Chapter 2583: Motivation

Páng Méng's eyes were filled with shock. He knew that previously, three of his arrows could counter one of the opponent's. He had just fired so many arrows, initially thinking he could catch the opponent off guard.

Who knew the opponent would still shoot an arrow, and that single arrow directly destroyed countless of his!

Was he just toying with me before?

The immense force of that arrow nailed him directly to the city wall, the intense pain nearly causing him to faint.

He tried to reach out and pull the arrow from his chest, but as soon as he lifted his hand, he lost all strength.

He finally understood the plight of the Golden Crows that had been shot down earlier. This arrow from the opponent clearly hadn't been charged for long, and the many arrows he had just fired had significantly weakened its power. Otherwise, he would probably be torn to pieces by now.

Salome, too, was of no help now; she had just clawed her face raw and was now staring venomously at Ji Xiaoxi like a ghost.

As for the Lord of Slaughter, he finally broke free from the terrifying thunderstorm, appearing disheveled, completely charred, with many cracks in his skin revealing red flesh underneath, still emitting smoke.

A faint aroma of roasted meat wafted through the air, and some people couldn't help but swallow.

Seeing this, the Lord of Slaughter was enraged. These despicable ants dared to harbor such thoughts.

But he no longer dared to charge forward. Their side had just suffered significant losses, and he was the only one left with combat ability. Charging again would be suicidal.

Zu'an didn't glance at him, but instead focused on the city. Seeing no one emerge, he simply fired another arrow at Páng Méng on the city wall.

This was the man who had caused the Mermaid Queen to be sent to Guanghan Palace; it was a good chance for revenge.

Feeling the terrifying power carried by that arrow, every cell in Páng Méng's body emitted sharp bursts, frantically warning him to dodge.

But at this moment, he was pinned to the city wall, unable to move, and could only watch death approach.

"Master, save me!"

Just then, a divine light swept in from the side, deflecting the arrow that was inches away.

Páng Méng felt his pants were wet, but he felt no shame, only overwhelming relief that his master had finally intervened. It seemed his life was saved.

At this moment, a figure slowly emerged. He wasn't walking on the ground but in mid-air, each step appearing effortless.

"Emperor Yao!" Upon seeing him appear, the humans in the city knelt and saluted him.

Zu'an observed the crowd carefully, noticing no fear or coercion in them; each person displayed genuine respect.

"You arrive at Taoqiu and immediately start killing; isn't that a bit excessive?" The man, with his broad eyebrows, wide eyes, and square face, finally reached the top of the city wall, exuding a natural sense of authority as he spoke.

"Are those I intend to kill even human?" Zu'an's gaze fell upon the massive figure of the Lord of Slaughter.

The man's expression stiffened, and after a moment, he said, "We have no grievances with each other, so why cause trouble in Taoqiu?"

"No grievances?" Zu'an sneered, pointing at Páng Méng on the wall. "This fellow just harmed my friend not long ago. Can that be called having no grievances?"

He stared intently at the other party: "Speaking of which, all of this was orchestrated by you, wasn't it, Emperor Yao?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Emperor Yao didn't seem surprised that the other party recognized him, waving his hand to signal the warriors to retreat into the city.

The humans naturally refused, each declaring their desire to help him fight. Emperor Yao smiled, "They are very strong. Your presence here would only be a needless sacrifice. Besides, it's not certain that I will even fight them."

Hearing him say this, the humans retreated with skepticism, leaving the area around the city gate clear of other people.

Zu'an frowned slightly: "Are you deliberately putting on a show of caring for your people like a parent in front of me?"

"You're overthinking it. Since they revere me as the Human Emperor, it's my natural duty to protect them. It has nothing to do with you," Emperor Yao replied calmly.

"You appear so righteous and noble in front of them, but do they know your despicable and dark side?" Zu'an sneered.

"Despicable and dark? Where do you get that idea?" Emperor Yao smiled faintly, seemingly unconcerned.

"You were behind this Witch-Demon War, weren't you?" Zu'an stared at him coldly.

"That's nonsense. Who in the Heavenly Court or the Witch Clan doesn't know that this Witch-Demon War was Di Jun's conspiracy? What does it have to do with me?" Emperor Yao spread his hands, a slight smile playing on his lips, seemingly in the mood for conversation.

"True, on the surface, it was indeed Di Jun's ambition: he secretly refined the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, collected living beings from the world, and even killed and took over the bodies of the ten Golden Crows. But you certainly played a significant role in instigating it," Zu'an said coldly.

"Take the incident at Zhongshan last time: Zhuanxu sacrificed his own grandson to sever the connection between heaven and earth, which had originally suppressed the conflict between the Witch and Demon clans. However, not long after, Nü Ba was everywhere, shouting curses and forcing Di Jun to appear. You must understand that Di Jun's design for all this was extremely secretive; Nü Ba couldn't have uncovered the truth so quickly unless someone had informed her."

"It was because of Nü Ba's relentless pursuit that Di Jun was forced to launch his plan prematurely. Once the ten suns appeared in the sky, all living beings under heaven suffered immense devastation."

Emperor Yao's voice was perfectly calm: "It's natural for Nü Ba, suffering from the loss of her son, to seek revenge. Furthermore, if it weren't for my warning, why would Di Jun have launched his plan in such a hurry? If he had waited until he was fully prepared, even more people would have died."

As he spoke, he looked at Ji Xiaoxi beside him: "Oh, and if I hadn't secretly warned her, this young lady might have already been refined into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, wouldn't she? In fact, you should be thanking me."

Zu'an's breath hitched. There was indeed some truth in what the other party said, and for a moment, he didn't know how to refute it.

The Goddess of Wushan spoke, "Yao, Di Jun seems to be your father. I truly don't understand why you're doing all this."

"Di Jun had many affairs, countless women. I am merely one of his many sons. My mother was not favored and soon died of sorrow, so I was even less important to him," Emperor Yao said with a self-deprecating smile. "But I have to be grateful for that; otherwise, I might have met the same fate as those ten Golden Crows."

"So you sabotaged his plan out of resentment?" The Goddess of Wushan seemed to understand.

Who knew Emperor Yao snorted, "Don't think of me as so shallow. It's not because of that. Ultimately, what he did was too outrageous, universally condemned by both gods and men. Anyone with a conscience would try to stop it."

As he spoke, his face was filled with righteousness, and his entire figure appeared exceptionally grand, even earning a touch of admiration from the Goddess of Wushan.

Zu'an, however, let out a soft sigh: "If you truly wanted to stop everything, why didn't you openly expose his conspiracy instead of secretly instigating it? I truly didn't understand your motive before, but now, seeing the humans' respect for you, I've finally figured it all out."

"Di Jun wanted to annihilate the Witch Clan and let the Demon Clan dominate the world, achieving sainthood through an unprecedented feat."

"You, however, thought a step further. You intend to use the Witch-Demon War to completely remove both the Witch and Demon clans from history, lead humanity to great prosperity, and achieve sainthood through the merits of the Human Emperor."