Chapter Fifteen: The Boundless Green Prairie!

Sheqi stared blankly at Jiang Yuan at first, but when he sensed the overwhelming aura emanating from Jiang Yuan, his heart skipped a beat—could this truly be the infamous King Zhou? He hadn’t expected the Shang dynasty’s army to find Jin Heng Peak so quickly!

After a moment’s daze, Sheqi seemed to recall what his son Sheli had just said. Fury erupted across his face. “You unfilial son! Scoundrel! Beast! What kind of utter nonsense is this? I have no son like you!”

Though Jiang Yuan’s presence was intimidating, Sheqi felt reassured by the fact that the demon sage Ji Meng was on their side. There was no reason to be afraid.

Ji Meng’s face darkened as Sheqi hurled abuse at Sheli. What did he mean by ‘no son like that’? Sheli was never your son to begin with—he is the child of Ji Meng and Sheqi’s wife! Was there any difference, then, between cursing Sheli and cursing Ji Meng himself?

Jiang Yuan listened to Sheqi’s outburst with a calm, unflinching expression. He replied coolly, “Oh? Judging by your words, you intend to persist in your error? In that case, I see no reason to show you any mercy. When the full force of Shang’s hundred thousand troops descends upon you, not a soul shall escape annihilation!”

He injected a trace of magic into his voice, blending it with the tyrant’s oppressive might. Instantly, his words thundered like a storm throughout Jin Heng Peak, his violent threat echoing for all to hear.

Character: Sheqi
Title: Chieftain of the Serpent-Demon Clan
Cultivation: True Immortal
Possessions: Ancestral Serpent Gall, Gilded Scales
Cultivation Method: Luoshu Venom Codex
Loyalty: 0
Favorability: 0
Tyrant Value Obtainable: 180

Seeing this information, Jiang Yuan was secretly delighted. As expected, the head of a clan was no ordinary target; though not equal to the supreme human emperor, he still enjoyed the protection of heaven and earth’s fortune—one hundred eighty tyrant points, no less!

With such a bounty on Sheqi, Jiang Yuan’s mind was set: he must find a way to kill him!

Sheqi, meanwhile, noticed that Jiang Yuan had arrived with only a handful of companions. His confidence swelled.

“You are a tyrant whom all under heaven ought to destroy. Because of your debauchery and excess, the people languish in misery! My serpent-demon clan acts on behalf of heaven—what wrong is there in that?”

Jiang Yuan was secretly pleased to hear these words. Go on, say more—every accusation gives me all the more reason to kill you!

Sheli was beside himself with anxiety. “Father, please, do not be so stubborn! Our serpent-demon clan should submit to the Shang, and pay homage to the Human Emperor. That is the righteous path! The Human Emperor is the supreme of the human race, the sovereign of all living things in this world, blessed by heaven and earth. We should not defy the natural order!”

Sheli spoke with such heartfelt emotion that even Jiang Yuan was nearly moved—what a promising young man! He was truly winning Jiang Yuan’s approval.

“You useless fool, shut your mouth!” Sheqi thundered. “What kind of sorcery has this tyrant fed you, that you dare to speak such heresy to your own father? One more word and I’ll kill you myself, for the greater good!”

The more he looked at Sheli, the more convinced Sheqi became that this could not possibly be his own flesh and blood. Glancing sidelong at Ji Meng, whose brow was furrowed in displeasure, Sheqi’s suspicions only deepened—this wretch must be the bastard offspring of Ji Meng and that harlot of his house! He might as well seize the chance to kill him now, if only to vent his rage.

“Silence, all of you!”

At last, Ji Meng could remain silent no longer. Threatening to kill his own son at every turn—how grand you are, Sheqi!

Mo Donggui looked at Ji Meng in surprise.

Character: Ji Meng
Title: One of the Ten Great Demon Sages
Cultivation: Golden Immortal, Perfected
Possessions: Dragon Scale Armor, Sea-Stirring Trident
Cultivation Method: Thousand Trials Gale Scroll
Loyalty: 0
Favorability: 20
Tyrant Value Obtainable: 1000

No wonder—the demon sage was indeed a valuable prize. But where had those twenty favorability points come from?

