I yanked my mind from the grasp of sorrow, for we were still in the gravest of danger. Grief was an indulgence I could not afford. My heart cried out for Wugang’s death in retribution for those he had taken, but I could not form the words, the better part of me seeking restraint, to save those we could.

“Is there any question? Let him go!” the Celestial Empress snarled. “He will kill—”

“Your Celestial Majesty,” Wenzhi drawled from where he stood. “I doubt many of us here would mourn the loss of your husband. He has not made many friends of late.” He prodded Wugang with his sword. “Offer us something else, something of real value—start by disbanding your army.”

Liwei’s hands clenched as he rose, but I tugged his sleeve in warning. Wenzhi was skilled at piercing an opponent without a weapon, honing a scrap of truth into a blade, unearthing an enemy’s weakness to force them to relent.

Wugang laughed. “Do not take me for a fool. The Celestial Prince certainly cares about his father’s fate, and because he does, so would the daughter of the Moon Goddess.” His mouth curled into a smirk. “While you will not move against her wishes.”

Heat flushed my face at his insinuation, while Wenzhi’s expression remained inscrutable. “You forget what I’m capable of; I do not lose my head for my heart. What does it matter to me if the emperor dies? I care less for him than I do for his son.”

His cold words pricked me. But it was nothing I had not known, and I would be a gullible fool to ever believe anything else of him.

“I know what you were capable of,” Wugang said cryptically. “Be warned that the army will heed no one but me. Nor will they stop at the Celestial Kingdom, they will engulf the entire Immortal Realm, even your lands, and that of the mortals.”

Wenzhi’s jaw clenched. “End your vile ambitions, return the spirits you have stolen, and we will let you go. We will not seek retribution. You will be free to build a new life, to earn a second chance to make it worthwhile—even though you do not deserve it.”

“I will not.” Wugang’s eyes were chips of muddied ice. “I would rather die knowing my ambition is fulfilled, my vengeance complete, than to start over with nothing. Let the realms wither to dust if I cannot rule them. You can’t frighten me. I have lived through my worst nightmares and come out on the other side.”

His gaze lifted toward the darkening sky. “Sundown is almost upon us. Will you let me go or risk everyone? Some of you might survive. Certainly, not all. Not to mention the innocents dwelling in the realms above and below, whose blood will stain your hands.”