Ye Ling was taken aback by Yun Shanhe's sneering expression, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
He had assumed that a core member of the Dragon Department would possess at least some self-awareness, but he hadn't expected Yun Shanhe to be such a complete hothead!
Regardless of whatever trump card Yun Shanhe might possess, he was merely a sixth-rank异士 (yi shi - extraordinary individual), while Ye Ling's displayed strength in the mortal realm was already recognized as the undisputed number one of the current era.
Yun Shanhe, fully aware of Ye Ling's cultivation, dared to provoke the Demonic Palace in such a manner. Aside from Yun Shanhe having lost his mind, Ye Ling could not fathom any other reason for his audacity.
Was it simply because of the puppet in the cloak standing beside him?
Yun Shanhe, however, paid no mind to Ye Ling's assessment. He brazenly scanned Ye Ling and sneered, "The rumored Palace Master of the Demonic Palace, the foremost Red Dust Immortal of this era, appears to be nothing more than this. I suspect he's just a fellow with a reputation that precedes him!"
As soon as Yun Shanhe uttered these words, the expressions of the Dragon Department's 异士 (yi shi) who had accompanied him changed drastically. They all looked at Yun Shanhe as if he were an imbecile, unable to comprehend his line of reasoning.
The moment Ye Ling appeared, all the Dragon Department's 异士 (yi shi) brought by Yun Shanhe had already abandoned any thought of resistance, even preparing to surrender their weapons.
But now... their leader, Yun Shanhe, not only showed no fear but openly provoked Ye Ling...
That was the foremost Red Dust Immortal, a living legend!
Where did Yun Shanhe get such courage?
The 异士 (yi shi) were bewildered!
Wang Liren, pinned to the ground by the cloaked man, had his eyes wide open. He stared intently at Yun Shanhe, wishing he could pry open Yun Shanhe's skull to see what was going on inside his head.
Yun Shanhe was currently representing the Dragon Department, and his actions were essentially pushing the Dragon Department towards a dead end!
After a moment of stunned silence upon hearing Yun Shanhe's provocation, Ye Ling finally reacted. A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes as he smiled at Yun Shanhe, saying, "You could bring a group of Dragon Department 异士 (yi shi) to cause trouble for my Demonic Palace, and even dare to abduct my people. I initially thought you at least had some capability and were a significant figure."
"I never expected that in the end, you would turn out to be such an insensible fool."
"With your current attitude, if I don't take your life, I won't be able to resolve this situation."
"Take my life?" Yun Shanhe let out a laugh. "If it were a month ago, and I, Yun Shanhe, encountered you, Ye Ling, I might have bowed and scraped, addressing you as Emperor."
"But now, the Red Dust Immortal is a thing of the past. You, the Palace Master of the Demonic Palace, should also be resting in the earth."
As he spoke, killing intent flared in Yun Shanhe's eyes, and he coldly commanded, "A Bing, kill him!"
The cloaked man holding down Wang Liren's head, upon hearing Yun Shanhe's order, immediately released Wang Liren and launched himself at Ye Ling without hesitation!
The aura of the early Heavenly Palace stage erupted from the cloaked man, sweeping across the surroundings!
The Dragon Department's 异士 (yi shi) nearby were all sent flying, and the floor-to-ceiling windows of the office building shattered. If the 异士 (yi shi) hadn't been mentally prepared for a battle, many would have likely been blasted out of the building at that very moment!
Yun Shanhe stared at Ye Ling with a look of amusement, as if he were watching a dead man.
A Bing was a puppet personally bestowed upon him by the Shadow Hall, capable of easily slaying Red Dust Immortals and a true invincible powerhouse in this world. After obtaining A Bing's assistance, he realized just how powerful the Shadow Hall truly was!
That was a force from the heavens. With the backing of the Shadow Hall, his mere Demonic Palace was nothing to be concerned about!
Just as Yun Shanhe believed A Bing could easily take Ye Ling's head and end the Demonic Palace's reign, he saw Ye Ling merely raise his hand slightly and effortlessly grasp A Bing's head!
Ye Ling looked at Yun Shanhe, his eyes narrowing into a smile. "This, is your trump card?"
Yun Shanhe's pupils contracted violently!
