Chapter 479: Final Decision

A few days before the negotiations began, the three parties met again and settled on this matter, reaching a unified agreement. Although both countries disliked each other, they had no choice but to accept such an arrangement.
With everyone’s approval, the negotiations were practically over. The talks set to start in three days were merely a formality—no one could have imagined that everything would already be resolved before they even began.
After resolving this matter, everyone relaxed. Next, they could devote themselves fully to the matter of the Demon Souls. The Source of Darkness launched a thorough search, and a response was expected soon. The powerful figures from across the continent would gather in Autumn Water City, and with an elder from the troll tribe in charge, there should be no problems.
After this, there would be a hundred years of respite.
A day later, two days before the negotiation conference started, representatives from all sides gradually arrived in Autumn Water City. By the day before the negotiations began, everyone had arrived, not a single one missing—showing great respect.
Even the bunch of cultists from the Light Divine Church came, led by the Pope. When they saw Rod, the scene was quite amusing. Added to this was Sognar stoking the tensions, leaving the church members flustered and unable to speak a word. It seemed Sognar was determined to take his revenge.
In the end, the Pope even bowed respectfully to Rod, acknowledging him as a Divine King, before Sognar would stop, leaving many in disbelief. Rod had become the center of attention, unmatched in prominence.
Under Sognar’s deliberate provocation, the Pope and the church members’ faces turned pale, but they couldn’t find any reason to resist. Could these self-proclaimed messengers of the gods really overturn their own theories? Obviously not, so they could only endure, glaring at Sognar with murderous intent, their anger nowhere to vent.
In the end, it was Rod who stepped in to defuse the situation, allowing Sognar to stop and giving the church members some relief.

Over here, Rod met those three novices he had encountered before again. He still remembered fighting against three of them alone—something that still seemed amusing to him. All three of them were quite strong; Nanji had already reached the imperial level, and with time, he would surely reach the pinnacle, indicating his extraordinary status. Unfortunately, due to their lack of combat experience, they were thoroughly defeated by Rod, and they surely wouldn’t forget this incident.

After several years apart, they had all matured a lot, especially that girl named Elenaa. She was breathtakingly beautiful, exuding a sense of purity that made her seem inviolable. Her strength had even reached the divine level—she was a divine-class mage. Heh, she seemed very strong, at least by the standards of the continent.

It was then that Rod learned these three were key targets for the church’s cultivation, the next generation of successors. The woman was the church’s holy maiden, while the other man was now a holy knight of the Church of the Holy Cross, a quasi-divine being.

Their growth even rivaled that of Viski. It had to be admitted—the church truly had unique skills in nurturing talent!

Rod seemed to have overlooked the motivation these people gained from the setbacks he had inflicted on them. Over the years, they had not forgotten him.

So when they saw Rod again, their expressions were filled with complexity. They had known they would meet him before coming here and were aware of his terrifyingly advanced strength. Even the pope had said he was no match for Rod—just imagine.

Now, upon meeting him again, with that sinister smile on his face, their hearts were filled with mixed emotions. The church had sent many people to hunt him in the past—how should they face him now? It was quite thought-provoking.

Feeling Rod’s gaze, the holy maiden’s face turned red for the first time as she quickly turned away, avoiding his teasing look. The two holy knights, though indignant, could do nothing. Could they really fight him?

Not to mention the pope wouldn’t allow it; even if they tried, it would be suicide. The aura around him alone filled them with fear. More importantly, he now possessed the divine essence of a god-king. Though they didn’t know what despicable methods he had used, the fact remained. In a sense, the god they worshipped had become Rod—how could they not feel ashamed?

To worship a demon they had once hunted? What a ridiculous idea. The Light Church would surely become the laughingstock of the world—there was no doubt about it. Thinking of all this made one want to go crazy.

