59 No Need to Delay (2/2)

”S-She was killed by a man that called himself Xiao Ping. A late-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivator, protected by nearly 50 Immortal Realm experts from the Ming Empire. He was still absorbing her remnant life force when we arrived.”

Han De raised an eyebrow.

'He is an MC, why would he do that to his Love Interest A? The cultivation difference is so huge too, he was only at the mid-stage of the Core Formation realm, just like me.'

Han De shook his head.

'It fits if he is transitioning into a demonic MC. This might actually be a part of his background tragedy. A prelude to a super-power up.'

”T-This person blamed you for what happened to Elder Xiao Lan, and vowed revenge against you, your family, and your disciples…”

When the name Xiao Ping appeared, Han De was expecting some sort of revenge development. But he didn't expect it to come with full force. So far he had kept his calm, mostly. But that was changing by the second.

'50 Immortal Realm experts mean he has the support of the Ming Empire. They killed her even though she became a Starfall Mountain elder. They even imprisoned or crippled one of my lackeys too…'

'I shouldn't have considered my 'image' back then. I should've just told my lackeys to kill him on the battlegrounds after he appeared. All of this could've been avoided if I hadn't hesitated.'

Han De began pacing the room out of habit. His mind filtered everyone in the room. The frowning disciples, the mother with dead eyes, the lackeys with dark faces, he ignored them all.

'Shit… Shit, shit, shit. This is pretty much the worst-case scenario. Late-stage Nascent soul in 2 months. Probably will breakthrough into Spirit Origin soon…'

Every cultivation realm was a qualitative change. Unless one was an MC, it was impossible to exchange blows with an expert of a higher realm. Right now Xiao Ping could kill Han De with a flick of his sleeve. Of course, he'd have to go through Han De's life-saving items first, and once Han De is aware of a sneak attack the escape items will come into play as well. But those were just delaying tactics. What if the reinforcements never arrive?

'I can't even order someone to kill him. His father is the frickin' emperor! What the hell am I gonna say?'

' ”Sorry, your highness. I accidentally sent 10 Transcendent Masters on an accidental assassination mission and they accidentally burned the soul of the son you favored. Truly my bad! But don't worry, it won't happen again!” '

Han De took a deep breath. Panicking wasn't going to help him.

'I can't kill him without cause. Xiao Lan's and the lackey's status are too low for a revenge kill. Let's not start a war just yet.'

'Xiao Ping attacking me is actually my best choice. That'll give me the justification. I only need to stay alive during his attack.'

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The thought made him shake his head. Ning Bi had to stay close to him at all times. Even shockwaves from a Nascent Soul attack could easily kill a Qi Condensation disciple. Han De couldn't put her in the line of fire, therefore he couldn't put himself as well.

Suddenly he stopped. There was a strange pressure in the air. Only after looking around, he spotted his mother and her unfocused and dead-looking eyes.

'F#$%...'

When Han De first gave the order to kill Xiao Ping, it was out of panic. Later, he justified it by calling him an MC. Surely an MC wouldn't get caught by an arrogant young master's lackeys. And in the end, he was right.

Later he almost dueled him but was interrupted by the Ming Emperor. At that point, he couldn't issue a kill order. He was both relieved and concerned at the same time. Perhaps he was hoping that the issue would get solved over time, perhaps this Xiao Ping could move beyond revenge, and go to higher realms without ever bothering him.

Of course, he knew that wasn't the case anymore. Now, he had no qualms about giving an order to burn his soul. Back in the Brass Stallion city, the cockroach was a threat to his very existence. Although the violence of the cockroach's death gave him quite a few sleepless nights, he didn't regret it. As far as Han De was concerned, Xiao Ping was now at the same level of threat.

But. That didn't mean Han De was OK with his mother's way of handling things. He just wanted Xiao Ping dead, not the whole Ming Empire and its inhabitants.

”M-Mother, let's calm d-down…”

Long Xiu's gaze turned to her son. She gave a smile that wasn't a smile. Many things were going through her mind, but when she looked at her son, her decision was already made. Her smile grew wider, but it still failed to reach her eyes.

”M-Mother, it's just an empty threat from an ant, there is no need to be concerne-”

”My little De. I know you are soft, but this is something mommy has to do.”

Han De watched his mother stand up. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. That wide smile was still present on her face.

”I tolerated that Ming trash for your sake, but no more.”

Long Xiu disappeared into thin air. Everyone in the room focused on the window. The bright sunlight that was coming from it disappeared. After a muffled whoosh sound, the cloudless sky changed into a hazy smoke, followed by a heavy stench of ash.

Han De gestured towards Ning Bi and went over to the deck with her. The disciples, the lackeys, and the Han family members all saw the scorched ground. With the intelligence network of the Han family, they could immediately tell where they were. This was the Ming Empire capital, or more accurately, what remained of it. The only standing structure was the Ming Palace in the distance. Long Xiu was standing in mid-air between the flagship and the palace.

”Ming Zian. You should've known better. I will give you a minute. If you cripple all your descendants and tear off all your limbs, I will allow your suffering to end after your lifespan…”

Long Xiu didn't shout, but her voice was heard by everyone. Her tone didn't have a hint of anger or any other emotions. It was as if she was reading an instruction manual out loud.

Han De felt tremendous regret for having his mother listen in on their conversation. The news would eventually go to her ears, but at least he would have time to prepare and calm her down. But now, they skipped directly to the worst-case scenario. Just thinking about it was enough to turn his stomach upside down.