"Demon Sovereign, I beg you to spare Meng Cao's life!" Meng Lengyu pleaded, rushing to Ye Hua and kneeling before him. "Meng Cao must die today," Ye Hua replied coldly, his expression unwavering. "Demon Sovereign," Meng Lengyu cried desperately, "I don't want the mission reward anymore. I don't need the Primordial Nascent Soul Pill. Just please, spare Meng Cao's life!" In her panic, she even forgot to address herself as "your subject," using the informal "I" instead. "That's impossible," Ye Hua said. "Everyone must pay the price for their actions. Jiang Lu sacrificed his life for the Human Race, and I cannot allow him to rest uneasily in his grave knowing his sacrifice was in vain." As he spoke, Ye Hua surveyed the surrounding crowd. Thousands of Wu Ji Sect disciples had gathered, forming a dense, dark mass. The sheer number of cultivators present created an overwhelming, intangible pressure. Even if Ye Hua secretly wished to spare Meng Cao, he had no choice; he had to answer to this crowd. Ye Hua raised his hand and lightly tapped the wooden hut where Meng Cao was hidden. A wisp of piercing Spiritual Power shot forth, instantly shattering the hut's defensive array. In the next moment, the wooden structure splintered into pieces, exposing Meng Cao to the assembled crowd. Seeing the cold glares of the crowd, Meng Cao was suddenly overcome with terror. His panicked gaze darted through the crowd until it landed on Meng Lengyu, who appeared to him like a lifeline. The fear in his heart began to recede, and the panic in his eyes softened. "Mother, save me!" Meng Cao cried out. "Meng Cao, did you kill Jiang Yan?" Ye Hua demanded coldly, cutting off Meng Lengyu before she could respond. Hearing Ye Hua's voice, Meng Cao finally noticed the Demon Sovereign's presence. His eyes widened in renewed terror as the fear he had momentarily suppressed surged back with greater force. "Demon Sovereign... this disciple..." Meng Cao stammered, unable to form a coherent response. "I asked you, did you kill Jiang Yan?" Ye Hua repeated, his voice icy. The oppressive weight of Ye Hua's presence loomed over Meng Cao like a mountain, forcing him to his knees. "This disciple didn't mean to kill her," Meng Cao pleaded. "It was just an accident..." "So you admit it. A life for a life. Prepare to die, Meng Cao." With those words, Ye Hua unleashed a torrent of Corpse Qi. The dark energy coalesced into a massive handprint, several meters wide, that slowly descended toward Meng Cao. Perhaps Ye Hua wished to prolong Meng Cao's torment, for the handprint's descent was deliberate, almost languid. Staring at the inexorable descent of the handprint, despair washed over Meng Cao's face. "Mother, save me! I don't want to die!" Before Meng Cao could finish speaking, darkness descended, and a figure materialized before him. He looked up and saw it was his mother. In Meng Cao's eyes, his mother's usually modest figure now seemed as towering as a mountain. Meng Lengyu summoned a small shield. The shield expanded rapidly, growing to a diameter of ten feet as it intercepted the incoming force. "Demon Sovereign, please show mercy!" Meng Lengyu pleaded, channeling all her energy into reinforcing the shield. "Hmph! You’re courting death!" Ye Hua scoffed. The handprint's power surged violently, hurtling forward with overwhelming force. The shield shattered instantly. The handprint's lingering force struck Meng Lengyu first, sending her flying like a kite with a severed string, blood gushing from her mouth. Meng Cao was not so fortunate. His body exploded into a cloud of blood mist, the shockwave of the handprint scattering his remains in every direction. Not only was his physical form obliterated, but his very soul was torn to shreds by the palm strike. "Hall Master Meng," Ye Hua said, his voice cold as ice, "in recognition of your years of loyal service to the sect, I will spare your life. But remember this: Meng Cao's death was his own doing. Blame no one else." With those words, Ye Hua vanished without a trace. Meng Lengyu was sent flying over a hundred feet before crashing to the ground. She gazed up at the blood mist hanging in the air, her face contorted