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--- Chapter 456 ---
"E-Everything..." Hanlong Nuji stuttered in disbelief, her face flushing as she realized just how much Han Yuan was demanding.
Han Yuan narrowed his eyes, casting a solemn, unyielding look in her direction. "Yes. Everything. I want it all."
"I-Including myself?" The Winter Dragon Empress cast a tearful gaze at him.
Han Yuan merely scoffed. "If that makes you happy, then sure."
"What's with that scoff?! Are you really holding a grudge against me just because of one small mistake?" The humanoid dragon erupted instantly, her voice laced with panic and indignation. She could barely believe she was reduced to this. "I already said I was sorry, okay?!"
She, a majestic Blue Dragon, the unrivaled Winter Dragon Empress, had actually begged for forgiveness.
Han Yuan's expression softened, though his cold eyes remained. "You are right... It was a small mistake."
He paused, his voice dropping a little. "However, that same 'small mistake' wouldn't have just ended your life. It would have erased this very timeline from existence."
Hanlong Nuji froze, utterly speechless. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? How could you cause so much destruction just because I grabbed your wrist?! Y-You're being ridiculous!"
Remaining dead calm, Han Yuan began to explain. "That is only because of your ignorance."
"You should know exactly what kind of divine artifact the Sky Poison Pearl is, and what it is capable of achieving."
He took a step closer, his eyes locking onto hers. "Don't tell me that you, a high and mighty Blue Dragon, know nothing of the Absolute God-Slaying Poison? Or perhaps... the Myriad Tribulation Poison that brought an end to the Primordial Era of Gods in the Primal Chaos Dimension?"
The moment those names left his lips, Hanlong Nuji went stiff. The color drained from her face. "H-How do you know about that event...?"
Noticing the sudden, striking shift in her demeanor, a cold smile formed on Han Yuan's handsome face. "Ah, I see. You were one of the poison's victims."
"A weakling swept under the rug by that cruel, primordial venom. Now, everything becomes clear."
He walked a slow circle around her, piecing together the puzzles about the being called Hanlong Nuji. "You died once."
"For a Divine Beast of your level, restoring your physical form might be as easy as flipping a hand."
"But the Myriad Tribulation Poison is far too dangerous, too corrosive, and too absolute. Even the Primordial Dragon God perished due to it, and he is stronger than you..."
"As far as I know, its effects do not simply dissolve the physical body. Oh, no. That wouldn't fit its name. It would definitely corrupt the soul and one's very origins."
Han Yuan stopped directly in front of her. "Moreover, it must have altered your spiritual body and genetics to their very source, preventing you from passing down your pure bloodline to the next generation."
"Left with no choice, you abandoned your original body and somehow fled to this backwater universe."
"You couldn't accept death, not willingly!"
'This guy... How did he...' Hanlong Nuji's breath hitched.
Han Yuan continued, as if she were an open book to him, "You preserved the last remaining traces of your lineage here, creating the Ice Elves, the Icy Star Titans, and that vastly inferior version of the Blue Dragon race, the Winter Dragons."
"However, as the millennia passed, you found no sign of a breakthrough, nor any path back home. So, you spent your days lazing around and sleeping."
"Until you met me... And then act like a complete fool!"
"Fine! You're right!" Hanlong Nuji snapped as she was being stripped bare, her fists clenched angrily. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes. "I am a victim of the Myriad Tribulation Poison, you are right!"
"To protect my lineage, I had no choice but to flee from the Primal Chaos Dimension through the Crimson Crack."
"I ended up in this pathetic universe, trying to recover my strength, but the origins and laws here are too weak to support my ascension to the True God Realm!"
She glared at him through trembling breaths. "There! Are you happy now? Are you satisfied, reminding me of my miserable past?!"
"But even if that's true, it still doesn't explain your audacity! Don't tell me your Sky Poison Pearl contains a poison of that same level?!"
Han Yuan remained dead calm. "A poison that can eradicate an entire universe and an era of gods? No, I don't possess that."
"I knew it! You're just exaggerating-!"
Before Hanlong Nuji could finish her complaint, Han Yuan raised his hand, cutting her off instantly. "However, what you fail to understand is that the Sky Poison Pearl in my possession actually serves as a carrier for a God Position."
"Locked within the Sky Poison Pearl is the God Position of the Immortal Scourge, held by myself and another who possesses a unique physique capable of devouring poison to grow stronger."
