Chapter 87: Slav*s.
Chapter 87: Slav*s.
"What are you waiting for?! If we waste any more time, we're going to lose!" Su Xiangnan anxiously looked at Yun Qinghong and Greatest Ambition, who were suppressing Jiufang Kui, now on the verge of defeat. He shouted at his teammates, who were only defending with no intention of attacking Mu Feiyan.
"..." Bai Yi was expressionless as he slashed with his sword, the wind howling and slicing through the blue beam rushing at him. He knew that Su Xiangnan was right, but he still had to keep his guard up against them.
"I know for myself that I am not a traitor! How can I believe you two?!" Chiyang Bailie shouted, feeling anxious. He could barely resist the attacks from Mu Feiyan; if Mu Feiyan hadn't had to split his firepower among the three of them, Chiyang Bailie would have already been dead.
"I am not a traitor either!" Su Xiangnan said with a straight face while defending against Mu Feiyan. Suddenly, a blue beam struck him, sending him flying toward Bai Yi. He shouted, "If I were a traitor, I would be doing exactly something like this!"
When he finished his words, he thrust his sword toward Bai Yi! A sharp yellow light shot from the tip and rushed toward him!
"Damn, bastard! I knew it would be you!" Chiyang Bailie cursed as he rushed to help Bai Yi. "Where are you going? Daddy is here to give you some tough love!" Mu Feiyan appeared in front of him, punching him and sending him crashing to the ground.
"Bastard Su!" Bai Yi's expression sank as wings appeared on his back. With a flap of his wings, he flew high, dodging the attack. However, the beam was incredibly fast; although he avoided a fatal blow, the yellow beam still pierced through his leg.
The Bai Clan's original form is the Cloud-winged White Tiger, similar to the Xiao Clan. They cultivate wind profound strength, making them quite agile and fast.
"Fuck! I took a beating for nothing, damn it!" Su Xiangnan cursed under his breath. He had been putting on an act, taking a beating from Mu Feiyan just to find the perfect opportunity to launch a sneak attack on someone. Unfortunately, these two old foxes were already very vigilant.
He was anxiously eager to make contributions in front of the Little Demon-oh no, the Demon Empress; she was no longer 'little'.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Agh!" At this moment, Jiufang Kui's pained cry rang out as Yun Qinghong's spear pierced him miserably.
Why the hell is everyone being pierced by a spear?!
"Father-in-law, Brother Su! Let me help you!" Yun Qinghong shouted as he rushed to support Su Xiangnan in dealing with Bei Yi.
While Greatest Ambition also rushed to help Xiao Xifeng and Yan Zijing deal with Nangong Zhi.
Soon Su Xiangnan and Yun Qinghong crippled Bei Yi and Mu Faiyan alone crushed Chiyang Bailie.
The Chiyang Clan was a very strong race of true dragons. Unfortunately, the gap between realms was vast, and Chiyang Bailie didn't stand a chance of winning against Mu Feiyan. With the help of Greatest Ambition, Nangong Zhi also suffered a miserable defeat. After dealing with the six clans, they turned their attention to the Dukes.
"Fuck! Father! Where is Father?!" Seeing that the situation had become very dangerous, Duke Huai cursed anxiously. His only hope was his father, who was at the peak of the Sovereign Profound Realm. As long as he appeared, everything would be settled.
"Argh!" The battle raged on as Mu Feiyan pointed his finger at Duke Han. A drop of water shot out, and when it hit him, it felt as though a mountain came crashing down, breaking all his bones.
This attack was Mu Feiyan's favorite technique, 'Heavy Water'. It condenses a large amount of water into a tiny single droplet with immense weight.
"Please have mercy!" At the same time, a Duke let out a shriek, Su Xiangnan was fighting with everything he had. His earlier performance had been disappointing, so he risked injury to quickly deal with his opponent. He sliced through the duke's body, cutting off his lower half and then stabbing his profound veins and crippling him.
Greatest Ambition dealt with Duke Xiang and Duke Long.
*Wait! Duke Long?!*
"Noo! Agrh!" Finally, Yun Qinghong's spear pierced through Duke Huai's body stabbing him directly through his profound veins, crippling him as well.
He dragged Duke Huai by the collar and brought him in front of Huan Caiyi, asking respectfully, "Your Majesty, what should I do with this scum?"
"Huan Caiyi! You can't kill me! If you do, my father will make you regret it!" Duke Huai raised
his head and desperately shouted at Huan Caiyi, his body trembling with fear. His only hope was to use his father as a deterrent to save his own life.
Right at that moment, a crack in space opened, and from it, an old man stepped out, dragging
a bloodied unconscious man behind him.
"Father!" Yun Qinghong called out when he saw his father approaching.
"Demon King!"
"Father!" Duke Huai looked at Duke Ming, who was being dragged by Yun Canghai, and shouted in despair, his body trembling and his eyes turning red.
"You! Why are you alive?!" Duke Huai shouted at Yun Canghai, disbelief lacing his voice.
