Chapter 576: Reverse Strategy 35

Erlang's injuries were very severe.

He stumbled toward the Blood Pool Forbidden Land behind Yaogong, refusing all Demon Slaves who tried to support him; even though his breath was faint, he never stopped his steps.

The scene before his eyes grew increasingly blurry, and he even began to feel the world spinning.

Erlang swallowed the bloody sweetness in his throat, pressed a hand to his rupturing abdomen, and lost strength before reaching the forbidden land.

Suddenly his arm was supported, yet he didn't notice anyone approaching.

Until a black shadow appeared.

"Liuying... did the Great King send you?"

Erlang already knew who the demon behind him was, used the force to stand, and continued walking toward the forbidden land.

"Hmm." The black shadow made a sound, took human form, and watched Erlang continue walking inward.

He followed behind, making no extra movements.

He was merely carrying out the task Jin Chen had given him.

Liuying was the only shadow demon among the chief aides, and also Jin Chen's most trusted subordinate; he was born of heaven and earth, had no demonic consciousness, and his sole awareness was to fulfill his duty.

He personally witnessed Erlang arrive at the forbidden land, lose strength and collapse beside the blood pool, gazing lifelessly at the night sky; his eyes seemed filled with reluctance and sorrow.

"Do you regret it?" Liuying asked, "Regretting picking up Langnian, which turned everything into this."

"I don't regret it."

Erlang's voice grew weaker, and the blood at the corner of his mouth flowed out uncontrollably.

In a daze, he seemed to return to that year when he carried out a mission in Lingnan, seeing that little wolf demon deep in the forest.

So frail, so tiny, even his gaze was timid.

If he had to regret something, it would be not properly teaching Langnian; in the end, becoming like this is all his fault.

As his consciousness gradually slipped away, Erlang could no longer maintain human form, turning into a black wolf; his beastly eyes finally lifted to look at the western moon.

That was the direction Langnian had left.

Afterward, it whimpered, dragged its heavy body into the blood pool, and hesitated no more.

This scene was recorded by the Shadow Image Stone in Liuying's hand.

He stood by the pool for a moment, then turned into a black shadow and flashed westward.

At that moment, at the west side gate of Yaogong.

Langnian anxiously waited in a vine-covered corner outside the side gate; the demon coming to meet him was a beast demon who had once received Erlang's favor.

"Little Nian! There's no time left; in a moment the forest of the demon clan's territory will activate its night formation, after which no one will be able to leave."

"No, my older brother hasn't come out yet."

Langnian stubbornly waited outside, his eyes fixed on the corridor ahead, hoping to see his brother's figure.

He didn't know whether his brother had killed Chenshu, and at this moment he actually no longer cared about the outcome.

Huh—

A gust of wind blew past, causing the ever-burning candles on the corridor to sway.

Langnian's eyes twitched slightly, and he turned his gaze that way.

A shadow demon emerged from the corridor and walked to his side.

"Liuying..."

Langnian felt a moment of panic, clenched his fists, and asked, "Are you here to capture me?"

"Then was my older brother also captured by the King?"

Liuying merely looked at him, his voice calm to the extreme.

"Erlang is dead; before his death he begged the King for a final favor, which was to let you leave safely."

"What?"

Langnian was stunned by those words, his whole body frozen; the demon beast behind him, as if having long anticipated this result, let out a deep sigh.

"My older brother is dead?"

His voice was unsteady, the light in his eyes faded in an instant, he clenched his teeth, and the whole person fell silent.

It seemed as if something had shattered, leaving silence.

Afterward, desperate sobs echoed in the dead air.

"Impossible... are you lying to me? How could he possibly die?"

His tone changed, the ending trembling, as if the sound were forcibly squeezed from his throat.

His heart seared with immense pain, his whole body tensed.

Langnian simply refused to believe what he had heard.

Liuying's expression remained unchanged, his tone unquestioning, as if stating a fact.

"You had him kill the future king consort, yet you never thought he might be killed by the King?"

Langnian no longer argued over who the title of future king consort belonged to.

He despondently shook his head; tears fell like broken beads, he only knew silent sobs, lacking even the strength to speak.

Yeah... why.

Liuying threw the Shadow Image Stone to Langnian.

He seemed to guess what was inside, took it with trembling hands; after suppressing it to the extreme came immense anguish and despair.

The Shadow Image Stone projected in midair what Liuying had recorded.

Upon hearing Erlang's words of no regret, Langnian could bear it no longer; scorching tears fell in large drops onto the stone, his hoarse voice uttering helpless cries, like a trapped beast.

"Older brother..."

"Sorry, older brother, I was wrong, it was all my fault..."

His lips were cried white, bitten by his teeth leaving blood marks, sorrowful and exhausted.

That's the Blood Pool Forbidden Land.

"I'll send you out."

The Six Shadows remained calm.

"No... I won't go, I want to go beg Your Majesty; maybe... maybe He still has a way to save my brother."

Langnian shoved him away, his body swaying a few steps, then ran into the Yaogong.

The biting night wind followed his running speed, like a sharp blade scraping his face; the anguish of death by a thousand cuts could not compare to even a fraction of the pain in his heart.

The Six Shadows did not obstruct, turning into black shadows and following behind.

"Your Majesty, Lord Langnian is kneeling outside the hall, begging to see you."

The Demon Slave replied at the inner hall's gate.

Chenshu set down the Yao clan record book he held, rose from Jin Chen's embrace; the two, who would normally be asleep at this hour, lay only on the soft couch.

"Indeed, he still hasn't left." Chenshu nudged Jin Chen, "Jin Chen, do you want to see him?"

"See."

Jin Chen rose, adjusted his cuffs, "I'm curious, where exactly does this demon's obsession come from?"

As the two just reached the outer hall, seeing their silhouettes, Langnian immediately knelt and begged, his eye sockets bloodshot and red, his voice hoarse to the extreme, lacking any of his former arrogance.

"Please, Your Majesty, save my brother; please, Your Majesty, save my brother..."

He didn't even dare lift his head, just kept kowtowing in plea, his forehead striking solidly, flesh and blood blurred.

"Enough."

Jin Chen, impatient, interrupted, "Erlang is dead; you haven't failed to see him throw himself into the blood pool."

"You must have a way, right... You are the Yao King; you can bring him back..."

Langnian already had some demonic obstruction, he couldn't even hear the word "death", his body uncontrollably began to tremble.

"I beg you, please bring him back; I can die in my brother's place."

He took out the marriage contract scroll, enduring the Yao clan law's harm in front of the two, and forcibly tore the scroll apart.

Chenshu's expression showed slight surprise.

The law's harm to the Yao is deadly, let alone personally tearing up the contract recognized by the law.

Even if Jin Chen tore it, he would certainly suffer grave injury.

"The marriage contract... the marriage contract is destroyed; I beg you... I beg you, save my brother."

Langnian spat fresh blood, the Yao soul struck by the law, the soul's excruciating pain still cannot compare to even a fraction of the pain in his heart.

He was in utter misery, crawling on the ground also begging for mercy.