"That God Position possessed an absolute authority over life, specifically through sickness, disaster, and misfortune. It can extend or end all living things."
Han Yuan's eyes flashed with an ominous light. "So, tell me. What do you think would happen if that God Position was violently triggered by your reckless probing just now, causing the Sky Poison Pearl to detonate?"
"I don't need to overcomplicate the explanation," He looked at her with terrifying serenity. "Two words are enough."
"Absolute Demise."
"To every living being on this planet..."
"A-Absolute Demise..." Behind them, Ye Ziyun swiftly clamped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide due to sheer terror. She had known Han Yuan was powerful, but she had never imagined he carried the literal artifact to end all life on their world.
A few paces away, the massive body of the Icy Star Titan began to visibly tremble, the realization of how close they had all come to death crashing down onto him like an avalanche.
"T-That was dangerous..." He mumbled nervously.
"You are..." Hanlong Nuji still couldn't accept this.
Han Yuan narrowed his eyes. "What? Do you think I am bluffing? Do you think I am overreacting? Then, why don't you see for yourself?"
With a flick of his wrist, Han Yuan lifted his palm.
Whoosh!
The Sky Poison Pearl materialized into existence, immediately followed by the grand appearance of the Divine Throne of the Immortal Scourge.
The icy environment of the Ice God's Inheritance was directly painted in a terrifying mixture of two colors. The vibrant emerald of life, and the dark, viscous green of absolute decay.
The moment the Divine Throne manifested, the air, no, the space itself began to warp and tremble.
The fundamental laws of the Douluo Plane did not recognize this foreign divinity, violently trembling as the world felt instinctively threatened by its presence.
Hanlong Nuji's eyes widened in disbelief. At first, she desperately hoped Han Yuan was exaggerating.
Yet, the instinctual, soul-deep shivering fear shook her entire body, which means this was very much real.
The detonation of this God Position, combined with the Sky Poison Pearl's innate effect, would absolutely erase this planet from existence.
Even if Hanlong Nuji's soul survived the burst, a poison of this caliber was never intended to kill a high-level being instantly. Yes, it was created to make the victim suffer for eternity. And Hanlong Nuji would rather die a thousand times over than experience that torment again.
"I... I am terribly sorry for my reckless actions..." She gritted her teeth, swallowing every ounce of her pride as she bowed deeply toward Han Yuan.
Watching her bow, Han Yuan lowered his head slightly to hide the subtle smirk playing on his lips.
'As expected, this is the easiest way to break someone like her...'
'Man, that was close. I actually had to detonate a small fraction of Origin Qi inside the Divine Throne of the Immortal Scourge to pull off the pressure.'
'If I had to release any more, it would have been a waste of precious resources. Thankfully, she completely bought my half-truth, half-lie gaslighting.'
Yes, Han Yuan was being entirely unreasonable. He knew a proud, ancient entity like Hanlong Nuji couldn't be brought down with mere words or simple negotiations.
He needed a real, tangible, existential threat, a grand scheme to trick her into believing the possibility of the end of the world was her fault.
Was it a dirty trick? Was it completely scummy?
Of course it was. But Hanlong Nuji was an infinitely bigger variable than a regular transmigrator like Xu Deming. A simple time traveler was nothing compared to a haughty, ex-True God powerhouse, especially from a universe like the Primal Chaos Dimension.
Han Yuan let out a slow, heavy sigh, acting as if he were making a deeply agonizing compromise. "Alright. I won't take this offense to heart too much. I admit, I was being a bit too harsh just now."
"Y-You..." Hanlong Nuji looked up, completely stunned.
She hadn't expected Han Yuan to be so forgiving after she had allegedly almost triggered a world-ending disaster.
Han Yuan offered her a warm smile. "Everyone makes mistakes once. Just make sure it doesn't happen a second time. How about this... forget about giving your entire existence over to me."
"All you need to do is follow my commands for a thousand... no, let's not be too harsh. Let's say a hundred years."
"What do you think?"
"A hundred years...?" Hanlong Nuji's eyes lit up with sudden brightness. To an immortal dragon who slept for over ten thousand years, a century was nothing more than a blink of an eye.
"T-Then, let's do exactly that!"
Relief washing over her, Hanlong Nuji smiled warmly and cupped her hands respectfully toward him. "Daoist Han, please take care of me for the next century."
Han Yuan returned the gesture, keeping his face perfectly composed while sighing heavily in the safety of his own mind.
'Oh, wow. I am such a scumbag.'