Chapter 622: Awakening from the Phantom Nightmare
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Using Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing on an Emperor Sovereign, even a low-level one, was extremely difficult. But Huai Wang had been severely burned by Xiao Yaohou's Golden Crow Flame, his mind and soul were in chaos, and he was under Xiao Yaohou's suppression. Both his body and spirit had almost no power to resist. With Yun He, Yun Jiang, and Yun Xi combining their Arcane Firmament Force, it took only one attempt for a strand of Arcane Firmament Force to invade Huai Wang's mind and soul.
The pain and ferocity on Huai Wang's face gradually faded, replaced by a dull blankness. His eyes lost all light, becoming hollow and empty.
"Xiao Yaohou, Huai Wang is now under Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing. Ask whatever you wish, and he will tell everything without concealment and will never lie." As Yun He spoke, he slightly bowed his waist and unconsciously held his breath. Being only a few steps away from Xiao Yaohou, the overwhelming pressure nearly stopped the flow of blood in his entire body. Even when facing Xiao Yaohou in the past, or even the Former Demon Emperor, he had never felt such a sensation.
After speaking, Yun He carefully stepped back. The Yaohuang Hall, filled with a hundred thousand people, fell into dead silence. All eyes were fixed on Xiao Yaohou. Before she spoke, no one dared to make even a sound.
She had been Xiao Yaohou for a hundred years, and by status, she should have been the emperor of the Phantom Illusion Realm. But today was the first time she truly became the sovereign. Gender, age, seniority—none of that mattered anymore. Whether she was the last of the Demon Emperors was even less important. Because at this moment, she possessed absolute power!
And in any world, only with absolute power can one become the absolute sovereign, can one become a true emperor. She had understood this truth clearly from a very young age. In the hundred years since she became Xiao Yaohou, this truth had been proven time and time again.
But Xiao Yaohou did not approach Huai Wang. Instead, she turned around and said indifferently, "Yun Che, you ask the questions."
"Alright!" Yun Che seemed to have anticipated that Xiao Yaohou would do this, so he agreed without any surprise.
Yun Che put away the Heaven-Defying Sword and walked up to Huai Wang. Looking down at this man who, just an hour ago, was dominating the scene and was about to be crowned as the Demon Emperor—now lying there like a dead dog, covered in blood, eyes vacant, so pathetic that even an unarmed mortal would feel pity seeing him like this—Yun Che spoke.
"Tell me, who was it that snuck into the palace that night and killed the Demon Emperor and the Demon Queen?"
Huai Wang's body trembled, and after a long silence, he squeezed out a few words from his throat: "It was... Father King..."
Every word he spoke struck like a thunderbolt from the clear sky, shocking everyone pale.
"This... this... this... this can't be!" An old man stood up shakily, his face full of shock, unable to believe what he had heard. The "Father King" Huai Wang referred to was naturally Ming Wang, who had disappeared for over a hundred years—a man with extremely high profound strength and a very good reputation, like a smiling Buddha...
"What is going on..."
"The invasion from Tian Xuan Continent was actually... actually... what in the world..."
The Yaohuang Hall instantly became chaotic. Everyone's expressions changed drastically, especially the Guardian Clans and the various princely mansions—they were all stunned, their minds trembling violently. Each of them began to smell something unusual. This was the Yun Family's Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing—every word Huai Wang said could not be false!
Perhaps this was not merely about Huai Wang's poisoning of Xiao Yaohou. Behind the Huai Wang Manor, there might be an even more terrifying conspiracy hidden.
To Yun Che, the crowd's reaction was perfectly natural. He stared straight at Huai Wang and continued, "Let me ask you again: the reason the invaders from Tian Xuan Continent knew our Yao Huang City like the back of their hand and could come and go freely—was that because you, the Huai Wang Manor, were secretly assisting them?"
