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The God King's Residence.

The heat of a living volcano stained the surrounding space a faint red.

Heatwaves so intense, you could see them even with the naked eye smacked those present right in the face. Were an immortal king to visit, the heat would disintegrate them into ashes.

It was just way too hot.

The volcano erupted with scalding lava from time to time. Some of the molten rock flowed downhill into the lake, but most of it gathered around the small thatched hut at the base of the mountain.

The hut didn't just survive the scalding heat. There were even vines crawling up its walls.

In this word of heat and flames, this served as a bit of decoration.

An official in long white robes stood before the hut carrying a book. A staff-member from the Battle of Geniuses' lot-drawing ceremony stood before the official. The staff-member had rushed over as fast as he possibly could in hope of getting the God Emperor's support.

This was a diviner-level expert, and he was sparing no effort to condense his divine power into a barrier and ward of the intense heat.

Even so, he was drenched in sweat, and his throat was parched and dry. It was as if all the moisture in his body had evaporated.

"His Majesty the God Emperor is in seclusion. It's best we don't disturb him."

The staff-member was in a panic. Two factions were on the brink of breaking into violence. They needed the God Emperor to oversee things, but he was in seclusion…

"Divine Arbiter, over in the arena, the demons and yao have already started fighting, and we can't break them apart. The only way to prevent oversights and not seem like we're shirking our duty is for the God Emperor himself to make an appearance.

"The God Emperor is in seclusion," repeated the Divine Arbiter.

"Then what do we do about the situation in the arena? Surely you don't want us to just let them fight? They've already turned to violence. If we delay any longer, there'll be casualties. When that happens, what do we do when the Demon and Yao Realms blame us for it?" asked the staff member.

"I said it already: the God Emperor is in seclusion. Even for a far larger problem, you'd have to wait until he left seclusion to get an audience," said the Divine Arbiter.

The staff-member was so angry, his hands shook.

Seclusion! Seclusion!

All the Divine Arbiter said was "he's in seclusion!"

The arena staff member could see that for himself! What he really wanted was a solution; that was the only reason he was here!

Yet the Divine Arbiter seemed not to understand. They were being deliberately obtuse, just saying "He's in seclusion!"

If the God Emperor's Estate didn't care, fine.

The arena staff member seemed to realize the implications. He was nothing but a staff member his family clan sent as a guest to help run the competition. He'd come to report to the God Emperor because he cared about the God Realm, and didn't want Su Liu'er and Sun Yige's fight to cause his homeland unnecessary trouble.

But ultimately, he wasn't the God Emperor's direct subordinate. Although he and his family were under the God Emperor's jurisdiction, this wasn't his responsibility. If the Yao and Demon Realms broke into violence, or if someone died, the other two realms would seek out the God Emperor, not a petty staff member.

"Fine, but Divine Arbiter, please remember: I, Liu Wei, reported this situation, and you turned me away by insisting the God Emperor was in seclusion. If something goes wrong and the God Emperor needs someone to blame, don't try and pass this onto me or to my family; we are nothing but loyal to the God Emperor."

Liu Wei glowered coldly at the Divine Arbiter, waved his hands, and left the volcano.

He'd been itching to get out of this blasted hellscape. Just standing there had practically roasted him into human jerky.

"Your Majesty, the Liu Family member has left." As soon as Liu Wei was out of earshot, the door to the thatched hut swung open.

A man emerged from within. He was practically covered in lava, and as soon as he stepped outside, the vines covering the hut absorbed the magma, revealing his true appearance. Haves of blazing heat emanated from him, and they weren't even the slightest bit cooler than those emanating from the lava itself.

A waterfall of magic rain rained down from above, but when it landed on him, it evaporated into white mist.

The mist enveloped the entire volcano, shrouding it in white clouds. Before long, a refreshing wind blew past, dispersing the mist.

"That's good." The man inside the hut spoke to the first time.

The Divine Arbiter walked right up to him and said, "Liu Wei was here to report that the yao and demons are fighting in the arena. I think what he said was reasonable; we can't let them fight now and die before the Battle of Geniuses even begins."

"Do you think that Liu Family member is loyal to me?" asked the man.

"From Liu Wei's expression, he seems concerned with the fate of the God Realm, but I dare not claim I know what truly lies in his heart. All I can say is, this humble subordinate is completely loyal to the God Emperor,' said the Divine Arbiter.

"I know you're loyal. You're the person I trust the most," said the man, pulling the Divine Arbiter into his arms. He removed the arbiter's hat, and long, elegant hair fell like a waterfall. "You're my most beloved person, too."

"Your Majesty…" the Divine Arbiter's gaze filled with infatuation.

The man put his arms around her waist and snorted, "Let them do whatever they want in the arena. Someone will naturally take care of it; there's no need for us to worry about this."

….

"Ol' Liu, you're back!" The other staff members saw Liu Wei return and couldn't help but gather around him.

Although Su Liu'er and Sun Yige hadn't truly come to blows, the atmosphere around them was incredibly tense. Violence could break out at the drop of a hat.

"Did His Majesty, the God Emperor, come with you?" Although there were quite a few diviners present, none of them could stop the fighting. In his situation, strength wasn't enough; they needn't sufficient rank. Otherwise, speaking up would be a waste of words. Only the God Emperor himself could prevent anything from going wrong.

They were all eagerly awaiting his arrival, but…

"He's not coming. His Majesty is in seclusion and can't make it."

"Then…."

"What 'then?' Just watch. If they kill each other, that's one less possible enemy for us to worry about. I already reported the situation. If something goes wrong, it'll be on our superiors, so what are you getting so flustered about?" Liu Wei currently had a bellyful of flames and needed to vent, which is why he said all that.

After that, he ignored the other workers and turned his gaze towards Su Liu'er and the Holy Maiden.

Fight!

It'd be great if you could kill each other in the process!

The crown was utterly worked up, especially the god race elites. The Holy Maiden's words had infuriated them.

"Don't you think that Divine Demon General is a bit too young?" Just as the crowd's emotions peaked, Jiang Wei of the Navigators spoke.

"You can talk! Jeez, and here i thought you were mute!" exclaimed Chi Mi.

The others looked at Jiang Wei too. Ye Zichen nodded. "He is terrifyingly young. What, Brother Jiang, did you sense something?"

"That's right, but I'm not at all certain!"