I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Lin Che holstered his gun and stood still, calmly watching the disheveled figure before him.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke:

"vassal?"

Those two words were spoken lightly, without any emotion, yet they sent a chill down Zhao Changkong's spine.

He lowered his head even further, almost burying it in his chest, his voice hoarse and urgent:

"Yes! My Zhao family is willing to serve the Lin family as slaves for generations! If we break this oath, may we be struck down by heaven and earth!"

Lin Che did not answer immediately.

He stood there quietly, looking down at the old man who had just fought him to the death but was now bowing and scraping.

That aged face, etched with humility and fear, and beneath those lowered eyelids, a fleeting, almost imperceptible malice of resentment.

That old geezer can't be kept around.

but not now.

He finally raised his head and cautiously looked at Lin Che.

Lin Che stood with his hands behind his back, his spear already sheathed, and the chilling killing intent emanating from him had also dissipated.

"Okay, I promise."

Zhao Changkong felt a sense of relief, but then tensed up again.

Thankfully, his life was saved.

The crucial point is—he knew perfectly well what price he had paid.

From this day forward, the Zhao family will become the Lin family's dogs.

Lin Che didn't look at Zhao Changkong again, but turned around and looked at the battlefield in the distance, which was nearing its end.

Those blood spirits that were still struggling in their death throes finally stopped attacking, standing frozen in place like puppets that had lost their support.

At Lin Che's signal, the spirit beast legion stopped their pursuit, instead surrounding them and watching them intently.

The battlefield finally quieted down.

Only the sound of the wind and the low breathing of the spirit beasts remained.

Lin Che stood with his back to Zhao Changkong, gazing at the setting sun gradually sinking in the distance.

The blood-red sun was slowly sinking behind the distant mountains, dyeing the last light in the world a dark red.

His gaze slowly shifted to the wreckage of the airship in the woods.

On the ruins, the surviving members of the Zhao family were helping each other to their feet.

Some had missing arms, some were lame, some had faces covered in blood, and some had blank stares.

Of those who are alive, less than half of those who started out are still alive.

Those who were lucky enough to survive are now staring blankly at the sky.

They gazed at the spirit beasts surrounding them, and at the figure standing in mid-air.

Their eyes were filled with despair and fear.

There is also a kind of deep-seated grief and indignation!

One figure in particular stood out.

Zhao Wenxuan.

The culprit who plotted his first assassination attempt fifteen years ago, the head of the Zhao family who staged a scene on the flying boat to lure him into a trap.

He was covered in blood, leaning against the broken side of the ship, looking up in this direction.

Their gazes collided across hundreds of feet of empty space—

Lin Che's eyes turned cold.

The next moment, he raised his hand.

A crimson-gold flame shot out from his palm, like a divine punishment summoned from the void, and plummeted straight down onto the wreckage of the flying ship below!

"boom--!"

The Phoenix Blood True Fire exploded the moment it touched the wreckage!

The purest and most yang flames seemed to come alive, transforming into a sea of ​​fire that instantly engulfed the entire wreckage!

"ah--!!!"

Screams suddenly erupted, heart-wrenching and echoing one after another!

Those Zhao family members who were just celebrating their survival, those with broken arms, those who were lame, those whose faces were covered in blood, those whose eyes were vacant, regardless of whether they were alive or dead, regardless of the severity of their injuries, were all mercilessly devoured by the crimson-gold flames!

Amidst the flames, some struggled frantically, some rolled on the ground, and some tried to break free of the inferno but were bounced back by an invisible force.

However, all struggles are futile under the power of a Golden Core cultivator.

Some people had barely opened their mouths when flames were poured into their throats. Their figures twisted and struggled in the firelight before finally collapsing, turning into charred remains, never to be seen again.

Zhao Wenxuan stood at the very center of the flames. He didn't even have time to let out a complete scream before he was engulfed by the Phoenix Blood True Fire.

The terrified, contorted face flashed in the firelight before disappearing completely into the crimson flames.

"you--!!!"

Zhao Changkong's eyes were bloodshot!

He suddenly straightened up, his inner energy surging wildly, almost uncontrollably lunging at Lin Che!

His eyes were almost bursting open, his aged face was distorted beyond recognition, and a beast-like roar came from his throat.

But the next moment, a chill ran down my neck.

The Yaren Dragon Beast had somehow gotten behind him.

The dark dragon blade, connected to his arm bone and flesh, was quietly pressed against his throat, where the power of the Golden Core stage was gathering.

The blade was icy cold; a single, gentle stroke would be enough to sever his head.

Zhao Changkong stood frozen in place.

He slowly turned his head and met those molten gold vertical pupils.

There was no emotion in those eyes, only a cold, indifferent calm, as if they were looking at a dead object.

"What, you have a problem with that?"

Lin Che's voice came from ahead, calm as if nothing had just happened.

He slowly turned around, looked at Zhao Changkong, and even had that faint smile on his lips.

"Don't forget, your Zhao family has two other branches of the clan. If you have any objections, I don't mind sending them over for a reunion."

Zhao Changkong trembled all over.

He gazed at the still-burning sea of ​​fire, at the once vibrant lives turned to ashes, and at the place where Zhao Wenxuan had disappeared.

That is his bloodline, his people, and the foundation he has painstakingly built over a hundred years!

But he could only watch.

Watch them die.

Seeing his enemy standing in front of him, yet not even having the right to make a move.

He slowly lowered his head, his knees buckled, and he knelt down deeply.

The voice was squeezed out of his throat, hoarse, dry, and trembling with extreme suppression:

"Thank you, Master... for sparing my life."

There was no gratitude in that voice.

Only deep, bone-deep hatred.

Lin Che looked at the kneeling, trembling figure, his eyes showing no emotion.

Of course he knew what Zhao Changkong was thinking.

That hatred, that resentment, that thought of "I will avenge this one day" was almost written in every tremor of the other party.

But so what?

What he wanted was never Zhao Changkong's gratitude.

This is only to temporarily stabilize the Demon Palace of Rebellion and prevent them from immediately targeting the Lin family.

They're just relying on this old dog to control the plan of the Rebellious Demon Palace!

The Zhao family's direct descendants before me, especially those few culprits who plotted to assassinate Zhao Wenxuan back then, must die.

They know too much, have seen things they shouldn't have seen, and it's too difficult for them to control everything.

If they are allowed to live, they will either reveal the truth about today's battle and expose their own true strength.

Either way, it could become an ally of Zhao Changkong's future betrayal, or it could be a hidden danger.

As for the other two groups of Zhao family members...

Lin Che's gaze passed over the sea of ​​fire and looked into the distance.

The Burning Heaven Sacred Sparrow and the Purgatory Ferocious Tiger have stopped fighting after receiving his orders.

Fortunately, those two routes were also equipped with spirit boats, and the defensive formations were still able to hold, so the Zhao family members had not suffered any casualties for the time being.

Those people are left to Zhao Changkong.

A group of ants can't make waves.

Staying with the Zhao family would actually give that old man more to worry about and more to consider.

That wouldn't drive Zhao Changkong to desperate measures.