"Bone Lady, Sumi..."
Year stroked his chin, staring at the elegant beauty on the light screen, lost in thought for a moment.
"Why is Bone Lady here?"
A woman with an ordinary appearance but a sharp demeanor stood beside Year, speaking with a hint of confusion.
"As a member of the Underworld Council, she shouldn't be involved in these matters."
As she spoke, the woman's gaze grew even colder.
"Does the Underworld Council also intend to target these secondary worlds?"
"If given the opportunity, I believe any individual or organization would have designs on a secondary world. Especially one on the verge of ascension."
Year spoke calmly, "But our company's privileges are our privileges. Anyone who dares to meddle in our affairs must either offer sufficient benefits or be eliminated."
Year spoke calmly, but every word carried a hint of bloodlust.
"As for Bone Lady… If I recall correctly, there was once a rumor circulating in the Void about a hybrid qilin. Though it was later debunked as a rumor, many people died because of that so-called hybrid qilin. Bone Lady's son was likely among them."
Year spoke with a meaningful tone.
"A hybrid qilin? Like Bora, who is half-qilin?"
When the topic turned to this, the woman clearly became more interested.
Year shook his head. "Not like Bora. Bora can't be considered a half-qilin. She herself has even more potential than the royal family of the qilin clan. Because her father is truly powerful."
"The half-qilin we're talking about here is, to be precise, a creature that resembles a qilin but isn't actually a qilin. If it were truly a qilin, then the old guard of the qilin clan wouldn't have stayed out of it."
As he spoke, Year gently swiped the side screen. The screen displayed Arceus' figure.
Year pointed at Arceus's current form and said, "This is probably what they call a half-qilin. If it ascended from a secondary world, its potential could be far greater than that of a normal qilin. A high-level combat force that can be shaped with minimal cultivation—few would resist such an opportunity."
"If I recall correctly, it was a group of young ones who went. We thought it would be a good opportunity for the young ones to meet and compete. It was also a form of exchange."
Year recalled the situation from back then and said with a hint of resignation, "Losing in such a situation is truly unbecoming. Everyone sent their juniors there. Killing someone, they can't be blamed. Being killed, they can't be blamed either. Among those juniors, many were killed by that so-called Alien qilin. However, the only one who kept harping on it was Sumi."
"Are you saying that the Thousand-Armed God is that alien qilinfrom back then???"
The woman beside Year spoke up in surprise.
"I thought the Thousand-Armed God was human. I've never seen him reveal his original form in all these years. That's too exaggerated."
If you don't use your original form in battle, your combat power is at least reduced by ten percent. Whether it's beasts using human form or humans using beast form. Unless it's a special inheritance.
For example, the beast tribe's Beast Immortals and the human and elf tribes' Druids. As for other inheritances.
Clearly, the Thousand-Armed God isn't a powerful figure from such a lineage. So does that mean the Thousand-Armed God has been fighting in the void with at least a 10% reduction in combat power, yet still achieved such a formidable reputation?
That's just absurd.
Year remained silent. He didn't know if the Thousand-Armed God, or Al, had any other special abilities. Maybe he truly didn't need to revert to his primal form to unleash his full combat power.
"But... if that's the case, why doesn't the Thousand-Armed God retaliate? That doesn't make sense."
The woman clearly didn't understand. Since the Thousand-Armed God was the one who was bullied back then, why doesn't he just take action and eliminate all those who bullied him once he reached this level of power?
"It's not that simple. Don't underestimate Bone Lady just because she's from the Underworld Council. Both Bone Lady and her son had an unusually good reputation back then. The old man's credibility across the void doesn't compare to Bone Lady's. Her son's death must have had other underlying reasons."
Year frowned and remained silent. Although he had his suspicions, there was no concrete evidence to prove it. If neither party was willing to speak up, there was no point in dwelling on such trivial matters.
"In any case, Bone Lady is way out of her league with the newcomer."
The woman was shocked by this situation. Regardless of the underlying circumstances, she had managed to remain anonymous for so many years to avoid retaliation. Even though she was stronger than the other party, she refused to release her own constraints. Such a situation was extremely rare in the void. At least, she had heard of it very rarely.
"It is indeed beyond the scope. But…" Year said with a wry smile, "Don't underestimate our newcomer's problem-solving approach…"
Year had always believed that Rope was a talent. Especially when he first met Rope, the demands Rope made proved that this youngster, even without having experienced a larger stage, truly had the qualifications to dance on a larger stage.
The female secretary gave Year a suspicious look. Based on her understanding of Year, his current expression was essentially telling her.
Year had probably suffered some kind of loss, and it was a minor one that wasn't too harmful but still felt a bit frustrating.
Rope looked at the self-proclaimed "Bone Lady" in front of him and felt an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Sumi looked at Rope's face, especially his black hair and brown eyes. When she saw the dragon-shaped tattoo, her brows furrowed suddenly. But the next moment, they relaxed.
Rope, who was thinking of a countermeasure, didn't notice this small change.
He was thinking about whether to follow the process or just cheat...
"Considering that we're still fellow countrymen..."
Sumi suddenly spoke up.
"Call Al out, and we'll leave this world to duel."
Rope heard this and raised his head in surprise.
Al, upon hearing this, looked at Sumi on the screen with a mix of surprise and suspicion.
Year and the female secretary, upon hearing this, both furrowed their brows in confusion.
And somewhere in the void.
Someone, upon hearing this, paused midway as they raised a glass of wine to their lips.
"What's going on?" ×n
Everyone glanced at Sumi, then turned their attention to Rope.