Chapter 1042: After Battle
The remaining people from the Cao, Sima, and Bao clans fled from their respective residences once their leaders fell. They spread to the other four regions, but the people from the natural races, the beast races, the Ning Clan, and the Yin Clan were already waiting for them in their respective regions.
Tian Junfeng and the others released soft sighs once Serpentera took Cao Yunbai away. "With the help of that senior, that kid could have stopped our battle from the start, but he preferred bloodshed."
"You don't need to be surprised by his choice, Junfeng." Tian Junfeng turned to Shangguan Lizhi, who immediately told him about Zhang Xiaolong [3]'s action in the Sky Jade Realm. "Killing thousands of heretics in a single day was too ruthless, but I think his decision at that time was indeed the right one. Those heretics had already killed countless people, and his decision had a significant impact on the lives of the residents of that realm."
Tian Junfeng nodded in agreement with that. "However, I cannot let the people of these three clans perish, especially since not all of them share the same opinion as Cao Ren and Cao Yunbai. Their death will be a significant loss for our realm, so we must stop the Yin Clan and the others."
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Jia Yuyan landed in front of them and spoke to them immediately. "I have asked the other natural races not to kill them and only paralyze them. Therefore, you only need to stop the Ning and Yin clans, and Ju Xing will stop the beast races."
"Are you sure it's okay, Yuyan?" Ju Xing asked her. "That kid has already decided to slaughter them, and he will probably be disappointed if we spare them."
Jia Yuyan shook her head at him. "I will talk to him myself, and I am sure he will be willing to listen to me. You guys should go to those three regions to stop them, or the casualties from this battle will be even greater."
Without waiting any longer, Ju Xing, Tian Junfeng, and Shangguan Lizhi immediately spread to the other three regions to stop those survivors from the three clans.
"Leave those two women to me." Gu Changsheng said nothing and handed over Cao Feihong and Sima Huiqing to Jia Yuyan. "Order the people from your Gu Clan to guard the Cao, Sima, and Bao clans."
After Jia Yuyan took the two women away, Gu Changsheng immediately contacted his clan's people to carry out Jia Yuyan's orders. He ordered them to use their Gu insects if the people from the Tian, Qing, and Shi clans intended to break through the three clans.
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Inside the Tian Clan, Tian Jingxuan sat at the head seat and pondered about the course of the previous battle, especially about the actions of Gu Changsheng and Leng Hua, causing his face to turn black and red with anger. 'That bastard! He had secretly done something to that old Gu, and I was never aware of it. Moreover, I still don't know his plans for the Cao, Bao, and Sima clans. He already has the Leng clan, and the other clans are also on his side. If he also takes over the three clans, he will hold the vast majority of power in this realm. He's just a newcomer, so I can't let him do that. But what can I do to stop him?'
"Father." Tian Jingxuan looked at his son, Tian Jiantang. "According to Ancestor Junfeng's orders, I have ordered our clan members to retreat. He asked me to tell you not to do anything to the Cao, Sima, and Bao clans, unless you want our clans to be destroyed."
Tian Jingxuan's face darkened even more after he heard that. 'Why did our ancestors choose to side with that little bastard?'
"Father." Tian Jiantang sighed softly and sat down on an empty chair. "I know your thoughts, and I actually don't want to interfere in this matter. However, you know for sure that Zhang Xiaolong [3] never intended to be our enemy, and you also know that we are not his match, especially with those powerful cultivators by his side. You have seen him summon five mythical beasts when he underwent the entrance tests, and you also know that their strength is on par with yours. Furthermore, he still has several other allies, and they could stop the battle easily if they wanted to. Additionally, the other clans have also decided to side with him, so I hope you will stop being hostile toward him just because of your greed and fear."
"You—"
"Father, are your personal ambitions more important than the future of our clan?" Tian Jiantang's question made Tian Jingxuan glare at him sharply. "What good is your ambition if you die in their hands? Have you ever thought about the fate of our clan members? Zhang Xiaolong [3] is extremely cruel; he will kill you and slaughter our clan members if you decide to become his enemy. As the clan's patriarch, I hope you can set aside your personal ambitions for the sake of greater interests, especially since your choices will impact our members' lives, whether they are good or bad."
After he said that, Tian Jiantang immediately stood up and left Tian Jingxuan, who looked increasingly frustrated and furious.
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"Grandfather, are you okay?" Qing Yun asked as he approached Qing Huang.
Qing Huang nodded at him before swallowing healing and restoration pills. "Even though my injuries were quite serious due to Gu Jizhao's attack, I'm fine."
"Did he use his Gu insects on you?"
