Against the Gods

Chapter 632 – Cruel Slave Imprint

“Sinner Jiufang Kui… greets the Little Demon Empress.”

Once he entered the stone room, Jiufang Kui dropped to his knees. Even though he was trying extremely hard to keep his calm, his voice was still trembling in fear.

“Patriarch Jiufang,” the Little Demon Empress’ gaze focused coldly, “Helian Kuang was the Patriarch of the Helian Family, but this empress killed him. As a Guardian Family’s Patriarch, what is your opinion on this? Was this empress right to kill him or not?”

Jiufang Kui gasped cold air harshly and said in panic, “Helian Kuang was a Guardian Family Patriarch, but he colluded with traitors, plotted to rebel, and abandoned the Demon Emperor’s clan’s grace and his family’s responsibility as guardians… This type of traitor should have been hacked into ten thousand of pieces a long time ago. Little Demon Empress was right to kill him… and it was good to kill him.”

“Very good.” The Little Demon Empress nodded slowly. Jiufang Kui’s answer seemed to please her. Then, her voice suddenly became cold, “If so, are you prepared to kill yourself, or do you want this empress to handle this personally!”

Her cold voice and murderous spirit made all the hair on Jiufang Kui’s body stand up. He fell on the floor, screamed and begged, “Little Demon Empress mercy, Little Demon Empress mercy! Back then, I was bewitched by Helian Kuang and was under an obsession for a moment, that’s why… that’s why I committed such disloyal action. But I really didn’t know about those shameless things that would make both humans and gods indignant those people at Duke Huai Palace did… The reason I yielded to Duke Huai Palace was really for self-preservation… for the Jiufang Family getting peace in the future… I… I swear right here, after today I will definitely be loyal to the Little Demon Empress, and see the words of the Little Demon Empress as commands from heaven, ab…absolutely would not have the heart of betrayal… or else, I, Jiufang Kui, will be struck by lightning and split into two halves, and let my whole Jiufang Clan die without peace…”

Considering the barrier keeping any possible outsider from seeing or hearing, for the sake of survival, how could Jiufang Kui still care about the honor as a Patriarch? He desperately cried and begged, cursed himself with the most vicious words. He was no different than any normal living creature that was scared of dying… maybe even more petty.

“Looks like the Jiufang Patriarch has the guts to revolt but doesn’t have the guts to die!” The Little Demon Empress mocked in disdain, “If you are that afraid of dying, this empress could give you a chance to live! Tell me everything you know about Duke Huai Palace and all the shameless things your Jiufang Family has done over this past hundred years, especially the things that this empress doesn’t know about; tell it to this empress completely! There cannot be any falsehoods or omissions!”

“If your confession does not satisfy this empress…” the Little Demon Empress looked sideways at Yun Che, “the Yun Family’s Young Patriarch is right here. This empress could just seal your profound energy and have the Yun Family’s Young Patriarch use the Profound Handle Soul Search on you! By then, if we discover that there is anything false in what you said or if you missed out anything, you would end up in ten times worse condition than Helian Kuang!”

Jiufang Kui shivered, and there was a little more hope in his fear. Helian Kuang’s body was just dragged out. There was nothing worse than dying. For the “chance to live” that the Little Demon Empress mentioned, he wouldn’t dare to hide anything. At that moment, he wracked his brain to think back and told to her everything that he knew about Duke Huai Palace and the shameless things that his family did over the years, whether it was done explicitly or secretly. To “make up for his error,” he even told her in extreme detail of the shameless things that the other Guardian Families and Duke Palaces had done, especially what the Helian Family had done these years, including the agreement between them this past couple of days to cover up each other’s crimes.

When he was all done, his whole body almost collapsed from exhaustion. Even though each thing he confessed was even more shocking than the next, some even rendering Yun Che speechless, there was no commotion in Little Demon Empress’ breath and in her eyes. She stared at Jiufang Kui and said in a deep voice, “The Guardian Family that had honor for ten thousands of years is now corrupted to this extent… Jiufang Kui, as a patriarch, even if you died ten thousand times you could hardly absolve yourself from the blame!”

Jiufang Kui got down on the ground and didn’t dare to speak anymore.

“This empress will now give you two choices.” The Little Demon Empress slowly stood up and walked towards Jiufang Kui. For each step she took, Jiufang Kui’s body curled up tighter, “Option one, you, Jiufang Kui, die! Your body will by hung on the city gate in display for seven days! Your name will also be recorded into the Illusory Demon chronicle, become a disgrace to the Jiufang Family, and you will go down in history as a byword to infamy! Your wife and concubine, your sons and grandsons, will all be sentenced to death immediately!”

