World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others
Chapter 593: Profit maximization

The imbalance in strength between the two sides meant that the tug-of-war couldn't last long. Once a winner was decided, the rope would disappear.

Apart from the Immortal Emperor, who was still forcibly controlled by Zhang Desheng's "Your Eyes Only See Me," gazing at him with tender affection, the rope between them was pulled and tugged, resembling a flirtatious game, lacking any real force.

The others determined the outcome almost instantly.

The Water Official Emperor and Earth Official Emperor charged toward Zhang Desheng to rescue the Immortal Emperor.

Meanwhile, the two Heavenly Lords, Xuan Zhen and Dang Mo, attacked Ning Xianping...

They were seasoned Great Golden Immortals, reaching Ning Xianping in the blink of an eye.

Ning Xianping, not even an Elemental Infant, couldn't possibly react faster than the two Heavenly Lords. Seeing them suddenly appear beside him, he was petrified with fear.

Du Ge reacted even faster. As soon as the two Heavenly Lords made their move, he flashed to Ning Xianping's side, using divine power to pull him away from the attack.

Flashing again, he transported Ning Xianping to where Gao Ming and the others were, along with Qi Wei, Che Shouchun, and Fu Qiao.

Gathering them together made it easier to protect them, and their skills could complement each other.

As for Zhang Desheng, Du Ge trusted that the Underworld Emperor would protect him.

Sure enough.

Du Ge turned back just in time to see the Water and Earth Official Emperors being flung away by the Underworld Emperor.

As they were sent flying, a rope appeared, forcing them into a new round of tug-of-war, pinning them in mid-air.

The process of being hit allowed them to dissipate some force, preventing severe injury, but the sudden rope interrupted their momentum.

At the moment they stopped, both Emperors spat out a mouthful of blood almost simultaneously.

In the next instant, Bai Yu Wuxia's skill landed on them, forcing the two Emperors to reluctantly use the Dust Removal Technique...

They exchanged a glance, looking at the chaotic battlefield with unprecedented despair.

Previously, they hadn't taken those Alien Star warriors seriously, considering their skills as mere trickery. But now, it was these very skills that had turned a battlefield where they held absolute advantage into a losing battle.

Especially the Immortal Emperor, a dignified quasi-saint, who, surrounded by strong enemies, was gazing deeply into the eyes of a middle-aged man, their gazes intertwined.

If word of this got out, the Immortal Emperor would become a laughingstock...

Everyone knew that if they could deal with those Alien Star warriors, the tide of the battle could be reversed once more.

But who could instantly kill the Alien Star warriors under the protection of the Underworld Emperor and the Human Emperor?

Even the Immortal Emperor didn't have that capability.

What exactly was the Dao Ancestor doing?

Did he intend to drag the celestial court into the abyss?

...

No one was controlling the Taixuan Emperor, and he began a new round of slaughter. Corpses fell rapidly, instilling fear in the celestial soldiers and generals, who, at that moment, felt the urge to retreat.

The Heavenly Lords were controlled by skills, helplessly anxious.

Watching the celestial soldiers die in droves, Du Ge felt a pang of heartache. They were all his power sources; he couldn't let the Taixuan Emperor have them all!

He was counting on these soldiers' abilities to boost his own power!

"Taixuan Emperor, if you continue killing, you'll become lost in power and fall into madness," Du Ge warned, unable to openly admit he was using the soldiers as power sources, so he targeted the Taixuan Emperor instead. "Blood magic isn't just about amassing power; it requires a balance of mindset and insight to achieve sainthood. If you continue slaughtering indiscriminately, once your mindset is dominated by power, you'll eventually become the next Blood Ancestor, forever barred from sainthood.

These soldiers are innocent; they're also acting against their will. Besides, absorbing the blood of a hundred thousand soldiers isn't as beneficial as devouring a Heavenly Lord! How about this: anyone who dares to attack us becomes our enemy, and you can absorb their blood instead."

"..." The Taixuan Emperor paused. He enjoyed the thrill of his power surge, but seeing the Immortal Emperor's fate, he dared not oppose Du Ge at this moment.

Angering Du Ge would render any level of power useless; he was relying on Du Ge to achieve sainthood!

Without high-level forces to distract the Taixuan Emperor, the ordinary celestial soldiers and generals were powerless against him. Under the influence of Huairen Bujian, many soldiers immediately ceased their attack.

