"What?"
Prince Qian was stunned. In Li Yaozu's eyes, he saw contempt! It was the same look his own Father Emperor gave him from the throne—looking down on him, despising him.
After speaking, Li Yaozu did not spare Prince Qian another glance.
Instead, his gaze shifted to the Divinity Transformation cultivator hovering in the air. The sword box on his back stirred slightly.
Then, his voice hardening, he said, "I know you. You're from Duskwild Prefecture. In the Duskwild Prefecture, you were once worshipped by believers. They called you the God of War."
The staff-wielding cultivator's aura wavered.
Li Yaozu continued, "I have your case file. Several hundred years ago, you followed the Fourth Prince to the Imperial Capital. Fourth Prince made some wild proclamations before the Human Emperor and then fled the Imperial Capital in a panic.
You covered his retreat—a truly loyal act.
The Human Emperor, considering that your cultivation had not come easily and admiring your loyalty, merely had you imprisoned. You were locked away for centuries. Even when they tried to persuade you multiple times, offering you a second-class military commission, you remained unmoved."
The God of War's rugged facial muscles twitched.
"How did you find that out?"
The case file!
The case file from the State Preceptor's Emberwing Guard intelligence division!
But Li Yaozu didn't confirm it. He simply smiled.
"I found out much more than that. I found out about your entire Skynet. You rank fourth within it in terms of strength. The case file lists one hundred and sixty-eight members, every single one of them from the death-row prisons."
"Years ago, someone exhausted their resources and spent a vast amount of Spirit Stones to get all of you released."
"The price you had to pay was to follow him and fight for him."
Hearing this, the God of War turned his gaze to Prince Qian.
Prince Qian's eyes narrowed. "Impressive. So you found out about my Skynet! It was I. I was the one who exhausted my family's fortune…"
But before he could finish speaking, his expression changed drastically.
Within the Li family's Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land, another brilliant light flashed, and a group of figures appeared, forced to the ground.
A disheveled woman with messy hair raised her head.
She stared at Prince Qian, her eyes filled with hatred, and screamed herself hoarse, "You animal! Centuries have passed! How long are you going to keep harming us?!!"
Consort Shu!
At that moment, Prince Qian's entire body began to tremble. The Li family truly had found out. By some unknown means, they had captured his mother and her entire maternal family and brought them all to Eternal Sun Prefecture!
"You dare, Li family! You captured my mother?!! Hahaha! Laughable! Do you really think you can threaten me with them?!!"
Prince Qian's face twisted into a savage snarl. With the appearance of his maternal family, all of his disguises had been stripped away!
But Li Yaozu still paid Prince Qian no mind.
His gaze remained fixed on the God of War, whose expression had now turned grave. Li Yaozu smiled.
"Each of you has committed a different crime. By following Prince Qian, you are all used to keeping each other in check. That is the leverage he uses to command you."
"But in reality, what power does he have to win your true allegiance?"
Prince Qian was shaken to his core. Li Yaozu was right!
Suddenly, an object appeared in Li Yaozu's hand. At the sight of it, the God of War, who had remained impassive until now, finally reacted, his eyebrows twitching.
"His abilities are far less than he imagines."
Li Yaozu's voice was placid as he revealed the object in his hand—a tiger-shaped token split into two halves.
"Prince Qian was only able to get out of prison thanks to Min Youguo. The Spirit Stones, Heavenly Materials, and Earthly Treasures he used to secure your release—that was also thanks to Min Youguo's help. Otherwise, with crimes as grave as yours, who would dare unleash you upon the world?"
"Only Min Youguo had access to those case files, and now, our Li family is in the same boat as him. If you truly insist on fighting my Li family, do you think you'll survive?"
"And as for this tiger-shaped token…"
Before Li Yaozu could finish speaking, Prince Qian was utterly panicked.
He no longer paid any mind to his kneeling mother or her family; instead, roaring furiously at the God of War.
"God of War, if it weren't for me, would you have ever gotten out of the Imperial Prison? For centuries, I have spent countless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures on you! You owe me your life!"
But neither Li Yaozu nor the God of War paid any attention to Prince Qian, whose secrets had just been laid bare.
Li Yaozu tossed the tiger-shaped token to the God of War. "Your secrets have been exposed. You know as well as I do that the members of Skynet are all selfish creatures. Without any guarantee of success, will they really risk their lives to fight my Li family to the death?"
"And yet, we know everything about you."
Li Yaozu looked at the God of War with a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"You are the Fourth Prince's man. You were once his general, and you fought for him for three thousand years. Duskwild Prefecture is full of those who worship deities, and it was because of your presence that those so-called 'gods' stayed in line. To this day, Prince Yu still remembers your contributions."
"After the Fourth Prince escaped all those years ago, not a moment went by that he didn't want to rescue you from the Imperial Prison. Unfortunately, you had already vanished without a trace. Your Grotto-Abode in Duskwild Prefecture, your military commission, even your guest chambers in the prince's own mansion—Fourth Prince has kept them all for you."
"Go back. Serve the man you ought to be serving, instead of throwing your life away here for nothing."
Prince Qian, now utterly enraged, violently shoved aside the ugly woman beside him.
"God of War! You owe me your life! Have you forgotten the scars you bear? The warden of the Imperial Prison hated Fourth Prince more than anyone. Not a day went by that he didn't take his anger out on you! You were tortured to the brink of collapse!
It was I who saved you from that torment!
I was the one who brought you out of the Imperial Prison!"
Prince Qian was panicking.
He was a master of disguise, but Li Yaozu had stripped away every layer.
He was not the magnificent figure he appeared to be; he controlled Skynet, a force of men who each harbored their own treacherous designs.
He had to maintain an aura of absolute confidence every single day; otherwise, these criminals from the Imperial Prison would think he had lost his grip.
No one knew how, for all these centuries, he had managed to make these convicts obey his every command.
But with everything laid bare, he seemed so fragile and weak.
But Li Yaozu still ignored Prince Qian, his eyes fixed only on the God of War.
The God of War stood holding the tiger-shaped token, lost in a daze for a long moment.
In truth, Li Yaozu had no desire to make an enemy of the God of War—not out of fear, but because a man of such loyalty was a rare sight in the world.
However, Li Yaozu was to be disappointed.
The God of War gently tied a cord to the tiger-shaped token and hung it around his neck.
He let out a long breath, then looked at Prince Qian and spoke for the first time since arriving, his voice deep and resonant.
"Your Highness, Prince Qian, I owe you my life. This is the last time I will repay that debt. Whether I survive this or not, what I owe you will be paid in full."
"After this battle, I will return to Duskwild Prefecture!"
Prince Qian was still seething, his eyes fixed on Li Yaozu. Hatred practically shot from his gaze as he squeezed the words through clenched teeth, "Fine! I want him dead!"
Seeing this, Li Yaozu frowned. With a sigh of resignation, he floated up to face the God of War directly. The sword box on his back clinked. He offered the God of War a cupped-fist salute.
"Li Yaozu of the Li family. It is an honor to face you in battle."
The God of War returned the salute. "The God of War, of the Army of Duskwild Prefecture. I invite Your Excellency, the Sword Venerable, to a duel in the skies!"
Li Yaozu gave a slight nod.
He respected the God of War. It was not for his strength, but for his… humanity.
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