Chapter 1198: The Largest Army

A massive explosion echoed throughout Zhongyan Zhidi.

The surging shockwaves nearly shattered the remaining glass in the city.

All the participants standing at the entrance of Shengxiao first felt the ground tremble, and seconds later, the deafening roar reached their ears.

If they hadn't seen the red glow with their own eyes, anyone would have thought the city had been utterly destroyed.

"It's time." Qi Xia stood up after the explosion faded, scanning the people around him. "Let's go."

Everyone nodded, taking one last look at the dilapidated building in front of them, as if it were the final glimpse of that scenery, before entering the Men one by one.

At the same time, all the Ji Dao teams, as if by unspoken agreement, boarded the Lieche alongside the Shengxiao.

Each person's expression was extraordinarily serious, for they knew exactly what awaited them ahead.

Facing a single Shen Shou had already left them in such disarray; if they encountered all the Di Ji and Tian Ji... what would the outcome be?

Still, there was no turning back for anyone.

This life of despair had dragged on for so long that even death offered no escape from Zhongyan Zhidi.

If that were the case... what harm was there in dying on the Lieche?

Whether this plan succeeded or failed, these unbearable days would finally come to an end.

Chu Tianqiu took a deep breath, glanced back and signaled to Zhang Shan, and the two strode up to the Men.

Beside them, Qin Dingdong stood with his arms crossed, repeatedly turning his head to gaze into the distance.

Wei Yang had just led over a thousand Yuanju Min toward the Zhuque direction, but a massive explosion had erupted from there—who knew if that old man was dead or alive?

"Hey... leaders..." The Rat narrowed his eyes and looked at the lead figure, Chu Tianqiu. "Have you decided to head out now?"

"The explosion just now seemed like some kind of sudden signal." Chu Tianqiu pondered for a moment and said. "I think it's time."

"Then..." The Rat slowly bent down, extending his hand in a welcoming gesture. "Noble guests, the three of you, please enter the Wujian Diyu."

At that moment, Jin Yuanxun was standing behind the three, but he remained fixated on the distant Men without moving.

Chu Tianqiu and Zhang Shan steadied themselves and entered the door one after another, while Li Xiangling and the Small Glasses quietly watched them depart.

Next came Qin Dingdong and the Rat; the four vanished from the spot one by one.

Small Glasses and Li Xiangling waited a few seconds to confirm everything was fine, then turned back to look for Jin Yuanxun—only to find he had disappeared.

"Huh...?" Small Glasses was stunned. "Where's Jin Yuanxun?"

Li Xiangling also sensed something was off; Jin Yuanxun had clearly been standing there just moments before.

"Oh no..." Small Glasses turned toward the teleportation gate with a worried expression. "That kid's Yueqian can only reach places within his line of sight, right? Now he..."

...

When Wei Yang arrived at the Zhuque site, all that remained was a massive crater resembling a meteorite impact.

Thick smoke billowed nearby, as if a missile had struck, obliterating half the street; faint outlines of severed limbs and flesh could be seen, but it was impossible to discern how many people had originally been there.

Was this the full extent of Huixiang...?

He and the thousands of Yuanju Min behind him stood silently in place.

Even Duxin couldn't reveal what had happened.

"Zhuque... is dead?" Wei Yang asked uncertainly.

If Zhuque was dead... then what about the Yuanju Min behind him?

Wei Yang slowly turned around, meeting thousands of gazes.

Those gazes flickered at that moment, as if receiving some unbelievable news.

Seeing this, Wei Yang actually stepped back slowly.

How many instances had there been of Yuanju Min regaining their sanity in Zhongyan Zhidi?

As far as he knew, none.

As long as Qinglong was still alive and Zhuque was still alive, the sanity stolen by Duo Xin Po could never return to its owners.

After all, this was not only a method to maintain upper-level control but also their tool for manipulating humans.

But what was the attitude of these Yuanju Min toward him?

To control them, he had inflicted every form of physical and mental torment imaginable.

Now, if they had regained their sanity... what would their attitude toward him be?

Having never experienced anything like this, Wei Yang couldn't predict what might happen next.

"This is..."

A Yuanju Min man, the first to regain his sanity, spoke slowly.

"I seem to..."

The man looked down at his body, sensing that something was off.

He felt as if he had lost his memory, only just recalling why he was there.

But this sensation was different from typical amnesia; all his past days were vivid, as if he had become a child with undeveloped intellect, always following an adult.

"A... adult...?"

The man slowly raised his head and looked at Wei Yang in front of him.

Wei Yang wasn't sure of the man's attitude toward him, so he simply returned the gaze as if nothing were amiss.

Then, more and more Yuanju Min began to show awareness in their eyes.

They were no longer dull, expressionless shells, but genuine people.

What surprised Wei Yang was that the thousands before him remained extraordinarily quiet; they all lifted their heads to look at him, yet not a single one spoke.

Why were they just staring at him in silence?

"Wait a minute..." Wei Yang suddenly felt a pang in his heart.

Though he didn't understand the mechanics of Yuanju Min regaining sanity, he knew human nature all too well.

Over the years, he had been nothing short of a nightmare for all of them.

To train these Yuanju Min like wild beasts, he had instilled the deepest fears in them; even though their sanity had returned, presumably...

The fear still lingered.

Their subconscious had been shattered by his torment; even now that they could think independently, there would be a voice in their minds urging them not to defy him.

This abstract hold was akin to the ruling tactics of Tianlong and Qinglong.

As long as the deepest fear was embedded in everyone's heart, rebellion was utterly impossible.

The group of Yuanju Min in front of him was clearly caught in the middle; they harbored fear of Tianlong and Qinglong, as well as fear of him.

Now, it all came down to whose fear ran deeper.

"What are you looking at?" Wei Yang asked.

The first few rows of Yuanju Min unconsciously lowered their heads and averted their gazes.

"Good... great!" Wei Yang thought to himself.

These people hadn't even considered rushing forward to tear him apart, so they were still thoroughly under his influence.

It was as absurd as in wartime, where two armed soldiers could escort hundreds of captives.