Chapter 598 - 597: A Hero for His Own People

Chapter 598: Chapter 597: A Hero for His Own People

The Supreme Ancestor’s frenzied state terrified everyone. The Ren Emperor persona he had so carefully cultivated instantly crumbled!

The World Dragon Empire had always prided itself on its benevolence. Even when facing other Empires, it would always attempt to negotiate peacefully. Only as a last resort would it wage war to resolve a conflict.

This was why the World Dragon Empire’s reputation was so stellar. The Empire had produced several Ren Emperors, earning it exceptional renown. Even if they made a few mistakes, many Cultivators were still willing to join, seeing such things as minor issues.

Now, his true face was exposed. The Supreme Ancestor intended to sacrifice every Cultivator in the Imperial City and absorb their Essence Blood for his own use. It seemed this grand array had been set up long ago and was only now being activated—a truly terrifying prospect.

The World Dragon Imperial City was incredibly prosperous, so many elite geniuses resided there. Now, they were all about to become the Supreme Ancestor’s next meal.

Wails and shrieks filled the air. No one could believe the Supreme Ancestor would do something so utterly depraved. But the reality was laid bare before them as their Essence Blood was frantically drained away, with no signs of stopping.

The power of this Essence Blood-draining array grew stronger and stronger. It seemed it wouldn’t be long before all of their Essence Blood was siphoned away. At that point, they would be reduced to withered husks, but they wouldn’t die immediately. Death would only claim them after some time!

That process was the most terrifying part of all. They would be unable to die even if they wished for it—a fate truly worse than death.

"Celestial Cloud Emperor, please, save us! Please..."

"Please, save us!"

"The Supreme Ancestor is wicked! He’s cultivating evil Martial Arts! Please, we beg you, put an end to him!"

One by one, they turned to Yi Tianyun, begging him to rescue them. Just moments before, they had been clamoring for the Supreme Ancestor to kill Yi Tianyun. Now, they all wanted Yi Tianyun to save them and kill the Supreme Ancestor instead.

Their change of heart was astonishingly fast. The moment they saw the Supreme Ancestor’s true face, their expressions changed, and their support vanished. They had supported the reasonable World Dragon Empire that cared for its people, not this bloodthirsty madman.

The cultivation of evil Martial Arts was universally despised. Therefore, when they saw the Supreme Ancestor preparing to use them as a blood sacrifice, they all turned against him. His ruthlessness was on another level—he was going to sacrifice everyone!

Some were afraid of death, while others were not. Before this, many Cultivators had been unafraid to die to protect their Ancestor; they had been utterly loyal to the Supreme Ancestor.

But now, things were different. The tide had immediately turned. It wasn’t that they were afraid of death, but they despised this method of sacrificing everything and everyone.

It was like a retreat: they would willingly act as human shields to block a blow, but if their Monarch forcibly dragged them over to take the hit, that was another matter entirely.

At his command, they were prepared to go through hell and high water, to sacrifice their very lives without a second thought. But to be treated this way was simply too cruel and vicious; it was not something they ever wanted to see.

"A bunch of useless trash! I protected you for so many years, and this is how you repay me! What ’evil Martial Arts’? Might makes right! Once I conquer the entire Mortal Realm, who will dare call this an evil art?"

The Supreme Ancestor stared at Yi Tianyun with bloodshot eyes. "I never thought you’d force me to play my final trump card. I was saving this for a final push to break through to the next cultivation level, but you forced my hand. I admit, you’re very strong. But under my Demon Blood Array, do you really think you can defeat me?"

His power skyrocketed, growing stronger and stronger. What was thought to be his limit was now being madly surpassed. After all, with so much Blood Qi surging toward him, even if he couldn’t absorb it all, using it to power his attacks was no problem at all.

Especially with this meticulously prepared array, its power was not something that could be easily resisted.

Under the Eye of Investigation, the data was indeed fluctuating wildly. Compared to his previous near-death state, he was now incredibly vigorous. His Combat Power had leaped from 3.5 billion all the way to 4.1 billion.

This was an insane increase—it brought him level with Yi Tianyun! Although the World Dragon Empire’s grand array was powerful, that didn’t mean it could provide him with this much strength. An increase of 600 million Combat Power was already terrifying.

However, this merely brought the man to his level. ’And I still have plenty of trump cards I haven’t even used yet.’ He hadn’t deigned to reveal too many of his aces against an opponent like this.

’That’s why I didn’t even bother to draw my weapon before. Now, it seems I’ll have to use it. Otherwise, this might actually be difficult to handle.’

"You truly are depraved, sacrificing the lives of the entire World Dragon Imperial City. You will face divine retribution for this." Yi Tianyun glanced around. The fate of some of these Cultivators didn’t concern him—especially the ones who had been shouting the loudest for his death earlier.

However, most of them were innocent, particularly those with lower cultivation levels who were merely hiding on the sidelines.

’Of course, whether they live or die isn’t my concern. I have no obligation to save them, nor am I related to them in any way.’

Even so, he wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing. The people here were merely brainwashed, completely deceived by the World Dragon Empire. More importantly, the practice of such an evil art was utterly repulsive.

’Anyone who cultivates this type of Martial Art will forever crave Essence Blood, especially from geniuses. Any talented disciple from any sect could be captured and have their Essence Blood drained! I always thought only places like the Netherworld Empire or the Celestial Nether Divine Kingdom would stoop to such methods. I never expected the World Dragon Empire to be involved as well.’

’This method of absorbing Essence Blood for cultivation has always existed, of course. Absorbing the Essence Blood of the Dragon Race or using it in Alchemy is, in essence, no different. However, there is one line that should never be crossed: one must never absorb the Essence Blood of one’s own people. Once someone starts down this path, it’s highly likely they’ll end up harming even their own sect-mates. A Martial Art like this is truly evil.’

’Though it is evil, many still cultivate it. After all, the drastic increase in cultivation speed is too tempting an offer. Who could refuse?’

"Divine retribution?" The Supreme Ancestor roared with laughter. "What bullshit divine retribution? Heaven doesn’t meddle in such affairs! To Heaven, you are all just ants. Who cares if an ant lives or dies? The strong devour the weak—that is the law of the world. You are still too young!"

As he spoke, the Supreme Ancestor was rapidly gathering power. He was only talking to stall for time, fearing that Yi Tianyun would launch a sudden, fierce attack.

"You’re right, Heaven doesn’t care about these things..." Yi Tianyun’s gaze turned icy. "But today, I don’t care about Heaven either. I am here for my Empire, and I am here to cut you down!"

"Haha, you think you can play the hero?" the Supreme Ancestor sneered. "Sooner or later, you’ll die at the hands of your own people!"

"I’m not trying to be anyone’s hero. I’m just taking responsibility for my own Empire," Yi Tianyun said with a grin. He was fighting for much more than that—for Ye Qingxuan and the others who always had his back. He could not betray their hopes!

"Redeem, Evil God Set..."

"DING! 1,000,000 Sin Value deducted. Successfully redeemed: Evil God Set..."