adding, "As far as I know, Supreme Emperor Guan has handed all major affairs over to Diyi Jingzhao. You all know who she is, don't you? A lady who dared to kill her own father. Do you think she will show us any mercy?"

Diyi Jingzhao!

The entire hall became silent upon hearing that name.

Mu Xiao looked at Mu Zhen and said, "Clan Leader, with all due respect, as Mu Shuo said, the best time to surrender had long passed. If we had submitted earlier, we could have had more leverage.

"But now? Do you really think that we still have any bargaining power?"

Mu Zhen's face darkened.

Another elder added, "We don't stand a chance in battle, but surrendering so easily will only give us losses. I think we should negotiate. The Di Clan and the Dao Clan managed to obtain a wisp of Supreme Emperor Origin Essence, so we should get one, too."

The others nodded in agreement.

Surrender was inevitable, but they wanted to profit from it.

Mu Shuo sighed. "And if they refuse to give us anything?"

"

Hmph!

" an elder said, snorting. "I don't believe Supreme Emperor Guan would risk everything on a reckless gamble."

The others nodded.

The same elder added, "The Mu Clan has yet to expend its strength, and we have allies—the Royal Clan, the Divine Clan, the Yuan Clan, and the Qin Clan. Supreme Emperor Guan won't dare push us too far."

Mu Shuo, however, shook her head. When the Jun Clan summoned their Supreme Emperor's remnant soul, did Emperor Guan hesitate at the time? Not at all.

"We will proceed to negotiate with Supreme Emperor Guan," Mu Zhen said, "If he gives us a wisp of Supreme Emperor Origin Essence, then we will submit to him. If he refuses and expects us to surrender for nothing... I don't believe he'll risk an all-out war with us!

"Tell our people to come back as soon as possible. Even those in seclusion must come out. The stronger we appear, the less chance he has of manipulating us."

After the meeting, Mu Shuo walked outside, looking up at the sky with a complex face.

Mu Xiao approached her. "What do you think?"

Mu Shuo sighed, shaking her head. "They're still blind—no, that's not it. They do see it, but they're clinging to false hope."

"People are always like that. Before things go completely wrong, even if they are in a desperate situation, they'll still hold on to a glimmer of hope."

Mu Xiao hesitated before saying, "Supreme Emperor Guan isn't a ruthless man..."

Mu Shuo replied, "No, he isn't, but Diyi Jingzhao is a ruthless woman. And he has entrusted this affair to her. That alone speaks volumes. If we surrender now, we can survive, but our Mu Clan still thinks that we can talk this out.

"They have yet to realize that... we have no right to negotiate at all."

Mu Xiao's face turned grim.

"Moreover, I suspect Supreme Emperor Guan isn't just after the Ten Desolate Universe. His true goal... is the Forbidden Wildlands," Mu Shuo said.

Mu Xiao was shocked. "Is he strong enough for that?"

"If my guess is correct, the seven Supreme Emperors had failed to seal his sword. He's just pretending to be weak."

Mu Xiao was stunned. "But why did he decide to show his weakness to us?"

"No, that's not it." Mu Shuo shook her head. "We're not even qualified to make him do that. He's showing weakness to an unknown enemy, like that mysterious Suiming Civilization.

"Since Supreme Emperor Guan arrived in the Ten Desolate Universe, he's been making calculated moves."

Mu Shuo clenched her fists, looking a bit excited. "He has grand ambitions, and he aspires to conquer the vast expanse. If our Mu Clan follows him, we might be able to elevate ourselves as a whole.

"But if we dare to stand in his way, he will crush us beneath the soles of his feet. We will be annihilated."

A deep sense of helplessness surged from within Mu Shuo's heart. She wasn't the clan leader, so she had no authority to make decisions.

Right now, the Mu Clan still wanted to profit, and it was a dangerous mindset to have against Ye Guan. After all, if one wanted to negotiate with someone, one needed the capital and strength to do so before anything else.

The Mu Clan clearly had none of those.

Mu Xiao suggested, "You should go see Supreme Emperor Guan!"

Mu Shuo's face flushed red.

Seeing her reaction, Mu Xiao was momentarily taken aback before saying, "Girl, what are you thinking? I'm saying that you should go and seek refuge with Supreme Emperor Guan.

"You're so smart; he will surely find a use for you. As long as he accepts you, our Mu Clan will have a chance at survival."

Mu Shuo remained silent.

"Don't hesitate and just go," Mu Xiao added.

"All right," said Mu Shuo, taking a deep breath before vanishing on the spot.

Mu Xiao gazed up at the sky, worry flashing in his eyes.

***

Mu Shuo had just left the Mu Region when a mysterious energy enveloped her. The next moment, a spacetime rift opened before her, and a lady stepped out of it.

The newcomer was none other than Diyi Jingzhao, and several top-tier experts from the Diyi Clan and the Dao Clan were behind her.

Mu Shuo's expression changed instantly upon seeing Diyi Jingzhao.

Diyi Jingzhao looked at Mu Shuo without speaking, but an invisible pressure weighed down on the latter.

Mu Shuo steadied herself and said, "So it's Clan Leader Jingzhao..."

Diyi Jingzhao stared at Mu Shuo and coldly asked, "Leaving to see him?"

Mu Shuo's face darkened, and then her face turned pale—Diyi Jingzhao was never going to let her reach Ye Guan!

As a woman herself, Mu Shuo understood Diyi Jingzhao's thoughts. Supreme Emperor Guan was living in the Diyi Clan at the moment. His relationship with Clan Leader Jingzhao was definitely not ordinary.

And how had Diyi Jingzhao secured Emperor Guan's favor?

It wasn't through a proper courtship; it was by getting into his bed first.

If Mu Shuo were in Diyi Jingzhao's position, she would also never allow another lady to approach Emperor Guan. After all, it wouldn't just mean dividing power between two women; it also meant having another love rival.

Mu Shuo despaired.

My fate is sealed.