The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 721 This price is far too high!
"Who I am is not important. What's important is that I can help you become stronger," the voice rang out again. "As long as you're willing to pay the price."

"What price? What price?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked.

"It's very simple, just offer your soul," the voice said.

Zhu Xiong Ying was stunned. To sacrifice his soul? That price was far too high!
"What? Are you scared?" the voice said with a hint of mockery. "Don't you want to become stronger? The opportunity is right in front of you, but you don't dare to seize it?"

Zhu Xiong Ying fell silent, weighing the pros and cons. Becoming stronger had always been his goal, but was he truly willing to pay the price of his soul?
“You don’t need to answer me right away,” the voice said. “I can give you time to think it over. Come back to me when you’ve made up your mind.”

After saying that, the voice disappeared.

Zhu Xiong Ying sat on the bed, lost in thought.

To sacrifice one's soul in exchange for immense power—this is truly a difficult choice...

Just as he was hesitating, Bai Suzhen came in carrying food.

"Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?" Bai Suzhen asked with concern when she saw his solemn expression.

Zhu Xiong Ying snapped out of her reverie and forced a smile: "It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things."

"Your Majesty, please eat something first." Bai Suzhen placed the food by the bedside. "You haven't eaten for three days and three nights."

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded, picked up her chopsticks, but had no appetite.

Zhu Xiong Ying mechanically chewed the meal Bai Suzhen had meticulously prepared; the delicacies tasted like wax. That mysterious voice, that tempting suggestion, clung to his mind like a leech, refusing to leave. To offer one's soul… and gain unparalleled power?

"Your Majesty, is it not to your liking?" Bai Suzhen looked at him with concern, her slender hand gently touching his forehead. "Are you still running a fever?"

Zhu Xiong Ying grasped her hand, the smoothness of it putting to his touch bringing him some comfort. He shook his head. "I'm fine, I was just thinking about some important national affairs."

“National affairs are important, but Your Majesty’s health is the most important thing,” Bai Suzhen gently advised. “I know Your Majesty is worried about the Ten Thousand Year Snow Lotus, but there’s no use in being anxious. Please take care of your health.”

A ten-thousand-year-old snow lotus… Yes, he needs the ten-thousand-year-old snow lotus to detoxify; otherwise, even if he doesn't die, he'll be left with a hidden ailment. But can such a rare and precious object really be found so easily? If not…

Zhu Xiong Ying put down his chopsticks and leaned weakly against the headboard. Bai Suzhen's concern brought him a touch of warmth, but it also weighed heavily on his heart. The ten-thousand-year-old snow lotus, the soul trade, territorial expansion... these thoughts intertwined in his mind, making him extremely agitated.

"I'm tired and want to rest for a while." Zhu Xiong Ying closed his eyes and waved his hand.

Seeing this, Bai Suzhen said no more, silently cleared away the dishes, and quietly left the palace.

The palace fell silent again, but Zhu Xiong Ying couldn't fall asleep. The mysterious voice, like a curse, echoed in his ears again and again: "Want power? Offer your soul..."

Power… He craved power! He longed for absolute power, enough to protect everything he cherished, enough to sweep away all obstacles! But his soul… that was the very foundation of his existence!

"Damn it!" Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly opened his eyes and slammed his fist on the bed.

He rose irritably and paced back and forth in his bedchamber. He needed to calm down, to think things through, and to find a solution that would satisfy both sides.

Three days later, Zhu Xiong Ying's poison was miraculously cured. The imperial physicians all attributed it to the effects of the ancient snow lotus, but Zhu Xiong Ying knew that was not the case. The toxins in his body had been neutralized by a mysterious force. And the source of this force was none other than that mysterious voice.

Zhu Xiong Ying understood that he had reached some kind of agreement with the voice. Although he had not explicitly agreed to offer his soul, the voice had already begun to influence and change him.

He felt his body brimming with power, an unprecedented power!
But at the same time, he felt a sense of unease and fear. He didn't know what the price of this power would be, nor what the future held.

"Your Majesty, you are finally cured!" Bai Suzhen cried tears of joy and hugged him tightly.

Zhu Xiong Ying gently patted her back, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

He recovered, but he also lost something.

He is no longer the Zhu Xiong Ying he once was.

In the days that followed, Zhu Xiong Ying embarked on his ambitious plan to expand the territory. He personally led his army on campaigns across the north and south, achieving unstoppable victories and expanding the Ming Dynasty's territory to an unprecedented extent.

He became ruthless and decisive. He no longer cared about anyone's feelings, only pursuing his goals.

He conquered one country after another, and slaughtered one nation after another. His name became everyone's nightmare.

Bai Suzhen looked at the unfamiliar man before her, her heart filled with fear and worry. She didn't know what he had been through, nor why he had become like this.

The gentle and considerate Zhu Xiong Ying, whom she once deeply loved, has disappeared.

Instead, a bloodthirsty tyrant took his place.

"Your Majesty, why did you do this?" Bai Suzhen asked, trembling.

Zhu Xiong Ying looked at her coldly, his eyes devoid of any emotion: "For the Ming Dynasty, for my empire!"

Bai Suzhen's tears fell onto Zhu Xiong Ying's hand, burning like a branding iron. He looked at her, his eyes filled with complex emotions—annoyance, impatience, and a barely perceptible hint of...guilt? No, that was impossible; he had already abandoned that useless feeling.

"Wailing and sobbing, what kind of behavior is this!" He abruptly shook off Bai Suzhen's hand, his tone icy. "Womanly compassion will only ruin my important plans!"

Bai Suzhen staggered back a few steps, clutching her chest, tears blurring her vision. She couldn't understand how her once gentle and considerate brother Xiong Ying had become like this.

"Your Majesty, is your great cause simply slaughter and conquest?" Bai Suzhen asked, choking back tears. "Is this the empire you desire?"

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered: "The country is naturally built with blood! Only absolute power can protect everything I want!" A red light flashed in his eyes, and that mysterious power surged within him, making him feel excited and uneasy.

“Power…” he murmured to himself, “I need more power!”

Bai Suzhen closed her eyes in despair. She knew she had lost him. Zhu Xiong Ying, who had once loved her deeply, was gone forever.

In the days that followed, Zhu Xiong Ying became even more frenzied. He was obsessed with conquest and power, and he almost forgot his former self. He neglected state affairs, leaving everything to Prime Minister Li Shanchang. He spent his days in the training room, cultivating that mysterious power, or leading his army to conquer far and wide, expanding the territory of the Ming Dynasty to an astonishing degree.

(End of this chapter)