Chapter 128: Collateral Damage

For the Saint-Demon who had inadvertently "killed" Zhou Tian, he felt not a shred of concern over whether Zhou Tian had truly perished. Through their intense battle just moments ago, he had essentially come to believe what Zhou Tian had claimed. He had no choice but to believe it; such terrifying methods—if they were not the work of a Heavenly Sovereign-level entity, he could not conceive of any other possibility.

Since Zhou Tian possessed means laid out by a Heavenly Sovereign, he certainly would not truly die. It was less that he had faith in Zhou Tian, and more that he had faith in the Heavenly Sovereign.

The Saint-Demon sat cross-legged in the air once more, a glazed light radiating from the center of his brow. His hands formed a vase-like seal against his abdomen, and a faint, ethereal chanting sound began to resonate. His body glowed, and behind him, it seemed as if a great Buddha sat in meditation. He was healing his injuries; every time he forcibly merged his two personalities, it took a toll on his soul.

Musu and Lingyu dared not move, standing where they were with bitter expressions, praying that Zhou Tian could rescue them from this dire predicament.

Time passed quickly. The resurrection count of the Undying System refreshed, and Zhou Tian revived at the very spot where he had just died. Before he could even react, he felt his body plummeting, followed by a sensation of distorted space and time. The scene shifted, and the figure of the Saint-Demon appeared before him. Before Zhou Tian could speak, the Saint-Demon flickered his hand, and a set of clothes appeared on Zhou Tian.

As Zhou Tian regained his composure, he felt a lingering sense of awkwardness. Although the Undying System had arranged everything clearly and tried its best to mitigate the contrast between the inflated sense of power and the sudden loss of it, the feeling of omnipotence he had just experienced still flooded his heart.

He stretched his limp limbs and a smile appeared on his face. "Senior Saint-Demon, do you believe what I told you now?"

Although it was a question, Zhou Tian was very certain of the answer.

"The Heavenly Sovereign is indeed an existence beyond imagination," the Saint-Demon sighed, his eyes deep and unfathomable, choosing not to answer directly.

*Whether the Heavenly Sovereign is an existence beyond imagination, I don't know, but the Undying System certainly is,* Zhou Tian thought to himself.

"I never expected that there would be so many things in this world that I was unaware of." The Saint-Demon's saintly aspect was somewhat sentimental, a stark contrast to the demonic aspect that had charged at him with a halberd just moments ago. Since he believed Zhou Tian’s words, the fabrications Zhou Tian had spun had taken root in his mind, leaving him feeling somewhat moved.

"Live and learn," Zhou Tian said, scratching his head.

The Saint-Demon glanced at him with a faint smile. "I never expected the Zhou family to produce such an interesting little fellow. It seems you don't view me as an enemy."

Zhou Tian chuckled and said nonchalantly, "What is an enemy or not? In the end, it all comes down to interests. If my Zhou family has something that Senior Saint-Demon needs, I believe we would make excellent friends."

In reality, he was silently venting: *If there were a button in front of me that, if pressed, would cause the Saint-Demon to be humiliated to death by a pack of sows, I would press it without the slightest hesitation!*

"Indeed, it is all about interests. Since you have the favor of a Heavenly Sovereign, I dare not do anything to you. You may go," the Saint-Demon said calmly.

Zhou Tian raised an eyebrow. Just like that? "Is what you say true, Senior?"

"If you wish to stay and keep me company, that is also fine," the Saint-Demon said with a sidelong glance.

"Then, Senior Saint-Demon, until we meet again." Zhou Tian signaled for Lingyu and Musu to leave, and they hurried to follow. However, before they had taken two steps, the Saint-Demon’s voice drifted over.

"I only said you could go; I didn't say they could."

The three of them stiffened simultaneously. Zhou Tian cursed inwardly: *I knew it wouldn't be this simple.* He frowned and turned back, asking, "Senior Saint-Demon, what is the meaning of this?"

The Saint-Demon's eyes glowed with golden light, as if suns, moons, and stars were revolving within them. His voice was not loud, yet it was deafening. "Are you questioning me? Or was I not clear enough?"

*These old bastards are so difficult to deal with,* Zhou Tian thought. "Senior, I do not know how my two friends offended you, but I apologize to you on their behalf." Musu and Lingyu nodded frantically; no one wanted to die if they could live.

"They haven't offended me. It's just that I suffered a setback at your hands, and I need to regain some face elsewhere," the Saint-Demon said in a flat tone.

The logic was so sound that Zhou Tian was left speechless. Musu and Lingyu looked utterly hopeless; this reason was truly beyond reproach.

"Saint-Demon, don't go too far! If I summon the Heavenly Sovereign of my Zhou family, you won't have a good ending either!" Zhou Tian bluffed, hoping the Saint-Demon would yield to the majesty of a Heavenly Sovereign.

"Oh? For the sake of these two, who are not even of the Zhou family—and are remnants of the God Realm at that? If you truly made a Heavenly Sovereign pay a great price to descend from the outer stars to the Nine Provinces, I would indeed find it hard to escape. But I fear your status in that person's heart would drop significantly. You are not the only young member of the Zhou family; the Heavenly Sovereign can afford to wait. Weigh the pros and cons of this matter carefully for the sake of your own path."

The Saint-Demon’s expression remained unchanged. He did not care about his own life or death in the slightest, analyzing the situation with perfect clarity.

Zhou Tian was helpless. Since the Saint-Demon was not afraid, there was nothing he could do. He could not actually summon a Heavenly Sovereign; that was merely a lie he had concocted to deceive the Saint-Demon.

"You should go first. These two are your friends, after all. It will be unpleasant for you to watch me deal with them in a moment," the Saint-Demon advised kindly. In his view, Zhou Tian was only making that expression because he was unwilling to summon the Heavenly Sovereign.

Musu and Lingyu were in despair. Musu gave a bitter laugh. "Zhou Tian, you should go. If you have the chance, please visit my parents for me." Musu had not lost his reason in the face of death, nor did he harbor resentment toward Zhou Tian; it was all his own choice, and he did not believe Zhou Tian owed them his life.

Lingyu glared fiercely at Zhou Tian, though she did not contradict Musu. She was sharp-minded; based on the fact that Zhou Tian had been taking off his clothes to go do something unknown, she had deduced that the resurrection method was not as simple as some protection set up by a Heavenly Sovereign. If that were really the case, Zhou Tian would not need to undress and leave every so often. However, she did not point it out.

Zhou Tian looked at them silently. *I haven't given up on you yet, and you're already giving up on yourselves.*

"How about this, Senior Saint-Demon? You let these two go, and any grievances between you and my Zhou family caused by me will be wiped clean from this day forth. How about that?"