Jiang Yuan couldn’t understand why Ji Meng had any favorability toward him, but that was of little concern. What mattered more was the glittering thousand tyrant points awaiting him on Ji Meng’s body—the first four-digit value Jiang Yuan had ever seen since acquiring the system! Yet, seeing Ji Meng’s cultivation—Golden Immortal, Perfected—Jiang Yuan felt a pang of despair. Even if he used the tyrant points to elevate Zhang Kui to Golden Immortal, they would still be no match.

Would this monster really stake everything just to kill him? Jiang Yuan was uneasy; after all, he hadn’t had enough fun in life yet, and all this trouble was solely for the sake of those damned tyrant points.

As Jiang Yuan pondered how to deal with Ji Meng, the system’s cold voice suddenly sounded in his mind, as if handing him a roll of paper in his hour of need.

“Friendly reminder: The Sheli you captured is the son of Ji Meng and the wife of the serpent-demon chieftain, and Ji Meng’s only child.”

Jiang Yuan was momentarily stunned, then glanced at Sheli, who was being held by Yin Jiao, and then at the scales on Ji Meng’s body. Suddenly, everything fell into place.

That explained Ji Meng’s twenty points of favorability—he cared for Sheli, and Jiang Yuan had spared his life!

With this realization, Jiang Yuan felt more at ease. Since Ji Meng cared so deeply for his only son, he would not dare make any rash moves.

“Jiao’er, keep a close watch on Sheli,” Jiang Yuan instructed Yin Jiao.

“Do not worry, Father.”

Ji Meng’s brow furrowed slightly at this, though he quickly concealed his reaction. He mustn’t betray his true feelings, lest King Zhou seize upon it as a weakness.

Sheli, on the other hand, immediately fawned over Jiang Yuan. “Rest assured, Your Majesty. I stand with you. Without your permission, I won’t attempt to escape.”

Even Jiang Yuan wondered if something was wrong with the boy’s head—neither of his two fathers could win his support, yet he insisted on siding with Jiang Yuan, a complete outsider!

Still, Jiang Yuan rewarded Sheli with a smile, which only encouraged the young man further.

“You must be the great demon sage Ji Meng?” Jiang Yuan stepped past Sheqi and addressed Ji Meng directly, smiling.

“I am,” Ji Meng replied, cool and nonchalant.

But at that, Jiang Yuan’s brows shot up, and he roared in fury, “And what do you think you are, to be addressed as ‘lord’ by me?!”

“Ding! The host has shown commendable courage in shouting at a demon sage, in line with tyrant behavior. Reward: twenty tyrant points! Current total: fifty-six points!”

Jiang Yuan hadn’t expected his reckless outburst to earn him tyrant points—splendid! He must seize the chance to heap more abuse on Ji Meng.

“What does His Majesty mean by this? I merely answered your question. Is that cause for such a display?” Ji Meng’s tone was now tinged with annoyance.

Jiang Yuan, this time unleashing the full oppressive force of a tyrant, barked again, “So you do recognize that I am the Human Emperor! By right, I am as a sage in this world—how dare you address me as ‘king’ to my face?!”

“Ding! Reward: ten tyrant points! Current total: sixty-six points!”

Why was the reward shrinking? Clearly, the more often he repeated the same behavior, the fewer points he gained. A pity—otherwise, Jiang Yuan would have stood there cursing Ji Meng all day; after all, shouting cost him nothing.

“Is the Human Emperor merely quibbling for the sake of argument with me, then?” Ji Meng’s voice had grown icy, and the air was tense with the threat of imminent violence.

Zhang Kui and Huang Feihu quickly stepped forward to shield Jiang Yuan, warily eyeing the demon sage.

Jiang Yuan ignored Ji Meng, instead turning his attention to Sheqi. “Tell me, Chieftain of the Serpents, how does it feel to wear such a grand cuckold’s horn on your head? How does it feel to raise another man’s child?”