Chapter 758: No Injustice Ignored!
Chapter 758: No Injustice Ignored!
If given a choice, Yun Xiao would have never set foot in this world, which could only be described as twisted. But he had no alternative. Since he was here, he would make do.
"Using the Harmony Divine Palace's slot to attend the Grand Assembly of Myriad Sects is clearly unrealistic. I'll have to see if there's a way to secretly use their teleportation formation to escape this Extreme Yin Celestial Realm," Yun Xiao mused, his decisions always sharp and resolute, his gaze already set on infiltrating the Harmony Divine Palace.
He glanced at an object in his hand, a ring shaped by the body of a woman with the tail of a serpent, her supple body arched to form a circle, her mouth gently biting her own tail.
"The Harmony Ring?" Yun Xiao muttered as he pinched it, finding the artifact exceedingly hard and resistant to damage.
"This could be the key to unlocking the Harmony Divine Palace," he whispered under his breath.
"The question is how to use it?" The War Princess tucked her long hair behind her ears and leaned in slightly to ask.
Yun Xiao gave her a look and said, "Of course, you take the lead. You use it."
The War Princess clicked her tongue and said, "You want me to stick my neck out and take the brunt for you?"
"Isn't that what you suggested?" Yun Xiao countered.
"I meant don't just drain my blood whenever; at least give me some room to maneuver," the War Princess huffed."Well, now you have your space. Take it or leave it, otherwise just be a dried-up corpse," Yun Xiao said ruthlessly.
"Don't, just don't." The War Princess bit her lip, took the Harmony Ring, and with a slight flick, it was on her finger.
The ring glowed with a cold light, radiating an ancient, mysterious, solemn, and untouchable aura.
With the Harmony Ring on, even the War Princess' presence became more profound.
"From today, I've got your back," she declared with newfound courage, beginning to show off.
Yun Xiao chuckled. "You're just spearheading this, don't get carried away."
"Hmph." The War Princess glanced down at him, then couldn't help but laugh. "What about you? Really content to hide behind me, playing the little Yun?"
"That's called lying low," Yun Xiao said.
The War Princess rolled her eyes. She thought for a moment, then said, "This method is flawed. That woman earlier, she picked up on your... scent quite quickly."
Yun Xiao, somewhat embarrassed, replied, "I just dealt with that; a bit of smell is normal. It's no problem."
"You can also stash them away somewhere else?" the War Princess asked, astonished.
She still hadn't figured out how a Heavenly Monarch could store away their cock and eggs in the first place.
"What? No. Just watch." Yun Xiao touched the center of his forehead, drawing forth the Prison Warden Sigil, then tugged it towards his trousers. A violet light quickly merged into it and faded away.
"Smell it now, is it still obvious?" Yun Xiao asked, dead serious.
"Smell your own head!" The War Princess hastily retreated, covering her delicate nose, fearing he would press her down to sniff it.
"It should be undetectable now," Yun Xiao stated, his attention wholly fixed on resolving the matter.
The War Princess slowly released her nose, giving him a peculiar look. "Your Life Sigil is rather strange, looking so fierce yet essentially so pure and solemn. Looking at it, it really does match you, like a little Yun Xiao..."
"Stop fanning the flames," Yun Xiao responded irritably.
"That's called provoking the fire," the War Princess corrected.
"Same difference. Don't push your luck; if you irritate me, you'll be the one to suffer," Yun Xiao warned.
"Pfft." The War Princess was getting to know his true nature. To his own people, he was blunt but kind-hearted; to his enemies, he was the exact opposite, quick to strike at the slightest disagreement.
And so, the plan was set. The War Princess would wear the Harmony Ring, and Yun Xiao would temporarily disguise himself as her slave.
As long as the Prison Warden Sigil provided cover, unless Yun Xiao openly revealed his tools, no one would go out of their way to check.
After all, in this world, surviving chickens were a rare breed.
"Let's stick to this for now, play it by ear, and take any opportunity to get out of this accursed place as soon as possible," Yun Xiao said earnestly.
