Dominator Emperor

Chapter 482: Chapter 480: High-Priced Bounty

Shen Ran Phoenix Lady led her vast army, surrounding the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through. However, she did not immediately move to annihilate them.

“Li Qiye of the Human Race, listen up! You have one day to come and surrender. Otherwise, I will annihilate the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan to make an example of them!” Having trapped the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan, Shen Ran Phoenix Lady immediately sent out this message.

Upon hearing this news, many people exchanged glances. Everyone understood that Shen Ran Phoenix Lady was avenging her younger brother, Prince Shen Ran.

“To anyone in the Ghost Sacred Realm: whoever captures Li Qiye alive will be rewarded with a Medicine King. Whoever brings me his head will be granted a volume of Treasure Manuals. Whoever brings me one of his limbs will be gifted a Great Sage Treasure! And for anyone who kills him, the Key of the First Evil Tomb shall be theirs! This reward is valid anytime, anywhere!” Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s majestic voice echoed across the sky.

“What a lavish offer!” Hearing Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s words, even the Saint Venerables from the Great Teaching Territories felt their hearts tremble. Such a reward was simply too tempting; anyone would be moved.

“What a domineering method. Li Qiye won’t be able to escape even if he wants to. With a reward like this, he’ll be hunted by everyone, even if he flees to the ends of the earth!” someone couldn’t help but mutter.

“No wonder Prince Shen Ran was so arrogant, once boasting that whoever dared to touch a single hair on his head would have no place to stand in the Ghost Sacred Realm.” A young genius’s expression changed as he mumbled, “It seems that was true after all. From now on, vast as the Ghost Sacred Realm is, there will be no foothold for Li Qiye. Even if he escapes today, he won’t be able to escape death in the future!”

Prince Shen Ran had been incredibly arrogant. Many of the younger generation, especially the geniuses, were annoyed with him. Some of them had scoffed at his arrogance, thinking he was just relying on his incredible brother-in-law-to-be. Some even dismissed him completely.

Today, with Shen Ran Phoenix Lady making her move, everyone finally understood the meaning of “the Ghost Sacred Realm is vast, but there is still no place to stand”!

To Shen Ran Phoenix Lady, the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan was merely bait—bait to lure Li Qiye. She was afraid Li Qiye would run away, so she put out a reward that would make everyone drool with greed.

Of all the rewards Shen Ran Phoenix Lady offered, her guarantee that the Key of the First Evil Tomb would go to whoever killed Li Qiye was enough to make countless people drool with desire, even drive them to madness.

Shen Ran Phoenix Lady was truly a remarkable woman. No wonder the Divine Burning Country flourished under her rule. With a single move, she left Li Qiye with no place to stand. Even if he managed to escape today, he would become a stray dog, hunted wherever he went, with no peaceful days to come!

Prince Shen Ran once arrogantly proclaimed that whoever touched a single hair on his head would find no place to stand in this world, no matter how vast. Many people had dismissed it before, but today, Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s move stunned everyone. Even the older generation couldn’t help but turn pale.

“Worthy of being the Emperor’s Throne’s fiancée. So domineering from the very start.” An Emperor gasped, feeling immense dread. With this one move, Shen Ran Phoenix Lady let many people know just how terrifying she was. Her reputation was no longer just a rumor; when she acted, she could truly leave a person with no place to stand!

“We’re going to be rich!” Hearing Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s reward, countless Great Teaching Territories were fired up and eager to try their luck.

Not to mention the Key of the First Evil Tomb, but the Medicine King, Treasure Manuals, and Great Sage Treasures—which one of these wasn’t enough to make people drool, to make them burn with envy? A single Medicine King alone could be sold for a heavenly price, setting one up for life.

With such a generous reward, who knew how many people were already plotting to take the head from Li Qiye’s shoulders!

While Qiu Rong Wanxue was still in Fengdu City, she received a message from Elder Zhi. Her expression changed drastically. Without waiting for her Young Master, she immediately rushed over.

Outside Fengdu City, Elder Zhi and the other members of the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan were camped in a corner. The Pengzhuang Sixth Minors had also returned. Because the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan was a small clan, their camp was far from Fengdu City and the campsites of the various Great Teaching Territories.

Although the event had just occurred, news traveled fast. In the blink of an eye, the story of Shen Ran Phoenix Lady surrounding the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan had spread like wildfire.

The moment Elder Zhi and the others received the news that Shen Ran Phoenix Lady had led her massive army to surround their clan, it wasn’t just the other disciples present who panicked. Even an elder as unflappable as Zhi was scared into a fluster. After all, this matter was far too big.

“Elder Zhi, what should we do?” The Snow Shadow Ghost Clan disciples present were completely flustered, terrified, and at a loss.

“We’ll wait half a day. If the Clan Leader doesn’t arrive by then, we’ll retreat immediately!” Elder Zhi was just as panicked and didn’t have any better ideas.

It wasn’t their fault. To the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan, a power like the Divine Burning Country was a behemoth, like an elephant to an ant. What was even more intimidating was that Shen Ran Phoenix Lady was the fiancée of the Emperor’s Throne. If the Divine Burning Country could easily crush them, then an ultimate existence like the Ten Thousand Bones Throne was beyond imagining.

Qiu Rong Wanxue arrived back from Fengdu City just in time. Upon seeing her, the disciples of the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan couldn’t help but cry out. Their panic finally began to subside.

