(Bonus Chapter!)
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Helian Kuang cried bitterly as tears fell down his face like a storm. At that moment, his stomach was so full of regret that it had turned completely green. The other families and forces, especially those that had been cited by Duke Huai, were not just sitting there sedated. They stumbled over themselves just to fall to the ground and begin making venomous oaths, claiming their loyalties, repeating and begging for their lives in front of the Little Demon Empress amid shock and terror.
The power and strength of the Little Demon Empress were truly incomparably terrifying, but the crimes committed by the Duke Huai Palace were much more shocking than that. Perhaps, they didn't need to fear death, but who wouldn't fear being the mark of shame and reproach, with their name being trampled and despised by countless generations from now on...
"Little Demon Empress, the things that the Duke Huai Palace committed, we really didn't know..... We didn't know the slightest..."
"If we really knew.... even if we had ten thousand times more courage, we still would never associate with the Duke Huai Palace no matter what.... and even that Duke Ming, I've never seen him before..."
"Duke Huai... You... You... How could your gang actually be so totally wicked and without morals? Not only did you assassinate the Demon Emperor, you also brought calamity to the entire Illusory Demon Realm..... These crimes, even if all of you receive the condemnation of both heaven and earth and your seeds are completely uprooted and burned, those punishments still wouldn't cleanse your heinous deeds! If we knew.... Our Jiang Family would have torn you apart personally no matter the cost..."
"Little Demon Empress, although both of us..... prioritize our benefits, we..... really are ignorant regarding the affairs of the Duke Huai Palace. Otherwise, even if we were killed, we definitely wouldn't have interacted even a little with the Duke Huai Palace.... if anything we said is false, we accept being struck by lightning... We beg the Little Demon Empress to forgive us...." The ones who spoke were the two who had attacked Yun Qinghong earlier, the two brothers, Bai Guihun and Bai Guiming. After hearing Duke Huai come out and confess his crimes, their souls almost scattered in shock.
"This humble subordinate has always been devoted to the Demon Emperor Clan and the Little Demon Empress..... So the only reason I threw myself to the Duke Huai Palace is because I thought the Little Demon Empress had encountered a calamity and was only protecting myself.... the crimes of the Duke Huai Palace, this humble subordinate was not aware of them.... the words of this humble subordinate and the loyalty of this humble subordinate, the sun and the moon and even heaven and earth can witness..." A general dressed in golden armor had prostrated himself on the ground and was about to crack his head open from banging it hard against it.
The great hall was a field of afflicted sobs and not one of those crawling on the ground were unbeatable experts or part of proud families. Just two hours ago, they had all been excessively arrogant beyond limits, but now, they lamented like the lowest of the condemned, desperately begging for forgiveness in terror and remorse....
As for the members of the Duke Huai Palace, all of them had sunk to the ground and their eyes were both filled with shock and horror or they were completely vacant. No one was able to utter a single sound. They knew that from today onward, the Duke Huai Palace would have no hope of escape. As members of the Duke Huai Palace, they were shocked and scared by the crimes that had been revealed.
Someone might still have a good death.
But, if a life of prestige changed overnight into infamy, regardless of whether they lived or died, from now on, they would be cursed by countless people. Even their descendants and all those related to them would receive the public's contempt and rejection.... their ancestors would also be shamed forever because of this. This was many times more humiliating and terrifying than simply dying.
And currently, they were on the edge of that hell. The crimes that the Duke Huai Palace had committed were things that the Illusory Demon Realm had never witnessed before, crimes that were heinous enough to enrage both Gods and humans. They had really abandoned the Demon Emperor Clan and sworn their loyalties to the Duke Huai Palace. Once the Little Demon Empress presided over their crimes, all their glories and honors would sink into the dirtiest mud.
Even if they really didn't know about the crimes committed by the Duke Huai Palace.... and even if they had never seen the long-disappeared Duke Ming.
Ren Zu, who observed the entire scene, sighed silently. His eyes fixed on the Little Demon Empress.
The Little Demon Empress slowly raised her eyes and declared coldly, "This empress wants to believe that all of you had no knowledge regarding the crimes committed by the Duke Huai Palace."
The words of the Little Demon Empress immediately made them happy, but her following words were like a bucket of cold water thrown over their heads, piercing them to the bones:
"But Duke Huai has been both openly and cowardly defiant towards this Empress. So his ambition has been clear for a long time! Even if all of you were blind, you should be extremely clear about this! But instead, all of you abandoned this empress and threw yourselves with the Duke Huai Palace! So what you did was no different from open rebellion for a long time.... So your bunch, have no sense of shame, so much so that you are begging for mercy from this Empress right now!!"
