After Ling Ye appears, his blood-red eyes glance lightly at Chu Yuntian.
Chu Yuntian meets his gaze for a brief moment before quickly looking away. He doesn't dare to stare at Ling Ye for too long—his deep-seated fear of the Blood Shadow Demon Lord is impossible to suppress.
"What? The mighty Blood Shadow Demon Lord can't kill Ye Tian, so you've come to deal with minor matters like us?" Chu Yuntian speaks, his voice steady despite the tension in the air.
He can only assume that Ling Ye has come to prevent them from joining the Heaven and Earth Alliance—to eliminate potential threats before the real battle begins.
"Minor matters?"
Ling Ye's cold voice echoes through the hall. "In the Extreme God Realm, this is the first time I've seen someone belittle themselves like this."
Chu Yuntian frowns but remains silent.
He knows Ling Ye is right. Calling himself insignificant is an insult to his own status. He, too, is an Extreme God, one of the strongest beings in the heavens and the worlds. Yet, in the face of Ye Tian's potential rise to Boundless Realm, his empire does seem insignificant.
"What do you want?" Chu Yuntian finally asks. "If you plan to destroy my Stellar Empire, we will fight to the end." His grip tightens on his golden halberd. "Even if we fall, we will make sure you pay a price."
He doesn't realize how childish his words sound in front of Ling Ye.
Ling Ye smiles lightly. "Is that what you think?"
Chu Yuntian's expression darkens.
Yes, that is exactly what he thinks. He may be weaker than Ling Ye, but if his empire fights with everything it has, the Blood Shadow Demon Army will suffer losses. Perhaps not Ling Ye himself, but at least his army.
"I'm here to take something."
Ling Ye's voice is calm, yet it sends a chill through the hall. "The Star Divine Iron."
Chu Yuntian's expression turns cold. "The Star Divine Iron is the foundation of our empire. Do you understand what taking it would mean for us?"
The Stellar Empire's majestic palace, as vast as a continent, floats within the galaxy because of the power of the Star Divine Iron. If it is taken, the palace will collapse, and with it, the heart of the empire.
"That's not my concern."
Ling Ye's voice is indifferent. "Do you think I'm asking for permission?"
Chu Yuntian's heart trembles.
Of course, Ling Ye doesn't care. He is the Blood Shadow Demon Lord. If he wants something, he takes it.
Chu Yuntian grits his teeth, torn between surrender and resistance.
Should he hand over the Divine Iron? It would shake the very foundation of the empire. But if he refuses, and Ling Ye decides to act, there will be no time to beg for mercy.
Everyone in the heavens and the worlds knows Ling Ye's temperament.
He gives only one chance.
Hesitate, and you won't get another.
"I don't intend to give you time to think."
Ling Ye's voice cuts through the silence. "You can refuse. But I don't mind letting the heavens and the worlds witness the fall of an Extreme God. It would be… quite the spectacle."
Chu Yuntian swallows hard.
He understands the threat clearly.
If he refuses, Ling Ye will kill him.
Even if he fights with everything he has, he knows the outcome—he will die at Ling Ye's hands.
This is who the Blood Shadow Demon Lord is.
Arrogant. Overbearing.
And yet, no one dares to challenge him.
"Go… retrieve the Star Divine Iron!" Chu Yuntian orders, his voice heavy with defeat.
"But, Lord—"
"Go!" he roars, cutting off any further protests.
One wrong word, one moment of hesitation, and his entire empire could be erased from existence.