Qiu Ziqin had never expected that even after lowering herself so much, she would still have to be branded with a Slave Seal just to stay alive.
She found that hard to accept!
Besides, Mo Yunxuan had not mentioned the people behind her at all, especially her disciple.
So she tried to bargain once more. "Duke of Wei, aren't you being a little too domineering?"
"None of us still here intends to make an enemy of the Wei State Duke Mansion."
"I hope you'll spare us for His Majesty's sake, Duke of Wei. We're willing to offer compensation that will satisfy you."
Looking at Qiu Ziqin, who was getting carried away, Mo Yunxuan flicked his fingers.
"Heh. Have you ever considered that if I kill you all, everything you own will be mine?"
"And here you are, haggling with me. Are you trying to make me laugh?"
At his words, Qiu Ziqin finally realized what the real problem was.
From the moment she stepped forward—or, rather, from the moment the Wei State Duke Mansion surrounded Taihua Academy—
she had lost the right to choose. She could either submit or die...
Death was absolutely not an option for her!
She was still young, yet she had already reached the Void Refinement Realm. She had so much time ahead of her to enjoy.
On top of that, she had recently found a promising student of excellent character, who respected his teachers and had an iron will: Ye Chen.
She had yet to pass on her legacy to Ye Chen. How could she possibly be willing to die?
But submitting meant becoming the Duke of Wei's slave.
From then on, her life and death would no longer be in her own hands, and dignity would be nothing but a luxury.
After spending so long in a position of power, Qiu Ziqin found it difficult to make up her mind.
The scene fell silent.
Just then, a woman in red appeared on the horizon, flying toward them.
As she neared, ten of the thirty Void Refinement Realm soldiers surrounding the people of Taihua Academy broke away from the ranks on their own and went to meet her.
Hong Yu had assumed that, as a favorite of the Empress and the Xuan Niao Guard Commander, no one would stop her, so she had paid no attention to the soldiers around her.
Her attention had been fixed on the entrance to Taihua Academy. When she saw that the massacre had not yet begun, she breathed a great sigh of relief.
But the corpses littering the scene still sent a shock through her. Among them were Lin Fan and his master, Lü Qingjian, as well as Dean Yun Congnan of Taihua Academy.
Perhaps others didn't know that Yun Congnan had reached the Late Void Refinement Realm,
but as the Xuan Niao Guard Commander, how could she not know?
Even someone as powerful as Yun Congnan was dead. And judging by his body, he hadn't even had a chance to struggle.
Clearly, the gap in strength had been overwhelming; his head had been crushed in a single blow.
But a gap that wide?
Did the Wei State Duke Mansion have multiple Peak Void Refinement Realm Cultivators,
or had someone in the Wei State Duke Mansion reached the Body Integration Realm?
At the thought, Hong Yu felt a chill creep over her for no reason.
She had never imagined that the Wei State Duke Mansion, which had always seemed loyal to the throne and devoted to the country, was hiding such a secret!
As she brooded, ten heavily armored soldiers suddenly darted out from ahead and surrounded her.
Hong Yu hadn't expected anyone to actually stop her when she hadn't even concealed her identity.
She quickly steadied herself and announced who she was, shouting, "Duke of Wei, I'm Hong Yu, Xuan Niao Guard Commander. I've come under His Majesty's orders to mediate this matter. Please let me through so we can talk."
Mo Yunxuan hadn't planned to pay Hong Yu any attention. He had intended to have her taken into custody first.
Then Qing Li tugged at his sleeve.
She said nothing, but the meaning in her eyes was unmistakable.
Mo Yunxuan didn't refuse. He waved a hand and said casually, "Let her through."
The soldiers blocking Hong Yu let her pass. She took the opportunity to approach Mo Yunxuan and bowed respectfully.
When she had just been surrounded, she had clearly sensed that all ten of them were at the same level as her.
If they had actually fought, she would probably have been captured in an instant.
After all, with the royal family's resources backing her, she had reached the Early Void Refinement Realm before turning fifty.
But you were telling her that the Wei State Duke Mansion had ten cultivators just as powerful as her? That had to be a joke!
And judging by where everyone had been standing, those ten had clearly come from the twenty soldiers who had been surrounding the people of Taihua Academy.
In other words, the twenty soldiers who hadn't moved might well be at the same level as the ten who had intercepted her!
She dearly hoped she was mistaken. But the closer she got to Mo Yunxuan,
the closer she came to those twenty men.
By the time she landed, she could clearly sense the spiritual energy fluctuations of the Early Void Refinement Realm coming from them.
The discovery nearly made her collapse to the ground.
Across the entire Dagan Dynasty, there were fewer than a hundred known Void Refinement Realm Experts.
And the Wei State Duke Mansion had thirty. Was that not terrifying enough?
Even more terrifying were two people there whose auras were utterly undisguised.
They reminded Hong Yu of Empress Ji Ruxue in the Imperial Palace.
Even Ji Ruxue's aura seemed weaker than theirs.
"Looks like this mission's going to be difficult," Hong Yu fretted to herself.
Yet on the surface, she revealed not a single crack. She even carried out every courtesy flawlessly.
Her graceful, effortless movements drew an appreciative click of the tongue from Mo Yunxuan.
"Xuan Niao Guard Commander Hong Yu certainly has a captivating figure!"
His offhand compliment made Hong Yu a little displeased. She thought the Duke of Wei was far too lecherous.
But with the situation weighing against her, she could only swallow her annoyance and force a smile. "Duke of Wei, I've come at His Majesty's command to mediate between you and Taihua Academy."
"Please withdraw your troops first. We can discuss this calmly."
Mo Yunxuan wasn't buying it. He gave a derisive laugh.
"Commander Hong Yu, once I've killed them all, the matter between me and Taihua Academy will be settled. What is there to mediate?"
This time, Hong Yu fell silent too.
Mo Yunxuan's attitude was firm. There was no sign he might change his mind.
Most importantly, he commanded far too much power.
With her Early Void Refinement Realm cultivation and her status as Xuan Niao Guard Commander, both sides would normally have shown her some respect. Taihua Academy would then have surrendered part of its interests, and the matter would have been settled.
But now Mo Yunxuan had not only killed Lü Qingjian and his disciple, he had also killed Dean Yun Congnan.
And next, it seemed, he intended to slaughter all of Taihua Academy. He was clearly bent on fighting to the death.
He was practically a madman!
And the worst part was, this madman was ridiculously powerful!
No one could stop him!
At that moment, Hong Yu wished she could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it!
If only she hadn't come!
Now Mo Yunxuan had backed her into a corner with his words. She had no way to respond.
Watching Hong Yu fall silent as well, Qiu Ziqin understood...
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