The Demon Empress, Gongsun Yarou, had made her final declaration.
Everyone knew of her ruthless methods, and this was no idle threat.
At this moment, the lives of everyone outside the Primordial Imperial City, and potentially everyone in the world, were in the hands of the Empress of Yaochi. The decision she made now would determine the fate of countless lives.
Undoubtedly, Gongsun Yarou intended to use the lives of the world's people to force the Empress of Yaochi into submission.
Seeing their Empress willing to wage war against the world, the demon clan experts behind Gongsun Yarou were terrified and at a loss.
If it came to this, the demon clan would become enemies of the world.
They lacked Gongsun Yarou's audacity. The world didn't only have one Empress; if their Empress truly began slaughtering indiscriminately, the other Empresses wouldn't stand idly by. It could lead to the extinction of their clan.
"Empress, please reconsider! Don't bring the demon clan to a point of no return!"
"Don't lead us to an irreparable disaster!"
Several venerable demon saints pleaded with Gongsun Yarou, but she impatiently waved them off.
"Get lost and stop obstructing me! Or I'll start by killing you!"
Her words left the demon experts stunned and speechless.
Their minds buzzed with confusion.
She intended to kill everyone, including her own clan?
Even the human experts around were taken aback.
There was no doubt that the Demon Empress had gone mad. For Xiao Fan, she was willing to become the enemy of all living beings.
Gongsun Yarou looked up at the Empress of Yaochi in the void and coldly said, "Yao Xi, I'll give you ten seconds to decide. If you don't hand over Xiao Fan by then, your reign as the Heavenly Court's ruler will end!"
"Ten, nine..."
Though the Empress of Yaochi had been angered several times before, her face had never looked this troubled.
Gongsun Yarou knew she couldn't stand by and do nothing, which made her so confident.
If she agreed to Gongsun Yarou's demand and handed over Xiao Fan, she would lose all her dignity as the ruler of the Heavenly Court and never find her husband. This was unacceptable to her.
Gongsun Yarou was despicable, using the lives of innocents to threaten her instead of facing her head-on.
Even if she wanted to stop Gongsun Yarou, as fellow Empresses, if Gongsun Yarou avoided direct confrontation, she couldn't force her into a fight. If Gongsun Yarou targeted ordinary people and cultivators, she couldn't protect them all.
It seemed she had only one option left.
At this moment, those closest to the scene, the human cultivators, were in the most dire situation.
Despite knowing who was right, their survival instincts forced them to plead with the Empress of Yaochi.
"Empress of Yaochi, please save us!"
"I'm still young; I don't want to die!"
"Empress of Yaochi, Xiao Fan is a cripple now, no longer a threat. Just hand him over to the Demon Empress!"
"Empress of Yaochi, you're saving the world by making this choice. Why hesitate?"
Their pleas turned to insults as time ran out and Gongsun Yarou's killing intent grew.
"Empress of Yaochi, are you going to abandon us for your selfish desires?"
"Yeah! Always acting like the ruler of the heavens, but so indecisive when it matters!"
"Maybe you shouldn't be the ruler at all!"
Some even began flattering Gongsun Yarou.
"Demon Empress, you'd make a better ruler of the Heavenly Court!"
The Empress of Yaochi trembled with rage.
These fair-weather followers weren't worth saving.
Yet, as the ruler of the Heavenly Court, she couldn't ignore Gongsun Yarou's threat to slaughter innocents.
But now, she faced an incredibly tough decision.
Northern Sea Empress Leng Ruoxue, Lunar Empress Wen Yaxian, Heavenly Fire Empress Huo Ling'er, and Dragon Empress Long Xiaoxiao, all revered Empresses, remained silent spectators.
Their inaction infuriated her further.
Would they really stand by while Gongsun Yarou massacred innocents?
The four Empresses weren't indifferent. They admired Gongsun Yarou's boldness but found her actions too extreme.
Even if Xiao Fan awakened, he wouldn't want to see this.
They wanted to save Xiao Fan honorably, to clear his name, not through such ruthless means.
Gongsun Yarou's obsession had reached a fanatical level. Xiao Fan in her hands would be in great danger.
So they wouldn't let her succeed.
They trusted the Empress of Yaochi wouldn't allow Gongsun Yarou to kill innocents.
When she engaged Gongsun Yarou, they planned to seize the Haotian Mirror and control Gongsun Yarou.
Together, they had the power to do it.
Despite their agreement with the Empress of Yaochi to uncover the truth and clear Xiao Fan's name, they felt uneasy with his fate in her hands.
They decided to seize the Haotian Mirror.
Realizing their intent, the Empress of Yaochi fumed.
She was caught between Gongsun Yarou's threat and the four Empresses' schemes.
At this moment, she was truly in a dilemma.
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8