World-Ending Demon Emperor

Chapter 2122 - 1009: Killing Zhi Yan? The Wrath of the Emperor!

Zhi Yan had been gazing steadily at Lanling, and upon hearing his question as to why, her eyes blinked.

"Which ’why’ are you asking about?" Zhi Yan inquired.

Lanling replied, "How many ’whys’ are there? Just answer as many as you can."

Zhi Yan said, "First, I am not the fourth Hell Knight."

The first answer shattered most of Lanling’s illusions.

"Secondly, I was not pregnant at the time, and I did not give birth to a child," Zhi Yan continued.

The second answer destroyed the remaining illusions Lanling had.

"The reason I didn’t flee with everyone back to the Sky Holy Palace today and instead surrendered myself here is because I felt it would be more dignified," Zhi Yan said. "If I waited for you to attack the Sky Holy Palace, it would not look very good. I’m not afraid of dying, but I’m afraid of losing my dignity. Meeting you again now is the best timing."

Lanling said, "Is this the last ’why’; now start answering in reverse order."

Zhi Yan said, "As for why I led the Divine Dragon Temple Legion to attack the Flame Demon Empire, it was because of orders from the Sky Holy Palace. I suppose a few of the leaders there wanted to groom me, though I wasn’t particularly interested in such grooming."

This answer was indeed...

Zhi Yan continued, "Next, answer your most important question. Did I know in advance that the Dragon Temple had discovered your identity as the Master of Yao Xing and had come to capture you, which was why I took you to the sea? And why did I want to kill you?"

Lanling’s eyes narrowed, and he nodded.

Zhi Yan said, "Yes, I knew a day in advance about the Dragon Temple’s plan to capture you, but I didn’t inform you. Instead, I took you to the sea."

This answer was truly tasteless, filled with countless nuances.

For example, why take him to the sea rather than in Tianshui City? Perhaps she didn’t want Suo Lun’s family to witness that scene, nor did she want to see the Dragon Temple create a massacre in Tianshui City? Of course, the Dragon Temple still committed a massacre.

"As for why I wanted to kill you?" Zhi Yan said, "It wasn’t to protect the Rage Wave Kingdom, even though at some stage I cared more about the Rage Wave Kingdom. But I knew that after killing you, the Rage Wave Kingdom could not be preserved, or rather, that after killing you, the problems of the Rage Wave Kingdom were insignificant."

This is like the peaceful times before World War II when the conflicts between Germany and a nearby small country made headlines every day. After World War II broke out, Germany’s destruction of Belgium and Yugoslavia was no longer shocking news; only when major countries like Poland and France were conquered did the world feel surprised.

"You haven’t given a direct answer," Lanling said.

Zhi Yan said, "The direct answer is that killing you was the best choice at the time. For me to do it was the best of the best choices."

This statement was incredibly profound.

The internal conflicts between the Radiant Faction and Heretical Faction of the Dragon Temple led to the early exposure and early death of the Master of Yao Xing. The Dragon Temple intended to claim this initial merit, and Ning Wuya planned to integrate the factions’ contradictions, suddenly becoming the second powerhouse in the Sky Holy Palace.

Killing Suo Lun was merely a means, not the end. He had to die; he would definitely be resurrected, and then deliver a huge merit to the Dragon Temple. He had to be killed, the distinction lay in who would perform the act!

Anyone killing was killing, but Zhi Yan doing it would deliver the greatest shock.

But for Lanling, Zhi Yan killing was utterly unforgivable.

Once, Lanling thought Zhi Yan was unfathomable, unable to see what she wanted or thought. But later, he thought she was the easiest person to see through because she almost had no desires or pursuits.

However, now, Lanling felt once again that he didn’t know this woman at all.

Lanling asked, "One more question, how did you feel when you knew I was the Master of Yao Xing at that time?"

"It wasn’t a particularly special feeling," Zhi Yan said, "because I knew it relatively early, much earlier than the Dragon Temple."

Lanling said, "Alright, let me ask in another way. How did you feel when you knew the Dragon Temple had uncovered my identity as the Master of Yao Xing?"

Zhi Yan thought for a moment and said, "Like waking from a dream."

Upon hearing this answer, Lanling was filled with mixed emotions.

Meeting Zhi Yan once again was incredibly important in his heart, even a driving force for his rise and struggle. Because that stab of hers had almost overturned Lanling’s view of the world, that overwhelming hatred could not be extinguished by any amount of ocean.

Countless times, he fantasized about marching north to conquer the Human Kingdom, making the Rage Wave Kingdom wail under his iron hooves.

In the palace of the Rage Wave Kingdom, heads would roll, and blood would flow like a river.

And Zhi Yan would kneel before these countless heads, crying, fearful, trembling.

Then Lanling would ask, "Zhi Yan, did you know what would happen today when you killed me back then?"

Zhi Yan would cry bitterly that she never knew.

Lanling would ask, "To this day, do you regret it in your heart?"

Zhi Yan would answer, "Immensely regretting, regretting beyond remedy, painfully desiring death."

Of course, this was all Lanling’s imagination. And it was before he truly rose, before he inherited the Demon Emperor’s legacy when these thoughts had drifted in his mind countless times.

As he rose to power and returned to the Human Kingdom, he envisioned three outcomes for his meeting with Zhi Yan.

The first scenario was that Zhi Yan had an unavoidable reason, perhaps she was already pregnant and had to do so to protect the child inside her, which was a beautiful outcome.