The Last Sentinel

One hour ago, at Chentang Pass.

The sky was overcast, with leaden-gray clouds pressing down on the eaves of the city walls, and even the mist within the pass seemed more stagnant than usual.

In the main hall of the Li residence, the candlelight crackled, casting the celestial calligraphy and paintings on the walls on and off.

"What? Greedy Original Sin fought Ye Feng in the lower level of the dimensional battlefield, Azure Sky? Greedy Original Sin was killed by Ye Feng?"

Is this news true or false?

Li Jing slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. With a gust of wind from his sleeve, the teacup on the table crashed over, and scalding tea dripped down the edge of the table. He was completely oblivious to this, his eyes wide open, his pupils suddenly contracted, staring intently at the servant who had brought the news down the steps, as if trying to see something out of him.

The servant was panting, his forehead covered in sweat, and his voice trembled as he spoke, "It's absolutely true! This news comes from Hua Xiaobai of the Heavenly Court! Ye Feng's true form descended upon the dimensional battlefield and utterly destroyed the Original Sin of Greed in a single round, purifying it to a higher dimension. Even his illusory clones in the River of Time were completely obliterated; resurrection is impossible! By the way, Hua Xiaobai is waiting outside right now; he has important matters to discuss with you."

Li Jing raised an eyebrow, a cold smile curving her lips. "Hua Xiaobai? This loyal lackey of the original sin of greed is already thinking of switching sides so quickly?"

The servant asked, "Sir, should we let him in?"

Li Jing said, "Don't rush, let me think about it for a moment."

He waved his hand, walked slowly into the hall, paced back and forth a couple of times, and the soles of his boots made a dull sound as they stepped on the gold bricks.

The candlelight cast his long shadow, which flickered on the wall.

How to describe Li Jing's current mood?

That was absolutely awesome!

He stopped, looked up at the coffered ceiling, and couldn't suppress the wide grin that almost reached his ears. This was it! What does it mean to have good fortune fall from the sky while you're at home? This was it!

Li Jing originally thought that after betraying Ye Feng's information, he was no longer of any value in this game. For the past few days, he had been unable to sleep, tossing and turning, and every time he closed his eyes, he saw the gloomy face of the original sin of greed, fearing that the other party would find a way to settle accounts with him first.

After all, the Seven Deadly Sins he had pledged allegiance to was only a low-ranking new celestial official; how could he possibly defeat the original sin of greed?

But who could have imagined that, upon waking up, greed would be dead!

He clenched his fist tightly and swung it forcefully in the air, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, and his breathing became heavier. Just then, a flash of lightning streaked across the window, casting an indistinct glow on half of his face.

Meanwhile, Pride, who had previously opposed Greed, suddenly became the new leader of the Seven Great Prodigies! After all, when Greed was at its most arrogant, Pride dared to confront it. Now that Greed is dead, Pride has automatically risen to the position of the eldest brother!

The more he thought about it, the clearer it became. He sat back in his chair, leaned back, and unconsciously crossed his legs, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrests with a brisk rhythm.

In the Heavenly Court, courage is more important than cultivation, strength, or background! Having the courage to oppose a powerful being, and not being killed by them, or even outlasting them, demonstrates your own destiny and great fortune! This kind of mysterious and profound fortune is what all immortals value most!

A breeze began to blow outside the hall, making the copper bells under the eaves tinkle as if they were celebrating for him.

Now that the arrogant and sinful Mo Lijie has become the boss, his trusted confidant Li Jing has instantly become a highly sought-after new favorite in the Heavenly Court. There are so many people who want to see Li Jing. The carriages and horses outside the mansion have been lined up since Chenshi (7-9 AM), and all kinds of visiting cards have been piled up on half a table. Even the gatekeeper is so busy receiving gifts that his hands are sore.

"Master." The butler beside him bowed and leaned forward, lowering his voice to repeatedly remind him, "Hua Xiaobai's identity is complicated. Seeing him could easily cause trouble. How about we put him in the back of the queue and see the elders of the Mo Li family and the Heavenly Wrath family head and immortal envoy of the Tian family first?"

The butler's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and his eyes flickered, clearly indicating that he felt it was too risky to see Hua Xiaobai at this moment.

"Foolish!" Li Jing said coldly, slamming her hand on the armrest and standing up abruptly. Her eyes were sharp as knives. "Have you lost your mind? Do you think Hua Xiaobai can be ranked lower?"

The butler shuddered in fright and lowered his head even further.

