The Last Sentinel

As the only one among the Seven Warlords of the Sea with any intelligence.

Hua Xiaobai keenly realized that the boss was planning something big.

After all, the ability to divide myself is far more advanced than the ability to create a clone.

What is a clone?

To put it bluntly, clones are slaves, servants, cannon fodder whose deaths are not a cause for concern.

Differentiating myself from different perspectives is like identifying who I am; differentiating myself from different perspectives is more like identifying who I am, and more like the different personalities of the boss!

In a way, the boss is actually mentally ill.

However, the difference between a boss and a mentally ill person is...

The mentally ill person used one body for all of me, but the boss freed all of me up, giving each person their own body.

The original self and the sub-self must sit at the same table and eat from the same pot. There is no question of who is superior to whom. In fact, the sub-self can even argue with the original self to its face, and the original self has to put up with it.

No matter how domineering you are, you can't bully yourself!

"Hana-kun, you've arrived! We've been waiting for you for a long time."

"Flower Lord, please come into the hall and take a seat!"

Hua Xiaobai composed herself and stepped calmly into the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace. Inside, the sea of ​​clouds surged and swirled, and the misty immortal fog lingered. The pure white jade pillars stood straight and tall, radiating light and color. Thousands of floating cloud platforms were scattered throughout the palace, exuding a magnificent and boundless immortal aura.

Each of the celestial officials of the Heavenly Court sat on a cloud platform, their robes fluttering in the wind, ethereal and otherworldly, surrounded by layers of precious light and auspicious radiance. Some closed their eyes to meditate, their fingertips lightly forming profound incantations, their minds tranquil; others chatted hushedly, their soft celestial music echoing in the hall, clear and melodious. Each cloud platform was adorned with magical treasures, their spiritual light blazing, auspicious clouds clinging to the beams, and the radiant glow of the heavens pouring down, covering the white jade steps before them.

When the immortals saw Hua Xiaobai appear, they all raised their heads and looked at her, their eyes filled with respect and joy.

As the highest-ranking official in charge of the logistics department of the Heavenly Court's war effort, and the one personally appointed by the Seven Great Prodigies of Greed and Original Sin to hold this position of power, Hua Xiaobai's status and prestige are unmatched in this palace.

He was known for his ruthless and fierce nature, and he was always vengeful. If anyone dared to show his teeth at him or show disrespect, he would never show mercy. He would take action to suppress and eliminate them as soon as they became insolent, and he would never give anyone the opportunity to defy or provoke him in public.

Hua Xiaobai took her seat at the very center of the hall, on the cloud bed, her posture languid yet her aura commanding. Her gaze swept lightly over the entire room, her voice cool and steady: "Same as usual, monthly work meeting. This time, we'll only discuss matters related to the Huaguo Mountain battlefield. All irrelevant and trivial matters will be set aside. Who wants to report first?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a white-bearded, hunched-over immortal from the Heavenly Secrets Department slowly rose from below the cloud platform, cupped his hands and bowed, his expression cautious and respectful: "I would like to inform you, Lord Hua, that our Heavenly Secrets Department has recently detected an unusual disturbance, but we are unsure whether we should speak of it."

Hua Xiaobai held a lustrous jade cup between her fingertips, took a sip of the mellow and lingering Immortal's Intoxication Wine, raised her eyebrows slightly, and said crisply, "Speak plainly."

The immortal said in a deep voice, "Our investigation has revealed that within the Thirty-Three Heavens, several top clans openly defy the majesty of the Heavenly Court, refuse to accept the unified command and dispatch of the Heavenly Court, and privately gather their forces, intending to trespass into the Flower Fruit Mountain battlefield and act independently."

"Oh?" A cool glint flashed in Hua Xiaobai's eyes, his tone laced with amusement and sternness. "Which clan is so arrogant as to defy the rules of the Heavenly Court?"

"It is indeed the Li family of Chentang Pass, the lineage of Li Tianwang, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," the immortal replied truthfully.

