Translator: Deathblade
Editor: Chesire Phoenix
Leaf Dao-Denier was completely confident that Yang Qi couldnât escape, and it prompted a hearty chuckle on his part as he contemplated how wonderful it was to be toying with him this way. He was already thinking about what it would be like to get Yang Qiâs God Legion Seal and other treasures, then kill him. Of course, before killing him, he would make sure to vent his fury as much as possible.
âAh, Yang Qi. I bet you never could have guessed that a day like this would come.â
Leaf Dao-Denier waved his finger, causing the main door of his palace to slam shut. Meanwhile, the three Grand Emperors were present, and when they saw Yang Qi they couldnât help but react with delight.
âBack when you dominated Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven and forced us to flee, we had no choice but to start working with the Demonfolk. But did you ever think you would meet a fate like this?â
In the face of this seemingly deadly situation, Yang Qi didnât seem worried at all. Instead, he seemed perfectly calm and collected. âYou people really think youâve won?â
To see Yang Qi acting this way caused Leaf Dao-Denier to frown. He knew that Yang Qi was full of secrets, but had been convinced that he had nothing left to rely on. Yet he still didnât seem the least bit afraid. In fact, he seemed like he was having fun. All of a sudden, Leaf Dao-Denierâs confidence began draining away.
But then he reminded himself of all the amazing gains he had made recently, and how he was superior to everyone else in the world. There was also the fact that there was no way Yang Qi could possibly have kept up with him recently in terms of cultivation. Therefore, he couldnât allow Yang Qi to pull some sort of trick.
Waving his hand, he sealed the senses of the Grand Emperors and used an ability to lock down the area so that no one would enter. Having taken these precautions, he looked at Yang Qi and said, âGive me the God Legion Seal.â
âIs that what you want, Leaf Dao-Denier?â Yang Qi said, settling down into a seated position. âI know that youâre not happy about being a consort. Your cultivation base has improved, but at the same time, Empress Joyflower has placed warding spells on you that make it impossible for you to flee. Am I right?â
âSo you know about that, huh? Well, who cares? Those warding spells canât keep me locked down forever.â Leaf Dao-Denier walked forward aggressively and extended his finger, which began glittering with scintillating light. âThis is my Thousand Poisons Torture Finger. It wasnât easy to cultivate it; it involved assimilating countless painful types of residual energy that resulted from the most horrific torture methods in the prisons here. But I can use it to make you wish you could die. Trust me, once I start tormenting you, youâll tell me everything I want to know.â
âHold on a second,â Yang Qi said, waving his hand dismissively. âWhat if I told you I could undo those warding spells? Look, the two of us have had our differences, but it's not as if thereâs any major grudge between us. Did one of us kill the otherâs father? Or take the otherâs wife? No. The way things are, youâre going to be Empress Joyflower's prisoner for the rest of your life. So why donât the two of us join forces? I can remove your restrictions, then we can work together to take down the empress. What do you say?â
Leaf Dao-Denier stopped moving, and his eyes glittered brightly as he considered Yang Qiâs words. Everything Yang Qi had said was true. Empress Joyflower had indeed placed warding spells on him. Although she had also helped him with his cultivation, in the end, she had him completely under her control. He had fantasized about somehow removing the warding spells without her realizing it, then getting strong enough that, one day, during their dual cultivation, he would catch her off guard and kill her. Then he would take over and rule everything under heaven.
But even he realized that that was simply wishful thinking. So Yang Qiâs offer hit very close to home. What if he did join forces with Yang Qi?
Suddenly, he shook his head. In his mind, Yang Qi was the kind of person who was full of all sorts of plots and schemes, loving nothing better than to lay traps for his enemies at every turn.
âYouâre scared, arenât you Yang Qi?â he said, smiling casually. âYouâre saying all of this because youâre scared. Of me!â He burst out laughing for a moment, then continued, âFine, letâs work together. But first, you need to undo the warding spells.â
âWhat?â Yang Qi said, feigning surprise. âAre you sure, Leaf Dao-Denier? We havenât even negotiated at all, and you're asking me to undo the warding spells? Are you joking or something? Youâre not going to make any other demands of me? Youâre just going to trust me?â
âTrust you?â He chuckled again. âI trust that Iâm going to torture you. Thatâs what I trust. I don't care what crafty tricks you have planned, Yang Qi, I'm going to torture you until youâre on the verge of death. Then, when you beg me to be my slave, Iâll let you undo the warding spells and we can talk about working together.â
Yang Qi snorted. âArenât you worried I might blow myself up? Either kill you as a result, or make sure you end up with nothing?â
âSelf-detonation? Go ahead! Do it! Blow yourself up! Afterward, Iâll just take the God Legion Seal, King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions, and everything else you have. Besides, I know that the only way you could undo the warding spells on me is to use the God Legion Seal. Once I get the God Legion Seal, I can just do it myself.â
He extended his finger again and began reaching it toward Yang Qi.
