Chapter 223 Value Proposition

Kaze looked down at Martha's wretched state in amusement. She was a god to mortals six weeks ago; now, she was a corpse he had to save from one. "It seems we meet again."

"So the traitor… cough, cough… trained you… too…." Martha grinned weakly, "I'm… not… cough… surprised…."

"I'm flattered you find me capable enough to learn how to fly onto a skyscraper without detection in less than six weeks." He smiled amusedly, watching her eyes dilate in disbelief.

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"You…." She whispered, turning her head to his voice.

Rein's bloodlust dissipated when the cultivator looked at the emperor like she had seen a ghost. It spurned her curiosity.

"Wh-Who are you?" Martha gulped in fear, looking at his [disease]-free face and perfectly symmetrical features, "Wh-Who gave you a heaven-grade body constitution?"

The short-haired brunette retracted her Guided Arrow, turning her head to look at her leader after hearing he had a "body constitution." It could explain his dramatic appearance shift.

"Hoh?" Kaze mused, "Am I so visually shocking that you wouldn't question how I established the body constitution?"

Martha's eyes trembled in disbelief, realizing his point. "How…?"

It would take a century for a normal person to establish a body constitution, and they needed to purify their body with treasures, something she [failed to plant] that week. It didn't make sense!

The only explanation was that Kaze systematically destroyed his body, healing it using the body constitution blueprint outright.

That was the only explanation, and it was an absurd one!

Rein analyzed the woman's expression in perplexion, realizing that Kaze was shockingly abnormal by Sky Plane standards! Her curiosity skyrocketed.

"Unfortunately for you, I don't answer questions from my enemies." Kaze chuckled mockingly, dropping to his haunches to look into her eyes, "But you will answer mine."

The short-haired brunette rolled her eyes, hearing his [ironic] macho demeanor. However, she played back the conversation and realized that he hadn't answered any of her questions!

"You think… cough-cough-cough!" Martha tried laughing but coughed instead, "I'd betray… my people when I'm about… cough… to die? It seems you're still… cough… a naive child… after all."

"You claim I'm naive yet ignored the person trying to kill you." Kaze smiled derisively, ridiculing her, "Such irony is bereft of humor."

The cultivator froze when she saw the familiar brunette staring at her murderously, emanating restrained yet suffocating bloodlust. Not only was she afraid of her gaze—

"Your… arm…." Martha wheezed, "How…?"

—Rein's arm was reattached, albeit bloody. She led Kaze to the gated community, they found it, and he reattached it.

He didn't want to disclose he could restore limbs, as the price was high, and he'd get hounded to save everyone's life and limb. If he didn't, he'd get blamed for letting people die.

"Are you a cultivator or a traumatized parrot?" The emperor scoffed, hearing her ask how aimlessly again, "If you turn out to be the latter after I heal you, I'll put you out of your misery with haste."

Rein was stunned by Kaze's pompousness. She had heard that intense arrogance before but couldn't remember when or where.

Martha snapped out of her primal freeze when she felt her insides violently twisting, regrowing, attaching, and filling with blood. "Hoah…."

She almost asked [how?] but felt the terrifying monster gazing at her with vicious green eyes. Her fear returned in full, allowing her to prevent her mindless questioning.

"I think you understand your situation now, yes?" Kaze smiled sinisterly, "I have a healing technique surpassing Heaven's Breath.

That means I can let Rein torture you to her heart's content without worrying that you'll die.

So, I suggest you submit, lest you seek a placement in the eighth circle of hell." [1]

Martha took a deep breath, realizing she could breathe freely and couldn't feel pain. "I… will answer your questions, as my objective here isn't to harm you. In fact, I can save your—"

"I'm glad you understand the nature of our interrogation." Kaze interjected, preventing her value proposition, "So let's begin. Why are you on the Mortal Plane after the influx?

Answer like I'm Andrew Killian, or I'll release this woman's body. Given her impassioned state, I anticipate you'll look like you tried chewing a frag grenade within the minute."

Martha didn't know what a frag grenade was but knew it would be gruesome. However, she knew Andrew Killian, so she understood Kaze knew about them and sought internal information.

"I wasn't sent here her kill anyone." She claimed, "I'm here to find Mary Emerson and Mitus Payer, cultivators that didn't return after the influx.

Sky Plane cultivators on the Mortal Plane are interfering with our operation and endangering everyone, including you."

