'Hm?!' A creeping cold sensation engulfed Demon Tao's soul, causing his eyebrows to instinctively shoot up.
Demon Tao instantly tensed his body, his expression contorting between shock and wariness.
Prior to this, he had assumed that Cain and Amber perhaps have an idea of who he was. That last message of Cain certainly suggests so.
But not only did the duo seemingly identify him, but they also are outwardly showing hostility!
Never would Demon Tao expect both Cain and Amber to outwardly react so intently. Surely, they know about his background and just who he represents. A Divine Decree Lord from a Holy Land far superior to the mere Zhou Family.
The Zhou Family geniuses certainly keep their envy simmering deep within. It's like both Cain and Amber have no sense of caution.
Even as the duo are both Emperor Tier geniuses with considerable status among the Zhou Family, Demon Tao is still a great genius of the Cloudsea Holy Land. Anybody should be aware of his own status and backing isn't anything to treat so casually.
Even fellow Core ranking students wouldn't dare throw their weight around him.
And yet, Cain and Amber made their message clear within a brief moment.
They don't like him and want to genuinely kill him!
It took a great amount of Demon Tao's Will to not give an equally intense reaction.
Compared to all other threats he received in the past, Cain was one of the few he will take seriously. Especially now that he's in the Great Divine Sea realm.
At this moment, neither Cain nor Amber even believed they were being rash.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAll of Demon Tao's grandiose backings truly didn't matter. After all, how could Cain and even Amber stay calm in the face of the annoyance who continually tried to kill them?
The duo's sense of pride had only increased since entering the Great Divine Sea realm. Amber may have a lower sense of pride, but it was still prevalent deep in her bones.
No matter what, the duo already marked Demon Tao for death. People who repeatedly target them for killing would inevitably be slain by either one of their hands.
Still, neither Cain nor Amber tear off all relations, at least not yet.
Before anyone else could feel it, the duo instantly retracted their billowing killing intent.
Cain only had a faint smile as he said, "Just like how you heard so much about us, we also heard so much about the Cloudsea sect. So? What is it that you desire from us?"
"Straight to the point, hm?" Du Hu lightly chuckled. Her giggle was surprisingly melodic, despite her cold temperament. "Decisive and straightforward are certainly great qualities cultivators, no, geniuses must have. I can see it will be pleasant to engage with both of you."
At this point, Amber nearly had to stifle a cold chuckle. She instantly transmitted to Cain, 'To think they're really trying their best with us? Either they're desperate or they really value Emperor Tiers that much.'
'Well...perhaps it's a bit of both? After all, we got through the Zhou Family so quickly and quite easily. I just have a faint feeling they're valuing great prowess for some other reason only known by the higher-ups. Otherwise, how could Zhou Ping get so much fame despite only picking up two people with immense talent? Plus, without warning, Wen Shao simply wanted to kill us out with just a faint fear of us joining his brother.' Cain calmly rationalized.
Of course, he had no concrete answers at this time. But in the back of his mind, he had always felt it was a bit suspicious how he and Amber are so highly valued that it's nearing the same level as a Divine Mortal. Especially as Amber fights less than him and mainly relies on Spirit energy, yet she is still lumped as an Emperor Tier genius.
Perhaps all of those old cultivating ancestors are playing some sort of game that'll affect the entire society? It sounded a bit outrageous, but Cain couldn't forget this idea when considering how much foresight high realm cultivators gathered within their Spiritual Sea.
Either way, now wasn't the time for such thoughts. After only a moment of mental conversation, Cain spoke in an indifferent tone. "I must admit, we are a bit surprised we're receiving such a generous gesture from you."
A faint smile curled Du Hu's lips. "Let's not be hasty or hostile. All my senior brother and I want to do is invite you two for a talk. Perhaps there has been some misunderstanding between us. I assure you, we can smooth everything over."
Du Hu, a prime genius of the grand Cloudsea Holy Land, had nothing but genuine respect when talking to Cain and Amber.
Even within Du Hu's mind, her own personal feelings had surfaced in her tone. They may be on opposing sides, but anyone can respect a fellow genius.
