Mu Zixiao saw them lost in thought and continued, "This matter doesn't hinder your Harmony Divine Palace from entering the top ten of the Grand Assembly Arena. It also gives legitimacy to our two sects. Once the Extreme Yin Parent Flag is entrusted to Zu Wei, the alliance among our three parties will only grow stronger. Then we can fight for our common mission without any worries!"

His younger brother, Mu Zhilu, added softly, "We resorted to this last measure out of necessity. Please understand, our sects are at a real disadvantage when facing the Southern Divine Dragon Realm, who excels at manipulating public opinion."

Meng Huan spoke up, "I can understand the Ancestral Land too. Their foundation is the strongest, with so many honored sages—they can't tolerate any stain on their reputation. Besides, there might be another benefit..."

He glanced at Yun Xiao and continued quietly, "Those captives that that celestial slave recruited may not listen to him. But if Zu Wei gives him orders, and he passes them on… it might just work. Those people still hold enough respect for the Ancestral Land and Zu Wei. They'll be able to explain to their own elders, and naturally, they'll work harder."

"I see, I understand..." Hai Qing murmured, lowering her head, clearly troubled.

She looked at her sisters, who were just as uncertain as she was.

"Handing over the Extreme Yin Parent Flag to Zu Wei doesn't stop us from expanding. It's just that the territories we gain will ultimately add to the Ancestral Land's influence..."

"And we'll have to follow Zu Wei's arrangements."

"But that's not such a big deal. After all, Mu Zixiao is right. If we don't do this, they really can't explain themselves to the outside world."

"Just now, they already saved us once. Facing the entire Southern Divine Dragon Realm next, we can only rely on them..."

"Mother and the others said we're too friendless in the Heavenly Deity Stellar River, and now someone is willing..."

As they whispered among themselves, they leaned more and more toward agreement. No matter how they looked at it, the proposal made sense.

Otherwise, why would they help us once and then fight to the death alongside the Harmony Divine Palace?

They must be taking huge risks too!

"Most importantly, once we defeat the Southern Divine Dragon Realm, it'll be a win-win for both sides. The Ancestral Land has a chance to reclaim first place, and we can keep our seat in the Heavenly Deity Alliance," Hai Qing said, her voice trembling.

And if they lost these two allies, could they really rely on just 250 captives to face the wrath of the entire Dragon Devil Clan?

Hai Qing's last words made her sisters waver. In their hearts, they had already agreed.

However, Hai Qing had a virtue; she knew that even though she was speaking, she wasn't the one making decisions here.

So, she turned to look at Feng Yao. Though she didn't speak, her eyes held a questioning look.

Feng Yao pouted, not pretending to have any ideas of her own, and looked directly at Yun Xiao.

The atmosphere grew suddenly still.

Mu Zixiao noticed these subtle details, and his expression shifted slightly.

Yet he remained confident, standing tall with a calm demeanor.

"No."

In the next instant, Yun Xiao, standing at a distance, uttered this decisive word, nearly causing Mu Zixiao's insides to twist.

Mu Zixiao, Mu Zhilu, and Meng Huan frowned instantly.

The aloof Zu Wei raised an eyebrow, gazing at the solitary, white-robed celestial slave in the distance.

"Why not? Give us a reason!" Feng Yao pressed, ever the straightforward one.

Yun Xiao looked up at Zu Wei and said with a grin, "Our Harmony Divine Palace aims to be number one on the Grand Assembly Rankings. If we hand over the Parent Flag to you, what's the point?" Ṝ�

To be honest, when those words left his mouth, Mu Zixiao felt an urge to spit out his drink. He, his brother, and Meng Huan all thought they had misheard.

Zu Wei's formerly cool expression turned icy, even hinting at a murderous edge—a sign of extreme impatience.

"Yun Xiao..." Hai Qing and her sisters stood stunned, caught between both sides. They felt dizzy, their throats tight, unable to utter a single word.

The Harmony Divine Palace wanted to be number one on the Grand Assembly Rankings? They themselves hadn't even dared to dream such an audacious ambition.

As Wan Ji's seven daughters found themselves speechless, the confrontation became a direct face-off between Zu Wei and Yun Xiao.

Indeed, Zu Wei bypassed Mu Zixiao, and Yun Xiao bypassed Hai Qing. Their gazes met like four sharp swords clashing, sparks flying.

Zu Wei arched a cold brow and said indifferently, "Even daydreams have their limits. Stop joking around; seeking attention is childish."