"So your decision to ambush and kill mortals is voluntary?" Rein scoffed at the irony, "You tried to murder us a few hours ago, yet have the audacity to say others are endangering—"

"Cease your raving, you fool!" Kaze ordered, standing from his haunches, "The lives of our people depend on this woman's testimony.

So conduct yourself properly instead of behaving like a disease-stricken troglodyte."

His order ignited Martha's heart with hope that he'd look aside her transgression and see the value she could bring him.

As for Rein, her mind abruptly heard Kaze's past words and realized where she had heard the pompousness he had used since they met that day.

—

"I shall spare this insolent fool's life today."

"You needn't concern yourself with this detestable primate."

—

It wasn't a memory, but a video, the same one his name came from.

[Scrawn Fu, The Lost Emperor]

Kaze exhibited the same anger, frustration, and impatience he showcased when he awoke to someone drawing on his face.

She hasn't seen that impatience or frustration since, even during the apocalypse!

Rein realized that whatever was happening was serious enough to concern Kaze, and she foolishly acted like it was normal. "My apologies, Kaze."

The emperor nodded and turned to Martha. "If powerful cultivators didn't return, they became traitors or faced an enemy powerful enough to subjugate them.

I assume you will tell me that your people will send a military force to deal with the situation, and we're in their firing line, yes?"

"Correct." Martha confirmed, "We've deemed this area dangerous, and you have techniques you shouldn't. That's why I ambushed your people cautiously, only seeking to interrogate one of you.

They will do the same when others arrive, but you won't have hope of success. You are facing annihilation, and I can help you avoid it."

Rein's veins pulsed with anxiety when she heard Kaze summarize the issue. However, her blood heated again when she heard the cultivator justify her ambush.

By the end, she only felt bitterness, understanding the woman was too valuable to kill, as the emperor claimed.

"How many cultivators are scouting like you?" Kaze asked coldly, ignoring the woman's value proposition again.

"T-There are seven others searching this area…." Martha replied quickly, feeling his annoyance, "We're locating the threats in advance, so our faction can resolve the issue before the 24-hour spatial rift window closes.

Our job is to expedite the operation by three Earthian months until the next rift, not find the threats. So our lives have value, and our deaths have none."

The woman claimed a rift wouldn't reopen for another three months after the next one closed.

So she was sent to locate the threat so that when the military force showed up, it could swiftly carry out the operation to prevent being stuck on earth for three months.

Therefore, she argued that her role was for convenience, and thus they wouldn't escape destruction by killing her. However, they would benefit by keeping her alive to negotiate for them.

"Is there anything else?" Kaze asked tersely.

"Yes!" Martha replied, realizing something important, "Since I gave you a technique, I'm your official administrator. Therefore, I can claim you infiltrated the operation on my behalf!

Far from killing you, I'm certain they'll let both of you ascend immediately with your talent, escaping this hellscape to move to a higher plane of existence."

"Is that so?" He mused, pondering the situation for a moment before turning to Rein, staring at him with a complex, worried expression. "This woman has genuine value, and we must keep her alive for the time being."

Rein gave him a wry smile after seeing Martha's eyes light up with hope and slight excitement. "I understand."

"Until then, knock her out any way you wish." Kaze ordered, making the cultivator's eyes widen with panic, "I will monitor her health to prevent her death.

So release your pent-up angst. We must prevent future problems that could cause us trouble."

Martha's eyes trembled with panic, seeing murderous excitement glittering in the brunette's eyes. "W-Wait. Trust is important when aiding others…."

"Can I stomp her teeth out?" Rein asked seriously, ignoring the woman.

The cultivator amygdala cranked her fight-or-flight response to the max, making her struggle. However, she couldn't move, intensifying her anxiety. "Are you insane? I'm helping you!"

"As I said, I'll keep her alive, so do as you wish." Kaze replied apathetically, "I have brought a video camera to obtain proof. So exact vengeance on behalf of your whole team."

The cultivator shook her head pleadingly, seeing a ring on Kaze's finger glow and a strange device materialize out of thin air. "L-Listen, I was just doing my job! Believe me!"

"In that case, I'll give this cunt what she deserves." Rein said coldly, cracking her neck and walking to the cultivator.

"Think about what you're doing!" Martha cried with a rapidly pounding heart, seeing the brunette lifting her black combat boot, "That can be just as bad as—"

CRAaaaAhHaaACkK!

A sickening crack resounded on the rooftop when Rein stomped at full force, silencing the cultivator—for a time—and taking revenge for her fallen comrades while Kaze watched apathetically, recording everything.