World-Ending Demon Emperor

Hearing the righteous response from Lord Haigang, Zhen Yan Princess nodded and said, "Good, after you have eliminated Suo Lun, how will you contend with the Yan Mo?"

Lord Haigang sneered and said, "Princess, please rest assured, I share a profound father-in-law-and-son-in-law relationship with the Yan Mo. There aren’t any conflicts, so where is the need for confrontation?"

Zhen Yan Princess said, "Lord Haigang, I’ve heard that after your Hai Family broke away from the Yan Tribe, it took you a full hundred years to establish the foundation you have today?"

Lord Haigang said, "Yes, but the tear-stained history of my family is not something I wish to burden Her Highness with. There’s no need for you to waste your breath. The outcome Suo Lun faces today is entirely the result of his own perverse and contrary actions."

Then, unable to contain himself, Lord Haigang said, "Your Highness, do you remember what I once told Suo Lun?"

Zhi Yan said, "You said that someday Suo Lun would die because of his character."

"Correct," Lord Haigang said, "I didn’t expect that statement to come true so soon. People grow through constant compromise, often taking two steps back in order to move three steps forward. Someone like Suo Lun, who rushes headlong into things without a care for anyone else in the world, is bound to be torn to pieces sooner or later. And now that day has come so abruptly."

Zhen Yan Princess said, "So Lord Haigang is here to ’kick a man while he’s down’?"

"No," Lord Haigang said, "I am here in response to His Highness Zhi Li’s call to arms, to take down Suo Lun and do heaven’s bidding."

Zhen Yan Princess said, "The power structure of this world has been stable and solidified for many years now, hence there hasn’t been the rise of a truly heroic figure for a long time. Lord Haigang, are you aware that in the minds of Suo Lun and myself, we’ve thought that in the last few decades, there have been two heroes who have risen? One is the Rouran City Lord Ashimo, and the other is you, Lord Haigang."

Lord Haigang’s eyes gleamed as he said, "Let bygones be bygones; there’s no need to discuss the past. And truly, Princess Zhen Yan, you do not need to waste your energy flattering me. Even if you shed your royal dignity to butter me up, or even do something more explicit to gain my favor, it’s futile. Don’t dream that I will change my position to support Suo Lun. I am here to destroy him, and that will not change. To you and Suo Lun I say, why did you not think of this day sooner? It’s too late to turn to Buddha in a crisis."

Zhen Yan Princess shook her head and said, "No, I haven’t finished what I have to say. When Suo Lun finally met Ashimo and you, Lord Haigang, he was profoundly disappointed. Ashimo defected from the Night Orchid Duchy because he was forced to, and with the help of the Rage Wave Kingdom, he seized the entire Rou Ran Province. But then his ambition to expand came to a complete halt. Unsatisfied and lacking the patience to wait for an opportunity, he immersed himself in the illusory pursuit of immortality. Thus, a man with vision, wisdom, and strategy, lacked only patience. A hero for most of his life, but in the end, he was fooled by a magician."