Targeting the Protagonists

"If an emperor coveted power and position, then wouldn't there be only the Son of Heaven left in all the land? Why would he need officials to assist him and govern the realm together?" Simulation Yun Ming's retort left the old woman speechless.

The old woman fell silent for a long time, seemingly deep in thought.

At last, she sighed and asked, "Then who have you set your sights on?"

Simulation Yun Ming did not answer her question directly, instead asking, "Would the Great Shaman easily allow an ordinary Mobei woman to become Empress?"

The old woman muttered to herself, "Then it can only be Aogu."

She seemed to be considering possible candidates, but she quickly realized something and frowned deeply. "If we follow your plan and bring Mobei under your rule, then Abaoji must die."

"Not just Abaoji. Every male member of the royal family must die," Simulation Yun Ming said calmly. "There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two rulers in one nation."

"In the future, when the Han and Mobei become one family, a Crown Prince or emperor with both Han and Mobei blood will put everyone at ease."

The old woman remained silent, and in the end, all she could do was sigh.

Your conditions and vision of the future greatly tempted Duokouhuo.

Duokouhuo ultimately agreed to your request.

All male members of Mobei's Yelü Royal Family were executed. You entered into a political marriage with Aogu. You had originally intended to choose Shuliduo; in your eyes, she was a woman full of ambition and desire, talent and wisdom, someone who could help you. But she was, after all, the Queen of Mobei.

With Duokouhuo's help, you learned many Mobei Secret Methods and received part of Duokouhuo's cultivation. Your strength soared.

You returned to You Province, began mobilizing your armies, and led troops south. You took control of Taiyuan and contacted many regional military commanders of the Jin Kingdom. With your promises, you gained the support of most of Jin's generals.

Among Li Keyong's many adopted sons, few held military power, allowing you to take control of the Jin Kingdom smoothly. Since Li Cunxu had already declared himself Emperor of Tang, you should rightfully have become Emperor of Tang as well. Yet you did not accept the suggestion to continue as emperor. Instead, citing Li Keyong's title as Prince of Jin, you became the Prince of Jin.

You knew that you had not yet fully controlled the Jin Kingdom, whose internal regional factions remained severe. Rather than rushing to purge them, you ordered Tongwen Academy to hunt down Li Xingyun and launched a purge of the Netherworld Sect.

You captured the protagonists and Meng Po.

You directly executed Shangguan Yun Que, exposed Meng Po's disguise, humiliated Shi Yao, and had Shi Yao tell Yuan Tiangang that Li Xingyun was in your hands. If he wanted him back, he would have to trade the formula for the Elixir of Immortality.

You began brutally torturing the protagonists, forcing them to reveal their secret manuals.

The damp floor was littered with torn, scattered straw, every strand seeming to bear endless pain and struggle. The cold air was thick with the mingled stench of blood and sweat, forming a nauseating reek.

Piercing screams and furious curses rose and fell, echoing through the dim space as though they would tear the soul apart.

Li Xingyun was covered in blood as he hung from a cross-shaped wooden post, tightly bound by cold chains. Sinister hooks pierced through his shoulder blades, blood slowly dripping from the wounds and staining the ground beneath him red.

The skin and flesh of his upper body had been torn open, the wounds deep enough to expose bone. It was a horrifying sight, as though some vicious weapon had brutally plowed across him.

Simulation Yun Ming entered, dressed in a black robe with a Jade Pendant hanging from his waist.

At his arrival, the surrounding jailers all dropped to their knees and respectfully welcomed him.

Simulation Yun Ming walked up to Li Xingyun and asked with feigned concern, "Son of Heaven, you aren't dead yet, are you?"

Li Xingyun laboriously lifted his eyelids and looked at Simulation Yun Ming with a faint gaze. His voice was low and hoarse, as though it came from the depths of hell. "Kill me or carve me up. Do as you please."

Simulation Yun Ming smiled faintly. "That will not do. Son of Heaven, I am very interested in martial arts manuals such as the Seven Stars Art and the Tiangang Art that you possess. Would you be willing to tell me about them?"

Li Xingyun unsteadily raised his head, his eyes filled with scarlet blood vessels. With great effort, he said, "Come closer, and I'll tell you."

Simulation Yun Ming nodded and slowly approached Li Xingyun, bringing his ear close to Li Xingyun's mouth.

The next second, Li Xingyun suddenly bared his bloodstained teeth and viciously bit toward Simulation Yun Ming's ear.

Simulation Yun Ming had been prepared and easily dodged the attack.

He smiled at Li Xingyun. "The Son of Heaven is quite mischievous. Still, I am not afraid of being bitten. I just do not like being bitten by men."

After saying that, he turned to a nearby jailer. "Bring Ji Ruxue here."

Hearing those words, Li Xingyun, weak to the extreme, still forced himself to raise his head. His eyes were blood-red as he glared at Simulation Yun Ming and roared, "What are you trying to do?"

"Are you really not curious about what suffering and torment she has endured in this sunless prison?" Simulation Yun Ming asked with a smile, his tone carrying mockery and provocation.

Li Xingyun's face instantly turned ashen, and his body began to struggle violently beyond his control.

Wounds that had begun to clot split open again. Blood seeped out and dyed his clothes red.

He gritted his teeth, his voice full of fury and despair. "If you dare hurt her in the slightest, I, Li Xingyun, swear that I will never let you go!"

Simulation Yun Ming said with deep feeling, "When you have backing, connections, and a father protecting you, even in danger, you can still feel secure and believe that you have a chance to take revenge."

Those words made many people in reality unable to keep a straight face.

Li Xingyun was no exception.

He knew what the other man meant.

Yuan Tiangang.

The man he despised most in ordinary times had now become his only lifeline.

Li Xingyun had never imagined that, at this life-or-death moment, he would think of Yuan Tiangang coming to save him.

"You actually know Yuan Tiangang?"

"Then you still dare treat me like this? Aren't you afraid Yuan Tiangang will come after you?"

Li Xingyun responded coldly, "Do you know who Yuan Tiangang is? He is an old monster who has lived for nearly three hundred years, and his strength is unfathomable. If you dare touch even a hair on us, he will never let you off!"

Just as he finished speaking, the jailers escorted Ji Ruxue over.

She did not appear to have suffered much harm, which let Li Xingyun breathe a slight sigh of relief.

But the next second, he saw the woman he loved being held on another man's lap, and an intense wave of rage and humiliation surged through his heart.

"You... let her go!" Li Xingyun roared, his eyes nearly splitting apart.

His voice echoed through the empty prison, sounding especially shrill and despairing.

Simulation Yun Ming acted as though he had not heard the roar. He continued gently stroking Ji Ruxue's cheek, a smug smile curling across his lips. "Yuan Tiangang? So what? I was not raised to be scared. In this world, there is nothing I cannot have."

As he spoke, he leaned close to Ji Ruxue's cheek. The mere inches between them made Li Xingyun feel intensely suffocated.

He watched helplessly as another man briefly tasted the woman he loved. The rage and humiliation in his heart reached their peak. Yet he could do nothing, only watch helplessly as it all happened.

In reality, Yun Ming watched with his jaw hanging open.

"Damn, I'm so jealous," Yun Ming said sourly.