C684 I Accepted the Martial King as My Subordinate

In the ever-shifting realm, one constant remains—the Ranking Tower. Now, the golden platform of the tower floats in mid-air, with Woo Zhengyang standing confidently, hands behind his back, smiling at the eight martial kings before him.

"Kid, don’t think mastering this realm makes you invincible. Remember, I've been in control here far longer than you," Liao Qinghua scoffed, clearly irked by Zhengyang's self-assured demeanor.

"Oh really? Then why is it that despite your long control, you never figured out how to open the Ranking Tower?" Zhengyang retorted.

Liao Qinghua was momentarily speechless. It was true; the Heavenly Martial Sect had used the realm merely as a training ground. If not for Moh Lunhui, they might still be clueless about unlocking the tower.

"This realm is just a spatial artifact. How much power can it really grant you?" an old woman, known as Granny Ghost Hand, questioned skeptically.

"Stop calling it the Heavenly Martial Realm. From now on, it belongs to the Profound Heaven Sect and will be known as the Profound Heaven Realm!" Zhengyang declared.

"You little brat... Fine, tell us, what powers does your Profound Heaven Sect grant you?" Granny Ghost Hand quickly adapted to the new name, much to everyone's surprise.

However, now wasn't the time to worry about such things; they were eager to hear how Woo Zhengyang would respond.

"This place indeed can't grant me any special powers, but..."

"But what?"

"But it's more than enough to make you guys my underlings..."

"Arrogant!" someone shouted angrily.

"Everyone, let's join forces and take down this madman!" Liao Qinghua seized the moment to speak up.

He noticed that the others were already somewhat intimidated by Woo Zhengyang, and some were even starting to think of ways to de-escalate the situation. They couldn't afford to delay any longer.

But just as Liao Qinghua was about to make a move, he suddenly found his vision darkening, and his body became immobile...

It wasn't just Liao Qinghua; the other seven martial kings experienced the same thing. To their horror, they realized they couldn't even perform simple actions like blinking.

"Oh, my bad, I might have overdone it a bit!" Woo Zhengyang apologized when he saw the eight of them had turned into statues and released some of their basic abilities.

"What... what kind of sorcery is this?" one of the martial kings asked in terror as soon as he could speak.

As martial kings, they had never imagined they could be rendered so powerless, unable to speak or blink. Even now, they could only talk, unable to perform any other actions.

"Hehe... this isn't sorcery; it's the master's divine skill..." Hongnu appeared beside Woo Zhengyang, giggling.

"Woo Zhengyang, you said no one else would interfere, didn't you?"

"You think this is my doing? If I had that kind of power, would I still be a humble servant? Actually, even if I did have that power, I'd still choose to be a loyal servant..."

"Master? Servant? You two are just a pair of scoundrels!"

The old woman suddenly burst out, startling the other martial kings. She had been the first to compromise earlier, so why was she so aggressive now?

"You..." Although Hongnu was submissive in front of Woo Zhengyang, never forget she was a peak demon king, far more formidable than any human martial king when she got fierce.

"Enough, I told you not to get involved!" Woo Zhengyang stopped Hongnu.

"But Master, she called us scoundrels..." Hongnu said, her cheeks turning rosy as she leaned into Woo Zhengyang's embrace. It didn't seem like she was upset by the insult; she actually seemed pleased...

"I'll handle it later. Why are you here?"

"Your other... friend keeps asking me all sorts of questions. I didn't know how to answer, so I had to hide."

"Friend?" Woo Zhengyang was momentarily confused, then realized Hongnu was talking about Bing Yue, and he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"Woo Zhengyang, can you and your... friends sort out your issues privately? You're putting us in an awkward position," the old woman complained again.

Woo Zhengyang was speechless. Why did this guy seem even more hostile toward him than Liao Qinghua?

“There’s nothing much to resolve. You’ve got two choices: hand over your soul imprint or die!”

Not long ago, if Woo Zhengyang had said this, they would have laughed their heads off. But now, they had to admit that even a random cultivator could take them down, let alone Woo Zhengyang.

“I accept that you’ve got us cornered, but at least let us understand why we’re dying! What’s going on here?”

“Fine, I’ll let you die knowing the truth!” Woo Zhengyang said, and with a thought, the scenery around them shifted dramatically, transporting everyone to a realm of stars.

“What... what is this?”

“This is my world. Here, I can control all powers at will. Do you understand now why you’re at my mercy?”

“But didn’t we enter the Heavenly Martial Realm?” the old woman with ghostly hands asked again.

“Are you sure you entered the Heavenly Martial Realm?” Woo Zhengyang countered.

From the beginning, the Heavenly Martial Realm was just a ruse. Woo Zhengyang was the first to enter, setting the gateway to the Star World right before the entrance to the Heavenly Martial Realm.

In reality, they had entered the Star World from the start; Woo Zhengyang had merely disguised it to look like the Heavenly Martial Realm.

“You... you’re so deceitful...”

Woo Zhengyang’s expression darkened as he scoffed, “So it’s okay for you to plot against me, but not for me to outsmart you?”

This time, everyone was silent. Survival of the fittest, where strength reigns supreme, is a world where no means are too extreme.

"Make your choice: surrender your soul imprint, or die!" Woo Zhengyang spoke again.

"I’m willing to surrender my soul imprint!" someone conceded first. To everyone's surprise, it was none other than Liao Qinghua, who had just vowed to kill Woo Zhengyang!

"Sorry, I forgot about you. You're different from the others; you only have the second option."

"What! Woo Zhengyang, what do you mean? Didn't you say surrendering the soul imprint was enough?"

"That was for the others. They only coveted my No Life Sword and did nothing more. But you, you schemed against me without any scruples, with countless lives on your hands. If I hadn't returned in time, the entire Profound Heaven Sect might have been destroyed by you. Do you think I can spare you?"

"You..." Liao Qinghua wanted to flee in terror, but he couldn't move an inch.

Finally, his body could move.

But it wasn't under his control...