Chapter 33: Preparations for Battle

The orders from Emperor King Jing spread across the entire Nan Yin Island. Naturally, Qu Yi’s name immediately left an impression in the hearts of all the cultivators on the island.
“Who is Qu Yi?”
This question echoed in the minds of all the cultivators, sparking various thoughts.
Spies from various factions on Nan Yin Island, upon hearing Emperor King Jing’s orders, received the most crucial news: Nan Yin Island intended to organize cultivators at the Divine General stage into teams to participate in the upcoming team battles. And Qu Yi was chosen as the leader of these teams.
Messages were sent to the leaders of various factions in the Divine Realm.
Meanwhile, in the combat arena of Nan Qian City, all ten thousand Divine General-level cultivators stared in shock at Qu Yi. They hadn’t expected that as soon as he won the battle, the voice of the Emperor King would be heard.
In particular, Xin Wuhen and Tian Buao, who had just come down from the combat platform, were stunned. Their already listless expressions became even more depressed.
“Leader, it’s Qu Yi! He was chosen by the Emperor King long ago.”
Now, every Divine General-level cultivator knew that Qu Yi’s appearance and the simultaneous arrival of Xin Wuhen and Tian Buao in Nan Qian City were clearly arranged by the Emperor King. Moreover, Qu Yi had defeated them with his strength, thereby establishing absolute authority over them.
After a moment of shock, everyone accepted it—since Qu Yi had defeated the two strongest people on Nan Yin Island with his own strength, no one would dare to question him anymore.
Strength meant status.
“Leader!”
Suddenly, those ten thousand cultivators couldn’t help but call out to Qu Yi. They were also relieved, as they were among the first to meet Qu Yi. By building a good relationship now, they could gain his favor in future team battles.
Xin Wuhen and Tian Buao, being decisive people, knew they had to accept his leadership if they lacked strength. So they stepped forward to Qu Yi.
“We accept you as our leader,” Xin Wuhen and Tian Buao said together.
Qu Yi smiled and nodded, saying lightly, “Soon, we’ll all go to the team battles. From then on, we’ll be brothers. We must work together to survive those battles.”
“Yes, Leader,” everyone replied in unison.
Qu Yi nodded and then left Nan Qian City with Wu Yuan and Qing Wu Gui.
※※※
On the Three Divine Peaks of Nan Yin Island, Qu Yi arrived, along with Wu Yuan and Qing Wu Gui.

The three Divine Kings, Zong Jing, Xu Miao, and Qian Mao, sat in a pavilion on the central peak, waiting with smiles.

“Three Divine Kings, I’m here,” Qu Yi flew into the pavilion and smiled.

Zong Jing nodded with a smile, while Xu Miao already fixed her gaze on Qing Wu Gui. Qian Mao, on the other hand, looked at Wu Yuan with a grin.

“Qing Wu Gui, the aura around you is very similar to mine. You’d make an excellent assassin. Come and follow me from now on,” Xu Miao said suddenly, smiling.

“Wu Yuan, I have high hopes for you. Your carefree personality suits me well. Come and follow me from now on,” Qian Mao said cheerfully.

Qu Yi was stunned and frowned at the two Divine Kings.

“No need!”

“I don’t want it!”

Qing Wu Gui and Wu Yuan refused outright, without any hesitation, genuinely.

They actually refused the Divine Kings! This was something that countless cultivators in the divine realm dreamed of—having the protection of a Divine King meant they could travel anywhere in the divine realm, living freely and unchallenged. Yet, Wu Yuan and Qing Wu Gui refused right in front of them.

Zong Jing, Xu Miao, and Qian Mao’s expressions darkened instantly; they clearly couldn’t believe this.

“Three Divine Kings, my two brothers will not leave me. The three of us will follow our own paths of cultivation and don’t seek anyone’s protection. Please stop thinking about it,” Qu Yi said with a smile.

Wu Yuan and Qing Wu Gui nodded immediately.

Zong Jing, Xu Miao, and Qian Mao could only force awkward smiles to cover up their disappointment. Then they gestured for Qu Yi, Wu Yuan, and Qing Wu Gui to sit down.

“Qu Yi, there are one million cultivators at the Divine General level from Nan Yin Island, enough to form a team. I’ve already given orders. Since you’ve defeated Xin Wu Hen and Tian Bu Ao, no one will dare to defy you. From now on, it depends on your actions,” Zong Jing said calmly.

Actually, Xin Wu Hen and Tian Bu Ao going to Nan Qian City was also related to Zong Jing. He knew Wu Yuan and Qing Wu Gui were in Nan Qian City, so Qu Yi would naturally go there to look for them. Therefore, Zong Jing arranged for Xin Wu Hen and Tian Bu Ao to go to Nan Qian City, so that Qu Yi could fight against the two strongest Divine General-level cultivators from Nan Yin Island, thereby showcasing Qu Yi’s strength.

In team battles, lack of unity is the biggest flaw. Now, Zong Jing had given Qu Yi a helping hand.

Qu Yi understood and smiled, nodding. “Thank you, Divine King. I won’t disappoint your expectations. I will surely lead the cultivators at the Divine General stage from Nan Yin Island back safely, preserving the strength of Nan Yin Island and allowing our Ascended ones to gradually grow stronger in the Divine Realm.”