"Yes." Huai Wang opened his mouth and weakly uttered one word. That single, short word dropped another thunderbolt in the Yaohuang Hall.
Ignoring the shouts around him, Yun Che said expressionlessly, "Now, tell everyone honestly... how exactly did the Former Demon Emperor die!"
This sudden question from Yun Che made everyone hold their breath. The Former Demon Emperor had personally pursued the invaders from Tian Xuan Continent. In his fury, he impulsively chased them into the teleportation array leading to Tian Xuan Continent, and there was no news of him since... This was the "truth" known to everyone in the Phantom Illusion Realm. But Yun Che's question clearly hinted at something else. Combined with Huai Wang's previous answers, a terrifying feeling shrouded everyone's hearts.
The answer to this question was a secret that Huai Wang could never let anyone know for the rest of his life. But under Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing, he could only answer honestly: "It was Father King... who seized the moment when the Former Demon Emperor was off guard... and shoved him into the teleportation array leading to Tian Xuan Continent... causing him to directly fall into the Heavenly Might Soul-Calming Array that had already been set up at the other end of the spatial tunnel..."
Whoosh——
The entire hall exploded with deafening uproar. Shock, anger, grief, and disbelief filled every inch of space and every corner. The people of the Huai Wang Manor were all dumbfounded, unable to believe a single word they heard. As for the forces that had pledged loyalty to the Huai Wang Manor, many of them were trembling all over, and some collapsed on the spot, their entire bodies drenched in cold sweat.
"Beast... beast!!" Mu Feiyan clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Four months ago, Yun Che had made a similarly terrible guess... but at that time it was just a guess. Now, hearing the truth directly from Huai Wang's mouth, his lungs nearly burst with rage. And he, who was mentally prepared, felt this way—what about others?
It had been over a hundred years since the Former Demon Emperor met his end. Everyone in the Phantom Illusion Realm believed the truth was that he was killed by people from Tian Xuan Continent... but they never dreamed in their wildest imagination that the real murderer was the Huai Wang Manor! And there was clearly careful planning and premeditation!
"My grandfather led ten martyrs of my Yun Family to Tian Xuan Continent. But as soon as they arrived, they fell into the Heavenly Might Soul-Calming Array set up by the enemy... Was that also a dirty deed committed by your Huai Wang Manor?" Yun Che said coldly.
"Yes... it was Father King... who informed Tian Xuan Continent... of the location and time of the Demon Emperor's arrival..." Huai Wang muttered.
Boom!!
At the seat of the Yun Family, dozens of chairs and a large area of the floor directly shattered. The three Grand Elders of the Yun Family, along with several elders who had once followed Yun Canghai, were all gnashing their teeth, their faces red as blood, wishing they could rush up and tear Huai Wang apart with their bare hands.
"Then the Young Demon Emperor—who killed him, and how did he die?" Yun Che continued.
"On the wedding night of the Young Demon Emperor and Xiao Yaohou... he went alone to pay respects to the Former Demon Emperor... and was killed by my Father King... Before his death, Father King used a soul-searching technique to extract all of the Young Demon Emperor's memories... then teleported the Young Demon Emperor's corpse... to Tian Xuan Continent through a spatial array..."
"Four months ago, in Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley, who was it that forced Xiao Yaohou into the Sea of Death!"
"It was me... and Father King..."
"What is your true purpose in bringing the people of Tian Xuan Continent into the Phantom Illusion Realm!"
"Using the hands of Tian Xuan Continent people... to throw Yao Huang City into chaos... After killing the Former Demon Emperor and the Young Demon Emperor, the blame could be directly shifted onto them..."
"You are kings of the Phantom Illusion Royal Clan! Why would you commit such heinous acts against the Demon Emperor Clan!"
"Father King was unwilling to remain subordinate... he wanted to take their place..."
"Then when did your Father King, Ming Wang, first conceive this ambition!" Yun Che narrowed his eyes slightly.
