In less than a quarter of an hour, two hundred black-armored Fallen Ones stood in formation below the platform. Each was powerfully built, the Blood Fiend Energy around them incomparably solid. They all kept their heads lowered, hands pressed to their sides, awaiting orders.
Chen Chu rose to his feet and slowly walked before the formation. The two hundred black-armored figures remained perfectly still. Only the Blood Fiend Energy around them flowed slowly, like dormant ferocious beasts.
"Raise your heads." Chen Chu's voice was not loud, yet it carried with piercing force.
The Fallen Ones raised their heads in unison. Behind their black cloth masks, their eyes held bloodthirsty madness, excitement, and a trace of confusion. They could sense that Chen Chu's blood energy was even more terrifying than the King of Slaughter's—and familiar. He was the Blood Scythe Slaughter God!
Someone recognized him.
The blood-red Soul Power in Chen Chu's hand emerged once more and slowly rose into the air, transforming into two hundred hair-thin blood threads that hovered above the head of every Fallen One.
"This is a Blood Contract." He explained each word clearly. "From today onward, your lives belong to me."
As his words fell, the blood threads hanging in the air suddenly descended, piercing precisely into the center of each Fallen One's brow.
There were no screams, only muffled groans in unison. The moment the blood threads entered their bodies, they could clearly feel a force wrapping around their internal organs, as if they had been fitted with invisible shackles.
"As long as the Blood Contract remains, you live. If it breaks, you die." Chen Chu's voice carried the coldness of blood energy. "Ao Tian is your commander. His orders are my orders. Dare to disobey, dare to desert, dare to slaughter innocents, and I will not need to act. The Blood Contract itself will shatter your hearts and teach you what it means to wish you were dead."
Within the formation, a particularly burly Soul Emperor could not help raising his head, a trace of unwillingness flashing in his eyes. He had done quite well for himself in Slaughter City and held a managerial position in the legion. He felt that he should be treated differently from the others. "My lord, what if Lord Ao Tian's orders... are for us to die? Must we go anyway?"
The moment he said that, the surrounding Fallen Ones held their breath. Even the King of Slaughter broke into a cold sweat. This idiot—how dare he publicly question Chen Chu?
Chen Chu looked at the Soul Emperor, his expression and tone unchanged. "We will not make you suffer meaningless sacrifices. But if an order truly requires certain death, carry it out, and your deaths will have meaning. Refuse, and you will die far worse."
He raised his hand, and the blood thread above the Soul Emperor's head abruptly tightened. The Soul Emperor's face instantly turned pale. Clutching his chest, he dropped to his knees, his entire body convulsing. "Mercy, my lord! This subordinate knows his mistake!"
"You need to understand that with me, you have no so-called human rights. You are my servants, my tools. Perform well, and I will give you the chance to carry on your bloodlines and protect your children. Perform poorly, and I will not show mercy!"
Chen Chu moved his palm slightly, and the blood thread loosened. The Soul Emperor collapsed to the ground, gasping heavily, his back drenched in cold sweat. In that instant, he had truly felt as though his heart were about to shatter. That terror of impending death was even more frightening than fighting for his life in the killing grounds.
"Does anyone else have questions?" Chen Chu swept his gaze over the formation and asked sharply. This time, no one dared raise their heads again.
"Very good." Chen Chu nodded and sent a message to Ao Tian. "Come to the entrance of Slaughter City and take them away."
Ao Tian's voice came from the communication Soul Tool. "I'll be there immediately, my lord."
Seeing this, the King of Slaughter hurriedly stepped forward and bowed. "My lord, I will send someone to coordinate with them at once."
Chen Chu nodded. Once everything had been arranged, he withdrew his consciousness and left Slaughter City.
When he opened his eyes, dawn had barely broken. Time in Slaughter City differed somewhat from the outside world; it seemed to pass a little faster.