The duo's showcase of their Divine Auras already thoroughly convinced Du Hu. Fighting may be inevitable, but at least it would be against more than worthy opponents.
Contrary to Du Hu's thought, an intense reaction surfaced throughout the crowd. Some were left a little speechless or feeling a bit silly.
Towards anyone else in the Zhou Family, even the highest Elders, this prime genius wouldn't give them the time of day!
Du Hu's disdain for everyone here was evident to all.
Though, none could really blame her, considering her origins far surpassed most of the Zhou Family and was heralded as someone special even among a high-tier Holy Land.
This kind of arrogance was nowhere to be seen now. But realistically thinking about it, who else would be able to command such high respect than fellow Emperor tier geniuses?
Everyone watching wasn't that surprised by Cain and Amber's seemingly subdue reaction to getting personally invited by a Holy Land.
For geniuses like them, special things would naturally come to them!
The awe wasn't shared with everyone, however.
Zhou Ping could feel his gut twisting over the implication of this invite. In front of his very eyes, Cain and Amber could simply vanish from his life without even a chance to change it.
Of course, Zhou Ping wasn't foolish enough to throw in his minor weight with Holy Land matters. He could only pray that the duo had a change of heart.
For only a second, the surrounding fell into a strange silence. Many, even Du Hu and Demon Tao, believed the duo will choose to accept.
Even if they don't see eye to eye, nobody actually considers that the duo would drop face with a high-tier Holy Land.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHowever, against all expectations, Cain's smile gradually grew, almost to an unnerving point. His next words loudly reverberated throughout the area.
"You know? Perhaps if we were still Divine Origin cultivators, we would need to be a bit cautious around you. But now? Let's not dance around each other, shall we? In the end, we reject your offer from your Divine Decree Lord and will further our communications with Divine Decree Lord Wen Dao instead. In this case, there's no need to play little games. Do you want to settle it here or in the Holy Land? Either way, it will only end terribly for you."
When the surrounding fell into silence, it was a different one compared to earlier. The silence was utterly deafening to a point where people can feel their heartbeats thump in their chests.
Eyes open wide, jaws dropped to the flow as they listened to Cain's brazen proposal!
All at once, it was like a flood gate broke out from the crowd.
"Did-did he just directly challenges Divine Decree Lord Wen Shao's faction?! Are they really that confident?!"
It wasn't a secret at all that both Demon Tao and Du Hu come from a Divine Decree Lord faction. Thus, many, even the high Elders had to tread carefully around them.
But with no fear at all, Cain challenged them on his own term without even being provoked. Many couldn't tell if this was overconfidence or if he was just that strong.
Contrary to everyone else reaction, Du Hu and Demon Tao stayed surprisingly calm. They only curled their brows as they fell into brief thought.
Demon Tao suddenly transmitted to Du Hu, 'It's as I expected. They must have already made contact with Lord Wen Dao! And in any case, I doubt our original plan to sneak attack and kill them would've worked anyway. These two are battle-hardened warriors. But even like this, I trust you can still win with what Lord Wen Shao gave you, right?'
'I won't lie and say that it will be an easy victory. However...there has never been a Late Stage genius that could force my full power. No matter how great an Emperor Tier is, these threats will die today!' Ruthlessness gleamed across Du Hu's eyes.
Since it had already come to its head, there was no point in continuing their previous farce.
Du Hu's expression dropped any slight sense of warmth. Her look now could freeze the souls of weaker Great Divine Sea warriors.
The tone she now used became chillingly cold as she said, "Since you're so confident about this, I issue you a match on the behalf of Zhou Ling's faction. Shall we get right to it then?"
Many others in the crowds, especially the weaker cultivators, had to suppress an instinctive shudder just from listening to Du Hu's voice. This was only the after-effects of her killing intent slipping into her Divine Aura.
The full brunt of Du Hu's Divine killing intent smashed upon Cain and Amber.
Only for a brief moment did Cain and Amber feel a small sense of cold. But that cold sensation vanished as Cain's faint smile remained strong.