Despite his bold declaration, Huo Yuhao did not overlook the information brought back by the two Old Demons.
As the great man said well: Despise the enemy strategically, but take them seriously tactically.
Understanding the exact condition of the deities inside the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley and their strength would allow for better preparation.
And when he heard that the Butterfly God had left for a period of time while speaking with them, and that another voice had appeared, Huo Yuhao, Gu Yuena, and the others exchanged thoughtful glances.
Clearly, the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley currently housed more than one deity. At least two.
Moreover, according to the two Old Demons' description, the Butterfly God Tang Wutong seemed to be only a divine consciousness, at least the one who came out to meet them was merely a divine consciousness.
Afterward, Huo Yuhao inquired about further details, even directly searching their souls to witness the conversation between the Old Demons and Tang Wutong. Then the group began discussing the intelligence.
"Butterfly God, an existence from ten thousand years ago. Yuhao, do you know her?" Gu Yuena used a barrier to cover the group, preventing outsiders from approaching, before speaking.
"She is a second-class deity, Tang San's daughter."
Huo Yuhao smiled. "You can tell that much just from Wu Lin's name."
Tang Wutong, Tang Wulin. Indeed.
Gu Yuena was momentarily speechless.
Sending a child down to the mortal world after ten thousand years. What kind of strange custom was this on Sea God Tang San's part?
Huo Yuhao glanced at the two Old Demons and continued. "Although the information is limited, we can still analyze a few things. First, when Tang Wutong spoke with them, she didn't use any Fire God-related terms to describe me. She directly called me Huo Yuhao. She has clearly seen the Fire God before, which means she likely distinguished me from the Divine Realm's Fire God."
"Second, their memories contain the full story of the Shrek Battle and my training on Devil Island, as well as my battle with the Titan Giant Ape. Even after reading those memories, they still had the confidence to face us and demand that we trade something for the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley. That means someone among them is a third-class deity at minimum, or they have several divine officials."
The seven Old Demons had learned the full story of Shrek's destruction from the Nightmare Old Demon, combined with the battle on Devil Island. The displays of power in those two sets of memories were enough for Tang Wutong and the others to glean some intelligence, to know that they were facing several divine official-level combatants on this side.
Under such circumstances, Tang Wutong and the others still had the confidence to face them. Setting aside the possibility of bluffs, that meant the other side had sufficient strength.
After all, Da Ming and Er Ming served as good reference points. Their experiences facing this group had already shown that one or two divine officials would only end up at a disadvantage against them. At the very least, they would need more experts, or someone stronger than a divine official, like Ah Yin, to negotiate with them.
And compared to the scenario of the place being packed with deities, all at divine official combat strength, Huo Yuhao clearly leaned toward the existence of someone above the divine official level.
The Desire Old Demon and Devouring Old Demon: "???"
Hearing Huo Yuhao's analysis, their expressions turned as if they had eaten shit, utterly disgusted.
No wonder they had been sent inside, with strange restrictions placed on them. It was just fishing for information.
Sometimes, a single piece of information was enough to deduce many things.
"The information is a bit sparse, but if there's a third-class deity or even higher..."
Emperor Tian pondered for a moment, then frowned. "That's a bit troublesome. If you don't want to negotiate and instead want to seize the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley through battle, even if we can win, we might not be able to stop them if they try to flee. That would leave us with several hidden enemies."
Clearly, he still remembered the incident when Chen Xinjie's divine consciousness had escaped.
"Moreover, fighting inside the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley would also destroy it, which goes against your interests."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao did not argue and nodded lightly.
Indeed, these were all factors that needed consideration.
However...
"Emperor Tian, those two things aren't what you're most worried about, are they?"
Huo Yuhao said, "What you're most worried about is that there really is a second-class deity among them."
"Even a heavily injured second-class deity cannot be underestimated, especially when there are two potential second-class deity enemies."
Emperor Tian sighed and nodded.
Ever since learning that Ah Yin, a second-class deity, had been forced by Huo Yuhao and the others to hand over the Golden Tree, Emperor Tian had already guessed the gist of the so-called Ten-Thousand-Year Plan.
It was almost certainly to devour the Abyss and elevate the Douluo Plane. For that purpose, Ah Yin and the Plane Lord Tang Hao needed to remain hidden. By concealing the fact that the Douluo Continent had second-class deities, they could let the Abyss act according to their plan.
However, if there were second-class deities inside the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley, setting aside whether they could win, the battle fluctuations from fighting a second-class deity would be nearly impossible to conceal.