Jiufang Kui lifted his head abruptly and begged in a trembling voice, “Little Demon Empress, mercy please…”

“Option two!!” The Little Demon Empress had already walked before Jiufang Kui. She looked at him from above with her cold eyes, pointed at the top of his head, and a ball of scarlet-gold flames was burning in the center of her palm, “Be abiding and accept the ‘slave imprint’ from this empress! If so, you will still be the patriarch of the Jiufang Family! Your wife, concubine, sons, grandsons and the whole Jiufang Clan would all be safe and sound!”

Jiufang Kui’s whole body shook violently, his eyes widened rigidly, and his pupils that were shrinking intensely were filled with fear and desperation.

A slave imprint was the cruelest mental imprint in the world. If a person was implanted with a slave imprint in their heart and soul, then they would have to obey to the person who gave them the slave imprint no matter what, and could never disobey any commands. Even if the command was for him to die, he would go die without any hesitation… There wouldn’t even be any trace of resistance or rebellious awareness. It would be equal to being the slave and puppet of the other party forever.

Once the slave imprint was planted, it was almost impossible for it to be removed. Even if the person who imprinted the slave imprint died, the person who got imprinted with the slave imprint would still remember the their mission and serve loyally for their whole life.

The slave imprint was too cruel; once planted, the implantee’s own life and will would be controlled by someone else. To many people, it was something more terrifying than death. In the law of the Illusory Demon Realm, the “slave imprint” was strictly prohibited. Even the largest family absolutely could not plant a slave imprint on the most inferior servant. At the same time, planting a “slave imprint” not only consumed a great amount of mental power, but it also had an extremely low success rate. With the Little Demon Empress’ current strength, to plant a slave imprint on Jiufang Kui, if he struggled even a little bit, there would be no possibility to succeeding at all. Even when facing an Overlord, it was almost impossible to succeed.

If one wants to successfully plant a slave imprint, usually the other party must be fully willing, and cannot struggle at all.

But, with the options in front of Jiufang Kui, he either was implanted with a slave imprint, or he died… and it’d even bring disgrace and ruin upon himself, and his wife and sons died with him.

“There are only these two choices, there is absolutely not a third choice for you to choose from!” The Little Demon Empress said coldly, “This is the result of your own transgressions. You cannot blame this empress, and cannot blame anyone else! This empress gives you the time for five breaths to consider, to die, or to live… After five breaths, if you still haven’t made your decision, then this empress will directly send you to your grave!”

Jiufang Kui was stunned, emptiness filled his eyes, and there was no sign of life in his eyes… After three breaths, he lowered his head heavily, and said in a trembling voice, “May… Little Demon Empress… grant me the slave imprint…”

If it was between the slave imprint and a simple death, he might have chosen death. But followed by his death, it was a consequence ten thousand times more cruel than a simple death. slave imprint was his only choice. At least, he could live; at least, he didn’t have to carry a bad name for ten thousand of years; at least, when he faced people other than the Little Demon Empress, his soul still belonged to himself.

“Very good.” The Little Demon Empress covered with her palm, using her soul profound energy with the aura of the Golden Crow, and immediately loaded it into Jiufang Kui’s heart and soul… Jiufang Kui’s whole body was trembling, but he didn’t dare to struggle or defend at all. In the time of a few short breaths, the slave imprint from the Little Demon Empress was planted firmly into his heart and soul.

The Golden Crow Flame went out as the Little Demon Empress closed her palm. There was a little more color in Jiufang Kui’s eyes which were gray and dark before. Facing the Little Demon Empress, his body was even more underlying, his eyes and his expression were filled with respect, fear, fawning, flattering, and he was just like a loyal dog shaking its tail in front of its master.

“Scram!” The Little Demon Empress turned around and said in a cold voice. Jiufang Kui’s petty, poor attitude didn’t make the Little Demon Empress felt sorry at all. The hatred from her clan and her family was as deep as the sea… If she wasn’t the Little Demon Empress, if she wouldn’t have to consider the peace and future of Illusory Demon Realm; she would slaughter all of these people in the cruelest way possible… How would she go through all the trouble to let them live.

“Yes yes… I will scram immediately, scram immediately.” Jiufang Kui was as if he heard the irrefutable command of the gods, his whole body shivered, and he immediately threw himself on the ground, rolled… and literally “rolled” out.