with inconsolable grief. Ignoring the searing pain of her internal injuries, she struggled to her feet and forcibly channeled her spiritual power, gathering the swirling crimson vapor into a jade bottle. Meng Lengyu stared blankly at the bottle in her hand, her steps faltering as she stumbled toward a secluded mountain. The disciples of the Wu Ji Sect watched her desolate figure retreat into the distance, then gradually dispersed. Dawn broke, painting the horizon with streaks of orange and red. Ye Hua's figure appeared above the encampment, accompanied by ten massive Giant Flying Ships of the Wu Ji Sect. "Wu Ji Sect disciples, hear my command! Board the ships immediately and prepare to advance on Fangzhudao!" At his command, the disciples soared into the sky, converging on the warships hovering above. Within moments, thousands had boarded the ships. Meng Lengyu emerged from behind a small mountain and landed on the deck just as the ship's engines roared to life. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥 Her face was as cold as frost, radiating a bone-chilling aura that caused the other disciples to quickly retreat, creating a wide, empty space around her. Meng Lengyu landed near Song Wen, leaving only the two of them in the immediate vicinity. Song Wen glanced at her but, seeing her lack of interest, wisely refrained from initiating conversation. Just then, Ye Hua's voice echoed in his mind through a telepathic message: "Gou Jun, keep a close watch on Meng Lengyu. Report any unusual behavior immediately." Clearly, Ye Hua harbored murderous intent toward Meng Lengyu. However, she had committed no overt offense, and with a major battle imminent, he couldn't execute her arbitrarily in front of the assembled disciples. Song Wen suddenly seemed to remember something. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he stepped forward, stopping about six feet from Meng Lengyu. "Hall Master Meng," he said, "please accept my condolences." Meng Lengyu remained motionless, her eyelids unwavering. She didn't even glance at Song Wen, as if he were invisible. Undeterred by the snub, Song Wen continued, "Hall Master Meng, has Meng Cao been properly laid to rest?" Meng Lengyu's eyes widened, her gaze turning glacial as she glared at Song Wen. "His bones were pulverized, his soul scattered to the winds! How am I supposed to bury him?" Song Wen's face flushed with apology. "My words were ill-chosen, Hall Master Meng. Please forgive me." "Hmph!" Meng Lengyu scoffed coldly, her voice dripping with fury. Overwhelmed by her imposing presence, Song Wen chuckled awkwardly and fell silent. Meng Lengyu subtly shifted her gaze, casting an almost imperceptible glance toward the Flagship where Ye Hua stood. The giant flying ships of the three major human factions advanced in formation, Fangzhudao quickly coming into view on the horizon. Deep beneath the waves, the Demon Race's omnipresent network of spies had long detected the human fleet's movements. Fangzhudao was already on high alert, with countless demonic figures lurking along the coastline. As Fangzhudao drew closer, the human ships suddenly veered sharply when they were less than five hundred li away, darting off at an oblique angle. During their previous assault, the Wu Ji Sect and Cui Clan had been lured into attacking the coastal demons, only to fall into Xing Wenyao's trap. He had secretly deployed the Nine Luminaries Profound Spirit Formation in advance, thwarting their advance. Learning from this failure, Yin Shuo and the other human commanders decided to exploit a weak point in the demons' defenses and force a landing. While this strategy risked encirclement by the demons, it minimized the threat from aquatic demon beasts. This was especially crucial for dealing with the two Fourth-Tier mermen. Once separated from the water, they would lose their ability to conceal themselves using the sea. Eliminating them preemptively would naturally cause the four Fourth-Tier Shadow Beasts under their control to retreat. 📖Read (RDC) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c1096. [+2] 🔑Early Access at $5. ✍Translated (6) Series, (4.1K+) Chapters, (5.8M+) Words.