Chapter 796: Enlistment

Pfft! Pfft!

On the vast battlefield, blood sprayed in two directions as two more Zhengyang Zong hall masters were obliterated, leaving no trace of their bodies.

At this point, seven of the nine great hall masters of Zhengyang Zong had been eliminated, leaving only the first hall master, who had battled Ye Chen, and the seventh hall master, who was still putting up a desperate resistance.

However, no matter how powerful the seventh hall master's combat strength was, he could not turn the tide. He faced four Quasi-Tianjing experts—Tianzong Laozu, Zhong Jiang, Zhong Kui, and Shangguan Xuanzong—all of whom were stronger than him.

It was a battle with no suspense. In less than a minute, the seventh hall master was struck down from the void.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With eight of Zhengyang Zong's nine great hall masters defeated, the massive Yinming armies under their control began exploding in waves. Only the Yinming army led by the first hall master remained; the rest turned to ash.

Stop!

Soon, Tianzong Laozu's voice echoed through the heavens and earth. Since they intended to incorporate Zhengyang Zong's forces, there was no need to continue the fight.

Immediately, the armies of Yanhuang, Hengyue, Qingyun, and the major families ceased their attacks, converging from all sides to encircle the remnants of Zhengyang Zong's forces in layers within a cluster of mountains.

At that moment, the Zhengyang Zong army had no will to fight.

Perhaps from the instant Ye Chen's led army appeared, they had lost all desire to battle, as the outcome had been utterly hopeless from the start.

Pfft!

No sooner had the Zhengyang Zong remnants been surrounded than a blood-soaked figure plummeted from the void above.

It was the hall master of Zhengyang Zong's first branch hall. His entire body was mangled, his head severed, and his crimson form fell starkly against the sky. His death chilled the hearts of the Zhengyang Zong experts completely.

Boom!

With the first branch hall master's demise, the remaining Yinming army also dissolved into ash.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Ye Chen, clad in the Huntian battle armor, descended step by step from the high void, holding the first hall master's severed head. He was covered in blood, having sustained significant injuries during the slaying of the first hall master.

Behind him, Ji Ningshuang, her robes stained with blood, glided down gracefully. Dressed in black, draped in a black cloak, and wearing a mask, she appeared as a cold and unapproachable assassin.

Ye Chen?

Upon seeing Ye Chen, the Zhengyang Zong experts' expressions tightened. Even with his mask, the prominent "hatred" character on his forehead stood out as a unique mark.

Ye Chen ignored their reactions. He crushed the first hall master's head into dust and turned to Ji Ningshuang.

"It's up to you."

Ji Ningshuang said nothing. She simply waved her hand and removed her mask, revealing her nearly flawless, peerless face.

This...

At the sight of Ji Ningshuang's stunning features, the Zhengyang Zong remnants froze in unison. Each one stared upward, as if struck by lightning.

After three or five seconds, the first to react instinctively rubbed their eyes, thinking they had seen wrong.

But when they looked again, that ethereal, peerless face was strikingly clear. Was she not their holy maiden, the hall master of Zhengyang Zong's ninth branch hall, and the future sect leader, Ji Ningshuang?

For a moment, the world fell into a deathly silence. The Zhengyang Zong remnants felt their minds reeling.

In that instant, countless people were baffled— baffled as to why Ji Ningshuang was here, why their holy maiden had become their enemy, and why she had joined forces with Ye Chen to slaughter the Zhengyang Zong army.

They should be baffled, for the Wang's plot against the Xuanling body was a highly classified secret, unknown even to the nine great hall masters, let alone them.

As everyone stood in stunned silence, multicolored divine light swirled around Ji Ningshuang's brow, transforming into strands of light that filled the mountains. Each strand entered the foreheads of the Zhengyang Zong experts.

These strands were marks of divine sense, carrying memories of her recent experiences. To incorporate these forces, she needed them to know just how despicable the sect she had once served truly was. She required a reason to convince them.

This...

Quickly, the Zhengyang Zong experts surrounded in the mountains widened their eyes in unison.

In that moment, without Ji Ningshuang needing to explain further, they found their answers in those divine sense marks. So, their holy maiden's betrayal was not without cause. The sect they had sworn to serve hid so many shocking secrets.

"Most of you here were once my senior brothers, junior brothers, senior uncles, or elders. Do you feel a sense of tragedy now?"

The silence of the heavens and earth was broken by Ye Chen's ethereal voice.

At these words, the Zhengyang Zong army trapped in the mountains fell silent.

Tragedy—they should feel tragic!

This was Zhengyang Zong, the sect they had sworn to defend, yet it had been relentlessly heartless.

In the past, they had driven Ye Chen away. Now, Ji Ningshuang was forced to betray the sect. Two peerless talents of Zhengyang Zong had been callously abandoned. Such cruelty left them feeling a pathetic self-pity.

"Two choices."

Ye Chen spoke again, his voice echoing endlessly through the world.

"First, cripple your own cultivation, and I will let you go. Second, lay down your weapons and join us."

"If we lay down our weapons, we'll just die faster!"

An elder, covered in blood, snorted coldly on the spot.

"Do you really think you'll live longer by not laying down your weapons?" Ye Chen replied with a faint smile. "I've always kept my word on such matters. If you insist on dying for Zhengyang Zong, I'll have no choice but to spend more time dealing with you. But if you follow me, I swear on my title as Dan Sheng that I'll double the honors you had in Zhengyang Zong, without losing a single one."

"You... you really won't kill us?"

Someone stammered hesitantly.

"The guilty have their own debts to pay. I know how to distinguish that." Ye Chen smiled again.

"I'll vouch for your lives."

Ji Ningshuang, who had remained silent, finally spoke, her gaze fixed on the loyal troops from her time as the ninth branch hall master. She needed someone to set an example.

"We submit. We submit."

A middle-aged man in armor lowered his proud head and thrust his bloodied sword into the ground. Cultivators might hold themselves above others, but war was brutally merciless—who didn't want to survive?

More importantly, they saw hope in Ye Chen. Everyone standing there had sharp insight; Ye Chen's ability to unite so many powerful forces in such a short time wasn't just due to his strength—it was his imperial bearing. Since even their holy maiden had submitted, what was the point of blind loyalty to Zhengyang Zong?

Compared to the cold and heartless Zhengyang Zong, Ye Chen might be a better choice.

We submit! We submit!

As the first person discarded their weapon, it triggered a chain reaction.

It was a grand spectacle. Though the Zhengyang Zong remnants were surrounded, they still numbered at least four hall armies' worth of forces. The sight of them dropping their weapons simultaneously was awe-inspiring.

Of course, not all were genuinely submitting; some were just going along to survive, biding their time for a chance to return to Zhengyang Zong and perhaps earn a reputation for loyalty.

Ye Chen had no time to deal with that now and knew full well that many were insincere. After all, it was unrealistic for everyone to truly submit. He needed time to sort them out, and for that, Hongchen Xue from the Renhuang was more skilled than he was.

Huff!

Seeing the Zhengyang Zong remnants lay down their weapons, Tianzong Laozu and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

It was a tremendous gain today. Incorporating an entire four hall armies' forces was equivalent to three Shangguan families. With this new strength added, their overall power would surge once more.