Chapter 1757: The End of Fan Di's Light (Part 2)
In terms of identity, Qianye Fantian was, after all, Qianye Ying'er's biological father. Her sudden and ruthless strike made even the Moon Devourers, who didn't know the full story, their eyelids twitching wildly.
Several Fan Kings scrambled to move beside Qianye Fantian. The Fourth Fan King took out a jade-white spiritual pill, trying to soothe Qianye Fantian's injuries: "Master, quickly..."
But his hand was pushed away by Qianye Fantian.
Under the potent poison, the blood gushing from Qianye Fantian's wounds carried an obvious abnormal hue. Yet he showed no intention of suppressing it and instead roared in a deep voice: "Master? Are you deaf, or blind! Now, Ying'er... is your master, the master of Fan Di!"
"Ha!" Qianye Ying'er laughed coldly, her bone-chilling killing intent still locked onto Qianye Fantian's body: "Qianye Fantian, is this your final struggle before death? Trying to use such ridiculous and despicable means to protect this pack of dogs of yours?"
"No, they are not my dogs." Qianye Fantian slowly straightened his upper body, his already glazing eyes still carrying the authority that belonged only to a Divine Emperor: "Now, they are loyal hounds that belong only to you!"
He abruptly turned his head and roared harshly: "Why don't you quickly pay respects to the new Emperor... and swear your allegiance! Have you forgotten the most basic loyalty and faith of Fan Di!"
Qianye Fantian's words and actions made the smile at the corner of Qianye Ying'er's lips even colder and more mocking. She flicked her finger, and the Oracle transformed from a sword into a thread, shooting out like a golden snake, binding Qianye Fantian's entire body, pulling him to her feet in an instant. The dark force it carried rapidly corroded his Divine Emperor's body, cutting deep into the bone, bursting open one shocking patch of blood mist after another.
Without letting out a single groan of pain, Qianye Fantian raised his head at Qianye Ying'er's feet and said in a hoarse voice: "Ying'er, the person you hate, the one most deserving of death, is me, not them! They were merely faithfully carrying out their master's orders and duties."
"Your body flows with the bloodline of Fan Di, that will never change! And they are all your kin!"
"Is that so?" Qianye Ying'er's smile remained icy cold. The cruel treatment she had suffered from Qianye Fantian back then was still fresh in her mind. How could she allow herself to be deceived by his words in the slightest? She sneered with a chilling sarcasm: "But I'll still slaughter them. After all, 'pulling out the roots and weeds'—that's something you taught me countless times back then. What do you think we should do about it?"
Plop!!
The Third Fan King knelt heavily, then deeply kowtowed to Qianye Ying'er, trembling as he spoke: "Our master Qianye Ying'er above, we are willing to swear to be loyal to our master, to support our master as the new Emperor, to take our master's words as heavenly decree, unwavering until death, without regret even in death!"
He had completely understood. The final "way out" that Qianye Fantian spoke of was to spare no effort in preserving the bloodline and heritage of Fan Di.
At least, not to let them be erased from the Eastern Divine Region... or even from history, like Zhou Tian and Yue Shen.
Even if it meant enduring immense humiliation, even if it meant losing all dignity.
Behind him, the other eight Fan Kings and all the Fan Di elders also knelt, shouting the same oath of allegiance.
However, all this earned was an even deeper mockery in Qianye Ying'er's eyes.
"I was still looking forward to seeing what brilliant last-ditch struggle the dying Fantian Shen Di would use. Was it nothing more than such a clumsy performance?"
"You'd better save your strength and go howl in hell!!"
She swung her arm, darkness erupted, and with a sharp explosion, Qianye Fantian was sent flying horizontally, another burst of blood mist filling the air.
The Third Fan King abruptly reached out, stopping two Fan Kings who wanted to rush forward, his entire body trembling violently, unable to stop.
Qianye Fantian had never used his remaining power to resist. His Divine Emperor's body was now riddled with holes under the assault of the dark force.
He lay on the ground, slowly raising his head. This time, his gaze turned to Yun Che.