"I'm not joking. As long as I'm here, unless you kill all seven of them, don't even think about touching the Extreme Yin Parent Flag." Yun Xiao stood within the Extreme Yin Star Barrier, his eyes blazing, exuding overwhelming force.

"You spineless eunuch, who do you think you are..." Before Zu Wei could react, Meng Huan from the Nine Yin Soul Sea couldn't hold back and cursed.

Before he could finish, Yun Xiao cut him off. "Stop barking. If you've got the guts, come face me one-on-one."

"Enough!" Zu Wei snapped, her sharp voice stinging everyone's ears.

Behind Yun Xiao, the 250 geniuses—Bai Lu, Gusu Yan, Ah Jiao, the Bloodvine Young Master, and others—never expected such a clash between the two sides. Their eyes lit up, watching with keen interest.

The followers brought by Zu Wei, like Mu Zixiao and the others, despised the flaws of the celestial slave. Even after witnessing the great humiliation Yun Xiao had inflicted on the Young Dragon Lord, they still harbored deep-seated prejudice.

They were furious.

"This kid is really getting carried away."

"Who does he think he is? A lowly slave, acting out in front of the Sea Lineage Diva's daughters!"

"Does he really think Bai Lu and the others will fight to the death for him because of some Personal Pledges?"

"A base slave overstepping his bounds—the Harmony Divine Palace truly lacks discipline and order."

At that moment, the disciples following Zu Wei sneered and whispered among themselves. From the Million Starlight Palace, seeing the evident clash, others could guess the details.

Zu Wei stood lofty and cold, her gaze fixed on Yun Xiao.

As their eyes locked, Zu Wei realized she couldn't rely solely on her aura to make this celestial slave bow to her.

She truly didn't understand. Turning to Feng Yao, she asked icily, "You're a peerless Boundless Immortal talent. Why let a celestial slave make decisions that concern your sect's survival?"

Feng Yao had been waiting for this. She quickly feigned innocence and replied, "Didn't you notice? It's actually my decision; I just let him speak for me."

Zu Wei was momentarily speechless. She wanted to curse, "Are you out of your mind?"

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Hai Qing!" Mu Zixiao, seeing the situation, took a deep breath and sought another approach. He said gravely, "This minor issue is just a mutually beneficial arrangement. We didn't expect Yun Xiao to be so sensitive. You know how hard it is for the Harmony Divine Palace to reach first place on the Grand Assembly Rankings; it's just an excuse of his. I know how important he is to you. If there's a misunderstanding, please explain it to him."

"Mu Zixiao..." Hai Qing struggled internally but didn't hesitate for long. She bowed deeply to Mu Zixiao, biting her lip. "I'm truly sorry about this matter. Again, thank you all for rescuing us earlier. But regarding the Extreme Yin Parent Flag, our mother said that matters in the Grand Assembly Arena are entirely decided by Yao Yao. My apologies..."

"Yes, I'm indeed in charge. Everyone here should be able to see that," Feng Yao added.

"Hai Qing!" Mu Zixiao didn't have time to be speechless at Feng Yao; he was growing anxious.

Just as he was about to speak, Zu Wei sneered, "Fine then. Stop pretending in front of me. With your status, if you truly thought this boy was being outrageous, you'd at least put up some resistance. Since you don't, stop acting innocent. From now on, the Extreme Yin Star will be left to your own devices. Our Ancestral Land has done all it can! Let's go!"

With those words, the rift was complete.

"Heh, the fox's tail is showing, huh? Isn't it that you've got your eyes on my Lil Yun's Personal Pledges and want us to be cannon fodder against the Southern Divine Dragon Realm? Hah!" Feng Yao shrugged and sneered.

Only now did Zu Wei realize that this Yin Devil woman wasn't foolish at all. With one sentence, she'd exposed Zu Wei's true intentions.

Little did she know, those words were fed to the War Princess by Yun Xiao through the Mortal Dust Devil Seed.

"Just you wait." Zu Wei gave Feng Yao a deep look, the murderous intent in her eyes erupting like an undersea volcano breaking the surface.

As Zu Wei turned to leave, Mu Zixiao, Mu Zhilu, and the other followers all wore grim expressions, departing with gloomy smirks.

However, one person remained. With a cold demeanor, he said, "Everyone, please wait a moment!"

Zu Wei and the others turned back to see that it was the brooding genius of the Nine Yin Soul Sea, Meng Huan.

He gazed hauntingly at Yun Xiao and said, "You just said, ‘If you've got the guts, let's duel one-on-one.’ Does that offer still stand?"

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