He Li had vanished.
He Li, along with two peak Divine Lords, eight Bone Gates, and eight Battle Banners, disappeared from the battlefield.
For a moment, all the gods on the battlefield had their own thoughts. Except for Xia Min'ao and Xia Ye Qi who knew the truth, and Huai Xi and the Demon Kings who were worried, most gods were hesitant.
Without the enhancement of the Desolate Race Battle Banners, the Desolate Race army lost its momentum. It was as if the Desolate King had been abducted by He Li, and panic spread among the ranks.
Divine Lord Yi Yao's heart trembled slightly. He hesitated, then took no action, continuing to engage in battle with the eight Desolate Lords alongside the other Divine Lords.
Xun He acted as if he hadn't seen He Li disappear, still locked in combat with a Desolate Lord, holding his left flank.
Xia Min'ao watched everything, his brow furrowing slightly. Xun He, like Shen Tu, was too steady, revealing no flaws. Such a person could not be outmaneuvered by schemes; they could only be forcefully killed through sacrifice.
In a galaxy light-years away, on a lush and verdant planet.
Sian strolled down the mountain along a grassy path. Fei Lei was gone, dead. There was no one left for him to chat with on the mountaintop, to observe the battlefield's events together. He felt no sadness. Pure gods knew no sorrow.
Perhaps Fei Lei wasn't worth his sorrow.
He was simply missing someone to talk to.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he entered the forest. On the other side of the forest was the resting place of the God Race army, composed of Realm Gods.
Suddenly,
Sian stopped, turned his head towards a large tree, and said with a smile, "Didn't you take those two peak Desolate Lords and the eight Battle Banners with you? How did you appear here?"
He Li emerged from behind the tree. He merely stood there, not approaching.
Sian felt as if he and He Li were not in the same space-time, as if separated by a temporal barrier. Though not far, they were unreachable.
He Li said, "This is not the current me, but a me from a period I left behind. As time eroded, I disappeared. Therefore, time is short, and you must act quickly."
Sian turned to face He Li and said, "I will unleash my full power, but I cannot kill Xun He. I will heavily injure him when he is caught off guard, and then leave the rest to Xia Ye Qi."
He Li nodded. Sian's words were not false modesty. Xun He was immensely powerful, second only to Xia Hu Chu among the Divine Lords. Sian's ability to heavily injure him when caught off guard was enough to demonstrate Sian's own strength.
He Li drew the long saber at his waist and held it horizontally in front of him. He released his grip, and the saber hovered level in mid-air. He said to Sian, "I lend you this saber to help you slay Xun He. Ye Qi has other matters to attend to and cannot be the one to kill Xun He."
"With just a saber, you can help me kill Xun He?" Sian asked, looking at the ordinary-looking long saber with doubt.
He Li hummed and said, "As I just said, this me is a me from a period I left behind. I possess my full power, but for a very short time. As time erodes and my divine power is depleted, I will disappear."
"I will pour all my divine power into the saber, and you will wield it. With your strength and mine, it will be enough to slay Xun He."
He Li's explanation stunned Sian. He was not only shocked by He Li's foresight and planning but also by the temporal laws He Li commanded. In his view, time was merely the passage of moments and their reversal, speed and slowness.
But in He Li's hands, it could extract a portion of his past self from a specific period and place it in the present. What kind of divine miracle was this?
He Li looked at Sian's stunned gaze and smiled, "There's no need to be surprised. I cannot change the future. If I could use time to change the future, I would have killed Xun He myself. Why would I need you to wield the saber?
I could have done everything myself.
Many people wouldn't have had to die.
But, unfortunately, I cannot. Perhaps I can, but... never mind."
"Divine Lord Sian, I trouble you. After this is done, I will give you what you desire."
Sian smiled and asked, "How do you know what I desire?"
He Li looked intently at Sian and said, "I don't know. But I know you have a reason for helping me, as does everyone else. I don't mind being blunt. I hope you will state your demands. If I can accept them, I will agree. If I cannot, there's no need for retribution later. Wouldn't that be best?"
After speaking, He Li chuckled to himself, waved his hand, and said, "That's all. I don't have much time. You can go kill Xun He now. Kill him openly."
Sian laughed self-deprecatingly, "In a battlefield filled with bloodshed and intrigue, how ridiculous is openness? Moreover, for traitors like us, it's shameful to even mention."
He Li said nothing. His body became ethereal, transparent. The long saber, however, became crystal clear, imbued with astonishing divine power.
Everyone in the world lives their own lives, makes their own choices. He Li had no need to understand Sian, nor did Sian need to confide in He Li. After a sincere cooperation, each taking what they needed was the best outcome.
Sian grasped the long saber, concealed it in his palm, and approached the encampment.
"Divine Lord Sian."
"Divine Lord."
"Divine Lord."
The God Race army looked at Sian.
Sian nodded, his gaze sweeping across the faces of every member of the God Race army. He suddenly smiled and asked, "I will betray the God Race and forge a new home. Will you follow me?"
The God Race army, composed of Realm Gods and the true backbone of the battlefield, exchanged glances. Then, in unison, they remained silent, their expressions solemn. They bowed to Sian in tacit understanding, then straightened their backs, looking at Sian.
Sian smiled.
"Follow me to battle!"
Sian turned, raised his hand, and sent a palm strike towards the sky. Brilliant light erupted from his palm, and a transparent long saber shot out, cleaving the sky, then vanishing into the void.
Sian transformed into a golden light and followed the long saber. Dozens of Realm Gods also transformed into golden light and shot forward.
On the central battlefield, thunder boomed in the void, followed by explosions that grew louder and closer, as if traveling from ancient times across the river of time.
All the gods were astonished.
In an instant,
A saber came from the south, arriving in the blink of an eye.
The gods were momentarily disoriented. In the next moment, they reacted, only to find that Sian had appeared within the formation of the God Race expeditionary force on the left flank of the battlefield. Before him hovered a nearly transparent long saber imbued with astonishing divine power, and in his hand, he held Xun He's head.
Immediately after,
The long saber hummed and vibrated unstoppably, then shattered into countless fragments that shot outwards in all directions.
With a series of explosions,
The God Race expeditionary force was annihilated, along with the Desolate Race left flank army that had been fighting them.
Xia Min'ao narrowed his eyes as he looked at Sian. A surge of joy filled him. He quickly glanced at the gods who hadn't fully recovered, took a deep breath, and roared:
"Bold Sian! How dare you assassinate Divine Lord Xun He and annihilate our God Race expeditionary force! Do you dare to betray the race!"