Chapter 2536: Slaves

Upon hearing the name Gonggong, Zu An's expression flickered. He had encountered Gonggong in the secret realm before, and the oppressive aura of that 'big boss' had left a deep impression on him.

From afar, he saw a being with a human face and snake body standing atop a waterspout. Its red hair flowed in the wind, giving it an exceptionally uninhibited and wild presence.

Zu An frowned slightly. This was not the Gonggong he had encountered in the secret realm previously. He recalled that Xiangliu, a subordinate of Gonggong at the time, had mentioned that 'Gonggong' was a title, implying there had been many generations of them.

Now, this Gonggong was being referred to as an 'Ancestor Witch' by the others. Could he be the first generation Gonggong?

But what was the deal with these Witch tribe members? Why were so many of them human-headed and snake-bodied?

With Gonggong leading, many powerful figures with strong auras flew out from the mountains, clearly mighty individuals from the Witch tribe.

Previously intimidated by the Heavenly Emperor's might, they had not dared to step forward. But now, with Gonggong taking the lead, they naturally emerged to demonstrate their power.

They had no close ties with Baojiang and didn't care who was right or wrong in the matter, but they were exceptionally concerned with the Witch tribe's prestige.

The Heavenly Emperor had truly gone too far just now, appearing in Ancestor Witch Zhulong's territory to publicly execute his son.

For reasons unknown, Zhulong had endured it, but they could not tolerate such an insult!

Over the years, the Heavenly Court's Demon tribe and the earthly Witch tribe had clashed countless times. It was no longer clear who had been at fault first, and significant hatred had accumulated in their hearts, leading them to view each other as thorns in their side.

The Heavenly Emperor's golden avatar looked at Gonggong, his expression cold: "Gonggong, what do you want?"

Gonggong stood on a giant wave, his red hair flying, his imposing aura no less than that of the golden avatar. "Gu is a member of the Witch tribe," he stated. "Even if he needed to be punished, it should have been handled internally by our Witch tribe. Your public execution of him broke the rules."

"Since Gu assumed a divine position in the Heavenly Court, he should naturally abide by the Heavenly Court's precepts," the Heavenly Emperor calmly stated. "My punishment of him is in accordance with Heavenly Laws and also with the agreement made between the Witch and Demon tribes back then."

At that moment, a mighty Witch tribe figure among the mountains loudly declared, "Ha, I knew there was a reason the Heavenly Court wanted to grant our Witch tribe divine positions back then. It turns out they were setting a trap for us. If that's the case, we don't want these divine positions anymore!"

His declaration was met with agreement from many other mighty Witch figures: "Exactly. It's a shame that in recent years, many Witch tribe members fought amongst themselves just to secure a divine position, only to find that what they gained was merely a shackle."

"If becoming a Heavenly God means being arbitrarily dealt with by the Heavenly Court, then I dare not take on such a divine position either."

One after another, powerful voices echoed from the mountains, and soon, the collective mood escalated into fervent outrage.

Zu An watched with a strange expression. The Heavenly Emperor must be feeling quite stifled, with so many people openly defying him. It seemed the conflict between the Witches and Demons had truly reached a fever pitch.

He couldn't help but ask Xing Tian and Kuafu beside him: "You were both present for this event. What are your thoughts on it?"

Kuafu stated in a deep voice, "Gu certainly brought it upon himself, but what those people are saying isn't entirely baseless. If he needed to be dealt with, Empress Houtu should have intervened. How could the Heavenly Emperor be the one to kill him?"

Xing Tian, meanwhile, kept sharpening his axe on his shield: "Fight! Fight! My great axe has been thirsty for battle for too long!"

Watching his high-spirited battle readiness, Zu An was speechless. This guy clearly didn't care about the truth of the matter; he just wanted to fight.

His gaze then fell upon the Wushan Goddess beside him. Due to her striking resemblance to his Da Manman, he felt a natural fondness for her.

Ah, my Manman is so beautiful!

"Do I have flowers on my face? Why are you staring at me?" the Wushan Goddess asked indifferently, gazing towards Zhongshan in the distance.