Zong Jing, Xu Miao, and Qian Mao burst into laughter immediately. It was precisely because of Qu Yi’s strength that they had decided to keep all the cultivators at the Divine General stage from Nan Yin Island together and entrust them to Qu Yi. Now that Qu Yi had promised in person, it showed his sincerity in completing this task, which naturally delighted the three Divine Kings greatly.

“Three Divine Kings, rest assured. With Qu Yi here, we will surely weaken the native forces in the Divine Realm,” Wu Yuan said loudly at that moment.

“My sword will satisfy you,” Qing Wu Gui added.

Zong Jing, Xu Miao, and Qian Mao were even more pleased.

Qu Yi smiled faintly and then said, “Three Divine Kings, since Nan Yin Island is forming its own team this time, the Eight Divine Realms likely won’t let us develop. I think they will attack us first. Do you three know where the group battles take place? What special conditions are there there?”

The forces of the Ascended ones had always been suppressed by the eight royal families of the Divine Realm, so naturally, they wouldn’t allow Nan Yin Island to grow stronger.

Zong Jing, Xu Miao, and Qian Mao all shook their heads simultaneously, smiling bitterly.

“Qu Yi, the group battles have always taken place off the coast of the Divine Realm. However, the location changes every time, and it’s not something we Divine Kings can know. Perhaps only the Divine Emperor knows this information,” Zong Jing said calmly.

Hearing this, Qu Yi immediately became energetic and asked, “Divine King, what kind of being is the Divine Emperor?”

Previously, Qu Yi had heard about the Divine Emperor from the Instrument God. Now that Zong Jing had brought it up on his own, he couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.

“It can’t be told. If you reach the rank of Divine King in the future, you’ll understand on your own,” Zong Jing replied with a faint smile.

Qu Yi could only smile. Since both the Instrument God and Zong Jing gave the same answer, it meant that only powerful Divine Kings could know about the Divine Emperor, so there was no need to ask further.

“Alright. I’ll stay here on Nan Yin Island and focus on waiting for the group battle of the cultivators at the Divine General stage,” Qu Yi said calmly.

Zong Jing, Xu Miao, and Qian Mao nodded in agreement.

※※※

In the imperial city of the Fire Departure Divine Realm, Liyuan City.

The two Divine Kings, Yan Yi and Yan Que, were on the highest floor of the Fire Source Tower, having a calm conversation.

“Qu Yi has already gone to Nan Yin Island and is now under the protection of that guy, Zong Jing. It won’t be easy for us to take action against him. If he dies in a fight, Qu Yi will have no chance to cooperate with us again. Now, the only way to eliminate the potential trouble he might cause us in the future is to kill him,” Yan Yi said calmly.

Undoubtedly, the Yan clan also had spies on Nan Yin Island. The two Divine Kings already knew that Qu Yi had become the leader of the Divine General-level cultivators there.

Flames flashed in Yan Que’s eyes; he was clearly very dissatisfied with the current situation of the Yan clan.

“This time, in this battle among Divine General-level cultivators, our Yan clan not only has to face the challenge from Nan Yin Island but also guard against the schemes of the other six divine realms. With the precedent of the massive battle among Divine Weapon-level cultivators, the Mountain-Gun Divine Realm, Earth-Earth Divine Realm, Thunder-Rumble Divine Realm, Wind-Swan Divine Realm, Water-Change Divine Realm, and Sky-Dry Divine Realm will surely join forces again to wipe out all the Divine General-level cultivators in our Fire-Light Divine Realm,” Yan Que said angrily.

The cultivators of these six realms had the support of Divine Emperors behind them. In contrast, the Fire-Light Divine Realm and Water-Dam Divine Realm had no such support, making them easy targets for those six realms.

After hearing this, Yan Yi fell silent for a moment, a fierce look flashing in his eyes before he regained his calmness.

“Let’s go discuss this with Wu Lian, Wu Quan, and Yu Enheng. We need to unite the Divine General-level cultivators from our Fire-Light Divine Realm and Water-Dam Divine Realm so that we’re no longer treated as easy targets by the other six realms,” Yan Yi said calmly.

Wu Lian, Wu Quan, and Yu Enheng were the three Divine Kings of the Water-Dam Divine Realm.

“Good, let’s set off right away,” Yan Que said immediately, standing up.

※※※

Meanwhile, in the imperial city of the Water-Change Divine Realm, Dui Ping City, Gongye Wu, the head of the Gongye family, was in a study in the family mansion. Across from him sat a very young and handsome man.

This man had sharp eyebrows and a square face, exuding an extraordinary aura. His presence seemed to blend seamlessly with nature, yet no one could doubt his strength. He was Gongye Chen, the top disciple among the Divine General-level cultivators of the Gongye family.

“Chen, in this battle among Divine General-level cultivators, it’s up to you to lead our cultivators from the Water-Change Divine Realm. Your task is not only to lead them back alive but also to find Qu Yi and kill him,” Gongye Wu said calmly.

The deaths of Gouye Ping and Gouye Jing, as well as Gouye Bo, were all related to Qu Yi, and this news had spread throughout the divine realm, severely damaging the reputation of the Gouye family. Therefore, unless Qu Yi was eliminated, the Gouye family would remain disgraced and a subject of ridicule.
“I understand, clan leader,” Gouye Chen replied in a low voice.