If that happened, the Abyss's reaction aside, Ah Yin and Tang Hao might very well abandon the so-called Ten-Thousand-Year Plan and instead come to support the deities in the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley.
After all, one of the deities there had already been confirmed to be Tang Wutong. The other deities might very well be the first-generation Shrek Seven Devils. Just based on relationships alone, Ah Yin and Tang Hao would support them. Moreover, if second-class deities were already making a move, there would be little point in Ah Yin and Tang Hao continuing to hide. The Ten-Thousand-Year Plan would have effectively failed.
At that point, they would be facing multiple second-class deities directly. To be honest, not just Emperor Tian, but even Gu Yuena felt a bit daunted.
"All in all, I believe that directly starting a battle right now is not appropriate."
Emperor Tian made his conclusion. "At the very least, we need to know the condition of the deities inside, their strength and injuries. So I recommend negotiating first, using that opportunity to gather some intelligence."
"If feasible, we can simply trade for the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley and have them leave. We don't necessarily have to fight to the death with them right now."
Right now, obtaining the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley could only be done through force or negotiation. He wasn't like the Golden Dragon King, who only knew how to fight for the thrill of it. Rushing into battle without even knowing the situation inside was truly asking for death.
Huo Yuhao nodded. "I also plan to negotiate first. However, there's one point I don't agree with."
"For now, we don't have to fight them to the death, but we also can't let them leave and reunite with Ah Yin and the others."
Having Ah Yin and Tang Hao as potential backstabbers was already enough. It was best to deal with this side as well. Whether they could kill them didn't matter, but they absolutely could not let them escape.
Emperor Tian was startled and looked at Huo Yuhao with confusion.
What he meant was to trap them? Where on the Douluo Continent could trap deities?
Meeting Emperor Tian's gaze, Huo Yuhao smiled without answering, his eyes turning toward Gu Yuena's wrist.
Gu Yuena followed his gaze to the bracelet and understood.
If they could bring the deities of the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley there, then all of Emperor Tian's concerns would be resolved.
No need to worry about them escaping, no need to worry about them destroying the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley, and no need to worry about them contacting Tang Hao and the others.
The initiative would be completely in their hands.
Walking into the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley himself, Huo Yuhao couldn't quite describe his feelings.
It was rather peculiar.
His impression of this place was extremely poor, but thinking that soon he would be able to refine it and take it into his possession, he felt it didn't matter much.
"So this is the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley?"
Gu Yuena, who had entered alongside Huo Yuhao, surveyed her surroundings.
At the center of the lake, a stretch of golden waters hung like a warm sun, radiant and dazzling. Adjacent to it, a crescent of silver lake lay like a new moon, its glow gentle. Sun and moon shone together, coexisting in one lake.
The scenery was quite beautiful, but thinking that this was a place that tested emotions, Gu Yuena couldn't help but glance at Huo Yuhao.
Just then, as if finally detecting a qualified man and woman, the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley rarely began to function properly.
It attempted to pull Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena into the so-called Qiankun Questioning of Love.
But just as the scenery began to shift, Gu Yuena let out a cold snort, and her divine consciousness erupted violently.
The force attempting to pull them instantly froze, like a beast with its throat seized, letting out a low whimper. Then, the entire space of the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley trembled violently. The golden and silver lake surface churned and boiled, the sun-moon phenomenon warping and deforming as if on the verge of collapse at any moment.
"Our feelings need no one's examination, let alone an inanimate object's."
Her voice was not loud, but carried an air of unquestionable authority.
The trembling lasted three breaths, then ceased abruptly.
The Qiankun Questioning Love Valley fell silent.
Ning Rongrong and the others in the shadows:
To be honest, this was the first time in all these years that the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley had encountered such a situation. Being directly suppressed like that?
Soon, Ning Rongrong recovered from her surprise, her expression turning somewhat serious as she looked at Gu Yuena.
The divine consciousness just now was extremely unusual. Nine parts out of ten, something was off. It appeared to be at the ordinary Divine Origin realm, yet the intensity didn't match. Moreover, she couldn't identify this deity's identity.
"Wu Tong, be careful."
"I know."
Tang Wutong nodded and departed, appearing before Huo Yuhao.
The two locked eyes.
Tang Wutong looked at Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena with curiosity, scrutiny, and speculation.
Who were these two reincarnations of?
Huo Yuhao's gaze toward her carried a hint of emotion.
Seeing Tang Wutong, he found his state of mind surprisingly calm. After all, strictly speaking, there was no enmity between them. The one watching him was Tang San. He could face Tang Wulin calmly, so he wouldn't lose his composure before her either.
