Chapter 1600: The Divine Arbiter’s Sincerity

The Divine Arbiter’s reveal of her true identity was no longer a shock to the great emperors.

It was just as she’d said: all of them, including Ye Zichen, had already guessed that the Stranger Chao Feng had invited to the group was none other than the Divine Arbiter.

It was hard to disguise pertinent details about oneself, and besides, she’d never really tried to hide them.

The Dao of Space was practically the Divine Arbiter’s trademark, and she was located in Heavenly God City. She was the only possible candidate they could think of. 

“When the Upheaval Alliance retreated, were you the one who helped them from the shadows?” Ye Zichen furrowed his brows.

“I wasn’t.” The Divine Arbiter promptly denied it. “The God Emperor wanted to take you out. As someone at his side, had I really intervened, and with the Dao of Space at that, he would have realized it was me. I’m not stupid enough to create such trouble for myself.”

So, it wasn’t the Divine Arbiter!

Xiao Yumei had told Ye Zichen that, while the Upheaval Alliance was fleeing, someone had assisted their escape with the Grand Dao of Time. And yet, the Divine Arbiter was insisting it wasn’t her. Then….

“Of course, it was someone I sent to your aid,” she added suddenly. “I know of the God Emperor’s plans in advance, so I secretly found someone to help you escape your predicament. You ought to know that, although the Dao of Space is a grand dao, I’m not the only resident of the God Realm capable of welding it. Never mind the rest; the great emperors here have gained enlightenment into space, too. They’re just not as proficient with it as I am.”

The great emperors nodded their agreement.

All daos were connected!

Pursuing any great dao to its limit was for the sake of condensing its dao heart. When high-level cultivators ran into bottlenecks, they would go out and glean enlightenment into other daos in order to push themselves towards enlightenment in their chosen dao.

They really did understand a little of the Dao of Space, but it was just as the Divine Arbiter said; they weren’t proficient. 

Mastering even one dao represented an enormous amount of effort. No one could master all of them, and depth mattered more than breadth. Even early-stage rulers knew about this.

“Then might I ask who it was who lent a hand? I’d like to know their name so that, should the opportunity arise, I can thank them.” Ye Zichen cupped his fist.

“It was my nephew, Shen Yu! That is, it was that somewhat overly arrogant youth you met just now.”

“It was him!” All of them, from Ye Zichen and his friends to the surrounding great emperors, were stunned.

The Grand Dao of Destruction was already incomparably despotic. Now, she was saying that he was proficient in the dao of space, too? He was so skilled that he could send the entire Upheaval Alliance and Profound Pavilion away, right under Zhou Wu’s nose!

A monster!

An unparalleled talent, a true genius!

Even if they thought him arrogant, they had to re-evaluate this Shen Yu.

He’d become an imperial-level expert in less than a thousand years, and he was proficient in both destruction and space. With talent like that, no one was worthy of his notice.

“Shen Yu has always been proud and aloof; he’s like that with everyone. But he really does have the talent to back up his temperament. Actually, it’s not just destruction and space; he’s gained some enlightenment into time as well. He’s just not as far along as my niece; he’s still stuck at merely slowing time down.” 

Just like that, she flung another bomb.

All of them sucked in a breath of cold air. Even the great emperors with their breadth of experience couldn’t help but look at each other. Their eyes were full of astonishment, both for Shen Yu and for the Shen Family.

There was no need to describe the Divine Arbiter; she was an imperial lord on par with great emperors!

Her clan was choke full of experts, and now, they had two monstrous juniors: one proficient in three peerless daos, another with enormous skill in the grand dao of time.

They didn’t even dare think about what the future would bring should such a family stand on Zhou Wu’s side.

“But Divine Arbiter, are you really worthy of our trust?” As the other great emperors exclaimed, Xuan Ji’s face frosted over. “The others might not know, but I am keenly aware of the nature of your relationship with Zhou Wu! If anyone else betrayed him, I could believe it, but you… I don’t buy it!”

Xuan Ji had worked at Zhou Wu’s side for ten thousand years, as had the Divine Arbiter.

As coworkers, they’d gained a rough understanding of each other, and Xuan Ji was keenly aware that the Divine Arbiter and Zhou Wu weren’t just superior and subordinate.

“I’ve never considered betraying him,” she said suddenly.

When they heard that, the great emperors frowned. Things had already come this far, but now she was saying she’d never even considered betraying the God Emperor? What exactly was she thinking, then? 

“I’m different from you. You stand directly opposed to him, you hate him, but I don’t!” Her gaze swept around them, carrying a hint of lamentation. “I will always stand at his side, it’s just, he’s been acting crazy lately, to the point that it scares me. I don’t want him to keep making mistakes like this, and I don’t want him to go down the wrong path. I want to save him, but my power is limited. I can’t keep working for him like this, and I can’t ally myself with the demons, so I have no other choice but to work with you. I hope… That out of consideration for how I’ve helped you, that if he really goes down the path of no return, that you can lift him up, and spare his life…”

Although her words didn’t bring them to tears, they were enough to move them. 

From her words, they could tell that she was actually rather pitiful; that despite her deep love, there was nothing she could do. Her love hadn’t changed, either. 

None of them knew just what Zhou Wu had done for the Divine Arbiter to react so strongly.

But they also knew full well that someone who loved the God Emperor as much as the Divine Arbiter wouldn’t reveal what Zhou Wu had done. 

At the end of the day, they were merely cooperating. They couldn’t become true life and death allies.

“That actually does sound like you.” Xuan Ji arched her brows, but her former iciness had vanished.

As a fellow woman, she could sense the Divine Arbiter’s emotions. It didn’t sound like she was lying; she’d meant every word.

They could naturally work together. 

If the Divine Arbiter joined them, it would be worthy of celebration.

The important issue was, how could they trust each other?

At the end of the day, she loved the God Emperor too deeply. Who could guarantee that she wouldn’t back out, or that she was infiltrating their ranks to obtain information on the God Emperor’s behalf?

“I understand where you’re coming from. You’ve given the God Emperor everything, and now his maddened behavior scares you. I sympathize, and I am sorry on your behalf.” Xuan Ji looked the Divine Arbiter right in the eyes. “But…. At the end of the day, you only care about the God Emperor. How are we supposed to trust you? Entrusting two of your clan’s top talents to our care as bargaining chips is nowhere near enough! They’re too monstrous. Who’s to say whether they’ll become true bargaining chips or just another threat?”

“Alright, then I’ll say this!” The Divine Arbiter took a deep breath, then turned to look at Ye Zichen, her eyes flashing. “Ye Zichen…. You’re the real Emperor Star, aren’t you?”