Emperor Zhetian naturally knew of Jiangli's hatred for him.
He had known from the moment he remembered just where the round-eyed Divine Beast before him had come from.
As for what had happened back then, Emperor Zhetian would call it regrettable, but he would never say he regretted his choice.
After all, the circumstances back then spoke for themselves. Even if he could do it all over again, Emperor Zhetian would make exactly the same choice.
It was only a Divine Beast, nothing more than his slave to begin with. Where was there any question of equality?
Once it became his Contract Beast, living and dying for him had always been the rule a Divine Beast ought to obey.
In that life-threatening situation, Emperor Zhetian had thrown Jiangli out to face the danger.
Had he been wrong?
Of course not.
If Jiangli had not died, he would have.
At most, he could have extended a helping hand when Jiangli was gravely wounded.
But why should he have saved it?
It was only a Contract Beast.
Emperor Zhetian had never imagined that a Contract Beast—and one that had died long ago, at that—would ultimately play him for a fool like this.
"Jiangli, have you thought this through? You are my Contract Beast. You died back then, but I did not. So no matter how many lifetimes have passed, the master-servant contract we signed before is still binding."
Granted, so much time and so many lifetimes had passed that, although the contract remained, its power had been diluted to almost nothing.
Still, even with its power diminished, one fundamental restriction remained.
As a Contract Beast, Jiangli could not directly attempt to kill Emperor Zhetian.
Whether he was guilty of every unforgivable evil or scum unworthy of even being called human, Yang Qing