Chapter 876 (1) - Hostage Negotiations

At the sight before them, the 500 prodigies—including Gusu Yan, the Bloodvine Young Master—felt their scalps tingle. How much more so for the authoritative and overbearing Young Dragon Lord, accustomed to orchestrating every detail and excessively concerned with his reputation?

He had rallied the masses, raised his banner high, and taken command, arriving with great momentum. He was poised to unleash his forces to obliterate the Extreme Yin Star and elevate the Southern Divine Dragon Realm to a seat in the Heavenly Deity Alliance. Yet before he could even make a move, his

beloved wife

was snatched right from behind him?

Up to this moment, the Young Dragon Lord didn't even know who this youth in white was!

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yun Xiao, from the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm."

Under the awe-inspiring wrath of the Young Dragon Lord, Yun Xiao remained calm and unruffled, following his own rhythm as he casually introduced himself.

The Young Dragon Lord had thought he was a genius from another celestial sect causing trouble. But upon hearing the introduction, his rage was instantly laced with murderous intent!

"He's that celestial slave!"

"That eunuch, that castrated dog!"

"By the heavens, where does he get such audacity?"

"Damn, has the Young Dragon Consort been kidnapped? So easily?"

All they knew was that this celestial slave was said to be fiercely powerful and capable of controlling other Star Barriers. He was ruthless, lawless, and utterly unafraid of death!

He was a desperado, a ruthless character.

This impression, coupled with the scene before them and seeing the Young Dragon Consort's terror, made the hearts of the 500 prodigies sink.

All eyes turned to the Young Dragon Lord and the Dragon Devil Clan members.

The one kidnapped was the second-in-command of their team. What should they do?

Everyone was at a loss; they could only look to the Young Dragon Lord.

They saw the Young Dragon Lord, his eyes blazing with golden flames. Without a word, his towering ten-foot figure thundered forward.

He disregarded everything, spreading his giant golden hands, transforming into a ray of golden light, charging straight at Yun Xiao to capture him!

Just this reaction alone showed how confident the Young Dragon Lord was.

"You think I'm some helpless rabbit?"

Seeing this, Yun Xiao couldn't help but laugh.

The Young Dragon Lord moved quickly; Yun Xiao moved even faster. With a swift motion, he dragged Shen Nanyin backward. At the same time, he retracted his Heaven Burial Sword Soul and cleanly and decisively stabbed Shen Nanyin in the abdomen!

PUFF!

The three-inch azure blade pierced straight through her battle armor, stabbing into Shen Nanyin's flesh.

"AHHH!!" Shen Nanyin convulsed in pain, tears streaming down her face. She hurriedly cried out, "Stop! Stop! Don't do anything reckless!"

Her screams were so heartrending that those who heard them felt their scalps tingle, especially the men. They couldn't tolerate that this celestial slave was so cruel to a beauty; wasn't this violently destroying a heavenly treasure?

"Everyone in the Million Starlight Palace is watching. Are you planning to abuse your wife?" Yun Xiao was well aware of the image that the Young Dragon Lord wanted to establish.

The Young Dragon Lord halted his movement. Suspended in mid-air, he was undoubtedly suppressing a towering rage. His body seemed ready to explode with fury, but his mind was mature enough; he forcefully restrained himself. Fixing a piercing gaze on Yun Xiao, he said in a deep voice, "You've taken a hostage; you must want to negotiate. State your terms."

Yun Xiao was right—the entire Million Starlight Palace was watching. This was the moment for the Young Dragon Lord to showcase his capability and resolve.

His elders wanted him to clear his name. But now that Shen Nanyin was in Yun Xiao's hands, it was a tough situation.

Before Yun Xiao could state his conditions, the Young Dragon Lord coldly added, "Let me make this clear. Don't foolishly think that by taking one person hostage, you can stop us from capturing the Extreme Yin Star! The Harmony Divine Palace has committed countless atrocities, igniting public outrage and divine wrath. Our mission is to uphold justice for the people of the Heavenly Deity Stellar River! No matter how many sacrifices we make, nothing can stop us from completing this historic mission!"

These words made it plain. If Yun Xiao pushed too far, he was willing to sacrifice Shen Nanyin.