The words of the Little Demon Empress undoubtedly had fiercely pierced the weak point of every person here. They were extremely clear about what their actions meant and what intentions they had nurtured in the depths of their hearts. The Seven Families, the various Duke Palaces, and all those people who had deserted to the Duke Huai Palace, each of them was trembling uncontrollably. The only thing left for them to do was desperately beg for mercy, declare their loyalties, and make the most vicious oaths.
The Little Demon Empress slowly extended her hand and her movement immediately made everyone hold their breaths..... that soft and delicate hand that was as white as stirred snow, was in their eyes, undoubtedly the hand of the God of Death that could instantly steal all life.
Clang!
Following the turn of the Little Demon Empress's hand, a short blade which radiated a cold light flew out from Bai Guiming and fell in front of Duke Huai with half the blade burying itself in the ground. The low voice of the Little Demon Empress sounded following that, "Since you want to express your loyalties.... Very well. Whoever kills Duke Huai personally among you, this Empress will forgive the crimes!"
A deadly silence engulfed the great hall for an instant, but following that, a surge of a wave of energy exploded and it was as if the Demon Imperial Hall was being shaken by an earthquake. The people who were originally kneeling on the ground all rushed frantically towards Duke Huai, their speed and panic in surging profound energy almost exceeding the limits of their lives.
Helian Kuang was the closest and his reaction speed was also the fastest. He dug up the knife that was buried in the ground and, with scarlet eyes, he rushed towards Duke Huai while howling with evident hatred, "Duke Huai..... die!!"
His hatred was undoubtedly true. He naturally wouldn't blame himself for the situation he found himself in now; instead of blaming himself for betraying the integrity of his ancestors, he preferred to push the blame entirely onto Duke Huai.... All his strength was concentrated in the short blade in his hand and it thrust directly towards Duke Huai's vital areas. Helian Kuang resented that he couldn't cut his body in two directly.
At that moment, an explosion sounded in the air above them and the roof of the Demon Imperial Hall collapsed. A black-crimson conflagration, which covered the sky and the earth, brought a scalding and tyrannically sinister wave of energy along as it exploded downward.... before the flames had even arrived, that incomparably frenzied wave of energy had already made all those who had rushed towards Duke Huai fall to the ground and the floor of the great hall sank rapidly before everyone's eyes.
The Little Demon Empress swung her long sleeve, Golden Crow flames rose towards the sky and, in the blink of an eye, the diabolical fire that filled the sky was blown away by the impact. Following the dissipation of the Fallen Devil Flames, a figure dressed in gray clothes could be seen floating in the sky far above.
"Duke.... Ming!!" The people who had seen Duke Ming before let out shocked screams. Although Duke Ming had disappeared for over a hundred years, his appearance remained completely the same as before. Only that the 'smiling appearance' he used to display, the warmth and courtesy and that lack of splendor air had all been dissolved into the air. At that moment, only a diabolical smile was displayed on his face.
The Little Demon Empress floated in the air and stood face to face with Duke Ming, her eyes emitting a bone-piercing cold killing intent. "Duke Ming, this Empress was starting to think that you wouldn't have the courage to appear."
"Sigh." Duke Ming observed the terrible state of the Duke Huai Palace below and let out a short sigh. "The victorious rule the world while the losers become bandits. When this duke initially thought of my day of victory, I also naturally thought of the consequences of failure.... it's just that this Duke didn't lose to any man, but lost to the Divine Spirit of the Golden Crow... The strength of man, in the end, cannot compete with the strength of the Gods. Otherwise, this Illusory Demon Realm would become this Duke's clan."
"Duke Ming.... So it really was you!!" Mu Feiyan pointed a finger at Duke Ming and he was so furious that his entire body was trembling. "The previous Demon Emperor placed so much trust in you and all those years ago, when you wished to leave the Demon Imperial City, the previous Demon Emperor and I did our utmost to try to dissuade you.... In those days, the Demon King told me to be careful with you, but from beginning to end, I disapproved of what he had said.... However, who would have imagined that you really were such an ungrateful, despicable, and venomous villain!"
"Hehe..." Duke Ming laughed apathetically, "The life expectancy of a man, if short, will last for decades; if long, it will last a millennium. But in the end, everything becomes dust and scatters to the heavens and the earth; everything is fleeting. In this short life, if a person is ambitious, why accept being inferior to another and become the servant of another person. If the Demon Emperor Clan could establish themselves as emperors of the entire realm, then why couldn't this Duke's clan as well?! This Duke only did what many mediocre people wished to do but didn't have the courage to do it. I did things that these commoners never even dreamed of! So, what mistake did this Duke commit?! Although defeated today, this Duke feels only dissatisfied. I absolutely have no regrets!"
