The golden bell had once belonged to Forefather Goldenbell, yet Jiang Chen had refined it with trivial ease.
The instrument was truly sublime, blessed by both heaven and earth. It was an immensely powerful treasure. Because of Jiang Chen’s exceptional gift at refining treasures, the bell was no less powerful than it’d been in its previous owner’s hands.
In fact, it’s very nature had been improved.
When the bell crashed down in Forefather Tongxuan’s direction, the old man sweated bullets. He used his art of escape once more to attempt to struggle free from the bell’s influence.
Frankly, Jiang Chen found it remarkable that his ambush was avoided in the heat of the moment. Forefather Tongxuan possessed more than a modicum of skill and ability.
The old man wasn’t proud of his feat though. He couldn’t begin to fathom how he’d been trapped by an ambush, and yet he’d done precisely that.
Meng Qianqiu stretched out both arms, conjuring a crystalline tide that walked the border between reality and illusion.
Forefather Tongxuan knew his former comrade’s methods well. Even he couldn’t take on such an attack easily. He was prepared to retreat further when the space all around him broke apart, revealing a figure.
An enormous claw seized at the forefather’s torso.
With inhuman speed, Forefather Tongxuan slipped out of the claw’s clutches like a slick eel.
Alas, he didn't expect the suddenness of the follow up. The second grab came immediately after, and the old man wasn’t so lucky this time.
The forefather was stuck inside an iron grip. No matter how much he tried to struggle free, his efforts proved in vain.
The Vermilion Bird would’ve been able to take down its prey quickly one on one, much less when helped by so many others. It broke off one of the forefather’s bloody arms with a vicious pull.
Another followed with another tug.
Following this, the bird opened its beak and crunched savagely on both limbs.
The rebels were uniformly stunned. How could this have happened? Why had Forefather Meng Qianqiu suddenly attacked Forefather Tongxuan with no provocation?
Moreover, the latter had been captured despite his strength as a demigod within seconds. And now, even his body wasn’t whole anymore!
A psychological blow like this was much more effective than any physical one. The naked truth was more threatening than any words of intimidation.
Prime Puresmoke materialized with somber splendor.
“You rebels have been deceived by malicious actors into doing these evil things,” she declared solemnly. “The Martial Sacred Land will pardon those who surrender immediately. Only the instigators will be punished. However, if anyone resists henceforth, Forefathers Goldenbell, Yuchi, and Tongxuan will serve as your examples.”
Three out of the four demigod forefathers had perished, and the remaining one had defected. These were fatal blows to the rebel army’s morale.
The reason it had been able to remain orderly here for so long in the first place was due to the stabilizing presence of those forefathers. What future did it have without the powerful leaders? Prime Puresmoke’s appearance here was convincing enough by itself.
Many cultivators dropped their weapons immediately.
“We surrender, we surrender! I wanted to stop a long time ago, but those bastards forced me to fight.”
“Exactly. They only know how to fool us into doing what they want. None of them are reliable.”
“There’s no need to throw our lives away for them.”
“If the last demigod forefather has surrendered, why hold out?”
When the winds changed, they took the hearts of the rebels with them. The remaining troops were as good as done for.
Jiang Chen didn’t have to say anything himself. Prime Puresmoke’s speech alone was enough to shatter the shaky alliances between the rebel factions.
Many factions clamored to defect.
There were a few stubborn rebels who tried to rebuke their fellows and salvage the situation, but Jiang Chen and his companions ruthlessly cut them down one by one. Eventually, the ones who objected were either too dead or too afraid to voice their opinions.
Everything was proceeding with unexpected smoothness.
The rebel army had always found it difficult to invade the sacred land proper. The recent rumors that’d spread through its ranks only added insult to injury.
Meng Qianqiu’s desertion was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The only forefather left, Forefather Tongxuan, was slain on the spot.
These successive blows dismantled the rebels’ morale and fighting spirit completely, causing the rebel army’s fractures to develop into full-fledged breaks.
Meng Qianqiu used this opportunity to launch a counterattack with the Dreamhaze Sect’s cultivators. The most intractable adversaries were struck down with lethal force. He knew that this was a chance for the Dreamhaze Sect to show its merit. The more rebels killed, the more the sect would redeem itself.
The danger was finally past for the Martial Sacred Land.
Two-thirds of the rebels surrendered on the spot. The ones who were left were either cautiously observant, or had arranged avenues elsewhere.
The most adamant insurgents had been wiped out.
Internally, the Martial Sacred Land was incredibly excited and overjoyed at Prime Puresmoke’s arrival. After all, she came with reinforcements and crushed the rebel army’s encirclement and alliance.
Jiang Chen and his friends were hailed as heroes.
The young man himself hadn’t expected the smoothness that he’d proceeded with. Still, he remembered the deal he’d made with Prime Puresmoke. She was obligated to bring him to view the Martial Sacred Land’s heritage of formations – especially the part about the Great Formation of Heavenly Soul Confinement.