Chapter 620: Chapter 377: Helpless
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Thinking of this, Yan Xiaobao couldn’t help but feel powerless. However, though he momentarily lost some motivation, that emotion quickly dissipated, replaced by his desire for improvement. His eyes became resolute, and as he straightened his back and looked out the window, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"What if he’s a god?" he said with a smile on his face. "He already has a four-thousand-year head start. If he weren’t stronger than me, that would indeed be strange. But regardless, I will catch up; I will defeat him." He muttered to himself, the lack of confidence he once had utterly gone. Instead, he was riling himself up, eager to begin his cultivation anew. For now, he was merely a King, but at the same time, he was nothing more than a youth. At no more than seventeen years old, he had already unlocked his upper Dantian. Even though An Hee was a god with four thousand years of cultivation, Yan Xiaobao had no doubt that, with the help of Lan Feng, Hui Le would easily attain divinity within the same time span.
"There’s no reason to dwell on this now," Yan Xiaobao sighed as he quickly undressed and retrieved another set of fine clothing from his storage stone—a sky-blue robe with white embroidered edges and pure white inner lining. Wearing this outfit, Yan Xiaobao truly looked celestial, like someone descended from the heavens.
After changing, Yan Xiaobao swiftly brushed aside the papers on the table and quickly found the one he was looking for. A series of information regarding Lord Chen flooded into Yan Xiaobao’s mind.
"Oh, so he’s an Armored Spectral Bear. No wonder he’s so eager to join this war," Yan Xiaobao muttered to himself again. What he read painted a clear picture of this being’s pride in their rare Spectral Beast race, and it was obvious he wanted to wield his combat prowess in the battle. After thinking for a moment, Yan Xiaobao was curious to witness the strength of a Spectral Bear; however, he knew he couldn’t remove all his strongest warriors from the Divine Domain. Individuals as powerful as Lord Chen were needed to defend the Sun Kingdom, especially since the moment they heard about the Beast’s invasion of the Spanish Empire, they would likely send a delegation right away.
After some contemplation, Yan Xiaobao left the room and headed toward the library, where he knew two Lords were waiting for him. Letting out a deep sigh, he finally decided what needed to be done. He truly wanted to bring Lord Chen with him because the man was an exceptional fighter, but if he withdrew any more experts from the Divine Domain, no one could guarantee their safety. The Sun Kingdom might exploit the opening provided by the Divine Origin War to seize the forest all their forces were gathered in.
Determination was the only option. As he opened the library door, he saw Wan Qiao and Lord Chen sitting in two chairs, eagerly waiting for him. When the young man walked into the room, their eyes lit up with anticipation.
"A good day," he greeted, nodding at the two experts. He didn’t rush to the third chair but casually sat down. Pouring himself a cup of tea, he sipped it happily while Wan Qiao and Mr. Chen watched him intently, waiting for whatever he had to say.
Since merging with the monk’s essence, Yan Xiaobao had stopped worrying about taking one step at a time. He slowly drank his tea before finally focusing on the two Lords seated before him.
"Lord Chen," he addressed the man who was the cause of all this chaos. Though this Lord was reluctant to follow Yan Xiaobao’s orders, Wan Qiao shouldn’t have opposed him outright. The confrontation had been entirely pointless, as the Armored Spectral Bear would not be allowed to join the Siban group unless he could convince Yan Xiaobao to bring him along. Negotiating with Wan Qiao was futile because the only person who could decide who stayed and who went was Yan Xiaobao.
"Mr. Chen," Yan Xiaobao repeated after finally finishing his tea. It seemed as though the Beast Lord hadn’t heard him the first time. As he mentioned the Lord’s name again, he set down his cup and raised his head to meet his gaze. "I understand why you want to come with me to confront Siban," he said, "but unfortunately, I really need you here in the Divine Domain."
"No, please listen to me!" Lord Chen burst out, refusing to let Yan Xiaobao finish. "I am an incredibly powerful Beast. Having me fight by your side is far better than leaving me here to deal with peace-fanatics who oppose joining the battle."
"I think you misunderstand," Yan Xiaobao said with a smile. As he spoke, Lord Chen immediately fell silent, waiting for the young man to continue. None of the Lords viewed Yan Xiaobao as being on the same level as them. Despite his relative lack of strength and their ability to wave him away at will, they all deeply respected him. In fact, they sometimes afforded him even more respect than they did toward other Lords.
"I need capable individuals to remain in the Divine Domain because we may be attacked while we are at war." Upon hearing this, Lord Chen’s sour expression softened a little, and his eyes brightened. The man was now paying full attention to everything Yan Xiaobao had to say.
"Once the world learns we are marching toward the Spanish Empire, other kingdoms will expect the Divine Domain to be defenseless. Leaving it vulnerable as they expect will prompt them to mobilize their armies and attempt to seize our forest. If we leave no one who knows how to fight, then who will face the armies advancing into the Divine Domain?"