100: The Great Way's Will to Lay Off Staff

Yue Li felt as if struck by lightning, her body staggering back half a step.

Di Yan's words were like the sharpest daggers, peeling away the layers of her heart she had tried to wrap in anger, exposing the helpless and even somewhat pathetic truth beneath.

Indeed, did she have a choice back then?

No!

Was so-called 'death before dishonor' truly more important than the continuation of her race?

The dignity she clung to was merely a luxurious escape in the face of racial extinction.

Seeing the firm look in her eyes gradually shatter, giving way to confusion and pain, the corners of Di Yan's mouth curled slightly as he stepped forward again.

This time, his movements were less forced and more of an irresistible dominance.

“The reason you loathe my use of force is simply because you haven't experienced the order and peace brought by the strength of the powerful.”

Di Yan's voice lowered, carrying a seductive undertone: “In Taiyan, my will is the will of heaven.”

“Since you have already entered this order, why not try to embrace it?”

“See if your race can find new life under this order, and you...”

He reached out and slowly stroked her tensed shoulder: “Perhaps you'll find that the world seen from the side of the strong is far broader than the one you watched over in lonely solitude at the edge of a cliff.”

“With your wisdom, you shouldn't be trapped in this narrow hatred and humiliation.”

“Yielding to a greater power is not a disgrace, but the way of survival for intelligent beings beneath the endless starry sky.”

Yue Li closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling.

After a long time, when she opened her eyes again, the anger and mockery had faded, replaced by a complex emptiness.

But deep down, there seemed to be a very subtle loosening.

Di Yan's theories were realistic and cold; she could not completely refute them through logic.

Especially when this theory became entangled with her sense of responsibility as a Queen.

She was even less able to argue, and might even have to become the most loyal supporter of this theory.

“Your Majesty is truly gifted with words,” she said, her voice slightly hoarse and tinged with exhaustion.

Di Yan said no more, picking her up by the waist and walking toward the soft couch in the inner hall.

Yue Li did not struggle, merely turning her face to the side as her long silver hair spread out.

Di Yan placed her on the couch, his fingertips tracing the sash of her robe with very gentle movements.

Yue Li's body stiffened, her fingers instinctively clutching the brocade mattress beneath her.

Just as Di Yan was about to move further, she suddenly suggested, “Since Your Majesty is determined to use force, then please remain consistent to the end.”

Di Yan paused, looked at the fragile paleness on her profile, and suddenly laughed.

That smile carried absolute control and a hint of playfulness.

“As you wish.”

He no longer hesitated, tearing through the barrier symbolizing distance in the most blunt manner.

Yue Li let out a muffled groan, her fingers nearly sinking into her palms. Her ice-blue eyes reflected the cold, stern face of the Emperor above her; there was no pity there, only conquest and possession.

After an unknown amount of time, the storm gradually subsided.

Yue Li lay amidst the brocade, her sweat-soaked silver hair clinging to her temples and cheeks. Her eyes gazed out of focus at the magnificent canopy, a fleeting moment of trance and satisfaction passing through them.

The sensations in her body were complex and hard to describe, but the breath she had been holding deep in her heart seemed to have mostly vented out along with that rough treatment.

Di Yan put on his outer robe and stood up by the couch, regaining his usual majesty.

He glanced at Yue Li on the couch and spoke indifferently: “Remember today.”

“The things you have gained, the survival of your race—all stem from my strength.”

“Hate me if you wish, or resign yourself to fate; this is your reality.”

“In this Liguang Palace, within the Taiyan Immortal Court, be a good Consort Li.”

“Your people will naturally receive everything I have promised.”

Having said that, he turned and left without the slightest warmth or lingering affection.

The hall doors opened and closed, the light shifting between brightness and shadow.

Yue Li lay quietly.

After a long while, a single cold tear slid from the corner of her eye, slowly disappearing into her hair at the temples.

But soon, she took a deep breath and raised her hand to wipe away the tear marks.

In her ice-blue eyes, the former humiliation and confusion gradually vanished, replaced by a cold clarity and even a sense of peace after resignation.

Di Yan's words echoed in her mind like a curse.

The strong set the order; the weak adapt to it.

She was once the strongest of the Elf Clan, the Queen who guarded the order.

Now, she had become a part of a stronger person's order.

Resistance was meaningless and would only bring destruction.

Accepting this new position and using it to strive for more for the Elf Clan was the only thing she could do now, and the wisest choice.

She slowly sat up, enduring the discomfort, and gathered her torn dress. She looked into the mirror at herself—hair disheveled, lips pale, but eyes gradually becoming resolute.

“Consort Li.”

She repeated the title in a low voice, the corners of her mouth pulling into a very faint curve.

So be it.

Since this was a choice made under absolute power, then under this power, she would find a way forward.

For her Xuancang Elf Clan, she would carve out a path to the heavens.

It would not be for nothing, after these three days and nights of sacrifice... Meanwhile.

Within the Myriad Laws Star Realm.

Qin Yao was sitting cross-legged in a quiet room, cultivating, with Dao charms flowing around him.

However, at this moment, an unusual commotion came from outside the quiet room.

It started with a few anxious low growls, followed by the sharp cries of immortal birds, mixed with the crisp sound of objects being overturned.

Qin Yao frowned slightly, his Divine Sense probing outward.

In the next instant, he snapped his eyes open. With a flash of his body, he appeared in the Immortal Beast Garden outside the quiet room.

The scene before him caused his pupils to shrink.

The dozens of immortal pets he had carefully raised for over a thousand years had all broken free from the suppression of the Dao Contracts. They were gathered together, and their beastly eyes no longer held the intimacy and dependence of the past, but were filled with confusion, unease, and even hostility!

Leading them was his strongest battle pet.

A Heavenly Rainbow Thunder Sparrow with rainbow-colored feathers and an ancestral Bloodline.

The cultivation of this Thunder Sparrow had already reached the Late Stage of the Profound Immortal realm. Usually, it was the most prideful and also the most dependent on him.

But now, the Heavenly Rainbow Thunder Sparrow hovered in mid-air, rainbow lightning jumping irritably between its feathers.

It stared at Qin Yao with a complex gaze, its eyes filled with tears.

“Master.”

The Heavenly Rainbow Thunder Sparrow spoke, its voice choked with sobs and trembling: “I just received a layoff notice from the will of the great dao, saying there's no future in following you.”

“What?!”

Qin Yao felt as if struck by lightning, unable to believe his ears.

A layoff notice from the will of the great dao?

This was simply unheard of!

“It's true!”

Another beast known for its loyalty and honesty, the Earth-Shaking Ancient Ape, beat its chest, its voice crying out:

“The will of the great dao also said that the return on investment for your Luck continues to decline, and your future development prospects are assessed as extremely dangerous.”

“The will of the great dao has also released us from the oaths we once made, deciding to cut back on the allocation of Luck and the provision of Opportunities to you.”

“We immortal pets who are bound to your Luck are part of the first batch of optimization and adjustment targets.”