"Yun Che, everything you have, if you only use it for revenge and to vent your hatred... it would be far too wasteful... Since you have taken this step, you are destined... to become the master of the God Realm!"
"Now... although you have trampled the Eastern Divine Region, you have also thoroughly alerted the Southern Divine Region and the Western Divine Region. It is destined to be impossible for you to launch a surprise attack on them like you did against the Eastern Divine Region. You will need more strength!"
He raised his hand, his weak voice still striking at the heart: "Living people... are always more useful than dead people! The loyalty they had to me before, they will have all the more loyalty to Ying'er... and to you in the future! You can treat them as loyal hounds, as tools, as stepping stones... Killing them will only be a huge loss for you and Ying'er!"
"A true emperor grows stronger after conquering his enemies... not just suffering losses!"
Yun Che: "..."
"Ugh!"
Just as he was about to stand up, he fell heavily to his knees again. The blood flowing from his seven orifices had grown even darker.
Since it involved Qianye Ying'er's "family matters," neither Yun Che, Chi Wuyue, nor the Moon Devourers had intervened or spoken a word.
"Are you done talking?" Qianye Ying'er spread her five fingers, a terrifying black light gathering at her fingertips. All of Qianye Fantian's words seemed to have never caused any stirring in her from start to finish, nor had they wavered her killing intent in the slightest.
"Since you've finished your ridiculous last words..." Qianye Ying'er extended her arm, pointing at Qianye Fantian: "Then die!"
"Unfortunately, you don't deserve to atone for your sins to my mother, because she is in heaven, while you are destined to fall into eternal hell!"
As her voice fell, her figure flickered, charging straight at Qianye Fantian. Her golden pupils were filled with dark hatred, and the black light in her hand condensed power that was absolutely sufficient to annihilate Qianye Fantian in his current state.
Boom!!
The air blast shook the sky, space trembled... but Qianye Ying'er's power did not explode on Qianye Fantian's body. Instead, it was firmly blocked by Yun Che.
"You?" Qianye Ying'er's brows sharply furrowed, her eyes filled with incomprehension.
Yun Che's hand firmly locked onto Qianye Ying'er's wrist, then he let out a low command: "Yan Yi, kill him."
Yan Yi received the order and struck instantly.
As the light suddenly dimmed, a dark ghostly hand seemed to reach out from the void, piercing through Qianye Fantian in an instant, viciously destroying his internal organs, completely severing the life force of this number one Divine Emperor of the Eastern Domain.
"..." The Fan Kings' hearts convulsed, their bodies filled with sorrow, yet not one moved, not one spoke.
The light in Qianye Fantian's pupils gradually dispersed... In this world, there were some things that even the utmost power and scheming could not transcend. He accepted his defeat, yet it was not without reluctance.
His consciousness drifted, his body powerless as it fell forward... His final gaze was directed at Yun Che.
The emotion contained in that gaze was a faint trace of gratitude.
Gratitude—an emotion he had never experienced during his reign as Emperor. Because that was not something an emperor should possess.
Yet in the last moment of his life, he gave it to the man he had once feared the most and who had ultimately brought him to his death.
Bang.
He collapsed into a pool of blood, no longer moving.
His final consciousness transformed into a thread of soul sound, transmitted into the sea of Qianye Ying'er's heart.
"Ying'er, the Demon Empress has her Demon Girls and Soul Plunder Realm... and you... if you are alone... how can you contend with her..."
"..." Qianye Ying'er's gaze trembled violently.
Qianye Fantian's aura and soul breath completely dissipated at this moment.
Perhaps, even including himself, no one had ever expected that the number one Divine Emperor of the Eastern Divine Region would end his life... and his era in such a way.
No one approached his corpse. The Nine Fan Kings and all the elders had already prostrated themselves again, kowtowing heavily to Qianye Ying'er, expressing their submission and loyalty.
Qianye Ying'er slowly closed her five fingers, then suddenly shook off Yun Che, staring into his dark eyes, coldly demanding: "Why did you stop me from killing him! You... you actually..."
