Chapter 844 - 771: Playing a Big Game

Chapter 844: Chapter 771: Playing a Big Game

As the saying goes, every coin has two sides. Being able to subjugate the powerful Exotic Beasts within the fruits could be considered good news. Not only could it turn danger into safety, but it also meant gaining a powerful Beast Pet. It was killing two birds with one stone.

But the premise was that the Reincarnation Tree didn’t awaken.

"Xiao’an, several human High Rank War Gods will be heading to B City over the next few days. Wait for me to get there, and don’t get into any conflicts with them," Luo Ziyun instructed worriedly.

Hearing this, Tu Xiao’an understood why Luo Ziyun insisted on coming. B City was about to become the eye of the storm. Being a focal point for the human authorities, all the big shots would be arriving. And right now, B City had him, Lord Gong of the Yaoling Mountain Range, in residence.

The strongest of humans and Demons would likely have their first real face-to-face encounter.

The Human Demon issues had existed since ancient times. It was fine when they didn’t interact, but once they did, friction was inevitable. Even if one wanted to maintain peace, it would be extremely difficult.

Moreover, a massive windfall was about to fall from the sky. Why else would the human authorities send their strongest military forces? They probably didn’t want him, a Demon Emperor, to get a slice of the pie.

Those not of our kin are sure to harbor hostile intentions.

The fruits on the Reincarnation Tree nurtured Exotic Beasts from the Ancient Times. Subjugating even one at random would provide an incalculable boost in combat power. If the experts from the human authorities caught all the fruits falling from the Reincarnation Tree and subjugated the Exotic Beasts within, humanity’s overall combat power would experience an astonishing leap.

With Exotic Beasts as pets, would humans still take the Demons of the Yaoling Mountain Range seriously? Would they still be wary of them? The Human Demon scales would tip completely.

Humans were the masters of this world. In the Human Demon dynamic, Demons were actually in the weaker position because they acted independently, completely disorganized. Now that the Yaoling Mountain Range was unified, coupled with humanity’s internal chaos, the human authorities would normally turn a blind eye to whatever Tu Xiao’an did in human territory, not daring to tear all pretense of friendliness.

But things were different now. A massive windfall had appeared. In the face of such absolute benefits, maintaining harmony would be nearly impossible.

Tu Xiao’an understood the stakes and implications perfectly well.

"Ziyan, if humans don’t provoke me, I won’t provoke them," Tu Xiao’an said lightly. He didn’t need to voice the second half of that sentence. Then, the corners of his mouth suddenly curled into a smile. "The authorities didn’t tell you to inform me about the Reincarnation Tree, did they?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. After a long moment, she replied, "The authorities were worried you’d act recklessly and rashly attack the Reincarnation Tree, so they only told me to inform you of its identity. As for the secret of the fruits, they naturally wouldn’t let me tell a Demon like you."

Telling him would mean letting him take a cut, and the authorities weren’t stupid.

"Hehe, it really is true that a married daughter is like spilled water—she always sides with her husband." Luo Ziyun’s tendency to side with him over her own people left Tu Xiao’an very satisfied. If he hadn’t known about this, he would have suffered a huge loss. Wouldn’t the human authorities have monopolized all the benefits?

"Get lost!" Luo Ziyun retorted playfully.

Their conversation ended. Tu Xiao’an hung up, and the phone instantly vanished from his hand.

"Master, what should we do now?" Charlie couldn’t help but ask.

Tu Xiao’an glanced at it. "I’m giving you an important task. Count exactly how many fruits are on this giant tree and report back to me. Don’t make any mistakes."

"AH..." Charlie looked completely bewildered upon hearing this. It had never taken a math class! It was just a tree! Wasn’t this making things too difficult for it?

Ignoring Charlie’s negative emotions, Tu Xiao’an looked up at the fruits on the Reincarnation Tree, sharp glints constantly flashing in his eyes. Because of this tree, the whole world was likely going to change.

After pondering for a long while, Tu Xiao’an waved his hand, and the Giant Elephant Demon King suddenly appeared.

"Emperor, what are your orders?"

