Meanwhile, Ji Yang Xiu Zun had already been struggling to hold on, his life hanging by a thread, when Xue Dongming and the Songzhen Ridge Master went off in pursuit. With his combat strength undiminished and the Ice Silkworm Silk Net assisting him, the Ice Ruins Flame King had no fear of any tricks Ji Yang Xiu Zun might pull. Instead, he extended hundreds upon thousands of tentacles from the sea of fire, toying with a father desperate to save his son, watching his futile struggles inside the net. A trace of perverse pleasure appeared on his frost-white face.
"Flame King, don't you love wealth? I'll give you Earthfire City. Let me go!"
Unable to break free, Ji Yang Xiu Zun could only plead with him in a low voice.
"You're begging me? Is that how you beg?"
"I beg you, let me leave. I have to save my child!"
"Then why aren't you on your knees?"
The Ice Ruins Flame King's shrill voice pierced Ji Yang Xiu Zun's mind like a needle. Ji Yang Xiu Zun froze, then dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Lord Flame King, please let me leave..."
"Hahaha, hahaha..."
The Ice Ruins Flame King could no longer conceal his expression behind his frosty face and burst into hearty laughter, as though forcing a father to such lengths gave him immense pleasure. Yet that was not all he sought. His face twitched, instantly turning cold and sinister again. The sea of fire within the Ice Silkworm Silk Net erupted with a roar, and towering flames mercilessly swallowed Ji Yang Xiu Zun whole.
"Coward. It's cowards like you, kneeling and begging for mercy, that I despise most!"
The Ice Ruins Flame King snorted derisively, extended an icy, jade-white hand, and flicked the dust from his clothes