The enemies must die! The captives must die! Even allies would not be shown any mercy!
As they looked at the corpses lying on the ground, the forces from Thousand Lake Manor all felt their hairs standing on end, their faces as pale as a sheet. They finally understood what it meant for someone to view human life as though it were an insignificant weed. What it meant to kill without even batting an eye. What it meant to be shown no mercy for those who disobeyed their superior's commands!
However, the worst of their fears were far from over! Zhao Fei coldly ordered, "I want to ask all of you if there was anyone who shied away from battle or did not perform their duties properly. Was there anyone who caused unrest amongst our troops? Give me their names!"
There were too many people who fit those criteria. Zhao Fei's trusted aides each wrote down a list of names on a jade archive, and those they named all stepped forward with deathly pale faces.
There were also some who immediately turned their steeds around and tried to escape the second their name was called. With a swing of his arm, Zhao Fei tossed the Spirit Illusion Greatsword, and immediately, a flurry of greatswords erupted forth.
When those running away noticed the swirling mass of greatswords surrounding them, they were completely filled with despair. They screamed out like madmen and frantically waved their spears around.
Splurt! Hot blood gushed skyward as one person's head was sent flying, his body subsequently falling off from his galloping steed.
The Spirit Illusion Greatsword quickly reverted into a single sword and shot back into Zhao Fei's storage ring. The scene just now had the rest of the crowd trembling in fear, and none of those that were called out dared to run away anymore; they all obediently stepped forward and awaited their punishment!
Soon, over two hundred people stepped forward. Moreover, these were simply the ones whom the Troop Inspectors believed to have committed the more serious crimes. Otherwise, the number of offenders would have been even greater. After all, they couldn't really sentence everyone to death.
"Bind them!" Zhao Fei barked.
The two hundred offenders felt relieved at this command. Naturally, they would much rather be tied up than dead. Soon, they were all stripped off their mounts and weapons and then bound tightly in place.
However, Zhao Fei's following command caused all of them to be thunderstruck. He mercilessly shouted, "Off with their heads!"
This time, Zhao Fei didn't have his trusted aides act upon his order. Instead, he ordered all the other subordinates to do it.
Those tied up cried and begged for forgiveness. Some were groveling on their knees, while others were already in tears. Some were even cursing Zhao Fei out loud.
Seeing the troops hesitating to enforce his command, Zhao Fei asked coldly, "Are you going to disobey my orders as well?"
'Better someone else dies than me!' A group of them gritted their teeth and rushed out, raising their swords against those bound and helpless comrades of theirs. Soon, the area was filled with cries of agony.
It didn't take too long for the ground to be filled with even more dead bodies than before, and the air was all the more putrid with the stench of blood. Over two hundred people from Thousand Lake Manor were tied up, and not a single one of them was spared. Even the number of enemies they had just killed was less than this!
The Thousand Lake Manor troops were all pale as a ghost, seeming so terrified as though they just had their souls sucked out of them. They finally came to understand the consequences of disobeying their superior's orders. They finally realized that on the battlefield, the commander's orders were not to be made light of. It finally dawned on them that they were currently engaged in war.
Zhao Fei narrowed his eyes and shot a cold gaze across the crowd, carefully watching their reaction...
Evidently, regardless of whether it was Zhao Fei, Miao Yi or Sikong Wuwei, they had long found these subordinates an eyesore. Previously, they didn't have a valid reason to do anything against them, and could only hold in their displeasure. Now that Zhao Fei had the opportunity to properly educate them, he didn't hesitate in the slightest, taking advantage of this situation to massacre a great portion of them and set these useless fools straight. In truth, back when the three Manors had deployed their troops, Miao Yi and the others already made up their minds that this wouldn't be as simple as just killing Chang Zijiu and avenging Qi Xiuhong.
The three of them felt it was unforgivable for these people to continue their lives peacefully in the cultivation realm! They had fought tooth and nail to survive the Subjugation Crusade, and this helped them develop a sense of intuition towards danger. They didn't believe that such peaceful days could go on without any consequences and didn't wish to one day leave their lives in the hands of such useless subordinates...
The wounded Chen Fei continued chasing after the enemy troops all the way to the border of Raincloud Manor and Pure Dream Manor before inevitably coming to a stop. Without an official decree, he didn't dare trespass into someone else's territory with such a large force in tow. As such, he could only sigh in resignation as he watched the enemy forces escape his grasp.
