Threats and Intimidation

The moment the flames were injected into his body, Hun Qing felt the same soul-searing agony as Gu You. What surprised him even more was that the Dou Qi within his body was rapidly evaporating and vanishing. The effect of this flame was identical to the records of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, yet the opponent could have easily killed them both in an instant, but chose not to. However, they were now nothing more than fish on a chopping block, left to the mercy of fate...

In their brief exchange, Hun Qing had failed to gauge the depth of Zhang Nian's strength at all. Or rather, that pair of golden wings on his back and the flames in his hands had been enough to take down two Dou Sheng experts on this trip. He couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in his heart; he had always considered himself among the ranks of geniuses, but seeing this today, he realized he was merely a small witch in the presence of a great one.

"Swish!"

A figure appeared before him, and Hun Qing didn't even want to look up.

"Heh, do you want to live?"

Zhang Nian's playful voice came from above, which brought a glimmer of hope to the collapsed Gu You. He shouted fawningly at Zhang Nian, "My lord, are you willing to spare us? I can leave behind all my treasures, I only ask that you grant us our lives!"

"Spineless..." Hun Qing lowered his head and cursed inwardly. He felt the exact same way, but he didn't want to beg. As a member of the Soul Clan, he believed he still possessed some backbone.

"Oh?"

The Storage Ring of a Dou Sheng expert was worth Zhang Nian's anticipation. Although Gu You was only a Ban Sheng, he figured there would certainly be no shortage of seventh-grade medicinal pills inside. Once he retrieved them, he could give them to Cailin or Yao Ye, who could then refine them into even more potent pills.

Seeing that Zhang Nian was interested, Gu You didn't hesitate. He quickly wiped his soul imprint from the Storage Ring, took it off his finger, and tossed it over. The black ring traced a beautiful arc through the air before being caught by an invisible force of space, then slowly landing in Zhang Nian's palm.

He looked down at Hun Qing, the corners of his mouth curling up as he playfully questioned, "And you?"

"Hmph!"

Hun Qing turned his head to the side, radiating an air of "kill me if you must." Behind him, Gu You was anxious to the point of desperation, shouting, "Vice Hall Master, this matter was our fault to begin with. Just apologize, swallow your pride, and hand over the ring—it's better than losing your life..."

Gu You knew very well that if he returned empty-handed, he might as well have died here; the Soul Hall would never let him off...

He was screaming internally: "As long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood! Don't you understand the power of this flame? If it burns your soul to nothing, do you think you can still be resurrected? Resurrected my ass!"

Although Zhang Nian didn't want to kill them, he still needed Hun Qing to properly experience this soul-deep agony. With a thought, the Nanming Li Fire inside Hun Qing's body flared up violently. Even without being pushed to its full potential, the temperature was enough to make Hun Qing scream.

"Ah!!"

Soon, the intense pain had Hun Qing rolling uncontrollably on the ground. There wasn't a shred of Dou Qi left in his body, his face was as pale as paper, and he felt as if the blood in his internal organs was being steamed dry. The most agonizing part was that his soul felt as if it were being burned to ash by the flames—a double torture of both spirit and body.

"Fine! I'll give it to you!"

Staggering as he raised his hand, he skillfully removed the Storage Ring from his finger, releasing a faint trace of soul power.

"Hiss..."

Even just exerting his soul power now was accompanied by a sharp, stabbing pain. Enduring the agony, he handed over the ring. Inside was the Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill the Hall Master had just bestowed upon him...

As the ring was handed over, the intensity of the flames within his body weakened significantly, returning to the initial state where it merely prevented the condensation of Dou Qi and caused a dull, lingering ache.

"What exactly do you want!"

Feeling the state of his body, Hun Qing felt the stinging humiliation of being toyed with and roared, "I've already handed over the ring, what more do you want?!"

Zhang Nian glanced at Hun Qing on the ground. This guy was truly a nuisance, but now was not the time to start a war with the Soul Clan. While it wouldn't necessarily draw out someone like Hun Tiandi, attracting high-star Dou Sheng experts would be a catastrophe for the entire Jia Ma Empire. If he were alone, he wouldn't care, but that wasn't the case now.

"From now on, I do not wish to see anyone from your Soul Hall or the Soul Clan ever again. Do you understand?"

His cold words echoed in their ears. Gu You replied with zero backbone, "Rest assured, my lord, no one from the Soul Hall or the Soul Clan will ever appear before you again!"

In reality, he was thinking coldly: Once I return, I will report this to the Hall Master. The next time someone comes, it will surely be an army of Soul Clan Dou Sheng! I don't believe that many Dou Sheng won't be able to take you down.

Hun Qing understood this logic as well. Bowing one's head was just a matter of doing it once versus doing it many times. Having learned his lesson, he didn't want to experience that bone-eroding, heart-burning pain ever again.

"I also guarantee it."

Hearing their affirmative tones, Zhang Nian knew exactly what they were thinking. He spoke, "I know what you are thinking, but it doesn't matter. This flame will remain in your bodies. If I see anyone from the Soul Hall again, regardless of whether it has anything to do with you, you will experience..."

Zhang Nian paused here, wearing a wicked grin as he stared at the two men sprawled on the ground, and moved his mind once more.

This time, the Nanming Li Fire was pushed to its limit, and the pain reached its peak. Both men squeezed their eyes shut; in that instant, they truly felt the approach of death, unable to even scream the word "pain."

This flame!!

Of course, it was only for a split second; Zhang Nian couldn't let them actually die here. But their souls were certainly damaged. The intensity of the Nanming Li Fire was not something the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame could compare to. Even a split second was enough to leave their souls withered.

"That's roughly the feeling. You can decide for yourselves. You can gamble on the distance of ten thousand miles, but this flame cannot be removed by even a fraction. Of course, every three days, I will let you experience this once."

What does that mean...

Gu You was stunned...

This flame won't be removed even after returning to the Central Plains?

Doesn't that mean we will be under his control forever?

He didn't believe it. Besides, there were so many capable people in the Central Plains, this flame...

And he said ten thousand miles away, he can still control it? Has this flame become a spirit?!

"Please rest assured, we will definitely not speak of this, and no one from the Soul Hall or the Soul Clan will ever know."

Gu You promised solemnly.

Zhang Nian didn't care about the sincerity of their words at all, laughing nonchalantly:

"In that case, that would be for the best."

He immediately withdrew his power, and the Dou Qi within their bodies began to recover.

The restriction was lifted, and Zhang Nian's figure flashed and vanished, leaving only the two men who had just managed to crawl up.

"Vice Hall Master, can you gauge this person's strength?"