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Bai Haoran was in good spirits. He could already guess what decision Ye Zichen would make.

Before, he'd worried that in the face of extreme fury, Ye Zichen would make some irrational decision. When that happened, it would be even more troublesome and difficult to calm things down.

But now, it seemed Ye Zichen knew what was good for him.

As he thought this, Bai Haoran's eyes gradually lit up. Yes, indeed, this Ye Zichen kid is smart. He knows when to back down. Even a mighty warrior needs to know when to fight and when to give up.

Although quite a few Bai Family members had died, they were all small fries from the estate's outer perimeter. Bai Haoran didn't care in the slightest.

So long as Ye Zichen retreated, Bai Haoran could go talk to the God Emperor, who would naturally pass judgment on their behalf.

"Family Head Bai." By now, Ye Zichen and Bai Haoran had already hooked their arms around each other's shoulders and walked to a spot not too far from the others. Ye Zichen let out a long, melancholy sigh, as if he'd seen the error of his ways. "Thank you, Family Head Bai, for making so many concessions and treating this humble one with so much respect. Unfortunately…."

Bai Haoran was waiting expectantly to see where Ye Zichen would take this. The way he saw it, listening a little longer didn't matter. In any event, the curtains had already closed on this incident. As Ye Zichen's senior, he wouldn't mind guiding him a little.

Just as he nodded and chucked, he felt a sudden chill near the pit of his stomach.

When he looked down, he saw a shining, silvery dagger embedded in his c.h.e.s.t. Blood gushed from the wound, flowing down his torso.

"You?"

Ye Zichen had obtained this dagger upon opening the third floor of the Yao-Sealing Pagoda. It was coated in flying serpent venom. Apparently, back in the day, the Five Elements Great Emperor had broken off the head of the Flying Serpent Clan's poisonous fangs, then given them to the artisans of the third layer to refine into weapons.

The venom could instantly spread throughout the victim's body, instantly killing anyone beneath the ruler level.

Mid-stage rulers and below could at most circulate their divine power to delay death for a while. Above that level, the poison's effects were minimal, but it could still paralyze its target.

Ye Zichen's eyes flashed with vicious light. He clenched the dagger and shoved it in even further. "You never took me seriously at all, nor were you ever on guard against me. You aren't wearing even the most basic level of divine armor. You say I'm wantonly arrogant, but look at you now. In the end, just which one of us let their pride go to their head?"

The poison spread from the wound in Bai Haoran's c.h.e.s.t, and in just a breath of time, the blood flowing from the wound went from red to black. He was now paralyzed, unable to so much as twitch of his own volition.

He'd raised a hand to fight back, but it fell, quivering and useless. His lips quivered faintly, but no words came out.

All he could do was glare at Ye Zichen as his vision gradually blurred.

"My apologies," said Ye Zichen, "but I said it already: I am taking Bai Yulong's life no matter what."

He hadn't been wrong, exactly.

When all those Bai Family Experts appeared, anyone else would have backed down when Bai Haoran offered an easy opportunity to do so. To do otherwise would be like attacking a rock with an egg. It was hopeless. Who would make such a decision in the face of certain doom?

He was mistaken only in that he'd underestimated Ye Zichen's determination.

Bai Yulong had to die.

As did anyone who got in Ye Zichen's way.

Ye Zichen had the sudden realization that sometimes, dirty tricks felt great. Compared to doing things justly and out in the open, this saved him a lot of time.

…

"This little young master is really pretty vicious, huh?" The mustached Ol' Three couldn't help but exclaim. He and the other Divine Generals had watched the whole thing play out, and they naturally witnessed Ye Zichen's methods firsthand.

"Is that such a bad thing? His methods have really won my approval," laughed Ol' Five. "No wonder he's the boss' nephew."

"I didn't say that!" Ol' Five was suddenly Frantic. "Eighteen, did I say anything like that?"

Eighteen was a man of few words, as always. He didn't join in the conversation. Ol' Five scratched his head, then fearfully dashed up to Thirteen to try and talk this over.

Ye Zichen had been sneaky and ruthless.

This method was unorthodox, and frankly, a bit shameless. Still, the Divine Generals merely chuckled. They didn't mind at all.

Unorthodox? Underhanded? So what?

Who dared say they'd never done anything worth feeling guilty over? Even they, this bunch of Divine Generals, had used underhanded tactics quite a few times before.

Treating your enemies too kindly was irresponsible to oneself and to one's people. If pressed, they would say that Ye Zichen was just keeping his word.

After all, he'd said it quite clearly: Anyone who stood in his way would die!

Yet Bai Haoran stubbornly refused to give up his nephew.

….

Some of the Bai Family members had already discovered that something was amiss. Why had Bai Haoran followed Ye Zichen off for a private chat? What did the two of them even have to discuss? Furthermore, shortly after Bai Haoran left, his body froze, growing rigid, unmoving, and decidedly out of the ordinary.

Some of his clansmen reached out with their divine senses, only to discover….

"Family Head!"

"Elder Brother!"

The instant their divine senses, they discovered the dagger buried in Bai Haoran's c.h.e.s.t, as well as the black blood gushing from the wound.

Ye Zichen smiled coldly, then lightly shoved Bai Haoran away.

"Kill them!" As Ye Zichen roared, Wei Rui led the yao servants in a mad rush towards the Bai Family, and the Outsider rulers followed suit.

From their expressions, it seemed they'd known this would happen in advance.

They were frantic. They didn't even know whether the family head was alive or dead, and they were facing the combined onslaught of so many yao servants and Outsider rulers all at once. They had an obvious advantage in numbers, yet many of them chose to flee or hurriedly throw together some kind of defense.

In the blink of an eye, the skies above the estate were in upheaval.

"Family Head!"

The Bai Family experts caught Bai Haoran, and when they saw his wounds, their eyes went bloodshot. "You're seeking death!"

A few rulers stepped into the air, but the Great Sage had been watching on alert for this. He stepped forward as well, waving his staff.

This time, however, his opponents weren't diviners, but other rulers. Although the Great Sage's cultivation was still higher, they were still rulers, and they had him surrounded. He couldn't just wipe the floor with them in an instant like he had earlier. d

"Young Master, we're here to help you!" The Divine Generals of the Profound Pavilion rushed over and, with a shout, joined the fray.

Ye Zichen didn't recognize the Divine Generals of the Profound Pavilion, but he could sense their good intentions.

The Great Sage and the other rulers evaluated these new arrivals and knew they were allies, not enemies. Although they'd never fought together before, at their level, it didn't long before they started coordinating their attacks smoothly.