Rebirth of the Strongest Empress

Chapter 1943: Hostage (1)

Ye Qingtang heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the report. No one had seen the bodies of Jiang Lang and his wife, so perhaps they managed to escape with the Domain Monarch.

However…

It was somewhat strange. According to the ancient clan folks, the Jiang family had managed to keep their hideouts a secret. Even their informants only found out about them after the Ancient You Clan raided them.

Ye Qingtang had not heard anyone mention those hideouts before either. Those hideouts must have been a highly-classified secret.

So how did the Ancient You Clan know of them?

"Oh yes Holy Lord, there are a few more ancient clans who wish to seek protection under you. They are waiting for you outside the temple." One of the ancient clan leaders spoke up.

Ye Qingtang was already used to this. The stream of ancient clan folks who had come seeking protection had been relentless in recent days.

Silent acquiescence was acceptance.

Those ancient clan leaders immediately led their men into the Temple of Shadows. But compared to the first wave of clan members, these folks appeared exceptionally wretched and pathetic. Everyone's spirits appeared to have suffered significantly.

"Our humble greetings, Holy Lord." The clan leaders stepped forward and bowed. Their faces looked haggard and fatigued.

Upon seeing those ancient clan leaders, the expressions of the eight tribe leaders shifted.

"Isn't that the leader of the Qinyue Clan? How did you manage to find time out of your busy schedule to come to pay a visit to our Temple of Shadows?" The Goblin Tribe Leader raised his brows in sarcasm.

His comment made the clan leader very awkward and sheepish.

There had been some conflicts between the Qinyue Clan and the Goblin Tribe earlier on. As such, it wasn't surprising that the Goblin Tribe Leader had always hated the Qinyue Clan.

Previously when the various ancient clans had come seeking protection, the Qinyue Clan had publicly claimed that they would never abide by the Temple of Shadows. But now, the Qinyue Clan had come running to the Temple of Shadows for protection like a dog with its tail between its legs.

The Qinyue Clan Leader smiled bitterly after being ridiculed, but could not find any reason to retort. He gazed up at Ye Qingtang, sitting high up on her throne. "Holy Lord, I was too arrogant. After knowing the culprit was the Ancient You Clan, I thought I could arrange for my people to flee and hide beforehand, but I never expected the Ancient You Clan to be so vicious. They pursued us until we had nowhere to run or hide…"

Along with a number of other ancient clans in the mainland, the Qinyue Clan did not seek protection under the Temple of Shadows. Their leader thought they could flee with their people and hide out until it was safe.

They never expected the Ancient You Clan to be so cruel—they slaughtered anyone who had any sort of connection to the Qinyue Clan. The Ancient You Clan pursued after them relentlessly, capturing their loved ones and holding them hostage.

"Holy Lord, they have threatened to kill off every single person they have captured if we don't show up in five days… The viciousness of the Ancient You Clan is beyond belief!"

Ye Qingtang sighed inwardly at the words of the Qinyue Clan Leader. She knew better than anyone else how vicious the Ancient You Clan could be.

Countless living creatures in the First Mainland had perished because of them.

"It's not just us. Even some members of the Jiang family have been captured by the Ancient You Clan."

"Who?" Ye Qingtang's heart quivered on hearing the words 'Jiang family', but she had to maintain her neutral expression.

"I believe they are the close family of the Domain Monarch."

"The Ancient You Clan already announced that if the Domain Monarch doesn't show up in five days, they will publicly execute those captured people from the Jiang family."

Having experienced the persecution by the Ancient You Clan, the other ancient clan members were no longer surprised by the cruel methods employed.