Battle Through the Heavens: Flame Emperor, Please Restrain Yourself—Your Brother Is Really Quite Simple and Honest

"I'll remember." Sen Ma Rong replied with a sob in his voice.

For something this minor, he would agree without hesitation. Why did he have to suffer even greater pain?

"I hope you keep your word. Otherwise, next time it'll be ten times worse—and it'll last for a long, long time." Zhang Yuan's voice appeared beside Sen Ma Rong's ear, like the whisper of a demon.

Then, he picked up Sen Ma Rong, spread his Exotic Fire Wings once more, and flew back in the direction they had come from. After landing at roughly the right spot, he walked back to the place where they had been ambushed.

"Captain, all the heads of the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits have been secured." Ye Ya and the other personal guards immediately came forward to report.

The Dark Cloud Guard were deathsworn warriors of the Chuyun Empire's imperial family. They would either fight to the very end and self-destruct, or trigger the deadly poison within their bodies to commit suicide after being captured.

Other than Sen Ma Rong, only one other Da Dou Shi was still alive because Zhang Yuan had knocked him unconscious. The remaining seven men, along with Jia Lie Bi, had been reduced to nothing but heads, which had to be taken back for identification and converted into military merit.

"Mhm."

Zhang Yuan nodded in satisfaction and handed Sen Ma Rong over to Ye Ya's care. He then walked over to the unconscious Da Dou Shi, first injecting Exotic Fire into him to control his Dou Crystal before waking him up.

The moment the man saw Zhang Yuan, he immediately tried to self-destruct and kill himself, only to discover that he had lost control of his body.

"I need you to answer my questions. Once you're done, I'll give you a quick death," Zhang Yuan said.

"Pah!" The Da Dou Shi sneered. "You little bastard from the Jia Ma Empire, don't delude yourself. This old man won't say a single word, or else my surname won't be Liu Chuan."

Hearing those somewhat familiar words, Sen Ma Rong's eyes revealed both sympathy and gratification.

At last, he was not the only one suffering the demon's brutal beating.

Ling Ying, hidden in the shadows: "..."

Everyone from the Chuyun Empire played with poison. Could it have damaged their brains?

"That's a very good answer." Zhang Yuan smiled and carried the Da Dou Shi away.

About half an incense stick's time later, he returned with the man and casually tossed him beside Sen Ma Rong.

The two exchanged a glance, both feeling like crying over their shared misery.

"Now, the interrogation begins."

Zhang Yuan called Xiao Boyuan over. His expression turned serious as he looked at the two men and asked, "Who are you?"

"Dark Cloud Guard of the Chuyun Empire." The two answered in perfect unison, as though they had been trained together.

Their answer caused Lin Zhengqing, Master Gu Ni, and the others' expressions to change drastically.

The Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits really had come from the Chuyun Empire—and they were even Dark Cloud Guard directly under the imperial family!?

"What is your purpose in coming here?" Zhang Yuan continued.

"To hinder the development of the Jia Ma Empire's Northeast Province, secretly gather intelligence, and create favorable conditions for the Empire's future deployment of troops. However, because the Emperor is gravely ill, we are currently only carrying out preliminary work and gathering intelligence," Sen Ma Rong replied.

"Why did you come to ambush me?" Zhang Yuan asked again.

"Because our undercover contacts asked us to eliminate you." The other Da Dou Shi said, "They are the Jia Lie family and the Ao Ba family of Wutan City. They regularly supply us with resources under the guise of being plundered. We have several strongholds in the mountain range, with a considerable amount of supplies stored there. You can verify it yourselves."

Zhang Yuan nodded, then said to Ye Ya, "Tie them up and take them back to the military camp."

As he spoke, he transmitted his voice to the two men: "You'll die on the way. Don't worry, I won't break my word."

Then he looked at Lin Zhengqing and Master Gu Ni. "Master Gu Ni, return and notify Uncle. Tell him to hold his position and not act rashly. City Lord Lin, please accompany me to Qingyun Town."

Lin Zhengqing and Gu Ni exchanged glances, then both nodded in agreement.

The skies over Wutan City were about to change completely!