Chapter 508: Plea for Mercy

The Lord of Cangyong had not previously stated how much compensation he was willing to offer.

This was merely Cantu Realm God’s desperate attempt to save face, for he knew full well that Dongbo Xueying’s strength far exceeded his expectations. Though Cantu was adept at survival and escape, under the suppression of the mansion’s array and the terrifying domain secret technique, fleeing was impossible. Thus, he naturally sought to bargain for his life. After all, if he perished here, though this was only one of his bodies, it carried many treasures—his bloodforged divine weapon and other valuables would all be lost. Rebuilding a new body from scratch would require immense resources, particularly the vast energy needed to reconstruct his inner world.

No matter what, he had to preserve his life first!

Cantu Realm God forced a smile onto his grotesque, ashen-gray face. “Your Highness, name your terms. My true self is by the side of our lord. I can relay your demands to him! Your future is boundless, and our lord himself achieved the Fourth Heaven in a short span of time. Both of you are destined to be overlords of our Divine Realm. Why let a minor matter sow enmity between you?”

“If the Lord of Cangyong were so willing to apologize, would he have dared send you to infiltrate my mansion and assassinate my personal guard commander?” Dongbo Xueying sneered. “You’re lying through your teeth.”

“I swear I’m not! Name your conditions, and I will convey them. I can even remain here in your mansion as a hostage until our lord delivers his apology before you release me,” Cantu Realm God pleaded. Since escape was impossible, staying temporarily in the Inspector’s mansion was a small price to pay.

Dongbo Xueying murmured softly, “I suspect all this talk is just to save your skin. But your lord has gone too far this time—he clearly holds me in contempt. Today, he sends you to kill my guard commander. Tomorrow, he might send assassins after my family.”

The fact that the assassination had succeeded right under his nose sent a chill down Dongbo Xueying’s spine.

It was clear that in the eyes of these overlords, though they might offer him some superficial respect, they would turn on him without hesitation. After all, while his master was the Bloodblade Divine Emperor, the emperor would never lower himself to intervene in his disciple’s petty conflicts. Among the mighty, true protectors were exceedingly rare.

In the entire Bloodblade Divine Court, only two were known for their extreme protectiveness: Patriarch Baxiong and the Whirling Mother Empress.

Most mighty ones trained their disciples by letting them fight and struggle on their own. Death was simply a sign of weakness. Only through true trials could real powerhouses emerge. Sheltered disciples could never rise to greatness.

“Never, never!” Cantu Realm God hastily denied. “My true self has already gone to inform our lord. He will decide how to proceed.”

“Oh?” Dongbo Xueying frowned, his eyes still icy.

—

Cantu Realm God’s true self did indeed seek an audience with his lord.

The towering figure of the Lord of Cangyong sat upon his throne, a row of massive bone spikes protruding from his neck and back. His cold gaze fell upon the black-robed figure kneeling below. “Your clone couldn’t escape? It seems Dongbo Xueying truly is formidable. The Divine Emperor is indeed extravagant—giving away what mighty ones would kill for to a mere youngster.”

“My lord, what should we do now?” Cantu Realm God asked urgently.

“First, confirm whether Shangyi Realm God obtained the relic treasure,” the Lord of Cangyong said indifferently. “As for the rest, handle it as you see fit. But remember—do not disgrace me.”

The lord understood that his subordinate was merely trying to save his clone, hence the vague words.

“Understood,” Cantu Realm God replied respectfully.

—

High above the Inspector’s mansion, under the watchful eyes of countless guards, the Xia Clan deities, Yu Jingqiu, Dongbo Yu, and Dongbo Qingyao, the black-robed Cantu Realm God stood encircled by countless white chains, tense and fearful. Following his lord’s orders, he first inspected Shangyi Realm God’s belongings. With Shangyi dead, his possessions were easily accessible.

“This is…” As he probed, the black-robed man discovered a wooden box among Shangyi’s treasures. Inside lay a black sphere, its surface covered in intricate, uneven patterns.

The sight of it stunned Cantu Realm God.

He had seen this sphere before—in a painting shown to him by the Lord of Cangyong. The lord had tasked them with hunting down fleeing Realm Gods and searching their belongings for this very object. If found, it was to be retrieved immediately.

“Impossible!”

“The relic treasure was with Shangyi Realm God all along!” The black-robed man was both exhilarated and terrified. Excited, because with this treasure, he could promise anything—he knew the lord would not blame him. Terrified, because if Dongbo Xueying killed him now, not only would his clone perish, but the relic treasure would be lost as well.

As a trusted subordinate, he knew how much his lord had sacrificed for this treasure. If it fell into Dongbo Xueying’s hands, retrieving it would be near impossible. Dongbo Xueying was no pushover like Shangyi.

