Lan Ling had only just returned from the Mammoth Tribe’s territory, and he could barely recognise Meng Tuoluo!
First of all, she had become astonishingly glamorous.
The previous Meng Tuoluo had certainly been beautiful, but deep within her eyes and in her temperament, there had always been a profound sense of sorrow.
Now, however, her beauty carried a boldness that was dazzling and almost overwhelming.
Previously, Meng Tuoluo’s appearance had been slightly inferior to Zhi Yan and Ji Xiuning’s, but now she seemed almost equal to them.
Especially that dazzling presence and powerful sense of oppression.
Her figure had also changed. Meng Tuoluo had already possessed an alluring figure before, but it had still been that of a human. Now her body had become more like that of a demon. It was not merely a seductive figure, but one filled with an almost magical allure, comparable to Ashili Ren’s.
She had transformed from an exquisite beauty into an unparalleled beauty.
What exactly had happened to her to cause such a transformation?
From the way others had addressed her just now, Lan Ling had heard the title, Little Rakshasa King’s Consort!
She was actually the Little Rakshasa King’s Consort. This was not a title that could be used casually. Only someone who had truly become a member of the Rakshasa royal family could be called the Little Rakshasa King’s Consort.
Had she not always been in the northern wilderness? When had she come to the southern wilderness?
Furthermore, the energy aura she released was even more powerful than Na Shu’s.
What exactly had she experienced?
Of course, Meng Tuoluo’s cultivation had already been extremely powerful when they were in the Ten Thousand Mountains. At that time, she had single handedly killed a spider demon that had cultivated for several hundred years.
However, in the human kingdoms, the suppression imposed by the Divine Dragon Holy Temple made cultivation levels extremely strange. The highest level there was only Dragon Warrior. Therefore, Lan Ling had not known exactly what level Meng Tuoluo’s cultivation had reached.
Now it seemed that Meng Tuoluo had already been at the level of an advanced Demon Martial Grandmaster back then. She had merely lost some of her cultivation after being partially devoured by the Demon Star, causing her strength to decline somewhat.
But now, it appeared that Meng Tuoluo had broken through to the Demon Sect realm!
Breaking through to the Demon Sect realm was no small matter. Even in the wilderness, a Demon Sect was considered a genuine powerhouse.
Moreover, the thirteen Dragon Eagle Riders Meng Tuoluo had brought were clearly completely different from ordinary Dragon Eagle Riders.
Their entire bodies were covered in black cloaks. Their ages could not be seen, and apart from their eyes, not a single inch of their bodies was exposed.
Dark, deathly energy radiated from every one of them.
Clearly, their bloodlines had been modified, using an extremely sinister and dark method to increase their cultivation.
“Master, these are the Rakshasa royal family’s Black Blood Demon Riders!” the Mirror Demon King said. “They are the strongest military force of the Rakshasa royal family. In a certain sense, every Black Blood Demon Rider is already dead. Every one of them is more than a hundred years old. Of course, the method used to create such powerful Black Blood Demon Riders is the highest secret of the Rakshasa royal family.”
Lan Ling had Death Warriors and Hell Knights.
The Rakshasa royal family actually had Black Blood Demon Riders.
Simply judging from the Black Blood Demon Riders Meng Tuoluo had brought, the killing intent radiating from every one of them seemed to have already surpassed the threshold of the Demon Sect realm.
It seemed that the Little Rakshasa King truly doted on Meng Tuoluo.
…
From Meng Tuoluo’s eyes, Lan Ling immediately realised that she had recognised him as Soren.
There was no point hiding it anymore.
“Why have you come to see me?” Lan Ling asked with a smile.
“You and I are old acquaintances. Are you saying I am not allowed to visit?” Meng Tuoluo replied with a smile.
“Please!” Lan Ling said.
Instead of allowing Meng Tuoluo to enter the castle, Lan Ling led her out of the Flame Demon Tribe.
Yin Ji was still working inside the castle. If Meng Tuoluo suddenly called him Soren, it would be disastrous.
He absolutely could not allow Yin Ji and Meng Tuoluo to meet. The two of them definitely knew each other.
Lan Ling had not yet slept with Yin Ji, much less gotten her pregnant. Considering Yin Ji’s blood feud with Soren, if his identity were exposed now, there would truly be no end until one of them was dead.
When Meng Tuoluo saw that Lan Ling had not allowed her inside and had instead taken her outside, she secretly laughed.
Lan Ling was guarding against her. He did not want her to see the miserable state of the tribe.
Little did he know that she had already seen everything.
The two walked side by side for quite a distance, with Gou Li following closely behind.
“Meng Tuoluo, you have been to my Flame Demon Tribe before and have seen me, haven’t you?” Lan Ling asked.
Meng Tuoluo was startled, then sighed at Lan Ling’s intelligence.
Only because she had previously visited the Flame Demon Tribe and recognised Lan Ling would she not have appeared surprised when she saw him again.
“Yes,” Meng Tuoluo replied. “Not long ago.”
