Chapter 269 - 268: Sowing Discord

The one-hit takedown he’d envisioned never happened. Yan Tianba stared in shock, clutching his right shoulder where he had been struck hard yet again.

He stared in disbelief. "How? How are you two completely fine?"

That person had told him that as long as the needles hit, there was a ninety-percent certainty they would seal their targets’ soul domains and Spirit Domains, leaving them no opportunity to retaliate.

Xi Yu retracted his tentacles, his heart pounding with excitement. He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again.

’He didn’t like talking to ugly old men.’

Ling Yanzhi reached behind his back, fumbled for a moment, and then pulled a Beast Needle of a nearly identical color from his Space Ring.

He made a motion as if pulling it out of his back. "You mean this?"

Yan Tianba stared at the needle in Ling Yanzhi’s hand, his mind reeling.

’This wasn’t what that person had promised at all.’

’Weren’t the special needles supposed to melt into the body, fusing with both the person and their Soul Beast upon impact?’

He had spent nearly a decade having them developed; their value was far beyond what money could measure.

And those ten custom cannon shots! Each one cost a billion Emperor Wolf Star Coins!

Ling Yanzhi let out a soft, derisive laugh. "Doesn’t look like it even went in. Did you pull this piece of junk from a recycling bin? Scratching an itch hurts more than this thing."

He tossed it to the ground and crushed it under his heel. "This thing’s worthless. I destroyed it for you. No need to thank me."

Yan Tianba’s face turned livid. He stubbornly scrutinized the two of them, desperately searching for any sign of discomfort.

He steadied himself and stated bluntly, "Even if I can’t defeat you, I can wear you down to nothing. You don’t have much energy left, do you?"

Ling Yanzhi raised an eyebrow. "So what?"

Yan Tianba scoffed. "Others may not know the extent of your soul domains, but how could I not? I sent waves of men to deplete your energy. You already burned through most of it back at the Slave Market."

Xi Yu stated flatly, "We have enough to beat you."

Without another word, the three of them clashed again.

Yan Tianba stalled for some time, but his backup never arrived.

He kept glancing in a particular direction, impatience clear on his face.

In a moment of carelessness, the Red Snake’s tail lashed out and sent him flying.

Xi Yu’s tentacles bound him and began dragging him away.

"Enough!" Yan Tianba’s face flushed red with rage. He had never been so humiliated, not even before becoming an Admiral.

The Red Snake flew back to Ling Yanzhi, coiling over his shoulders.

Forgetting his pride, Yan Tianba watched as Xi Yu began to drag him away and yelled furiously, "I am a Five-star Admiral of Emperor Wolf Star! Where do you think you’re taking me?!"

Xi Yu stopped. "Ayan, he’s a Five-star Admiral."

Ling Yanzhi exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, "Well, damn! Why didn’t you say so sooner!"

He waved a hand. "Take him back to the Alliance."

"..." Yan Tianba gritted his teeth and slammed his palm down, sundering the tentacles around his body.

He summoned his Soul Beast. "The Alliance has no right to judge me, and you two don’t have what it takes to leave Emperor Wolf Star!"

Yan Tianba spun around and lunged, slashing out with his claws.

Yang Zhang’s tentacle was split apart, splaying open into three or four sections like a blooming flower.

It hastily retreated to its master’s side, relieved it had conserved energy by not manifesting its main body.

Yang Zhang’s tentacle tips swayed like seaweed, absorbing all the Green Mist that was steadily flowing onto the battlefield.

Though it couldn’t replenish its energy, that didn’t stop it from enjoying a tasty snack.

’My baby is so thoughtful!’

Xi Yu’s gaze lingered adoringly on Jian Yu at the foot of the mountain.

Jian Yu blinked.

Unfortunately, while she could see Xi Yu perfectly, he couldn’t make out the subtle changes in her expression from that distance.

Yan Tianba followed Xi Yu’s gaze, looking down the mountain.