It’s not that Yun Che had never heard of the “slave imprint” before, but he had never really seen it. Looking at Jiufang Kui, his whole body quivered.

Mercy in one hand, and death in the other; the former gave hope and the latter gave intimidation, and the slave imprint under the name of hope and intimidation was the Little Demon Empress’ true goal.

Jiufang Kui also left alive. This undoubtedly gave the people behind him even more hope. The process afterwards was a lot simpler. Basically it was same as dealing with Jiufang Kui, letting them choose between “death” and the “slave imprint,” but this “death” would involve the whole family and clan, and be disgraced for ten thousands of years, so the “slave imprint” became their only choice.

But not everyone had these two choices. Helian Kuang died; Jiufang Kui, Bai Yi, Nangong Zhi, Lin Guiyan, Chiyang Bailie, Xiao Xifeng were all planted with a slave imprint; and among the many dukes, a third of the dukes who only turned for self-preservation received amnesty like Duke Xuan.

The patriarchs and dukes who received a slave imprint would never betray for the rest of their lives, their Families and Duke Palaces would be completely in the Little Demon Empress’ control. And those who received amnesty would also be completely loyal with grace and shame.

Until sunset, the Little Demon Empress’ punishments for all of the Guardian Families and the Duke Palaces were then all completed. After the last Duke Palace left in a hurry, the Demon Imperial Hall became empty, and in the silent there was suppression and loneliness.

Planting slave imprints consumed a lot of profound energy, and it consumed even more mental power. Even the Little Demon Empress was exhausted from planting to close to more than fifty slave imprints in an afternoon. But with her extremely stubborn personality, of course she wouldn’t reveal her exhaustion… especially in front of Yun Che.

“This empress has already done what you wished. Now, you can leave.” The Little Demon Empress left her throne said coldly with her back turned to Yun Che.

The figure of her back was delicate and petite, like a little girl who hadn’t grown up yet, but she was carrying the heaviest responsibility in the whole Demon Illusory Realm all by herself… She didn’t have any family left, and there were only three remaining years of her life left.

Everyone respected and feared her; only in Yun Che, when he faced her, there was only a deep, tender protectiveness… and a trace of stabbing pain that could not be relieved.

Yun Che stayed behind alone in hope of helping her in some way; at least she didn’t have to always face all the pressure alone. But, the Little Demon Empress was an unusual woman after all. She had unparalleled profound power in the world, have perseverance that no one could compare to, she even had enough wisdom, a calculating mind, and boldness, and didn’t need him to do anything at all.

The whole afternoon, he felt like him sitting there was completely unnecessary… instead he was even somewhat in the way.

“Um…” Yun Che walked close to the Little Demon Empress for a few steps and said slowly, “Before you became the Little Demon Empress, you were ‘Princess Caiyi.’ All these years you were dressed in gray, it should have been for the previous Demon Emperor and the Little Demon Emperor who had passed away. Now it has been a hundred years, and only Duke Ming who had lost a lot of blood essence is left of the up and down of Duke Huai Palace. Unless he could escape Illusory Demon Realm, he would fall into your hands sooner or later. You have avenged them… so this gray clothing, you shouldn’t have to continue to wear it.”

“…” The Little Demon Empress had her back turned, didn’t move, and didn’t respond at all.

“Besides your identity as the Little Demon Empress, you are also the publicly acknowledged number one beauty in the Demon Illusory Realm. Even though this ugly clothing cannot cover your beauty, if you wear something slightly more… normal, you would look so good that even the heavens would be jealous.” Yun Che said really seriously. It was true that he didn’t like the Little Demon Empress always wearing the gray, wide clothes. Those gray clothes were like a layer of a dim cage, and the Little Demon Empress couldn’t escape from the pressure and shadow of it.

The Little Demon Empress turned to her side slightly, and said indifferently, “Then, what do you think this empress should wear?”

“Um…” Yun Che thought about it closely and said, “Even though I have known you for this long, I have never seen you in any other outfits. Oh, if I really need to say… you look very good without any clothes on.”

【Hypothesis: The Little Demon Empress’ profound energy value is 60000, aggressive value is 99999, Yun Che’s profound energy value is 260, defense value is 500. Question: Which number window should Yun Che report to at the Palace of Hell?】

crushanapple note: the literal meaning of ‘scram’ (滾) is ‘roll’.