"The words of Duke Ming are absolutely wrong." Ren Zu who was standing beside Duke Huai said indifferently.
"Oh?" Duke Ming tilted his eyes to look at Ren Zu. "Why don't you tell me what exactly this duke said that was wrong."
"It wasn't anything you said explicitly. Your entire premise is wrong to begin with." Ren Zu shook his head as he smiled faintly, but disdainfully.
"What is a human? Humans can endure not being invincible, can endure having no glorious deeds, and can endure living in complete mediocrity. What makes someone human is not their form or their independent will. The most basic characteristic and the most important definition of humanity is our human nature, our intrinsic sense of honor, and our innate sense of what is right and wrong. Duke Ming, these characteristics, do you possess them? Oh.... it seems you are almost devoid of them. If that is the case, then what qualifications do you have to call yourself a man? In the end, you are merely a malicious animal. Since even the premise that you were a human being is completely wrong, then whatever you said afterward is merely a big pile of garbage. Moreover, you compared yourself to the Demon Emperor Clan, that is simply the biggest joke I've ever heard. Why could the Demon Emperor Clan reign supreme for ten thousand years? That has nothing to do with the fact that they inherited the Golden Crow bloodline! In those years, it was the first Demon Emperor who pacified the chaos within the Illusory Demon Realm, ended the struggle between humans and demons, and unified the entire Illusory Demon Realm, bringing ten thousand years of peace, prosperity, and lack of disputes to the entire realm! So, the Demon Emperor Clan possesses the qualifications to rule everything under the heavens and receive the reverence of all the citizens of the realm. But you, Duke Ming... What qualifications do you have?!"
"As a member of the Illusory Demon Royal Family, you received the favor of the Demon Emperor Clan. From birth, you had a noble status and you enjoyed the best that the Illusory Demon Realm could offer. But not only did you not feel grateful and loyal, you actually nurtured such evil intentions in your heart! You even invited wolves right into the heart of the realm and let the Illusory Demon Realm suffer a great crisis. You made the Demon Imperial City fall into chaos and even despicably and maliciously assassinated the previous Demon Emperor and the Little Demon Emperor. The Little Demon Empress was also almost sent to her death by you in the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley... Not only did you not render a single service to the Illusory Demon Realm, you actually created crisis after crisis! While the Demon Emperor Clan has the great merit of unifying the realm, you, Duke Ming, have only heinous and evil acts left in your name! So on what basis can you compare yourself to the Demon Emperor Clan? How do you even have the shamelessness to try to make that comparison in the first place?!"
"The Demon Emperor Clan could rule for approximately ten thousand years and everything under the heavens was at peace. But you, even if your nefarious scheme had succeeded, on the day when all the truths came to light, you would also be destroyed under the hatred of all the people of the realm and you definitely wouldn't remain! Moreover, your real father, your grandfather, all the ancestors of your clan, what view do you think they will have regarding your so-called 'ambition'? Do you think they will feel gratitude and pride? No! What they will feel is only pain, sadness, disgust, and anger! Yes, anger! That they cannot descend from the heavens to trample you to death! Because you turned all their glories into shame, making your clan become forever a black stain in history..."
"And you know what's worse? You're not even fit to be a villain. True villains have class. You... are just a man who got lost and dragged his own name into the mud."
"Silence!!!"
Duke Ming, who still carried a calm expression on his face despite his total defeat, at that moment, could not help but let out a hoarse scream filled with rage and hatred. His face distorted and intense emotions began to ripple in those previously calm eyes. In this world, the sharpest blades were the words that could cut the heart! Every sentence that Ren Zu uttered, every word he said, was like the sharpest of needles that sank mercilessly into his most vulnerable points. This made his originally inflexible and determined attitude, which allowed him to let go of everything, be completely pierced.
"Oh? Are you angry because your shame was exposed?"
Ren Zu's voice echoed with a cold disdain, and the smile that curved on his lips seemed more like that of an executioner enjoying the victim's agony.
The aura that Duke Ming released in his fury was truly terrifying to any other. For Ren Zu, however, it was just a harmless breeze.
He tilted his head slightly, observing the man in front of him with his black eyes, and said in a venomous and cutting tone:
"'The victorious is king, the loser is bandit'? Don't make me laugh. That philosophy is a cheap consolation for failures. Truly ambitious people don't settle for titles or justifications; they step on everything and everyone until the world bends. You, however... are nothing more than a dirty dog trying to look like a wolf. In the end, the most you'll achieve is being remembered as an animal that barked too much before being slaughtered."
Duke Ming's body began to tremble, his eyes bloodshot with hatred and humiliation.
"This Duke... will kill you!!"
Ren Zu just smiled, a smile that made the very air freeze.
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