To hell with the Immortal Emperor; survival was more important. They hadn't cultivated for thousands of years just to become someone else's nourishment...

As a chain reaction, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.

The celestial soldiers ceased their attack, and the Taixuan Emperor turned his gaze toward the Heavenly Lords engaged in the tug-of-war.

The Heavenly Lords had just determined the outcome, glaring at Du Ge with eyes full of hatred, wishing to tear him to pieces.

But they had no ability to break through Du Ge's defense to kill Gao Ming and the others.

Thus, resistance became futile.

Time and again, they found themselves in awkward attacks, tug-of-war, or even suddenly turning on each other in bizarre scenes.

Yin Kaiyun's keyword was hatred, awakening a keyword called "An Eye for an Eye," which allowed him to make anyone with past grievances within his perception range involuntarily retaliate against each other;

After retaliation, they would regain brief clarity...

In short.

Once the Alien Star warriors were protected and stood invincible, they could play with their skills to their heart's content. The Heavenly Lords and Emperors had never fought such a frustrating battle.

Each one was tormented to the brink of ecstasy and agony...

Feng Chang, the Dao Ancestor's avatar who had possessed a body, watched the chaotic battlefield, growing more determined to leave the planet and enter Pan-Universal Entertainment.

He fully understood why Du Ge was so obsessed with planning for Pan-Universal Entertainment. If he could unravel the mysteries of the keywords and master these laws, he might truly transcend...

...

Watching the Immortal Emperor gaze affectionately at Zhang Desheng, the Underworld Emperor once again condensed a sword of yin energy, attempting to kill the Immortal Emperor to end this catastrophe and, incidentally, let the Immortal Emperor's spiritual power nourish the world, lifting the twilight tribulation.

But just as he was about to act, Du Ge stopped him: "Underworld Emperor, wait!"

"Human Emperor, if the Immortal Emperor escapes, the catastrophe will be endless," the Underworld Emperor frowned.

"Underworld Emperor, I, too, have practiced blood magic. The Immortal Emperor's blood is a great supplement for me," Du Ge admitted. "The Jianmu can replenish the celestial soldiers' spiritual power; we should extract every last bit of value from him..."

Having tormented the Immortal Emperor so much, their enmity was irreconcilable. Du Ge naturally wouldn't leave such a significant threat behind.

Moreover, the Immortal Emperor was already at the pinnacle of the world; Huairen Bujian's provocation wouldn't work on him. Could he possibly incite the Immortal Emperor's evil thoughts to turn against the Dao Ancestor?

A quasi-saint was already challenging enough to deal with. If they angered the Dao Ancestor and he was immune to skills, who knew what he might do?

The Taixuan Emperor also turned his gaze to the Immortal Emperor, instinctively licking his lips. The thought of devouring the Immortal Emperor's blood was unimaginable. No wonder Du Ge wasn't interested in the celestial soldiers and generals; his appetite was too large, and he was the true demon!

But even knowing the Immortal Emperor was a great supplement, the Taixuan Emperor dared not compete with Du Ge.

He feared that angering Du Ge would make him a supplement as well.

His relationship with Du Ge wasn't that strong; being allowed to absorb one or two Heavenly Lords was already satisfying.

...

Hiss!

The Water Official Emperor and others gasped.

The Water Official Emperor angrily shouted, "Thief, how dare you! Celestial generals..."

His words were cut short by Yin Erchuan. Du Ge had finally gained control of the situation; how could he let these guys ruin it?

He was Du Ge's long-time partner, and their coordination was impeccable.

The Water Official Emperor only managed to say a few words, but the celestial soldiers and generals understood his intent.

It was nothing more than to continue the attack and help the Immortal Emperor escape. But Du Ge had just managed to stop the Taixuan Emperor; provoking him now was suicidal.

Since he hadn't completed the order, the celestial soldiers and generals were happy to feign ignorance. If Du Ge killed the Immortal Emperor, they would be free.

...

No sooner said than done.

Du Ge flashed to the Immortal Emperor's side, unhesitatingly activating blood magic on him.

Perhaps it was the protection of the human race's five dragon veins, perhaps it was Du Ge's immense merit, or perhaps it was the lack of murderous intent when Du Ge acted, but when he absorbed the Immortal Emperor's blood, the innate Jianmu did not retaliate.