Yumen Beiqing secretly sneered. This guy was indeed a walking philanderer, his mind filled with sordid thoughts.

The Mermaid Queen also had a strange expression. Brother Zu was good in every way, except for his penchant for pretty women.

However, she then considered how, despite his nature, he had previously restrained himself and treated her with respect, unwilling to cause trouble. He truly was a gentleman.

Feeling the gazes of the two women beside him, Zu An's old face flushed. "I was just curious about the Goddess's attitude towards this matter."

"So, did you figure anything out?" the Wushan Goddess asked, her expression still calm.

Zu An secretly lamented that although she resembled Da Manman, their personalities were completely opposite. One was passionate and charming, while the other was as cold as ice. In some ways, her temperament was closer to Chuyan's.

Thinking of Chuyan, his heart ached, and his tone grew somewhat desolate: "It seems you don't really care how the situation develops."

Seeming to notice his change in mood, the Wushan Goddess turned to look at him before replying, "These matters truly have nothing to do with me."

She had only intervened because Baojiang was her friend. Now that the main culprit had been brought to justice, she no longer cared about anything else.

Zu An was somewhat surprised. Although the Wushan Goddess lived on Mount Ling, she didn't seem to be from the Witch tribe; rather, she seemed more aligned with the Heavenly Court. Yet, she now displayed such an indifferent attitude. Wasn't she worried about the Heavenly Court suffering losses?

At that moment, inside a cave dwelling among the mountains, the Lord of Slaughter and Salome stood respectfully behind a black-robed figure. "Master is indeed divinely insightful," the Lord of Slaughter said. "With just a small trick, you ignited the conflict between the Witch and Demon tribes."

They recalled the events leading up to this, feeling as though it had all happened in another lifetime.

After entering this special world, for some unknown reason, Mogard had suddenly disappeared one morning.

Their shock was immense. Mogard was no ordinary person, and he had been resting with them that very night.

Yet, he had simply vanished without a trace, silently.

Given the cultivation of the Lord of Slaughter and Salome, they hadn't sensed even the slightest anomaly, indicating that the being who made him disappear was terrifyingly powerful.

Although Salome still wanted to search for the missing Mogard, the Lord of Slaughter pulled her away, quickly leaving the place.

They then headed straight for the majestic Kunlun Mountain, visible from anywhere in this world.

Whether it was from information gathered from the natives or from observing the mountain range piercing the clouds, the Lord of Slaughter believed Kunlun Mountain led to the Heavenly Court.

He wanted to uncover the secrets of the Heavenly Court, activate the power of his ancient bloodline, and return to seek revenge on the Demon Lord.

Who knew that along the way, they would encounter a mysterious person who scrutinized the father and daughter for a long time, occasionally uttering words like 'slave' and 'pet'?

The Lord of Slaughter, already short-tempered, couldn't tolerate such an insult and immediately decided to kill the person to vent his anger.

Who knew that the subsequent events would fill him with despair? He couldn't even touch the opponent and was completely defeated, utterly crushed throughout the entire encounter.

He still remembered what the opponent said while looking down at him: "I didn't expect to see such a rare spirit beast. Now is a time when I need subordinates. Are you willing to be my mount?"

The humiliation he felt at that moment still pained him deeply. He, the mighty Lord of Slaughter, was only fit to be a mount in the eyes of the other party!

But he had no choice, for the opponent was truly powerful, with a strength that brought him despair.

Moreover, the snippets of information the opponent revealed seemed to indicate knowledge of his bloodline's origin, instantly sparking hope of becoming stronger within him.

So he decisively agreed. Salome naturally had no choice either, and as a result, both father and daughter became the opponent's mounts.

However, having personally witnessed the opponent employ various methods in recent days, stirring up chaos and changing the world's dynamics, he gradually felt better. It seemed he had made the right choice.

"The Witch and Demon tribes have been at odds for a long time," the black-robed man said with a smile. "I merely seized the opportunity. Moreover... there are other beings also pushing this whole affair."