Chapter 1296: 1264: Clumsy Performance

Chapter 1296: Chapter 1264: Clumsy Performance

All the ambition, vigor, and grand aspirations of the Magic Stone Clan turned into mere illusions when the tendrils of the Domain Overlord truly arrived.

Everything is fading into smoke and dust.

“Heavenly Monarch…”

“Celestial Lord of Immortal Gate…”

The Demon Mountain King’s eyes revealed intense pain, no longer bearing the demeanor of a proud sovereign looking down on all while massacring Immortal Sect Citizens.

Crack! Crack!

His bones and Divine Soul were shattering inch by inch.

He clearly foresaw his own death but dared not curse or roar. Instead, he showed a deep plea for mercy.

At this moment, the sovereign who ruled a Minor Thousand World had vanished without a trace.

The servile lackey once seen groveling at the side of Yanliu Imperial Child returned, begging before the strength of the Domain Overlord.

“Heavenly Monarch!”

“This… This was all the result of Demon Mountain’s greed and blind arrogance, ignorant of the heavens above, ignoring numerous cultivators from the clan who tried to dissuade him, and stubbornly doing as he pleased.”

“Demon Mountain deserves to die a thousand times over, his Divine Soul should never reincarnate!”

“This has nothing to do with the Magic Stone Clan. I beg the Heavenly Monarch not to implicate the innocent.”

The Demon Mountain King pleaded.

But he could do nothing, unable to move. His towering demon form, massive as a mountain, was gripped by a slender hand at the neck, rendering him powerless—unable even to take his own life.

“Heh. You are, of course, going to die—and die under Soul Searching.”

Jiang Ding chuckled.

“Your race will not escape either. Every Magic Stone Clansman involved, whether directly or indirectly, must die. At most, one or two will be spared—to be preserved as genetic diversity in a species archive.”

“Heavenly Monarch!”

The Demon Mountain King trembled violently, despair and a deep-seated grievance filling his expression, screaming hoarsely, “This was solely my recklessness—what does it have to do with others?”

“The Demon Iron King even tried to dissuade me, but I heavily injured him, nearly beat him to death. It was all my own doing. The Immortal Sect is ever merciful…”

“Such pitiful trickery.”

“Laughable performance. The Magic Stone Clan has just freed itself from the Slave Clan and utterly lacks political experience, so much so that they are this naïve.”

Jiang Ding interrupted him.

His gaze fell upon the Demon Iron King, bound tightly in chains—the one who had tried to stop the slaughter of Immortal Sect Citizens and was nearly killed by the Demon Mountain King. Hatred surged in Jiang Ding’s eyes.

This hatred surpassed even that towards Demon Mountain King, the principal perpetrator of the massacre.

“Demon Mountain!”

“Do you think I—or any other Celestial Lord of Immortal Gate—are so foolish? That a mere act could sway us, letting you play all sides at will?”

“Ah?”

Jiang Ding’s gaze turned ice-cold.

Citizens? Dead means dead.

Their deaths, exploited as tools for acting and pleading.

This was something he could not tolerate!

Were it not for certain necessities, the entire Magic Stone Clan should perish to pay the price.

“Heavenly Monarch!”

“What do you mean by this?”

The Demon Iron King fell to his knees, kowtowing, his tears flowing uncontrollably: “Back when the Immortal Sect cultivators were killed, I truly tried my best—truly tried! My limbs were shattered, bound in chains—I simply couldn’t stop that traitor Demon Mountain. I beg you to see the truth!”

“Within the Magic Stone Clan, many opposed the deeds. They were merely suppressed by Demon Mountain, powerless to intervene.”

“If you don’t believe me, please use Soul Searching!”

The Demon Iron King kowtowed, swearing to the heavens, each word tinged with blood and grief.

His sincerity reached its peak.

“Tried your best?”

“What an admirable ‘trying your best’!”

Anger started seeping into Jiang Ding’s voice: “Fellow Daoist, you truly outdid yourself! You tried your best, yet your Divine Soul remained unburned—your Essence Blood remained intact—is this what you call trying your best?”

“Did you die? Ah?”

“Or is it that, in your usual battles to the death, Fellow Daoist Demon Iron, when faced with a truly inescapable fate, you refuse to burn your Essence Blood and Divine Soul, standing idly by awaiting death?”

