Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

Cheng Cheng was amused by the little emperor's tsundere attitude and patted Ji Ba's head: "Do you want them? Do you want your parents? I'll give them to you if you beg me."

"Stop!!!"

Upon witnessing this scene, Ji Yushen's rage intensified. He roared, "How dare you desecrate the remains of the late emperor like this! Even I, who wish to utilize the power of the dragon vein, must frequently pay homage to our ancestors to maintain our connection, and preside over national grand sacrifices on important festivals to gain the dragon vein's approval! How dare you do this?!"

"Oh? So this is what the dragon vein was like when it was in your hands. Your ancestors were completely different when they were with me. If you have the guts, then keep watching!"

"...Enough! Shut up! Stop your slander and blasphemy!" Ji Yushen roared angrily. "Even without the Dragon Vein and Tiger Seal, unable to use other cards; even carrying the weight of the Empire's two capitals and thirteen provinces, needing to hold the Heavenly Origin Chessboard in one hand, I, Ji Yushen, am still invincible in the world!"

Having said that, she picked up the Heavenly Chessboard, grabbed the White Queen with one hand, and threatened, "Freya! Give me back what belongs to me, or I will transfer you to the side of the Death Demon!"

The "Emperor" may not have direct means of attack, but if he makes good use of the right timing and location, he can still kill people!

Freya blinked and used "Forgetfulness" on herself.

The next moment, she vanished from the world and from everyone's memory, leaving both Ji Yushen and Cheng Cheng slightly stunned; then she restored herself and gave Ji Yushen a smug look: "Do you think this trick really worked on me?"

Without the support of the Dragon Vein and without the [Glory] Source Essence, Himegami is nothing more than a legend. How can she fight against Freya, who controls the Source Essence?

Ji Yushen's face paled again.

"See? I told you, being soft-hearted towards the enemy is being cruel to yourself!" Cheng Cheng sneered at Freya. "The farmer and the snake, Mr. Dongguo and the wolf, Hao Jian and the old lady, it's all the same! Not to mention you're ghg, it's no wonder you'll get bitten back."

Ji Yushen: "..."

Fury surged within him, and Da Chuntian trembled with rage. Ji Yushen could no longer endure such humiliation. He gritted his teeth, suppressed his surging emotions, and finally steeled himself, shouting sharply, "Peng Longteng!"

"Chen is here!"

Peng Longteng stepped forward and bowed in greeting.

"All troops, heed my command! Commit your suicides and return to heaven!"

At Ji Yushen's command, Peng Longteng's body stiffened abruptly, his shoulders trembling slightly. After a moment, his expression returned to calm, his eyes filled with relief, and he replied in a deep voice, "Your subject obeys!"

Having said that, she drew the long sword from her side, the cold blade held steadily across her neck.

Almost simultaneously, millions of soldiers on the battlefield moved in unison, their weapons drawn one after another, each cold blade pressed against their necks!

"The second objective of the 'Dyeing Order,' the core killing move of the 'Chariot,' was originally intended for use against the War Demons," Ji Yushen said coldly. "Freya, Cheng Cheng, you probably don't want to try it, do you?"

Cheng Cheng and Freya were bewildered, but Pope Clement III was greatly alarmed and quickly flew between the two groups to smooth things over: "Your Majesty, why has it come to this!"

He then said to Cheng Cheng, "You two should know when to stop. If things escalate to this point, it will only cause pain to our loved ones and joy to our enemies!"

Seeing that Cheng Cheng and Freya were puzzled, the Pope transmitted his voice to them, informing them of the core killing move of the "Chariot": using the Evil Decree to convert civilians into soldiers, and then the entire army, including Peng Longteng, commits suicide. The heads of every million soldiers can create a false god that surpasses the legendary but is inferior to a false god, capable of lasting for a battle!

And right now, the number of people infected in the capital is well over ten million.

If Ji Yushen is driven into a corner, she really will resort to self-destruction!

"The demon of death has descended, and the earth will fall into silence as a result," Pope Clement III said solemnly. "Even if He does not attack proactively, as long as He appears in the world, He will amplify the murderous intent in people's hearts, just as the demon of war amplifies the murderous intent in people's hearts, and unconsciously make people choose to die!"

"Gentlemen, haven't you noticed? Your choices are being influenced by the devil!"

Cheng Cheng gritted his teeth, looking at Ji Yushen's serious little expression. He didn't know if she was serious or just pretending, but he remembered that under her proud white-haired loli skin was actually a very scheming, cold-blooded emperor, a wolf-like killer and paranoid who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, a suspicious, aloof, and stubborn mental patient. It wouldn't be surprising if she did anything.

