Before Gu Hai could speak, everyone immediately offered to help.
Gu Hai smiled bitterly at the excited crowd and said, “Thank you, everyone!”
“Emperor Gu is too polite. He is that way. Come with me!” one of the cultivators called out.
Everyone pointed to a nearby region covered in black fog.
There seemed to be a large, transparent altar in the black foggy region, and a large amount of red flames threatened to spew out below it. However, the altar suppressed the flames.
Countless talisman scripts dotted the transparent altar. Clearly, Mister Dongfang had set this up. No one else understood what this was.
This large altar had over two thousand people on it. They were all bound tightly, unable to move. One hundred of them had already died.
The two thousand-odd bound people looked at the nearby Xi Yan, who held a sword, in horror.
“Master! Master! This official has followed Master faithfully, working hard for you. Why does Master want to kill us?”
“Your Majesty, back when you established the Huang Royal Dynasty, you promised to make my clan prosper. That’s why my entire clan swore fealty to you. Why do you want to kill me? Why do you want to kill me?”
“Don’t kill me, Your Majesty!”
The two thousand-odd bound people gazed at Xi Yan in shock and fear.
With a sinister expression, Xi Yan walked over to a black-clad man, trudging step by step while dragging his large belly over.
“Your Majesty, this official has not committed any offense! This official has not committed any offenses. Previously, when an assassin attacked, countless of my clan died to shield you from the assassin. The assassin also killed my wife. Your Majesty!” That black-clad man pleaded with Xi Yan to show mercy as he listed his contributions in fear and horror.
Xi Yan showed a ferocious expression as he held his sword. “My beloved official Chen? Ha! Perhaps you don’t know, but there was no assassin then!”
“What?” that black-clad man exclaimed in shock.
“Blame your wife if you must. She was too beautiful but too foolish. We showed her so much care, yet she dared to resist? Hahaha!” Xi Yan laughed coldly.
The black-clad man’s expression suddenly changed. “It was not an assassin? You! You! You! No wonder my wife’s clothes were disheveled when she died. I thought that it was an assassin going for you. It turned out that you arranged for that assassin? Your traitor! Traitor! Return my wife to me! Return my wife to me! Argh!”
The black-clad man roared in despair, his eyes bulging. He felt unsatisfied with his lot, wishing he could eat Xi Yan alive.
However, Xi Yan appeared satisfied. “Indeed, the more wronged and dissatisfied, the stronger the resentment, and the greater the death energy generated.”
Shing!
Xi Yan stabbed his sword into the black-clad man’s forehead.
Buzz!
Some energy appeared within a ritual array and immediately collected the death energy formed from that black-clad man’s death.
The death energy was pitch-black. Ninety percent of it got dragged down to the altar and absorbed by the talisman scripts.
Buzz!
The talisman scripts brightened, suppressing the flames under the altar.
Only a tenth of the death energy entered Xi Yan’s body. This immediately reduced the pain in his abdomen but only by a little.
Xi Yan’s expression appeared unsightly. “Humph! Mister Dongfang? To think that you even schemed against me? You even want to snatch away ninety percent of my death energy?”
Although Xi Yan felt angry, he still had to continue killing. He trudged over to the next person.
“No! Your Majesty, don’t kill me!”
“Hehe! I still have not told you some things!” Xi Yan shook his head.
“You evil demon! You evil demon! Xi Yan, you will die a horrible death!”
“Xi Yan, I was blind to be your subject. You are an evil demon!”
Xi Yan’s former subjects all revealed despair and dissatisfaction. As they looked at Xi Yan, they wished that they could eat him up, chew on his bones, and drink his blood. They all felt that they had been blind.
“Save me! Someone save me! Evil demon, don’t kill me! Evil demon!” that person who was about to be killed yelled in horror.
“Someone save you? No one can save you. I have treated you well over the past years. It is time you repaid me. There is no need to keep shouting; no one can save you. Everyone in Dragon Vein City will die. No one can save you. Just submit to your fate!” Xi Yan said coldly.
“Oh? Who said that?” An icy voice suddenly came from behind Xi Yan.
“Huh?” Xi Yan’s expression changed as he suddenly turned his head to look.
“Gu Hai?” the bound people exclaimed.
“Gu Hai? How can it be you?” Xi Yan exclaimed.
It was not just Gu Hai. There were also Qin Zibai’s subordinates. Right now, thousands of people were behind Gu Hai.
“Xi Yan? Ha! How capable of you! Even when dragging around such a large belly, you can still kill people?” Gu Hai said in an icy tone.
Xi Yan’s expression changed. Right now, he was simply no match for Gu Hai.
“Mister Dongfang! Qin Zibai!” Xi Yan roared in alarm.
However, there was no reply from outside.
“To think that you could bear to do this. These were all your subordinates, right? These people were so loyal to you. You are indeed unworthy of being an emperor!” Gu Hai took out a bronze saber and walked over to Xi Yan step by step.
“Kill him! Emperor Gu! Kill him! Kill him!” Xi Yan’s former subjects cried out with hatred.
“Everyone, please help me to save these people,” Gu Hai instructed.
