Evil Emperor Zun

Chapter 2031 The Man Favored by the Heavenly Calamity
When Baili Ji was severely injured by Ye Yunyan and reverted to his original form, on the verge of death, Cain appeared on his spaceship.

Feng Gewu was personally guarding the little bat when she saw him, and the moment she did, she was terrified and her whole body went cold. He was a messenger of death, and she feared that his appearance would foreshadow disaster for the adults.

Cain walked expressionlessly through the spacious room, stopped in front of the little bat, lowered his eyes, and quietly scrutinized it.

When he was dressed simply and remained silent, he would appear weak and easily bullied. But given his current status, his silence symbolized a lofty and inviolable authority. Feng Gewu subconsciously stepped aside, stealing a few glances at him before finally mustering the courage to take her leave.

Cain didn't care whether she stayed or left. As he intently watched the dying little bat, no one knew what he was thinking. Perhaps he was recalling its triumphant appearance before him; perhaps he was lamenting the retribution that had befallen it, though not of his own making; or perhaps he was simply waiting calmly. After all, he knew everything. He knew when it would recover, or when it would die.

The little ferret darted out of his arms and circled around the little bat, seemingly mistaking it for food, burying its head to nibble at the drooping little wing.

Cain finally reacted. He put a finger to the little ferret's mouth, letting it bite his hand, then picked it up again, his gaze remaining unchanged.

……

The next time Feng Gewu saw Cain was when she was pounding medicine for Baili Ji.

Since the adult is currently unable to take medicine, she needs to first crush each of the rare and precious herbs on the prescription, boil them into a medicinal soup, and then soak the little bat in it to absorb the medicinal properties. The process of crushing and boiling the herbs is very tedious, and this is something that Feng Gewu doesn't actually need to do herself, but she admires Baili Ji and wants to do her part for him.

Cain walked up to her and said only two words: "I'll do it." He then took the medicine bowl from her and calmly took over her work.

Someone will definitely come to prepare the medicine. Whether it's Feng Gewu or someone else, it won't make much difference. This level of intervention seems to be permitted by the will of Heaven.

Later, Feng Wutong, who happened to be passing by, saw this scene and let out a short scream as if she had been choked.

That's the embodiment of a calamity from heaven! And yet it's working so hard, grinding medicine for its master! When will I ever meet someone so kind to me?
It was at that moment that Feng Wutong conceived the idea of ​​retiring from the world. The path of cultivation was endlessly perilous; even if she possessed the strength of an adult, she still didn't know when her life would be in danger. In any case, the resources she had accumulated over the years were enough for her to live a good life. What she longed for most now was someone who could give her love and happiness.

……

As Cain walked into the monitoring room, all eyes immediately turned to him.

Previously, Feng Yi'er had lured away most of the pursuers, but even the remaining small group, as displayed on the monitor, still appeared as a dense fleet of warships. The oppressive atmosphere and despair, magnified many times by the giant screen, heavily enveloped everyone present.

Cain, along with them, stared at the scene on the screen. Time passed silently, when suddenly, a burning meteorite slashed diagonally across the screen, crashing into an enemy ship with a loud thud!
The violent explosion quickly affected the adjacent warships, with flames spreading out one after another.

A perfectly good warship being destroyed by a meteorite falling from the sky—this kind of low-probability misfortune should definitely fall into the category of "calamity," right? Everyone who came to their senses looked at Cain. Was there even a hint of favoritism involved?

Even if everyone on those warships was destined to die from the meteorite impact, could he bring that time forward? What exactly is his authority, and can he use that authority for their benefit?
The chase continued for some time, and this time everyone discovered from the monitoring screen that the Second King of the Solitary Awakening Court had withdrawn his troops without reason.

Rumors say that besides Baili Ji, the only person Cain has accepted is the Solitary Awakening King. Now, that force is actually giving them face at this crucial moment. Could he have exerted any influence on this? Even if he doesn't say anything, just the fact that the outside world knows he wants to protect Baili Ji, wouldn't that be enough to influence their actions?