In the end, Tang Wutong spoke first. "I didn't expect you to just walk right in. Aren't you worried this might be a trap? Huo Yuhao, the impression you gave me before was of someone very cautious. I thought you'd send someone to negotiate."
Huo Yuhao heard this, set aside his emotions, and shook his head with a smile.
"Coming in person to negotiate proves sincerity. I believe I've shown sincerity on my side, so you'll show some sincerity on yours as well, yes? Won't those in the shadows come out to meet us?"
Tang Wutong raised an eyebrow, displeased. "I'm the one negotiating this deal with you!"
"You're only a wisp of divine consciousness. We can all see that." Gu Yuena said flatly. "Some things, you can't decide. In the end, you'll still have to consult your elders. So rather than that, why not just talk to someone who can make decisions from the start? Besides, we've come to your home turf. Surely you're not afraid to meet us?"
Tang Wutong frowned. "Who said I'm afraid?!"
At this point, Huo Yuhao gently pressed Gu Yuena's hand, signaling her to ease up, then looked at Tang Wutong, his tone softening somewhat. "We mean no disrespect. It's just that you all seem to have not been outside for quite some time, haven't you? With the Abyss looming over the Douluo Continent right now, it's better to avoid divine battles if possible. There's no need to be so cautious."
Watching the husband-wife duo play good cop-bad cop in front of her, with the underlying implication of "are you scared or what" woven into every word, Tang Wutong was furious.
They were ganging up on her because she was alone, were they? Their strength wasn't fully restored either, so what gave them the right to look down on her wisp of divine consciousness?
Oscar, watching from the shadows, couldn't help but laugh wryly. "It seems if we don't go out, they won't relent."
Clearly, the other side wanted to meet them first, assess their background and strength, and only then discuss the trade.
This wasn't hard to understand. If it was just Tang Wutong's wisp of divine consciousness, she wasn't qualified to make a deal with them.
Moreover...
"They know about the Abyss. That does warrant a serious discussion. Let's go together."
Oscar said to Ning Rongrong.
If he went alone, with his current strength, he might not carry enough weight.
And if Ning Rongrong went alone, as a support who had mostly stayed in the back during the Divine Realm War, she might be underestimated by the two suspected deities. But if they went together, no deity would dare look down on them.
After all, the gods had witnessed his abilities. With Oscar by her side, he could produce replication sausages for Ning Rongrong to consume. Then she would be more than just a support deity.
So, just as Tang Wutong was being talked into silence by the two, fuming inwardly, two lights slowly emerged from the depths of the void.
One golden, elegant and noble. One multicolored, gentle and restrained.
Ning Rongrong and Oscar walked out side by side, landing beside Tang Wutong.
"Aunt Rongrong, you—"
Tang Wutong was startled.
"Leave it to us." Ning Rongrong gently patted Tang Wutong's shoulder, then looked at Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena. "We're here. Now can we have a proper conversation?"
"...So it's the Nine-Colored Celestial Maiden and the Food God. A pleasure."
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes, recognizing them.
On this point, he had to thank Shrek for passing down the appearances of the Shrek Seven Devils through generations, allowing him to recognize the real ones when he saw them.
At that moment, Gu Yuena's voice transmitted into Huo Yuhao's ear. "Ning Rongrong is a second-class deity who hasn't re-cultivated. But she has injuries, the Golden Dragon King's Destruction Divine Persona energy."
Huo Yuhao understood.
He looked at the two, his gaze growing deeper.
"Let's skip the pleasantries."
Ning Rongrong raised her hand and conjured several stone stools, looking up at Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena. "Let's sit and talk."
Huo Yuhao exchanged a glance with Gu Yuena, then sat down calmly.
Tang Wutong also sat down reluctantly, glaring at the two with puffed cheeks.
"Now that Aunt Rongrong and Uncle Oscar are out, shouldn't you reveal your identities too? I don't believe you're elemental gods. Don't try to pass yourselves off as something you're not."
Huo Yuhao: "Being mistaken for the Fire God earlier was not my doing. That Titan Giant Ape simply assumed so himself and spread it around. When a true deity spreads such a claim, the public naturally believes it."
Tang Wutong: "..."
Second Father truly was, truly was... remarkably wise.
"As for our identities..." Huo Yuhao smiled slightly. "Information has value too. If you're willing to pay the price for it, I can tell you."
"If you don't want to say it, just say so—"
Tang Wutong muttered.
"Wu Tong."
Oscar coughed lightly, giving her a restraining look, then turned his gaze to Huo Yuhao, asking with pointed meaning, "I wonder, could you elaborate on the Abyss you mentioned just now?"
***
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