Screech!
As the great hall doors opened, the ancient yet luxurious decorations within were instantly revealed.
In front of everyone stood a throne formed by two coiling divine dragons. Upon the throne sat a middle-aged man clad in a golden dragon robe – the Lord of Chaos.
It was only then that the Lord of Chaos slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze swept over Dracula, then fell directly upon Ye Cangtian.
"It seems my resurrection and survival for countless years were all to await your appearance!"
A faint voice echoed, causing Dracula to look at Ye Cangtian with bewilderment.
Did Ye Cangtian possess something special?
Ye Cangtian also appeared puzzled. He looked at the Lord of Chaos and asked, "Lord of Chaos, from where do these words of yours originate?"
"I have pondered for a long time. In our past lives, we fought endlessly to seize the Four Great Seals. After death, our resurrections are still inextricably linked to the Four Great Seals."
"Therefore, I ponder if the one who orchestrated this, or the mastermind behind it all, truly intended to gather the Four Great Seals to reopen the Gate of Heaven..."
The Lord of Chaos spoke slowly, a possibility he had conceived after surviving for millennia.
The purpose of the Four Great Seals was clearly to open the Gate of Heaven. And their guarding of the Four Great Seals was, in essence, a form of inheritance, passing them down to future human powerhouses. This would enable them to open the Gate of Heaven.
"Perhaps."
Upon hearing the Lord of Chaos's explanation, Ye Cangtian slowly nodded and continued, "But the truth of the matter can only be known by ascending to Heaven!"
"Heaven? What Heaven?"
Listening to their conversation, Dracula looked at Ye Cangtian and asked, "Did you already know that gathering the Four Great Seals would not only grant immense power but also open what you call Heaven? Then what is Heaven?"
"Indeed, I knew all along, but I did not tell you."
Ye Cangtian nodded, then added, "You should not be aware of Heaven's existence!"
With things having come to this point, Ye Cangtian decided to drop all pretense and frankly admitted it.
"Why!" Dracula asked excitedly.
"Because Heaven is filled with the unknown! For humans, it might not be a good thing!" Ye Cangtian stated calmly.
"Incorrect!"
As soon as Ye Cangtian finished speaking, the Lord of Chaos on the throne interjected, "Heaven is filled with the unknown, but it holds absolute benefits for humanity. It is a place where true eternal life can be pursued!"
Eternal life?
At this declaration, Dracula's eyes gleamed with greed. Despite being a Heavenly tier expert, he understood that no matter how powerful he became, his ultimate fate was to turn to dust. The mention of eternal life instantly captivated him; after all, he also wished to live as long as the heavens and earth!
Hmph!
Just then, Ye Cangtian let out a soft snort. "Eternal life? That's merely a legend. In my view, Heaven is like Pandora's Box. Once opened, its blessings and curses for humanity are unpredictable!"
"You are mistaken."
The Lord of Chaos cast a glance at Ye Cangtian and said lightly, "It is not easy to pass through the Gate of Heaven. For us, sufficient strength is required! And for those within Heaven to come here, it is basically impossible. This should be an intangible protection that the strong provide for the weak..."
The Lord of Chaos found Ye Cangtian's view of Heaven utterly unconvincing, and thus attempted to correct it.
"Never mind. What Heaven is like is not important. What is important is that a battle between us is inevitable."
Ye Cangtian interrupted the Lord of Chaos and then asked, "However, before the great battle, I still wish to ask you: with your strength, you must have foreseen everything long ago. Why have you never acted?"
"Where's the fun in that?"
A faint smile appeared on the Lord of Chaos's face. He continued, "I haven't seen human scheming and intrigue for many years. I wouldn't want to miss such a spectacular drama. As for you all, I don't consider you worthy of my attention yet."
As expected.
Hearing the Lord of Chaos's reply, Ye Cangtian's heart stirred with a sense of confirmation, his thoughts aligning with his own suspicions.
Meanwhile, seeing Ye Cangtian fall silent, the Lord of Chaos said gently, "Actually, it's not necessary for us to fight. We can cooperate..."
The Lord of Chaos proposed that he would spare both Dracula and Ye Cangtian, allowing them to help him continue searching for the remaining Light Seals. In exchange, Lan Yue and the members of the Light Squad would be held here as hostages. Only after Ye Cangtian and the other had retrieved the remaining Light Seals would these individuals be granted their full freedom. Furthermore, the Lord of Chaos promised to take them all to Heaven together.
