"Hehe! What's wrong with what I said?" Facing Ya Li's sarcasm, Tang San remained indifferent and said, "If you fell into enemy hands, would you want to become a bargaining chip used to threaten your loved ones? Heh, do you really think the Tang family is as cowardly and afraid of death as you people?"
"If you insist on saying that, so be it." Ya Li shook her head. Since Tang San refused to speak further, she didn't waste any more words. A beam of holy light descended from the sky, landing on Tang San.
"You think just because you have the Goddess of Life backing you, you're untouchable? When the God Realm returns, I'll make sure to settle this account with you!" With a cold roar, Tang San's strand of divine consciousness quickly dissipated under Ya Li's holy light.
"Your Grace, Goddess of Life?" The Elven Queen respectfully knelt on one knee before Ya Li once again.
"No need to be so formal when you see me in the future." Ya Li shook her head and gently raised her hand. An invisible force lifted the Elven Queen up. Turning to face the allied armies of the three races, her voice flowed like a spring breeze: "The battle is over. The war brought by the invasion of the Demon Plane and Death Plane, summoned by the Sea God and his ancestors, has finally ended. Warriors of the three races, you may return home."
"Praise the Goddess of Life!" the soldiers of all three races shouted in unison. Amid the cheers, Ya Li's figure slowly faded away.
After watching Ya Li disappear, the Elven Queen immediately turned to the Human Emperor and the Beastman Emperor. "The Haotian Venerable and Sea God Venerable colluded with the Death Plane and Demon Plane. I wonder how the humans and beastmen plan to deal with them?"
Her words caused the leadership of both the human and beastman sides to fall silent instantly.
These two figures were representative leaders of the humans and beastmen, after all.
How should they be dealt with? Even the Human Emperor and Beastman Emperor didn't have an answer right away.
"The invasion of the Demon Plane and Death Plane has been repelled, but many details remain unclear. For now, let's detain these two. As for how they'll be handled, let the three races—humans, beastmen, and elves—jointly judge them. What do you think?" the Human Emperor suggested. In truth, he had wanted to take Haotian Venerable Tang Chen back for private interrogation, hoping to extract some secrets about godhood.
But since the Elven Queen had spoken up, he had to abandon that idea.
After all, she was the first one to openly express loyalty to the Goddess of Life.
No matter whether human or beastman, no one with sense would dare offend the elves right now.
"The invasion of the Death and Demon Planes cost the lives of countless ancestors from all three races. A joint trial is only fitting. My beastmen have no objection," the Beastman Emperor nodded in agreement. He was actually quite pleased about the fall of the Sea God Venerable, since the Sea Monster Tribe had been rapidly gaining status among the beastmen under his influence—so much so that they had even begun to surpass the beastman royal family.
Now that the Sea God Venerable had become a public enemy of the Tianxuan Continent, the rising Sea Monster Tribe would undoubtedly suffer a blow as well.
"Very well, then let the three races jointly judge them." Since things had progressed to this point, the Elven Queen didn't say more. She turned to a senior elf and said, "Great Elder, lead the elven army back to the Eternal Forest and report all that has happened here to our revered elders. Then have the Third and Fifth Elders come here. We'll conduct the trial of the Haotian Venerable and Sea God Venerable right here, in front of the countless heroic spirits who fell in battle over the millennia."
The Elven Third Elder oversaw elven justice, while the Fifth Elder was responsible for diplomacy. Since they were about to try Tang Chen and Bo Saixi, the Elven Queen naturally wanted to hear their opinions.
High above, Xia Yi and his group, having seen the situation, also began to leave.
"Husband, why didn't you ask Her Grace the Holy Spirit to take care of that Haotian Venerable and Sea God Venerable while she was at it?" Ye Xinglan asked, holding onto Xia Yi's arm curiously.
"'Her Grace the Holy Spirit'? Call her Sister Ya Li," Xia Yi gave her a look and said, "Think about it. If you were in her shoes, would you force Ya Li to kill them?"
Before Ye Xinglan could respond, Yuanen Yehui chimed in, "If it were me, I would've taken care of them without hesitation. But for Sister Ya Li… I wouldn't want her to be the one to deliver the killing blow."
"That's true!" Ye Xinglan nodded thoughtfully. "Sister Ya Li's hands are meant to heal and save lives. Killing isn't her nature. Although the Haotian Venerable and Sea God Venerable participated in Tang San's thousand-year scheme, which caused countless suffering across the Tianxuan Continent, they also led soldiers of the three races to resist the invasion of the Demon Plane. Leaving them for the joint trial of the three races is fitting. They won't be able to stir up any more trouble now anyway."
"Exactly. Keep cultivating. In the future, make sure to shield Sister Ya Li from things like this, so she can focus entirely on healing people," Xia Yi smiled. There was another reason he didn't want Ya Li to kill Tang Chen and Bo Saixi.
They were revered figures—the Haotian Venerable and Sea God Venerable—hugely influential among the humans and beastmen.
If they died immediately, they might even be honored in death. Despite their crimes, both races could gloss over their collusion with Tang San and emphasize their long-time leadership against the demon armies.
But now, with the prospect of a joint trial, both humans and beastmen would be forced to publicly explain everything about Tang Chen and Bo Saixi's actions—giving the people a real explanation.
Only this way could faith in the Sea God, Tang Chen, and Bo Saixi be truly shaken across the Tianxuan Continent.
"Hehe, shouldn't it be the husband who works hard to protect us? What kind of man asks one wife to protect another?" Yuanen Yehui giggled.
"Well, I've just got too many wives. Can't protect them all by myself," Xia Yi laughed shamelessly, not feeling the slightest embarrassment.
"Smooth talker!" Ya Li rolled her eyes at Xia Yi with charm and grace. "So, what do you think we should do next?"
"No need to deliberately do anything. If you're idle, just do what you love—go walk among the three races, treat the sick and heal the injured. Just like you did in the Douluo Plane," Xia Yi replied with a smile.
"And what about all of you?" Ya Li asked.
"I'm planning to build a spatial tunnel connecting the Douluo Plane and the Tianxuan Continent, to make travel easier. We won't open it to the public just yet—just for our small group. Once the three races have dealt with Tang Chen and Bo Saixi, we'll talk to them, and also have Zhu'er send someone to discuss connecting the two planes," Xia Yi stroked his chin as he spoke. Connecting two planes was no small matter. If he just opened a portal out of nowhere, the three races of the Tianxuan Continent might see it as another invasion.
(End of Chapter)