Chapter 618: Flame of Revenge (Part 2)

"In the Huan Yao Realm, anyone who knows of the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley knows that unless its seal opens or closes on its own, there is absolutely no way to enter or exit... This was precisely what Huai Wang relied on for his earlier desperate arguments." Yun Che observed the chaotic scene and Huai Wang's suddenly dreadful expression, and spoke unhurriedly: "But four months ago, the seal of Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley was forcibly opened. You must all be very curious as to why... The reason is simple! The Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley has always had a method to forcibly enter and exit... and that is by using the Demon Emperor Seal of the Demon Emperor Clan!"

"Four months ago, Xiao Yaohou used the returned Demon Emperor Seal to forcibly enter Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley, intending to reach the Jinwu Ancestral Grounds and awaken the Golden Crow bloodline as soon as possible! But this secret, which should have belonged only to the Demon Emperor Clan, was known in full detail by Huai Wang's manor! Huai Wang, and the so-called Ming Wang who supposedly vanished a hundred years ago but was actually hidden in Yao Huang City, followed closely behind into Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley to assassinate Xiao Yaohou. After they believed Xiao Yaohou and I had perished in the Death Sea, they used the Demon Emperor Seal taken from Xiao Yaohou to escape from Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley... That is why the Demon Emperor Seal ended up on him!"

"Huai Wang. This time. What explanation do you have... oh no, what argument do you have?" Yun Che sneered faintly: "Your next argument had better be brilliant. Don't cheapen it to the point of insulting our intelligence!"

As soon as Yun Che spoke these words, the hall burst into uproar again, waves of sound rising and falling like boiling water. Everyone's gaze toward Huai Wang had drastically changed. The Demon Emperor Seal that had flown out of Huai Wang's personal space — everyone had seen it clearly, and it absolutely could not be denied or argued away.

That Huai Wang's manor held ambitions was something known to all in Yao Huang City. But such ambition is an entirely different concept from striking down the Huan Yao Emperor and the last descendant of the Demon Emperor Clan! The former led many forces to weigh their options and then offer support and allegiance, but the latter... is an act of regicide and usurpation, a heinous treason!! Given the prestige of the Demon Emperor Clan in the Huan Yao Realm, it would ignite the fury and hatred of all the realm's citizens, making it utterly intolerable across the entire Huan Yao Realm!

"Could it really be Huai Wang..."
"This... this is... a great treason!"
"No matter what, Huai Wang wouldn't do something like this... and Lord Ming Wang... this shouldn't be..."
"The Demon Emperor Seal is on Huai Wang... how could that be false!"
"Your Highness, could you really have..." The speaker was a middle-aged commandery prince who had defected to Huai Wang's manor. As he spoke, his hands were trembling. The situation today was far from ordinary, because this was being exposed in full view of all the heroes of the realm, and it was most likely the great crime of regicide! Although the Demon Emperor bloodline was nearly extinct, the prestige of the Demon Emperor Clan, bearing the Golden Crow bloodline, was utterly unmatched in the Huan Yao Realm!

The vast majority of forces that had defected to Huai Wang's manor did so because Xiao Yaohou was gradually weakening while Huai Wang's manor grew stronger. After Xiao Yaohou, the Demon Emperor bloodline would be cut off, and it would inevitably become Huai Wang's world. For the future of their own clans or forces, defecting to Huai Wang's manor was a great disloyalty to the Demon Emperor Clan, but under the current circumstances, it was a base yet "wise" choice.

But assassinating Xiao Yaohou was something absolutely unforgivable in the Huan Yao Realm... If the assassination were perfect and no one found out, then it would be one thing. But if it were exposed... and then spread throughout the Huan Yao Realm, Huai Wang would surely be ruined. Even if his power were ten times greater, he could not withstand the fury and hostility of the entire realm. And the forces following Huai Wang would also become targets of public condemnation...

"Huai Commandery Prince!" Tianxia Xiongtu's face was full of anger: "You have actually committed such a heinous and outrageous act that defies conscience and angers both gods and men! You belong to the Huan Yao Royal Clan, and in your body flows at least a trace of the Demon Emperor Clan's blood, yet you..."

"Silence!! That's complete nonsense!" Zhong Wang shouted with all his strength: "Although the Demon Emperor Seal is on the New Emperor, what does that prove?! On what basis do you claim, just from the Demon Emperor Seal, that the New Emperor struck down Xiao Yaohou?! The New Emperor has always had ambition, but he cares more about the world and the peace of Huan Yao for ten thousand years to come! He has always held great respect for the Demon Emperor Clan, and there is absolutely no way he would do such a thing, nor does he have any reason to harm Xiao Yaohou! There must be some hidden trick... Or perhaps it is a deliberate frame-up by certain people!!"

Although Zhong Wang tried his best to argue, his voice was clearly trembling.

"That's right!" Hui Ran Commandery Prince growled in a low voice: "The Demon Emperor Seal has indeed been with Father King all this time. But it did not come from Xiao Yaohou at all! Four months ago, this king picked it up at the entrance of Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley! Father King did not want to cause panic, so he did not make it public, and fearing that others might covet it, he kept it on his person... Today, it has inexplicably become evidence for the assassination of Xiao Yaohou!! There is definitely a conspiracy here... Not only do they want to frame Father King for treachery, they have even dragged in this king's grandfather who vanished for over a hundred years! This is simply... a deliberate attack on our entire Huai Wang manor! It is highly likely a poison scheme planned from the very beginning!!"