"Return to the Yaoling Mountain Range and pass down this Snake Emperor’s command. Regardless of race, any Demon who has reached the Demon King Level must hurry to B City within one day."

The moment these words were spoken, the Giant Elephant Demon King trembled all over. Staring at Tu Xiao’an with horrified eyes, he asked cautiously, "Emperor, are you perhaps preparing to go to war with the humans?"

Summoning all the Demon King Level experts of the entire Yaoling Mountain Range was an absolutely monumental move. All the Demon Kings emerging together and arriving at a human city—if this wasn’t starting a war, what was?

Suddenly, the Giant Elephant Demon King grew excited. This was fantastic! The tides of fortune were finally turning. After all the ups and downs, it was finally time for the Demons to be the masters of this world. Now that the Yaoling Mountain Range was unified, they could face the outside world as one. With a united front, there was no grand undertaking they couldn’t achieve. Even piercing a hole through the heavens wouldn’t be difficult. This day was finally coming. Their Snake Emperor had finally figured it out. He was going to do something truly massive.

Tu Xiao’an opened his eyes but offered no explanation. His expression remained utterly indifferent and profoundly clear as he reiterated, "Remember, this is my absolute command as the Snake Emperor. If anyone dares to disobey or put on airs in front of me, their entire race will vanish from the Yaoling Mountain Range."

Anyone capable of becoming a Demon King was the leader of a major clan. Tu Xiao’an didn’t care if they threw their weight around on a normal day, but when his command was issued, they had to obey obediently. Since Luo Ziyun said the human authorities were sending their strongest forces, he couldn’t show weakness either. He had to reveal the strongest lineup of the Demon Race. Otherwise, the humans wouldn’t share a piece of this massive windfall with him.

"This subordinate obeys!"

Seeing the Snake Emperor’s solemn expression, the Giant Elephant Demon King was certain that they were preparing for war against the humans. Filled with excitement, he soared into the sky, shooting off in the direction of the Yaoling Mountain Range.

"Xiaoqi!" Tu Xiao’an called out softly.

The Demon Fox Mengqi walked over anxiously. "Brother Snake Emperor, are you really going to start a war with the humans?"

She had heard the entire conversation just now. Weren’t Human Demons supposed to live in peace? If a war started, "rivers of blood" wouldn’t even begin to describe the carnage. Furthermore, the Fox Race was inherently non-combative and only wished to live freely.

"Didn’t you say your six sisters are all in human cities? Pass my command to them as well. Tell the Fox Immortal King she must come."

Mengqi’s stunningly beautiful face was etched with conflict. "My sisters are in human cities, but Brother Snake Emperor, do we really have to fight? Everything was fine. Why did they have to fight?"

"Silly girl, when did I ever say we were going to fight? I’m just letting them come over to play."

"Play?" Mengqi didn’t understand.

Tu Xiao’an didn’t want to explain further either. "Just pass on the message."

"Understood, Mengqi obeys your command!"

Tu Xiao’an smiled. This fox was still too naive. If a Human Demon war were truly breaking out, how could he possibly only summon experts at the Demon King Level? This time, troops were valued for their quality, not their quantity. By letting humanity know the true strength of the Yaoling Mountain Range, he would ensure a fifty-fifty split of the Reincarnation Tree’s massive windfall, no matter what.

After Mengqi left, Charlie, sporting a tree on its head, asked, "Master, are you really playing for such high stakes this time?"

"If I don’t go big, we’ll be at a disadvantage."

Right now, the fruits on the Reincarnation Tree were no longer ticking time bombs, but rather an enormous windfall. If you could take a bite out of it, you’d be set for life.

"The fruits I told you to count—did you count them clearly? How many are there in total?"

"AH!" Charlie looked utterly bewildered. "I forgot."

Tu Xiao’an launched a shadowless kick at it. "Count again! If you get it wrong, just see how I’ll deal with you."

Knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. To gain the upper hand, Tu Xiao’an needed to first figure out exactly how many fruits were on the tree. Although it was impossible for all of them to fall, it never hurt to understand the situation. Besides, he was now very much looking forward to one of the fruits dropping down quickly.