He knew of Jian Yu. She had an Awakened Healing Soul Beast and, like Zhao Jiangyou, was nothing more than a pretty face.

’Utterly useless, aside from her looks.’

When Yan Yu had returned, injured, he’d mentioned Jian Yu often. To convince Yan Ying to avenge him, he had repeatedly belittled and mocked Jian Yu’s "useless" Soul Beast.

Yan Tianba had even sent men to capture Jian Yu, but she had managed to evade them every time.

A knot of frustration tightened in his chest at the thought.

"Don’t you dare look at my baby with your filthy eyes." Xi Yu’s expression turned grim. "You old bastard. If you’re too stupid to live, then just die!"

His eight slick, black tentacles, now glowing red with rage, became streaks of lightning. They sliced through the bright daylight with a sharp WHOOSHING sound.

Yan Tianba’s pupils shrank. He stumbled backward in a desperate attempt to dodge.

BOOM!

Two tentacles slammed down right where he had been standing, sending stone fragments flying as they plunged deep into the solid earth.

The tips of two other tentacles pierced straight through the cliff face behind him. Rubble tumbled down with a CRASH, leaving two dark, gaping holes.

The remaining tentacles swarmed him, binding his limbs and torso tightly.

The immense force held him completely immobile.

The Soul Wolf clawed at the tentacles on his arm, tearing them apart.

But before Yan Tianba could even sigh in relief, the Soul Wolf was flung away.

At the same moment, the Red Snake coiled fiercely around his neck.

The cold, slippery scales made his skin crawl. The snake’s tail tightened, crushing his windpipe.

Yan Tianba gasped for air, his face quickly turning crimson.

He clawed at the Red Snake, veins bulging on his forehead as he struggled desperately. A choked gurgling sound, "GHKK... GHKK..." escaped his throat.

"What’s the point of risking your lives for the Alliance? When has the Alliance ever recognized your contributions?"

Yan Tianba taunted, "I just told a few jokes during a meeting, and your Super 3S rank was knocked down to a standard Level 3S. You fought to the death to get from Vice Admiral to Admiral. Last year, you rendered outstanding service, but the Alliance held you back, using your age as an excuse to deny you a promotion."

His tone was dangerously persuasive.

"The Imperial Capital Star owes its current standing to the support of people like you. But how has the Alliance repaid you? Other than dumping you in some academy to play at being leaders, what have they ever given you?"

"To put it nicely, you’re the Imperial City’s finest, an interstellar gold-medal investigator, a Three-star Admiral of the Alliance. To be blunt, you’re treated worse than cattle. The students from the academy use your resources to get ahead, but once they graduate, what does any of it have to do with you?"

"You give the Alliance everything, and they give you scraps in return. For years, malicious rumors about you have circulated through the interstellar network. Did the Alliance ever step in to set the record straight? They only remember you exist when there’s a mission. Without one, you could rot away, and no one would even remember your names!"

Yan Tianba watched the two of them, carefully observing their expressions.

His voice was laced with temptation. "Join us on Emperor Wolf Star. I promise that none of this will ever happen to you again. Those rumors the Alliance never bothered to refute? I’ll clear your names. The promotions the Alliance denied you? I’ll grant them. Whatever you desire, I can make it a reality."

Xi Yu’s brow furrowed. "This sounds familiar," he muttered to himself.

Ling Yanzhi glanced at him, not understanding. ’What sounds familiar?’

Yan Tianba continued his patient spiel.

He looked up and saw that the two of them seemed lost in thought. Instantly, he dropped his benevolent facade and broke free of their hold.

"Emperor Wolf Star has seceded from the Alliance. As of today, it is officially independent. You have trespassed on Emperor Wolf Star’s sovereign territory without permission and viciously assaulted a military officer. I have the right to place you under arrest."

Yan Tianba stood tall. "Surrender, submit to an inspection, and we will let the Alliance come retrieve you. Otherwise, I will be forced to be less... hospitable."

Xi Yu’s expression was calm, but his words cut straight to the heart of the matter. "You just want to use us for your experiments."