"..." Yun Canghai ignored him, not answering. He turned to Huan Caiyi and said, "Your Majesty, I didn't disappoint you. I brought back this treacherous bastard!" He threw Duke Ming on the ground at Huan Caiyi's feet.
While Huan Caiyi was dealing with the six clans and the Duke Palaces, Yun Canghai lay in ambush for Duke Ming.
Under the suppression of the formation and with the help of Yun Canghai's profound handle, The easily defeated Duke Ming.
Duke Ming tried to flee, but unfortunately for him, the formation was specifically designed to prevent anyone from escaping.
"Hhm, good," Huan Caiyi nodded; there were no emotions on her expressionless face.
"Why? Why did it come to this?!" Duke Huai knelt on the ground, staring at everything before him, his eyes hollow. Just a few dozen minutes ago, he was the high and mighty Duke Huai, half a step away from becoming the ruler of this realm!
But in just a short time, he had fallen from cloud nine to the mud! All his supporters were defeated and his greatest backing, his father, had become a cripple!
"As the Patriarchs of the Guardian Families, your sacred duty is to protect the Illusory Demon Emperor. Yet, not only did you fail in this duty, you colluded with a traitor for many years to rebel against your ruler!" Huan Caiyi looked at the six clans and spoke slowly and sharply.
The six patriarchs lay crippled and severely injured on the ground. When they heard her voice, some of them squirmed like worms.
Lin Guiyan twisted his body and struggled to move, managing to prostrate himself on the ground with great difficulty. Pleading, he said, "Your Majesty! We are indeed ungrateful, wretched bastards, but this is our doing alone. I am ready to bear your wrath! But, please, spare my clan! My clan will be eternally loyal to you!"
"You are indeed a wretched, pathetic bunch. However, this empress is magnanimous and shall grant you one last chance! If you open your souls and allow me to implant a slave imprint on you, not only will I spare your lives and clans, but I will also heal your veins so you will no longer be crippled," Huan Caiyi said, her cold gaze piercing through them as she uttered those cruel words.
Silence enveloped the entire hall. The six clans stared at her with horrified eyes, while even the other clans who had sided with her felt a chill run down their spines. The same was true for the tens of crippled dukes, their expressions reflecting shock and fear. "Impossible! Even if I die, I will never do that! How can I, Helian Kuang, become someone else's slave?!" Helian Kuang struggled to lift his head, glaring at Huan Caiyi as he shouted, vehemently rejecting her offer.
"Good! I respect your courage! You can go and die then!" Huan Caiyi smiled, her expression cold and cruel. She waved her hand, and a gust of wind lifted Helian Kuang into the air.
"Argh!!!! Stop!" While suspended in the air, golden flames began to consume his legs. The pain was so intense it felt as if not only his body was burning but his soul as well! Veins bulged out of his neck and forehead, and his eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets!
He begged for forgiveness, but Huan Caiyi turned a deaf ear to his pleas. The fire slowly advanced, burning his lower body all the way to his chest.
"Little Demon Empress... spare me... Little... Demon Empress... spare me... Ah... UWAAAAHHHHH...! I'm... willing to become... your... slave!" No one could fathom the immense pain that drove a level five Monarch to emit such a wretched scream and plead so pitifully, but Huan Caiyi was indifferent; she watched him struggle and kick with cold eyes. She continued to incinerate his body slowly until the golden flames spread across his entire body, gradually, all of his struggles and screams were completely devoured by the flames. After dealing with him, she turned to the other patriarchs and asked, "So, what is your choice? Do you want to be a courageous hero who disregards the safety of his clan for his own dignity,
or a lowly slave?"
Silence fell once again in the hall, with only the sounds of loud gulps and shattering teeth breaking the stillness.
"I... I am willing to atone for my sins and become a slave to Your Majesty!" Lin Guiyan was the first to submit. He gritted his teeth until blood seeped from his mouth, tears and snot streaming down his face. After uttering those words, strength was drained from him and he collapsed onto the ground.
If it was between the slave imprint and a simple death, he might have chosen death. But followed by his death, it was a consequence ten thousand times more cruel than a simple
death.
"Good! You indeed have the potential to become a good slave," Huan Caiyi nodded, mockingly praising him before turning her cold gaze to the others. "And what is your choice?"
"...I am also willing to become your slave and atone for my sins!"
"I am... I am also willing!"
"Me... me too! I am willing!"
After witnessing the gruesome end of Helian Kuang, and with Lin Guiyan's example, the other
patriarchs chose to submit.
If Lin Guiyan hadn't taken the initiative to become her slave, it's likely that at least half of
them wouldn't have been willing to accept her cruel offer, especially in front of all the
guardian families and duke palaces.
After implanting the Slave Imprint on them all, Huan Caiyi handed each of them silver pills
glowing with a soft white light.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for wasting this precious pill on your slave!" Upon using the pills,
they discovered that their injuries and profound veins were recovering at an incredible speed. They knelt on the ground, kowtowing to her in gratitude.
After becoming slaves, their life goal and mission was to serve Huan Caiyi loyally for the rest of their lives. Their own well-being and that of their clans became secondary.