"That's right.
I think so too,"
a governing god immediately echoed.
"That makes sense.
In fact, what he's suggesting is highly possible.
If their combined power really is undefeatable, how come none of them have ever left the Ethereal
World to fight the four major forces for dominion over the Sword Cosmos?
Why have they isolated themselves in that godforsaken world?"
another master also raised a question.
"Very well. Since we all agree that things with Warner and Emmet aren't as simple as they seem, let's
try to deduce what is going on with them,"
the red-faced governing god suggested.
"Okay!"
the other governing gods nodded in agreement.
Each of them had secret skills which allowed them to work through puzzles, questions and what-not.
It wasn't long before they'd arrived at the correct conclusion.
"It is as we expected it to be.
Warner and Emmet are at their strongest only in the abyss of the eye of the Sword Cosmos. That is
where their power is greatest.
Anywhere else, their strength is vastly reduced,"
the governing gods had all reached the same conclusion.
"So, if we want to kill them, we must ambush them!"
a hale old man came up with a plan.
"Yes, that's it! As long as we don't fight with them in the eye of the cosmos, we have nothing to fear.
To that end, I suggest we enter the Ethereal World in secret and besiege Warner and Emmet with a
surprise attack.
If they are unable to get close to the eye of the cosmos, they won't be able to utilize the great cosmos
force for fighting and then, we can kill them!"
the old man added.
"Good idea!"
The other governing gods seconded with his plan.
"Well, it looks like we've all reached a consensus.
To deal with Warner and Emmet, we must carry out a sneak attack.
We enter the Ethereal World in secret and ambush them.
However, we must remember that the success of our plan depends on them being away from the eye
of the cosmos. We must not let the two of them get close to the eye!"
the red-faced governing god concluded in a stern voice.
"As for Austin, I think dealing with him will be easier than taking care of Warner and Emmet.
No matter how powerful he is, he can't compare with the duo's combined sword power.
Once we have subdued Warner and Emmet, we'll gather a few dozen governing gods and kill him in
one go,"
a governing god uttered in confidence.
"I have an idea as well.
I've heard that the Blade Cosmos once invited Austin to join them.
Surprisingly, he refused and even provoked them, which led to a conflict that still stands.
People say that the Blade Cosmos wants to kill Austin as well.
I say we work with the Blade Cosmos to deal with Austin.
Their power is easily comparable to ours.
If we join hands, I am certain it won't be too difficult to get rid of Austin once and for all,"
a thin governing god with cold sights suddenly piped in.
"Oh?
You think we should join hands with the Blade Cosmos?"
The other governing gods were stunned.
No one knew whether this was the right move or not.
It had been a long time since the Blade Cosmos and the Sword Cosmos didn't see eye to eye with
each other. It was unlikely that they could start cooperating so abruptly.
After a while, one of the governing gods broke the silence.
"Well, there is no harm in trying.
By now, we are all aware that our enmities don't end with the Blade Cosmos. Austin, Warner, and
Emmet are all great threats to us all.
With so many of our enemies, we must be clever in dealing with them.
What I am trying to say is,
we can bend our rules a bit whilst fighting out enemies.
To that end, I have an idea. Why don't we join hands with the Blade Cosmos to defeat Austin, Warner,
and Emmet?
When the fight starts, we can let them fight each other to the death. In any case, we'll have one less
problem to deal with.
It would consume their energy and weaken them,
which is a perfect opportunity for us.
We won't just be killing two birds with one stone. We'll actually get rid of three!"
the red-faced governing god proposed a clever ploy.
"Of course! That's a great idea.
However, I am not certain they'll be willing to cooperate with us,"
a governing god expressed his doubt.
"From what I have gathered, Austin once fought the governing gods of the Blade Cosmos and came
out on top.
The Blade Cosmos itself suffered a great loss.
Therefore, I think the Blade Cosmos will agree to work with us where Austin is concerned,"
the thin governing god replied.
"If this plan works, it's going to be awesome!
Let's send a messenger to the Blade Cosmos right away and see what they respond with,"
the red-faced governing god loudly declared.
"All right, do that. However, our priority is to kill Austin, Warner, and Emmet without tipping them off.
We must keep a low profile and
make sure they don't hear a word of our plan.
If Austin goes into hiding in the Divine Sword Mountain, and Warner and Emmet get to the eye of the
cosmos,
we won't have any chance of an ambush at all.
Make sure not a word of information is leaked and no one hears about our cooperation and plans,"
the governing god added.
"Okay."
The others also nodded in agreement.
Finally, a decision was reached and the meeting of the four major forces was ended.
Meanwhile,
in the Ethereal World,
Austin was still cultivating in seclusion.
Unconsciously, another three years passed,
and it had been five years since he'd started cultivating.
However, such a time period was nothing for powerful masters.
Even a hundred years was a mere blink in the eye for them.
Whilst he cultivated, Warner and Emmet had been guarding Austin.
An area of several hundred million miles around Austin's secluded small world was tightly blocked.
No one was allowed to even get close.
With Warner and Emmet's abilities, achieving such a feat was a piece of cake.
Once they ordered the Twelve Ethereal Guards to do something, it would occur without question.
"Sirs, we have detected a few strangers sneaking around in the Ethereal World from time to time. They
seemed be trying to spy on something,"
one day, an Ethereal Guard reported to Warner.
"Ha-ha! There is no point in asking who they are.
I am certain that these strangers are spies either of the four major forces from the Sword Cosmos or of
the Blade Cosmos.
Our master is right.
They haven't given up yet.
But it doesn't matter. If you don't fear death, then I dare you to come here and seek a fight. It's been so
long since I've had a fight. A battle now would be a welcome distraction, even with those spies!"
Warner said with a sneer. There was a bloodthirsty coldness in his eyes.
"I know you want a fight, but before our master went off for cultivation, he told us to keep a low profile
and not do anything till he gets back.
We must wait for him to come back and make a decision,"
Emmet warned Warner.
"You're right."
Warner agreed.
Meanwhile,
in the small world,
Austin was sitting cross-legged and forming a mysterious seal with his hands.
Whoosh!
A large amount of great cosmos force was continuously being absorbed into his body. It would rush in
from all directions and swirl into him like a whirlpool.
"The cultivation of the great cosmos force! I'm finally going to succeed!"
Austin smiled excitedly.
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