As Lin Yun and Fang Yu'er emerged from the princely estate, they both let out a long, slow breath.
In Lin Yun's hand was Prince Zuo Cheng's command token. With it, he could mobilize the fifty thousand most elite troops of the Daye Dynasty. This was an army that Prince Zuo Cheng had specially trained, and every single soldier was a cultivator. Although their individual strengths varied, a force of this size was more than enough to deal with any single cultivation sect.
The Daye Dynasty's rule over the cultivation world for so many years was not without reason. While they might seem indifferent to the so-called rankings of the sects, the trump cards they held were enough to shock anyone.
Fang Yu'er followed beside Lin Yun, still finding the entire situation hard to believe. Before coming here, she had thought the chances of success were close to zero. She had even thought she might lose her own life in the process and was prepared to die. But the final result was completely different from what she had imagined. Lin Yun, through his own personal charisma, had actually managed to persuade Prince Zuo Cheng to hand over his fifty thousand most elite troops.
"I still can't believe we are standing at such a height one day," she murmured. With the Crimson Ghost Sect's power, Fang Yu'er had never dared to imagine she could be their opponent. But now, looking at the vast, mighty army behind her, she fell silent.
Lin Yun patted her shoulder and said with a touch of disdain, "Nothing is impossible. In the end, this was all just a transaction of interests. Do you really think that this fifty-thousand-strong army is the only card Prince Zuo Cheng holds? That man is far more cunning than we can imagine."
Lin Yun was certain that the prince had even more trump cards hidden away, and that Her Majesty the Empress likely had even more methods at her disposal. These people were all secretive, holding their most powerful assets in reserve.
For now, the only thing Lin Yun could do was to drive the Crimson Ghost Sect out of this area and rescue all the common people they had captured. Compared to the Shangqing Temple and Prince Zuo Cheng, the Crimson Ghost Sect was clearly far more insane. The Prince and the Temple still had their bottom lines; at the very least, they would not harm ordinary citizens. But for the Crimson Ghost Sect, in order to achieve their goals, they probably wouldn't even blink an eye at slaughtering every person in the world.
The entire Daye Dynasty was already in a state of turmoil. It was even possible that they would attract the covetous eyes of other nations in the future. Therefore, Lin Yun had to make his preparations in advance, lest he be swept up in the great disaster when it arrived, completely helpless.
To deal with the Crimson Ghost Sect as quickly as possible, their army marched at an incredible speed. As a result, Lin Yun had no way to warn his allies at the Beast Taming Sect's stronghold in advance. He could only send them an urgent message for now. At this point, they were likely the only ones in all of Wangjing he could trust. If he ran into trouble this time, Lin Yun hoped he could rely on his sect brothers from the Beast Taming Sect to help him escape. This was his complete contingency plan.
Under Lin Yun's command, the fifty thousand men were divided into three forces. To encircle the entire Crimson Ghost Sect, they naturally had to bring the entire surrounding area under their control. The members of the Crimson Ghost Sect were extremely cunning; catching them would not be easy. Fortunately, Lin Yun had already prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Soon, the twenty-thousand-strong force that he personally led had arrived near Maoshan Village.
At this moment, the Crimson Ghost Sect disciples there had no idea that danger was upon them.
When Fang Wenhe had sent Fang Yu'er away, he had been thinking only of himself. He had finally been able to stand tall and proud. After he returned, he could claim credit from his superiors and take all the benefits for himself. This way, he could earn a great commendation, and perhaps his own status would rise even higher. Fang Wenhe could already see a beautiful future beckoning to him.
But just then, he suddenly felt the entire ground begin to tremble violently.
Fang Wenhe leaped to his feet, wondering which blind fool dared to cause trouble for him. But when his gaze swept outside, he saw a vast and mighty army marching towards him.
In that instant, Fang Wenhe felt his entire world collapse. "How can this be?"
He had sent Fang Yu'er to appease Prince Zuo Cheng. But seeing this army before him, he immediately understood that his plan had been completely exposed.
Soon, the other Crimson Ghost Sect disciples in the village also rushed out one after another. When they saw the army led by Lin Yun, their eyes all went wide, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Lin Yun didn't hesitate. He shouted, his voice booming, "Traitors of the Crimson Ghost Sect, lay down your weapons and surrender now, and I may yet spare your lives! If a single person dares to offer stubborn resistance, I will lead my army to crush you!"
His voice was loud and resonant, quickly spreading throughout the entire village.
The villagers who had been imprisoned inside had already lost all hope of survival. But now, hearing this powerful voice from outside, their eyes lit up. They saw a glimmer of hope for life. Perhaps before, they truly had no chance of surviving. But now, a ray of light had appeared in their dim world.
"Elder Fang, what do we do now?"
"Wangjing's army is right before us! We have to retreat!"
Several disciples crowded around Fang Wenhe, their voices a chaotic jumble. Fang Wenhe himself was now in a state of complete turmoil. Just a moment ago, when he looked into the distance, he had immediately spotted Fang Yu'er sitting beside Lin Yun. It was obvious that all of this was inextricably linked to her.
Only then did Fang Wenhe understand that he had, in the end, been far too simple-minded. This time, not only had Fang Yu'er failed to follow his instructions, she was even planning to kill him.
But it was too late for him to salvage the situation now. In the current predicament, he was in extreme danger, and these twenty thousand men would not give him any chance to breathe. He looked at the people around him; every one of them was in a state of panic. Fang Wenhe couldn't imagine how they could possibly deal with such an enemy.
If it were an army composed of ordinary mortals, they would have no need to worry. But these were all cultivators, and what's more, they were professionally trained soldiers. From every angle, they were far superior to his own undisciplined forces.
"Run? You think we still have a chance to run?" Fang Wenhe laughed at himself. At a time like this, where could they possibly go? The entire world was likely already surrounded.
The only thing they could do now was wait for death.