And with that, the subject ended.
Lan Ling did not ask why she had not stayed.
Had she not once promised that if he became the World Destroying Demon Emperor, if he betrayed the human kingdoms, she would come and serve him, and become his woman?
Many things were better left unsaid.
“Why have you come this time?” Lan Ling asked.
Meng Tuoluo stopped and stared at Lan Ling with her beautiful eyes.
“I came to save you!”
Lan Ling was stunned. Instead of becoming angry, he laughed.
“How do you plan to save me?”
“Soren, I am not joking with you.”
“My name is Lan Ling!”
“Fine, Lan Ling.” Meng Tuoluo said, “You and I should be considered the best of friends, shouldn’t we?”
“Not quite lovers, but more than confidants!”
Meng Tuoluo said, “You have become more shameless than before. But what you said is indeed the truth. We were only one small step away from becoming a pair of lovers.”
“You came to persuade me to surrender on behalf of the Little Rakshasa King, didn’t you?”
“No!” Meng Tuoluo replied. “I asked the Little Rakshasa King to spare your life and give you a chance to surrender.”
Lan Ling said nothing, because that was indeed the truth.
In the Little Rakshasa King’s eyes, someone like Lan Ling simply did not matter.
To him, ordering Na Shu’s million strong army to destroy the Flame Demon Tribe and kill Lan Ling was no different from an ancient Chinese emperor ordering his soldiers to wipe out a group of bandits hiding in a mountain.
Even Princess Sha Yan had repeatedly forgotten Lan Ling’s name. How could the Little Rakshasa King possibly remember him?
The territory Lan Ling currently controlled amounted to, at most, forty or fifty thousand square kilometres. The territory ruled by the Rakshasa royal family covered nearly twenty million square kilometres.
Therefore, from the Little Rakshasa King’s perspective, simply destroying Lan Ling and wiping out the Flame Demon Tribe was the easiest option.
Negotiating a surrender?
Please. That was far too troublesome!
If he did not dote so heavily on Meng Tuoluo, there would never have been any offer of surrender.
Lan Ling said, “Then I would like to know what conditions His Highness the Little Rakshasa King has offered.”
Meng Tuoluo replied, “First, dissolve the Flame Demon Tribe. This is Rakshasa territory, and a near human tribe can absolutely not exist here.”
Well, the very first condition already trampled on Lan Ling’s bottom line.
Meng Tuoluo continued, “The people of the Flame Demon Tribe can be distributed among the thirteen tribes of the Silver Alliance. The Little Rakshasa King can issue an order allowing the Silver Alliance to accept near human refugees.”
“And the second condition?” Lan Ling asked.
“You can come with me to Rakshasa City and become a royal family warrior. In the future, you can command tens of thousands of troops.”
Lan Ling stared at Meng Tuoluo for a long time.
“If I remember correctly, you know that I am the World Destroying Demon Emperor, the Master of the Demon Star.”
“I know. I know far more than you imagine.”
After a brief pause, Meng Tuoluo continued, “The so called World Destroying Demon Emperor is nothing more than a gimmick created by the Divine Dragon Holy Temple. The so called Demon Star was merely an energy lifeform temporarily released by the Dragon Emperor before his death. Even the Dragon Emperor is gone. How much can an energy puppet released by him possibly accomplish? If you really were some World Destroying Demon Emperor, why did you suffer so terribly in the human kingdoms? The Divine Dragon Holy Temple barely had to lift a finger before destroying you and bringing complete disaster upon your family?”
That string of mockery was truly brutal.
“Soren, no, Lan Ling!” Meng Tuoluo said. “Don’t blame me for speaking harshly. Forget this so called World Destroying Demon Emperor. Forget this so called Master of the Demon Star. It is all merely a propaganda gimmick created by the Divine Dragon Holy Temple. Can I ask what level your cultivation has reached?”
Lan Ling spread his hands.
Meng Tuoluo asked, “Can I ask how much territory you control?”
Lan Ling continued to spread his hands.
Meng Tuoluo said, “Your cultivation is not even as strong as mine. A single three headed Chimera nearly brought complete destruction upon your tribe. Is there really such a weak World Destroying Demon Emperor? Forget the so called World Destroying Demon Emperor. It is nothing! Come with me to Rakshasa City and start again. One day, we will return to the human kingdoms and take our revenge. I firmly believe that day will not be far away.”
Meng Tuoluo continued, “I know you have created some miracles. For example, you used the ruins of the Demon God on Mirror Mountain to destroy Constantine’s allied army. You deceived the Centaur Tribe into serving you and destroyed the Silver Alliance’s one hundred and twenty thousand strong army. But everything ends here!”
At this point, Meng Tuoluo’s tone became heavier.
“Yes, everything ends here. You have no more miracles left to create. Chiyan Khan is leading more than twenty thousand Centaurs to attack the Evil Li Tribe, while your Centaur reinforcements have suffered a devastating defeat. A single three headed Chimera nearly destroyed your Flame Demon Tribe. How are you going to resist the Black Demon Banner’s million strong army, thousands of aerial troops, and the incomparably powerful Mammoth army?”
