Chapter 1792: Breaking the Spirit
Yun Che's brows slanted upward, as if he found it quite interesting. He said calmly, "Not a bad suggestion. Cang Shitian, since you're so familiar with the Ziwei Realm, this task shall be yours."
Cang Shitian wore an expression of great honor, quickly bowing and saying, "I will not disappoint the Demon Lord."
Yun Che cast a sidelong glance at the Ziwei Emperor, whose complexion was as gray as a corpse, and his face showed a faint hint of displeasure: "Why is this fool still alive? Are you three old ghosts deaf?"
The Three Yan Ancestors were so startled their bodies trembled, and they frantically erupted with their Yama's Power.
Riiip!
The space was torn into tens of thousands of black fissures, and the Divine Emperor's body of the Ziwei Emperor was brutally twisted into an extremely deformed shape. If it had been an ordinary Divine Lord, they would have been torn into dozens of pieces by the terrifying power of the Three Yan Ancestors.
"Wait... wait... wait!" He began to struggle desperately, and a piercing shriek burst from his mouth: "Demon Lord... I am willing to pledge loyalty... ah... please spare Ziwei... spare Ziwei... I am willing... to work for the Demon Lord... aaaaah..."
The might of the Northern Domain and the threat of realm destruction had not made the Ziwei Emperor submit, but a few words from Cang Shitian had shattered him.
Yun Che was now ruthless enough, but perhaps not cruel enough—at least not as cruel as Cang Shitian.
"Too late," Yun Che murmured disdainfully.
Crack... crack, crack!
The Ziwei Emperor's bones were snapped piece by piece, and his body was burned away layer by layer by demonic energy. The purple light on him trembled and flickered as he struggled even more desperately, but more power burst forth from his mouth in a furious roar: "Demon Lord! Ziwei is willing to be loyal forever... Ziwei is a useful man to the Demon Lord... I beg the Demon Lord to grant it... I beg the Demon Lord to spare Ziwei... I beg the Demon Lord... ah..."
As the power of the Yan Ancestors eroded him, the Ziwei Emperor's shouts became increasingly shrill and despairing, but Yun Che remained standing with his back turned, giving no response.
"Stop for now." Qianye Ying'er suddenly spoke.
"...?" Yun Che turned his head slightly, his brow furrowing a little.
The Three Yan Ancestors looked at Yun Che simultaneously, but their power obediently halted. After all, they dared not disobey Qianye Ying'er's command either.
Suddenly pulled back from despair, the Ziwei Emperor shrank all over, his face full of fear, with none of his former toughness left.
"After all, he is a Divine Emperor. If he is willing to obey, it would be better to keep him alive," Qianye Ying'er said slowly.
"Qianye," Cai Zhi suddenly spoke coldly, "As the Demon Lord's slave, are you defying the Demon Lord's order?"
These words were both a rebuke and a way to reopen the scar of the slave mark Yun Che had placed on Qianye Ying'er back then.
"How could I dare to defy the Demon Lord's order?" Her beautiful eyes seemed to brush past Yun Che casually as she said slowly, "I am merely offering the Demon Lord more choices."
"If this Ziwei Emperor is truly willing to obey, then we can gain the assistance of a Divine Emperor, and taking the Ziwei Realm will be effortless, with no harm but many benefits. But..." She looked at the Ziwei Emperor, her tone shifting slightly from leisurely to icy cold: "The Demon Lord has already issued a kill order, so it cannot be easily revoked. Moreover, if we let you off so easily, it would be too unfair to the Shitian Emperor and the Xuanyuan Emperor, who have obediently complied from the very beginning."
"Get to the point," Yun Che said.
Qianye Ying'er's lips pressed together slightly, the delicate pink curve outlining a bewitching charm that could pierce the soul, but what came from between her lips were the most terrifying five words: "Buddhist Soul Death-Pleading Seal."
The three Divine Emperors—Xuanyuan, Ziwei, and Shitian—all shuddered simultaneously. Even Yan Tianxiao's pitch-black pupils quivered.
Just a few words could chill a Divine Emperor to the bone in an instant—only the Buddhist Soul Death-Pleading Seal could do that. Even Yan Tianxiao of the Northern Domain had heard of its terrifying reputation.
"..." Yun Che said nothing. He was one of the rare people in this world who had personally experienced the Buddhist Soul Death-Pleading Seal.
"It seems the Demon Lord is willing to grant this opportunity." Qianye Ying'er looked down at the Ziwei Emperor: "This is your last chance, and the last chance for the Ziwei Realm. Choose."
The Ziwei Emperor's vision had never been so blurred and gray.
He looked at Yun Che—deep and indifferent, devoid of any emotion, as if he didn't even care about his choice.
He looked at the Xuanyuan Emperor—fear, pity, but also a hint of barely concealed relief.
He looked at Cang Shitian—mockery, contempt, schadenfreude, all undisguised.
...
Having lived for tens of thousands of years, he suddenly realized that he had never truly understood the Xuanyuan Emperor or Cang Shitian, and had never truly seen human nature.
Everything he had adhered to and upheld throughout his life suddenly became incredibly fragile and worthless in the face of this life-and-death crisis.
Once the Buddhist Soul Death-Pleading Seal was planted on him, his fate would be completely controlled by Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er. Even if the Northern Domain were destroyed by the Western Domain in the future, or some other turn of events occurred, he would have no escape. Any slight resistance would leave him unable to live or die.
But things had come to this point, and he had no other choice. Lowering his head, the Ziwei Emperor's mouth twitched, and he actually started to laugh, but his heart felt no sorrow—as if his soul had already died.