Chen Chu got up, washed up briefly, and went as usual to inspect the Imperial Guard camp outside the city. After checking everything over, he clocked out for the day.
"Count, you have an invitation." The moment he returned to his residence, the butler approached with a blue booklet edged in silver silk and presented it to Chen Chu.
Chen Chu accepted the invitation. When his fingertips touched the silver edge, he sensed a faint fluctuation of Soul Power. It was a sealing technique unique to the nobility, one that only someone with Soul Power could unlock.
He opened the booklet. Six gilded words, "Moonlight Pavilion Graduation Ceremony," stood on the page. At the end was the signature, "Tang Yuehua." The handwriting was gentle, carrying a touch of noble elegance.
"Who delivered it?" Chen Chu asked calmly, his eyes sweeping over the small note tucked inside the invitation.
The butler bowed. "A maid from Moonlight Pavilion. She said Your Highness the Crown Prince personally instructed that you must attend the banquet at the hour of the dragon three days from now. She also said... only you could read what was inside this invitation."
Chen Chu nodded in understanding. He unfolded the note and directly skipped over its jumbled contents.
He immediately saw the small words at the very bottom: "I hope Mr. Chen Chu will come alone to the Orchid Pavilion in the rear courtyard after the ceremony." The handwriting was sharper than the signature, carrying an air that brooked no refusal.
He clenched the note in his hand, and with a slight stir of Soul Power, it instantly turned to ash.
"Understood. Put it away, and remind me to attend in three days." Chen Chu handed the invitation to the butler. After giving that instruction, he turned and headed for the study.
He was not particularly surprised by Qian Renxue's reaction. After all, he had snatched the meat from her bowl. If she did not come looking for him, that would have been stranger.
She wants me to go to Moonlight Pavilion? What does she mean?
"Moonlight Pavilion, a place where the Empire's noble children learned etiquette, with more women than men."
Recalling the details of Moonlight Pavilion, Chen Chu's lips curled slightly. It seemed Qian Renxue intended to probe what he truly wanted.
If he wanted power, he would be joining the Crown Prince's faction. If he wanted resources, then he and she would be partners.
If he wanted women, then whichever woman he picked from Moonlight Pavilion, this Crown Prince would likely send her to his residence and let him have his way with her.
"Since that's the case, then I'll put on an act for you." Chen Chu sneered. If he remembered correctly, the mistress of Moonlight Pavilion was from the direct line of the Clear Sky Sect's sect master branch, Tang Hao's younger sister. She held considerable status within the Heaven Dou Empire.
Among everyone in Moonlight Pavilion, she was likely the hardest to deal with. So he would give her a difficult problem instead. He wanted Tang Yuehua and would see how the Heaven Dou Imperial Family chose, and what Qian Renxue would do.
As for Tang Yuehua, Chen Chu did not feel the least bit sorry for her. A woman teaching young ladies etiquette beneath the Emperor's nose—if anyone said she was a good person, he would not believe it. Who knew how many innocent girls she had selected from commoner and noble families and sent to the imperial family for nobles to amuse themselves with?
Tang Yuehua was from the Clear Sky Sect's direct line and Tang Hao's younger sister, yet she ran Moonlight Pavilion in Heaven Dou City and taught etiquette. That alone was suspicious.
The Clear Sky Sect had hidden from the world for many years, yet she remained in the secular world. Calling it seclusion was less convincing than saying she was watching Heaven Dou's movements for the Clear Sky Sect, or using certain means to maintain good relations with Heaven Dou.
"If I can drag her into this pit... heh heh." Chen Chu's lips curled into a cold smile. "Clear Sky Sect, let's see whether you, Qian Renxue, hate the Clear Sky Sect enough. After all, Spirit Hall says Tang Hao is the man who killed your father."
Will you swallow your anger for the sake of your plan, or are you willing to offend them for your father's sake and make Xue Ye suspicious? We shall wait and see!
Before you continue