But what they didn't understand was why their elder brother hadn't vented his anger on Lin Ran, but instead turned it on them...
However, despite their confusion, they wouldn't dare disobey their elder brother's orders while he was in a fit of rage.
Thus, the two of them instantly transformed from their previous smug and beaming demeanor to that of a frost-bitten eggplant, utterly deflated.
Seeing that the two had finally calmed down, the Five-Colored Dragon finally composed himself and turned his gaze to Lin Ran, doing his best to appear amiable.
He knew that against someone as exceptionally intelligent as Lin Ran, most of his negotiation tactics would be futile...
But regardless, he still had to try.
"What do you want?"
As the Five-Colored Dragon spoke, both his expression and demeanor were incredibly timid, appearing completely helpless against Lin Ran.
After all, his most crucial vulnerability had been firmly grasped, leaving him no room for arrogance.
Lin Ran was quite satisfied with the Five-Colored Dragon's extremely submissive attitude.
"Not bad! Not all of these forgotten ones are complete fools; there are still some who know how to play the game."
However, no matter how humble the Five-Colored Dragon became, Lin Ran certainly wouldn't agree immediately...
He still had to toy with him properly.
"What, you want to talk?"
Lin Ran smiled gleefully.
The Five-Colored Dragon, with a bitter heart he couldn't express, could only sigh silently:
"Talk... let's talk..."
"Since you know everything now, we can only resolve this through negotiation."
"After all, we don't have any genuine conflict of interest, do we?"
Having said this, the Five-Colored Dragon quickly stole a glance at Lin Ran, filled with panic.
His current judgment was that Lin Ran knew they wanted to be killed by Lin Ran's own hand, but Lin Ran was unaware of their purpose and meaning behind it.
Therefore, as long as Lin Ran remained in the dark, there was still plenty of room for maneuver...
And his judgment was not without basis.
If Lin Ran truly knew everything, he wouldn't be bantering with them here.
The core conflict of them using Lin Ran as a sacrifice to become a god was unavoidable.
But if Lin Ran didn't know, they still had a good chance of deceiving him.
This was like "crossing the sea under camouflage."
But unfortunately, the Five-Colored Dragon was unaware of Lin Ran's twisted sense of humor, so...
"Indeed, there is no conflict of interest!"
As he said this, Lin Ran's smile reached its peak.
Upon hearing Lin Ran's reply, the Five-Colored Dragon let out a silent sigh of relief.
"That was close, so close... Fortunately, this fellow doesn't know the truth of the matter..."
Then, everything in the future was still negotiable.
No matter what price they paid or how great their losses, as long as they could ultimately have Lin Ran agree to kill them with his own hands, everything would be set.
Luo Qingyan, standing beside him, also glanced at Lin Ran at this moment.
Upon seeing Lin Ran so blatantly lying, she had a good guess of his intentions.
While she didn't know Lin Ran's specific objective, as long as he was handling it, she could simply be a decorative vase, a little lover.
When one could achieve everything by being lazy and leaning on a strong back, who would want to strive?
Thus, Luo Qingyan comfortably adjusted her posture, lying cozily in Lin Ran's arms, openly slacking off.
In this battle of wits, she was undoubtedly the most at ease.
Even more at ease than the two who were still completely clueless – their CPUs were practically burning out!
The Void Shadow and the Eternal Treant stared dumbfoundedly at their elder brother engaging in a silent game with this utterly detestable Lin Ran, even agreeing to such preposterous, nation-humiliating terms, leaving themselves no room for maneuver...
Combined with the earlier bizarre act of roaring at them and then fawning over Lin Ran with apologies, it made them suspect their elder brother had been possessed!
Otherwise, how could he be so foolish?
"Elder Brother! What on earth are you doing!?"
At this point, the two of them could no longer hold back. They rushed to the Five-Colored Dragon's side, their expressions anxious as they shouted, as if trying to jolt their elder brother back from a state of bewitchment.
Their shouts completely shattered the slight uplift in the Five-Colored Dragon's mood.
"Damn it! You two idiots!"
Even if they couldn't see the situation, couldn't they just shut up?
Why did they have to yell and shout here, making it obvious to everyone that they were utter imbeciles!
Furthermore, if they continued their incessant clamor, they might accidentally reveal something and ruin the painstakingly constructed situation that could lead to a comeback.
Thus, the Five-Colored Dragon stomped his foot fiercely and summoned clusters of energy pillars shimmering with five-colored radiant light, directly shoving them into cages:
"Shut your mouths! Can't you see I'm discussing matters with our esteemed guest?"
"If you dare make a fuss again, you'll be the first to go to hell!"
With that, the Five-Colored Dragon waved his hand again, and the energy pillars sprouted numerous branches from their bodies, firmly restraining both the Void Shadow and the Eternal Treant.
Moreover, an extra section of the energy pillar was roughly stuffed into their mouths by the Five-Colored Dragon.
At this critical juncture where every action required extreme caution and flawlessness, the Five-Colored Dragon had no patience to explain to these two imbeciles and decided to simply seal them up completely.
This way, negotiating with Lin Ran alone would be the perfect strategy.
Lin Ran, witnessing the Five-Colored Dragon's actions, was very satisfied with his attitude.
After all, he still had to pretend not to know their true intentions...
What if those two beside them blurted out the truth carelessly? It would be awkward for him to pretend not to hear.
The Five-Colored Dragon's restraints had effectively eliminated all potential unforeseen circumstances...