Chapter 186 The Humiliation of Yan Shaozhe: Poisoning and Extorting Three People!
The dust on the tree-lined path has gradually settled, but the bloody stench of the strong in the air is growing stronger.
Yan Shaozhe, Song Lao, and Xian Lin'er huddled together in a triangular formation, supporting each other to stay upright.
At this moment, they no longer possessed the superiority they had when they descended upon the imperial city. Each of them was covered in shocking bloodstains, and the aftereffects of their martial spirits being forcibly returned to their bodies made it extremely difficult for them to even maintain their balance.
"Poison won't kill..."
Yan Shaozhe raised his head, wiping away the blood that kept spilling from the corner of his mouth. His once gentle eyes were now filled with fear and resentment.
He looked at the green-haired old man standing before him, who resembled a demon god with his hands behind his back, his voice extremely hoarse due to the damage to his chest cavity:
"Today... you've already fought, and even the three of us combined are no match for you. Are you satisfied with that? What else do you want?"
"How about it?"
Poison Undying chuckled, a mischievous glint flashing in his emerald green double pupils. He casually moved his wrist, producing a crisp cracking sound.
"Yan Shaozhe, that's an interesting question."
"The three of you broke into the Heavenly Soul Imperial City in the middle of the night and forcibly abducted important officials of my empire. Now that you've been defeated, you think you can just let it go with a flippant 'we've already fought'? What do you take the dignity of the Heavenly Soul Empire for? And what do you take me for?"
"Let me tell you, this is far from enough."
Poison Undying's tone was calm, yet it exuded a chilling domineering aura.
Xian Lin'er's face was deathly pale. She gritted her teeth, supporting the injured Old Song, and glared angrily at Du Busi: "Du Busi! Don't push your luck! Do you really dare to kill the three of us here today?"
When Yan Shaozhe heard Xian Lin'er's words, although he felt tense, he also felt a deep sense of certainty.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil within him, and said coldly, "Poison Undying, I know you have an extreme personality, but you are a smart man. Although we came to the Heavenly Soul Empire in a hurry this time, all the forces on the continent are watching us."
"If the three of us really die in this Heavenly Soul Imperial City today, it will be equivalent to the Heavenly Soul Empire declaring a full-scale war against Shrek Academy."
"By then, even if Elder Mu is no longer here, Shrek Academy's millennia-old heritage will be beyond your imagination."
"Moreover, openly murdering the dean and elders of Shrek Academy will make the Heavenly Soul Empire an enemy of all mankind in terms of public opinion. You can't afford to pay that price, and neither can the Heavenly Soul Emperor."
Yan Shaozhe spoke with great confidence.
In his view, this is the general trend, the true talisman that has allowed Shrek to stand strong for thousands of years.
However, after hearing these words, Du Bu Si did not show any of the fear that Yan Shao Zhe had expected.
On the contrary, the sarcasm in his eyes grew even stronger.
"Kill you?"
Poison Immortal shook his head, a wicked smile curving his lips. "Yan Shaozhe, you guessed right. For the sake of the bigger picture, I really can't take your heads right now."
"After all, the dead Dean of Shrek Academy was indeed too much trouble. But aren't you mistaken about something?"
Poison Undying took a step forward, and a terrifying killing intent instantly locked onto the three of them: "I may not kill you, but that doesn't mean I can't humiliate you severely."
"Killing you would be a diplomatic incident, but if we just teach a few petty thieves a lesson for 'stealing from the city,' no one can say anything about it."
"What do you want to do?" Yan Shaozhe's internal alarm bells rang loudly.
Poison Undying crossed his arms and said smugly, "If you want to leave, you can. But each of you three must pay a 100,000-year-old soul bone as compensation for the dignity of my Heavenly Soul Empire, and also as payment for my hard work this time."
"impossible!"
Yan Shaozhe let out a high-pitched, defiant cry of shock, disregarding his injuries and shouting angrily, "Three 100,000-year-old soul bones? Poison Undying, you're asking for the moon! How many 100,000-year-old soul bones are there on the entire continent?"
"Even if you raided Shrek Academy's treasure vault, they wouldn't just give you that kind of request!"
A soul bone that is ten thousand years old is a treasure worthy of being passed down as a top-tier sect's heirloom.
The appearance of each piece would trigger a bloodbath on the mainland. To say that Du Bu Si would offer three pieces right off the bat was, in Yan Shaozhe's eyes, an utterly insincere insult.
"no?"
Poison Undying's face instantly darkened, and the emerald green aura rose again like a mountain. He stared at Yan Shaozhe, his eyes becoming extremely cruel. "Since it won't work, then don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Yan Shaozhe, didn't you just ask me what I was going to do? I can tell you clearly now."
Poison Immortal stretched out a finger and pointed at the Heavenly Soul Empire's city gate, which was already lit up in the distance. "If you don't hand over the Soul Bone, I will break the legs of all three of you and lock all your meridians right now."
"Then, I will strip you naked and hang you one by one at the city gate of the Heavenly Soul Empire."
"I will post a notice on the city gate to tell the people of the whole continent that the dean and elders of your Shrek Academy, because they coveted my empire's count, sneaked into the imperial city in the middle of the night and were eventually captured alive."
"You dare!" Yan Shaozhe's eyes almost spit fire. The image flashed through his mind for only a moment, but it made him feel a thousand times worse than death.
Shrek values reputation more than life. If that were to happen, even if the three of them survived, Shrek's millennia-old reputation would be completely ruined by their own hands.
"Whether I dare or not, you'll find out by trying!"
Without uttering a single word, Du Bu Si appeared instantly in front of Elder Song.
"Poison Undying! Stop!" Xian Lin'er tried to stop him, but was sent flying dozens of meters away by Poison Undying's casual wave of soul power.
Old Song had already suffered a severe injury and was now powerless to resist.
The poison-free foot, covered in a thick layer of calluses, mercilessly stomped directly on Old Song's calf.
"Snap!"
A sickeningly loud cracking sound rang out in the deathly quiet tree-lined path.
"Ah—!" Old Song let out a painful groan, his whole body trembling violently from the intense pain.
Poison Undying didn't stop. He raised his foot and ground it on the broken calf, then looked coldly at Yan Shaozhe. He shifted his toes and aimed at Old Song's left wrist, saying in a chilling tone, "This is just the first one."
"Yan Shaozhe, you have two more breaths to consider. I want to see whether your hypocritical Shrek self-esteem is more important, or this old woman's hands and feet!"
(End of chapter)