Looking at Rod, the Pope’s expression was also extremely complex. The man he had ordered to be pursued now seemed to have him at his mercy, even forcing the Church to believe in his existence. Bastard, it was truly humiliating.
“Hehe, Your Holiness, this is your residence!” At that moment, Lilith ahead smiled and spoke to the Pope. She had led them to the Church’s base—a quiet little villa.
“Hmm, thank you for the trouble!” The Pope spoke for once.
After pondering for a while, he finally looked at Rod with a bitter smile and asked, “My respected Divine King, when do you plan to start discussing that matter?” His question came as a great surprise to everyone. The people around him were also shocked—no one expected the Pope to back down at this moment. He truly recognized Rod’s identity. Damn it, had things changed?
“Hmm, after the negotiations. You know, it’s not easy to discuss this with these people here. We need to send them away first!” Rod replied quickly after thinking for a moment. He naturally understood what the Pope meant.
If anyone besides the four major families of the Source of Darkness and the trolls knew about this matter, it was surely the Church—a vast organization that had existed for who knew how long. The Pope claimed to be a messenger of the gods, so of course he knew about it.
“Good. I hope it can be arranged as soon as possible. This matter is urgent!” the Pope said with a hint of concern.
The rest of the Church members were left staring at each other, unsure of what was going on. It seemed only the successive Popes were qualified to know about this, and they didn’t dare ask more. It was said to be the Church’s greatest secret, passed down through generations of Popes.
“Well, I hope you’ll enjoy your time here!” With a slight smile, Rod prepared to leave. There were still many things to handle, and as more people arrived, his tasks became increasingly complicated.
With the Church’s affairs settled, Sognar finally started acting recklessly. Seeing the Pope in a weak position filled him with excitement.
That day, everyone arrived in Autumn Waters City and settled down. With their arrival, Moonlight City became bustling, becoming the focus of the entire continent. Everyone knew that an important negotiation was taking place there.

This time, the lineup put forth by the Source of Darkness truly shocked the powerful figures from various continents and the envoys of different nations who came for negotiations. What an incredibly formidable lineup! It left them utterly humbled, realizing that the Source of Darkness was even more powerful than they had imagined.

As for the powerful figures from the continents, this was the first time Rod had seen them. They were indeed well-hidden—there were over a dozen warriors at the Yin Yellow realm, along with two at the Yang Xuan realm. Their strength was on par with Rod’s own side. And that wasn’t all; Rod finally understood the meaning of the saying “there are always those better than you.”

The strength of the continents certainly couldn’t be underestimated. The top ten powerful figures displayed were all god-tier warriors. Although the continents might seem weak, to think so would be foolish. Such people wouldn’t even know how they would die. True strong ones prefer to live in seclusion, staying hidden. They wouldn’t appear unless it was a critical moment, like these negotiations! Even in war, they likely wouldn’t show up unless it was absolutely necessary. At this level, they are indifferent to fame and fortune and often unwilling to get involved in many matters.

As for the envoys from various nations, they were the least important group. Though they represented their own countries, everyone knew that it was the powerful figures who ultimately made decisions, and these nations could only obey. Otherwise, if those powerful figures stepped back, what would these nations have to fight with? Sending envoys was merely for show. It was understood by all.

Although these envoys held high positions in their own countries—often being ministers above everyone else or dukes and princes, or even princes and heirs—from a worldly perspective, their lineup was indeed luxurious. But here, they could only feel frustrated. They had to put aside their usual arrogance and haughtiness. In front of these powerful figures, they had no right to pride or self-esteem; otherwise, they would be killed with just one palm strike! These people wouldn’t care who you were or what position you held—only the difference between strong and weak mattered. If you were strong, you had a say; if not, you had to step aside.

At this moment, Autumn Waters City was filled with powerful warriors, gathering the finest fighters from across the world. The lineup was extremely luxurious, leaving countless people in awe. They finally got to see a more realistic side of the world, which thrilled them greatly.

With everything arranged, there was another grand banquet on the night before the negotiations, serving as a proper feast for these people. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and for a time, the divide between the source of darkness and the continent was set aside. With no more animosity between them, they sat together. In such an atmosphere, the negotiations gradually drew closer.