Chapter 890: The Slaying of An Emperor

An Emperor slain! Such an event hadn’t occurred for millennia. And now, in front of their very eyes, an Emperor had fallen, just like that. What an immense price it had paid for its greed! Adamant City was finished, and so was the Adamant Nymph clan. The vengeance of their people had been fulfilled.

Jin Miaosen's blue face had turned nearly purple with excitement; she repeatedly clenched her fists, and the six spikes on her back trembled with exhilaration. They could all sense it—Tang San was still alive, and his vital signs were completely normal. The Adamant Nymph Emperor had fallen, and their clan leader was still standing. What could excite them more?

They had heard the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor’s voice, but at this moment, none of them would respond until Tang San awoke. The one to convey the will of the Ancestral Tree would be him and nobody else.

Vast streams of life energy from all directions were being absorbed into the silhouette of the Ancestral Tree. Some of it flowed into the elders' bodies, but much more was dispersed into the air, repairing the rift torn open in the sky and spreading throughout the atmosphere.

The Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor repeated his plea once again, but still received no response. He thus found himself in the awkward position of being unable to leave, but also unable to do anything if he stayed.

If the Ancestral Tree had truly awakened, even the Ancestral Court wouldn’t have the authority to order it around. After all, the Ancestral Tree was one of the progenitors of all nymphs, a being that commanded the life force of the plane itself. It stood far above the Emperors.

But could he really just do nothing and allow the Ancestral Tree to devour the life energy of an entire main city?

Although some of the citizens had fled Adamant City, the majority remained. If their life force was completely drained, the city would become a dead zone. Such a massacre was unprecedented in the history of the Daemon Continent. It was easy to imagine that under these circumstances, the Ancestral Court would descend into chaos.

The fall of the Crystal Demon Emperor had finally given the Solstice Empire a chance to gain the upper hand, but now, with the sudden death of an Emperor, there was no doubt that demons would seize the initiative once again.

The shifts in power dynamics would be incredibly complex, and the redistribution of power even more so. He desperately wanted to return to the Ancestral Court immediately, to gather the other Emperors and address this crisis.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

But the light of the Ancestral Tree still shone, and the devouring continued. As the Ancestral Court's appointed representative, he couldn’t simply leave. There were at least ten million lives in this city. Could he really just abandon them? He didn’t dare.

At that moment, a slightly weakened voice echoed from within the silhouette of the Ancestral Tree. "Hear the Ancestral Tree’s decree!"

Hearing this, the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor hurriedly bowed again, this time bending at a full ninety degrees. He feared that the Ancestral Tree might direct its wrath toward him as well, and he very much enjoyed being alive.

The Adamant Nymph clan's remaining powerhouses were even worse off. Their Emperor had fallen, and their greatest support was gone. How could they dare to hold on to any false hopes now?

The weakened voice, of course, belonged to Tang San. He continued, "Hear ye, hear ye! The Adamant Nymph clan’s sin of slaying Our kindred is heinous beyond forgiveness. In Our role as the avatar of the plane’s life force, We have slain their Emperor as punishment to them and a warning to others. But gaining life and spirit as a stone is difficult, and Our heart does not bear to kill indiscriminately. We have thus chosen to strip Adamant City of one-third of its life energy. Should the Adamant Nymphs offend again, the entire clan shall be annihilated. Should there be any further transgressions against Our kindred, their life essence shall be stripped from the root, and they shall never appear again in this world. Thus We decree!"

As the final word was spoken, the massive silhouette of the Ancestral Tree gradually faded away, and the distant aura withdrew and disappeared.

Surrounded by the twelve Blue Gold Tree clan elders, Tang San sat cross-legged on the ground, his face pale.

The Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor let out a deep sigh of relief—in the end, the Ancestral Tree hadn’t wiped out the city. Things were not as dire as they could have been. Losing thirty percent of the city’s life energy meant that the weaker beings would suffer the most, while the stronger ones would be able to conserve some of their energy, losing only a little. It was unfair, but he would certainly not be the one to protest on grounds of unfairness.

