The moment the Demonic Monkey King spoke, almost everyone present changed expressions. Only Chu Feng and Zi Ling remained unmoved, watching the scene with amused smiles, eager to see what the Demonic Monkey King would do next.
"Demonic Monkey King, sir, it is said that grudges are better resolved than deepened. In terms of seniority, they are all juniors. No matter how excessive their actions may have been before, Young Friend Chu Feng is, after all, still alive and well."
"But look at the Jie Clan and the other forces — they have already suffered devastating losses. In truth, they have already paid the price for what they did. In this junior's humble opinion, why not let this matter rest here?"
The Emperor was not angered. Instead, he wore a smile and tried to mediate with conciliatory words.
Seeing this, Jie Xingpeng and the Spirit World Guild Leader were utterly astonished. As far as they knew, the Emperor had always been an overwhelmingly domineering figure, decisive and ruthless in his actions.
For him to be so humble today truly shattered their expectations, overturning the image they had held of the Emperor.
But this also revealed just how formidable the Demonic Monkey King truly was. Otherwise, the great Emperor — the ruler of the Nine Provinces Continent — would never have displayed such humility.
"Grudges are better resolved than deepened? Indeed, there is truth in that. But let me offer you a saying in return: if you kill without silencing all witnesses, you invite endless trouble."
"I don't particularly care about these vermin, because they could never threaten me in their lifetimes. But what about my descendants? My progeny?"
"If my descendants prove inferior to the offspring of these vermin, won't they suffer for it? Won't my bloodline be exterminated? And by then, you — already long since buried in your grave — will you be able to come out and deliver justice for me?"
The Demonic Monkey King's sharp retort left nearly everyone speechless, because what he said was entirely logical. Forces like the Jie Clan and the other great factions would certainly remember today's grudge, and given the chance, they would seek revenge.
But the Emperor was obviously no simple character. In response to the Demonic Monkey King's questioning, he merely smiled faintly and said: "Demonic Monkey King, sir, you need not worry about that."
"My cultivation is limited, and I will not live forever. But my Jiang Dynasty has stood upon the Nine Provinces Continent for several thousand years. I believe my Jiang Dynasty will continue to endure."
"Today, I can make them swear an oath here that from this day forward, neither they nor their descendants shall ever lay a hand upon the descendants of the Demonic Monkey King, Chu Feng, or the Spirit World Guild."
"If they break this oath, then without anyone else needing to act, my Jiang Dynasty will be the first to annihilate them."
"Your words sound fine enough, but you're clearly all on the same side. Once I'm in the ground, your Jiang Dynasty could side with them against my descendants, and there'd be nothing I could do about it. Wouldn't that make me the biggest fool of all?"
The Demonic Monkey King was impervious to both soft and hard approaches. He curled his lip, making it abundantly clear he would not rest until his demands were met.
"Demonic Monkey King, sir, then tell me — what would it take for you to let this matter go today? What would it take for you to spare their lives?" Faced with such a Demonic Monkey King, the Emperor had no choice but to yield.
"Kid, I know these factions have passed down their legacies for many generations, and it wouldn't be easy. If I truly wiped them all out, it would impact the Nine Provinces Continent to some degree. But when you do wrong, you must accept punishment — that is simply the natural order of things."
"So don't say I'm being unreasonable or failing to give them a chance to reform."
"As long as each faction produces ten thousand Heavenly Beads for me, as a show of sincere remorse, I'll let them go," the Demonic Monkey King declared.
"What?! Ten thousand Heavenly Beads?!"
Hearing this, the people of the Jie Clan and the other great factions all turned green in the face.
What were Heavenly Beads? They were supreme-grade Heavenly Medicine — priceless treasures. It was said that the medicinal power of a single Heavenly Bead was equivalent to ten thousand Mystic Beads. In terms of value, ten thousand Heavenly Beads would amount to one hundred million Mystic Beads.
This sum was absolutely enough to make one cough blood. Not only could these factions not produce that many Heavenly Beads — they couldn't even produce a single one, because the supreme-grade Heavenly Medicine known as "Heavenly Beads" existed only within the Jiang Dynasty on the entire Nine Provinces Continent.
Even within the Jiang Dynasty, Heavenly Beads were extremely precious items. Only clan members who had rendered great merit could occasionally receive a few. So this Demonic Monkey King was truly making an outrageous demand — pushing people to the brink.
"Demonic Monkey King, sir, to say nothing of them — even my own Jiang Dynasty could not produce ten thousand Heavenly Beads," the Emperor said helplessly, wiping his brow. Even he had broken into a cold sweat from the Demonic Monkey King's demand.
"Then have each faction produce ten million Mystic Beads. That should be acceptable, right?" The Demonic Monkey King curled his lip dismissively.
"This..." The Emperor glanced at Jie Xingpeng and the ancestors of the four factions before speaking: "Demonic Monkey King, sir, to be perfectly honest, they truly cannot produce that amount. Even if they sold everything they had, they couldn't come up with it."
"Asking them for ten million Mystic Beads would be no different from killing them." The Emperor shook his head helplessly.
"Very well. Since they can't produce it, then I'll just kill them."
At these words, the Demonic Monkey King's blood-red eyes flashed with a cold gleam, and a torrential aura erupted from within his body.
His powerful presence swept across heaven and earth, causing the stars and moon to shift and winds to rise and clouds to churn. Even the Jiang Dynasty army hovering in the sky could not withstand it, forced to retreat again and again until they were in complete disarray.
"Sir, please stop!" Seeing this, the Emperor's expression changed and he immediately bellowed. A similarly vast aura erupted from his own body, clashing head-on with the Demonic Monkey King's presence.
Both auras were immensely powerful, sending the heavens and earth into turmoil with lightning and thunder. The previously peaceful night sky was instantly transformed into a terrifying realm saturated with overwhelming force.
Many people could not withstand this pressure. One after another, they vomited blood and fell unconscious. Fortunately, this only lasted for an instant — but in that brief moment, half of those present had suffered severe injuries or even perished.
"Kid, are you looking to fight me?" The Demonic Monkey King glared with fury in his blood-red eyes and roared, causing heaven and earth to tremble. His formidable power was on full display.
"This junior has absolutely no desire to fight you. I only humbly ask that you grant me face and give the Jie Clan, Yuan Gang Sect, Carefree Valley, Bai Zang Cult, and Fire God Gate a chance to reform."
"I will have each faction offer five million Mystic Beads as a show of sincerity." The Emperor bowed from across the distance and spoke earnestly.