Reaching out to grasp the white jade tiger talisman, and sensing the dragon vein beneath him, Cheng Cheng began to consider whether he was confident he could subdue Ji Yushen before she could make a move…

Freya sensed Cheng Cheng's emotions and gently patted his shoulder.

Cheng Cheng suddenly realized that he had almost fought Ji Yushen... Even if he had won, it would have resulted in the deaths of millions of people in the capital, and he and Freya would not have been safe either!

The influence of the demon of death... is terrifying!

However, the information transmitted from the white jade tiger tally made him widen his eyes slightly.

"What, you still refuse to return the Source Essence to me?!"

Ji Yushen appeared to be insane, and was about to order his army to commit suicide when Cheng Cheng suddenly said, "The divine position you desire is not 'Glory,' but 'Victory'...is that right?"

The anger on Ji Yushen's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a gloomy expression: "Continue."

"The ascension ritual of [Glory] is to control a true god or a primordial demon. But the Demon of War is dead, leaving only unclaimed essence. The Demon of Death cannot approach, so even if you obtain the Dragon Vein and the Tiger Seal, you cannot complete the ritual," Cheng Cheng guessed. "The ascension ritual of [Victory] is... to start a war that sweeps across the world and achieve final victory."

"You've already completed this one ahead of schedule."

"You were willing to sacrifice some interests to force Freya to surrender, and you even sent Peng Longteng to lead a massive army to sweep through other nations... Now, in this war, you are the biggest winner." Cheng Cheng spoke with increasing certainty. "And the 'power' associated with [Victory] is also back in your hands. The legendary ritual of this card is to possess the courage to challenge a true god or a primordial demon, and to survive the challenge... You have already accomplished that."

Ji Yushen's gaze toward Cheng Cheng gradually revealed a hint of apprehension.

"You are now a legendary figure with both 'Power' and 'Emperor' pathways. Once you obtain the Tiger Seal, you can skip pathways, seize it, refine it instantly, and gain 'Victory,' thus ascending to the throne of the God of War... Am I right?"

Ji Yushen calmed down completely, waved his hand to make Peng Longteng put down his sword, and then said, "Not only that, when I become the God of War, I will conquer and rule through war, or conversely, rule myself with the dragon vein. At that time, I will be the only dual-source true god in the world!"

"At that time, I alone can stand against any primordial demon or any abyssal foe! Such a beneficial act for the country, the people, and the world can only be accomplished by me. I was just a little bit away from doing it!"

"If you still care about this world and stand with humanity against demons, you should return the Source Matter to me!"

Holy crap, they're even using moral blackmail!

"Give it to you?" Cheng Cheng retorted, "You're the emperor, you lack nothing, why shouldn't I donate the source essence to children in need in mountain villages?"

Ji Yushen was shocked upon hearing this: Good heavens, there are actually people whose level of moral blackmail is above mine!

This child is terrifying beyond measure; he must not be allowed to live!

“Alright, I can return it to you, but only one.” Cheng Cheng paused. “After all, we don’t have an alliance regarding the ownership of the source material, right? So these are all my spoils of war. Giving you one is already my bottom line. If you want more, I don’t mind starting a war with you.”

"As for whether you want me to return the Tiger Tally or the ancestral tablets, the choice is yours."

Hime Mikami gradually became serious.

Cheng Cheng agreed to return a portion of the source material after considering several factors.

Firstly, there was a fear that if Ji Yushen was truly pushed to the brink, she might commit suicide and destroy herself. Secondly, what she said was true; with the demon of death descending upon the world and other primordial beings eyeing it covetously, humanity did indeed need a true god as a pillar to buy time for civilization to develop, and Ji Yushen, who could immediately ascend to godhood, was the best choice.

Thirdly, Cheng Cheng sensed that the demons of war had etched a "tradition" into the world.

The Daoist tradition is not a "rule" that Vilette can manipulate at will, nor is it a "law" engraved in the world by legends. Rather, it is an unchanging principle that only the true master of the source, the primordial demon or the true god, can establish between heaven and earth. It is the foundation that secretly influences the operation of all things, the great hand of the will of heaven.

The doctrine etched by the demon of war is called "Arrogance leads to defeat".

Specifically, it means: an arrogant army will surely be defeated → a defeated army will surely be miserable → a miserable army will surely be victorious → a victorious army will surely be arrogant!

After the Demon of War defeated Cang Xuan, he was already victorious. However, victorious armies are prone to arrogance, so he became careless and allowed Ji Yushen to repeatedly cut off his resurrection and mana bars, which led to his defeat. Arrogance inevitably leads to defeat, and thus he was attacked. Similarly, after Ji Yushen defeated the Demon of War, he was also victorious. However, victorious armies are prone to arrogance, and arrogance inevitably leads to defeat, which is why Cheng Cheng stole his source essence.

