Excessive ferocity due to caution

"Of course, of course!"

Ji Chen nodded repeatedly.

But then, something occurred to him, and he said in a panic:

"But my lord, the area outside is teeming with members of the Skull Church. According to the Eastern Peak Emperor, after his death, all the bronze statues were buried with him. The Underworld no longer has any power to oppose the Church..."

"If we go out now, won't we be falling directly into the church's hands?"

Zhao Yi replied:

"They won't lay a hand on us."

"The token in my hand, and the key they will never find, are the church's Achilles' heel and our bargaining chip in negotiations with them."

Ji Pa removed her demon mask, revealing an unconcealable anxiety on her beautiful face:

"But the key to open the Star Gate hasn't been found yet. Even if you reach the other side, you won't be able to obtain its power!"

"Without the support of the underworld, the Avici Hell is as fragile as a piece of paper in the face of the Church of the Skull..."

Zhao Yi:

"No."

"The key to open the Star Gate has been found."

The two were stunned:

"Found it?"

Zhao Yi toyed with the token in his hand, and ash fell from the end of the cigarette he was holding in his mouth.

"Yes."

"I know where the key is hidden."

...

No gaps.

Tan Shenfu.

Tan, who was sitting in his main seat as always, suddenly felt something. He looked into the distance, his gaze piercing through the divine palace, and an unprecedented calm appeared in his tired eyes.

The fingers, which had been dangling limply on the armrest, twitched excitedly, making a screeching sound.

Outside the dilapidated cave above, the sliver of starlight that had shone for who knows how many years seemed less annoying at this moment.

"Finally, I don't have to see you anymore..."

"Even though you've been with me for so many years, your light really feels cold on me..."

Tan muttered to himself, recalling things from the past.

Things are wrong.

"Although the mansion was dilapidated back then, I didn't feel lonely because I had more than a hundred brothers and sisters with me."

"What a pity..."

"So many heroes, all gone, leaving only a lackey..."

Tan gave a self-deprecating laugh.

The breath of life slowly dissipated.

...

At the same time, all the remaining bronze statues within the entire Abyss looked towards the direction of the Amber Forest.

Their eyes all held a sense of relief.

The task their master left them years ago has finally been completed.

Their long lives brought them no enjoyment whatsoever; instead, they were subjected to constant torment, which eroded their patience and fighting spirit.

This war has lasted far too long.

It grew so long that they even felt somewhat disoriented, wondering if they were doing something meaningless.

Will that former master really come back?

But at this moment, they knew that their persistence was the right thing to do.

The heavy mission that they once carried has finally been successfully completed.

Their painful and long lives will eventually come to an end.

...

Cypress grove.

As Zhao Yi and his two companions walked out of the mausoleum, they were intercepted by members of the Skull Church at the exit.

Just as they suspected, the church members valued the secrets of the Eastern Peak Emperor and the authority to cross the Chaos Sea highly, and their core forces were almost entirely mobilized!

"What's your name?"

Facing the vast, dark mass of people in the void, Zhao Yi calmly flicked his cigarette ash.

"Disen".

"High Priest of the Skull Church".

"The person specifically responsible for infiltrating the underworld region was also the mastermind behind the coup d'état on the ancient battlefield!"

The leader, a man in black robes, had three mouths, and his cold tone was filled with arrogance.

He believed he had every right to be proud.

The forces of the underworld back then were incredibly powerful. Not to mention the forces that invaded the Infernal Realm, even if the entire church mobilized all its forces, it might not be a match for the underworld!

However, through his own schemes, he easily weakened most of the power of the underworld without losing a single soldier, and obtained the secrets about the Chaos Body on the other side of the Chaos Sea!

This outstanding achievement propelled him to a meteoric rise in status, transforming him from a lowly deacon into a high priest, second only to the bishop and the high priest.

"Zhao Yi, you can't escape now."

"Your men are all dead, and you have no more usable forces left. I advise you to surrender obediently and cooperate with the church. Perhaps then we can spare your life."

As he spoke, he raised his hand.

Ding Ao stepped forward, holding half of the corpse in his hand.

It was Chao Fei.

"Senior Chao?!"

Ji Chen cried out, his eyes widening, burning with rage!

He tried to step forward, but his sister grabbed him.

Zhao Yi slowly said:

"First of all, Chao Fei is not one of my men. It's your own stupidity that made you so easily manipulated by him."

"Secondly, don't think you're so great just because you have more people... I've already obtained the authority over Dongyue. Look, this token in my hand is the key to crossing the Chaos Sea."

Zhao Yi took out the token, waved it, and smiled:

"If you want this, come and take it; I definitely can't stop you."

"However, after crossing the Chaos Sea, there is still a Star Gate."

"That door...only I know how to open it."

"What do you think you have that could threaten me?"

Seeing the token in Zhao Yi's hand, Dison and the large group of followers behind him fell silent.

But their greedy and uncontrollable gazes were all fixed on the token in Zhao Yi's hand!

The implications are self-evident.

"How naive Zhao Yi is..."

Dison's hands were clenched tightly behind his back, his fists brimming with terrifying power, but his expression remained perfectly calm.

"You may not be aware of the situation you are facing right now..."

"Now that the seal on the tomb of the Eastern Peak Emperor has been broken, he must have died and his power has vanished. The remaining forces of the Underworld have been completely annihilated. As for those old fogies at Tianhai Pass, they simply cannot withstand the Church for long. In the various small worlds centered around the Chaotic Realm, there is no longer anything that can stop the Church's advance..."

"What difference does it make to the Church whether it obtains the Chaos Body on the other side of the Chaos Sea or not?"

"Aren't you being a bit naive to threaten the church with something like this?"

Zhao Yi's smile was unrestrained:

"yes!"

"I cannot use this to threaten the church."

"As you said, there is no other force in the world that can stop the Church now."

"Especially since the original Nailhead is about to awaken, and when it appears, Tianhai Pass will immediately crumble..."

Dison's face was gloomy.

He disliked Zhao Yi's smile, which made him feel extremely uneasy.

"Since you understand this principle, you should..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Yi interrupted him:

"I never intended to threaten the church with something like this..."

"But it can threaten you."

"Don't you want to climb one more step up, Dison?"

"We've come this far... there are no more major obstacles in front of the church, and you don't have many more opportunities to make a difference."

"And the only great achievement that can allow you to climb to the next level... is the secret on the other side of the Chaos Sea."

"You've spent ten thousand years lying low here, on the verge of becoming a bishop, and you're just going to give it all up? Are you really willing to give it up?"

"Can you really... convince yourself?"

Zhao Yi smiled fervently, took a step forward, and threw the token in his hand directly to Dison.

The latter accepted the token, but his hand was trembling.

"I can give you all the permissions directly, but if you want to open the Star Gate, you have to negotiate with me."

"Want to take a gamble?"

"What if...you win?"

P.S.: Second update.

That's only 4000+ for today, my darlings, goodnight!