“Your Highness, Your Highness!”

Cantu Realm God forced a smile at Dongbo Xueying. “I have reported to my lord, and he has reprimanded me for my sloppiness. He had already prepared for this, knowing you would refuse his initial offer. But he was determined to kill Shangyi, hence my covert mission. He planned to send an envoy afterward to negotiate. After all, with your limitless future, why would he wish to make an enemy of you?”

“I never expected Your Highness to be so formidable. Though I excel in stealth and assassination, I could not escape you.” Cantu Realm God continued, “My lord has heard of your search for ‘Ashen Demon Bones.’ He is willing to offer ten pounds of them!”

Dongbo Xueying was taken aback.

Even in his fury, this was a staggering offer.

Ten pounds of Ashen Demon Bones? Since becoming Inspector, he had tasked Xi Wei with searching for them. In over thirty thousand years, he had acquired only three pounds. The bones were both precious and exceedingly rare.

“Your lord can produce ten pounds of Ashen Demon Bones?” Dongbo Xueying frowned.

“He can. Those were his exact words,” Cantu Realm God lied without hesitation. He had no idea if his lord possessed any, but he knew Dongbo Xueying had been searching for them. Some factions had even sold small amounts out of respect.

All he needed was to buy time.

If he could ensure the relic treasure reached his lord, his mission would be a success.

“Ten pounds of Ashen Demon Bones?” Dongbo Xueying narrowed his eyes. “According to Baili Shang, many Realm Gods fled that relic. If your lord compensates ten pounds for each one killed, can he afford it?”

Fourth Heaven Realm Gods were indeed wealthy, but ten pounds of Ashen Demon Bones were worth over five hundred million divine crystals. The Lord of Cangyong was relatively young, not an ancient powerhouse like Lord Moxue. How deep were his coffers?

“This is solely for Your Highness, to appease your anger,” Cantu Realm God insisted.

Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “Cantu Realm God, I don’t trust you. So, I must ask you to die.”

Boom—

Nine figures of Dongbo Xueying appeared, each wielding a spear, their combined might shaking heaven and earth. They struck simultaneously, their spears unleashing the technique ‘Annihilation.’ The surrounding space collapsed into darkness as Cantu Realm God’s face twisted in terror.

His body dissolved into shadowy streams, desperately fleeing as his voice echoed, “I speak the truth!”

“I don’t believe you. First, if your lord were truly sincere, his envoy wouldn’t have been so arrogant earlier.”

“Second, I doubt your lord fears me enough to offer ten pounds of Ashen Demon Bones just to placate me.”

“Third, all this comes from you, not your lord. I think you’re stalling to save your life.”

“Fourth—and most importantly!”

“You murdered my guard commander. My entire guard force watches now, as does the entire Eastern Domain City. If I let you go, how can I command respect?” Dongbo Xueying’s voice was icy.

Boom—

The collapsing darkness consumed the shadowy streams, obliterating them one by one. Though Cantu Realm God’s ‘Infinite Divine Heart’ made him hard to kill, the power disparity was too great. His injuries mounted, his energy depleting rapidly.

“My lord will send compensation—no, he will come personally!” Cantu Realm God’s voice echoed from the void.

“I’ll settle for killing this clone first. If your lord is sincere, he can send an envoy later.” With those words, the last remnants of Cantu Realm God’s shadowy form were extinguished. His clone was no more.

Dongbo Xueying collected the fallen treasures with a wave of his hand before stepping through space to rejoin his wife and children below.

He found Cantu Realm God’s words unconvincing. Moreover, the Lord of Cangyong had humiliated him too blatantly. Letting Cantu go was out of the question.

—

The Lord of Cangyong sat upon his throne, gazing down at the black-robed figure before him.

Cantu Realm God bowed deeply. “My lord, I exhausted every means to beg for mercy, even making extravagant promises. Yet Dongbo Xueying still destroyed my clone.”

“Extravagant promises? Begging for mercy?” The Lord of Cangyong’s voice was frigid. “I told you not to disgrace me.”

“No, no! My lord, when I inspected Shangyi’s belongings, I found it—the black sphere from the painting you showed us. It was identical!”

“What?!”

The Lord of Cangyong shot to his feet.

A terrifying gray-white aura erupted from him, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. “Where is the relic treasure?” He had yearned for this artifact for eons. For it, he would forsake all else—his empire, his bloodforged weapon, everything. That was why he had hunted every fleeing Realm God through karma.

“My clone was slain. The treasure is now in Dongbo Xueying’s hands,” Cantu Realm God admitted.