"Hah, you dare bring the cult followers into Hua Country and expect anything less than annihilation!" Di Yi sneered.
He didn't give the Cult Emperor any chance to receive reinforcements, keeping him tightly engaged. This infuriated the Cult Emperor to no end.
Watching his cult followers die one by one before his eyes, the Cult Emperor's expression turned grim. After a moment of deliberation, he made a decision!
He slammed a palm against Di Yi, creating space between them. Then, he chose to flee!
That's right! The Cult Emperor simply ran away! He moved so fast that he abandoned his devout followers without a second thought.
Di Yi's normally placid eyes showed a rare flicker of surprise. However, considering the Cult Emperor's reputation, he didn't dwell on it. This sort of abandonment of followers was indeed something he was capable of.
"As long as I'm alive, there's hope for rebuilding the cult!" m..oΓg
An hour later, the battle concluded. All the cult followers were annihilated!
Zhang Yang and the others, covered in blood, let out rousing cheers!
"Hahaha! We won!"
"We won! It feels so good, so exhilarating!"
Although the battle was perilous and they had sustained some losses, the damage was not significant and was within acceptable limits!
Zhang Yang immediately ordered some to clear the battlefield and others to escort the wounded for treatment.
Afterward, he and Zhu Zhi approached Di Yi. From Di Yi's conversation with the Cult Emperor earlier, they had already guessed that Di Yi's identity was not ordinary.
The three gathered. Zhang Yang cut straight to the chase.
"Di Yi, thank you for your assistance this time. Your identity must be significant, wouldn't you agree? Could you tell us?"
Di Yi remained silent for a moment. He looked at Zhang Yang and Zhu Zhi for a while, then suddenly said, "I was once the Imperial Lord's..."
...
While Zhang Yang and his group were engaged in secret talks, the fleeing Cult Emperor retreated to a safe location and immediately made a call, berating the King of Guma Country!
"Gu Congtian, you dared to trick me!" the Cult Emperor roared.
"What?" Gu Congtian was taken aback. He had been awaiting good news from the Cult Emperor that night. Why was the Cult Emperor so furious the moment he answered the call?
"What happened?" Gu Congtian asked.
"You scoundrel, why didn't you tell me Di Yi was still alive and in Linhai City? Do you know that for your sake, my entire cult was wiped out today!" the Cult Emperor raged. "If you can't give me a satisfactory explanation for this, I will make your entire Guma Country restless starting today!"
What! Di Yi was still alive! Hearing this news, Gu Congtian immediately became agitated!
"Are you telling the truth? Di Yi is still alive?"
"Of course! Otherwise, who in Linhai City could have stopped my cult's advance? If it weren't for Di Yi tying me down, Linhai City would have been taken long ago!" the Cult Emperor bellowed.
Gu Congtian fell silent. Di Yi, a man who should have died over a decade ago, why was he suddenly alive?
"Your Excellency, don't panic. Go to the Imperial City immediately and find the Second Prince. I will contact him on my end."
"Rest assured, I will give you a satisfactory answer regarding the cult's affairs!"
After calming the Cult Emperor, Gu Congtian immediately called the Imperial Lord.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Lord had also received news. The twenty experts he had sent to Linhai City, all at the Yuanfu realm, had informed him that the cult had been annihilated! When they arrived, they only saw the corpses of cult followers scattered everywhere!
"Brother, the Cult Emperor also failed. Who is actually in charge in Linhai City?" the Imperial Lord asked directly.
"Di Yi." Gu Congtian uttered a name, instantly making the Imperial Lord uneasy!
"What! Di Yi is alive? How is that possible?" the Imperial Lord exclaimed in shock.
"It's absolutely true, the Cult Emperor told me," Gu Congtian confirmed.
The Imperial Lord fell silent. Di Yi, the former personal shadow and chief bodyguard of the Hua Country's Imperial Lord! That's why he was called Di Yi. This person was the only one who knew the secrets of that year. Later, he and Gu Congtian had conspired to assassinate him. Why would a dead man suddenly come back to life?
"Brother, do you have anything to say?" the Imperial Lord asked gravely.
"Di Yi knows your secrets, so the Linhai City matter cannot be delayed any further. I suspect that Zhang Yang and the others are resisting you precisely because of Di Yi!" Gu Congtian stated.
The Imperial Lord nodded silently. Upon learning that Di Yi was in Linhai City, he had also come to the same conclusion! Di Yi, the only one who knew the secrets of that year. He must have told Zhang Yang and the others, otherwise, they wouldn't have known!
"Then let's not hold back. You and I will act together. We absolutely cannot let them come to the Imperial City first, otherwise, once the news spreads, it will be extremely disadvantageous for me!" the Imperial Lord said grimly.
If the various allied forces of Linhai City were to come to the Imperial City, they would surely declare war directly. At that time, the secrets he held would become known to the world. Rather than that, it would be better to proactively attack Linhai City before they were prepared. This would also provide a suitable reason to annihilate the remnants of the former dynasty!
"Agreed. Tomorrow, I will lead the Guma Country's elite forces. Let's meet in Linhai City." The King of Guma Country also knew the situation was dire and chose to act!
"Good." The Imperial Lord nodded silently and began to ponder. After much deliberation, he still felt uneasy and decided to approach the Great Yu Cauldron.
"Hehehe! Have you made up your mind? Are you planning to cooperate with me?" As soon as he approached, the Great Yu Cauldron emitted black mist and floated out of the water on its own.
The Imperial Lord narrowed his eyes. He didn't know who it was. However, he had noticed the abnormal changes in the Great Yu Cauldron a while ago.
"Can you tell me who you are?" the Imperial Lord asked.
"Hehehe, if you want to know who I am, you must cooperate with me," said the shadowy figure within the Great Yu Cauldron.
"Alright, but after cooperating with you, I will need your power!" the Imperial Lord replied, his gaze hardening.
"Heh, naturally..."
After the two parties reached an agreement, the black mist within the Great Yu Cauldron suddenly detached and rushed towards the Imperial Lord's body.
"Hahaha!"
"This body is truly marvelous, actually accommodating the consciousness of three people. How interesting!"
The Imperial Lord ignored the shadowy figure's words and accepted the power bestowed by the shadowy figure.
Boom! A terrifying fluctuation emanated from within him! The previously unbreakable bottleneck in his body instantly vanished!
The Imperial Lord opened his eyes, a sharp glint shooting out!
"Finally, perfection is achieved..."
"Heh, this time you will all die. I will take both Guma Country and Hua Country!"
...
Linhai City.
Zhang Yang and Zhu Zhi, after listening to Di Yi's account, felt as if a tempest had stirred within them, their hearts unable to calm down! Wave after wave crashed upon them.
At this moment, they knew Di Yi's identity. However, this was not what surprised them. What astonished them was that the true Imperial Lord of Hua Country was still alive! And it turned out to be that person! The person they could never have guessed!
"Di Yi, are you sure you're not joking?" Zhang Yang asked gravely. Di Yi's account was simply too unbelievable; he couldn't bring himself to believe it.
"Everything I've said is the truth." Di Yi nodded solemnly. His ears twitched as he sensed someone else approaching, and he chuckled.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask these five people." As Di Yi finished speaking, Zhang Yang and Zhu Zhi felt five familiar presences and rejoiced. The five ministers of the Five Dragons of Huaxia had arrived!