Chapter 1000: Don't Hold Me Back

"A way?"

"A way, huh…"

Meeting the expectant gazes of the nine Great Dao Sons, Jiang Ding sighed softly: "It's nothing more than taking on a bit more risk. The chance of exposure has increased again."

"This is something that can't be helped."

"Keep yourselves well hidden, try not to be exposed. You don't need to do anything, just don't hold me back."

"Hold you back?"

Tianji Dao Son's mouth twitched at the corner.

That tone made it sound as if the lot of them were nothing but dead weight, useless good-for-nothings — his arrogance knew no bounds.

Forget it, forget it.

The Great Sun Sword Son had always been this way; the bigger picture came first, no point arguing with him.

"Hmph!"

"We will keep ourselves well hidden."

Ji Liuyue said unhappily: "You'd better do as you say and resolve this matter properly."

"That's good, then."

Jiang Ding nodded slightly, his figure gradually fading from sight.

……

Within the Flame Stone Star Domain, Flame Flow Imperial Son's defeat was like a landslide.

Retreat after retreat, retreat after retreat.

Fleeing in defeat all the way, Minor Thousand Worlds were lost one after another. Among them, the upper echelons of the slave races, compelled by soul-prohibition restraints, had no choice but to fight to the death, while the middle and lower echelons of the slave races surrendered one after another.

The cultivators of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan were even more decisive, immediately choosing to swear allegiance to Cang Kong Imperial Son.

This was tradition within the Horned Demon Imperial Clan.

Imperial Clan cultivators were free; pledging loyalty to the victorious Imperial Son was only right and proper. No one could fault them for it, let alone given that Cang Kong Imperial Son hailed from an Ancient Emperor family and was fully capable of ensuring the rules were enforced, preventing Flame Stone Great Emperor from violating the agreement.

Retreating in defeat all the way, recruiting talents along the route, Cang Kong Imperial Son's forces swelled like a rolling snowball.

Flame Flow Imperial Son kept retreating in defeat, losing five or six Minor Thousand Worlds in succession, until they reached Flower Cloud Minor World in the central part of the Flame Stone Star Domain, where Cang Kong Imperial Son's offensive eased somewhat.

Flame Flow Imperial Son gained some breathing room, able to gather the scattered troops and rely on formations to hold out for a time.

This bit of good fortune did not mean Cang Kong Imperial Son could no longer press the attack.

Rather, it was that the Imperial Clan cultivators and middle-and-lower-tier slave race cultivators who had sworn allegiance along the way were simply too many; his forces had swelled so rapidly that, for the moment, he suffered from indigestion.

Moreover, formations within each Minor Thousand World were endless. Flame Flow Imperial Son relied on formations to resist step by step; when one formation was broken through, he would shift to the next to hold firm, refusing to surrender, giving Cang Kong Imperial Son no end of trouble.

His two-thousand-plus Forbidden Guards, however strong, after consecutively breaking through the many formations of five or six Minor Thousand Worlds, also began to grow exhausted. To press the attack any further would mean a sharp increase in danger — they were not invincible.

Cang Kong Imperial Son hailed from an Ancient Emperor family; even if he himself lacked understanding, he naturally had no shortage of strategists by his side who could see these things clearly.

Therefore, he halted his advance and began sorting out the internal affairs of the occupied territories, accepting surrenders and absorbing defectors, building up a massive servant army to serve as the main assault force, while the Forbidden Guards conserved their strength, striking out only at critical moments.

This was the way of absolute security.

Cang Kong Imperial Son's steady, step-by-step deployment immediately plunged many of the stubbornly resisting Flame Stone Family cultivators into despair; no longer harboring any侥幸 thoughts, they surrendered to him.

As cultivators of the Flame Stone Family, they were strongly inclined toward their own clan's Imperial Son and unwilling to surrender under any circumstances.

Alas, such was the overwhelming trend; for the sake of the family's survival, they could only do this.

There was no need to worry that Cang Kong Imperial Son would cleanse them afterward, violating his promises.

The various families of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan were all related by blood or marriage. The Cang Yan Ancient Emperor Family and the Flame Stone Family were relatives to begin with — among themselves they called each other great-uncle, nephew, sister, brother.

Apart from when tempers flared on the battlefield, there were generally bottom lines.

Just as in the Imperial Son battles of many years ago.

Flame Stone Great Emperor likewise preserved the families of the hostile Imperial Sons, granting them high office and generous emoluments.