After that, Himeko became a defeated soldier, and defeated soldiers are bound to grieve, so she couldn't help but cry.

A desperate army... is bound to win!

Where is Cheng Cheng?

After seizing the source essence, he became arrogant and complacent. This is the principle that a victorious army is bound to be arrogant, and an arrogant army is bound to be defeated. If he were to fight against Ji Yushen in a state of despair, according to the influence of the Dao lineage, he would surely lose!

Therefore, Cheng Cheng did not want to return all the spoils of war to Ji Yushen, nor did he want to start a war, so he offered a compromise.

Do you want the tiger tally, or your ancestors?

Ji Yushen was naturally unwilling and wanted to bargain, but after realizing that Cheng Cheng was serious, she finally gritted her teeth and swallowed the bitter pill: "Give me back the tiger tally."

Did they actually abandon their ancestors and choose their own goals instead?

Well done, Hime-no-Kami! I love this kind of story about a loving father and a filial son!

Cheng Cheng nodded in agreement, then said, "Then call Vilette and Karen over."

"Why?" Ji Yushen asked alertly.

Cheng Cheng rolled his eyes: "Nonsense, without Vilette as a witness, what if you become a god immediately after taking the Tiger Seal and then try to take the Dragon Vein from me?"

You've been seen through!

Cheng Cheng… how does he know my thoughts so well? It's as if he's a close courtier who has slept next to me!

This person cannot be regarded merely as Freya's prince and vassal!

But he is my lifelong enemy!

Ji Yushen was both ashamed and annoyed. After hesitating for a long time, she finally took out the Tianyuan Chessboard and moved the white horse and the bishop pieces. After two flashes of light, the two legends, who had received treatment in the royal capital Silvershine City, returned to the battlefield, bewildered.

"It's over? We won?"

Vilette first surveyed the battlefield, and upon seeing the Death Demon standing frozen in place, she was startled: "Death... two Primals?!"

"Too much happened just now, it's hard to explain in a short time." Freya paused. "In short, Judge, I need your help to witness a contract."

Vilette looked at Freya and Cheng Cheng, and was surprised again: "My goodness, Your Highness! How come you were born on a dragon vein... Could you be the former emperor of the empire? Sure enough, I knew Cheng Cheng's name sounded like an imperial..."

"Alright, alright, I'll explain later. Let's get it notarized quickly." Cheng Cheng waved his hand.

A contract notarized in the name of "justice" cannot be violated even by a legend who wields the source matter. This is why the previous war was so fierce that the legends were unable to participate. However, it is uncertain whether it will be effective for Himeko, who is about to become a true god.

But the dragon vein can solve this problem.

The Dragon Vein [Glory] also has five legendary flames under its command: "Emperor", "Pope", "Judgment", "Temperance" and "Justice"!

By sharing the power of the Dragon Vein with Cheng Cheng, Vilette's contract level was raised to the level of the Origin Essence, which even True Gods and Primordial Demons could not disobey!

Thus, under Vilette's notary, Cheng Cheng and Ji Yushen signed a contract: the two countries would cease hostilities and there would be no conflicts of legendary or higher level; Cheng Cheng would return the Tiger Tally to Ji Yushen, and Ji Yushen would relinquish ownership of the Dragon Vein, which would belong to Cheng Cheng.

"Alright, return the tiger tally to me."

Ji Yushen's eyes were red and she was exhausted. In the end, she had no choice but to accept the current result - no matter what, she would become a god first!

Only by ascending to godhood can one have the strength to fight against other primordial beings and have the opportunity to obtain that unique crown... As for the dragon vein, we can find a way to reclaim it later.

"for you."

Cheng Cheng casually tossed the tiger tally aside, and the cold image of the ancestors was transformed into a warm tiger tally.

Ji Yushen took one last reluctant look at his ancestors, then grabbed the tiger tally and refined it in an instant!

Chapter 130, "To be discussed later" means to discuss it later.

The moment Himegami grasped the Tiger Tally, the divine realm descended into reality, and the Hall of Heroes unfolded once more.

Countless powerful figures traversed time and space, clinking glasses and reveling in unbridled joy.

A banquet was laid out on a high platform, with wine glasses full, delicacies scattered everywhere, and beautiful women standing by. Until the war drums sounded, the heroic spirits, now possessing flesh and blood and divine weapons, raised their weapons against each other with a mixture of respect and killing intent.

“Boom! Boom! Boom—!”

Endless slaughter, endless wailing.

Amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they gripped their swords and charged at each other, only to be slain by one another. Countless geniuses, fierce generals, and ruthless heroes were all obliterated in endless cycles of reincarnation, until the drumbeats faded into the distance and the final clash of weapons brought an end to the carnage. In the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, only one brave warrior remained.

Ji Yushen.