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The dagger lay on the ground, glinting with cold light. Gu Li’s every word stung their sears.

The enemy experts’ eyes were bright with wanton smiles, and they laughed brazenly. When they looked at Ye Zichen and his allied great emperors, their expressions contained indescribable mockery.

“You’re seeking death!” Seeing Su Qingyan and Su Wan’s miserable conditions, Xuan Ji was on the brink of exploding. 

Tie Tan, the King of the West, instantly stepped forward, suppressing Xuan Ji’s mountainous presence. 

The others’ auras surged forth too. Only the Demon Emperor….

He was completely fixated on Su Yiyun, and had locked onto his aura.

The way he saw it, of these people, Emperor Hades’ successor was by far the most threatening. As for Xuan Ji and the others? He could just leave them to the others.

A tidal wave of aura bore down on Ye Zichen’s allies. It was suffocating, and they struggled to even catch their breath.

Xue Yang, Yang Jian, the Great Sage, and the other imperial-level experts all had solemn looks on their faces. None of them had guessed that the King of the West’s cultivation was so imposing; it seemed a bit higher than even the Ocean Emperor’s. 

“Xuan Ji.” Expression solemn, the Ocean Emperor pulled Xuan Ji back. The King of the West’s cultivation far exceeded his imagination. 

This situation had been disadvantageous to them to begin with. If they really started fighting, most likely, all of them would fall in battle. 

“Ye-zi.” Emperor Hades, Su Yiyun, spoke up. A hundred years of sharpening had made him calm and steady, but Su Yan was among the captives.

As Emperor Hades, he could be calm about anything, and could face just about anyone’s death without emotion.

But Su Yan was still his beloved little sister!  

“You’re surely not thinking of trying to seize them by force, right?” Gu Li sat back down on the dragon race elder’s back, then crossed his legs and surveyed Ye Zichen’s group. “It’s true that all of your cultivations are exceptional. Xuan Ji and the Ocean Emperor are famous, while Emperor Hades’ name alone has kept the yao at bay for thousands of years. But there is no way I’ll let you seize anyone from right under my nose. Of course, you’re welcome to try. I can give you the chance.”

Gu Li’s laughter was calm and relaxed, and indeed, he had every right to be relaxed.

Never mind the fact that the Demon Emperor was right there beside him. Just the kings of the West and South, the Special Emissaries of the Left and Right, combined with their imperial-level subordinates was an overwhelming advantage.

Last time they’d clashed, an expert had swooped in to save Ye Zichen. But this time, Gu Li dared say that even if that expert returned, there would be nothing he could do to turn this situation around.

The god race’s other great emperors were in no position to leave their Divine Mountains either. Vast swarms of demons were bearing down on their borders, preventing them from leaving. So long as they took so much as half a step out of their territory, Gu Li was confident he could level their respective Divine Mountains. 

There was now nothing Ye Zichen’s could do, and they’d receive no reinforcements.

“To tell you the truth, you lost the moment you left to reinforce the Nine-tailed Foxes. All you can do now is obediently follow my orders and jump when I say jump. Give up any thoughts of help from the other Divine Mountains; there’s no way they can leave. Don’t tell me you’re hoping for support from the King of the East? Or the Divine Beast clan heads? I’m afraid that they’re in a predicament themselves. They’re in no position to help others.”

Gu Li narrowed his eyes and stretched with obvious relish. Xuan Ji, Su Yiyun and the others knit their brows. 

Their troops could tell that they were at a disadvantage, and their nerves were taut too.

“Don’t push this too far!” Xuan Ji shouted.

“Ha…” Gu Li suddenly laughed and shook his head. “Are you trying to say that I’m crossing the line? I even gave you a chance, didn’t I? And you say I’m pushing this too far? Fine then, I admit it. I’m crossing the line, but what are you going to do about it? What, don’t tell me you want to kill me? There are countless people who want me dead; you’re certainly not the first, and you certainly won’t be the last. Want to attack me? Go right ahead and try it.”

“You….” His provocations left even a renowned expert like Xuan Ji choked, furious, and helpless. 

Gu Li grinned with obvious relish, then glanced at the dagger on the ground. “I humbly advise you to hurry up and make your choice, as my patience is limited. Also, I’m truly worried about Brother Ye’s great fortune. What if someone I can’t afford to offend comes to mess things up? I’ll give you six hundred seconds, five minutes to make your choice. If you don’t, I’ll have to make it for you.”  

Gu Li then turned to Ye Zichen and laughed. “Right, Brother Ye, you’re the Emperor Star, as well as the head of the Upheaval Alliance. How about you choose first? Your choices include many of your friends and lovers, so if you kill someone, your odds of saving someone you care about might increase.”

As he spoke, an hourglass appeared in the air. Time passed in a flash. 

The captives included far too many of Ye Zichen’s friends and allies, as well as those of his companions. All of them watched intently as the sand fell, calculating the time, their thoughts racing.

Yang Jian, Xue Yang, Pu Jingwan and the others were an exception; they were watching Ye Zichen instead. Right now, all of the pressure was on his shoulders. 

When the final grain of sand fell, the hourglass disappeared.

“It’s time.” 

Ye Zichen’s arms quivered, while his friends’ expressions went bleak. These five minutes had passed unnaturally quickly.

“It seems, Brother Ye, that you and your companions have no intention of taking action. But that’s alright; I’m more than happy to assist you.” The dagger suddenly rose into the air and flew towards one of the hooded figures.

Clang!

A streak of divine power knocked it out of the air halfway to its target. The surrounding great emperors knit their brows, while Gu Li’s expression soured. He turned towards Ye Zichen. “Brother Ye, what do you mean by this? Are you saying you want to do it yourself? If so, that’s no problem. Go Right ahead!”  

Gu Li gestured for him to proceed. Ye Zichen hesitated, making no move to pick the dagger back off the ground.

“Brother Ye?”

“What do you want? What do I need to do for you to release them?” Ye Zichen raised his lowered head. When the gathered experts looked into his eyes, they saw that they were bloodshot.

“Brother Ye, I’m having a hard time understanding what you’re trying to say. What do you mean, ‘what do I need to do for you to release them’? I already said it clearly: kill one to save another. Didn’t I make myself perfectly clear?” asked Gu Li.

“I want you to let them all go!”

Eyes bloodshot, Ye Zichen stared directly at Gu Li and forcefully nodded his head. “Fine, I admit it. You win!” 

As Ye Zichen spoke, he pursed his lips and knit his brows. His expression was bitter, yet resigned. “Killing one to save another? I admit that I can’t do it, but also that we can’t possibly seize them by force. You win. I, Ye Zichen, admit that I have lost. I can’t play with you. I give in!”  

Gu Li’s eyes flashed with delight. Then, he pouted, “Brother Ye, you’re making this awfully difficult.”

“Gu Li, you win!”

Ye Zichen clenched his fists and shouted so hard, he lost his voice. The veins bulged on his neck and forehead, and his body quivered from head to toe. When Xuan Ji and Yang Jian saw this, they were moved. “I said it already: I can’t afford to lose this game, and I dare not gamble. You won! At the end of the day, you prepared this game for me, didn’t you? You captured Su Yan, you captured Keke, you captured Li Jiayi… wasn’t all of this to threaten me? Well, you won. What do you want from me? Tell me!”

To their surprise, Ye Zichen’s concessions won nothing but a cold chuckle and a jeering smile. “You really think you’re something, don’t you?” Gu Li sighed and nodded. “Fine, since you think I’m aiming at you, then… I want you to bow. If you prostrate yourself before me, I’ll let them go. How about it?”