Huai Wang opened his mouth but said nothing... evidently, even he did not know.
Yun Che's questions and Huai Wang's answers—each one touched the soul and shocked the heart, every word hammering into their minds like a heavy mallet. Gradually, after their anger and shock reached an extreme, what emerged was a cold terror...
In the past hundred years, everyone in the Phantom Illusion Realm believed that the people of Tian Xuan Continent killed the Former Demon Emperor and the Young Demon Emperor, that Tian Xuan Continent caused the Demon Emperor Clan to have no descendants, that it caused the decline of the Yun Family, that the villains of Tian Xuan Continent created the greatest disaster in the ten-thousand-year history of the Phantom Illusion Realm... All living beings in the Phantom Illusion Realm harbored deep hatred for Tian Xuan Continent. Many newborns, upon being born, would first learn that Tian Xuan Continent was the eternal enemy of the Phantom Illusion Realm!
Yet now, they realized with horror that every truth they knew was false... The entire Phantom Illusion Realm, all of them present, had been toyed with by the mastermind behind all of this!
Such devils who murdered the Demon Emperor, the Young Demon Emperor, and the Demon King, and poisoned the entire Phantom Illusion Realm—they had actually come to worship in this sacred Yaohuang Hall today, even honoring him as... the new Emperor!
If not for the return of Xiao Yaohou and Yun Che... aside from the Yun Family and the Mu Family, who were prepared for a desperate fight, everyone present would become the most pathetic laughingstock in the history of the Phantom Illusion Realm.
Terror and rage filled everyone's hearts, and cold sweat soaked their backs. They felt as if they had been in a nightmare lasting a hundred years, and only today were they awakened from that nightmare...
"Your Huai Wang Manor has committed so many heinous deeds that outrage both gods and men. Yet the families that were supposed to be loyal to the Demon Emperor Clan instead turned to pledge allegiance to you—quite a few, indeed." Yun Che sneered. "Huai Commandery Prince, I trouble you to name all the forces and families that turned to you... one by one, and don't leave a single one out!"
Yun Che's words made many people present tremble in fear. And Huai Wang began to obediently recite: "Zhong Wang Manor... Helian Clan... Chiyang Clan... Jiufang Clan... Zi Wang Manor... Northern Expedition General... Bai Clan..."
Plop!!
Helian Kuang nearly crawled and scrambled over, kneeling before Xiao Yaohou, his whole body shaking and his voice filled with tears: "Xiao Yaohou, I was deceived and blinded by that villain Huai Wang! If I had known he had committed such evil deeds, even if I died a thousand deaths, I would never have colluded with him... I... I... I truly knew nothing at all! Please, Xiao Yaohou, investigate clearly... Please show mercy..."
"My Helian Clan has been a Guardian Clan for ten thousand years... I, Helian Kuang, from now on will only ever be loyal to Xiao Yaohou alone! If I violate this oath, may heaven strike me down and earth destroy me, may thunderbolt shatter me... Please believe me, Xiao Yaohou... I truly knew nothing about the deeds of the Huai Wang Manor..."
Helian Kuang's voice was hoarse and incoherent. This proud Helian Clan Head was clearly terrified almost out of his wits by Xiao Yaohou's pressure and the crimes of the Huai Wang Manor. Every crime Huai Wang admitted to was hair-raising, and each one was enough to make the Phantom Illusion Realm enemies for eternity. Even exterminating nine generations could barely atone for such sins! And any force or family that colluded with him would inevitably be pointed at by a thousand fingers, cursed for ten thousand years, never to recover.
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Chapter 623: Ming Wang Appears
Helian Kuang wept bitterly, his intestines thoroughly green with regret. The other families and forces that had pledged allegiance to the Huai Wang Manor, especially those whose names had already been called out, could no longer sit still. One after another, they threw themselves to the ground, desperately confessing, begging, swearing deadly oaths, and pledging loyalty to Xiao Yaohou in terror...
