Xuan Ji’s tone was grave, and she sounded sincere.
It didn’t matter whether the God Emperor trusted her or not. So long as Heavenly God City was under her command, she absolutely couldn’t let anything go wrong.
And she really was concerned with those guards less-than-stellar performance!
If they let any major figure of the god race pass unconditionally, what if the yao or demons disguised themselves, then strutted around the streets of Heavenly God City without arousing even the slightest suspicion? What then?
“This group is supposed to check new arrivals’ identities, right?” asked Pu Jingwan all of a sudden.
“That’s right,” said Xuan Ji.
“But I can sense quite a few demons and yao lurking around the city. If you’re worried about them invading, why have you let so many in? If you don’t care about them entering the city, then what’s the point in checking everyone so scrupulously?” asked Pu Jingwan.
This was a dilemma!
Everyone who entered the city, whether it was through the gates or three a transfer array, was subject to investigation. This was to see whether they were human, yao, or demon.
But even if they determined an arrival wasn’t human, yao and demons were still allowed to wander the streets.
If they disguised themselves as high-ranked gods and weren’t discovered, they could enter the city. If they were investigated and discovered as members of other races, they could still enter the city. They could enter whether they disguised themselves or not.
Either way, the result was admission to the city. What was the point in checking, then?
Wasn’t it pointless?
In the face of Pu Jingwan’s concerns, Xuan Ji smiled and explained, “We naturally have to let demons and yao into the city. We’re in the middle of the Battle of Geniuses, and other races can use this as an excuse to enter our territory. The gods naturally cannot refuse them.”
“But checking before letting them in is a lot different from not checking at all.”
“After determining that a new arrival is a yao or demon, we send them to the north of the city. We have people keeping constant watch over that area, both day and night. If they leave that region, we arrange for someone to keep a constant eye on them.”
“This way, we can keep an eye on everything they do.”
“But if they enter the city disguised as gods, then we’ll take them as fellow gods, and we won’t confine or keep watch on them. If they act up out of the blue, we’ll struggle to react in time.”
As Ye Zichen listened, he couldn’t help but nod.
Xuan Ji’s method exhausted quite a bit of resources and required lots of manpower. Keeping the city under constant watch and maintaining c.u.mbersome regulations wasn’t easy, especially when they had to watch their “guests” individually. This represented an enormous expenditure.
But this was the best way to prevent any unexpected incidents.
At the moment, the god race’s gates were wide open, so their top concern was ensuring their absolute safety and preventing slip-ups. As for their resources and manpower, while, so long as they could safely get through the Battle of Geniuses, well, it would all be worth it.
Actually, Xuan Ji hadn’t explained her plan completely. The methods she’d described only applied to earth and sky supremes.
They had other methods of keeping diviners and rulers under watch.
But this was the city’s concern. There was no need to explain to Ye Zichen in such detail.
She smiled at Ye Zichen and Pu Jingwan, then arched her brows. “Well, you two? Will you come with me and rest at my place, or do you want to head straight to the Divine Martial Academy?”
She then turned to Ye Zichen and added, “I think you’d be better off coming with me. It doesn’t really matter whether you go to the academy or not.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Do you really need me to explain? The Battle of Geniuses is just a pretext for yao and demons to enter Heavenly God City freely; that’s the only reason they suggested it. They’ve already achieved their goal. Now, all they have to do is plant the seeds of war. Surely you’re not so stupid as to think this is really about ranking the Upper Three Realms’ geniuses? You’re not that brainless, are you?” Xuan Ji pursed her lips and shrugged. All top-experts knew this, including the participating young geniuses.
The Battle of Geniuses was an excuse, a distraction. Everyone knew its true purpose.
Pu Jingwan was from the Outside, so she wasn’t clear on what Xuan Ji was talking about. All she knew was that she was here to keep Ye Zichen safe. That was the mission her boss, Han Nan, had assigned her.
It made no difference to her where they went. All the decision-making power was in Ye Zichen’s hands.
Ye Zichen tilted his head aside, thought about it, and said, “I’d best head directly to Divine Martial Academy.” Despite Xuan Ji putting the situation so bluntly, this was still his choice.
He naturally knew the true purpose of the Battle of Geniuses, but even so, he had to head over.
The yao and demons had to have predicted that throughout the event, the gods would keep them under absolute, comprehensive surveillance. They knew that anyone who entered later would struggle to play any tricks.
Then who was in the best position to act?
Wasn’t it the participating young geniuses?
“Do what you want.” In the face of Ye Zichen’s refusal, Xuan Ji decided not to push. She simply accepted his choice.
“Auntie.” All of a sudden, Ye Zichen spoke up.
Xuan Ji glanced at him, only to see him tightly knit his brows and say, “Why did Zhou Wu say he wanted to become sworn brothers with me? What are the implications?”
That….
On their way back, Xuan Ji had wondered the same thing. The God Emperor had said that out of the blue. Then, before they could react, he’d said it was a joke.
What exactly was he thinking? Despite Xuan Ji’s cleverness, she couldn’t figure it out.
She answered directly, her tone flat, “How should I know? You’re asking me, but who should I ask?”
“Can’t you perform a divination?”
“Do you think this is a charity? I don’t divine for free.” She rolled her eyes; she didn’t quite know what to say. “Say what you want about him, but Zhou Wu is still the God Emperor. Do you think he’s just some ordinary person and that I can scry into his secrets at a whim? Oh yeah, I’m almost done reforging the Yiyuan Soul Pearl. Once it’s done, I’ll send word. Bye for now…”
Just like that, Xuan Ji disappeared into thin air.
Ye Zichen stood there for a while, unmoving. Finally, Pu Jingwan reminded him, “Your aunt’s already left.”
“I know.” Ye Zichen didn’t even look up.
He was still pondering why Zhou Wu had expressed an interest in becoming sworn brothers.
Why? Why had he done it?
The God Emperor had said it for no apparent reason, then immediately declared it a joke. Ye Zichen couldn’t figure out why, or what Zhou Wu intended.
This was deeply aggravating to him!
Ye Zichen disliked the unexpected, and Zhou Wu’s invitation left him deeply unsettled.
At that moment, Pu Jingwan interrupted his thoughts and said lightly, “Is this place going to break out into war?”
“Probably, yeah.” Ye Zichen was still concerned about the God Emperor’s plans, so he responded directly, without giving it much thought.
“That’s great!” To his surprise, Pu Jingwan clapped his hands gleefully, then extended her delicate white hands expectantly. “If we go to war, you have to pay me extra!”