“Fellow Daoist, when you act, make it convincing! Can you?!”

He roared.

“You pay no price, put on a theatrical display, suffer serious injury, and expect me to believe you? Regardless, the Magic Stone Clan always has an escape, always ensures some of its members survive—is that it?”

“This…”

The Demon Iron King froze.

His spine chilled, as though encased in ice, deep regret surging within his heart.

Indeed.

He, as a king of the Magic Stone Clan capable of Divinity Transformation, could never truly die. Such a performance—who would believe it?

Would the Domain Overlord believe it?

Clang!

Jiang Ding unsheathed his sword, striking down in one swift motion.

The Demon Iron King, still dazed, felt a sharp pain between his brows as his body stiffened. In a flash of terror, his Divine Soul failed to react before disintegrating into nothingness.

A pitch-black Demon Mountain collapsed, scattering a cascade of massive stones.

This king of the Magic Stone Clan, claiming loyal allegiance to the Immortal Sect, was the first to die.

“Fools like you have no reason to live.”

Jiang Ding’s gaze fell upon the Demon Mountain King cradled in his grip.

Already drowned in despair, he seemed ready to curse, roar, and spew venomous hatred—but in this moment, even speech was denied him.

“The slaughter and death of Immortal Sect Citizens cannot go unanswered. The entire Magic Stone Clan, whether directly or indirectly involved—every last one—will die, as an offering to honor the fallen citizens.”

Jiang Ding clenched his hand.

Bang!

The Demon Mountain King’s neck snapped, the break smooth as if cleaved by a blade. His mountainous head rolled away, extinguishing his Divine Soul entirely.

This Divinity Transformation cultivator, who led the Magic Stone Clan to claim dominion over the Minor Thousand World—a future Saint King perhaps recorded in his clan’s history—met his end.

Bang!

Sword-light flashed; the Demon Fire King, who had lacked any opportunity to speak from beginning to end, perished as well—like roadside weeds and dust, leaving not even a ripple behind.

The once-prosperous kings of the Magic Stone Clan were now entirely annihilated.

The Xuanhu King’s heart shivered as he collapsed to his knees, bowing deeply. His body trembled constantly, not daring to move an inch.

Once, he too harbored ambitions—to claim the Magical Stone Minor Realm, to carve out his own domain, provoking war with the Magic Stone Clan in pursuit of supremacy—and lost.

Now, how laughable such thoughts seem?

They had dared to snatch food from the jaws of the Domain Overlord, who had already obliterated the Horned Demon Imperial Clan!

“Fellow Daoist Xuanhu.”

Jiang Ding smiled faintly.

“I wouldn’t dare!”

“Heavenly Monarch, you may simply call me Xuanhu.”

The Xuanhu King replied with utmost reverence: “If you have commands, please instruct me. Xuanhu will give all unto death, not daring to defy you in the slightest. If I do, may the heavens and earth strike me down!”

“It wouldn’t come to that, wouldn’t come to that.”

“There’s no need for such exaggeration.”

Jiang Ding’s grin widened: “The slaughter of citizens—this matter has nothing to do with you, Fellow Daoist. It wasn’t your doing, I know. I simply wish to ask you about another matter.”

The Xuanhu King exhaled in relief: “Heavenly Monarch, please speak.”

“I’d like to know—were you present during the massacre of citizens? Did you burn your Essence Blood and Divine Soul to fight to the death and stop it?”

Jiang Ding asked graciously.

“I was not present.”

“Absolutely not!”

The Xuanhu King swore solemnly to the heavens: “If I had known, I would not have allowed any harm or loss to come to the Immortal Sect cultivators—no matter the cost!”

“Good.”

“Very good.”

Jiang Ding sighed in relief, smiling: “The latest ‘Immortal Sect Small Thousand World Cultivator Management Ordinance’ stipulates that if Fellow Daoist were present yet ignored the massacre of Immortal Sect Citizens, you’d have no choice but to accompany them in death. This obligation arose as soon as you accepted a position under the Immortal Sect.”

“So now, might I inspect your Divine Soul to confirm?”

Jiang Ding asked politely.

The Xuanhu King felt as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.