Xiao Yaohou's strength and pressure were utterly terrifying, but the crimes committed by the Huai Wang Manor were a thousand times more terrifying. They might not fear death, but who wouldn't be afraid of being cursed by the world and defamed for ten thousand years?
"Xiao Yaohou, we truly knew nothing about these deeds of the Huai Wang Manor... nothing at all..."
"If we had known, even if you gave us ten thousand times the courage, we would never have dared to have any connection with the Huai Wang Manor! We've never even seen that Ming Wang..."
"Huai Wang... you... you... you are utterly insane! Not only did you secretly murder the Demon Emperor, you also ruined the entire Phantom Illusion Realm... Such crimes deserve heaven's destruction and earth's annihilation—exterminating nine generations would not be enough to atone! If we had known earlier, our Jiufang Clan would have spared no effort to personally cut you into a thousand pieces..."
"Xiao Yaohou, we two brothers were greedy for profit... but we truly knew nothing about these matters of the Huai Wang Manor. Otherwise, even if we died, we would never have associated with the Huai Wang Manor in the slightest! If there is even half a false word, may we be struck by lightning... Please forgive our ignorance, Xiao Yaohou... We two brothers will henceforth serve Xiao Yaohou with utmost devotion..." The speakers were Bai Guihun and Bai Guiming, who had previously surrounded Yun Qinghong. As Huai Wang listed his crimes, they too were terrified out of their wits.
"Your subject has always been loyal to the Demon Emperor Clan and to Xiao Yaohou! The only reason I pledged allegiance to the Huai Wang Manor was because I thought Xiao Yaohou had perished, and I did it to protect myself... I truly knew nothing about these crimes of the Huai Wang Manor! My words and my loyalty are clear as the sun and moon, and can be witnessed by heaven and earth!" A great general clad in golden armor lay prostrate on the ground, almost smashing his head in.
The hall was filled with wailing. And every one of these prostrate people was a peerless strongman or a proud family. Just an hour ago, they had been arrogant without restraint. Now, they were like the most humble prisoners, kneeling and crying out, desperately begging for mercy amid terror and regret...
As for the people of the Huai Wang Manor, they had all collapsed to the ground, their eyes either terrified or hollow, unable even to groan. They knew that from today onward, the Huai Wang Manor was beyond redemption. As members of the Huai Wang Manor, they were themselves stunned nearly out of their wits by these crimes.
Death could come quickly and cleanly.
But if a lifetime of fame was reduced overnight to a lifetime of disgrace, whether before death or after, they would be cursed by countless people. Even their descendants, even their entire clan, would be looked down upon and rejected... and even their ancestors would be humiliated. That was a thousand times more humiliating and terrifying than mere death.
And they were now on the brink of that. The crimes committed by the Huai Wang Manor were unprecedented in the Phantom Illusion Realm, enough to enrage both gods and men. And indeed, they had betrayed the Demon Emperor Clan and pledged loyalty to the Huai Wang Manor. Once this crime was confirmed by Xiao Yaohou, all their glory would sink into the foulest mud.
Even if they truly knew nothing about the crimes of the Huai Wang Manor... and had never seen the long-vanished Ming Wang.
Xiao Yaohou slowly raised her eyes and said coldly, "I can believe that you were completely unaware of the crimes of the Huai Wang Manor."
Her words made them overjoyed, but her next words came like a bucket of icy water pouring over their heads: "But in these years, Huai Wang has openly and covertly defied me countless times, and has spared no means to suppress the forces and families loyal to me. His ambition has long been obvious! Even if you were blind, you should have known it clearly! Yet you chose to betray me and pledge allegiance to the Huai Wang Manor! That is no different from treason and rebellion! How do you still have the face to beg for mercy from me!"
