Lin Feng surveyed the defeated Ye family, their arrogance and presumption as the four great families of the capital long gone.
Before absolute strength, any great name was meaningless.
"I don't have to kill you. How about this: sign a letter of guarantee, and from now on, your Ye family will work for me, be my running dogs."
"If you agree, I'll spare your lives. If not, I'll send you on your way."
Lin Feng proposed a condition.
Killing offered him no pleasure anymore.
Consolidating his own influence was what Lin Feng truly desired.
After all, the Ye family, as one of the four great families of the capital, still possessed a considerable foundation.
If they could be put to his use, they might prove valuable one day.
"Dad, we can't agree! How can our Ye family become someone's dog? A scholar can be killed but not humiliated!"
Ye Chen was the first to object. He despised Lin Feng the most and could never choose to surrender!
"You brat, you talk too much. Get in here!"
Duan Liang snorted impatiently and suddenly opened the Netherworld Demon Jar.
A powerful suction immediately pulled at Ye Chen.
Before Ye Chen could react, he was uncontrollably drawn towards the Netherworld Demon Jar.
"Chen'er, be careful!"
Ye Lingtian was startled and, acting on instinct, quickly reached for Ye Chen.
However, the force exerted by the Netherworld Demon Jar was far beyond Ye Lingtian's ability to resist. Before he could get close to Ye Chen, he was repelled by a powerful force.
Ye Chen was then smoothly sucked into the Netherworld Demon Jar by Duan Liang.
He sealed the lid and coldly snorted, "Come on, who else dares to defy my little brother Lin Feng? This Daoist will put you all in the jar!"
Witnessing the terror of the Netherworld Demon Jar, the Ye family members turned pale with fear.
No one dared to doubt Duan Liang's words. The Netherworld Demon Jar was, after all, a Heavenly Grade magical artifact, and they were incapable of withstanding such power.
"Daoist Master, my Ye family submits. My Ye family is willing to follow Lin Feng's lead. Please release my son."
Ye Lingtian, desperate to protect his son, had no other choice.
"It depends on your performance. If you perform well, I'll release your son. If you don't, I'll refine him into a pool of blood."
"Little brother Lin Feng, what do you think?"
Duan Liang asked for Lin Feng's opinion.
"Let's do as the Daoist Master said. I have no objections."
Lin Feng smiled with satisfaction. So, the complete version of the Netherworld Demon Jar could indeed suck people into it. In the future, if anyone dared to provoke him, he could simply stuff them into the jar.
"Alright, I will sign the guarantee letter now. From now on, whatever Lin Feng says goes."
Ye Lingtian said with a tremble, quickly finding paper and a pen to write a letter of guarantee.
The content of the guarantee was simple: the entire Ye family would obey Lin Feng from now on, and if they reneged, they would face divine retribution!
"Good. Since your Ye family has chosen to submit to me, I will spare you."
"As for Ye Chen, we won't kill him either. When you perform well, we will release him."
Lin Feng said, beckoning Duan Liang, and they departed resolutely.
After leaving the Ye family, Lin Feng looked at the demon marshal Qiu Long following closely behind, feeling somewhat uneasy.
"Little Longzi, you don't need to personally protect us two anymore. Go find your Emperor."
Lin Feng found Qiu Long's flamboyant attire irritating.
It was as if he had a emo-styled youth trailing behind him.
"What did you call me? Little Longzi? Is that how you should address me?"
Qiu Long felt displeased upon hearing Lin Feng's address.
"I'll call you whatever I want. If you're not happy, then kill me?"
Lin Feng deliberately provoked Qiu Long, remembering how Qiu Long had tried to kill him before.
"You think this marshal dares not?"
Killing intent flared in Qiu Long's eyes. After living for thousands of years, he had never suffered such humiliation.
"Then hurry up. Better kill both of us."
Lin Feng paid no heed to Qiu Long's threats. With the Demon Emperor's backing, Qiu Long could only suppress his anger.
As expected, facing Lin Feng's unruly behavior, Qiu Long chose to swallow his pride.
"Kid, don't get too arrogant. If the Emperor changes his mind, this marshal will be the first to kill you both."
"Before I kill you, you'd better show me some respect. That way, I might be able to show you some mercy."
Qiu Long said with hatred.
"Damn it, don't you know we are sworn brothers with your Emperor now?"
"According to seniority in the martial world, you should treat us elder brothers as your second master."
"Don't always shout so loudly. We elder brothers don't even put you in our eyes, understand?"
Duan Liang could not stand it anymore and warned, displeased.
"You are pushing me to cripple you! I've told you not to push your luck, and you still think I dare not do anything to you?"
"The Emperor did say to have you two around, but if you overstep your bounds, I would rather disobey the Emperor and tear you both to shreds!"
Qiu Long was furious. As a dignified Demon Marshal, in his own territory, no one except the Emperor could oppose him.
Now, he was repeatedly provoked and humiliated by two lowly mortals, feeling as if his life was worse than that of a dog.
Just as Qiu Long uttered his threat, a hoarse voice sounded.
"Qiu Long, for uttering such treasonous words, do you think I've been sealed for too long and can no longer command you?"
As the voice faded, a towering figure descended from the sky. It was the Demon Emperor Ying Tianqing, who had just finished his business.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the Demon Emperor, Qiu Long was terrified and immediately prostrated himself on the ground.
"Your Majesty, your subordinate dares not. Your subordinate was merely angered by them and spoke out of frustration. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me."
Qiu Long was extremely nervous. His previous defiance had completely turned into panic.
The Demon Emperor remained silent. He extended a hand, and Qiu Long, who was prostrating, was immediately sucked towards him.
He fiercely grasped Qiu Long's neck, and in an instant, Qiu Long transformed into a black flood dragon.
The flood dragon struggled fiercely, blood already trickling from its mouth.
"No one can defy my will. Qiu Long, I can elevate you, and I can also destroy you."
"Even after ten thousand years, in my eyes, you are still a worm that can be easily crushed."
Ying Tianqing's voice was low, yet it carried a chilling ruthlessness.
"Brother Demon Emperor, forget it. It was also our fault for deliberately provoking him, forcing him to say treasonous things."
"Let's spare his cultivation, so he can protect us elder brothers in the future."
Lin Feng felt a pang of sympathy and pleaded for Qiu Long.
At the same time, he was shocked by the Demon Emperor's ruthless methods.
As expected of a great Demon Emperor, his dominance was evident in every gesture, something that could not be imitated.
To discard a capable subordinate like Qiu Long so casually was truly impressive.
"Qiu Long, seeing as my little brother Lin Feng has pleaded for you, I will spare you this time."
The Demon Emperor said, releasing the black flood dragon with a flick of his hand.
The flood dragon transformed back into human form, and Qiu Long collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
His fair face was etched with terror.
"Thank Lin Feng quickly!"
The Demon Emperor said sternly.
"Thank you, thank you, brother Lin Feng, for pleading on my behalf. From now on, Qiu Long will not dare to disrespect you two."
Having learned his lesson, Qiu Long's attitude towards Lin Feng and Duan Liang underwent a complete 180-degree turn.
He now realized how much the Demon Emperor valued Lin Feng and Duan Liang.
If it weren't for Lin Feng's plea, he had no doubt that his cultivation would have been completely abolished by now.