Feng Li suddenly knelt before Ye Ling, the sound of his massive knees hitting the ground echoing through the Wu Hou Sect, striking the nerves of every cultivator present.
What on earth had happened?
Just moments ago, Feng Li had been charging at Ye Ling with fierce intent. In the eyes of the onlookers, Feng Li was a demon god, capable of shattering Ye Ling into pieces with a single palm strike!
Yet, in the blink of an eye, Feng Li had knelt, his imposing aura completely gone.
It was as if Feng Li had teleported before Ye Ling and knelt of his own accord.
Not only the cultivators present but Feng Li himself was bewildered, unable to comprehend what had transpired.
After unleashing the power granted by the Dark Shadow Hall, he had felt an inexhaustible surge of strength coursing through his body. He had even believed he could tear the entire city in half with his bare hands!
But why, Feng Li couldn't understand, had he ended up kneeling?
The kneeling was utterly without warning!
"You, you..."
Feeling the immense pressure on his shoulders, Feng Li looked at Ye Ling in terror, too frightened to utter a complete sentence.
Before this, Feng Li had been confident in his powerful trump cards. No matter how formidable Ye Ling's abilities were, he had remained unfazed!
But now, after utilizing the power of the Dark Shadow Hall and undergoing his demonic transformation, Feng Li had revealed all his trump cards...
Even so, when facing Ye Ling, he was still as fragile as a mere swat.
This vast disparity in strength sent Feng Li's mind spiraling towards a breakdown!
Was the power given to him by the Dark Shadow Hall a lie?
Ye Ling watched Feng Li with a smile and said, "Are you wondering now why, even after using the power granted by the Dark Shadow Hall, you were still so vulnerable?"
"Do you feel like the Dark Shadow Hall tricked you?"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Feng Li's pupils contracted involuntarily...
Indeed, for a fleeting moment, he had doubted whether his enhancements were real.
Ye Ling continued to tease, "Actually, the Dark Shadow Hall is quite generous. The power surge you experienced just now propelled you from the Half-step Red Dust Immortal realm to the True Martial realm. To empower a small fry like you a hundredfold, the Dark Shadow Hall truly spared no expense."
"If I hadn't been here, you would have undoubtedly plundered China's Dragon Veins."
"But sadly, there are no 'ifs'."
Demonic energy emanated from Ye Ling's body, coiling around Feng Li.
Feng Li's massive frame began to shrink rapidly, and the dark energy clinging to him was gradually stripped away by Ye Ling.
Feng Li could clearly feel his internal power draining away at an alarming rate.
Feeling an unprecedented sense of weakness, Feng Li grew increasingly panicked. "My, my power..."
"Give me back my power quickly!"
Ye Ling chuckled, "I've merely removed the power that didn't belong to you. This is your true level. Why are you acting as if someone in your family has died?"
Though Ye Ling spoke these words, his eyes were filled with mockery.
He was deliberately stripping Feng Li of his power, bit by bit.
Ye Ling knew well that for someone like Feng Li, who had forcibly elevated his cultivation through external forces, his confidence and desires would inflate a hundredfold.
When his inflated power dissolved into nothingness, his strength would revert to its original level, but his inflated confidence and desires would not diminish.
The mismatch between his power and his desires would create a vast chasm, transforming Feng Li's desires into sheer terror.
And then...
Feng Li would be consumed by fear!
"Give me back my power! That's mine!"
Feng Li roared in terror, but he found that no matter how he struggled, he couldn't stand up from the ground.
His knees felt as if they were rooted to the earth, immovable.
Soon, Feng Li's sanity was swallowed by the pain and fear burgeoning within him. Forgetting all dignity, he began to kowtow and beg Ye Ling in front of the entire Wu Hou Sect, in front of nearly ten thousand cultivators!
"Please... give me back my power... no..."
"Please, spare my life!"