“Lan Ling, your resistance is meaningless. Not only will you die, you will also drag the so called Flame Demon Tribe down with you. Surrender. Surrender is your only way out!”
Meng Tuoluo finally said, “Dissolve the Flame Demon Tribe, come with me to Rakshasa City and become a royal family warrior.”
In other words, become a servant of the Rakshasa royal family?
After hesitating for a moment, Meng Tuoluo said, “There is something else I can tell you. Perhaps later, perhaps three years from now, you may receive an enormous surprise. An extremely powerful person will become your greatest support.”
She was naturally referring to Junzhu Na Xue of the Demon Tuo Empire.
Lan Ling said nothing. He turned around and walked back towards the Flame Demon Tribe.
When he reached the gates of the Flame Demon Tribe, Lan Ling said to Meng Tuoluo, “Farewell. No need to see me off.”
“Lan Ling, you still haven’t given me your answer,” Meng Tuoluo said. “Surrender is your only way out. You have no hope in this battle. You will certainly die. I came here to save you because of what we once shared. This is your only chance. Do not make a foolish choice because of some meaningless pride.”
Lan Ling stared at Meng Tuoluo.
“Actually, you have always known my answer. You know perfectly well that I would rather die standing than live on my knees. And it is precisely because you know this that you came to persuade me to surrender.
“You need to tell yourself that you have done everything you could for the sake of what we once shared. You once promised that if I became the World Destroying Demon Emperor, you would come and serve me and become my woman. But you broke that promise, so you feel guilty about it.
“You want to make up for it. You do not want to feel that you owe me anything. So you asked the Little Rakshasa King to spare my life and came here to persuade me to surrender.
“But deep down, you actually do not want me to go to Rakshasa City, because that would create tension between you and the Little Rakshasa King.”
As soon as he said this, Meng Tuoluo’s beautiful face turned deathly pale.
Lan Ling continued, “You always knew that I would never surrender, so you came to persuade me. That way, you would no longer feel that you owed me anything.”
Lan Ling’s words were undoubtedly a brutal slap in the face. They tore open the darkest part of Meng Tuoluo’s heart.
She wanted to deny it. She wanted to tell Lan Ling, and herself, that she had come solely to save him because of their past.
Yet deep within her heart, she knew that Lan Ling was right.
She knew Lan Ling would never surrender, which was precisely why she had come to persuade him.
Deep inside her, there was an evil voice telling her that if Lan Ling died in this battle, it would prove that her choice had been correct.
Meng Tuoluo was not an evil person. But deep within everyone’s heart, there is both a most evil version of oneself and a most righteous version.
Which version one becomes depends entirely on the choice made in a single moment.
Once the choice has been made, there is only one road left to walk.
Lan Ling took a deep breath and said seriously, “Meng Tuoluo, don’t be foolish. You have never owed me anything. On the contrary, you once saved my life.
“As for the promise you made to me, you were the only one who took it seriously, so you were the only one who cared so much about it. I never took it seriously at all.”
Meng Tuoluo’s beautiful face twitched again.
Lan Ling sighed.
“Your problem is that you become too emotionally invested in everything. You often push yourself into a dead end.
“For example, in the human kingdoms, Ji Mengbai betrayed you, but that was not the end of the road. Listen to me. Do not live your life solely for revenge against Ji Mengbai.”
Meng Tuoluo sneered.
“Then can you let go of your hatred towards Zhi Yan?”
“Of course not. One day, I will return to the human kingdoms and kill her,” Lan Ling replied.
Meng Tuoluo said, “You cannot let go, so why are you advising me to do so?”
Lan Ling replied, “That’s just how people are. When giving advice to others, everything sounds perfectly reasonable. When the same thing happens to yourself, you become an idiot!”
Meng Tuoluo smiled faintly.
Lan Ling telling her to let go of her hatred was actually the greatest irony of all.
“Yes. You and I never owed each other anything. I never needed to make this trip. Thank you for slapping me in the face and helping me see things more clearly,” Meng Tuoluo said. “Farewell!”
“Farewell!” Lan Ling said. “A person has to learn this. It is better to forget each other completely than to cling to each other through hardship. Once you turn around, be ruthless and strike without hesitation. Do not feel embarrassed about it!”
Meng Tuoluo smiled.
“That’s right. So Lan Ling, please do not stand in my way in the future, otherwise I will not show mercy. Of course, you will not have that opportunity anyway!”
Meng Tuoluo then mounted the flying ray and prepared to leave.
Just at that moment, a beautiful figure rushed out.
It was the exquisitely beautiful Yin Ji.
She widened her beautiful eyes and stared at Meng Tuoluo in disbelief. Her face was filled with surprise and confusion.
“Senior Sister Meng Tuoluo?”
For Yin Ji, encountering Meng Tuoluo here was truly like meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land.