Chapter 713: Shepherd Boy’s Compromise
The Human race gathered in the remote mountains were quite a force to be reckoned. If the Human race could aid the Desolate race, then there might be a slim chance for the Desolate race to resist against the Black-armored Demon God, and turn the tables.
For a group of weaklings to face a mighty force was analogous to a herd of sheep resisting a tiger. Under normal circumstances, no matter how many sheep went forward, they would all end up dead. The differences between the two was an insurmountable gap. It was not something that volume could make up for.
The Human and Desolate races were in a similar situation against the Black-armored Demon God.
In a direct clash between a herd of sheep with a tiger, they were bound to fail!
The only thing that could narrow the gap between the two was to gather the weaklings' powers together, and that was with an array formation!
With a top array formation technique, the sheep's energy could be gathered together, causing harm to the tiger.
In the field of formation arrays, the Human race had a greater attainment in it than the Desolate race.
The Desolate race was adept at controlling desolate beasts, while the Human race had greater attainment in alchemy and array formations. Besides, they had a Cosmic Infinite Array, whose level in array formation refinement far exceeded the the Tian Yuan world's Human race's standards.
The Cosmic Infinite Array came from Blood Moon, and it was an array formation passed down since ancient times.
In its most powerful form, it needed eight Empyreal Kings and 64 Sages to control it.
Once it was activated, it could stir the cosmos and cause disturbance in the Yin and Yang!
In the Divine Wilderness, the Human race had once used the Cosmic Infinite Array against the Black-armored Demon God by activating it with five top Human race powerhouses. Although it failed to injure the Black-armored Demon God, it had managed to trap the Black-armored Demon God for a period of time, saving the lives of the factions' elites.
The Desolate race craved this array formation greatly!
Without the array formation, a group of unfocused Desolate race experts entering a head on clash with the Black-armored Demon God would just be charging to their deaths.
However, how could the Human race agree to the Desolate race's request?
This Cosmic Infinite Array contained very profound and intricate nomological Dao runes. To produce a replica? Difficult!
Especially with the Black-armored Demon God running amok, it became even more important.
This array was the crutch that the Human race was relying on to resist the Black-armored Demon God, so how would they be willing to hand it over to the Desolate race?
The Desolate race suggested that they were willing to send a Desolate race Empyreal King and a Primordial True Spirit to send the Human race out of the remote mountains, and ensure their safety. And this array formation was just to be borrowed.
But even so, the Human race scoffed at it. Borrow it? What if the array flags and array disks were destroyed by the Black-armored Demon God?
By leaving behind the Cosmic Infinite Array, that was equivalent to handing over the sharpest knife in their hands. Ignoring their future clashes with the Black-armored Demon God, this would cause the Human race to lack the ability to resist the Desolate race as well.
Hence, there was a conflict surrounding the terms and conditions.
Against the Black-armored Demon God's battle, regardless of the outcome, the Desolate race would make the greatest sacrifice. As for the Black-armored Demon God, it was not only the enemy of the Desolate race, but also the enemy of the Human race.
The former Desolate Queen could imagine how when they were fighting the Black-armored Demon God to the death, the Human race would be hiding by the side watching the fight in a joyous manner. They would look forward to such a battle, hoping that the Desolate race would destroy the Black-armored Demon God, while losing all the elites in their race.
The former Desolate Queen knew about the Human race's thoughts, so how could she just watch her own people die for the Human race?
They were Desolate race. For their mission, honor or Jiang Xiaorou, they could fight to the death, but why should the Desolate race sacrifice for the benefit of the Human race? There was even the possibility of them taking the opportunity to wipe out the Desolate race after a victorious battle.
The Tian Yuan world's Cosmic Infinite Array was the terms proposed by the former Desolate Queen.
The Human race could leave, and the Desolate race would send Empyreal Kings to escort them, so as to ensure the safety of the Human race, but the Cosmic Infinite Array had to be left behind.
The intense disagreement resulted in the legendary human figures springing back. They were at an impasse, because the legendary human figures proposed even more conditions for exchange.
And these conditions were things that the Desolate race could not accept.
What the Human race needed now most was combat strength, so as to ensure that they would survive.
They suggested that three Desolate race Empyreal Kings should control three Primordial True Spirits to fight for the Human race.
To bind these Desolate race Empyreal Kings, a soul contract was naturally needed. And this was not just any ordinary soul contract. It was the most overbearing kind that was as close to a slave contract, which could control one's thoughts.
Only with such a contract would the Human race feel assured, or the conditions would become empty clauses.