Facing her furious gaze, Yun Che's expression was unusually calm. He spoke slowly: "Your life should not be lived solely for revenge. He is not worth it."
Looking straight into her eyes, his voice softened: "I don't want you to carry the burden of 'killing your father' for the rest of your life. That wouldn't be easy."
Qianye Ying'er: "..."
Yun Che undoubtedly hated Xing Juekong to the bone. Back then, even tearing him into a thousand pieces could hardly quell the hatred in his heart.
But when he actually faced Xing Juekong, who had no power to resist, he simply could not bring himself to kill him. Over the years, he had kept him frozen inside the Primordial Mystic Ark, letting him suffer every moment in the painful ice prison, yet never allowing him to die.
Because Xing Juekong was, after all, the biological father of Mo Li and Cai Zhi. He did not want to become the one who killed the father of Mo Li and Cai Zhi.
Qianye Ying'er stood there frozen, her gaze chaotic, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
"However, failing to let you personally kill Qianye Fantian is indeed a breach of my promise. As compensation..." Yun Che swept his gaze over the Fan Kings and Fan Di elders bathed in the toxic aura: "Their lives and deaths are for you to decide."
If it had been a quarter of an hour ago, she would have unhesitatingly chosen to annihilate all of them... After all, they were Qianye Fantian's lackeys, who had once pursued her and Yun Che under his orders.
But under Yun Che's words, she remained undecided for a long time.
"Master," the Third Fan King looked at her, speaking softly: "With you as the new Emperor, all of Fan Di will surely be utterly loyal and obedient. The two ancestors will also be greatly pleased."
Qianye Ying'er was not moved, but in the sea of her heart, the sound of Qianye Fantian's voice echoed incessantly:
"Your body flows with the bloodline of Fan Di. That will never change."
"They are no longer my lackeys, but loyal hounds that belong only to you!"
"The Demon Empress has her Demon Girls and Soul Plunder Realm. If you are alone, how can you contend with her..."
...
"Re... move the poison."
She finally spoke, uttering two words that she would never have allowed herself to say before.
And these two simplest of words made the Fan Kings and Fan Di elders feel as if they had heard heavenly music. Especially the Nine Fan Kings, who almost simultaneously burst into tears... yet not entirely because they had regained their lives.
"Good."
Yun Che looked at her, agreeing quite simply.
He walked before the assembled Fan Kings, extending his left hand, the palm radiating the most extreme purifying light in this world.
"He Ling," Yun Che thought softly: "Rest assured. Even if the people who harmed your parents back then are not dead, they are not among these people. And through them, we will surely find those damnable people soon."
He Ling responded obediently. The purifying light of the Heavenly Poison Pearl was released, enveloping the Nine Fan Kings and the sixty-three Fan Di elders, rapidly purifying the Heaven's Wound Severing Thoughts on their bodies.
Heaven's Wound Severing Thoughts was an unsolvable nightmare for the world. But since it was a poison derived from the Heavenly Poison Pearl, it was naturally most easily purified by it. Soon, the dark green light in their pupils gradually dissipated as the toxic aura disappeared.
Before long, with the withdrawal of the purifying light, the heavenly poison was completely released.
The disappearance of Heaven's Wound Severing Thoughts also took away much of their vitality. The overwhelming feeling of weakness made it almost difficult for them even to stand. It would certainly take a considerable amount of time to fully recover.
But for them, who had just been trapped in hell, this was already like a dream in heaven.
Led by the Third Fan King, they all straightened their bodies and bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Master. Thank you, Demon Lord, for your grace."
"Go and activate the projection array." Chi Wuyue ordered softly. She looked at Qianye Ying'er's profile, a charmingly seductive smile still at the corner of her lips, but her beautiful eyes were slightly complicated.
She was very happy to see this result.
Given Qianye Ying'er's boundless hatred for Qianye Fantian, the hatred extending to those associated with him... the fact that Qianye Fantian could achieve this result before his death was truly something to be marveled at.