With the departure of the two kings, it was equivalent to withdrawing one of their strongest combat forces. The other fleets, realizing that the situation was hopeless, followed suit one after another.

……

After Baili Ji woke up, Feng Gewu and Feng Wutong told him what had happened while he was unconscious, emphasizing how Cain had taken such good care of him.

Baili Ji showed no gratitude whatsoever after hearing this. When he saw him again, he still had that same lazy, slightly disdainful tone:
"It's such a shame that you couldn't take my life after guarding me for so long."

Cain met his gaze calmly, as if emotionlessly stamping each of his words with a "read" mark: "Why do you think I want to take your life?"

Baili Ji chuckled mockingly: "Or are you waiting for me to recover soon?"

Cain answered immediately, "Yes." He didn't even flinch; he simply stated a fact calmly.

Baili Ji's sarcastic remark, which he hadn't yet uttered, was choked back.

……

His indifference could certainly be interpreted as cold-blooded and ungrateful, but there might be another explanation between Baili Ji and Cain.

Gratitude often involves a element of surprise. You feel grateful when someone does something that exceeds your expectations. For example, if you need to borrow money from a friend, and you feel the amount is a bit large, your friend isn't financially well-off, and your friendship might not be worth the money—but your friend agrees without hesitation, this feeling that arises along with the unexpected is true gratitude.

If the relationship itself falls within that framework, and the other person's behavior also conforms to that framework, then it's as natural as turning on a switch and the light bulb will turn on—there's no need for extra gratitude.

It sounds simple, but human nature is always inclined to seek advantage and avoid harm. When you are successful, everyone flatters you and fears you, but once you lose power, they will be eager to take your life.

Baili Ji knew perfectly well that even many of his subordinates were bound by a soul contract, which was why they hadn't betrayed him; otherwise, they would have wanted to tear him apart even more than his enemies. It was extremely rare for him to believe that there was someone who, no matter what situation he was in, would never kick him when he was down and would always stand by him as a friend.

The scope is very limited, but at the very least, Cain must be one of them.

……

"Hehe, I see."

A sudden burst of laughter rang out, carrying with it the oppressive aura unique to the entire dark space.

Only then did Baili Ji realize that the several things he had recalled about Cain, brought up by the king's thoughts, had all been read by the other party in this space where consciousness was connected. However, he himself could not read any of the other party's memories.

And that kingly will, with a tone of having just watched a good show, commented with a smile:

"That's really true. As long as you're the first to unleash the devil, the devil will treat you differently."

Wasn't that the sentence spoken by the mysterious man Feng Yi'er encountered in the Lost Galaxy? She hadn't even recalled that incident, yet he had read it?

"Enough with the nonsense." Baili Ji didn't want to be led by the nose any longer, so he decided to take the initiative. "What are your conditions for becoming king?"

"I agreed to the cooperation you just mentioned. Now I'm asking, how can I help you become king?" A subtle yet clear question flashed through this space, like a rumbling thunderclap across a clear sky.

"Heh, you agreed so readily, I'm actually a little uneasy. Maybe you just want to find out my plans and sabotage them... Don't forget, this is my territory, I can sense what you're thinking."

Baili Ji, who was already prepared, replied, "How can we cooperate if there's not even a little trust?"

The same thick darkness seemed to surge even more mysteriously and cunningly at this moment.

"Okay, let's take the first step in building trust."

"What I can offer in terms of sincerity is this space. You can leave your soul imprint on it whenever you wish. And all I need from you is a small demonstration of your stance."

"Xiao Yezi is a very smart girl. Her investigation is getting deeper and deeper, and I feel that she is about to discover my secret. I tried to warn her, but she seems to become more determined with each setback."

"No matter what method you use, I hope you will stop her."

