When he saw this scene, Kui Lin was filled with emotion.
He dared not say the thing he’d been searching for all this time to no end had suddenly fallen right into his lap, but it was close enough.
Chao Feng had left far too many holy light imprints on Kui Lin’s body. Although Kui Lin had ways of eliminating them, it would take time and energy.
If they’d continued their fight just now, the only way to deal with them would be to pull out some of his hidden trump cards.
He’d withdrawn his avatars and pulled his demonic energy back into himself in preparation to unleash his ace in the hole.
Who would have thought that Ye Zichen would choose that exact moment to emerge from the mausoleum? The imperial lords’ attention had been fixated on Kui Lin, which left him an opening to seize Ye Zichen before anyone could intervene.
Of course, Gu Luolin was trouble. With the Gu Family to support her, Kui Lin dared not hurt this little princess or otherwise go overboard. At least, he didn’t dare do so before obtaining transcendent fortune.
As he held Ye Zichen’s neck, a wicked smile spread across Kui Lin’s face. When the great emperors of the Upheaval Alliance saw this, they all rushed over.
Kui Lin whipped around, still holding Ye Zichen by the neck, and roared, “One more step, and your Master of the Stars is on his way to the River Styx!”
The imperial lords instantly stopped. The Great Sage and Yang Jian’s eyes blazed with fury that reached the heavens.
“If you dare hurt him, don’t even think about getting out of here alive.”
“This emperor dared put aside all pretensions of cordiality. When I made that choice, I was prepared to die here. However…!” Kui Lin’s hand suddenly tightened, cutting off Ye Zichen’s airflow and turning his face a bit red. “But are you prepared to watch him die?”
“You…” The Great Sage took a violent step forward, his towering divine power transforming into a tornado.
Kui Lin glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and gradually increased the force he exerted on Ye Zichen’s neck. The Ocean Emperor hurriedly pulled the Great Sage back. “He has Star Master Ye! Don’t provoke him!”
“Monkey, the Ocean Emperor is right!” added Yang Jian from the sidelines.
The Great Sage waved his hands indignantly and stopped, but his eyes were blazing with fury.
Ye Zichen had been captured, rendering the great emperors helpless. Despite their immense power and countless methods, they dared not call upon any of them. The one who’d captured Ye Zichen was Kui Lin, and none of them had the confidence to rescue Ye Zichen before Kui Lin snapped his neck.
Kui Lin’s eyes flashed with disdain as he sneered at the imperial lords. He relaxed his grip a little, and Ye Zichen, who’d practically just suffocated, took several deep gasps.
“Star Master Ye, it seems we’re really connected by fate!”
“Weren’t you just waiting for me here this whole time, Demon Emperor? Why is it, Your Excellency, that when I hear you talk, it sounds like a complete coincidence?” Although Kui Lin still had him by the throat, Ye Zichen showed no sign of fear. He grinned, then glanced at Kui Lin’s other hand. “Nevermind me, are you sure you want to get her involved in this? You ought to know full well who her backers are.”
“Hmph. The likes of you wouldn’t dare touch me,” said Gu Luolin. Even though Kui Lin had his hand around her throat, she looked as haughty as ever.
“Miss Gu, I truly dare not harm you,” said Kui Lin with a laugh. However, his words didn’t escape the imperial lords’ ears. Despite themselves, they were visibly shaken.
Miss Gu!
That meant the girl Kui Lin had by the neck was a member of the Gu Family!
Throughout the Upper Three Realms, who else dared use the surname Gu? Only members of that family that transcended the three races, the family even the liches had to treat with respect, went by that name surname.
There was now only one thought in the imperial lords’ minds: Kui Lin’s really gone insane this time!
Even though he hadn’t hurt the girl, he was still currently threatening a young woman of the Gu Family’s safety. If she went back and told them about this, Kui Lin might live to tell the tale, but he would surely be in for a world of hurt.
Of the imperial lords, Pu Jingwan, Yang Jian, and the Great Sage were the only ones who hadn’t heard of the Gu Family. However, they saw how their allies’ expressions changed, and their eyes flashed with a strange light.
“Boss Xuan Ji, what’s up with the Gu Family?” Yang Jian couldn’t help but ask.
Xuan Ji turned and glared at him, as if angry at how he’d addressed her, but she nevertheless explained, “The Gu Family is a clan that transcends all three upper realms.”
“Transcends?” Pu Jingwan’s eyebrows shot up.
“The Gu Family is reclusive, so in the outside world, there’s very little information about their internal affairs. However, upon becoming a ruler, everyone has to go pay them a visit. That’s why typically only those at or above the ruler level know about them. After leaving the Gu Family, there’s this sense that even their name is forbidden to speak out loud. That’s why there’s no information publicly available about them.”
“Then we….”
“You weren’t born or raised in the God, Yao, or Demon Realms, and the Gu Family never summoned you. It’s natural that you wouldn’t know.”
“Then why do they occupy such a transcendent position? Could it be that they have experts stronger than even an imperial sovereign?”
When Pu Jingwan asked this, the great emperors all fell silent.
Some time later, Xuan Ji finally nodded. “That’s right. Their clan is home to three half-step transcendents!”
…..
…..
…..
Gu Luolin’s background really did instill Kui Lin with dread. Although he still had her by the neck, the threat was empty. Furthermore, his goal wasn’t to kill them but to seize the inheritance Ye Zichen had obtained within. Gu Luolin wasn’t part of that plan.
“Demon Emperor, if you don’t dare harm her, you ought to just let her go.” Ye Zichen stared directly at Kui Lin. He said this because he wanted Gu Luolin out of danger as fast as possible.
Who knew if Kui Lin would go mad or not? If he really went hysterical, he might cast aside his reservations despite Gu Luolin’s background.