Coincidentally, just as he was about to head back, Chen Fei bumped into Advisor Han Chunfeng and the other two Advisors from Mulberry Cloud Manor, as well as the two hundred people they were currently leading in their escape. As Raincloud Manor had plenty of rivers and lakes in its domain, there weren't many routes one could take in and out of the area. As such, it was not surprising that these two parties managed to bump into one another.
Chen Fei had no idea why these people had come this way and thus was easily tricked by Han Chunfeng into allowing them passage. After a while, Chen Fei met up with Mu Tailai and his forces and finally realized that he had been lied to. Chen Fei was instantly outraged. He joined Mu Tailai and his troops, and together with a force seven hundred strong charged straight into Pure Dream Manor territory.
Han Chunfeng and the others didn't dare to make any stops in their escape. They just ran and ran, and eventually met up with the remnants from Tranquil Sun Manor who had also escaped into Pure Dream Manor.
Suddenly, the mountain gates of Pure Dream Manor was filled with people. It was only then that Han Chunfeng and the others realized that none of the Mountains nor Caves they previously crossed over had sent word of their coming. Evidently, this was how lax security was in these parts.
Moreover, the gatekeepers didn't seem anxious in the slightest when faced against such a large crowd. The two of them stepped forward boldly and stood up against a crowd of over two hundred people without any hesitation, shouting coldly, "Who goes there?!"
Han Chunfeng and the others hastily reported the situation and requested the gatekeepers to send word to their Manor Head. The gatekeepers looked at them suspiciously and asked that they wait here before they went inside to make their report.
Later on, inside Pure Dream Manor's main assembly hall, in front of Manor Head Xu Huihuang and his Advisors and Deacons, Han Chunfeng and the others immediately complained about Miao Yi and his comrades' misdeeds!
Initially, the members of Pure Dream Manor were slightly dubious of the report. However, they were soon greatly shocked by what they heard.
Slam! Manor Head Xu Huihuang slapped on the armrest of his seat and stood up, bellowing furiously, "Preposterous! What do those three think they're doing?! Do they really think that no one would challenge them just because they survived the Subjugation Crusade?"
One Advisor stepped forward and said solemnly, "Manor Head, we should report this incident to the Hall Master immediately and punish these hooligans!"
Another Advisor quickly followed suit, cupping his fists as he said, "Manor Head! Our Pure Dream Manor lies right next to his Raincloud Manor. If we allow him to do things as he pleases like this, we will only be feeding his arrogance! I suggest we rally our Pure Dream Manor forces and head over to Raincloud Manor's border immediately to give them a little scare. We must show these brutes that our Pure Dream Manor is not so easily pushed around like Tranquil Sun Manor."
The final Advisor also stepped forward with cupped fists and added on, "I agree wholeheartedly. We cannot allow Miao Yi to act so insolently!"
Xu Huihuang nodded and said, "Very well! Then it's decided!"
However, right as he was about to write down a jade archive to rally his forces, Xu Huihuang heard the sound of hoofbeats quickly approaching. And judging from the sound of it, there was quite a number of them.
Xu Huihuang and the others were greatly astonished, and they quickly rushed outside to take a look, only to find a large army encroaching on their doorstep. They didn't slow down at all, dividing into two as they promptly surrounded the entire Pure Dream Manor.
When Han Chunfeng saw who the other party was, he was immediately filled with dread. He never thought that the forces from Raincloud Manor would actually dare to come all this way to Pure Dream Manor's doorstep. When he saw Chen Fei retreating from Pure Dream Manor's border earlier on, Han Chunfeng thought it would be safe here. However, it seemed his assumptions had turned out false in the end. He anxiously yelled, "Manor Head Xu! Miao Yi and his forces are upon us!"
Even a fool could tell that these people did not come in peace. Xu Huihuang immediately imbued his voice with transcendence energy and shouted, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
The whole Pure Dream Manor instantly fell into chaos, as its members frantically ran around searching for their mounts. And by the time they readied themselves, the enemy troops had already completely surrounded the place, immediately forcing all of them to bundle up into a small corner.
Even though the more than seven hundred members from Raincloud Manor didn't have much experience in battle, but after all the things they had seen earlier on, they were no longer behaving as stupidly as they did before. They now possessed some degree of awareness that they were in a war. And it was that very realization that further boosted the ferocity they now carried, making them appear more overwhelming than the forces of Pure Dream Manor. Moreover, they had the advantage in numbers, allowing them to continuously back the frightened enemy troops into a corner.
Even Xu Huihuang himself felt a little bit scared, much less the others. All he sensed from the other party was a terrifying viciousness. He bunched up together with his troops, the fugitives that escaped here, as well as a group of terrified handmaidens. Altogether, nearly four hundred people were crowded together.