"You're that scared of this place? I think it's quite nice here, utterly beautiful everywhere," the War Princess teased, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Yun Xiao ignored her, still busy clearing up the remnants left by that goose-yellow girl, which included several tomes with extensive details on the Harmony Divine Palace.
"It seems this girl planned to use the Harmony Ring to enter the Harmony Divine Palace, so she studied it extensively."
For Yun Xiao, these tomes were a timely aid.
"By the way, what about these four?" The War Princess pointed to the four miserable young men still kneeling in the distance.
"Sigh." As a man himself, Yun Xiao could easily empathize with them. It was truly pitiful! He approached them again and said, "Brothers, you're free to go."
"Go... but where?" the eldest of the young men asked from the ground, his voice thick with sorrow as tears fell.
"Is there really nowhere left in this vast world?" Yun Xiao asked softly.
All four shook their heads.
"In the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, slaves have masters. Those without masters, moving alone, are like money running on the road—either they are robbed or killed. They have no way to enter cities or celestial ruins; they essentially have no human rights," the youth said bitterly.
"Is it really that terrible?" Yun Xiao remarked, observing their dim expressions, feeling it was indeed too much.
He glanced back at the War Princess and said, "It's a pity, we can barely protect ourselves, let alone take you with us."
"Big brother, don't joke. You're carrying powerful weapons. If we were to follow you and were discovered, it'd be harder than death itself," the youth quickly refused.
Yun Xiao knew well that in the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, there were countless others with fates like these youths. How many could he actually save?
"Just go. We've accepted our fate long ago. We might not live long, but hiding here and there, we might just make it past 30 years old—that would be a win," the youths forced smiles, trying to be optimistic.
"Why is making it past 30 years old a win?" Yun Xiao asked.
The youth sighed. "The Harmony Divine Palace despises men. Those under 30 years old serve as celestial slaves, handling menial tasks. Any hint of middle age, and we're discarded for furnace duty in medicine making. The slow burning agony is terrifying just to think about; many of us consider ending it early."
His tone was only slightly regretful. But Yun Xiao understood that these matters had likely played over in their minds 1,000,000 times, which explained the numbness in their voices.
It wasn't that they didn't feel pain, but that they were numb to it.
"Is it really that extreme? It seems unnecessary..." Yun Xiao shook his head.
"Who knows? I only learned the truth after arriving here. The celestial maidens here have turned our degradation into a form of competition, completely pathological. It all starts with the Harmony Divine Palace..." the second youth said blankly.
"Stop, don't say anymore," the first youth hastily interjected in fear.
"With such inhumane practices, does no one intervene?" Yun Xiao said, at a loss for words.
The youth shook his head and said, "The Extreme Yin Celestial Realm is very insular, and outside, they treat the slaves well, putting on a very convincing show. Many hear of this place as a haven of celestial beauties and even vie to become slaves."
"But once they arrive, they realize it's not paradise but hell."
Yun Xiao had originally thought the women of this world tedious. But hearing this, he discerned a sickness similar to that of tyrants—a pathology that had devastatingly harmed a whole group, leaving these innocent boys to live in a sea of despair without hope.
From their dim eyes, it was evident—they were truly frightened and numb, like the walking dead, their eyes devoid of any light. And the arrogance of the goose-yellow girl still haunted his mind, stubbornly lingering.
"What, thinking of leading them in a rebellion to overthrow the Harmony Divine Palace?" the War Princess asked.
"Don't you think it's utterly unjust?" Yun Xiao turned to ask her.
"It is unjust, but weren't you in a hurry to find your senior sister?" the War Princess said.
"..." Yun Xiao pursed his lips. Indeed, though his heart stirred at the sight of injustice, it seemed he was spread too thin.
"Besides, in this world, there's injustice everywhere unseen by you. Can you really address it all?" the War Princess said.
She too was earnestly pondering this issue.
"A true man, upon seeing injustice, should draw his sword to aid," Yun Xiao declared solemnly. "Having seen and heard this, no amount of unseen injustices can justify ignoring the cruelty before me. If I cannot be moved by the injustice I witness, how can I dream of a better world?"
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