Xiao Yaohou's words struck the fatal weak point of these people. They knew very well what they had done and what their intentions were. The seven clans, the princely mansions, and all those who had pledged to Huai Wang—none were not trembling all over. The only thing they could do was desperately beg for mercy, swear loyalty, and even utter the most vicious vows...
Xiao Yaohou slowly extended her hand. That gesture made everyone hold their breath... That little hand, as white and tender as fresh snow, was undoubtedly, in their eyes, the hand of death that could take their lives in an instant.
Clang!
With a flick of Xiao Yaohou's hand, a cold, gleaming short blade flew out from Bai Guiming's body and landed in front of Huai Wang, half of its blade penetrating the ground. Xiao Yaohou's low voice followed: "Since you want to show your loyalty... very well. Whoever among you personally kills Huai Wang, I will pardon his crime."
A moment of deathly silence fell over the hall. Then, a surging wave of energy exploded, shaking the Yaohuang Hall as if an earthquake had struck. Those who had been kneeling on the ground all charged at Huai Wang like madmen, their speed and the violent energy surging around them exceeding the limits of their lifetimes.
Helian Kuang was closest and reacted fastest. He grabbed the short blade stuck in the ground, his eyes bloodshot, and with sky-high hatred, he roared as he charged at Huai Wang: "Huai Wang—die!!"
His hatred was certainly not fake. Given his current situation, he would not blame his own betrayal of his ancestors and principles but would instead place all blame on Huai Wang. The short blade in his hand concentrated all his strength, stabbing straight at Huai Wang's vital point, wishing he could split his body in two.
At that moment, a loud crash came from above. The ceiling of the Yaohuang Hall collapsed over a large area, and a sky-covering wave of dark red flame, carrying a scorching yet sinister aura, swept down. Before the flame had even reached them, the violent wave of energy had already knocked everyone charging at Huai Wang to the ground, and the floor of the hall visibly began to sink rapidly.
"It's Ming Wang... be careful!" Yun Che muttered, grabbing the Heaven-Defying Sword and rushing to the front of Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou.
Xiao Yaohou flicked her sleeve, and Golden Crow Flame shot up into the sky, scattering the overwhelming demonic flame in an instant. As the fallen demonic flame dissipated, a figure clad in silver robes appeared high in the air, a hundred zhang above.
"Ming... Wang!" Everyone who had seen Ming Wang in the past cried out in shock. Although Ming Wang had vanished for over a hundred years, his appearance had not changed at all during that time. But now, seeing this former "smiling Buddha" again, the once gentle and courteous demeanor, completely devoid of the air of a commandery prince, had now become nothing but a devil's smile.
Xiao Yaohou rose into the air, facing Ming Wang from a distance, her eyes radiating an icy killing intent: "Ming Wang, I thought you didn't have the guts to show your face."
"Alas." Ming Wang looked down at the miserable state of the Huai Wang Manor below and sighed briefly. "The conqueror is king, the loser is a bandit. I thought about the day of success from the very beginning, and naturally also considered the consequences of failure... However, I was not defeated by anyone, but by the Golden Crow Divine Spirit. Human power, after all, cannot contend with divine power. Otherwise, this Phantom Illusion Realm would already be the world of my clan."
"Ming Wang... it really is you!" Mu Feiyan pointed at Ming Wang, trembling with rage. "The Former Demon Emperor trusted and valued you greatly. Back then, when you wanted to leave Yao Huang City, the Former Demon Emperor and I tried our best to keep you. Back then, the Demon King told me to be wary of you, but I never took it seriously... I never imagined you could be so ungrateful, so despicable and venomous!"
"Heh..." Ming Wang smiled indifferently. "A person's life is but a few decades or a few thousand years at most. Then they turn to ashes and scatter into the world—how fleeting. In this brief life, if one has ambition, how could they be willing to remain subordinate to others? Why should they be another's subject? The Demon Emperor Clan could be the emperors for ten thousand years. Why couldn't my clan do the same? I merely did what many mediocre people wanted to do but dared not, or even dared not think about! What fault is that? Even if I fail today, I may have regrets, but I will never repent!"