A sharp voice suddenly rang out from the side, and a weasel-faced, sinister-looking deputy deacon immortal stood up angrily, his face full of malice: "It's that Li family causing trouble again! Earlier, when Lady Hua was recommended by Lord Greed to serve as a military advisor in the Heavenly Court, this Li family spread rumors and maliciously slandered her, calling her a traitorous servant and morally corrupt! Now that the storm has passed, they dare to openly provoke us again! My lord, this matter must be severely punished by the Li family, to make an example of them and deter the other immortals, so as to uphold the discipline of the Heavenly Court!"

Upon hearing this, all the immortals in the hall rose to their feet in agreement, their angry shouts echoing throughout the entire hall. These were all trusted confidants promoted by Hua Xiaobai, each one loyal and devoted to him, and they all sided with him in condemning the Li family.

Hua Xiaobai lazily raised his hand, calmly suppressing the clamor throughout the hall, which instantly fell silent. His expression was indifferent, but his eyes held a clear and insightful understanding as he slowly spoke: "Quiet down. I know the Li family of Chentang Pass inside and out. The Li family's true strength has never been based on the empty title of Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, but on the once mighty Nezha."

"After Nezha, a great being, mysteriously disappeared during the ancient Heavenly Court's conquest of the heavens, the Li family fell into decline and gradually declined. In recent years, they have relied on Jinzha and Muzha to travel to the west to beg and barely maintain the livelihood of the clan. In the hierarchy of the ancient immortal clans of the Heavenly Court, they are already at the bottom."

"This kind of declining clan, barely clinging to life, has neither the courage nor the strength to contend with me, and is even less worthy of provoking the Seven Absolute Prodigies behind me, Lord Greedy Original Sin. The root cause of their rash rebellion does not lie within themselves, but rather in the secret instigation of the Prideful Sin Demon Li Jie among the Seven Absolute Prodigies."

The immortal looked utterly astonished and puzzled: "Lord Hua's words are strange! Young Master Mo Lijie and Lord Greed are both among the Seven Absolute Prodigies, of equal status, and should be of one mind. Why would they secretly fight amongst themselves and target us?"

"You are ultimately too naive." Hua Xiaobai's lips curled into a cold smile as she spoke slowly, "The four great families of the Demon Clan and the Li family were originally allies who had been linked by marriage for generations. However, the Li family has been declining and can no longer be regarded by a first-class immortal clan like the Demon Clan. With nowhere else to turn, the Li family could only turn to the weaker faction of the Demon Clan for protection."

"Mo Lijie has a tragic past. He is an illegitimate son of the Mo family and has been ostracized and powerless in the clan since childhood. His mother was brutally raped by a demonic cultivator and died as a furnace, which twisted his mind and made him paranoid and ruthless. He desperately needs to strengthen himself, but the direct line of the Mo family never provides him with resources or support. That's why he has become deeply involved with the impoverished Li family. I received a secret report that he has been in close contact with Li Huan'er, the eldest daughter of the Li family, recently. It is highly likely that they have made a marriage agreement, and he intends to use the remaining power of the Li family to gain leverage for himself."

With just a few words, he thoroughly and completely dissected the undercurrents behind the Li family's rebellion and the entanglements between various parties, leaving nothing out. Upon hearing this, the immortals all suddenly understood, nodding repeatedly and bowing in complete admiration.

The immortal bowed and agreed, "I see. Since the root of this matter lies with Young Master Mo Lijie, then it is indeed inappropriate for us to interfere. This is a power struggle among geniuses, and our subordinates' rash intervention will only bring trouble upon ourselves."

"Not bad at all." Hua Xiaobai nodded slightly, lazily raising her eyes. "Next thing."

As soon as she finished speaking, a beautiful young fairy dressed in a plain white robe rose and bowed her head, solemnly reporting: "Your Excellency, an urgent report has arrived from the Heavenly Prison Department: the three major natural disasters, the source of the strange phenomena, the source of darkness, the forbidden zone of life, the Primordial Star Boundary, and other dangerous and heretical areas that have been suppressed by the Demon-Locking Tower for many years have recently experienced strange changes. The forbidden areas that were once noisy, chaotic, and plagued by disasters have all fallen silent overnight, without any movement."