"Please, Demon Lord... grant the seal." He spoke those very brief words very softly, accepting this fate he had no choice but to embrace, with a calmness far beyond what he had imagined.
"Very good." Qianye Ying'er slowly raised her hand and said in a low voice: "You should understand the consequences of resistance."
The Ziwei Emperor closed his eyes, releasing all the profound energy in his body.
A gust of cold wind swept by, and Yun Che suddenly appeared beside Qianye Ying'er, grabbing her jade-white wrist and slowly pressing down her raised hand.
"You do it." Yun Che said to Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu.
Qianye Ying'er: "..."
Qianye Bingzhu, who rarely showed any change in expression, revealed a faint smile: "Good. Planting the Buddhist Soul Death-Pleading Seal damages the soul origin. The Divine Emperor is tied to the future of the Brahma Emperor, so unless absolutely necessary, how could he personally bestow it?"
With these words, his large hand reached out and grabbed the Ziwei Emperor's shoulder. Instantly, golden marks spread from his palm, rapidly extending over the Ziwei Emperor's entire body.
The Ziwei Emperor trembled all over but remained motionless, allowing the most brutal soul seal in the world to invade his body and soul.
Her lips slightly curved, Qianye Ying'er smiled faintly. She turned her eyes to Yun Che and said softly, "My Demon Lord, do you know what it means that worry clouds one's judgment?"
Yun Che: "..."
"Back when I entered the Northern Domain, my Buddhist Soul and Brahma Emperor power had already been completely crippled. How could I possibly plant the Buddhist Soul Death-Pleading Seal on another? Such a simple and obvious thing, and yet you forgot it just now."
Yun Che was momentarily stunned. Then he snorted coldly and said in a low voice, "This is not the time for jokes. Don't cause trouble."
As he spoke, he clearly felt a cold aura coming from behind him, and it took him a while to suppress it with great effort.
The future interactions between Cai Zhi and Qianye Ying'er would probably be far more difficult than he had anticipated.
As the golden marks spread over the Ziwei Emperor's entire body and then completely vanished after a flicker, the Buddhist Soul Death-Pleading Seal was fully planted on him.
Having witnessed the entire process of the Ziwei Emperor being branded with the Buddhist Soul Death-Pleading Seal, the Xuanyuan Emperor's chest heaved. At this moment, what filled his heart was no longer resentment and unwillingness, but rather a twisted relief.
"Xuanyuan, Ziwei." Yun Che's voice was deep.
The Xuanyuan Emperor's body swayed, and he paused for half a breath before stepping forward, imitating Cang Shitian's earlier posture as he bowed: "Demon Lord... what are your orders?"
Having been an emperor his whole life, how could he be accustomed to bowing and scraping? Both his movements and words were extremely strained.
The Ziwei Emperor also stepped forward, bowing before Yun Che, but his gaze was much grayer and more vacant than the Xuanyuan Emperor's.
"You will immediately issue orders, mobilizing all forces of the Xuanyuan and Ziwei Realms to pursue and kill the remnants of the Nanming lineage with full force." Yun Che spoke slowly, delivering a kill order that would push Nanming into eternal despair.
The Nanming lineage, not a single blade of grass left alive—that was the oath he had sworn back then.
The two Divine Emperors lowered their heads deeply, a deeper sorrow welling up in their hearts.
Since ancient times, they had been royal realms of the Southern Domain. Now, they had to personally uproot the Nanming lineage.
Yun Che was dragging them into a dark abyss that grew deeper and deeper, with no way back in sight.
They did not have the courage to refuse, so they could only comply.
"Remember to spread the word," Yun Che continued. "The only ones guilty of a thousand deaths are those bearing the bloodline of Nanming. The other profound practitioners of Nanming need only inform on their whereabouts to be pardoned. If they take their lives, they will be heavily rewarded."
When this news spread, one could imagine what a hellish pandemonium would break out among the fleeing profound practitioners of Nanming.
"Yes." The two Divine Emperors responded with difficulty.
"Three months," Yun Che's words were icy cold. "Three months from now, I do not want a single drop of Nanming's blood and bone to remain in this world—not a single trace! Do you understand?!"
This time, neither the Xuanyuan Emperor nor the Ziwei Emperor responded immediately, because three months was far too short.
After hesitating again and again, the Xuanyuan Emperor still braced himself and said, "Demon Lord, the Xuanyuan Realm has always harbored... fear and resentment toward the demon race. Although I am willing to be driven by the Demon Lord, this order will inevitably cause internal strife in the Xuanyuan Realm due to differences in belief. Even just quelling that internal strife will take no small amount of time. The same goes for the Ziwei Realm. Three months is truly..."
"Hmph, you can't even control the people under your own hand? Have you been wasting your years as Divine Emperors feeding dogs?!" Yun Che coldly interrupted the Xuanyuan Emperor's words, his gaze turning fierce and piercing. "A dog that has bowed its head has no right to bark at its master! Execute the order obediently. Three months... no matter what method or means you use, not a single extra day is allowed!"
Internal strife? Even better! That way, even if they later turned back to the Dragon God Realm side, their threat would be greatly diminished.
Today, the layers of terrifying shadows Yun Che had cast over them were far too heavy. His suddenly vicious eyes and tone made their entire bodies tremble with fear. They no longer dared to say another word and hurriedly bowed in obedience.
Yan Tianxiao suddenly spoke, his voice fierce: "The Demon Lord said 'immediately' issue orders. Didn't you hear?!"
He now fully understood why Yun Che hadn't allowed them to pursue far earlier. It turned out that even back then, he had already planned to hand over the task of hunting down the Nanming remnants to these royal realms of the Southern Domain, leaving them with no way to retreat.