208: A combination of kindness and severity!

This pressure was different from the cold, oppressive force of Cold Moon that stemmed from the Origin of the Demonic Path; it was a more magnificent power, like the movement of the sun, moon, and stars, like the manifestation of the Laws of heaven and earth, carrying a supreme will that ruled over all spirits and looked down upon all living beings!

Inside the Heavenly Secret Hall, the Universal Star Array flickered uncertainly, and the Spirit Stones on the ground trembled slightly.

The Seven Hall Masters bore the brunt of it!

Soul Extinguisher felt as if billions of divine mountains were pressing down upon his head. His Divine Soul, which had just stabilized slightly, flickered like a candle in the wind. His connection to the ten thousand souls banner was forcibly severed once again, and the Death Qi throughout his body was suppressed to the point where it could barely circulate.

His knees gave way, and with a thud, he knelt to the ground!

The blood energy around Blood Without End instantly surged back into his body, his veins bulging as if they might burst. Under this pressure, the Blood-Sea Demonic Technique within him trembled in fear. He let out a muffled groan and also collapsed to his knees, veins throbbing on his forehead.

Nether Bone's skeletal frame creaked with a "crack" sound. His Soul fire was suppressed until it shrank into a tiny glimmer, and cracks reappeared on the bones that formed his body. Unable to hold on, he collapsed to his knees as if falling apart.

Without exception, all seven were forced to their knees under the powerful pressure, unable to rise.

Under this pressure, which Su Yang had only released a fraction of, they had completely lost the ability to resist, prostrating themselves on the ground in the humblest of postures, unable to even lift their heads!

The slight resentment in their hearts was torn to shreds in the face of this absolute power!

Only now did they realize with horror that the strength and status hidden within this seemingly gentle young man were likely far more terrifying than they had imagined!

This was by no means solely due to his relationship with the Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path; he himself possessed power that was worthy of their admiration, and was even beyond their comprehension!

The pressure lasted for about three breaths.

Su Yang did not punish them excessively as Cold Moon had.

For him, all he needed to do was demonstrate that he possessed enough power to rule over them.

With a slight shift of his thoughts, the monstrous pressure receded into his body like a receding tide.

The hall returned to calm.

Only the heavy breathing of the Seven Hall Masters remained, along with their figures still prostrate on the ground, not daring to rise.

Only then did Cold Moon's cold, clear voice ring out once more.

"Now, are there any more questions?"

Soul Extinguisher was the first to struggle, saying in an incredibly submissive tone: "Zhenhun Hall... has absolutely no objections! The command of Venerable Su... is as if the Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path were here in person! We, your subordinates, swear to obey unto death!"

"Blood Fiend Hall obeys!"

"Bone Demon Hall obeys!"

The others also scrambled to express their compliance, fearing that if they were a step too slow, they would be subjected to that terrifying pressure once again.

Cold Moon nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the seven people below before finally landing on Su Yang, and she calmly dropped a piece of information that carried immense impact.

"I must inform you all,"

"Su Yang is my husband."

"His words are my words. His intentions are my intentions. Your loyalty to him is your loyalty to me. I hope you will all keep this relationship firmly in mind."

Husband?!

These two words exploded once again in the Divine Souls of the Seven Hall Masters, who were already numbed by shock!

The Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path... actually has a husband?!

No wonder... no wonder the Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path would grant him such supreme authority!

No wonder he dared to accept it so calmly and display such terrifying pressure!

All their doubts seemed to have found an answer at this moment.

The Demonic Path upholds the principle that strength is supreme!

If Su Yang were merely the husband of the Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path, they might not necessarily be convinced.

But Su Yang had already demonstrated his absolute strength beforehand. At this moment, Su Yang's status in their hearts was already equal to that of the Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path, Cold Moon, and there was no room left for any doubt or defiance.

"Congratulations to the Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path! Congratulations... to Venerable Su!"

Soul Extinguisher was the first to react, hurriedly kowtowing in congratulations.

The other six also snapped out of their daze and quickly followed suit.