The abundant blood surged into his meridians, and Du Ge's power climbed once more.

In the underworld, cultivating the "Heavenly Dao Underworld Domain Technique" strengthened his soul, Gao Ming's skills replenished his spiritual power, and blood magic fortified his body.

In this battle, Du Ge's weaknesses were gradually addressed, and the Dao resonance related to magic was slowly repairing itself.

As the Immortal Emperor's blood drained, his complexion turned pale, yet he remained in a state of emotional turmoil, oblivious to his predicament.

Sensing Du Ge's growing strength, the Taixuan Emperor involuntarily licked his lips, turning his gaze to the Water Official Emperor, who was occasionally tugging at the rope, and enveloped him in a mass of blood energy.

"Thief, how dare you!" the Water Official Emperor roared in anger, breaking the rope and swiftly controlling the weak water to counterattack, but the weak water no longer obeyed him.

He had no choice but to dodge, fortunately, the Earth Official Emperor intervened in time to block the Taixuan Emperor.

But it was only a brief respite before they were linked by another rope.

The Taixuan Emperor's blood energy swept over their bodies, instantly draining a significant amount of their blood...

In a battle between experts, victory could be determined in a split second. Even if their combined strength far exceeded the Taixuan Emperor's, the constant tug-of-war rendered their strength useless.

In an instant.

A thought simultaneously arose in the minds of the two Emperors: Our lives are over!

At that moment.

A stern shout echoed from the sky: "Thief, how dare you!"

With the voice, a gust of wind swept down from above, enveloping every corner of the battlefield.

Caught off guard.

Everyone on the battlefield was blown into disarray.

Even Du Ge, whose strength had surged, couldn't maintain his footing. Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough to use the weak water to shield Gao Ming and the others when the wind hit.

Even though Zhang Desheng was protected, he still stumbled, his gaze breaking away from the Immortal Emperor.

The Immortal Emperor was instantly freed.

The recent events flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, and he was furious. The Jianmu's shadow suddenly vanished, transforming into a cyan wooden sword.

He wielded the wooden sword, sweeping it toward Zhang Desheng.

The cyan sword energy crisscrossed, seemingly freezing space. Wherever the sword energy passed, it seemed to stir the universe, causing the weak water protecting Zhang Desheng to evaporate and collapse...

At this moment.

The Immortal Emperor fully displayed his quasi-saint might.

Under the watchful eyes of all, having gazed deeply into a man's eyes, the Immortal Emperor was angrier than ever. At this moment, he only wanted to tear everything before him to shreds.

Leaving no one behind.

The Jianmu had the effect of weakening enemies. As the sword energy crisscrossed, spiritual power seemed to be confined, causing Du Ge's reaction to slow slightly, leaving him unable to save Zhang Desheng in time.

However, with the cyan shadow of the Jianmu retracted by the Immortal Emperor, its suppressive effect on the Underworld Emperor vanished. He appeared in front of Zhang Desheng just in time, using the Wheel of Reincarnation to block the Immortal Emperor's cyan wooden sword.

"Underworld Emperor, have you truly set your heart on opposing me?" the Immortal Emperor asked coldly, his gaze as sharp as lightning.

"Immortal Emperor, this is my opportunity to achieve sainthood; no one can stop me," the Underworld Emperor replied.

"Celestial soldiers and generals, quickly slay the demons and evildoers. Any who disobey will be executed." The Queen Mother, who had returned just in time to rescue the Immortal Emperor, looked down from the sky, her face as cold as ice.

She revealed her Thousand Faces and Thousand Hands form, each hand holding a magical artifact. The gust of wind just now had been fanned by her using a plantain fan.

The Queen Mother was also terrified.

She was responsible for stalling the Demon Emperor, and their strengths were evenly matched. In a real fight, neither could gain the upper hand. However, the Demon Emperor, having tasted the benefits of the Alien Star warriors, had no desire to continue fighting. After a few rounds, he used the Primordial Banner to escape.

To prevent the Demon Emperor from repeating his trick, the Queen Mother intercepted and fought him for a while, until she forced him back to Mount Sumeru, before returning to the Central Extreme Continent.

But upon her return, what she saw nearly petrified her.

She didn't understand why the Dao Ancestor's disciple suddenly rebelled, but she knew the power of blood magic. If Du Ge absorbed the Immortal Emperor's blood, aside from the Dao Ancestor, no one in this world could suppress him.

