The cyan medallion was about the size of his palm, and the character emblazoned on its surface seemed to dance like a phoenix or dragon. It was just an emblem, yet it was powerful and imposing, and contained an air of authority.
When Yang Jian took out the medallion, Sha Ke’s heart sank.
That medallion was absolutely the real thing. It was cyan throughout, the color of a willow tree unique to the Outside. It was impossible to grow in any of the Upper Three Realms.
Yang Jian smacked Sha Ke in the face with the emblem, but Sha Ke had no choice but to plant himself to the ground and take it.
He didn’t dare dodge, nor did he dare resist.
“That’s better. What happened to that aggressive attitude of yours?” Yang Jian kicked him. Sha Ke fell several steps backward before stabilizing himself.
“The God Emperor! Your Majesty.”
The demon elites had all rushed out. When a few of them saw the way Yang Jian was treating Sha Ke, they hefted their weapons and charged him.
However, they didn’t so much as hit the hems of his clothes. A few afterimages slipped through their midst.
Those unfortunate demon elites all fell to the ground as icy corpses.
The Howling Celestial Dog had bitten them to death. It then glowered threateningly at the other demons, its fur standing on end.
“Monster! How dare you slaughter my fellow de-”
“Silence!” Sha Ke’s shout reverberated through the air like thunder, bearing down on the infuriated demon elites.
He then shoved the surrounding elites away and gazed at the still bleeding corpses of the fallen. He forced himself to look away, gnashed his teeth, and walked up to Yang Jian. “Esteemed Emissary, please calm your fury. I am at fault; I had eyes but did not recognize Mount Tai. All I ask is that you take your fury out on me; please don’t implicate the demon race.”
He was an esteemed Demon God, but now he was acting as humble as an ant. He lowered his head as he apologized. This was a pitiful display, but Yang Jian merely smiled coldly.
He reached out and grabbed Sha Ke by the chin, then forced the demon to look at him. “You’re not convinced, are you?”
Of course Sha Ke wasn’t satisfied with this.
He’d reached his current rank as a Demon God by traversing a path lined with thorns. He was no wimp, no easy target. If not for the fact that the Outside stood behind Yang Jian, and that he had the medallion of a special envoy, there was no way he’d submit.
His displeasure flashed through his eyes, but he quickly stifled it and shook his head. “Of course I am!”
“That’s right. That’s what I wanted to see.”
The crowd was silent.
In the face of Yang Jian, a Demon God was nothing as an ant. In that case, what did mere sky supremes, diviners, and lesser rulers count for?
They were afraid, but that didn’t mean all demons were cowards.
“Holy Maiden, can you please….” a demon elite started to ask, only for her to slap him right across the face.
She hit him so hard, several of his teeth went flying, and his head swelled up like steamed bread.
Next, the Holy Maiden bowed deeply at the waist. “Esteemed Emissary, please forgive us. We are all willing to submit to the Outside’s governance. The dead have only themselves to blame for acting out of turn. I will attend to the one who just spoke up. As for Sha Ke, please deal with him as you see fit.”
“You….”
“What can I do for you, Your Excellency?” asked the Holy Maiden.
When he saw her, Yang Jian was stunned. If he wasn’t mistaken, this girl had a deep relationship with Ye Zichen. He glanced at her searchingly, then at Ye Zichen, who shook his head.
Yang Jian wasn’t sure exactly what that head shake meant, but he was sure he remembered correctly. He wasn’t sure when exactly the girl had become a demon, and a powerful one at that, but he had to give his friend face. “No harm done. You can sit back down.”
He no longer paid the Holy Maiden any heed. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at Sha Ke. “Look at the demons you serve. Did you hear that? They’ve already cast you away. They’re afraid because you offended me. They don’t even dare plea for mercy on your behalf. You must feel awfully sorry for yourself, huh?”
Sha Ke said nothing.
“How about this?” Yang Jian laughed calmly. “You must be thinking ‘if only the Demon Emperor was here, he’d definitely plea on my behalf.’ How about I call your Demon Emperor up and we see what he thinks?”
The Demon Emperor?
There was a sudden uproar in the stands.
Yang Jian patted Sha Ke’s head, then yelled into the sky. “You three, come on out. What are you hiding for?”
The sky lit up with three colors: blue, gold, and purple.
Three men stood in the center, each emanating their respective colors, dying their portion of the sky their respective shades. Their shares were exactly equally, with none of them making even the slightest concession.
“This….” the people below stared in a daze. The blue light emanated from the God Emperor, Zhou Wu. The Eastern Emperor Taiyi, the Yao Emperor, glowed radiant gold, while Kui Lin, the Demon Emperor, let off an intense purple glow.
Ordinarily, it was rare for any one of the three emperors to make an appearance. They were mysterious and reclusive. And yet, today, all three showed up at once.
Before long, the lights dispersed, and all three landed on the ground.
“Brother Yang!” The three of them cupped their fists simultaneously. An envoy of the Outside was worthy of being treated as an equal.
Yang Jian nodded at him, returning the favor, albeit barely. They were each emperors of their respective realms. Even if Yang Jian was a special envoy from the outside, he ought to treat them with some basic respect.
After greeting him, none of the emperors spoke, nor did Yang Jian. They just stood off to the side.
“What is the special envoy doing? How can he just ignore the three emperors like this?” Quite a few people muttered internally.
The young elites and weaker staff members didn’t fully understand what the Outside’s special envoy represented, but the rulers did.
Even if Yang Jian were nothing but a humble soldier, they’d have to treat him cautiously. But he was an emissary! Ignoring the three emperors was nothing worth remarking on.
“Your Demon Emperor is here.” Yang Jian patted Sha Ke’s face, then turned to the emperor. “I imagine you already understand the situation, so I won’t waste time explaining it. This little guy is one of your people, one of your Demon Gods. His status is quite high, isn’t it? Tell me, how do you propose we deal with him?”
A hint of hope and longing to survive flashed through Sha Ke’s eyes as he gazed upon his emperor.
Of course he didn’t want to die! And the Demon Emperor was his final hope of survival.
However, to his disappointment, the Demon Emperor didn’t so much as look him in the eye. When he heard Yang Jian’s question, he even smiled warmly. “This blind, foolish creature offended you, Brother Yang. It’s of course up to you to decide how best to dispose of him.”
Sha Ke’s heart instantly frosted over.
He’d fought for demonkind all his life, helping them expand their territory. He’d played no small part in putting Kui Lin on the throne.
But…
He was truly disappointed.
When Kui Lin said that, Sha Ke…
Could hope for nothing but death!
