Chapter 828 - The Butcher Strikes Back

After releasing a beam powerful enough to eliminate even a God King, the entire Wisdom Faction was exhausted. Their energy had been depleted, and for a short time, they could no longer provide the Wisdom God King with any meaningful support.

“Finally, it’s over. Our master will be pleased,” the Banquet God King said excitedly.

Wang Fugui waited, but the Will of the Divine Civilization never announced their victory.

The other God Kings waited as well. The declaration never came.

Standing atop the tower, Xu Hai immediately realized something was wrong. Han Wu would never betray him, which could only mean that the Eye of Wisdom had failed to kill the Slaughter God King.

If the Butcher had survived, what would he do next? The answer came quickly.

Xu Hai looked out across the battlefield and saw a rapidly forming trail of blood racing straight toward the magic tower. He didn’t need to think further to know who was coming.

If the Wisdom Faction’s members had still been at full strength when the Butcher entered their territory, he would have walked into his own death. However, every member was now drained. Sending them into close combat against the Butcher would be suicidal.

With no better options, Xu Hai commanded, “The Butcher is on his way and will arrive soon. All members, evacuate the battlefield immediately.”

He wasn’t giving up hope. Keeping them on the battlefield served no purpose anymore and would only hinder what came next.

Wang Fugui and the others immediately understood his intentions. He was protecting them. The Butcher was notorious for ignoring the rules. If he arrived and killed them, even the Wealth God King wouldn’t be able to hold him accountable, since they were now technically members of the Wisdom Faction.

“Brother Xu Hai, I praise your generosity and righteousness. I won’t waste more words of gratitude. If you survive today, whatever you need from us in the future, we will do without hesitation.”

The various minor God Kings spoke in turn before teleporting away one by one.

Although they belonged to the Wealth Faction, Zhao Zihong had sent them to assist the Wisdom Faction. Without his permission, they couldn’t leave on their own accord, even if remaining meant certain death.

Now that Xu Hai had commanded them to leave, he was effectively saving their lives. How could they not feel grateful to him?

Once they were gone, only Xu Hai, Commerce, and Jia Gui remained on the battlefield.

Jia Gui wanted to flee as well, but Commerce held him firmly in place and refused to let go.

Xu Hai smiled bitterly. “Why are you two still here?”

Commerce smiled back. “High risk, high reward. I’ve invested everything I have into the Wisdom Faction. I can’t just stand by and watch it collapse.”

Xu Hai was impressed. Others might call Commerce reckless or money-obsessed, but to Xu Hai, he was someone willing to stand with him through thick and thin.

“Li Xiulian, why are you dragging me along? Let go of me. I have no desire to stay here and die with you!” Jia Gui shouted in panic. He could already feel the Butcher’s pressure. Soon, it would be too late to escape.

Commerce ignored Jia Gui and turned to Xu Hai. “Since it has come to this, I’ll be direct. I want to make a deal with you.”

“What deal?” Xu Hai asked as he tapped into the magic tower to restore his energy.

“Let me sell Jia Gui to you as a slave in exchange for all the remaining resources and Divine Essence in the Wisdom Faction’s account,” Commerce said.

Xu Hai frowned for a moment before realizing what Commerce was trying to do. Commerce wasn’t trying to exploit the crisis. He was using the guise of a transaction to strengthen himself.

They had worked together against the Divine River Civilization before, and Xu Hai knew Commerce had a Divine Talent that accumulated wealth from transactions and converted it into strength. It was a one-time attack, but at the right moment, it could create miracles.

“I agree,” Xu Hai said.

“I don’t agree!” Jia Gui protested. “Why should I be sold off as someone’s slave?”

Commerce finally explained, “Jia Gui, this only benefits you. If the Wisdom Faction loses and Xu Hai dies, your slave status will become void automatically. If the Wisdom Faction wins, you will become one of its founding members. Even if you’re nominally Xu Hai’s slave, given his character, he will never mistreat you.

“You’re still only a God right now. To ascend into a Major God, or even a God King, you’ll need enormous resources. If the Wisdom Faction supports you, what do you think your future will look like? Think carefully.”

Jia Gui listened in silence before nodding. “You know what? You make a fair point. I won’t lose anything even if I’m sold off. Fine, I agree. I was born to be a slave anyway!”

Commerce exhaled in relief. If Jia Gui had refused, the deal would have fallen apart. Thankfully, he knew Jia Gui well enough to make it work.

The moment the trade was completed, Commerce felt a surge of power flow through his Divine Talent.

At that moment, the Butcher arrived. The bloody aura he emanated changed the sky and darkened the earth.

The Butcher revealed himself fully. He held his eight-faced war hammer in one hand. Blood drenched his body, and his killing intent had become almost tangible.

“Xu Hai, prepare to die!” the Butcher howled.

He couldn’t afford to waste time. He had no idea when Han Wu would notice something was amiss and return. He needed to kill Xu Hai before Han Wu came back.

He swung the massive eight-faced war hammer down toward the magic tower. If that blow connected, the tower would crumble instantly. Once Xu Hai fell from the tower, he would never survive a second blow.

Just then, Commerce sensed that his moment had come. As the hammer crashed downward, he stepped forward and unleashed every last bit of power stored within his Divine Talent in a strike capable of annihilating the heavens.

The strike was on par with a Subcosm life form’s attack. It collided with the eight-faced war hammer and sent a violent shockwave in every direction. The hammer shattered into pieces, and even the Butcher was driven back three steps in disbelief.

Commerce had exhausted every iota of power in that single blow and instantly reverted to being nearly useless in combat. However, as any seasoned merchant knew, the one thing you could never do before an enemy was reveal your weakness. Even without the strength to continue fighting the Butcher, Commerce kept his composure and gave him a look that suggested he was merely warming up. Every second he could buy mattered.