Tang Wulin nodded, and said, “The Tang Sect and Shrek Academy are also willing to accept this bet.”

Just now, he had already received voice transmissions from both Zang Xin and Cao Dezhi. From the Shrek Academy camp, Long Yeyue had passed away, which made Yali the final remaining member of the old guard, and she was also Tang Wulin’s godmother, so there was no way she wouldn’t support him.

Gu Yuena declared, “The Spirit Pagoda also agrees to this bet.”

Yu Guanzhi’s gaze roamed over everyone present, and he said, “The future of the entire human race hinges on this battle. There may be four of us making this decision, but as the commander-in-chief, I’ll be taking full accountability. Now then, let’s begin the preparations.”

Yu Guanzhi’s composure was shining through at this critical juncture, and he didn’t hesitate in the slightest, nor was there any time for him to hesitate.

“We’ve never seen eye to eye, but I have to admit that you’re a real man. Count me in,” Dong Zi’an said as he strode forward from the military camp.

Yu Guanzhi turned toward him, and a smile appeared on both of their faces. It was as if all of their differences had been settled in that instant. Both of them knew that this would perhaps be their final battle, so what was the point in continuing to cling onto those differences?

Tang Wulin said, “Commander, this is a joint decision; you shouldn’t be the only one held accountable. In any case, let’s not discuss this now; I think we should discuss who SHOULDN’T be participating in this bet.”

A contemplative look appeared on Yu Guanzhi’s face upon hearing this. “What do you propose, Sect Master Tang?”

Tang Wulin replied, “I’m sure all of us here would be willing to give up our lives for the future of the federation, but we have to take into account the fact that the Holy Spirit Cult and the abyssal plane aren’t exactly trustworthy. Demon Sovereign was the one who proposed this bet, so she has to have some kind of motive or something that she’s banking on. Under these circumstances, we have to constantly be on our guard in case they decide to scrap the bet and rescind everything. Hence, we have to keep some of our forces in reserve and react according to the situation.”Firstly, as the commander-in-chief of the human army, you’re definitely not fit to participate in this bet. Otherwise, if something were to happen to you, who would lead the human army?”

Yu Guanzhi faltered slightly upon hearing this. As soon as he decided to accept this bet, the first thing that sprang into his mind was that he had to represent the military and go into battle. If he didn’t lead by example, how could he convince others to put their lives on the line.

“But…” Yu Guanzhi wanted to protest, but he was cut off by Dong Zi’an.

“Sect Master Tang is right; you can participate in this bet. On top of that, Old Man Zhang can’t participate, either. Both of you are Limit Douluos, but you’re far more important to the human army than just the contributions you can make through your individual powers. As long as you two are here, we can have confidence that someone will be able to deal with the abyssal army if they try any funny business.”

Yu Guanzhi’s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he offered no response, but he knew that Tang Wulin was right.

Indeed, an army had to have a commander. This notion had been perfectly highlighted by the death of the Spirit Sovereign, which had essentially caused the abyssal army to instantly fall apart, and taking advantage of the chaos, Gu Yuena had slain several abyssal emperors.

Guan Yue chimed in, “Commander, this is not the time to be hesitating. Sect Master Tang is right; you can’t participate in this bet. Leave everything to us; we have enough Battle Gods to form a formidable lineup. Our Battle God Hall exists to take on the most powerful enemies, while the military’s role is to oversee the entire battlefield. Hence, if you ask me, even General Dong should be left out of this.”

Dong Zi’an burst into laughter upon hearing this. “I’m afraid you’re not getting rid of me that easily, Hall Master Guan. I’m no longer the commander of the Western Legion, and I’ve already organized everything in the legion, so you can rest assured. Having said that, I do support the notion that the legion commanders are not fit to directly participate in this bet; they have to stay behind as a safety net for our human army.”

Tang Wulin nodded in response. “I fully agree. In that case, the current situation is that the Battle God Hall will contribute a group, our Tang Sect and Shrek Academy will contribute another group, which leaves one more group.”

He turned his gaze toward Gu Yuena as he spoke, and Gu Yuena said, “Our Spirit Pagoda will also contribute a group. Also, I think we need to think outside the box here. Demon Sovereign proposed three seven-on-seven matches, and there has to be a reason behind this; we can’t just allow her to set the pace the follow along. At the very least, we should change up the numbers. Currently, we have more top-tier powerful beings than them, so I suggest we demand three nine-one-nine matches as opposed to seven-on-seven.

Tang Wulin’s heart stirred slightly upon hearing this. He had failed to consider this point, and it was very fortunate that Gu Yuena was here to pick up the slack.

Indeed, the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy alone could field far more than nine people in these matches. At this moment, all of his friends were already raring to go.

Right at this moment, Zang Xin made a surprising declaration. “Old Man Cao and I aren’t going to participate.”

Everyone instantly turned toward him, but Zang Xin merely looked back at everyone with a calm expression, displaying no intention to explain himself. Meanwhile, Cao Dezhi nodded to support Zang Xin’s statement.

Qiangu Dongfeng couldn’t help but throw a barbed jibe. “What’s going on? Are you two scared?”

Zang Xin replied in an indifferent voice, “Of course a selfish and narrow-minded baboon like you would immediately jump to that conclusion.”

Qiangu Dongfeng immediately flared up with rage, but Qiangu Dieting gave him a firm tug and a stern glare to stop him from saying anything.

He then turned to Zang Xin and Cao Dezhi before giving them a rare nod of approval, and there was even a hint of admiration in his eyes.

A contemplative look also appeared on Guan Yue’s face, and shortly thereafter, he expressed his approval of this declaration.

It was clear that Qiangu Dieting and Guan Yue understood why Zang Xin and Cao Dezhi had decided to sit this one out, but in all honesty, even Tang Wulin didn’t understand the reasons behind this decision, and this wasn’t a good time to ask.

In his mind, Zang Xin and Cao Dezhi’s participation was a foregone conclusion, and the two of them were going to be extremely impactful. In the face of this sudden turn of events, their entire plan would have to be altered to a certain extent.

Yu Guanzhi said, “I agree with Chairwoman Gu’s suggestion; I’ll go and communicate with Demon Sovereign right away to finalize the conditions of the bet. In the meantime, please decide on the lineups.”He rose up into the air as he spoke before flying toward the enemy camp.

Guan Yue said, “I’ll be leading my team, which will be comprised of General Dong and the first seven Battle Gods.”

The Battle God Hall hadn’t suffered any severe losses during the prior battle, and all of the energy they had expended was quickly being replenished by the secondary tree of life, so they were all raring to go. No Battle God of the Douluo Federation had ever feared a battle!