"Don't forget, Ye Feng could descend once and kill Greed, just as he can descend and kill Pride!"

He walked quickly around the hall with his hands behind his back, his tone growing increasingly harsh.

"To Ye Feng, the Seven Deadly Sins are all the same; he can kill them all with a wave of his hand!"

"Not to mention, Lord Arrogance recently killed Ye Feng's superior, Zhao Changcheng, and also killed Ye Feng's junior brother Qi Tian's younger sister!"

He stopped abruptly, turned around, stared at the butler, and his voice was almost squeezed out through clenched teeth.

"By making Ye Feng's men line up at the back, aren't you just blatantly telling Ye Feng that we, Lord of the Sin of Arrogance, will fight you to the death?"

"Do you know how much danger this will bring to Lord Arrogance on the dimensional battlefield?"

The last sentence was almost a low growl, so loud that the candlelight in the hall flickered three times.

The butler wiped away cold sweat, his sleeves soaked, his voice trembling: "But, but sir, the grudge between Lord Arrogance and Ye Feng runs too deep. Even if we show goodwill, Ye Feng might not let the Greedy Young Master off the hook!"

"Indeed, the hatred is too great!" Li Jing sighed, sitting back in her chair, picking up a fresh cup of hot tea, pointing at the butler, then at herself, "But have you considered whether he can spare you and me? After all, we didn't kill Zhao Changcheng, nor did we participate in killing Qi Tian's sister. If we have to say we've done anything wrong, it might be that I betrayed some of Ye Feng's information!"

He took a sip of tea, the warmth of which traveled down his throat to his stomach, making his mind increasingly clear.

"But then again, wasn't it Ye Feng who asked me to leak information that I was able to do so?"

"With Ye Feng's supernatural abilities, he saw through my thoughts long ago. He has seen through everything I've done, even through the river of time; it was all part of his calculations!"

He put down his teacup, a sly smile gradually creeping onto his lips. The more he thought about it, the more flawless his logic seemed.

"So, from this perspective, I am also Ye Feng's pawn, and Hua Xiaobai is also Ye Feng's pawn. Hua Sang and I should be colleagues."

Upon hearing this, the old butler's eyes widened and his mouth slightly agape. He could only praise, "Master is indeed Master. His mind works so fast. In just a few words, he changed his master from greedy to Ye Feng. How smooth!"

However, to be fair, the master's choice isn't wrong! Ye Feng is too strong. Currently, even the Seven Absolute Prodigies combined are no match for Ye Feng! It's time to show some goodwill towards Ye Feng. Whether the Greedy Young Master lives or dies is irrelevant; we just hope Ye Feng doesn't bury Chen Tang Pass!

A deep, resonant celestial bell rang from afar outside the window, its notes lingering and echoing as if tolling in homage to the dramatic shift in the celestial court's power structure.

Before long, Hua Xiaobai was the first to enter the Li family mansion.

The newcomer was dressed in white, with a handsome face and a perfectly measured, humble smile. His pace was neither hurried nor slow, each step carefully placed on the gaps between the gold bricks. Yet, deep within his eyes, there was a hint of shrewdness and urgency that was difficult to detect.

"Flower Fairy! I, Li, am honored to greet you! Please have a seat! Serve me celestial tea!"

Li Jing quickly stepped forward, cupped her hands in greeting, and smiled broadly, as if she were an old friend she hadn't seen for many years.

"You're too kind! Please, Patriarch Li!"

Hua Xiaobai quickly returned the greeting with a smile, but out of the corner of her eye, she subtly scanned the furnishings in the hall, taking in everything.

The host and guest sat down, the fragrant aroma of tea rising gently, weaving a thin mist between them. Li Jing looked at Hua Xiaobai with a beaming smile: "What brings you here today, Fairy Flower?"

Hua Xiaobai's face fell, revealing a bitter expression. He glanced towards the door, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice: "Patriarch Li, let's speak frankly! Lord Greedy Original Sin was unlucky; he ran into my former boss, Sentinel Ye Feng, and in his true form no less! He couldn't withstand a single blow and was instantly killed by my former boss!"

He sighed, spread his hands, and looked helpless.

"Now that Lord Greed is dead in Heaven, I'm no longer able to stand firm. I need him to cover for me!"

"I need the support of Lord Pride!"

"To be honest, I want to switch sides!"

As he finished speaking, he raised his eyes and stared directly at Li Jing, a shrewd glint in them.

