Soon, Anmimos's screams vanished. He knelt powerlessly before Ye Ling, his eyes vacant, unmoving.
His spirit had collapsed!
During the soul-searching process by Ye Ling, Anmimos's mind had been thoroughly tormented, losing the ability to think. Although he was still alive, he was no different from a walking corpse.
Augustus, standing beside him, was completely stunned, staring blankly at Ye Ling, not daring to breathe.
Anmimos's strength was no weaker than his own, yet he had watched Anmimos be tormented into this state with his own eyes!
It was hard to imagine what kind of suffering Anmimos had endured!
"I didn't expect... this Anmimos and Yang Yuhao had a standard contract. Whoever obtained the contract paper could summon his clone..."
Ye Ling released Anmimos and muttered to himself, his brow furrowed slightly.
This type of standard contract was something Anmimos had impulsively created, releasing a batch of sheepskin scrolls that could summon him to the mortal realm on Earth.
In reality, Anmimos himself didn't know who would summon him or what they would ask him to do.
In other words, Anmimos had no relation to Hongchen Pavilion.
Or rather, Hongchen Pavilion was using Anmimos, while Anmimos was unaware of it.
Disappointed that he couldn't obtain any useful information from this demon, Ye Ling shifted his gaze to Augustus and said, "Your turn."
Stared at by Ye Ling, Augustus trembled all over and quickly pleaded for mercy, "My lord, spare me! Please don't search my soul! Whatever you want to ask, I will answer!"
After witnessing Anmimos's fate, he dared not experience the taste of soul-searching.
Although he was a demon, demons were inherently evil beings without limits.
In front of mortals, they possessed supreme power and naturally remained aloof. However, when they encountered stronger beings, their so-called dignity, face, and loyalty could all vanish.
For them, being alive was paramount.
Seeing Augustus's subservient demeanor, Ye Ling was taken aback for a moment, then recalled something and retracted his outstretched hand.
He chuckled, "If I search your soul, I can know everything I want to know, and it avoids the risk of you lying."
"In that case, why should I let you go?"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Augustus's heart leaped with joy, realizing he had a chance to escape. He quickly said, "I can offer my heart to you, my lord. As long as you hold my heart, you will know immediately if I lie!"
Ye Ling smiled slightly, "This only eliminates the possibility of you lying, but it's no different from me searching your soul. Why should I choose this?"
Augustus trembled, and his entire being fell silent.
He wasn't stupid. Ye Ling's statement clearly meant he wanted Augustus to make an offer.
An appropriate price to buy his life.
Realizing Ye Ling was not easily fooled, Augustus also fell silent, beginning to consider the maximum price he could afford and Ye Ling's bottom line.
This transaction concerning life was a game of wits between him and Ye Ling.
He needed to guess Ye Ling's acceptable psychological bottom line and then make an offer at that level.
If the price he had to pay was too low, he would end up like Anmimos, wishing he were dead.
But if he gave everything to Ye Ling, it would be no different from being dead.
Neither too high nor too low was worth it.
Seeing Augustus's silence, Ye Ling knew he had begun to weigh the value of his life against the price he needed to pay. He didn't rush him, smiling, "Take your time to think. We have plenty of time."
As he spoke, demonic energy surged in Ye Ling's hand, wrapping around the kneeling Anmimos.
Then, under Augustus's terrified gaze, Anmimos was slowly devoured by Ye Ling's demonic energy, disappearing completely, his presence gone!
"Dead?"
No longer sensing Anmimos's presence, Augustus's fear intensified. He hadn't expected Ye Ling to kill them so easily!
How strong was he?
After dealing with Anmimos, Ye Ling ignored Augustus and walked over to Xia Minglan, asking softly, "How do you feel?"
"Thank you, my lord... For your life-giving grace, Minglan doesn't know how to repay you!"
Xia Minglan knew that Ye Ling must have lifted the curse on her.
And Ye Ling's great favor to her must have had another purpose!
Ye Ling said, "It seems you feel good. We are all smart people, so I won't beat around the bush."
"Is the great gift I gave you worth betraying Hongchen Pavilion?"
Xia Minglan: "..."
She fell silent. Although she had long anticipated this, her heart trembled when Ye Ling actually asked.
It wasn't that she was particularly loyal to Hongchen Pavilion. After all, she had joined Hongchen Pavilion to find a way to lift her curse. Now that Ye Ling had helped her, there was no need for her to stay in Hongchen Pavilion.
What made her hesitate... was the master as powerful as Ye Ling...
Ye Feng!
Even now, she didn't know Ye Feng's true strength, nor had she ever seen his true appearance!
But she had personally witnessed Ye Feng seeking out a Hongchen Immortal who had been in seclusion for hundreds of years, asking that Immortal to join Hongchen Pavilion. After the Immortal refused Ye Feng, Ye Feng had utterly defeated him, even capturing his soul!
The Hongchen Immortal's body was still imprisoned in the headquarters of Hongchen Pavilion, and she didn't know what experiments Hongchen Pavilion was conducting on it.
One could crush demons, and the other could defeat Hongchen Immortals. Both of their strengths far exceeded Xia Minglan's understanding. Both had left a deep impression on her soul.
Now, being asked to betray someone she genuinely feared, she was apprehensive.
After a long silence, Xia Minglan finally calmed her mind, her gaze gradually becoming firm. She respectfully kowtowed to Ye Ling and said, "This humble daughter, Xia Minglan, wishes to follow you for life and never betray you."
Apart from their power, Ye Ling's favor to her was far greater than Ye Feng's.
Moreover, the blood spring given to her by Ye Feng also caused her curse to worsen, making her realize that she had been Ye Feng's plaything all along...
With these two comparisons, Xia Minglan knew what choice she should make.
Even if she was found by Ye Feng in the future and subjected to extreme punishment, she would not regret it.
No matter how miserable it was, it couldn't be worse than when the curse erupted.
Ye Ling smiled slightly upon seeing Xia Minglan choose him, "A wise choice."
Then, he took out a jade slip from his spatial ring and presented it to Xia Minglan, "Write down all the information you know about Hongchen Pavilion in this jade slip."
"Afterward, continue to stay in Hongchen Pavilion and do your own thing. I will contact you unilaterally."
"Yes."
Xia Minglan took the jade slip, respectfully replied to Ye Ling, and then closed her eyes slightly, recording information into the jade slip with her spiritual power.
Having taken Xia Minglan under his wing, Ye Ling then looked at Augustus and smiled with narrowed eyes, "How about it? Have you considered it?"