To him, Shen Nanyin was certainly not more important than the Southern Divine Dragon Realm becoming a member of the Heavenly Deity Alliance.

As long as the Young Dragon Lord declared his banner openly, neither his own elders nor outsiders could fault his decision.

A mission of justice outweighed the duty of loving one's wife... This was a kind of moral correctness, wasn't it?

"You're overthinking things. I know exactly what the life of the Young Dragon Consort is worth," Yun Xiao said coldly.

He drew out the Heaven Burial Sword Soul, placing its azure blade once again against Shen Nanyin's jade-like neck.

To make her fear more genuine, Yun Xiao temporarily released part of the control from the Prison Warden Sigil. So, Shen Nanyin's display of terror toward him was quite real.

She was like a great white swan gripped by the neck, head tilted back, tears streaming.

And Yun Xiao, standing close behind her—no matter how handsome—was, in the eyes of the masses, just a toad wielding a knife, burdened with the identity of a celestial slave.

"Speak!" The Young Dragon Lord's voice was deep, but his divine aura spread like a vast sea, locking onto Yun Xiao with a mountain-like pressure.

Yun Xiao remained utterly unaffected. Casually glancing past the Young Dragon Lord, he said, "My request is simple. I want ten heads from your camp."

"Ten people?"

The Young Dragon Lord's sword-like eyebrows knit together. Suppressing his anger, he asked, "Which ten?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Yun Xiao scanned his targets and began, "Gusu Yan, the Bloodvine Young Master, Ah Jiao, Jiang Dongcheng, Hu Li..."

Ten names were listed in total. These individuals shared common traits; they hailed from celestial sects boasting Empyrean Emperor powerhouses at the Eighth Baptism Realm. They were of noble birth and served as the leading figures for their respective sects in the Grand Assembly of Myriad Sects.

Each had at least 20 disciples under them.

The forces of these ten added up to over 200 people. These disciples were the mainstay of this so-called army of justice, stronger than the remaining 200 or so, aside from the Dragon Devil Clan.

As Yun Xiao's words fell, those named wore peculiar expressions.

"Young Dragon Lord...!" A violet-clad youth named Jiang Dongcheng shook his head. "His aim is to control us and oppose you. This will affect the great endeavor of conquering the Extreme Yin Star. We can't agree."

"Exactly... if we're restrained, you might lose over 200 ambitious comrades," Gusu Yan added.

"We can't hand over our Personal Pledges. If we're later controlled by Yun Xiao and anger the Young Dragon Lord, our sects will also be in trouble." The Bloodvine Young Master frowned.

Though they had united to protect Bai Lu and let her leave, they feared ending up like her.

As the parties involved, they all refused, and the Dragon Devil Clan men shook their heads at the Young Dragon Lord.

Though it was just ten Personal Pledges, the impact was significant.

"This kid's purpose is to sow discord among us, preventing us from uniting as one. We absolutely can't agree!" Ah Jiao said coldly.

The Young Dragon Lord heard this and looked up at Yun Xiao. "You heard them. The Personal Pledges are their matter; if they won't agree, I can't force them. Change your request."

"No. I have only this request." Yun Xiao's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a decisive firmness. He held the three-inch Sword Soul, sliding it across Shen Nanyin's delicate face, causing her tears to flow as she sobbed, looking at the Young Dragon Lord.

Yun Xiao then gazed at him, his eyes cold. "The life of the Young Dragon Consort, in exchange for ten Personal Pledges. My words can be witnessed by all the audience in the Million Starlight Palace. If I break my promise, may I be abandoned by the heavens.”

In his casual demeanor, there was a hidden, chilling resolve. Just this alone had already stirred an uproar among the spectators in the Million Starlight Palace.

After all, the audience had a god's-eye view. They clearly saw Yun Xiao first deal with Shen Nanyin, likely obtaining her Personal Pledge, as well as how he handled Bai Lu. Now, he had infiltrated their ranks again to kidnap the Young Dragon Consort!

This series of maneuvers had left many people stunned.

What made the audience extremely tense was that the Young Dragon Lord and his people were completely in the dark, still unaware of anything.

Of course, most were just watching the spectacle. The more Yun Xiao acted like this, the more thrilling they found it. Eyes wide, they watched intently to see how the situation would unfold.

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