Although the arrogant ruler of the Glorious Empire, Hesy Adam, was still displeased, he decided not to argue further when he considered the Beast God faction and the Nature Goddess.
Attacking one empire was one thing, but provoking two powerful divine systems, especially one of them being the influential Nature Goddess, would not be worth it.
Thus, the Lord of Annihilation, Blood Butcher, spoke unhappily to the ruler of the Glorious Empire, Hesy Adam:
"I know your intentions, but I don't want to argue with you now. How about this: after we conquer the Immortal-Demon Empire, we'll split the spoils equally."
Despite his reluctance to admit it, objectively speaking, the Immortal-Demon Empire was quite powerful, especially the goddess who was already a mid-tier Lord of Divinity.
When they returned and discovered their homeland had been plundered, they would undoubtedly be furious and seek retribution.
They would spare no expense, mobilizing the entire nation, which would undoubtedly lead to more bloodshed.
If someone could help share some of the burden now, even if it meant taking a smaller share of the spoils, it would be acceptable.
The Lord of Annihilation, Blood Butcher, was not eager to agree to this proposal, but it was galling that he, a high-tier Lord of Divinity, had to bargain with the ruler of an empire who was only a low-tier Lord of Divinity.
He felt extremely resentful.
However, he harbored a fear that the Nature Goddess might come after him, especially given the promise he had made.
Therefore, after a moment of hesitation, the Lord of Annihilation, Blood Butcher, agreed.
"Agreed! If anyone breaks this pact, I, the Lord of Annihilation, Blood Butcher, will pay any price to exterminate their entire clan!"
The ruler of the Glorious Empire, Hesy Adam, sneered inwardly but said nothing more, nodding:
"I certainly won't go back on my word like you, Lord of Annihilation, Blood Butcher."
The commotion caused by the Lord of Annihilation, Blood Butcher, and Xiao Mo that day had been immense.
The ruler of the Glorious Empire, Hesy Adam, had naturally learned of the pact between the Lord of Annihilation, Blood Butcher, and the Elf Goddess, which explicitly forbade the active invasion of the Immortal-Demon Empire.
Yet, only a few days had passed, and the Lord of Annihilation, Blood Butcher, had already broken it again.
The Lord of Annihilation's face turned green, but he knew he was in the wrong regarding this matter and did not want to bicker with the ruler of the Glorious Empire, Hesy Adam.
He could only pretend not to hear.
Two mutually antagonistic forces had surprisingly reached a temporary equilibrium.
Although they had reached an agreement, neither was willing to yield to the other.
They proceeded along the same path, with the two forces marching side-by-side. Even though their bodies were almost touching, neither was willing to step back and let the other go first.
They maintained this close proximity, speeding towards the Immortal-Demon Empire.
Upon arrival, they found no trace of the Nature Goddess or the Beast God faction.
Both the ruler of the Glorious Empire, Hesy Adam, and the Lord of Annihilation, Blood Butcher, breathed a sigh of relief.
With no other divine systems obstructing them, they could act more freely.
Upon reaching their destination, the two, who were already unwilling to give way to each other, immediately issued commands to attack.
"Charge! Let our glorious Glorious Empire raze the Immortal-Demon Empire to the ground and seize their treasures!"
The Lord of Annihilation, Blood Butcher, was not to be outdone. He declared:
"Evil gods, it's time for our revenge! Let's charge!"
And so, tens of thousands of people from both sides simultaneously surged towards the Immortal-Demon Empire.
However, as they charged forward with high spirits,
they were blocked by an invisible barrier. Due to their speed, they couldn't stop in time and fell to the ground.
Those in front stumbled, and those behind, unable to brake, tripped over them.
For a moment, it nearly caused a stampede.
Had these individuals not been deities with some strength, this incident might have resulted in casualties.
"Ouch, that hurts!"
"It seems there's a barrier ahead, blocking us!"
"Stop pushing forward! We can't get through!"
"Who stepped on my pant leg, you bastard! I told you we can't get through, yet you're still pushing!"
"Are you from the other side? How did you end up in our Glorious Empire?"
"..."
The scene quickly devolved into chaos and a cacophony of shouts.
It was even more disorganized than a human marketplace.
Seeing their subordinates making such a spectacle, the leaders of both factions' faces darkened.
The Lord of Annihilation, Blood Butcher, spoke in a deep voice:
"What is going on here?"
He hadn't sensed any barrier. Could it be that the Immortal-Demon Empire had left some contingency here?
The Lord of the End, Jessie Qiongxi, was also puzzled. He too felt no fluctuation of any other divine power.
Yet, the reactions of his subordinates did not seem feigned. But they were all Lords of Divinity; how could they not detect even a simple barrier?
Could it be another divine artifact?
As a Lord of Divinity, Jessie Qiongxi would not personally handle such a mundane task. He ordered a powerful Evil God, who was a God King, to investigate.
The Evil God quickly returned and reported:
"There is indeed a barrier ahead, blocking us. We absolutely cannot pass!"
The Lord of Annihilation, Blood Butcher, frowned. "A bunch of useless fools! There's a barrier? Then just break through it! Do you expect me to handle such a trivial matter?"
Seeing his Lord of Divinity's anger, the God King retreated and began organizing the other deities to attack the invisible barrier.
On the other side, the ruler of the Glorious Empire, Hesy Adam, was not about to stand idly by. He also dispatched his own forces to attack the barrier.
However, under the combined assault of several God Kings and hundreds of deities,
the empire's defensive shield flickered as if giving them face, flashed with a golden light, and then fell silent.
Their attacks seemed to vanish into the sea, with no feedback whatsoever.
"Huh?"
"What happened?"
"Why were our attacks ineffective?"
"This is utterly bewildering!"
"Could this be another divine artifact?"
Everyone was astonished, staring at the scene in disbelief.
Even the Lord of the End, Jessie Qiongxi, couldn't help but wonder:
"What is the reason for this?"
A sense of unease suddenly arose within him. He had a premonition that this journey, which was supposed to be smooth sailing, would not be so easy.
No wonder Xiao Mo dared to be so confident in bringing everyone to the "Otherworld Exorcism Event." He had such a trump card!
The ruler of the Glorious Empire, Hesy Adam, however, scoffed:
"Are you telling me you weren't even trying? How could the Immortal-Demon Empire possess so many divine artifacts? Stop slacking and put more effort into it!"
He truly did not believe that such a small barrier could be so special as to withstand their attacks.