This speech immediately lifted the spirits of Huai Wang's faction, and the faces of the seven Guardian Clan heads quickly relaxed. Yun Che glanced lightly at Hui Ran and sneered inwardly. With Hui Ran's ability, there was no way he could have come up with such sharp words. Clearly, Huai Wang had informed him through sound transmission.

Indeed, merely having the Demon Emperor Seal on Huai Wang's person could not definitively prove that Huai Wang had struck down Xiao Yaohou. Huai Wang's faction only needed to stubbornly hold onto this point, combined with their overwhelming strength, and Xiao Yaohou would be unable to do anything to them. Moreover, by clinging to the word "frame-up," they could even turn the tables and counterattack.

If it were Xiao Yaohou from four months ago, that would indeed be the case.

But the Xiao Yaohou of today is nothing like she was back then!

Xiao Yaohou looked down at the scene below. As the hall buzzed with noise and the situation shifted again and again, her expression remained unchanged throughout. At this moment, she suddenly spoke, her voice endlessly cold and dark: "Yun Jiang, Yun He, Yun Xi!"

Xiao Yaohou's voice carried a pressure that almost froze one's blood, instantly silencing the noisy hall. The three great Tai Elders of the Yun Clan stepped forward and said respectfully: "What are your orders, Xiao Yaohou?"

"Arrest Huai Commandery Prince, and use Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing!"

Huai Wang's expression changed slightly, but then, instead of panicking, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

Under Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing, Huai Wang would reveal everything without reservation. All his secrets and all his crimes would be exposed without any concealment, laid before everyone. Yun Jiang, Yun He, and Yun Xi were all taken aback... because they were well aware that Huai Wang would never allow himself to be subjected to Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing. The massive force behind Huai Wang would absolutely not allow anyone to approach him. But as Tai Elders of the Yun Clan, they naturally would not disobey Xiao Yaohou's orders. They spoke in unison: "Yes!"

"Huai Wang, if you wish to prove your innocence, then submit honestly to the Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing of our Yun Clan! Otherwise, you are guilty and fearful! The crime of regicide is punishable by all!"

Yun He shouted harshly, and the three great Tai Elders simultaneously lunged at Huai Wang. But before they could even get close, a powerful torrent of profound force forcibly blocked them. Dozens of auras from different directions locked onto them, rendering the three immensely powerful Tai Elders of the Yun Clan stiff all over, not daring to move rashly for the time being.

Xiao Yaohou's eyes narrowed slightly, her voice piercingly cold: "How dare you disobey this Empress's command!"

Zhong Wang gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "Xiao Yaohou, there is one thing you have wrong! The emperor of the Huan Yao Realm today is Huai Emperor! And not you, Xiao Yaohou..."

Before Zhong Wang could finish speaking, Xiao Yaohou in the air suddenly struck out. A beam of crimson-golden flame shot down... This flame was so incredibly fast that among the countless powerful experts present, everyone could only see a fleeting flash of firelight. Before anyone could react, the flame had already blasted into Zhong Wang's chest.

Boom!!!

The most ferocious flame in the world exploded. In an instant, Zhong Wang's body tore apart like shredded cloth, scattering into countless fiery fragments. Before these fragments could even touch the ground, they were incinerated into nothingness... Not even a corpse remained, not even a trace of scorching smoke.

The not-yet-extinguished Golden Crow flames splashed onto the ground, and the extremely tough mysterious jade floor was instantly burned full of holes like foam.

Everyone in the hall was struck speechless. Their eyes were wide open, and the sudden surge of shock and terror nearly made their eyes burst.

Xiao Yaohou's temperament was cold and cruel. Her sudden act of killing was not the first time; on the contrary, she had done it many times. But this time was vastly different from any previous occasion. Because Zhong Wang... regardless of his status, he was no ordinary mortal. He was a powerful Emperor Lord with world-shaking strength, standing at the very pinnacle of the profound realms!

Yet he was obliterated in an instant by Xiao Yaohou with a casual wave of her hand!

An Emperor Lord's body, ten thousand times tougher than a rock, did not have even the slightest power of resistance, nor even the chance to let out a death cry... In an instant, not to mention leaving a corpse, not even a trace was left!

The Golden Crow flames silently burned out, but the trembling in everyone's hearts could not calm for a long time. Killing an Overlord Emperor in an instant, though astonishing, was within the capability of a high-level Emperor Lord.

But to instantly kill an Emperor Lord who had truly stepped into the Sovereign Xuan Realm and possessed the power to look down upon the world...

Even for these unparalleled experts who stood at the pinnacle of the Huan Yao Realm, this was something they had never seen or heard of... This was simply a power beyond their understanding and imagination!

The discolored mark between Xiao Yaohou's brows meant that she had awakened the Golden Crow bloodline! Her strength had naturally taken a great leap forward... But to obliterate a third-level Emperor Lord in an instant—even the Former Demon Emperor, who had also awakened the Golden Crow bloodline, could never have done such a thing!