*Bang!*
Ye Ling's fingers tightened slightly, and A Bing's head exploded, spraying crimson blood in all directions!
A Bing's aura vanished completely, and a deathly silence fell upon the surroundings.
"This, this..." Yun Shanhe's mouth hung open, staring dumbfounded at A Bing's headless corpse slowly collapsing to the ground, his mind a complete blank.
How, how could this be possible?
Yun Shanhe slumped to his knees, staring intently at the headless corpse at Ye Ling's feet, his face drained of all color!
Ye Ling took out a handkerchief, wiped the blood from his hands, and said to Yun Shanhe, "Although it's only Heavenly Palace, it's already rare in the mortal realm. Your backing is the Shadow Hall, isn't it?"
"Has the Dragon Department degenerated this much?"
Hearing Ye Ling's voice, Yun Shanhe trembled. He looked at Ye Ling, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief, muttering, "This is impossible... How could A Bing die? He could slay Red Dust Immortals, he was the strongest in the mortal realm!"
The surrounding Dragon Department's 异士 (yi shi) who had been brought by Yun Shanhe, upon witnessing Yun Shanhe's reaction, realized that he was merely a paper tiger. Their cause was lost, and there was no point in continuing to resist.
*Clatter! Clatter!*
The 异士 (yi shi) dropped their weapons, raised their hands to Ye Ling, and knelt in surrender.
Ye Ling ignored the kneeling Dragon Department's 异士 (yi shi), stepped over A Bing's headless corpse, and walked up to Yun Shanhe.
As Ye Ling approached, Yun Shanhe's fear intensified. He no longer cared about what he had said earlier and began to kowtow frantically to Ye Ling, begging for mercy, "Emperor... Your Majesty... this lowly one knows his mistake! This lowly one was blinded by greed. Your Majesty, please consider this lowly one as a fart and let me go!"
"Your Majesty, the Demonic Palace has always been on good terms with the Dragon Department. I beg you, for the sake of the Dragon Department, spare my life. I am willing to be your ox or horse!"
After his only reliance had its head so easily crushed by Ye Ling, Yun Shanhe finally realized how powerful Ye Ling was and began to kowtow frantically, begging for Ye Ling's forgiveness.
He only wanted to survive now!
Wang Liren got up from the ground and looked at Yun Shanhe's abject state, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.
However, alongside his disdain, a deep concern arose.
Given Yun Shanhe's status within the Dragon Department, he absolutely had no right to represent the Dragon Department in turning against the Demonic Palace!
Now that Yun Shanhe had stirred up trouble, and the relationship between the Dragon Department and the Demonic Palace had plummeted to an all-time low, it would require Yun Shanhe to expose the higher-ups within the Dragon Department to repair this relationship.
With this thought, Wang Liren couldn't help but say to Ye Ling, "Your Majesty, the Dragon Department has no intention of breaking ties with the Demonic Palace. This Yun Shanhe is clearly a pawn sent by someone with ulterior motives, aiming to deliberately provoke discord between the Demonic Palace and the Dragon Department. I suggest we spare his life for now, and kill him after we identify the mastermind behind this..."
"No need." Ye Ling interrupted Wang Liren and directly unleashed a demonic blade, slicing Yun Shanhe vertically in half!
Crimson blood immediately splattered across Wang Liren's face, silencing him.
Ye Ling said calmly, "This matter was initiated by the Dragon Department. It is only fitting that the responsible parties from the Dragon Department come to explain to me personally, rather than me having to investigate who is behind this scheme."
"Liren, for the sake of our past relationship, I can spare the lives of the other 异士 (yi shi) who came here to cause trouble for now."
"However, if the Dragon Department does not provide a reasonable explanation within three days, do not blame me for being ruthless."
"A Dragon Department infiltrated by the Shadow Hall has no reason to exist."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Wang Liren's face was filled with bitterness and worry.
He knew that Ye Ling was truly enraged.
And this time, a major purge would occur within the Dragon Department, inevitably leading to bloodshed, and potentially disrupting the entire capital city and even the nation of China!
The Dragon Department was doomed!
Wang Liren glanced at Yun Shanhe's body, now cut in two, on the ground. Finally, he took a deep breath, bowed respectfully to Ye Ling, and said, "I understand... Within three days, the Dragon Department will provide Your Majesty with a response."