Gradually, Feng Li began to wail, his voice and tone utterly abject, bearing no resemblance to the formidable Palace Master of the Cloud Palace who roamed the world.
The surrounding cultivators, witnessing Feng Li's current state, felt an inexplicable sense of disgust.
They couldn't fathom why they had feared such a person before.
The factions that had followed Feng Li and challenged the Wu Hou Sect, upon seeing Feng Li kowtowing and begging for mercy, felt their hearts turn to ash, their weapons falling to the ground.
For them, everything was over.
They were a scattered force to begin with, and without their leader, even without the assistance of factions like the Zhengyi Sect, the Wu Hou Sect could easily deal with them!
The situation had taken a sharp turn, and everyone understood that there was no point in struggling further.
Continuing the fight would only aggravate their crimes and lead them to an abyss of eternal damnation!
Zhuge Feng, seeing Ye Ling so easily control the situation, quickly composed himself from his shock and stepped forward to offer Ye Ling a deep bow, respectfully saying, "This junior, Zhuge Feng, greets..."
Wang Die reminded him, "It's the Emperor."
Zhuge Feng: "Greetings, Emperor! The Wu Hou Sect is eternally grateful for your immense kindness."
Ye Ling smiled at Zhuge Feng and said, "I actually think your Wu Hou Sect should be thanking this girl, Wang Die."
"Emperor!" Hearing Ye Ling's words, Wang Die was instantly startled and quickly called out, repeatedly signaling Ye Ling with her eyes.
However, Ye Ling acted as if he hadn't seen Wang Die's gaze and continued, "If it weren't for Wang Die personally visiting from afar and pleading with me to save the Wu Hou Sect, I would still be in Jiangcheng admiring flowers."
"It was Wang Die who asked you to intervene?"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Zhuge Feng was utterly stunned, looking at Wang Die with disbelief, his body trembling slightly.
Not only Zhuge Feng but also Zhuge Bai, standing beside him, was dumbfounded. He stared blankly at Wang Die, his mind in chaos. "Why... why?"
Zhuge Bai had considered many reasons for Ye Ling's intervention.
But he had never imagined that it was Wang Die who had begged Ye Ling to save their Wu Hou Sect!
Why?
After Ye Ling finished speaking, Wang Die's face instantly turned red, and she quickly retorted, "I didn't care about the Wu Hou Sect's survival. I was acting for China's Dragon Veins, the Emperor has misunderstood!"
With that, Wang Die, feeling embarrassed to remain in the Wu Hou Sect any longer, leaped away.
Zhuge Feng quickly called out, "Xiao Die..."
He wanted to pursue her, but with Ye Ling present, and as the head of the Zhuge family, he couldn't chase after Wang Die in this situation.
Furthermore, there were still many troublesome matters within the Wu Hou Sect that demanded his attention. If he, as the head of the family, were to leave, the Wu Hou Sect would fall apart.
Seeing Zhuge Feng's current bewildered state, Ye Ling also said, "Wang Die told me about her assassination attempt on you. Because of that incident, she no longer harbors hatred towards your Zhuge family."
"Strictly speaking, you are her maternal grandfather, and her only relative in this world. Regardless of your thoughts, if your Wu Hou Sect wishes to continue its lineage, you must not harm Wang Die, do you understand?"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Zhuge Feng's body trembled slightly, and his cloudy eyes became moist.
Xiao Die, she...
Zhuge Feng sighed heavily, then offered Ye Ling a deep bow, "This junior... will certainly not fail the Emperor's trust."
"Take care of yourself."
After giving Zhuge Feng his instructions, Ye Ling nodded slightly, restrained Feng Li with his demonic energy, and took him into the sky.
Within the Wu Hou Sect, countless cultivators watched the direction of Ye Ling's departure in silence.
After a long while, silence enveloped the surroundings.
Regardless of how this incident ultimately concluded, the title of Emperor Ye Ling, and the rumors of the Wu Hou Sect having the Emperor as their backer, spread throughout the world.