But the Dao Ancestor's intentions were unclear, and the Demon Emperor and Underworld Emperor were Du Ge's allies. If the Immortal Emperor died, it would be her turn next.

So, the Queen Mother acted immediately, rescuing the Immortal Emperor.

However, she lacked experience in fighting Alien Star warriors. By revealing her strongest combat form, she inadvertently fell into Zhang Desheng's trap.

Zhang Desheng's skill "Your Eyes Only See Me" required eye contact with the target. Even a Great Golden Immortal could easily avoid his gaze.

But with the Queen Mother's Thousand Faces and Thousand Hands form, faces were everywhere. Zhang Desheng could easily lock eyes with her.

The Queen Mother only managed to utter a sentence before she was frozen in place, just like the Immortal Emperor, beginning a deep, affectionate gaze with Zhang Desheng, completely oblivious to herself.

Seeing this.

The Immortal Emperor's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He forced the Underworld Emperor back with the cyan wooden sword, slashing toward Zhang Desheng, roaring, "You can't stop me!"

But in the next second, the anger on the Immortal Emperor's face suddenly vanished. More accurately, his anger toward Zhang Desheng disappeared.

Yu Xia's skill, "All Rivers Run to the Sea," could forcibly reconcile two people filled with hatred.

Originally, the Immortal Emperor had no hatred toward Zhang Desheng, so the skill didn't work. But after what had happened, their enmity was as deep as the sea, and the skill naturally took effect.

Once affected, the Immortal Emperor's attacks were all directed at the Underworld Emperor, completely ignoring Zhang Desheng, yet he was entirely unaware...

Du Ge seized the opportunity to pull Zhang Desheng out of the battlefield. Watching the Underworld Emperor hold off the Immortal Emperor, he pondered for a moment before directing blood energy toward the Queen Mother.

Blood energy doesn't discriminate; absorbing anyone is still absorption!

Ning Xianping began a new round of harassment, occasionally throwing a skill between the Immortal Emperor, Water Official Emperor, and others, forcing them into a tug-of-war.

With the Jianmu retracted, the Immortal Emperor unleashed his full power, gaining the upper hand against the Underworld Emperor. But interference changed everything.

The tug-of-war ended quickly, but no one could fight while engaged in a tug-of-war.

After several rounds, the Immortal Emperor found himself at a disadvantage.

He had no choice but to redirect his focus to Gao Ming and the others, protected by Du Ge. This time, it wasn't about hatred but purely a strategic judgment of the battlefield.

He had to eliminate the Alien Star warriors to rescue the Queen Mother. Only by joining forces with her could he hope to win this war...

The Immortal Emperor abandoned the Underworld Emperor, wielding the cyan wooden sword to launch a full-scale attack on Gao Ming and the others. Under these circumstances, Du Ge couldn't continue absorbing blood energy and had to use all his focus to help them evade the Immortal Emperor's attacks.

Meanwhile.

The Yuan Sheng Heavenly Lord, who had been campaigning in the Eastern Divine Continent, returned with his forces.

The celestial soldiers and generals, previously intimidated by Du Ge, dared not act. The returning Yuan Sheng Heavenly Lord injected new strength into the Immortal Emperor, who was overjoyed: "Yuan Sheng, assist me..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted.

Fortunately.

The Earth Official Emperor, already familiar with the Alien Star warriors' tactics, took over, completing the Immortal Emperor's command: "Kill the demons and evildoers."

With the Queen Mother and Immortal Emperor, two quasi-saints, himself, the Water Official Emperor, seven Heavenly Lords, and over a hundred Great Golden Immortals, as long as they eliminated the interference from the Alien Star warriors.

In terms of raw power, they could overpower the combined forces of the Human Emperor and Underworld Emperor...

Of course, the prerequisite was eliminating those pesky Alien Star warriors.

...

At this time, the Demon Emperor, who had returned to Mount Sumeru, also learned of the battle situation in the Central Extreme Continent.

Seeing the sky-covering cyan shadow of the Jianmu disappear, he didn't even need to see it himself to guess that Du Ge and the Underworld Emperor were trapped.

The Human Emperor couldn't die, nor could anything happen to the Underworld Emperor.

The Demon Emperor immediately made a decision to send troops to the Central Extreme Continent.