The weasel-faced deputy deacon frowned, his face full of impatience and displeasure. He coldly rebuked, "Let the prison warden investigate and verify the matter themselves. Why report it to the main hall? Do you think the prison warden is just a lazy bum who doesn't know his place and expects us to clean up their mess?"

The fairy quickly shook her head, her tone becoming more serious: "Sir, you may not know this, but the envoy from the Prison Warden specifically conveyed a message that during their intelligence interception and investigation in various strange areas, they detected the same recurring place name—all the unusual activity and eerie whispers in the forbidden areas point to the battlefield of Flower Fruit Mountain!"

boom!

The words landed like a thunderclap in the celestial palace. The expressions of the immortals, who had been relaxed and leisurely discussing matters, changed drastically in an instant. They straightened their backs, their immortal aura receded and then suddenly tightened, all entering a state of high alert.

A heavy feeling settled over everyone, a mixture of resentment and panic washing over them. What was most terrifying was not the distant war, but the sudden, undeserved calamity that befell them. They had been peacefully guarding the Heavenly Court's logistics, never provoking any heretics from forbidden areas, yet now they were being unjustly accused and framed—a truly humiliating situation!

Even the usually composed Hua Xiaobai was instantly enraged, raising his hand and smashing the jade cup in his hand to the ground. The crisp sound of shattering echoed through the silent celestial palace, wine splashing everywhere. His eyes blazed with rage as he roared, "These good-for-nothings in the Prison Wardens! All they do is occupy their positions without doing anything, besides embezzling, indulging in pleasure, and shirking responsibility. What else can they do? Why didn't they immediately intercept and suppress this earth-shattering disturbance? Why didn't they report it to the Heavenly Court for so long? Now they're informing us, are they trying to make us bail them out and clean up their mess?"

"Originally, our only direct opponent was the Carbon-Based Universe Demon-Locking Tower! But now?" His tone grew increasingly sharp, his anger blazing. "The Three Great Calamities, the Source of the Mystery, the Source of Darkness, the Forbidden Zone of Life, the Primordial Star Realm! All the heretics and evil spirits suppressed and sealed by the Heavenly Court have turned their spearheads towards the Flower Fruit Mountain battlefield, becoming our mortal enemies!"

He surveyed the scene, his eyes filled with anger and resentment: "Our logistical personnel are already limited, and our combat strength is also limited! Suddenly facing an encirclement by heretics from all over the world, our manpower is nothing but a drop in the ocean, simply sending them to their deaths! This is nothing short of deliberate oppression and forced imposition of blame!"

Inside the celestial palace, a chorus of curses erupted, and the crowd was filled with righteous indignation.

The immortals angrily denounced the Prison Warden for his incompetence, dereliction of duty, and blunders, and complained about the unfairness of the Heavenly Court's regulations and the arbitrary allocation of responsibilities.

Everyone was filled with resentment, subconsciously shifting blame to others, with no one reflecting on their own actions.

Everyone present was carefully selected by Hua Xiaobai. They were all extreme egoists who only knew how to band together to gain celestial benefits and indulge in comfort and pleasure, never truly considering the overall situation of the Heavenly Court.

Now, with the workload suddenly increasing hundreds of times, their salaries and stipends have not increased at all, and there are no bonuses or subsidies. They are also forced to risk their lives and fight to the death. The selfish and self-serving immortals have completely lost their composure.

"This must not be tolerated!"

"Make a scene! Take it all the way to the Heavenly Court and demand a thorough investigation!"

The immortals roared in unison, their resentment surging and engulfing the entire celestial palace. Rebellion was rising in everyone's hearts; the uproar against the Heavenly Court's unfair administration and the pursuit of accountability for the Prison Warden had been fully ignited and was poised to erupt.