Li Jing glanced at Hua Xiaobai, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and slightly raised her eyelids. She suddenly felt a bit of admiration for this scoundrel. Just a few days ago, this guy was vehemently criticizing the greedy young master's ten deadly sins, and now he's offering to be the young master's dog. This shameless ability to rise and fall at will is practically a talent!

He put down his teacup, a playful smile playing on his lips, and said slowly, "But, Hua Sang, I can't contact Young Master Ao Man right now."

Upon hearing this, Hua Xiaobai was not annoyed at all; instead, he laughed, leaning forward slightly, a smug glint in his eyes: "It's simply that the benefits aren't enough! Here's what we'll do! I can give you some information, such as the coordinates of my former boss Ye Feng's respawn points. Let the Greedy Young Master avoid my boss Ye Feng, so he doesn't end up like the Greedy Young Master, getting instantly killed upon meeting him!"

He lightly tapped his finger on the table, his tone casual, yet it was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool.

Li Jing's eyes widened suddenly, the teacup in his hand wobbled, and a few drops of tea splashed onto the back of his hand, but he didn't notice. He asked in a trembling voice, "Is this really true?"

"Of course!" Hua Xiaobai's smile deepened. He leaned back, picked up his teacup, and slowly took a sip. "Besides, I know the Li family once controlled the Prison Department, and Li Tianwang, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, was the warden, in charge of the Heavenly Prison and the Execution Platform! As long as you help me choose sides, I'll pull some strings for you, and soon the Heavenly Prison and the Execution Platform will both belong to your Li family head!"

He spoke with certainty, appearing completely confident, as if the warden's position was already his for the taking.

If Hua Xiaobai's first reason was the fatal temptation of the Demon Ritual Tribulation, then the second reason, the position of Warden, was the fatal temptation for Li Jing.

Li Jing's heart suddenly pounded, his breathing quickened, a burning light flashed in his eyes, and his fingers holding the teacup trembled slightly. He forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, lowered his eyes, and concealed the emotions in them.

There's nothing else to it. Li Jing is a projection of the thoughts of Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. This thought has the opportunity to inherit the original body's legacy, but this requires obtaining the original body's past experiences and memories, such as becoming a warden!

This was something he had dreamed of for countless years, and now it was presented to him with a single, casual remark from Hua Xiaobai. How could he not be tempted?

Li Jing took a deep breath, steadily set down the teacup, and when he looked up again, his expression had returned to calm, though the fire in his eyes still burned. He didn't keep him in suspense any longer and said directly, "Fairy Flower, to be honest, ever since the Sentinel killed Young Master Greed, my connection with Young Master Arrogance has become a one-way communication. That is to say, I can send intelligence to Young Master Arrogance, but he won't send me any back. I think he might be worried that Ye Feng will track his coordinates through some means!"

He paused, his gaze falling on Hua Xiaobai's face, and said, word by word:

"However, considering the sincerity of the conditions you offered..."

"I've decided to agree to your request first!"

"Give me Ye Feng's coordinates, and I'll support you! We'll serve Young Master Arrogant together!"

Having said that, he stretched out his hand, a resolute glint in his eyes.

Hua Xiaobai, beaming, slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup bounce. His eyes narrowed into slits with laughter: "Alright! It's settled then! Oh, and here's another piece of information: the Tian family and the Four Heavenly Kings' families aren't here with good intentions. Be careful, they might make things difficult for you!"

He lowered his voice, but the smile on his lips remained.

Li Jing's face instantly darkened, her fists clenched tightly in her sleeves until her knuckles turned white, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes: "These bastards!"

Hua Xiaobai picked up her teacup, took a slow sip, and a provocative smile played on her lips: "Want me to stay and help you out for a bit?"

Li Jing's eyes lit up with joy, and she unconsciously leaned forward, her voice tinged with urgency: "Is Hua Sang willing to help me?"

"Sorry for the small favor." Hua Xiaobai put down her teacup, stretched her wrists, and her eyes flashed with excitement. "Arguing? I'm a pro! Especially since I recently found a guy who specializes in media intelligence and gave him intensive training in arguing. Tsk tsk, even if those two groups come at me together, I won't be afraid!"

After he finished speaking, he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, looking as if he was already rubbing his hands together, eager to try.

Li Jing stood up, solemnly cupped her hands in a respectful bow to Hua Xiaobai, her eyes filled with gratitude: "Alright, alright, then please lend me a hand, Hua Sang!"

The wind outside the hall grew stronger, rattling the doors and windows. A new storm was quietly brewing over Chentang Pass.