"Ming Wang, every word you just said is utterly wrong." Yun Che said with a faint smile, lazily.
"Oh?" Ming Wang looked sideways at him. "Then tell me, which of my words was wrong?"
"Not just one word—everything is wrong." Yun Che shook his head, smiling slightly, but with contempt. "What is a person? A person can be unremarkable, can have no great achievements, can live a mediocre life. The reason a person is a person is not only because they have a human body and independent will, but most importantly, they have the most basic humanity, shame, and conscience. Ming Wang, do you have these? Hmm... it seems you don't. Then what right do you have to call yourself a person? At best, you're nothing but a vicious beast."
"Since your very premise of being human is already wrong, everything that follows is naturally a pile of nonsense."
"Also. Comparing yourself to the Demon Emperor Clan is an enormous joke. Why has the Demon Emperor Clan been able to rule for ten thousand years? It has nothing to do with whether the Demon Emperor Clan inherits the Golden Crow bloodline! Back then, it was the Primordial Demon Emperor who quelled the Phantom Illusion chaos, ended the conflicts between humans and demon beasts, unified the entire Phantom Illusion Realm, and brought ten thousand years of peace and harmony to this realm, with no major strife! Therefore, the Demon Emperor Clan is qualified to rule the world and receive the submission of the Phantom Illusion subjects. And you, Ming Wang... what qualifications do you have!?"
"You are a king of the Phantom Illusion Royal Clan, receiving the blessings of the Demon Emperor Clan. From birth, you had a noble status and enjoyed the finest resources. Yet, instead of being grateful and loyal, you conceived a criminal rebellious heart! You even invited the wolf into the house, causing disaster to the Phantom Illusion Realm, throwing Yao Huang City into chaos, and vilely murdering the Demon Emperor and the Young Demon Emperor. You almost caused Xiao Yaohou to perish in Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley... You have not a single ounce of merit for the Phantom Illusion Realm, but only brought great calamity! Compared to the Demon Emperor Clan's great achievement of unifying the Phantom Illusion Realm, you have nothing but baseness and venom! What right, what face do you have to compare yourself to the Demon Emperor Clan!"
"The Demon Emperor Clan could rule for ten thousand years, and the world was peaceful. As for you, even if your poisonous scheme had succeeded, on the day the truth came to light, you would have been destroyed by the fury of the Phantom Illusion subjects. It could never have lasted!"
"And what about your King Father, your grandfather, your ancestors generation after generation? Do you think they would be gratified and proud because of your so-called 'ambition'? No! They would only feel pain, grief, and disgust, wishing they could crawl out from the Nine Springs and strangle you with their own hands! Because you have brought shame to their lifelong reputations and turned your entire clan into eternal disgrace..."
"SHUT UP!!"
Ming Wang, who had maintained a calm demeanor even in the face of utter defeat, suddenly let out a hoarse, furious roar. His face twisted, and his previously calm eyes violently churned. In this world, the sharpest weapon is not a blade, but words that pierce the heart! Every word, every sentence from Yun Che was like the sharpest steel needle, ruthlessly stabbing into his fatal weakness, tearing the heart that he thought was as firm as rock and could calmly face everything into a thousand holes.
He finally experienced firsthand the sharpness of Yun Che's tongue... and finally understood why his son Huai Wang had almost burst a lung because of Yun Che, and had even been left with a shadow.
"Oh! Humiliated rage, huh?" Yun Che was certainly not afraid of the terrifying aura released by Ming Wang's fury. He said with a grin, "Conqueror king, loser bandit? No, no, no. That applies to heroes and villains. Those words are completely unsuitable for you. Now, you are nothing more than a mangy dog about to be beaten and cursed by everyone!"
Ming Wang's body began to tremble: "I... will... kill... you!!"