Chapter 620: Revenge Flames (Part 2)

"In the Demon Imperial Realm, anyone familiar with the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley knows that there's no way to enter or exit unless its seal opens or closes on its own. This is precisely what the Duke Huai relied on in his previous attempts to argue his case." Yun Che said unhurriedly, observing the escalating chaos and the Duke Huai's suddenly grim expression. "However, four months ago, the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley's seal was forcibly opened, and you must be wondering why. The reason is simple! The Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley has always had a method for forced entry and exit: through the Demon Emperor Seal of the Demon Imperial Family!"

"Four months ago, the Little Demon Empress used the returned Demon Emperor Seal to forcibly enter the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, intending to reach the Golden Crow Ancestral Land immediately and awaken her Golden Crow bloodline! But this secret, which should have belonged solely to the Demon Imperial Family, was perfectly known to the people of Duke Huai's Mansion! Duke Huai, along with Prince Ming—who was supposedly missing for a century but had actually been hiding in Demon Imperial City—followed her into the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley to assassinate her. After they believed the Little Demon Empress and I had perished in the Sea of Death, they used the Demon Emperor Seal, which they had seized from her, to escape the valley. That is why the Demon Emperor Seal is now in his possession!"

"Duke Huai, what is your explanation this time? Oh, no, what is your excuse?" Yun Che sneered faintly. "Your next excuse had better be spectacular. Don't insult our intelligence with anything too pathetic!"

As Yun Che finished speaking, the hall erupted once more, the clamor rising like boiling water. Everyone's gaze upon Duke Huai shifted dramatically. The Demon Emperor Seal that had flown out of Duke Huai's spatial ring was clearly seen by all; its presence was undeniable and beyond refutation.

Everyone in Demon Imperial City knew of Duke Huai's ambition. However, ambition was an entirely different concept from assassinating the Demon Imperial Emperor and the last heir of the Demon Imperial Family! The former led many powers to weigh their options and eventually offer support and allegiance, while the latter... that was regicide and usurpation, an act of supreme treason! Given the Demon Imperial Family's prestige in the Demon Imperial Realm, such an act would incite the wrath and hatred of all its citizens, making it utterly unacceptable to the entire realm!

"Could it really be Duke Huai...?""This, this... this is an act of monumental treason!""No matter how ambitious Duke Huai is, he couldn't possibly do something like this... And Prince Ming... this just doesn't make sense!""The Demon Emperor Seal is on Duke Huai... how can that be false!"

"Your Grace, did you truly...?" The question came from a middle-aged Prince who had pledged allegiance to Duke Huai's Mansion, his hands trembling as he spoke. Their current predicament was far from ordinary; a great crime, very likely regicide, was being exposed before the assembled powerful figures of the realm! Though the Demon Imperial bloodline was nearing its end, the prestige of the Demon Imperial Family, bearers of the Golden Crow bloodline, was unparalleled in the Demon Imperial Realm!

The vast majority of forces that had pledged allegiance to Duke Huai's Mansion did so because the Little Demon Empress's influence was waning while Duke Huai's was growing. It seemed inevitable that after the Little Demon Empress, with the Demon Emperor bloodline extinguished, the realm would fall under Duke Huai's rule. For the future of their families or factions, siding with Duke Huai's Mansion, though a great act of disloyalty to the Demon Imperial Family, was, in the current circumstances, a lowly but "wise" choice.

However, assassinating the Little Demon Empress was an unforgivable act in the Demon Imperial Realm. If the assassination had been perfect and gone undiscovered, perhaps it would have been overlooked. But if it were exposed... and the news spread throughout the Demon Imperial Realm, Duke Huai would be utterly disgraced. Even if his power were ten times greater, he could not withstand the collective fury and animosity of the entire Demon Imperial Realm. And the forces that followed Duke Huai would likewise become targets of public outrage.

"Duke Huai!" Prince Tian Xia Xiongtu's face was contorted with fury. "You actually committed such a conscience-destroying, despicable act that infuriates both gods and men! You belong to the Demon Imperial Royal Family; at least some of the Demon Imperial blood flows in your veins, and yet you..."

"Silence! What utter nonsense!" Prince Zhong roared, using all his might. "Even if the Demon Emperor Seal is on the New Emperor, what does that prove?! How can you accuse the New Emperor of harming the Little Demon Empress based solely on the Demon Emperor Seal?! Although the New Emperor has always been ambitious, his greater concern is for the realm, for the peace and stability of the Demon Imperial Realm for ten thousand years to come! He has always held the Demon Imperial Family in high regard and would absolutely not commit such an act. There's no reason for him to have harmed the Little Demon Empress! There must be something fishy going on... it might even be a deliberate frame-up by certain individuals!"

Though Prince Zhong was trying his best to defend, his voice was clearly trembling.

"Exactly!" Prince Huiran roared in a low voice. "The Demon Emperor Seal has indeed been with my father for this period. But it didn't come from the Little Demon Empress at all! Four months ago, I found it at the entrance of the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley! To avoid causing panic, my father didn't make it public, and he kept it on him for fear of it being coveted... Today, it has inexplicably become evidence of the Little Demon Empress's assassination! There's definitely a conspiracy at play here... not only do they want to incriminate my father, but they've even brought up my grandfather, who has been missing for over a century! This is clearly... a deliberate targeting of our entire Duke Huai's Mansion! It's highly probable this is a malicious plot planned from the very beginning!"