"No." Qing Huang herself felt strange about it. "Since we started fighting, Gu Jizhao has not used his Gu insects at all; instead, he fought me at close range, which is unusual for him. What about our clansmen who died?"
Qing Yun immediately reported it. "About fifty people died, and most of them sustained severe injuries. Despite their injuries not being life-threatening, some of them will be crippled for the rest of their lives."
"I see." Qing Huang released a heavy sigh. Although our clan suffered significant casualties, we are fortunate that it still remains intact. Pull them all back and ask them to focus on recuperating."
"My father and the others have already pulled them back." Qing Yun then asked him. "Can you stop being hostile toward Zhang Xiaolong, Grandfather?"
"Hmm?" Qing Huang frowned in response.
"Grandfather, you are an experienced cultivator, so you should have been able to see the situation clearly. We would never have won this battle if it were not for Zhang Xiaolong and his acquaintances." Qing Huang did not deny Qing Yun's words, but he could not accept that a newcomer surpassed his clan and the other clans. "They gave us all the information, and they were the ones who took care of Qi Lai and Xereth, remember? If they hadn't done that, those two people would have already succeeded in helping our enemies. Not only would we have perished, but our clan would have also faced destruction. Therefore, I hope you can think things through and stop being hostile toward him, especially since he can destroy us easily."
"Leave." Qing Yun did not speak further and left Qing Huang, who immediately sat down on an empty chair and thought about his words.
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In the Shi Clan, Shi Yan was really depressed because many of his clan members had died in the previous battle, and several elders had also been killed by the enemy, which significantly reduced their strength.
Shi Yan himself suffered quite severe injuries, even though they were not life-threatening. He then ordered his clansmen to withdraw and focus on healing. After he cleared everything up, he sealed his clan to avoid unwanted things, and he entered seclusion to heal his injury.
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After Ju Xing, Tian Junfeng, and Shangguan Lizhi met them, the people from the Ning clan, the Yin clan, and the beast races immediately withdrew their troops, returning to their respective places.
As for the people who fled from the Cao, Bao, and Sima Clans, Tian Junfeng ordered them to return to the three clans. They were initially hesitant about it because they were afraid that the other clans would attack and kill them, but he assured them that no one would attack them, and he ordered them to await further decisions there.
In the end, they decided to return to their respective clans, but their feelings continued to be filled with fear and worry.
Tian Junfeng did not return to the Tian clan, and he left his clan's affairs to Tian Jingxuan and Tian Jiangtang. Instead, he went with Shangguan Lizhi to discuss their future plans, including their wedding and their plans to go to the Frozen Moon Realm.
After the battle was completely over, the residents of the main city began to return to their respective residences, and the people from those big clans also began to clean up the remains of their battle. However, the previous battle became the worst history for their realm, and they would never be able to forget it for the rest of their lives.
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"Where is your husband, Xiaoya? Why hasn't he shown up in the past week?" Mu Qingyuan asked.
Wei Xiaoya let out a soft sigh before explaining the situation to her. "Zhang Fei is in another realm right now, and he is helping the people from that realm to deal with powerful enemies."
"Which realm?"
"The Sovereign Heaven Realm." Mu Qingyuan had a confused look after Wei Xiaoya mentioned the realm. "According to him, that realm is the oldest and strongest in the upper realms, and there are many cultivators in the 5-Moon Divine Ascension Realm there. However, the people from that realm seal themselves off from the outside world, so not everyone can enter it, and they have to undergo some troublesome tests."
"Troublesome tests?" Wei Xiaoya informed Mu Qingyuan about all the tests based on the information provided by Zhang Fei. "Why didn't he take you there if that realm was that strong? Wouldn't you be able to cultivate much faster there?"
"Zhang Fei would never put his people in danger, especially all his wives and family members. He didn't bring anyone there because of the dangers that threatened that realm, but he might bring all of us there if the problems there were resolved." Wei Xiaoya then asked her. "Are you interested in moving to that realm? I can ask him to bring your family and Chen Hong there if you want."
"No." Mu Qingyuan politely declined her offer. "Unlike you and Zhang Fei, my husband and I don't have that big ambition, and we are already satisfied with our current life. Furthermore, you mentioned that there are too many powerful cultivators in that realm, and since our son is still young, I am unwilling to take the risk of bringing him to such a dangerous environment."
Wei Xiaoya nodded in understanding. "Honestly, I have never thought of going to that realm or the realm beyond before, and I have always enjoyed my life in my realm. However, my sudden marriage to him took my life in a different direction, and since I am his wife now, I have no choice but to follow him wherever he goes."
"Haha." Mu Qingyuan laughed softly. "It is a wife's duty to follow her husband. You may not be in love with him now, but I'm sure you will in the future. Once you experience it, I'm sure you will get the happiness you've been looking for all this time."