As the space gradually became more and more cramped, Xu Huihuang ultimately raised his sword and shouted, "Why are you trespassing on my Pure Dream Manor's territory? Answer me!"
The surrounding forces immediately parted, as Mu Tailai and Chen Fei stepped forward. By order of position, Mu Tailai was currently the person-in-charge, while Chen Fei was second in command.
As it was his first time leading such a large force, Mu Tailai proudly sat upon his mount with his head held high and his chest pumped out. Not only did he feel a little bit more confident after personally killing several people back in Tranquil Sun Manor, when he saw how a Manor Head was actually quaking in fear against the mighty force behind him, Mu Tailai felt a surge of arrogance coming through. He even started to think that doing something like this was much more worthwhile than all that shallow flattery and bullshit he had to deal with in the past. It felt as though he could walk on with his back straight now!
Mu Tailai cast a disdainful look at the ones being surrounded, and said, "We have come on orders from Raincloud Manor's Manor Head to apprehend a group of traitorous deserters! Manor Head Xu, we do not wish to trespass on your domain either. However, you'd best hand over those traitors to us. Otherwise, once Manor Head Miao arrives, things will not end so smoothly for you."
He then tossed over a jade archive to Xu Huihuang. As the other party read through the jade archive, he found that it was nothing more than a blatant threat from Miao Yi, stating that Tranquil Sun Manor had been housing traitors from Raincloud Manor and that he had already decimated the entire Tranquil Sun Manor and taken Chang Zijiu's head because they refused to hand those individuals over. He also warned that if Pure Dream Manor wished to house these traitors as well, then they would be meeting the same end as Tranquil Sun Manor!
Having already heard Han Chunfeng's side of the story, Xu Huihuang naturally knew that all that was written on the jade archive was a lie. Clearly, Thousand Lake Manor, Raincloud Manor, and Mulberry Cloud Manor were the ones who joined forces to attack Tranquil Sun Manor. All this talk about housing traitors was nothing but a lie. Obviously, Miao Yi was only trying to use this as an excuse to intimidate him into handing those people over.
Xu Huihuang didn't want to deal with such a troublesome affair either. If only the people from Raincloud Manor had come to him secretly, then he would gladly chase Han Chunfeng and the others out for them to deal with it themselves. But now, they were on his doorstep with a massive army in tow, demanding that he hand those people over. How would the public look at him if he were to obediently surrender them?
However, this was nothing but an unrealistic wish on his part at this point in time. Had Miao Yi not threatened him with brute force, Xu Huihuang probably wouldn't be willing to hand over Han Chunfeng and the others, as he was quite repulsed by the way Miao Yi had rallied his army and assaulted a fellow Manor Head. As such, it was quite possible that he would've sent Han Chunfeng and the others to Suppressing Tenth Hall instead.
Meanwhile, Miao Yi was trying to buy himself as much time as he could before Suppressing Tenth Hall made their move—why would he waste time with Xu Huihuang using such a roundabout method?
"Are you fully aware of the consequences of doing such a thing?" Xu Huihuang asked angrily.
Mu Tailai replied, "This is not something I should be worried about. All I know is that if Manor Head Xu does not hand those people over, then you must be prepared to accept the outcome!"
Suddenly, another wave of thundering hoofbeats was heard coming from the distance. Miao Yi had arrived, along with Qian'Er and Xue'Er, a few steps earlier than the remaining troops. In order to save himself some time, Miao Yi and the two girls used the powerful speed of their mounts to their advantage and left everyone else behind, thus arriving here earlier than the rest.
The troops immediately made way for Miao Yi and the two Aunties to pass. Miao Yi swept a glance across the ones being surrounded, then turned his head to the side and asked, "What happened?"
Mu Tailai immediately reported the situation. Miao Yi then pointed a finger over and barked, "Xu Huihuang! What are you planning by housing those traitors?! Are you perhaps the one secretly sowing discord in my Raincloud Manor?!"
Xu Huihuang yelled back, "By any chance, are you Manor Head Miao Yi? You can't simply make these baseless accusations. Your men were the ones who ran to me! How can you accuse me of sowing discord?!"
"Do you think I'm easy to push around because I'm new here?! Why didn't they run anywhere else then? Why did they only choose to seek help from you? And you dare say you're innocent?!" Miao Yi turned around and shouted, "Listen up, all of you! If Pure Dream Manor doesn't hand over those traitors within the hour, attack!"