These people's reactions clearly satisfied Lu Ye. Even though he knew they didn't have a shred of sincerity, he didn't need it anyway.
In the face of absolutely overwhelming power, what did servile flattery matter?
The corner of his mouth curved upward, and Lu Ye smiled and nodded. "Fine. Since you're so sincere, I suppose I can spare your lives. However… the Enter Saints aren't worth keeping — their strength is too low, they're useless. Kill them all!"
At these words, everyone's face drained of color. The Enter Saint cultivators were especially panicked; they never imagined that groveling wouldn't save them. Immediately, they began begging for mercy at the top of their lungs.
The two Return to Void cultivators also spoke up on their behalf — after all, these Enter Saints were considered their juniors; how could they just be killed on a whim?
Lu Ye remained unmoved, saying flatly, "Do you need this Sovereign to do it personally?"
The warrior surnamed Cheng and the other Return to Void cultivator froze at his words. Recalling how the half-aged elder had just died so miserably, they exchanged a glance, hardened their hearts, and suddenly erupted with Saint Essence, slapping their palms toward the Enter Saint cultivators.
Crack, crack, crack — a string of crisp sounds rang out. Every single Enter Saint cultivator had their skull shattered without exception, dying gruesomely on the spot.
"Mm." Lu Ye gave a slight nod of satisfaction and issued his command. "This Sovereign has a task for you."
"Whatever the master commands!" the Cheng warrior said respectfully.
"Use whatever means necessary — lure them, kidnap them, it doesn't matter — but find me some Return to Void cultivators. Their strength must not be lower than yours two. Find a few Saint King Realm ones as well."
"Understood." Upon hearing this, the Cheng warrior immediately understood what Lu Ye intended. This young man clearly wanted to use the same method to gather subordinates. Secretly pleased by this, he felt not the slightest resistance.
Human psychology was just so subtle. When you yourself had suffered a loss, of course you'd be happy to see others suffer the same fate — it made you feel much more balanced.
"But Master, where should we bring these people?"
"The Xie Family!" After saying this, Lu Ye summoned his Star Shuttle and flew toward the Xie Family's headquarters.
Only after he departed did the Cheng warrior gasp for breath. When Lu Ye had been torturing him earlier, he'd almost been certain he was going to die. He never expected to keep his life. Now he was naturally overcome with relief.
"Brother Cheng, are we really going to take orders from that kid?" The other Return to Void cultivator stared in the direction Lu Ye had disappeared, frowning with a look of unwillingness on his face. Despite having been the quickest to pledge loyalty earlier, there was still some resistance in his heart.
No matter what, Lu Ye's cultivation was a full tier below his own, and the Flowing Cloud Valley he came from wasn't exactly a major power. What right did someone like that have to demand his allegiance?
"What other choice is there? Brother Ren, do you want to try the agony of Ten Thousand Poisons Devouring the Heart?" The Cheng warrior recalled the torture he'd just endured and couldn't help but shudder.
The warrior surnamed Ren's face was also ugly as he hesitated, "But this kid…"
"Weird, isn't he?" The Cheng warrior wore a thoughtful expression. "Logically speaking, Flowing Cloud Valley isn't a strong faction — how could they produce such a monster? But his methods are absolutely bizarre. He didn't even flinch at the Black Snake Sword. Brother Ren, do you think you could take a direct hit from the Black Snake Sword?"
The Ren warrior shook his head hastily. The Black Snake Sword was the half-aged elder's most treasured artifact, with tremendous power — he wouldn't dare take a hit from it head-on. But Lu Ye had done exactly that. Thinking back now, there were many suspicious, thought-provoking details, yet Lu Ye's strength was obviously no joke.
"Neither of us could defeat him one-on-one. Right now he's only at the third level of the Saint King Realm and already this formidable. If one day he advances to the third level of the Return to Void Realm, heh heh… Brother Ren, surely you understand the wisdom of standing under a big tree to enjoy the shade?"
At these words, the Ren warrior's eyes brightened.
"Besides, neither of our families is strong. Now that the Emperor's Domain has appeared, everyone wants a slice of the pie. If we can team up with that kid, maybe we can get some benefits too. And that Evil Gu of Ten Thousand Poisons is just too bizarre — I've never even heard of it before. Surely there are very few who know how to remove it."
"Brother Cheng speaks sense. Then we might as well follow his orders for now. After all, we have plenty of time."
"Exactly — that's what I think too!" The Cheng warrior nodded immediately.
With their opinions aligned, the two naturally set out to carry out Lu Ye's task: find some Return to Void cultivators, lure them to the Xie Family, and let Lu Ye plant his Evil Gu of Ten Thousand Poisons in them.
…
Half a month later, inside the stone dwelling on Dragon Cave Mountain, Yang Kai gazed at the blood-red Star Emperor Token in his hand, a gleam of joy surfacing in his eyes.
After half a month of refining, he had finally managed to absorb this intact Star Emperor Token into his body. Come to think of it, he'd heard of these single-use artifacts before — every one of them was tremendously powerful. But because of the usage limitations, most artifact refiners weren't willing to craft them lightly.
He simply hadn't expected to obtain one himself, and moreover, it was the famously renowned Star Emperor Token!
Sealed within was a Great Emperor's Divine Ability. It could be said that once activated, it would make him invincible across the entire Dark Star. But the consequences were equally dire — a Great Emperor's Divine Ability was no trifling matter. Without sufficient strength to unseal it, there was a very real chance he'd perish alongside his enemy.
Yang Kai assessed that he couldn't activate it now. Even at the Return to Void Realm, he'd need to think carefully. He probably wouldn't be qualified to use it until he reached the third level of the Return to Void Realm.
Playing with it joyfully for a while, Yang Kai stored it within his body. Just as he was about to cultivate the Golden Blood Threads secret technique, his expression suddenly shifted. He raised his head and stared intently in one direction, a look of surprise on his face.
A moment later, Yang Kai rose and vanished from the stone dwelling like a ghost, suppressing his aura as he flew silently out of Dragon Cave Mountain.
It was the dead of night. Yang Kai deliberately concealed his tracks, so no one on Dragon Cave Mountain discovered that he had left.