Chapter 1140: Alliance Concludes

The two devouring whirlpools rapidly withered and collapsed following Xu Yang's words. The reason was simple: Soul Devourer Heavenly King's Dao Heart had completely shattered after Xu Yang spoke.

Manifesting these two devouring whirlpools was, in fact, an extreme overexertion of his physical potential. From the moment he was designated as the successor to these two devouring pupils, he had completely become a living tool, a vessel to be consumed.

Each time he activated such a massive, diamond-like whirlpool, it came at the cost of endless sacrifice and consumption of his life force. Of course, the masterminds behind the Emperor Soul Battle Group who devised this plan never cared about Soul Devourer Heavenly King's life or death; they only needed to extract the value they desired from him.

Whether he suffered or how long this plan could be executed was of no concern to those old figures. Soul Devourer Heavenly King was merely an experimental subject, despite his successful acquisition of the devouring pupils.

Before him, the old figures of the Emperor Soul Battle Group had never successfully experimented with any subject. Even if these two devouring pupils hadn't been successfully integrated with Soul Devourer Heavenly King, another experimenter would have taken his place.

This was precisely what Xu Yang referred to as the most tragic aspect of Soul Devourer Heavenly King's humanity. The moment he decided to become an experimental subject, he lost his independent human dignity, becoming merely a tool. Tragically, while constantly performing the function of a tool, he still possessed human emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

The Devouring Eye began to collapse, and with it, the surrounding spatial laws rapidly dimmed and faded within a very short time. This was because the devouring power, as it collapsed, almost completely annihilated the surrounding spatial laws.

The entire area around Seven Star Valley fell into a brief, deathly silence, lasting a full ten seconds. When everyone regained their vision, Soul Devourer Heavenly King had completely vanished. In the silent sky of those ten seconds, two extremely powerful auras appeared without any warning.

According to Xu Yang's judgment, those two suddenly appearing auras belonged to the minions controlling the Emperor Soul Battle Group from behind the scenes. Their arrival to take away Soul Devourer Heavenly King naturally meant that his role as an experimental subject was coming to an end.

Having revealed the power of the Devouring Eye but failing to completely devour everyone in Seven Star Valley, Soul Devourer Heavenly King was incapable of bearing such responsibility. It was conceivable that his fate upon being taken back to the Emperor Soul Battle Group would be quite miserable. However, none of this mattered anymore; no one in Seven Star Valley cared about the life or death of a mere Soul Devourer Heavenly King.

Only Shi Tiandao, who in this battle saw something he had never seen before – a revelation from behind his own battle group – was made to question his life. He even wondered if everything he had dedicated to the Emperor Soul Battle Group over the years was truly worth it, and what position he should maintain for himself.

Shi Tiandao clearly understood that if this was indeed a secret plan covertly executed by the masterminds behind the Emperor Soul Battle Group, and he himself had now become privy to it, then whether he could simply return to his own battle group and still be accepted by those masterminds was an unknown question.

After all this concluded, Ling Yao unhesitatingly entered a meditative state. On one hand, she was restoring her depleted energy, and on the other, she was repeatedly reflecting on the experience and insights gained from the recent battle, seeking an opportunity for breakthrough.

The Dragon Riders tightly guarded their captain, surrounding her, ensuring no one could take advantage of Ling Yao's vulnerable state during this time. Meanwhile, Xu Yang, with a calm smile, approached Shi Tiandao, not hurrying to speak.

Xu Yang simply gazed calmly into Shi Tiandao's eyes, hoping to discern his truest feelings. Indeed, everything reflected in Shi Tiandao's eyes was as complex and bewildered as Xu Yang had anticipated.

"Actually, you don't need to deceive yourself any longer," Xu Yang began. "Everything you've seen is real. Those old figures of the Emperor Soul Battle Group have always just been using you, treating you like a puppet. But fortunately, you haven't become a tragic tool like Soul Devourer Heavenly King."

Shi Tiandao slowly raised his head, gazing at Xu Yang with troubled eyes. It was as if he could no longer feel any resistance or hostility towards this person; he even wished to see a glimmer of light that could redeem him in Xu Yang's eyes.

"If you were me, what would you do now?" Shi Tiandao asked. He had never dreamed that one day he would ask such a desperate question to an eternal adversary.

"Haha," Xu Yang chuckled, "this is your own destiny, and only you can navigate it. If you truly want my answer, then I can give you one, or rather, offer you another option: Join the Glory Battle Group!

"I actually appreciate you greatly. As long as you can put aside your current standing, you can obtain a very special position in the Glory Battle Group: the authority to oversee all daily affairs of the entire battle group, second only to me.

"In essence, it's no different from your current position, because even now in the Emperor Soul Battle Group, you are not a true controller. If you come to the Glory Battle Group, not only can you gain an equivalent position and authority, but you can also gain genuine friends, comrades, and family who will treat you sincerely.

"This, for you, is the most precious thing, far more meaningful than your current isolated status. I can see in your eyes that you don't want to look back after centuries of struggle only to find a bottomless black hole behind you.

"Remember, this is your last chance on Yingzhou Continent to re-choose your own destiny. If you still choose to return to the embrace of the Emperor Soul Battle Group, your ultimate fate will only be more tragic than Soul Devourer Heavenly King's."

Xu Yang suddenly shed all smiles and pleasant expressions from his face, becoming sharp and severe again. That severity was as if he were a god capable of judging Shi Tiandao's fate, preordaining his outcome.

"Can you give me one day to consider?" Shi Tiandao asked. "I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer after one day."

Xu Yang shrugged indifferently. "Decide for yourself. I have plenty of time. As long as you've thought it through, the door to the Glory Battle Group will always be open for you."

Shi Tiandao, with utmost respect, bowed to Xu Yang in front of all the battle group leaders, showing him the highest reverence. Then he soared into the air, vanishing from the battlefield within moments.