Chapter 960: Extortion
The Netherworld King was beautiful to the extreme.
She had long, flowing blue hair, and an unblemished, exquisitely youthful face. Her red lips were like fire, and her eyes sparkled like pools of water. The angle of her eyebrows and the shape of her eyes had an unmatched, bewitching, unearthly charm.
She wore a simple black dress, without the slightest embellishment, but this only offset her snowy skin and bright eyes.
However, her disposition was as cold and cruel as a goddess’s, and she was forceful and tyrannical, with the contemptuous air of a sovereign.
Yet now, after Su Yi caned her three times, her face flushed red. She was practically insane with fury, and her prideworthy figure quivered with rage.
She stared daggers at Su Yi, as if she wanted nothing more than to skin him alive.
When she lost herself to her fury, her typical aloof, prideful, dignified air disappeared without a trace. Yet in this state, she had an altogether different charm.
“I fear nothing less than threats,” laughed Su Yi. “The more you threaten me, the more I’ll do the opposite of what you want.”
He had a clear view of the Netherworld King’s snowy skin flushing pale pink, and it was an extraordinary sight.
The Netherworld King pursed her lips and said nothing.?However, her eyes glinted with an entirely unconcealed, bone-piercing chill.
Su Yi immediately lost interest.?He raised his bamboo mallet and gently tapped her on the shoulder.
Bang!
She was originally tightly bound in fine strands of the power of the Laws, but now, they instantly disappeared.
The Netherworld King sighed with relief as her fetters disappeared.
But her gaze was still sharp and cold. “You gave up, just like that? Why not continue? Or are you already too afraid to play any longer?”
Su Yi laughed and sat back down. “This is ultimately just an avatar. Even if I thoroughly dominate it, it won’t give me much of a sense of accomplishment.”
He paused, then looked at the Netherworld King and said coolly, “Remember: you provoked me first. That I didn’t destroy your avatar was already a show of mercy.”
The Netherworld King’s starry eyes focused, and her heart was solemn.
Su Yi’s words were outwardly light and airy, but they revealed powerful murderous intent.
After a moment’s silence, the Netherworld King burst into laughter, like a frozen lake melting beneath the spring sunlight. Her smile was dazzlingly bright, with an unearthly charm.
“Fellow Daoist, it seems to me that you have other intentions for me.” The Netherworld King smiled and regained her composure. “Otherwise, someone so cold and contemptuous, who kills so decisively, would never have let me go.”
Su Yi sighed. “So, you’re not stupid after all. You’ve finally figured it out.”
“....”
Su Yi continued, disregarding her silence. “To tell the truth, you want to obtain me, but you’re really just after my ability to counter the Laws of Heavenly Prayer. And me? I want to pry more information about the Nine Heavens Pavilion out of you. It seems to me that we really do have an opportunity to help each other out. What do you think?”
The Netherworld King’s beautiful eyes flashed. “How would you like to cooperate?”
Su Yi didn’t so much as pause to think. “First, go kill Hong Ying and his allies as proof of your commitment. If you do, I’ll naturally help your true body escape confinement in the City of the Wrongfully Dead, and I wouldn’t mind joining forces with you to take down the Nine Heavens Pavilion.
The Pavilion Master of the Nine Heavens Pavilion had been searching for someone capable of contending with the Laws of Heavenly Prayer.
Su Yi already anticipated that, sooner or later, he and the Nine Heavens Pavilion would go to war.
If he had a Warden like the Netherworld King on his side when the time came, she would surely come in handy.
However, the Netherworld King merely jeered. “You call that cooperation? You’re obviously just trying to use me as a weapon. You’re showing no sincerity whatsoever.”
Su Yi took a deep look at her. “As of now, I am the only person in this world capable of countering the Laws of Heavenly Prayer.”
One sentence, and the Netherworld King’s jeer froze.
“There’s absolutely no need for you to disguise your hatred of the Nine Heavens Pavilion. If you didn’t hate them, there would have been no need for you to go so far as to steal Heaven-Deceiving Grass Grass from the Deva Division at the cost of irrevocably offending the Infernal Palace.” Su Yi stroked his jaw. “Although I don’t know why you hate them, I can say with certainty that with your disposition, you’re sure to attempt revenge.
“And I am certain that I can help you better than anyone.”
Here, Su Yi raised a jug of wine and took a sip. “You can take your time to think it over.”
“Oh?” said the Netherworld King, suddenly nothing but smiles. “Su Xuanjun, overconfidence isn’t a good thing. Do you really think I have no other choice?”
As she spoke, her gaze became proud and contemptuous. “Back in the City of the Wrongfully Dead, I told you that I wasn’t afraid to play with fire. I said it then, and I’ll say it again: either I subdue you and have you crawl obediently beneath my feet, or you subdue me. If you do, why not let you do with me as you please?”
There was no doubt about it: the Netherworld King still wasn’t convinced, and she still wanted to find an opportunity to subdue Su Yi for her own use.
Su Yi wasn’t exactly disappointed by this. Instead, he laughed. “I also remember you saying that you had a Mysterious Keyhole Charm Body, and that those with this talent were unique, unmatched vessels for dual cultivation. Don’t forget what you’ve said if the day comes that you suffer a crushing defeat at my hands.”
“....”
The Netherworld King suddenly recalled Su Yi beating her with the bamboo mallet, and that stinging pain and humiliation. Shame coursed through her heart once more.
Her starry eyes bore into Su Yi, and her red lips parted. “Very well,” she said emphatically, “We’ll see who dominates who in the end!”
With that, she disappeared into thin air.
Su Yi didn’t stop her. He just sat there and drank on his own, just as calm and leisurely as before.
