Death... and me

Chapter 4220: 50-50

Tuana finally showed an expression of real shock. "But that..."

Soul Gem continued. "You can go out, look for your own rogue Celestial Laws, all that. In fact, the next tens of thousands of years are the best chance for you to do so. You should really consider this offer. You know what we did in the Werdlem Empire. The Empire’s Bubble is gone. All the Werdlem Treasures are now useless, so there are a lot of powers out there that are pretty angry, too."

"However, when the news truly spread about how the Werdlem Empire tried to take control of everyone and everything, the twins’ group will be the heroes of the story. It won’t be long before Lisan starts to receive many, many visits. This Universe will only grow in power and recognition. Garisan will have quite a hard time keeping it as a simple vassal universe, too."

"Primordial Demon Beasts, Rean’s group, the Werdlem Empire’s Plan, and whatever else you read in the reports, are spreading through the Great Void. I wonder, will you have a better chance at realizing your dreams here or in Turmaloid? You are a genius, and I’m not talking about cultivation. Yet, I seem to remember that the Turmaloid Emperor never cared too much about you."

Tuana was visibly shaken, but she did not answer straight away.

Soul Gem did not wait there, though. "Rean, let’s go back. She knows how to reach me. We will wait for an answer."

"Just one second!" Tuana stopped Soul Gem. "What if I refuse?"

Soul Gem shrugged. "That’s for Rean and his group to decide then."

"Meh, I’ll just get you killed to prevent more problems, that’s all," Rean spoke as if he was just talking about throwing out the trash. That was one decision Roan was definitely not against.

Finally, Rean and Soul Gem disappeared.

Tuana didn’t look very happy, though. "Toval, Grosevia, you heard it all, didn’t you?"

Suddenly, two other Semi-Celestials appeared in the room, their expressions very similar to Tuana’s. "We did. We managed to stay hidden and were ready to make a move if things went south."

"Managed to stay hidden?" Tuana looked at the two. "What a joke. Rean absolutely knew you were there."

Then, Tuana’s energy gathered and shot into the space above Toval and Grosevia’s heads.

*Bang, bang!*

That energy shouldn’t have struck anything. Yet there was indeed something there that Tuana destroyed, shocking those two. "This..."

"Don’t worry," Tuana assured. "You couldn’t see it because he made it so. Anyone else who put their eyes on you two would have noticed it easily. That was just his way of saying he could have taken your heads at any moment, and neither of you would have noticed before you were already dead."

Toval sighed, giving up any illusions of possibly striking back. "So what now? Is there any point in hiding our forces in this Temporal Path anymore?"

Tuana shook her head. Truth be told, the Vruves had more than just six Semi-Celestials. They worked in the shadows for a very long time, and they had reserves in their home. Unfortunately, it never got to a level where they could conquer Lisan or take the Chaos Origin Source. If anything, acting against Lisan would only open the door for Garisan to take the Chaos Origin Source for themselves instead. Tuana would never accept being used as a stepping stone, especially after realizing she had been lured to this Universe by the Soul Gem.

"Forget that. They definitely know everything and everyone we have here. You can’t stop a Universe Owner at their level. It’s that old saying: in the face of absolute strength, everything else is meaningless. Of course, we won’t simply abandon this place. It is safe... against everyone else who isn’t a Universe Owner, that is."

Grosevia couldn’t help but ask. "Are you going to accept their offer?"

Tuana didn’t answer again. "I don’t know. I would be lying if I said there were no advantages, but my own pride also makes it hard to simply swallow their terms. That’s why I want you to call everyone here. This is a decision I can’t take alone."

Toval and Grosevia agreed and went to work.

---

Already outside the Temporal Path, Roan commented with an annoyed expression. "I still think that is too risky."

Soul Gem wouldn’t deny that. "Yes, it is. But have you stopped to think about what you are going to do once you leave Lisan? You must understand one thing. It might have looked like you stayed outside Lisan for a very long time. However, in the context of the Great Void’s vast time scale in the cultivation world, your time spent outside could hardly be considered a blink."

"You probably can find various replacements for your position at the moment. But in the long term, I truly believe Tuana is the best choice. You just saw the real Vruve Organization, didn’t you? Is there any other power in the entire Lisan Universe that has as many top-level experts as Tuana’s Vruves?"

Rean and Roan went silent. Indeed, if you considered everyone except the Vruves, then the Vruves had a lower number of top experts. But individually, like the Realm of Gods, or the Heavens, or the Underworld... The Vruves were definitely stronger than any of them alone.

"She didn’t get that much support just because she was the princess of Turmaloid. That would never pass. She got there because she got everyone to trust her motives and her intentions. They genuinely respect her, and she is strong in her own right."

"Take the Underworld, for example. If you take their Elder Devils, they are kind in accordance with Black Locust, but would they consider him their leader? Not like now, when he talks in the Devil Races’ name, but a real, true leader. Not a chance! Only the angels have something similar, and yet, I would bet the Vruves are more loyal towards Tuana than the Archangels are towards Dalquiel."

"That only makes me more concerned, though," Roan pointed out. "But I guess once we connect her life to Lisan’s Chaos Origin Source, it will be in her best interest to keep it protected."

"Better than that," Soul Gem added. "Once you get to the Celestial Plane, you will be able to send resources down, even if it is an expensive thing to do. Let’s be honest: you don’t want to go anywhere at the moment, but I refuse to believe you will stay here forever. Those here, like Tuana, would never dream of putting their hands on such materials and resources. Trust me, if she accepts this deal, you will be hard-pressed to find anyone as perfect for this role as her."

"Sigh..." But then, Soul Gem looked back in the direction of the Temporal Path. "The only problem is her pride. I’d say there is a 50-50 chance she will take the deal or decide to simply end things her own way."