This line of argument immediately invigorated Duke Huai's faction, and the expressions of the Seven Guardian Family Patriarchs quickly eased. Yun Che glanced at Huiran, sneering inwardly. Given Huiran's capabilities, it was impossible for him to have come up with such a sharp retort. Clearly, Duke Huai had communicated it to him telepathically.

Indeed, merely having the Demon Emperor Seal on Duke Huai did not conclusively prove he had harmed the Little Demon Empress. Duke Huai's faction only needed to stubbornly cling to this point, and coupled with their overwhelming strength, the Little Demon Empress would be powerless against them. They could even insist on the "frame-up" narrative and turn the accusation back on their accusers.

This would have been true for the Little Demon Empress four months ago. But the current Little Demon Empress was incomparable to her former self!

The Little Demon Empress gazed down, her expression unwavering despite the clamoring crowd in the hall and the rapidly shifting situation. Then, she suddenly spoke, her voice infinitely chilling: "Yun Jiang, Yun He, Yun Xi!"

The Little Demon Empress's voice carried an oppressive force that seemed to freeze blood, instantly quieting the previously boisterous hall. The three Grand Elders of the Yun Family stepped forward, bowing respectfully, "What are your orders, Little Demon Empress?"

"Seize Duke Huai! Use the Profound Spirit Soul Interrogation!"

Duke Huai's expression shifted slightly, but instead of panic, a subtle sneer formed at the corner of his mouth, and a sinister glint flickered in his eyes.

Under Profound Spirit Soul Interrogation, Duke Huai would reveal everything; all his secrets and crimes would be exposed without reservation, laid bare before everyone. Yun Jiang, Yun He, and Yun Xi were momentarily stunned... They knew perfectly well that Duke Huai would never permit himself to be subjected to Profound Spirit Soul Interrogation, and the immense power behind him would certainly not allow anyone to approach him. However, as Grand Elders of the Yun Family, they naturally wouldn't defy the Little Demon Empress's command, and they replied in unison, "Yes!"

"Duke Huai, if you wish to prove your innocence, then honestly accept the Yun Family's Profound Spirit Soul Interrogation! Otherwise, you are admitting guilt! The crime of regicide is punishable by all!"

Yun He roared fiercely, and the three Grand Elders simultaneously lunged toward Duke Huai. Before they could get close, an overwhelmingly powerful torrent of profound energy forcefully blocked them. Dozens of auras from different directions locked onto them, stiffening the bodies of even the incredibly powerful Yun Family Grand Elders, making them hesitant to move.

The Little Demon Empress's eyes narrowed slightly, and her voice turned bone-chillingly cold: "You dare defy my command!"

Prince Zhong gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Little Demon Empress, you've made a mistake! The Emperor of this Demon Imperial Realm is now Emperor Huai! It is no longer you, the Little Demon Empress..."

Before Prince Zhong could finish speaking, the Little Demon Empress in the air suddenly struck. A crimson-golden flame shot down with extreme speed. Among the countless powerful experts present, only a fleeting flicker of firelight was visible for an instant; no one had time to react before the flame had already slammed into Prince Zhong's chest.

BOOM!!! The most ferocious flame in the world exploded. In an instant, Prince Zhong's body disintegrated like shattered rags, scattering into countless fiery fragments. Before these fragments could even reach the ground, they were incinerated into nothingness... No remnants, not even a wisp of smoke, remained. The lingering Golden Crow flames splattered onto the ground, instantly scorching the incredibly hard profound jade floor, leaving it riddled with holes as if it were foam.

Everyone in the hall was collectively speechless, their eyes wide with shock and terror that threatened to burst them.

The Little Demon Empress was known for her cold and brutal nature; it was far from the first time she had suddenly killed someone, having done so many times before. But this time was vastly different from any previous occasion. Prince Zhong, regardless of his identity, was no ordinary person; he was a powerful Sovereign, possessing world-shaking strength and standing at the very pinnacle of the Profound Realm! Yet, he was instantly obliterated by the Little Demon Empress with a mere lift of her hand! His Sovereign body, tougher than bedrock by ten thousand times, offered not the slightest resistance; he didn't even have a chance to let out a dying cry... In an instant, not only was there no corpse, but not even a trace remained!

The Golden Crow flames burned out silently, but the tremor in everyone's hearts lingered, unable to subside. To instantly kill an Overlord Emperor was astonishing, yet a high-level Sovereign did possess the ability to do so. However, to instantly kill a Sovereign who had truly entered the Monarch Profound Realm and possessed world-dominating power... Even these peerless experts, standing at the apex of the Demon Imperial Realm, had never witnessed or even heard of such a feat. This was a power that simply defied their understanding and imagination!

The discolored mark on the Little Demon Empress's brow signified that she had awakened her Golden Crow bloodline! Naturally, her strength had made a massive leap... but to instantly obliterate a third-level Sovereign—even the previous Demon Emperor, who had also awakened the Golden Crow bloodline, could never have accomplished such a feat!