“Spare us, my lord, spare us!”
Suddenly, cries for mercy echoed through the air.
They came from the remaining attackers.
Initially, over ten thousand people had come to challenge the Chu Heavenly Clan. Though some fled after being repelled by the Chu Heavenly Clan’s leader, most stayed behind.
When the Blood Devouring Hall appeared, some chose to join them, continuing their assault on the Chu Heavenly Clan.
Those people had just been wiped out by Gu Mingyuan.
Now, those kneeling and begging for mercy were the ones who, after being spared by the Chu Heavenly Clan’s leader, merely lingered to watch without joining the Blood Devouring Hall’s attack.
Compared to those who died, they hadn’t betrayed the mercy shown to them.
In a way, they could be considered somewhat righteous by comparison.
But their original intent in coming here was to attack the Chu Heavenly Clan, so they were terrified.
Terrified that Gu Mingyuan and the Chu Heavenly Clan wouldn’t let them off.
“What’s the deal with these people?” Gu Mingyuan asked, having just arrived and unaware of their specific circumstances.
“Senior, they came to cause trouble too, but after the Clan Leader repelled them, he said they’d be spared. Since they didn’t betray that mercy like the others, let’s let them go,” Chu Feng explained. Though he arrived later, he’d been here longer than Gu Mingyuan and had learned the details from others.
“I see,” Gu Mingyuan nodded, then waved her sleeve.
Swish, swish, swish—
Suddenly, countless points of light shot from her sleeve, like arrows, piercing into the bodies of those kneeling.
As the lights entered, they all showed fear, thinking Gu Mingyuan was attacking to kill them.
But they soon realized, to their shock, that despite the lights entering their bodies, there were no wounds or pain.
“It’s soul poison!” someone cried out in terror, recognizing what the lights were.
“Soul poison?”
Hearing this, their faces turned ashen.
Soul poison, as the name implied, was a toxin that fused with the soul.
For martial cultivators at their level, the body was merely a shell; the soul was the core.
A shattered body caused no pain, but even a small wound to the soul could bring immense agony.
Soul poison, merging with the soul, was a dire threat to their lives.
“My soul poison won’t kill you or hinder your cultivation,” Gu Mingyuan said coldly. “As long as you stay away from the Chu Heavenly Clan in the future, you’ll live as long as you’re meant to. But if you don’t learn your lesson and act foolishly again, this poison will make you wish for death.”
“Princess, we won’t dare, we really won’t dare again. Please, give us a way out!”
“Princess, we only came here to make a show, we never truly intended to attack the Chu Heavenly Clan!”
The crowd, terrified, knelt and begged again.
But Gu Mingyuan’s expression remained unchanged, showing no pity, only a hint of impatience as she said, “Either leave now, or I’ll activate the soul poison in your bodies.”
At her words, no one dared linger. Gu Mingyuan had just killed without blinking; though called the princess of the Wanzhou Ancient Clan, she was more akin to a demoness.
No matter how unwilling, they didn’t dare hesitate, fleeing in all directions, their retreat a picture of disgrace.
Witnessing this, everyone fully grasped Gu Mingyuan’s methods.
Compared to the Chu Heavenly Clan leader’s magnanimity in sparing them outright, Gu Mingyuan’s approach was far more effective in protecting the clan.
Even Chu Feng admired her more.
He had long known that the true power in the Wanzhou Ancient Clan wasn’t the clan leader but Princess Gu Mingyuan.
Seeing her today, her reputation was well-earned.
“Argh—”
At that moment, a pained wail rang out.
It was the Chu Heavenly Clan leader, now unrecognizable, unconscious.
Worse, as he wailed in pain while unconscious, faint light was dissipating from his body.
As the light faded, the Clan Leader grew extremely weak, his vital signs rapidly declining.
“Oh no, his soul is dissipating!” Seeing this, Liangqiu Chengfeng and Master Liangqiu rushed to the Clan Leader’s side, casting a barrier formation to stabilize his condition.
“Master, the Clan Leader took a forbidden drug. Can it be treated?” Chu Feng approached, aware that the Clan Leader had used a forbidden drug and was suffering its backlash, but he hadn’t expected it to be this severe, threatening his life.
“Young friend Chu Feng, don’t worry. It’s tricky, but with me here, there’s no major issue,” Master Liangqiu said. “But we need a place prepared immediately for thorough treatment, or there’ll be endless trouble.”
At his words, the Chu Heavenly Clan members didn’t dare delay, quickly arranging a place for Master Liangqiu to treat the Clan Leader.
“Senior, do you need my help?” Chu Feng asked, concerned for the Clan Leader’s condition.
“No need to worry, young friend. Chengfeng and I can handle it. You should deal with the clan’s affairs first,” Master Liangqiu said.
He knew the Chu Heavenly Clan’s people couldn’t handle the Blood Devouring Hall.
Dealing with them required Gu Mingyuan.
Given the situation, besides Chu Lingxi, Gu Mingyuan would likely only give face to Chu Feng.
So Chu Feng needed to stay.
Dealing with the Blood Devouring Hall wasn’t as simple as killing them.
If killing solved everything, Gu Mingyuan would have done it already. With her personality, having crossed someone, she wouldn’t leave survivors.
The reason she spared them was that the Blood Devouring Hall had no real grudge with the Chu Heavenly Clan. They were here today under someone else’s orders.
Thus, they needed to extract the identity of the mastermind from them.
That person was the real threat.
If they didn’t root them out, the consequences would be endless.
After all, someone capable of commanding the Blood Devouring Hall’s leader was no ordinary figure.
