However, Yin's denial was too smooth, too practiced. The slight glint in his dark eyes, the almost imperceptible tension in his shoulders—to beings as perceptive as Nian Shi and Tantai Lanling, it was as good as a confession.
Nian Shi's cold smile didn't falter. "Your theatrics are wasted on me, Yin. Your denial only confirms my theory. A singular you would have simply attacked by now. You are stalling. Why?"
His silver eyes flicked toward the meditating Yun Lintian, then back to Yin. "Is it because he is the key? Not just to balance, but to something else? Something that requires a specific... configuration?"
The atmosphere grew even heavier. The two Primordial Gods were not here for a simple battle. They were here for Yun Lintian, and they were circling each other, probing for weaknesses, both in each other and in the situation itself. Yun Lintian was no longer just a prize; he was the central piece on a board where the rules were still being written.