“Emperor Gu is benevolent.” Qin Zibai’s subordinates immediately took out their weapons and hacked at the chains around Xi Yan’s former subjects, releasing them from their bonds.
This happened very quickly; everyone was freed in just a while.
“Many thanks, Emperor Gu!”
“Many thanks, Mister Gu!”
“Many thanks!”
Xi Yan’s former subjects all bowed to Gu Hai; gratitude and guilt filled their eyes.
“How about this? I’ll leave Xi Yan to you all to deal with. However, I want his head?” Gu Hai suggested seriously.
“Yes! Thank you, Emperor Gu!”
“You traitor! I’ll kill you!”
“I want your life!”
A group of Xi Yan’s former subjects immediately drew their weapons and charged at Xi Yan.
Right now, Xi Yan was not even as strong as a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. However, despite having to drag his large belly around, he still showed a ferocious expression. “How bold of you! I am your emperor!”
“A nonsense emperor, an incapable ruler, traitor! I’ll have your life for killing my big brother!”
“Kill him!”
Two thousand-odd people charged at Xi Yan together. Xi Yan simply could not dodge the welter of attacks.
“Argh! If I’m dying, then let’s die together!” In his despair, Xi Yan swung his sword at the altar underfoot.
Boom!
A crack suddenly appeared in the altar, and some red flames shot out.
“Argh!”
The red flames touched someone, immediately burning him up.
However, Xi Yan’s former subjects had already reduced him to a meat paste in the blink of an eye amid the chaos. Only his head remained perfectly intact.
“Hanba’s fire is coming out! Oh no! Quickly leave!” The expressions of Qin Zibai’s subordinates changed.
“Emperor Gu, many thanks for saving us. This is the traitor Xi Yan’s head. Please accept it.” One of Xi Yan’s former subjects respectfully handed over Xi Yan’s head.
“Many thanks!” Gu Hai nodded.
“Emperor Gu, I am the clan head of Three Essence City’s Ma Clan. If Emperor Gu has any errand that needs doing, just let me know. I will brave any danger for you if I can accomplish it.”
“Emperor Gu, if you have any errands, this humble one will do his best!”
“Me too!”
Be it Xi Yan’s former subjects or Qin Zibai’s subordinates, they all bowed to Gu Hai gratefully once more.
Gu Hai looked at everyone and did not reject them. He nodded as he said, “In that case, many thanks, everyone!”
“Emperor Gu, you should leave quickly. Hanba’s fire underneath will erupt again. It will only grow larger. The altar’s seal can no longer suppress it!” one of Xi Yan’s former officials said anxiously.
“Oh?”
“Hanba’s fire periodically appears in the Grave Valley of Death. This is the source. We don’t know what is in there, but that lifespan cultivator pays a lot of attention to it. Qin Zibai and Xi Yan tried to go down several times, but Hanba’s fire stopped them. Dragon roars occasionally come from it, but that lifespan cultivator sealed it. It seems like it is going to erupt again now!”
“Hanba’s fire erupts from here?” Gu Hai appeared confused.
After all, there was also a seal in the eastern sector of the city. However, this was the western sector. There are two?
Boom!
Suddenly, a large amount of fire erupted, spewing in all directions.
“Hurry! Quickly run!” everyone exclaimed anxiously.
“Emperor Gu, quickly leave. I saw that lifespan cultivator laying the ritual array previously. I know how to undo that blood ritual array outside,” one of Qin Zibai’s subordinates called out.
As that person spoke, he sent an attack at a distant rock.
Boom!
When the rock shattered, cracks appeared in the blood ritual array.
“Emperor Gu, we shall meet again in the future. We are leaving first!”
“Quickly leave! Hurry! More fire is appearing!”
“Emperor Gu, quickly leave!”
Qin Zibai’s subordinates and Xi Yan’s former subjects escaped hastily through the cracks in the blood ritual array.
Xi Yan had already died, and Gu Hai had put Xi Yan’s head away. This trip was rather successful. Just when he was about to leave with the others, his expression suddenly changed, and his hair stood on end.
Two figures stood nearby, watching Gu Hai.
Hanba’s fire quickly spewed out from the cracks in the altar, looking like it would burn everything in its surroundings.
However, the strangest thing was that the fire went around the two, avoiding them. It also avoided Gu Hai.
This resulted in a huge ring of fire enclosing Gu Hai and the two people across him.
These two were the white-clad youth and the swordsman Qing Feng, who were outside the city when Fairy Waner was trapped.
Qing Feng stared straight at Gu Hai. His gaze was sharp, as though he was preventing Gu Hai from escaping.
However, the white-clad youth merely revealed a faint smile.
Although the white-clad youth was smiling faintly, Gu Hai could make out pride in his eyes.
“Han Royal Dynasty, Gu Hai. Greetings, you two. You two are?” Gu Hai said with a serious expression.
“Myriad Age Daoist Sect, Heavenly Access’s line of inheritance, Sha!” the white-clad youth said softly.
The white-clad youth did not speak loudly, but he exuded overwhelming sharpness.
Myriad Age Daoist Sect? Heavenly Access’s line of inheritance?
Sha?