Upon hearing this, Dracula couldn't help but lick his lips; the idea seemed rather appealing. Although the members of the Light Squad were his companions, their lives were of no importance compared to Heaven. Being held as hostages wasn't so bad, and it offered him an additional option. The first was to steal the Light Seals as the Lord of Chaos suggested. The second was to find more powerhouses to eliminate the Lord of Chaos. Either outcome was acceptable to him.
On the other hand, Ye Cangtian's expression turned grim. Leaving Lan Yue and Yang Chen behind was out of the question! If he had brought them here, he would ensure their safe return! He looked at the Lord of Chaos and said, "Lord of Chaos, if I'm not mistaken, you cannot leave Chaos City. Therefore, even if the Four Great Seals are gathered, you will not be able to ascend to Heaven, correct?"
"I do not believe so."
The Lord of Chaos shook his head and said, "In my opinion, this is a tactic employed by the mastermind. If you defeat me, you can naturally ascend to Heaven. But if I emerge victorious, I too can step into Heaven and uncover the secrets behind this."
The Lord of Chaos believed that Heaven had its own thresholds. If those from the lower realm could not meet Heaven's requirements, Heaven would naturally discard them. In such a scenario, it might present him with a true opportunity for resurrection.
Ye Cangtian glanced at the Lord of Chaos and mused, "Lord of Chaos, if you are open to cooperation instead of a fight, it's not impossible, but there is only one way!"
"Tell me," the Lord of Chaos looked at Ye Cangtian curiously.
Ye Cangtian did not hesitate and spoke directly, "You can hand over the Chaos Seal. When I gather the Four Great Seals and open the Gate of Heaven, I can come here and offer you an opportunity to ascend to Heaven!"
Pfft!
Ye Cangtian's statement nearly made Dracula spit blood. The request Ye Cangtian made was utterly idiotic. Putting aside other concerns, if Ye Cangtian reneged on his promise after obtaining the Chaos Seal, where would the Lord of Chaos find him for retribution? And the Lord of Chaos was clearly no fool, so how could he possibly agree to such a partnership?
"Young man, it seems neither of us can convince the other. Since that is the case, let us settle this with our fists!"
The Lord of Chaos was silent for a moment before slowly speaking. He could see that Ye Cangtian had no sincerity for cooperation. If that were the case, there was no need to waste time; it was better to fight directly.
"Good!"
Ye Cangtian responded calmly and then stepped aside. After all, Dracula would be the primary combatant once the fight began, and he did not wish to bear the brunt of the Lord of Chaos's attacks.
Damn it!
Seeing Ye Cangtian retreat to the side, Dracula roared with anger in his heart. Ye Cangtian had thoroughly offended the Lord of Chaos, and now he was being sent to his death – truly malicious! Thinking this, Dracula looked at the Lord of Chaos and said, "Wait, Lord of Chaos. I find your previous offer acceptable. We can cooperate..."
Dracula declared that he agreed to the Light Palace members being held as hostages! Furthermore, he was willing to turn his weapons against Ye Cangtian, all he sought was cooperation with the Lord of Chaos. In Dracula's view, the subordinates of the Light Palace, one and all, were incomparable to Heaven. And judging by the current situation, he naturally had to choose a powerful ally to cooperate with, as only then could he be sure of emerging victorious in the end!
"Dracula, what nonsense are you spouting!"
"To leave us here, how could you even say such a thing? Do you deserve the reverence of everyone in the Light Palace!"
"Dracula, you insidious scoundrel, I must have been blind to have ever served you..."
As Dracula spoke, the surviving members of the Light Squad around him, their faces contorted, furiously accused Dracula. Dracula, being a Heavenly tier expert and actively showing favor to the Lord of Chaos, meant that their cooperation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, would likely be forged. If that happened, they would be left behind to serve as hostages, and that was putting it mildly. To put it bluntly, they would be left to be enslaved by the Lord of Chaos! Moreover, considering the relationship between Chinese factions and the Light Palace, it was uncertain when the Light Palace would be able to send anyone here again. The thought of his remaining life being potentially spent in servitude here pushed their hatred for Dracula to its zenith.
"All of you, shut your mouths!"
Dracula looked at all his subordinates and continued, "It is your honor to remain here for the Light Palace! Anyone who wishes to abandon this honor, I shall personally slay you!"