Su Yang and Cold Moon exchanged a glance, unable to laugh or cry. This woman really knew how to seize every opportunity; to publicly declare him as her husband on such an occasion—now that they were going back, Crimson Phoenix would definitely have a huge argument with her.

"Everyone, rise."

Cold Moon said indifferently.

"Within three months, complete the initial matters of integration."

"If anyone is ineffective, they will be severely punished without leniency."

"You may withdraw."

"We respectfully obey the orders of the Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path and Venerable Su!"

"Wait a moment..."

Just as Soul Extinguisher and the others were rising to leave, Su Yang called out to stop them.

The Seven Hall Masters paused, hurriedly stopped, turned around, and stood respectfully with their heads bowed.

The memory of that terrifying pressure was still fresh; at this moment, the awe they felt for this Venerable Su was no less than what they felt for the Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path.

They wondered what other instructions this unfathomable Venerable Su might have.

The Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path had already punished them once. Could this Venerable Su, who possessed equal authority to the Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path, also be planning to make an example of them, punishing them all over again to establish his own authority!?

The seven, including Soul Extinguisher, were anxious and did not dare to look directly at Su Yang, fearing that any slight misstep might give him a reason to punish them.

Su Yang's gaze swept over the seven.

Although their auras had been forcibly stabilized, the trauma deep within their Divine Souls and the decline in their cultivation base were too obvious; their Origins were damaged, and their strength was far inferior to before.

This was not a good thing.

Su Yang turned to Cold Moon and said: "Now that the Demonic Path has been initially settled, the Seven Hall Masters bear the heavy responsibility of ruling their respective halls and implementing the new policies, yet their strength has been diminished due to the previous punishment, which is detrimental to the overall situation."

"Cold Moon, since you are the Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path, you should prioritize the overall situation above all else. Since the Hall Masters have already sincerely pledged their loyalty, why not help them recover from their injuries and stabilize their cultivation base? If you have the energy to spare, helping them advance further would also be acceptable. Only in this way can the Hall Masters better serve you and the Demonic Path."

Once these words were spoken, Bai Lingxi was the first to look at Su Yang with admiration.

Bestowing favors while instilling awe is the only way to govern subordinates.

Awe had already been sufficiently instilled, and now was the best time to bestow favors.

Moreover, this favor was proposed by Su Yang and executed by Cold Moon, which could both demonstrate the magnanimity and care of the Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path for her subordinates, and allow the seven to feel an extra layer of gratitude on top of their awe for Su Yang.

Brilliant!

Su Yang was truly worthy of being the Reincarnation of the Eternal Immortal Emperor; this move of bestowing favors while instilling awe was absolutely masterful.

Couldn't the seven, including Soul Extinguisher, tell?

After all, they were also overlords of their own regions; how could they not tell!

But this proposal from Su Yang was extremely beneficial to them. If the Holy Venerable of the Demonic Path could truly heal their injuries, they would naturally be deeply grateful.

Cold Moon, once a female emperor herself, naturally understood Su Yang's intention.

"What you say makes sense."

She cast her gaze toward the seven people below and said without further ado: "Come forward."

The seven, including Soul Extinguisher, were anxious yet secretly expectant, and they stepped forward a few paces as instructed, standing in the center of the Heavenly Secret Hall.

Cold Moon lightly raised her slender hand.

The light in the hall suddenly dimmed, and all radiance gathered in her palm.

A deep, dark light shimmered at her fingertips, and seven strands of darkness Devilish Qi, refined to the extreme, shot out silently and entered the foreheads of the seven.

"Calm your minds and circulate your life-bound Cultivation Technique."

The seven did not dare to delay, sat cross-legged on the spot, and circulated their cultivation as instructed.

The next moment, all seven bodies trembled in unison!

The Devilish Qi that had entered their foreheads was the purest and most original Sacred Demon Qi. Once this Qi entered their bodies, it was like sweet rain falling upon a long-parched land, rapidly merging into their damaged Divine Souls and Meridians...