At this moment, the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor, the clan leader of the Soul Capturer Tree clan and the fourth-ranked Emperor of the Solstice Empire, had lost all desire for the Blue Gold Tree clan. The Ancestral Tree was far too terrifying. After millennia of slumber, it was now showing power beyond imagination.

"I will obey the decree," the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor said respectfully, bowing toward Tang San.

Tang San slowly opened his eyes and gave a slight nod to the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor but said nothing more. Clearly, he was deeply weakened.

The Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor sighed and said, "Clan Leader Jin, I must return to the Ancestral Court immediately to report this situation. The Adamant Nymph clan is clearly at fault, and I will ensure that the Ancestral Court hears the full truth behind the matter. My Soul Capturer Tree clan only exists today because of the Ancestral Tree’s legacy, so rest assured: When you come to the Ancestral Court to report for duty, you will have my full support."

Tang San nodded again.

Without even glancing at the Adamant Nymph clan’s remaining powerhouses, the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of black light and vanishing over the horizon.

Tang San closed his eyes again and resumed his meditation where he sat.

He had orchestrated the death of an Emperor, weakened the overall strength of the Daemon Continent, and created more space for both himself and Mei Gongzi to rise as Emperors in the future.

The benefits of killing the Adamant Nymph Emperor were numerous: the Blue Gold Tree clan was now completely loyal to him, Adamant City would never recover, and the name of the Ancestral Tree would intimidate the Ancestral Court, paving the way for his official duties. More importantly, he had opened up some space among the plane’s peak-level beings, an essential for him to become an Emperor. After all, when Tang San ascended, he would undoubtedly require at least as much room as the late Crystal Demon Emperor. The more space there was, the fewer obstacles the planar ruler could place in his way.

The fall of the Crystal Demon Emperor gave the Solstice Empire hope that they could gain control, as the Sunborne Nymph Emperor and the Earthshade Nymph Emperor were both exceptionally powerful. However, with one Nymph Emperor down as well, the balance between the two sides shifted once more, further complicating the continent’s already turbulent situation. This complexity and chaotic environment would allow humanity to find better opportunities for survival.

These were all factors Tang San needed to consider. As the saying goes, pull one hair and the whole body moves, and Tang San had just chopped off a whole finger! He had stirred the waters enough, and least for now, everything was progressing in the direction he had hoped.

There was no rush to undergo his evaluation at the Ancestral Court. As long as it was completed before Mei Gongzi’s martial tournament, it would be fine. The next step was to fully absorb the bloodline power of the Adamant Nymph Emperor, ensuring his survival capabilities were further strengthened.

As for the Ancestral Tree, it only acted on instinct, and its most basic instinct was to seek benefits and avoid harm. The destruction of the Adamant Nymph Emperor was something the Ancestral Tree would not oppose, especially since the Adamant Nymph clan had always oppressed the Blue Gold Tree clan. Moreover, devouring thirty percent of the life energy of an entire city was obviously not something Tang San could do; he was merely a conduit through which the Ancestral Tree exerted its power. Dissipating such a massive amount of life energy into the air was a gift to the entire plane. For the Ancestral Tree, it was undoubtedly beneficial. As long as Tang San kept acting in its interest, he would enjoy its full support.

As he meditated, the bloodline power he had absorbed started to surge out of control. He had taken in every last trace of an Emperor's bloodline power—how immense was that power?

Tang San had chosen the Adamant Nymph Emperor as his target after careful consideration. After all, not a single one of the major clans had refrained from capturing members of the Blue Gold Tree clan. Tang San was absolutely certain of this. So far, no one had returned any of them to Skytree City, so it was not like he was lacking people to take revenge against.

There were several reasons for choosing this Emperor and not another. One of Tang San’s main goals was to use the Adamant Nymph bloodline power to enhance his own defenses. And there was another critical factor—the prerequisite for all this charade was that he had to be able to absorb the Emperor’s bloodline power, and the Adamant Nymph Emperor was practically the perfect target.