The kings and cultivators of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan in this Flame Stone Star Domain other than the Flame Stone Family were the descendants of those Imperial Sons' families. These descendants of hostile Imperial Sons likewise pledged loyalty to the Flame Stone Family, continuing for tens of thousands of years without any rebellions.

If Cang Kong Imperial Son took a dislike to someone afterward, bore a grudge, and found a reason to put them to death, that was nothing.

If Cang Kong Imperial Son carried out a massive cleansing of Flame Stone Family cultivators, slaughtering people of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan —

Then, even though Flame Stone Great Emperor had already passed, and even if he himself had ascended to Great Emperor, he would still face terrible consequences. Being jointly surrounded and killed by numerous Great Emperors was possible; at the very least, he would be severely punished, his foundations destroyed, and he would not be permitted to advance to a higher realm.

The Flame Stone Family had numerous in-laws, among them no shortage of Great Emperors, even Ancient Emperors, who would not allow Cang Kong Imperial Son to run amok.

The reason these Flame Stone Family in-laws had abandoned Flame Flow Imperial Son was because this was the rule, and moreover because Cang Kong Imperial Son was also their in-law — by relation, in fact, even closer than Flame Flow Imperial Son.

You are among me, I am among you.

If Cang Kong Imperial Son did not abide by the rules, he would be voluntarily abandoning all his networks of relations and be rejected by the entire Horned Demon Imperial Clan.

Because of all these reasons, Flame Stone Family cultivators also began surrendering in large numbers.

In this war, no one would be completely defeated.

Except Flame Flow Imperial Son.

His Imperial Crown, his life — according to the traditions of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan, all must be lost. This was the cruelty of the Imperial Son battles: the life of the hostile Imperial Son must be used to water the Imperial Crown, allowing it to ascend to a higher level.

Flame Flow Imperial Son's foundation teetered on the brink of collapse.

It seemed a single gust of wind could blow it all apart.

Flower Cloud Minor World, Pink Imperial Palace.

This was the temporary palace that Flame Stone Great Emperor, in his prime, had built for a beloved consort. Taking advantage of Flower Cloud Minor World's uniquely favorable conditions, pink petals often drifted through the sky and among the clouds around the palace. Seen from afar, it resembled a sea of pink petals, never ceasing throughout the year.

Only now, these beautiful scenes seemed to carry a touch of sorrow.

Just as that consort of Flame Stone Great Emperor had been dead for over ten thousand years, and Flame Stone Great Emperor no longer returned to the Pink Imperial Palace where he had lingered so often in his youth — he had lost all interest in everything.

Around the Imperial Palace, countless General-realm powerhouses of the Demon Rock Race, Fox Race, Tiger Race, and Blood Skull Vine Demon Race guarded the palace's surroundings, standing silently. Their military might still seemed extremely imposing, showing no signs of wavering morale after the great defeat.

Flame Flower Imperial Son slowly walked into the palace, an overwhelming sorrow rising unbidden in his heart, nearly bringing him to tears.

Around here, there were almost no General-rank guards of the Imperial Clan left.

All of them were servants, all of them lowly servants.

Everyone who could run had already run, including the family's General-ranks; only these loyal servants remained, guarding her brother from start to finish, never abandoning him—truly faithful retainers.

But in the end, they were only servants, unable to change anything.

Yan Hua's Imperial Child's nose stung with emotion as she walked into the pink Imperial Palace.

Bang!

An exquisite, gorgeous glazed vase worth tens of millions of spirit stones grazed Yan Hua's Imperial Child's hair and smashed onto the ground, shattering to pieces; the shards imbued with magic power were incomparably sharp, scattering in all directions like crossbow bolts.

One glazed shard sliced across the dazed Yan Hua's Imperial Child's cheek, and bright red blood flowed down her beautiful face.

Inside the palace, it was a scene of utter devastation, broken and ruined everywhere.

"Where is Yan Wu?"

Yan Liu's Imperial Child, his former valor and grandeur gone, his whole face twisted and ferocious: "He is the king of our Yan Stone Clan, my own third uncle! How could he become a traitor?"

"Huh? Has he no shame anymore?!"

"The glory of the Yan Stone Clan has been stained by vermin like this!"

"Father!"

"I will report to Father and have these traitors all put to death! Put to death!"

He roared hysterically.

Yan Hua's Imperial Child let the fresh blood on her cheek drip onto the ground, forming pools of blood-flowers, silent and saying nothing.