He smiled gently and said, "A wise choice."
With that, Ye Ling grabbed the Blood Lotus Mystic Maiden's hand. The Blood Lotus Mystic Maiden felt a dizzying sensation, and when she regained her senses, she was already back in the Blood Lotus Fire Valley, thousands of miles away!
"What is this..."
Seeing her instant return, the Blood Lotus Mystic Maiden's heart churned with immense shock, and her understanding of Ye Ling's power deepened!
He was a monster!
Ye Ling didn't feel the need to boast. He instructed the Blood Lotus Mystic Maiden, "I will revive your servants shortly. You are to act as if none of this ever happened in the Blood Lotus Fire Valley."
The Blood Lotus Mystic Maiden was a bit bewildered and asked, "Your Majesty, what do you intend to do?"
Ye Ling replied, "You are to announce to the outside world that my strength has been restored, though not to its peak. My power is only at the late Saint stage."
"Late Saint stage..."
The Blood Lotus Mystic Maiden murmured the words, then understood Ye Ling's plan, her heart tightening with renewed fear.
Ye Ling intended to gather everyone together and eliminate them all at once!
However, she dared not say anything more and merely bowed to Ye Ling, "Your subordinate understands."
Ye Ling stated, "Remember, if you wish to live, you must do as I command and completely forget that I was ever here. Otherwise... believe me, you will wish you were dead."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, the Blood Lotus Mystic Maiden trembled and once again assured Ye Ling, "Your subordinate guarantees to complete the task. Your subordinate has never seen Your Majesty!"
"Good, that will do."
Ye Ling nodded slightly. He planted his own restriction within the Blood Lotus Mystic Maiden's soul and then revived her servants using the Great Dao of Reincarnation. With that, this wisp of his divine sense dispersed with the wind.
As Ye Ling's divine sense vanished, the Blood Lotus Mystic Maiden's legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, her mind filled with boundless fear and lingering terror.
"This demon..."
She knew that from this moment on, she was irrevocably tied to Ye Ling and had become an enemy of the Shadow Hall.
Human Realm, Kyoto, China.
Ye Ling withdrew his domain, the Nameless Void Realm. Yang Jian and the other four heavenly gods charged towards him. However, Ye Ling had already crushed the blood lotus in his hand. The lotuses at the back of the four heads of Yang Jian had dissipated, and expressions of pain appeared on their faces.
"Ahhhhhh!"
For a moment, the four halted their attacks, their piercing screams echoing through the night sky!
Seeing the four heavenly gods, Yang Jian, in such agony, Qilin's face lit up with joy. He quickly urged, "Your Majesty, this is our chance! Kill them quickly!"
Ye Ling retorted, "They are all pitiable souls under control. Why kill them? Just send them back."
Saying this, Ye Ling made a gesture. A gust of wind swept over, blowing Yang Jian and the four heavenly gods back towards the Heavenly Gate, returning them to the Immortal Realm.
In the Blood Lotus Fire Valley, the blood lotus crumbled. The Blood Lotus Mystic Maiden watched the fire lotus dissipate into motes of light, her expression a complex mixture of emotions.
She knew that a storm, known as a catastrophe, would soon sweep across the Three Realms!
Qilin gazed at the closed Heavenly Gate in the night sky and sighed, "They are lucky. If not for Your Majesty's benevolence, they probably wouldn't have seen the sun tomorrow."
"Benevolence? I cannot claim such a title."
Ye Ling shook his head with a smile at Qilin's sudden flattery and said no more. He gazed towards the bloody barrier rising over Kyoto.
Although the matter with the Blood Lotus Fire Maiden was resolved, there was still a ticking time bomb to deal with in the form of Kyoto's four great families.
"Let's go. There are still some people to deal with."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Qilin replied excitedly, and then, with Ye Ling, they transformed into two streaks of black light, piercing through the dark night sky and returning to Kyoto.
Only Wang Xing and Wang Le remained in the Wang family estate. The air was filled with a thick scent of blood, yet not a single corpse could be seen.
Everyone here had been absorbed by Wang Xing and converted into nourishment.
Wang Xing had transformed from a white-haired old man into a young adult, his entire presence exuding a terrifying aura that even distorted the surrounding space!
Wang Xing felt the abundant power surging within him and roared with laughter, "Hahaha! With this power, I don't care if it's the Demon Palace or the Divine Palace; I can shatter them with a single palm!"
As he spoke, Wang Xing casually waved his hand. The distant rock garden and lake were sliced open like tofu, revealing smooth, flat surfaces.
Even the water in the lake was directly split in two, ceasing to flow!
Wang Le knelt before Wang Xing and respectfully said, "Congratulations, Grandfather, on achieving divine power and entering the realm of gods."
Wang Xing nodded with satisfaction and chuckled, "Excellent, excellent! The sacrifices of our kin were worth it. Now, we just need to wait for the esteemed adult from the Shadow Hall to arrive, and then we can..."
*Ching!*
Wang Xing's words were cut short as a knife pierced his heart from behind, causing him to freeze in place.
Wang Xing stared numbly at the dripping knife protruding from his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief. "This..."
He looked up, only to see that Wang Le had vanished from his original position, his whereabouts unknown.
"Grandfather, thank you for being the stepping stone for me."
At this moment, Wang Le's faint voice echoed from behind Wang Xing, causing Wang Xing's pupils to constrict sharply!
Wang Le now held the very knife that had pierced Wang Xing's heart!
Wang Xing couldn't believe Wang Le would attack him and exclaimed in shock, "Wang Le... why?"
Wang Le smiled, released the hilt of the knife, and slowly walked in front of Wang Xing, chuckling, "Because I am the esteemed adult from the Shadow Hall you mentioned."
"You!!!"
Wang Xing's pupils contracted violently, his face a mask of shock!
Wang Le continued, "From the very beginning, I was the sole chosen one by the Shadow Hall. The four great families were merely nourishment for my path to sainthood, and your role, Grandfather, was simply to bear the side effects of the blood array for me."
"The side effects of the blood array?"
"Precisely. While the blood array we used can absorb the power of living beings through blood sacrifice, this blood array has an extremely severe and insurmountable side effect: the resentment of all those sacrificed will forever attach themselves to the devourer's soul, slowly tormenting it."
"No, impossible..."
Wang Xing refused to believe Wang Le's words and stumbled backward. Suddenly, he heard the cries of Su Chen and others in his mind, and a multitude of malevolent spirits appeared in his vision!
The vengeful spirits of Su Chen, Wei Ling, and Qi Yu were tightly gripping his throat, tearing at his soul!
Wang Xing couldn't breathe!
Wang Le went on, "Grandfather, your sanity will be devoured by those resentments, and you will eventually become a mere aggregate of resentment, no different from a wild beast... or rather, a fusion monster, neither one thing nor the other."
*Thump!*
Wang Xing fell to his knees, his face contorted in pain. He stared fiercely at Wang Le, gritting his teeth, "You unfilial wretch!"
Wang Le chuckled, "Grandfather, you personally buried the entire Wang family. Who is the unfilial one?"
"You!!!"
"Alright, Grandfather... since your power is no longer needed, let me have it..."
"Wang Le! May you die a terrible death!!!"