With three Desolate race Empyreal Kings and three Primordial True Spirits, it was equivalent to the joining of three Empyreal King level experts. It could barely make up their loses. Their array refinement masters were also studying the Cosmic Infinite Array. In the future, they might be able to make a replica. Although it would not be as powerful as the original one, they might be able to set up a few and use them.
And this condition had annoyed the Desolate race. Be it the Desolate race or the Human race, an Empyreal King was a mighty figure that stood up high, being able to rule over a race's destiny.
So to let an Empyreal King be a slave?
That was an insult!
Besides, by losing three Empyreal Kings and three Primordial True Spirits, it would result in it being a much more difficult battle against the Black-armored Demon God.
So how could the Desolate race agree to it?
What made the Desolate race and the former Desolate Queen unable to accept and be infuriated was that amongst the three Empyreal Kings that the Human race requested to be enslaved, Shepherd Boy's name was top on the list!
They actually had their sights on Shepherd Boy!
Shepherd Boy was a supernatural existence amongst the Desolate race, second to the Desolate Queen. He was extremely loyal and he had fought the Tian Yuan world for the Desolate race and retrieved Jiang Xiaorou. He had great achievements in battle with all sorts of honors bestowed to him.
Be it the members of the Desolate race, the former Desolate Queen or Jiang Xiaorou, they did not treat Shepherd Boy as an ordinary member of the Desolate race.
Even externally, to the humans, Shepherd Boy's name was extremely famous.
By listing Shepherd Boy, the Human race clearly did not only covet Shepherd Boy's strength, they also had the intention to seek revenge!
By letting the extremely proud Shepherd Boy become their slave was more tormentous than killing him.
The former Desolate Queen flatly rejected this request.
However, the Human race's response was extremely adamant. By not agreeing to this request, there was no need for the discussion of the array disk.
At the beginning of the dispute, Shepherd Boy had remained silent, listening to the debates from both sides.
He had lived for a very long time. He had seen how numerous people had looked at him with gazes filled with hate or fear. There was once that he was the representation of the Desolate race amongst the Human race. He was terrifying, powerful and unsympathetic.
Such a Shepherd Boy, be it himself, or others, would never believe that he would be willing to be a slave.
But now, after the debate went on for an hour, to the point of a complete breakdown in negotiations, Shepherd Boy suddenly stood up.
He minced his words clearly and said, "Only I alone will sign the contract, and I will fight for you for a thousand years."
He did not say much, but the words that Shepherd Boy said were not something that simple.
Shepherd Boy had bowed down.
With the existence of a foreign enemy, the Desolate race could not destroy the Human race who had the Cosmic Infinite Array, so as to rob them of the array disks. Then… the only way was to compromise.
For a Desolate race Empyreal King like Shepherd Boy, who treated his honor like his life, he would rather die in a glorious battle than sign a enslaving contract, becoming a puppet of the Human race.
But now, for Jiang Xiaorou and for his race, this was the first time Shepherd Boy had lowered his proud head in more than tens of thousands of years. He had to endure such a great humiliation.
Jiang Xiaorou and the former Desolate Queen had mixed emotions to Shepherd Boy's yielding. This pain was indescribable.
However, the Human race did not appreciate the Shepherd Boy's sacrifice.
This was because just Shepherd Boy's combat power alone was not worthy enough for a Cosmic Infinite Array that could gather the Human race's Empyreal King's powers.
At this moment, the former Desolate Queen had reached her limits and she was on the brink of flaring up.
As for the Human race, they did not wish to be outdone. Mystic Tiger Immortal suddenly released his Aspect Totem, pitting himself against the Desolate race!
This Aspect Totem was just a show of force. Mystic Tiger was hinting that if all decorum was broken, they would not rule out the use of extreme tactics, and they might even use the Cosmic Infinite Array.
Such internal strife was something neither the Human race or the Desolate race could endure!
And at that moment, Yi Yun and Lin Xintong had appeared. The mood also changed suddenly with their appearance.
Towards the Human race, Yi Yun and Lin Xintong absolutely had the terrifying power to destroy the balance of power.
The Human race did not expect Yi Yun and Lin Xintong to remain neutral at this moment, or even lean towards them. That was even worse than dreaming in the day.
If Yi Yun and Lin Xintong combined forces, it was difficult to tell how powerful they would be. Even if the Human race used the Cosmic Infinite Array, it would be useless against the two of them, as setting up the array required time!
And if Yi Yun and Lin Xintong joined forces with the Desolate race, they would definitely not be given the time!