The silence did not last long, as Cheng Xilin was the first to break it.
He looked at He Li, who was calm and serene yet exceptionally resolute, and chuckled, "You, like me, are a schemer who never easily trusts others. You've lived cautiously since childhood, developing a naturally suspicious nature."
Then, Cheng Xilin shifted his tone and said, "However, you should believe me. Your Star God Power, including half of your Demon God Body, are my gifts, aren't they?"
He Li drew his right hand from his long sleeve, lifted a lock of hair from his forehead, and turned to look at the divine realm bathed in sunlight. He said casually, "You can take them back. Whether it's Star God Power or Demon God Power, including this half of my Demon God Body, I can return them to you. I don't feel at ease holding onto things that don't belong to me.
Although it might seem like biting the hand that feeds me, I still thank you for the Star God Power and Demon God Power. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made it this far. Perhaps I would have died in the荒域 (Huangyu) when Xi Ming withdrew my divinity."
Cheng Xilin gazed at He Li's profile, watching him intently. After a moment of silence, he asked, "You cherish your current peaceful life and no longer wish to fight?"
He Li did not deny it, but rather readily nodded in admission. After much thought, he said in a low voice, "See how good it is now? I live here. When I wake up, I can chat and drink with friends. In my intoxication, I can rest my head on my wife's lap and speak of tender affection.
I've seen too many people die on my journey, both my opponents and my family and friends. I don't want to be embroiled in bloodshed again.
The divine realm is stable, the荒域 (Huangyu) is stable, the demon race has found a new home, and the gods have regained their freedom. Only now do they truly resemble deities.
Why should I plunge them into chaos again?"
He Li spoke clearly, and Cheng Xilin heard him distinctly.
For a moment, they fell into a deep silence again.
"Alas..."
He Li, without looking at Cheng Xilin, pinched his brow and slowly said, "You have been kind to me. Not only did you save my life, but you also gifted me Star God Power and Demon God Power. When my life hung by a thread, you stood there and guided me, helping me break free from the predicament of time and thus control the Law of Time.
By rights, I should not refuse you. I am not someone who is ungrateful.
I understand that your investment in me will eventually demand a return.
But I just can't bear to part with my current peaceful life.
Humans are truly strange. When they have nothing, they dare to fight and strive, exchanging injuries for injuries in battles, trading their lives for fame, fighting desperately time and again.
But once they have obtained everything, they become reluctant to die, because death means losing everything."
"To put it bluntly, I'm just afraid of dying, Mr. Cheng Xilin. I am truly sorry, but I cannot agree to your request. I can return this divine power to you, and I can also give you the Law of Time."
He Li turned his head, looked directly at Cheng Xilin, and smiled frankly, "I never crave power. Power is merely a tool for me to achieve my goals. All I want is a quiet life."
Cheng Xilin stared blankly at He Li, then suddenly lowered his head and smiled, not knowing what he was smiling about. He stood up, hands behind his back, and looked at the divine realm. Facing the dazzling sunlight, at this moment, bathed in its glow, no matter how brilliant he was, it couldn't conceal the dark shadow behind him.
Half in light, half mired in darkness.
They remained in silence, their communication often occurring in this state. After a while, Cheng Xilin shifted his steps and walked along the corridor. When he reached the end, he stopped and said without warning:
"You don't need to feel sorry. Everything you have now is what you deserve after risking your life countless times. Moreover, my help was originally for selfish reasons, so being rejected is only natural. He Li, you and I are the same kind of people, selfish to the extreme, yet we always retain a sliver of warmth in the subtle details. And this sliver of warmth is enough to shatter the ice of selfishness.
The good is not perfect, and the bad is not pure. These are our common flaws."
After speaking, Cheng Xilin disappeared around the corner of the corridor, his retreating figure forlorn and solitary.
He Li gazed silently at the sky, lost in thought.
In the evening,
He Li took some wine to drink with Chong Ming. After a while, more and more divine realm soldiers joined them. The demon race initially dared not approach, as He Li was now the Divine King. As the atmosphere of the drinking party grew more lively, He Li clapped a divine realm soldier on the shoulder, calling him brother and telling bawdy jokes. Only then did they dare to approach slowly, squatting nearby, secretly laughing at He Li's nonsensical talk.
He Li would pat Yu Lichu's shoulder, praising her awesomeness during the Battle of Jinmen, saying that he wouldn't have been able to ascend to the Divine King realm without her.
Then he would embrace Xia Huchu, praising him for shattering Jian Shen Mountain with a wave of his hand, which laid the foundation for victory, and for his later solitary battle against over a dozen Divine Lords, displaying extraordinary demeanor.
He would sit next to Sais, completely disregarding the boundaries between men and women, placing his arm on Sais's shoulder, leaning very close, and saying he wanted to introduce Xiao Yue to her. What did it matter if a girl was tens of millions of years older than a boy? Huai Xi was over a hundred thousand years older than him, and it was no big deal. He praised Xiao Yue as if she were a flower. If Xiao Yue hadn't been sitting there, blushing, Sais might have actually believed him.
Over there, Xiao Xi had caught Xiao Lan again and was riding on Xiao Lan's back, holding both of its ears. Xiao Lan was jumping around frantically. It turned out that when they were on Earth, it was this little girl who always rode on him. How terrifying.
Later, a drunken He Li dragged Jin Fang to find Xia Fuling and Xia Bailin, insisting on arranging a marriage for them. Jin Fang directly revealed his 'Straight Kill' chain, which flew through the air.
For some reason, He Li was particularly enthusiastic about introducing people to each other.
However, when any young man from the divine realm approached He Xi, He Li immediately became displeased. He coldly hugged He Xi and turned to leave. He Xi hadn't grown up yet. Whoever dared to have designs on her would be exiled to the River of Time, and no amount of pleading would help.
Huai Xi had been very busy lately, not only acting as an envoy to comfort Divine Lord Yishu on the Eastern battlefield but also going to the荒域 (Huangyu) to liatag with Si An and establish the divine-desolate boundary.
She arrived at the banquet. The moment she appeared, the entire banquet of over a hundred people, which had been noisy and lively just a moment before, fell silent. Everyone cautiously lowered their heads, their eyes glancing at He Li, who was holding a wine bottle.
"Oh, oh, my wife is here. You all drink and have fun. I have to go." He Li put down the wine bottle, staggered to Huai Xi, took her hand, and hurried away.
Chong Ming was very puzzled. He leaned sideways towards Li Qin, who was drinking nearby, and asked in a low voice, "Brother Li, is the Divine King so afraid of Goddess Huai Xi?"
Li Qin chuckled upon hearing this and did not answer, patting Chong Ming on the shoulder.
...