Li Qiye smiled and shook his head: “You misunderstood my intention. It has nothing to do with whether I trust you or not since I’m not afraid of someone else benefiting from the war. It’s only Soaring Immortal, destroying them isn’t hard.”

“Then when can you mobilize?” Hai Lin mused before asking.

“Hard to say.” Li Qiye chuckled: “There are things you can’t rely on others for. For you, what you need to do in accordance with your own wishes is the most important.”

Hai Lin didn’t know what Li Qiye was talking about and had to say: “The truth is that I won’t be competing for the Heaven’s Will in this generation. You have thirteen palaces, no one is more qualified than you to become emperor.”

“You still don’t get my point.” Li Qiye shook his head: “This has nothing to do with the competition either. Everyone else thinks about who will be the best candidate but as for me, the Heaven’s Will is already in my pocket. When to become emperor is up to me. Thus, once again, this has nothing to do with the current situation. War and survival, this is up to you.” He pointed at his own heart.

Hai Lin carefully contemplated before answering: “If you are asking me for my thoughts, then it is very simple - to chase Soaring Immortal away so that we sea monsters and demons will have a place to live. They came and murdered with wanton regards so I have the responsibility to stand up against them, to save the wailing existences.”

“Good intention.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “But there is no savior in this world. You can save them this generation but not the next. The most important thing is relying on yourself and working for what you want. If you place your hope on a savior, then how is it different from being a parasite?”

Hai Lin was surprised to hear this since this wasn’t a topic he had dwelled on.

Li Qiye continued: “Why does Soaring Immortal dare to do whatever it wants at the Grand Sea? Why are they so unbridle after coming down each time? The reason is very simple. It is because of the living beings in the nine worlds.”

“They endure, relent, or even help the enemies against justice. This is the reason why Soaring Immortal can dominate the nine worlds. Amidst the flame of war, everyone wants to benefit themselves instead of uniting to fight against the invader. This is the reason why the Ancient Ming was able to reign for so many generations.”

This was indeed the truth. So many great powers wanted to flatter and earn Soaring Immortal’s favor.

“Because of this, you can only rely on yourself during times of war instead of others. Only when you build something with your own blood will it be trustworthy. Without blood and struggle, everything will be taken for granted. Thus, use your blood to trade for peace and prosperity.”

Hai Lin eventually looked at Li Qiye and formally said: “I will carve your words into my heart but nevertheless, I still want you to help during this crisis. As long as you are willing, everything is negotiable. Even if you take over the alliance and use us as cannon fodders in the front line, we will still agree as long as this is enough to protect the Grand Sea, allowing future descendants to have a place to stay. Any heavy price is fine. Just like you said, peace required the foundation of our blood, then let us use our blood to pave the way for future generations!”

He spoke in a formal and sonorous manner, full of charisma.

“I have no interest in authority.” Li Qiye shook his head: “Of course, the fight between Soaring Immortal and me will happen. It’s fine if you want to participate. Mobilize when I do and be true to my words earlier, fight for your own destiny instead of relying on a savior. If you want your descendants to have a home in the Grand Sea, you must put in the effort. Otherwise, why would the victors give you the fruit of their effort for nothing?”

“I understand.” Hai Lin bowed and took a deep breath: “Just let me know when you are mobilizing against Soaring Immortal. I am willing to take the vanguard and open a path of blood for you. If we don’t go all out and pay with our blood and lives, there will be no place for us sea monsters and demons even if Soaring Immortal were to crumble later on.”

“It’s good that you have understood this logic.” Li Qiye nodded.

Hai Lin solemnly nodded and respectfully bowed towards Li Qiye before leaving.

After he left, the true god came in and sat down next to Li Qiye. He spoke with a slight annoyance: “Your Excellency, the war against Soaring Immortal is our battlefield, is there a need for these shrimps to be cannon fodders? If they take the vanguard, they’ll just go meet their death and get in our way.”

Worldkeeper was itching for a fight against Soaring Immortal. It was the perfect time for Azure Dragon to train their young soldiers.

Li Qiye said emotionlessly: “Let them. Their blood will wake up the stubborn ones. Peace has lasted for far too long in the nine worlds, let them vie for themselves. We’ll grow old one day and won’t be able to protect the nine worlds forever. Let them take the forefront and their descendants will come to appreciate their forefathers’ spilled blood just like the wise sages who fought against the Ancient Ming. Without this heroism, they are no different than sheep and the nine worlds will be a pasture. When the Ancient Ming comes again, there will be a lot of fat meat for them to taste.”

The true god carefully pondered before speaking with a tinge of emotion: “Right, peace has lasted for too long. No real alliances have formed recently like the myriad races back then.”

Even though there had been a competition for the throne in each generation, they were too different compared to the resistance against the Ancient Ming. Moreover, these competitions were only between sects.

“There will be sacrifices. They are an important message for future generations to remember that their predecessors have banded against foreign invaders before. Let them know that only through solidarity and sheer effort will they be able to maintain their home and future. No one else will give this to you or protect you from one generation to the next!” Li Qiye said calmly.

The true god understood that His Excellency wanted to leave and was leaving the responsibility of protecting the nine worlds to the myriad races themselves.

Others were unaware but the true god knew that although His Excellency was reviled by others with all kind of nicknames. However, he has been protecting the nine worlds all along. Without his protection and necessary massacres, the remnants of the Ancient Ming would have returned already even during the Emperors Era.

Though Soaring Immortal was far from the same threat, His Excellency simply wanted Hai Lin’s alliance to spill blood, not for any other reason but just to pass the torch. His goal was to head to the end of the world in this generation without coming back. He was going all out, not worrying and looking back again.

Li Qiye said slowly: “I’m also tired so it is time for me to let go. Trampling Soaring Immortal and extinguishing the bloodline can be considered my final gift to the nine worlds. They have to rely on themselves afterward.”

“Your Excellency, you still can’t let go completely.” The true god sighed. Others only saw how many the dark hand had killed, not the weight of his responsibility

“I must let go, no party lasts forever.” Li Qiye replied: “Immortality can be a type of torture since there are too many things one can’t let go in this world. Though your heart had lost all feelings, certain things still remained inside.”

The true god quietly nodded and eventually asked: “When will you mobilize, Your Excellency?”

“Let them prepare. Li Qiye chuckled: “Both Soaring Immortal and the alliance. Most importantly, we need to let Gu Zun and the mastermind behind Soaring Immortal think that victory is imminent for them. Otherwise, some threats will remain if they were to escape. Thus, our enemies need to be completely confident beforehand. When they use their entire forces, that’s when I pull in the net and utterly destroy every single one of them.”