“You can take this as a request, or you can take it as an opportunity I’m giving you. Because if you can’t do it, I’ll have to use my own methods, which you definitely won’t like.”

"For example, I can show her some interesting memories."

"If she finds out what you did to her most beloved dimension... do you think she'll still be in the mood to continue targeting me?"

The mere emergence of this possibility sent a chill down Baili Ji's spine.

"So, this is actually a threat." If his thoughts had a physical form, he would have uttered this sentence through gritted teeth.

"To call it a threat is too harsh." The king slowly sent out a soothing message, but it carried an extremely unpleasant damp and cold feeling. "We're talking about a deal, aren't we? A deal is you putting up your chips, me putting up mine, and agreeing on the consequences of breach of contract. As long as no one breaches the contract, nothing will happen."

"Besides, I'm not forcing you. If you're truly willing to cooperate with me, you'll have to get rid of Xiao Yezi sooner or later. I could have taken direct action, but considering how important Xiao Yezi is to you, I gave you time to resolve the issue in a gentler way. This shouldn't even be called a condition, but rather a gift from me, full of goodwill."

"Your personality is even more disgusting than your appearance." This was Baili Ji's truest thought at that moment.

The king laughed indifferently: "Hehe, consider the right to curse me a gift from me. Now, I'm going to make my next condition."

"Secondly, I want Chen Shiyu's genes."

"As far as I know, you're also very interested in his genes, aren't you? If mine's in it, yours will too. Besides, you've long disliked Xiao Yezi being so close to him, haven't you?"

In the darkness, only silence flowed slowly.

The two demands made by the Devouring Clan—ensuring the birth of a king and sharing nourishment—were not difficult for Baili Ji. His real concern was that this king's will was treacherous and cunning; even if he followed his orders, there was no guarantee of a good outcome. If even the existence of this clan's intelligence was questionable, why should he believe other rumors to be true?

If all common sense about these things can be overturned, then any scheme that is out in the open may also be a deception, a cover for a larger, more terrifying purpose.

Moreover, he never clearly explained what he intended to do with purifying the soul. Perhaps he will only tell the truth after he has "proven" his stance.

"I'll think about it." This was Baili Ji's final reply.

……

Peaceful days are always short-lived.

That evening, Chu Tianyao received a letter slipped under the door.

This letter confirmed a lingering worry in his heart.

The power bestowed by the Devourers is corrosive. Like a poison that enhances strength, it requires periodic administration of an antidote to suppress its effects. Failure to take the antidote on time will result in death—a common tactic used by those in power to control their subordinates.

The power to gain without effort is indeed not so easy to obtain.

Once someone receives the supernatural power infusion, they must continuously undergo "blood transfusions" from the Gnawing Clan. Of course, the Gnawing Clan doesn't accept everyone indiscriminately; they will decide whether to continue the blood transfusions and spare the person's life based on their performance.

Chu Tianyao's previous assistance to Chen Shiyu in retrieving the clones was tantamount to betraying the Devouring Clan. This means he will no longer receive blood transfusions from the Devouring Clan. His inevitable demise awaits him.

He knew best what changes were happening inside his body. Therefore, he believed that the letter was not an exaggeration.

Chu Tianyao read the next few paragraphs several times.

"I am the only one who can help you."

“I can plead with the Gnawing Clan for you. I guarantee I can persuade them. As long as you do me a favor in return.”

"Please go and tell Chen Shiyu and Ye Yunyan: I went to seek revenge on you, but you have already taken me into your clone machine. So they no longer need to worry about the threat of clones."

"If you handle things well, please leave your reply at the address I specify. I will use this method to contact you. We will likely need each other's help in the future."

"You can also choose to tell your companion the location I gave you. That way I'll know your answer."

The letter was written in a very polite and composed manner, not at all like something written by a defeated opponent.

Indeed, the other party now holds his lifeline and is no longer a defeated opponent.

—This letter is from Hei Shiyu!