Kong He clutched his ears with both hands, letting out shrill, agonising screams while cold sweat poured from his forehead like beads.
His face was deathly pale, all his former majesty and arrogance gone.
At this moment, he was no Phoenix Prince; he was simply a loser, a complete and utter loser.
Utterly pathetic!
Hong Li felt ice-cold all over.
She numbly touched the blood that had splattered onto her face, as if trying to confirm whether what she saw was real or just an illusion.
“No, no, it’s impossible. How dare he! How dare he!”
Hong Li shook her head frantically, completely stripped of her usual sharpness.
Bai Qianjiao was dumbfounded too.
Yet a strange gleam flickered in her eyes.
Back at the Martial Arts Festival, that youth had been exactly this wild and overbearing, exactly this unrivalled in dominance.
She suddenly realised she might really have underestimated Ling Xiao far too much.
Think about it: at that very festival, Ling Xiao had dared to argue face-to-face with the Holy Emperor in front of countless martial artists from the Heavenly Dragon Continent, showing no respect whatsoever.
How could a man like that possibly fear a mere Peacock Prince?
“He actually did it for real?”
Sha Tongtian shuddered violently and looked at Ling Xiao in horror.
What worried him was not how Ling Xiao might deal with him, but rather how he could possibly explain to the Peacock Clan, and to the Divine Phoenix Empire, that their Peacock Prince had his ears cut off in the capital of the True Demon Empire.
After all, the current strength of the True Demon Empire truly could not contend with the Divine Phoenix Empire. Offending them might cause the True Demon Empire to collapse, a disaster even the Yin-Yang Demon King could not prevent.
“You really dared to touch him?”
Sha Tongtian glared at Ling Xiao, his face full of fury.
At this point, he still had not grasped the situation.
Instead of worrying about the Divine Phoenix Empire seeking retribution later, he should be thinking about how to survive Ling Xiao’s wrath right now.
Perhaps he still did not know just how dire the True Demon Empire’s circumstances had become.
He stared at Ling Xiao, and Ling Xiao stared back.
Among everyone present, this Sha Tongtian was the strongest and therefore the greatest remaining enemy.
Jiao Batian was already under his control, and no one knew where the Yin-Yang Demon King was. As long as he eliminated Sha Tongtian, taking the Magic City would probably be easy.
Wars in the Profound Realm rarely depended on the size of armies; they hinged on the strength of the top experts on each side.
The war in which the True Demon Empire destroyed the Holy Dynasty had been like that.
The war in the Northern Desert had been like that.
And the war Ling Xiao had started today was no different.
Had it not been for Moon Maiden backing him and the Supreme Holy Emperor leading the Northern Han Kingdom’s great army against the True Demon Empire, Ling Xiao truly would not have done what he was doing now.
Because even with a hundred thousand troops, they would be nothing against a Yin-Yang Demon King.
“First Demon General? Heh, without the Yin-Yang Demon King and the Electric Light Demon King, I wonder how long you’ll keep that title of First Demon General of the True Demon Empire. Why not surrender instead? Return to the Storm Ocean, return to your lair. That way we all avoid hurting each other.”
Ling Xiao looked calmly at Sha Tongtian, making one final attempt at peace.
War was never simple. Behind every war lay massive death, civilians and soldiers alike.
If he could drive the sea clan away peacefully, or even integrate them, Ling Xiao had no objection.
Though his methods were overbearing, he was not a complete tyrant.
Sha Tongtian said nothing. He was thinking, weighing how to answer Ling Xiao’s question.
It was not an easy question to answer.
One wrong word could cost him his head.
“Sha Tongtian, if you dare surrender, the Peacock Clan will never forgive you. Remember that! Heh heh heh, Ling Xiao, if you’ve got the guts then kill me. Otherwise I’ll make you pay!
You, and everyone around you, will all die!”
Just as Sha Tongtian was pondering, Kong He let out a hysterical roar.
“Hahaha, you don’t dare kill me! You know what a disaster killing me would bring. You’re scared!”
Ling Xiao looked quietly at Kong He and began to wonder if he had misheard something. These days people usually begged for mercy; how could there still be someone so eager to die?
“First Demon General, our sea clan has over a million troops, and the Yin-Yang Demon King himself guards us. How could we possibly fear a mere Ling Xiao? No matter what, Ling Xiao must die. Otherwise none of us here will be able to face the Peacock Clan or give an account to the Divine Phoenix Empire.”
Hong Li, eyes red, shouted loudly at Sha Tongtian.
“Over a million troops? Heh, I’m afraid at least six hundred thousand of them are puppet forces. Some are cowards who fear death, others are merely enduring humiliation to survive. Do you really think they will fight to the death for your sea clan?
Do you know why I entered the city so smoothly today? Because they helped me!
As for the Yin-Yang Demon King?
At this very moment he’s probably too terrified to show himself. I killed the Electric Light Demon King in front of countless people. Surely you all saw that?
Even if you didn’t see it, you could have asked. Otherwise you wouldn’t have been foolish enough to provoke me to my face today, would you?
Let me also inform you that both Landon City Lord Jiao Lie and Magic City Lord Jiao Mo have already been dealt with by me.
Landon City was taken long ago by the Holy Dynasty Restoration Society. Dreaming of reinforcements? Keep dreaming.
Furthermore, Ouyang Wen of the Heavenly Principle Alliance is dead too. The Heavenly Principle Kingdom has already fallen into my hands.
With Northern Han Kingdom and Heavenly Principle Kingdom jointly attacking the True Demon Empire, plus the puppet troops switching sides, do you really think you still have any chance of victory?”
“No! You’re lying, you must be lying!”
Hong Li shook her head. She refused to believe any of it was true. How could Ling Xiao be this terrifying, this formidable?
“Believe it or not. As for Kong He, Peacock Prince? Do you really think that title makes you so extraordinary?”
Ling Xiao said scornfully, “I’m not afraid to tell you, I have already fallen out with the Divine Phoenix Emperor. The one who named me Heavenly Dragon King this time is Prince Yinshan. So don’t try to pressure me with the Divine Phoenix Emperor. For all the filthy things he’s done behind the scenes, the fact I haven’t settled accounts with him yet is already giving him face!
And you still dare mention him to me?
You say my Heavenly Dragon King title was bestowed by others and can be stripped at any time.
You’re quite right. That’s why I’ve simply decided to conquer the entire Heavenly Dragon Continent, found a new nation, a new power. What do you think the Divine Phoenix Emperor will do then?
Will he become enemies with my nation? Will he risk being caught between the Black Crow Empire and us just to deal with me?
Kong He, oh Kong He, you think far too highly of yourself. In the eyes of the truly powerful, a minor figure like you is utterly insignificant.
If you died, I guarantee the Divine Phoenix Emperor would do nothing for you, perhaps hold a memorial service at most.
Moreover, your Peacock Clan would splinter because of it, perhaps even collapse completely and be expelled from the ranks of Divine Phoenix nobility.
Surely you’re aware that plenty of mid-tier noble houses are eyeing your family’s position like hungry wolves, just waiting for you to make a fatal mistake.”
