The moment the King of Heaven glared at Xuefeng and extended his hand at him, Xuefeng knew he would have to reach for extreme measures to survive.
Ah!
Sena screamed as Xuefeng pulled her into his arms with his Dragon Claw wrapped around her neck.
"Princess Sena!" the guards exclaimed from the corridor as they stormed inside after their King but Xuefeng yelled out coldly to stop them.
"Don't move or I will take her life! Good luck searching for her once she reincarnates!"
The guards froze momentarily but the King of Heaven wasn't fazed one bit, smiling as if he found Xuefeng amusing.
"You are hilarious thinking you can threaten the King of Heaven in his own Kingdom," King of Heaven said scornfully. "I created this world. The food you eat and the water you drink. All of it. A Mortal like you wouldn't be alive if not for me."
King of Heaven stretched his fingers and the Fate Qi in the room vibrated as if reacting to the call of its Ruler. He got distracted by Xuefeng's Artefact which constantly sucked Fate Qi despite his presence. Xuefeng could feel him try to manipulate Fate Qi away from it but his efforts were fruitless.
Xuefeng pursed his lips as his trash talk mode activated but Sena was first to respond.
"Father! Don't kill him! He is a good person and entered the Fate Kingdom by accident!" Sena defended despite having her neck grasped by him. "Let him go for me please!"
Her innocence reminded Xuefeng of Yiren who always tried to see good in people.
The King of Heaven masked his struggle and assured her, "Don't worry sweety, I will not kill him right away. He seems to know quite a bit about our race. I will first learn how a mortal like him entered my Kingdom and if it was really an accident, I might let him go depending on how cooperative he is."
Sena brightened at that response, almost jumping in place from happiness but Xuefeng held her tight. She was petite in size compared to Xuefeng so her body sank into his own as he held her arms and waist with one arm.
"Father, it was really an accident!" Sena repeated excitedly. "He came here through— Mhmm!"
"Shhh…" Xuefeng shushed her with one of his Dragon Claws. "I can talk for myself. You are stealing all the fun from me."
Xuefeng didn't actually need to threaten the King of Heaven with Sena but she was still useful in buying him more time. Now that Sena revealed she knows everything, she entangled herself too deeply in the matter. He couldn't let her go anymore.
"Let go of my daughter first, how about that? We will talk peacefully right after," King of Heaven suggested, causing Xuefeng to snicker openly.
"Tsk, you think I'm dumb? The moment I let go of her you will attack without hesitation. The only thing stopping you right now are the guards because you know how much they love her," Xuefeng announced as he observed the guards' expressions. "Bah, I can guess that the whole Fate Kingdom adores her. If you were to attack me and kill their beloved Princess in the process, everyone would hate you."
It wasn't hard to connect the dots. The guards' worried looks were too obvious.
The King of Heaven frowned as Fate Qi buzzed. "I don't believe that you are not afraid to die. All Mortals have one life and yours will end tod—"
"Hahahaha!" Xuefeng burst out laughing, throwing the King of Heaven off. "Come on! Do it! I dare you! Not only will my Soul self-destruct, killing Princess Sena but the whole Kingdom will explode too!"
Xuefeng's words were impactful enough to pause the King of Heaven's actions.
"Can you see this cube? The cube that you tried to manipulate but failed miserably?" Xuefeng asked as he pointed to the side. "It's a bomb and your sweet daughter helped me built it."
A flash passed through the King of Heaven's eyes as he glanced at his daughter who froze on the spot.
"I… I didn't know…" Sena muttered in shock, confirming his words for him.
"This bomb is so powerful that it can destroy the natural order of space within the Realm, causing it to collapse. The only downside is that it needs a lot of Fate Qi but once it's activated, only I can turn it off," Xuefeng bluffed with a grin. "Come on, kill me. I thought you said my life will end today?"
Xuefeng needed to stall for time till his cube was fully charged and bluffing was his most dangerous art. He didn't even know what he could use it for but knowing he climbed the Dragon Tower for it, he bet it wasn't useless. At the very least, he could use it to get out of there or at least provide him enough bargaining power to forcefully open the Heavenly Gate for him.
Thankfully, the fortune was by his side that day.
"Fine, what do you want?" the King of Heaven gave in as he lowered his arm. Bitter expressions appeared on the guards' faces as they didn't seem to expect such an outcome.
For Xuefeng, it was just the beginning.
"Tell everyone here why did you close the Fate Kingdom," Xuefeng demanded.
"No," the King of Heaven denied instantly. "It involves the safety of my race."
"There will be no race once this bomb blows up," Xuefeng countered. "If you think I won't do it, think again. If I have a way of entering inside the Fate Kingdom, I naturally have a way of leaving as well. It all depends on you whether I take the bomb back with me or not."
The guards began to act visually stressed while the King of Heaven's remained silent.
"Father? Why are you silent? Just tell him," Sena wondered confused and Xuefeng answered in his stead.
"Because the reason your father locked the Fate Kingdom was to protect his own pathetic life."
Bzzz!
Just as he spoke, the cube buzzed again as it finished charging on Fate Qi. It began acting strangely, its shape changing and shifting while constantly vibrating. Despite Xuefeng's offensive words, the King of Heaven and the guards stepped back.
"Hehe, seems like the bomb is ready to blow up. How about we have a real talk now?"