Wei Xiaoya chose not to comment on it. "I won't say anything for now, and time will tell. How about you accompany me for a walk? I've been in this realm for a week, but I haven't seen any good places here. Moreover, I don't know when Zhang Fei will return, so I want to go to some beautiful places first."
"Let's go; I'll take you to interesting places in this realm."
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Several hours passed, and Tian Kui suddenly noticed the change in Zhang Xiaolong [3]. He immediately patted his shoulder and reminded him. "Stop it, kid. If you convert all your divine Qi into the celestial Qi, you will no longer be able to cultivate in these Three Mortal Realms. Therefore, you should stop now, and you can continue after your clone arrives in the Paradise Realm."
Zhang Xiaolong [3] halted his actions, opened his eyes, and exhaled with a sense of relief. "Even though I haven't felt it completely, I can feel that the Celestial Qi is much more powerful than the Divine Qi. Additionally, it is purer and gentler."
"Haha." Tian Kui laughed at that. "Once you convert all your Divine Qi into the Celestial Qi, you will feel a significant change in your body. Your body will be stronger inside and out, and your cultivation will be faster. Once you and all your wives cultivate using the Celestial Qi, I believe you guys will reach the peak of mortal cultivation in three to four years."
"Bullshit!" Qi Lai shouted to them. "There has never been a cultivator who could reach the peak of mortal cultivation from the 1-Moon Divine Transcend Realm in three to four years."
"What are your plans for this guy?"
Zhang Xiaolong [3] turned to Qi Lai, and his evil smile caused him to tremble, especially with his current situation. He touched the old man's forehead and used his dreaming ability on him, causing him to fall asleep in an instant. "The flow of time in my training space is much faster, so I will lock him up there for the time being. Once I get a lot of his celestial Qi, I will hand him over to Wan Jiang, so he can hand him over to their higher-ups."
After he sent Qi Lai into his training space, Zhang Xiaolong [3] brought Tian Kui back to the Sovereign Heaven Realm.
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As soon as they arrived, Serpentera immediately appeared by their side and handed Cao Yunbai to Zhang Xiaolong [3]. "Ju Xing wanted to kill him, but I stopped him. In my opinion, you don't need to kill this guy, and you can do something else to him, which will be more useful to you."
"You're right." Just like what he did to Gu Changsheng, Zhang Xiaolong [3] used his memory manipulation ability to change some of Cao Yunbai's memories and replicate his soul, and he also implanted his soul mark into his original soul.
After he did all that, Zhang Xiaolong [3] immediately woke Cao Yunbai and ordered him to return to the Cao Clan to reorganize his clansmen. He then went to see Leng Huang at the Leng Clan, and he did the same to Bao Yundong. This way, the Cao and Bao clans were already under his control, solidifying his position in the Sovereign Heaven Realm.
Zhang Xiaolong [3] then went to the eastern forest to meet Jia Yuyan and the others, and the female fairy immediately handed over Sima Huiqing and Cao Feihong to him. Unlike the two old men, he didn't change the memories of the two women, but he replicated their souls and merged them with his.
Zhang Xiaolong [3] asked Gu Changsheng to come to him and removed the Gu insects from Sima Huiqing and Cao Feihong's bodies, freeing them from his control.
Sima Huiqing and Cao Feihong were completely shocked once they realized their situation, especially since their cultivations had been sealed.
"You traitor!" Sima Huiqing shouted to Gu Changsheng.
Gu Changsheng did not say anything and stood quietly behind Zhang Xiaolong [3], who immediately lifted Sima Huiqing's chin. "From today, you are my slaves, even though I don't enslave you directly. Therefore, you should behave yourself, or I will make you suffer more than this. For now, I want you to return to the Sima Clan and reorganize your clan members, and all of you must submit completely to me. If any of your clan members dare to oppose you, you can kill them directly."
Sima Huiqing frowned at that, but she felt something within her forcing her to obey Zhang Xiaolong [3]'s order, making her sigh helplessly in her heart. "Yes."
"Leave." Sima Huiqing immediately got up and flew away from the eastern forest, leaving behind the frightened Cao Feihong. 'Shit! Things didn't end up going according to our plans.'
Unlike Sima Huiqing, Zhang Xiaolong [3] did not let Cao Feihong go; instead, he took her into the Yin-Yang space and imprisoned her there, replacing Ruo Yanxi because she was the weakest among all the prisoners.
Zhang Xiaolong [3] slightly changed Ruo Yanxi's memories and sent her back to the Huangfu Kingdom in the Nine Stars Realm, leaving her with Huangfu Lian.
- To Be Continued -