“What’s the situation?” Qiu Rong Wanxue wasn’t much better off. With the very survival of the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan at stake, her heart was pounding in fear.

Elder Zhi hastily explained, “The entire clan is trapped. Except for a few disciples who were out and haven’t returned, everyone has been surrounded. The enemy hasn’t attacked yet, but we’re running out of time.”

Qiu Rong Wanxue took a deep breath and said, “Relay my order: until this crisis is resolved, the disciples who are away are not to return. They are to flee immediately, as far away as possible.”

“I’ve already sent the order,” Elder Zhi said quickly. He looked at Qiu Rong Wanxue and asked, “Clan Leader, what do we do now?”

“Elder Zhi, take the younger ones and leave this place. Do not return to the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan. Flee immediately, as far as you can. As long as the green mountains are there, one need not worry about firewood.” Qiu Rong Wanxue took another deep breath.

At this moment, Qiu Rong Wanxue had no better strategy. Fortunately, promising new talents like Peng Zhuang and the others were here. Moreover, they had experienced some great fortuitous encounters. As long as they could escape this calamity, there would be a chance to rebuild the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan in the future, even if it were destroyed.

“What about you, Clan Leader?” Elder Zhi asked hurriedly.

Qiu Rong Wanxue’s expression hardened. She looked in the direction of the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan and said in a low voice, “I am going back to the clan. Whether I live or die, I must go back and be with my people.”

“Clan Leader, that—that’s not right! You’ll be walking to your death!” Elder Zhi’s face changed dramatically as he said this urgently.

Qiu Rong Wanxue shook her head and said resolutely, “I am the Clan Leader. I have a duty to live and die with my people. If something happens to me, then Elder Zhi will be the Clan Leader. He will lead all the surviving disciples.” With that, she laid out all her instructions.

Elder Zhi took a deep breath and finally couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “What about Young Master Li? Has… has Young Master Li fled?”

“No, he is not one to fear death and cling to life. He is still in Fengdu City. I’m just afraid he won’t be able to make it in time!” Qiu Rong Wanxue said gravely.

‘I don’t want Young Master to go to his death,’ Qiu Rong Wanxue thought, ‘but I can’t just watch my Snow Shadow Ghost Clan be destroyed by Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s hand.’ She was deeply conflicted.

Elder Zhi sighed softly in his heart. ‘Even if Li Qiye goes to his death, it’s not like Shen Ran Phoenix Lady would spare our Snow Shadow Ghost Clan. To an existence like her, we are nothing but ants. Eradicating us is as easy as lifting a hand.’

“Go! If you go now, you can still make it!” Qiu Rong Wanxue ordered Elder Zhi and the other disciples.

Elder Zhi acted decisively, leading all the disciples to retreat. Unfortunately, time was not on their side. Just as they were about to leave, a menacing group of people arrived, blocking their path in the blink of an eye.

The menacing arrival of this group immediately attracted the attention of some nearby Cultivators. One look at the large bulges on their foreheads, and the nearby Cultivators’ faces paled. They backed far away, not daring to get involved.

“The Insect Emperor Dynasty!” Although it was only a dozen or so young Cultivators blocking their path, the sight of the bulges on their foreheads made both Elder Zhi and the other disciples turn deathly pale. Even Qiu Rong Wanxue’s expression changed drastically.

“It’s the Ghost Insect Demon Child’s junior brother,” someone among the distant Cultivators recognized the leader of the group, their face changing as they spoke in surprise.

These dozen or so young Cultivators were merely ordinary disciples of the Insect Emperor Dynasty. Even though their leader was just one of the Ghost Insect Demon Child’s many junior brothers, and not an outstanding genius, his presence was still enough to make many people’s faces fall. The Insect Emperor Dynasty was a long-established Emperor Immortal Gate, and the Insect Emperor Clan’s Nether Emperor Insects were a topic that made countless people turn pale with fear.

Seeing these disciples from the Insect Emperor Dynasty before them, Elder Zhi and the others turned ashen. They had all heard of how terrifying the Insect Emperor Clan was. To be bitten by a Nether Emperor Insect was a fate worse than death.

“Trying to leave? Not so easy.” The Ghost Insect Demon Child’s junior brother blocked their path with a sinister smile. The writhing bulge on his forehead was gruesome to behold.

This junior brother stared at Qiu Rong Wanxue’s group and said with a sinister laugh, “Where’s Li Qiye? Where did he go? Spit it out!”

Qiu Rong Wanxue took a deep breath and shook her head. “I don’t know his whereabouts!”

“Heh, fine. It doesn’t matter if you won’t talk. We’ll capture you alive and interrogate you slowly!” The junior brother gave a sinister smile and barked at the disciples behind him, “Go! Seize them all! Heh, don’t kill them. We’ll present them to the Phoenix Lady as a welcoming gift!”

“You all run! I’ll hold them off!” Qiu Rong Wanxue’s expression changed dramatically as all her Blood Qi erupted. The aura of a Prince surged skyward. At this moment, she was putting everything on the line.

However, the disciples of the Insect Emperor Dynasty were extremely fast. They outflanked Qiu Rong Wanxue’s group, and in the blink of an eye, it was too late for Elder Zhi and the others to escape. They were completely surrounded.