Chapter 2288 - 2291: Decision

"Shen Qiang, you are being too aggressive. The Sea Emperor is far more powerful than you imagine!"

In the back hall of the Dragon Palace, after making his demands in a simple and straightforward manner, Shen Qiang went to rest. As he relaxed and lay back on the couch, the voice of Taiyin Youying echoed in his Sea of Consciousness.

Shen Qiang, feeling helpless, shifted his thoughts instantly into the Sea of Consciousness.

"Qingxuan greets the master."

Lifting Qingxuan, who was kneeling in front of him, Shen Qiang smiled and said, "Don't greet me like this every time we meet; I'm still not quite used to it."

Qingxuan nodded lightly.

At this moment, seeing Shen Qiang completely ignoring her, Taiyin Youying spoke coldly and unhappily, "Shen Qiang, answer my question."

"There's nothing to say," Shen Qiang patted the Plague Source, which was waving its branches, and after a slight smile, he said with a serious expression, "The situation is obvious. After Qian Ning and I toured the entire Dragon Palace, those Great Sea Demons were still discussing how to go to Atlantic City. In this case, if I don't intervene, even if given three more months, they wouldn't be done discussing."

"How is that possible?" Taiyin Youying said in surprise, "You are the Dragon Emperor!"

Shen Qiang looked at Taiyin Youying, who was serious, and burst into laughter, "No wonder, clearly a godlike figure with earth-shattering strength but ended up just being a Sword Spirit. The Dragon Emperor, they must respect, but that doesn't mean they are willing to die for me."

"On the surface, those Great Sea Demons all agree to help me seize the Divine Corpse in Atlantic City, but in reality, they discuss many issues without touching on the key enemy. Why? Sea Demons, their specialty is seizing territory."

"But have you heard them talk about how to fight? They never mention Atlantic City. It's just the usual routine of discussing how many people each family should send, stirring up alliances, and amassing troops. It's all a play."

Taiyin Youying was a bit confused, "What play?"

"Alliances. The number of people each party should send can be debated endlessly. After that, they argue about the Commander. Once the Commander is set, a grand march to Atlantic City ensues. On the opposite side, they will definitely be prepared. At that point, if I can defeat the Sea Emperor, the Divine Corpse is mine. If not, I'll obediently return with my people."

Shen Qiang raised an eyebrow, "And those Great Demons, from beginning to end, would just cheer and never be in any danger."

Taiyin Youying said in surprise, "They respect you so much, how could you think this way?"

Shen Qiang laughed, "I thought only humans could be drama kings, but in reality, these Sea Demons' acting skills are not bad at all. Dragon Emperor, Your Majesty, they call sincerely. If they truly wanted to help me, they should start by analyzing the strength of the enemy and us. So, don't look at me with those surprised eyes. They show respect only because they don't want to lose their seats in the main hall. When it comes to risking their lives, they have no intention at all."

"Then you should not rush in; we could think of other ways!" Taiyin Youying said coldly, "If you meet the Sea Emperor, he wouldn't even need to lift a hand. Just one look at you, and you'd already be dead."

Hearing this, Shen Qiang smiled and then said calmly, "Waiting for them to come to a conclusion and then gather enough people to go over would take at least half a year. In the meantime, I think whatever decision we make, the Sea Emperor should already know about it."

"What do you mean? Do you think there are differences between them?" Taiyin Youying asked curiously.

Shen Qiang smiled slightly, "In the Huaxia Sea Domain, if the Sea Emperor's son can act so rampantly, do you really think it's just because the Sea Emperor is strong? I assure you, that is not the case. Among these Great Sea Demons, someone clearly has a very close relationship with that Prince Butes."

"And they have received some promise from the Sea Emperor. That's why they dare to openly defy Yu Jiang."

"This is understandable. With the Dragon Emperor absent and Yu Jiang unable to take charge, the Sea Emperor is a powerful ally. As long as they maintain a good relationship, everything ceases to be a problem. So, if it were me, I certainly wouldn't mind sending someone to Atlantic City with gifts to seek his attention."

Taiyin Youying frowned and said, "If that's true, what is the point of your raid? Isn't it meaningless?"

"The key to significance is that my proposal and request could make them stop wasting time. Not only that, but because it's an elite team, they don't have to show up in person. They just need to send a few capable people."

"If the operation fails, at most they'll lose a couple of hands. If it succeeds, I will owe them a big favor. As long as they are not foolish, this is obviously a worthwhile deal."

Upon hearing Shen Qiang's words, Taiyin Youying said, "But it's still too hasty; you can't escape the Sea Emperor's gaze."

"That will depend on you. I will temporarily make the Sea Emperor leave and assist you in obtaining the Flower Crown of the Divine Corpse as a priority. After that, you need to be responsible for protecting us."

Youying was silent for a moment and then said, "Shen Qiang, you are playing with fire. Even with the Flower Crown in hand, the Sea Emperor, being of the Divine Race, is someone I could at most hold off for a dozen seconds. After that, we all die."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qiang frowned tightly.

At this time, Qingxuan, who was standing by, suddenly spoke, "What exactly are the Divine Race's powers? I'm really curious. If his level is similar to my master's martial arts teacher, then if I recover fifty percent of my strength, I could stop him. At sixty percent, I could defeat him. If I completely recover, I could kill him instantly."

Instantly, Youying's expression became grim, "There are so many assumptions. If I could return to my original form, I could crush a low-level divine being like the Sea Emperor with a flick of my hand, but alas, there are not that many 'ifs'.

Qingxuan fell silent immediately.

Shen Qiang understood why. In fact, Youying had always been bullying Qingxuan. Shen Qiang was aware of this but had no other options. After all, they were naturally adversarial. Taiyin Youying had existed since the dawn of time, and Qingxuan had little chance of defeating her.

Now, the only thing Shen Qiang could be certain of is that by controlling the Dragon Palace, he could emit an aura to lure the Sea Emperor into the Dragon Palace and ensure that Youying could obtain the Flower Crown at the first opportunity. But he was also very anxious about the rest, as he had no assurances.

After all, judging from the situation that day, even if he could lure the Sea Emperor away from the main focus, it would probably only sustain for two or three minutes. Afterwards, that guy would definitely realize the Divine Corpse has been stolen. At that time, escaping in the sea would be nearly impossible, unless they surfaced and Ye Guyun flew them away. But underwater, anything could happen...

With a sudden thought, Shen Qiang said, "What if I help Qingxuan complete her resurrection as soon as I reach the Divine Corpse?"