The Netherworld King was an unmatched charmer, but she had a fanatical, cruel disposition. Way back in ancient times, she was a sovereign-like figure who struck terror into the hearts of the Netherworld’s trillions of cultivators.
Making a woman like that lower her head and cooperate definitely wasn’t going to be easy.
After all, back in the day, the Infernal Palace dispatched numerous experts and all manner of divine artifacts. Even so, they had to pay a grievous price to imprison the Netherworld King in the City of the Wrongfully Dead.
Countless years had passed since then, and the Infernal Palace had long since disappeared into the river of history, but the Netherworld King still lived. It was easy to imagine how terrifying her abilities and foundation were.
After finishing his jug of wine, Su Yi got up and drifted away.
……
The Dark Market.
Grand Tripod Pavilion.
“Your Excellency, these are the only three Profound Enlightenment Stones in the Grand Tripod Pavilion. Please accept them with a smile.”
The man in charge of the Grand Tripod Pavilion, Elder Mo, smiled toadyishly and proffered a jade box with both hands.
A big, fat, orange cat lay there languidly, drinking wine in great big gulps.
When the cat heard that, it looked up, and it couldn’t help but snort. “Three pieces? What, are you trying to fob off a beggar? Let me tell you: if your Grand Tripod Pavilion can’t gather at least ten pieces of Profound Enlightenment Stone within the day, it’ll soon disappear from the City of Eternal Night!”
Elder Mo shuddered from head to toe, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He said hurriedly, “Your Excellency, please, let me finish speaking. Although we only have three pieces of Profound Enlightenment Stone, our Grand Tripod Pavilion also has four Divine Spirit Nirvana Stones and three Blood-Cleansing Stones. Added together, that’s exactly ten.”
“‘Exactly ten?’” The orange cat’s blue eyes shone with mockery. “Alright, then I’d like to see another set of ‘exactly ten!’”
“Err….” Elder Mo’s face filled with bitterness, and he felt the urge to cry.
“Feh! Quit pretending to be poor! Over the years, your Grand Tripod Pavilion has accumulated countless treasures in the Dark Market. It’s just ten pieces of Xiantian jade, that’s all. That’s just a drop in the bucket to the Grand Tripod Pavilion.” The orange cat seemed to have lost its patience, and its claws tapped the tabletop. “Give it to me straight: how many pieces do you have?”
Elder Mo’s expression shifted erratically. Finally, he gnashed his teeth and said, “Your Excellency, I can offer you five more pieces at most. I can’t give you any more than that, not even if you kill me.”
The cat snorted coldly. “Why not just take them out in the first place? Why make me resort to coercion? Have you no shame?”
Elder Mo lowered his head. He dared not argue, but his heart was full of bitterness and frustration.
In the City of Eternal Night, only old-timers like him knew just how tyrannical and domineering “His Excellency Kaiyang” was.
Of course, under ordinary circumstances, Kaiyang disdained resorting to threats and coercion like this.
Before long, the orange cat took the treasures and went on its way. Before leaving the shop, it warned the shopkeeper with feigned casualness, “You do know what to say if my master asks about this, right?”
Elder Mo instantly understood. “Got it!”
The orange cat sighed. “I’m sure he’s fully aware already, but there’s no way he’ll ask about it in the near future. If he does ask, it’ll just be to use this as an excuse to teach me a lesson.”
But then, its spirits soared.
It was currently working on His Excellency Su’s behalf. Even if his master disapproved of him “extorting” the unscrupulous merchants of the Dark Market, he would surely look the other way!
Similar scenes took place at the other top trading companies of the Dark Market, one after another.
Just like Giant Tripod Pavilion, these trading companies had been stationed in the City of Eternal Night for a long, long time. Their roots ran deep, and business flourished. All had monstrously powerful backgrounds. Pick any top trading company at random, and you’d discover that the faction behind them was almost certainly one of the Netherworld’s peak orthodoxies!
Yet today, every last one of them was “extorted” by a fat orange cat.
A dragon couldn’t overpower a local serpent.
And the Timekeeper—the strongest and most mysterious “local serpent” in the City of Eternal Night—stood beside the orange cat.
When the orange cat extorted them, who dared refuse to cooperate?
Some of the top trading companies were even delighted to give the Three Stones of Rebirth away.
Building a positive relationship with the orange cat effectively meant establishing a connection with its master. Even if the Timekeeper didn’t assist them in future business deals, it was sure to prevent numerous future troubles!
“Shopkeeper, do you have any of the Three Stones of Rebirth?”
A gray-haired young man appeared in Giant Tripod Pavilion, walked right up to Elder Mo, and directly stated his reason for coming. “No matter how many you have, and no matter how much you want for them, I want every one you’ve got.”
He looked young, but as his eyes moved, they carried the vicissitudes of the years.
A wealthy customer! Elder Mo’s eyes lit up, but when he recalled the treasures the orange cat had extorted out of him, he couldn’t help but wail inwardly.
“There’s none left,” he said with a feeble wave. “Not even one. You’d best ask at another place.”
The gray-haired young man frowned. “I’ve already visited the other shops, but all of them were sold out.”
Elder Mo was stunned.So, His Excellency Kaiyang extorted the others too?
For some reason, this thought made him feel much better.
He coughed dryly and said, “Dear customer, I urge you not to waste your energy. You arrived one step too late. Someone has already extorted… Err, I mean, someone has already bought all of the Three Stones of Rebirth available in the Dark Market.”
The gray-haired young man was completely stunned, and his whirlpool-like eyes shone with wisps of intimidating light.
He’d come to the City of Eternal Night to buy the Three Stones of Rebirth in the first place! Who’d have thought someone would buy them all up before he got the chance?
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