“Let her go?” Kui Lin chuckled. “You sure know how to joke, Alliance Master Ye. It’s true; I don’t dare touch her. But that’s on the assumption I still care about my life. This time, your fortune was rather poor; not long ago, I decided to go all out, even if it meant risking my life.”
Suddenly, Kui Lin strengthened his grip. His hands squeezed tighter on Gu Luolin’s throat. She clutched at his hand, kicking and flailing, her bright eyes filled with pain. She couldn’t speak, but her eyes seemed to carry a warning…
“Miss Gu, it’s true that I fear your background, but I’ve long since prepared for the worst-case scenario.” Kui Lin narrowed his eyes and laughed. A hint of madness flashed across his face.
“Give me the fortune of the mausoleum. Or else, both of you shall die!”
He’d really gone inside!
When he saw the madness in Kui Lin’s eyes, Ye Zichen knew the Demon Emperor had really gone mad.
He really hadn’t anticipated just how enticing the mausoleum’s transcendent fortune was to imperial sovereigns like Kui Lin and Zhou Wu; it was so tempting that they’d cast aside all they’d built up over the years, including their lives and cultivations, in an attempt to seize it.
Ye Zichen had thought Zhou Wu was an outlier, but it seemed…
There was another crazy one right here!
“Let her go first. All you want is the mausoleum’s fortune, yeah? Well, I’m the one who has it. There’s no need to implicate her.”
“Hand it over, or I’ll kill her in front of you!”
“I never got the fortune. It’s still in the mausoleum!”
“Hand it over!” Kui Lin’s hands exerted more force, and blood flowed from the corners of Gu Luolin’s mouth.
It seemed Kui Lin wouldn’t let this go until he got what he was after. Ye Zichen couldn’t let this go on any further.
“Cang Xiong!”
As soon as the words left Ye Zichen’s lips, Kui Lin sensed that something wasn’t quite right. He reacted quickly, but he’d forgotten about the holy light emblems Chao Feng had left on his body. In the end, they were his downfall.
Despite his rigid movements and going on guard as soon as possible, by the time he reacted, there was already a hulking figure behind him.
A fist so powerful, it tore right through space slammed right into his back. Two more fists simultaneously struck the hands holding Ye Zichen and Gu Luolin, allowing the two of them to break free.
All Kui Lin saw was a single pitch-black shadow of a fist headed right towards him.
It slammed into him with a boom.
Wham!
He slammed into the ground outside the mausoleum like a shooting star, creating a deep pit in the earth.
The great emperors, who’d been waiting for their opportunity this whole time, instantly surrounded him. Ye Zichen’s friends, meanwhile, rushed right to his side.
“Ye-zi!”
“Gu Luolin, are you okay?” Ye Zichen held the now-unconscious Gu Luolin, then reached out to the Great Sage and the others. Pu Jingwan immediately took out a pill and placed it into his palm.
Ye Zichen fed it to Gu Luolin, circulated his spiritual power, and gently patted her back.
The still unconscious Gu Luolin instantly hacked up a mouthful of fresh blood. When she regained consciousness, she said, practically reflexively…
“Where is that guy? I’ll kill him!” She was like an enraged little lioness. Kui Lin sure had gall! He’d even dared seize her by the throat! She might be able to let that go, but he’d come this close to killing her!
“Don’t worry about revenge for now. First, absorb the pill’s medicinal effects.” Ye Zichen rolled his eyes at Gu Luolin, then nodded at Yang Jian and the others. “Sorry I worried you.”
“Hey, my mission is over, yeah? If there’s nothing else, I’m going back,” said Cang Xiong, the one who’d just dealt with Kui Lin in a single punch.
The others looked at Cang Xiong. This was a fierce one…
Earlier, all nine of them had failed to achieve anything against Kui Lin, but this big guy had punched him right into the earth in a single blow!
“I’ve troubled you. Thank you. I’ll arrange your reward later.”
Cang Xiong nodded, then disappeared.
Yang Jian then said, “Who was that? He was rather vicious! Call him out some time so we can spar!”
The Great Sage nodded. He and Yang Jian were the same type; when they saw someone strong, their hands started to itch.
“You… if you want to beat him, you’re in for a touch time.”
Cang Xiong had beaten Kui Lin in a single punch. From this, Yang Jian and the Great Sage both knew they weren’t his match!
“Even if we can’t beat him, we can still try!”
“When we get the chance, sure.” Ye Zichen knew his bros’ personalities. He changed the subject. “But the main issue right now is His Excellency, the Demon Emperor, is it not?”
The group descended, shoulder to shoulder. The Ocean Emperor and the others had already surrounded Kui Lin.
When they saw Ye Zichen arrive, they nodded at him, and Ye Zichen nodded back. He landed a few hundred meters away from Kui Lin.
Kui Lin was currently sitting at the bottom of a deep ditch, coughing up blood.
Gu Luolin watched him and hatefully gnashed her teeth. “He actually dared hurt me! See if I don’t…”
“Stay put! Don’t do anything!” Ye Zichen pulled her back, but Gu Luolin still struggled to break free; she wanted revenge.
“Jingwan, can you help me look after her? Whatever you do, don’t let her do anything stupid.” Ye Zichen passed Gu Luolin off to Pu Jingwan, then turned to Kui Lin. “Your Excellency, Esteemed Demon Emperor, you’ve lost!”
Kui Lin coughed up blood, then turned to look at him. The imperial lords hovered around him like celestial divinities.
He then turned and looked and Ye Zichen, who was standing outside of their encirclement. He laughed, and his gaze was still disdainful.
“I lost?” Suddenly, an eerie smile flashed across Kui Lin’s face.
Yang Jian, who was standing by Ye Zichne’s side, instantly grew solemn, and he shouted, “Ye-zi, watch out!”
