Chapter 169: I've Definitely Made a Friend Out of You

"Oh, just so-so! I wasn't performing at my best today, or else you'd be even more astonished..." Ye Qiu said with a straight face, leaving Xingtian with a face full of question marks. Was that considered not performing at his best?

Good heavens, just how else did he want to perform?

Showing off? Damn it, this guy really knows how to show off. Impressive, impressive...

Because of Ye Qiu's few words, all the major clans and sacred grounds present were stirred into action, repeatedly expressing their willingness to serve the Great Wilderness.

Seeing this outcome, Ye Qiu was quite gratified. For now, virtually the entire Great Wilderness—except for those hidden major clans that had yet to show themselves—had been successfully won over.

Just then, the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow brought over a colorful peacock and said excitedly to Ye Qiu, "Master, let me introduce you. This is Lingling, the little princess of the Peacock clan, Lingyuan..."

"Ah! So this is the little princess of the Peacock clan you've been constantly fretting over?"

Ye Qiu nodded and gave Lingyuan a thorough inspection. He discovered that this little peacock was indeed exceptionally pretty—easily the most aesthetically pleasing one among all the peacocks he had ever laid eyes on.

No wonder she had managed to captivate this reckless Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow to the point of utter infatuation. She certainly possessed some charm.

Lingyuan felt a bit self-conscious under Ye Qiu's unabashed gaze. Her multicolored brilliance bloomed, and her massive peacock form dissolved into dots of light, transforming into a young maiden.

"Holy cow!"

At this sight, she appeared as a heavenly beauty! Even Ye Qiu was startled. This appearance... was almost on par with that stubborn woman Yuechan. Moreover, the two were of completely different types: one was as cold as an iceberg, while the other carried a trace of playfulness, giving off the vibe of a girl next door.

With this single glance, Ye Qiu instantly made up his mind in his heart: "Well now! Little Red, I will definitely treat you well from now on and make sure you never suffer the slightest grievance. After all, we are the closest of comrades..."

Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow: "???"

Cao He also stepped forward, patted the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow on the shoulder, and said, "Little Red, well done! You've got yourself a brother I'm bound to make. As the saying goes, when brothers are of the same mind, their sharpness can cut through metal..."

The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow tilted its tiny head, a giant question mark forming in its mind.

What do the two of you mean by this? Suddenly treating me this much better—you surely must have ulterior motives, right?

The wretched expression on Cao He's face made the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow feel extremely uneasy. Even Ye Qiu couldn't bear to watch any longer; this scoundrel Cao was still up to his usual tricks.

Ye Qiu almost felt like slapping himself across the face, inwardly despising himself: "How am I any different from that scoundrel Cao? Eyeing my brother's woman—I really am no better than an animal..."

Just kidding! Of course Ye Qiu wouldn't actually harbor such thoughts. Although Lingyuan was indeed extremely lovely, she was just all right; he had better ones at home...

"This humble maiden, Lingyuan, pays her respects to you, Senior!"

Though Lingyuan was quite puzzled as to why Ye Qiu and Cao He had suddenly adopted such expressions, she didn't dwell on it and respectfully executed a bow.

Ye Qiu waved his hand, readjusted his mindset, and said with a calm and collected expression, "Rise!"

"Many thanks, Senior!"

Lingyuan stood up, re-evaluated Ye Qiu, and seemed to have made a very important decision in her heart. She continued, "Senior, Lingyuan has a matter to report!"

"Oh? Let's hear it..."

Ye Qiu's interest was piqued. It seemed the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow was about to render a meritorious service.

The Peacock clan was a major clan indeed! A truly supreme ancient clan. If they too could join the Imperial City faction, they would undoubtedly constitute a formidable combat force.

Lingyuan adjusted her composure and slowly stated, "I, representing the Peacock clan, am willing to enter the battlefield and confront the Void..."

"Have you thought this through? This is no child's play. Have the elders in your clan consented?"

Lingyuan said with utter confidence, "There is no such thing as consent or dissent; my decision is the clan's decision..."

Indeed, as the most outstanding genius of the Peacock clan, Lingyuan's say in the matter was by no means negligible.

Furthermore, she had been nurtured by those ancient freaks in the ancestral land. Her words represented the words of those old monsters in the ancestral land, and no one dared to question them.

Ye Qiu nodded in deep gratification. He could see that this girl possessed a pure mind and a kind heart, which was clearly evident from her manners and speech.

"Good! Good! Excellent. I am deeply gratified that you can make such a decision. As the saying goes... the rise and fall of the world concerns every ordinary citizen. In the face of this great tribulation, if everyone looks out only for themselves, whom else can we rely on to save this world shrouded in darkness?"

Ye Qiu was filled with profound emotion. As soon as these words were uttered, they drew the gazes of many others, the vast majority of whom were deeply moved by Ye Qiu's statement.

"The rise and fall of the world concerns every ordinary citizen! What a magnificent phrase—the rise and fall of the world concerns every ordinary citizen..."

Imperceptibly, Ye Qiu's image grew even taller and more majestic in the hearts of the crowd. Every word he spoke contained supreme truth, piercing straight into the depths of their souls. This was the source of his greatness.

Everyone felt boundless admiration in their hearts! Standing at his height to view the world was entirely different from what they saw; this was the mindset of a true powerhouse.

If these words had been spoken by anyone else, they might have been treated as a joke and ignored by all. But because they were spoken by Ye Qiu, the significance was entirely different.

The reasoning was also very simple! To put it in the simplest terms: when you have succeeded, even passing gas sounds like profound philosophy.

"Very well! Everyone, disperse for now. We shall meet in the Imperial City..."

Ye Qiu casually dismissed the crowd, and then turned to Cao He and the others, saying, "Let's go..."

They had been out for quite a long time on this trip! If they delayed any longer, who knew if some trouble might arise back in Imperial City? Ye Qiu had no desire to waste time here.

Right now, the enemies arrayed before him were far too numerous, but the ones he truly regarded as adversaries were only two.

One was that Heavenly Emperor in the depths of the darkness, who seemed to be called Di Tian or something similar. The other was that titan in the depths of the Void.

When Ye Qiu had fought him last time, although he couldn't fathom the titan's bottom line, he could sense that he was definitely not weak...

Compared to Di Tian, Ye Qiu felt that the Void titan posed a greater threat, because that represented an unknown world and an unknown opponent.

An opponent you knew nothing about was invariably far more terrifying than an opponent whose details you had already mastered.

What kind of world lay beyond the boundary? Ye Qiu did not yet know. Some ancient texts carried brief records, but most of them were superficial and glossed over it with a single stroke.

The most common evaluation Ye Qiu had seen consisted of just two words: ominous...

Because of this, Ye Qiu couldn't help but wonder: was that Di Tian also from beyond the boundary? Was he the one who brought the ominous back?

Riding atop the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow, the group flew all the way back, intending to return to the restaurant to readjust their state. Lingyuan had already returned to her clan to discuss dispatching troops with her people.

Aside from the Peacock clan, many other major clans were also stirring, preparing to head to the wasteland at any moment.

Before long, this abandoned wasteland would become the liveliest place in the entire Great Wilderness.

"Shopkeeper, look ahead..."

Returning once more to the Imperial State wasteland, Cao He suddenly pointed toward a natural chasm ahead and spoke.

Ye Qiu looked in that direction and froze...