âWait,â Yang Qi said. âYou think youâre going to get my God Legion Seal? If I self-detonate, the force from the seal will not only destroy Joyflower Palace, it will shake the entire Great Necropolis. Experts from all over will converge on this spot to investigate the cause, and will you be able to fight them all? Did you really think that little taiji seal of yours could lock down the God Legion Seal?â
Leaf Dao-Denierâs finger stopped moving, and he looked at Yang Qi with an expression of surprise. He knew full well that Yang Qi wasnât exaggerating. And although Leaf Dao-Denier was mad with arrogance, not even he was confident in forcibly keeping the God Legion Seal under control.
There were myths from the god world which said that, if the God Legion Seal got out of control and exploded, the results would be unthinkable. The Joyflower Palace wouldnât be able to contain the force of such a detonation, and once word leaked about what was going on, and the aura of the gods spread, it would cause a disaster of the most epic proportions.
Never in his wildest dreams could Leaf Dao-Denier have guessed that Yang Qi would threaten something like this.
His confidence draining even further, he tried to decide what to do. It was an incredibly vicious move on Yang Qiâs part, and if he did it, there was no way Leaf Dao-Denier would end up with the God Legion Seal.
âVery savage,â Leaf Dao-Denier said. He smiled and pulled his hand back. âIs all of this really necessary, Yang Qi? Considering how far youâve pushed your cultivation base, it would be a real pity if you self-detonated. After all, the worst that would happen to me is that I simply wouldnât get the God Legion Seal. In contrast, you would be dead.â
Yang Qi burst out laughing. âSo, Leaf Dao-Denier, youâre hesitating to shoot the rat for fear of breaking the vases. Fine. I guess I need to change tactics. Iâm going to undo those warding spells, then we can work together to take down Empress Joyflower. What do you say?â
âWhat?â Leaf Dao-Denier said, his eyes flashing. âAre you serious?â
âOf course not!â Yang Qi laughed.
âDamn you!â Leaf Dao-Denier shouted, furious at being toyed with. âI donât care what you say, Yang Qi, I wonât ever believe a word that comes out of your mouth. You animal! You think you can play games with me? Fine. The torture is going to start now, so go ahead and self-detonate if that's what you want to do. Except I donât believe you will. A person like you would never resort to suicide. You want to live more than anyone Iâve ever known!â
Without any hesitation, he shoved his finger toward Yang Qi to begin the torment.
However, as soon as the finger touched Yang Qi, he suddenly exploded, as if he were a balloon filled with gunpowder. Empyrean energy buffeted Leaf Dao-Denier, energy that contained the full power of the Seventy-Two Monarchs Energy Art.
Whack!
Leaf Dao-Denier was caught completely off guard and was sent staggering back, blood spraying out of his mouth.
Meanwhile, Yang Qiâs voice echoed in the area, âI was just toying with you, Leaf Dao-Denier. You see, I'm just a power double. Didnât you notice? Ah, what a pity. The real reason I wasted so much time here was that I wanted to make sure you understand that it doesnât matter what good fortune you come across, youâll never be a match for me. Youâll never be anything other than my defeated opponent. Incidentally, I have another power double back with the two flower goddesses. Think well about the proposal I just made. If youâre willing to work with me, then I really can undo those warding spells, and we really can strike a deadly blow on Empress Joyflower. The Joyflower Palace took the Dao Defense League from me. Therefore, it's doomed to be destroyed. Remember, Leaf Dao-Denier... youâll never be a match for me. Even a power double of mine can play you like a fiddle.â
Leaf Dao-Denier watched as the power double faded out of existence, and knew that he had been completely fooled. He had taken a monumental risk, all just to get a power double. And then, that power double had toyed with him to his extreme detriment.
Meanwhile, the explosion removed the warding spells that had been keeping the Grand Emperors in the dark. When they looked around and saw the destruction, and Leaf Dao-Denier coughing up blood, they were shocked to the core. Rushing forward, Grand Emperor Myriadmagic Heavenspan said, âYoung Sir, what just happened? Whatâs going on?â
However, his brown-nosing tone only got him a slap in the face, which knocked him to the ground. Before he and the other Grand Emperors realized what was happening, Leaf Dao-Denier had knocked them all down and was trampling them with a rain of kicks and stomps.
âAiya! Spare us, Young Sir!â
âWhat did we do wrong?â
âDonât treat us like this, weâre your loyal servants!â
Of course, despite the venomous hatred they felt in their hearts, they didnât dare to fight back, lest they end up dead.
âIâll never rest until youâre dead, Yang Qi!â Leaf Dao-Denier howled. âHow dare you trick me! How dare you!â
But then he thought about Yang Qiâs offer....