Chapter 670: Influence!
All members of Dark Fiend Valley wore joyful expressions after they heard the words of Song Siyuan and Xie Zhizhang.
The other Seven Fiends Valley pract.i.tioners had ashen expressions.
The louder the person had shouted before, the more scared they were for their lives now. They were afraid that Qin Lie would use them to “vent his hate all at once”, as Song Siyuan suggested.
They had never thought that the representatives from Profound Heaven Alliance wouldn’t pursue Qin Lie for his crimes and instead protected him.
This reversal caused them to be so depressed they wanted to spit blood!
“Why is it like this? Why?” many people murmured to themselves. Their eyes were filled with the pain of being unable to accept and unwilling to believe this was true.
Profound Heaven Alliance had abandoned them!
Lu Li and Pei Xiang were excited inside and looked at Qin Lie with sparkling eyes.
They had not expected Qin Lie to possess such power!
“Alright, I’ve already killed those that deserved to be killed.” Qin Lie smiled coolly and stood up. He said carelessly, “In the future… Seven Fiends Valley’s name should be erased. Since I killed all their experts already, heh..”
“No problem, as long as you are happy.” Song Siyuan expressed his att.i.tude.
“One less Black Iron rank force isn’t that big of a deal.” Xie Zhizhang smiled, “As long as… you let our patriarchs go to the Setting Sun Islands to pick the remains of ancient elite, everything is not a problem!”
Song Siyuan’s eyes also became bright.
They had not come in person for anything else except to extend an olive branch to Qin Lie!
Song Yu and Xie Yaoyang were both Fragmentation Realm elites. It would be extremely difficult for them to progress even a smallest step in the future. However, the remains of ancient elites at the Setting Sun Islands could give them an opportunity to break through.
Xing Yumiao successfully went from the late stage of the Fragmentation Realm to Nirvana Realm through the ancient elite remains!
The shock of the news that Song Tingyu and Xie Jingxuan brought to Song Yu and Xie Yaoyang could not be imagined.
They desperately hungered to copy Xing Yumiao’s miracle!
Song Yu and Xie Yaoyang knew that Qin Lie did not like them and might not accept them. Even if Qin Lie promised Song Tingyu and Xie Jingxuan, after they came to the Setting Sun Islands, they would still be at Qin Lie’s mercy.
They had great power in the Scarlet Tide Continent and ruled over vast lands. But after they enter the Setting Sun Islands, in the face of the Nirvana Realm experts from Blood Fiend Sect and the Xing brothers of Gold Sun Island, they were lambs awaiting the slaughter.
If they wanted to smoothly merge with the remains of ancient elites without any hindrances, they had to listen to Qin Lie in all aspects.
Song Siyuan and Xie Zhizhang came to express their att.i.tude—Profound Heaven Alliance would never stand on the opposite side of Qin Lie in the future!
They would not, and did not dare!
“I already promised Tingyu and Sister Jingxuan, I will not break my promise. After I finish my affairs on the Scarlet Tide Continent, Alliance Master Song and Elder Xie can go to the Setting Sun Islands through the transportation formation in the Nether Battlefield to pick the remains, this is not a problem,” Qin Lie said calmly.
Song Siyuan, Xie Zhizhang, and the martial pract.i.tioners that came from Profound Heaven Alliance all had eyes filled with joy.
“In the future, there will be no Seven Fiends Valley, there shall be only Dark Fiend Valley!” Qin Lie thought and then looked coldly at the martial pract.i.tioners of the other valleys. “They all have to leave! Starting from today, all the valleys and territories that used to belong to Seven Fiends Valley become Dark Fiend Valley’s!”
“No problem.” Song Siyuan smiled slightly. In order to rea.s.sure Qin Lie, he added, “I will arrange for some people from Profound Heaven Alliance to take care of this matter, there will be nothing that you will be dissatisfied by!”
“Yes, in the future, there will only be Dark Fiend Valley here!” Xie Zhizhang said confidently.
The other people from Profound Heaven Alliance voiced their agreement.
At this time, the martial pract.i.tioners that came from the other valleys had lowered heads and dim expressions.
Han Wan and the others couldn’t help but cheer. They felt as though they were dreaming and marveled at the change in the situation.
In a short span of two years, Qin Lie who once was a thorn in the eyes of Profound Heaven Alliance was now a personage that Profound Heaven Alliance had to beg.
Some things in the world just couldn’t be predicted.
“Lu Li, is there anything else you are dissatisfied with? If there is a problem, mention it now. After I leave, I may never return to Dark Fiend Valley.” Qin Lie asked.
Lu Li stilled and was silent for a while. She shook her head. “No, there is nothing I am dissatisfied with. I couldn’t even imagine a better outcome.”
“And you?” Qin Lie looked at Pei Xiang. “You no longer regret saving me?”
“This was the most correct decision in my life!” Pei Xiang said solemnly.
Qin Lie smiled and nodded.
He did not speak more. Under the grateful eyes of the female disciples of Dark Fiend Valley, he went back into the crystal chariot and start it.
With a reverberating roar, the crystalline war chariot shot into the sky, locked onto its destination, and flew away.
“You will stay behind and be responsible for the matters here. You must follow what Qin Lie just said!” Song Siyuan ordered and then left behind the martial pract.i.tioners from Profound Heaven Alliance that had come with him and Xie Zhizhang. He and Xie Zhizhang hurriedly got on the crystal chariot and then chased after Qin Lie.
“Whoos.h.!.+”
Soon, they also flew into the sky. Looking in the direction Qin Lie flew in, they grimaced.
“He must be going to Dark Asura Hall.” Xie Zhizhang felt helpless.
“I heard that Dark Asura Hall hasn’t been peaceful recently.” Song Siyuan frowned. “Han Pu… isn’t he being supported secretly by elders of the Xie Family?”
Xie Zhizhang sighed. “It appears so. Ah, who would have expected Qin Lie to rise up after entering the Land of Chaos?”
In the present Dark Asura Hall, Han Pu and Tu s.h.i.+xiong were fighting fiercely for the position of Grand Hall Master. Tu s.h.i.+xiong had been always loyal to Song Siyuan and could be considered a member of his camp.
Han Pu had been subordinate of the Nie Family before. After the Nie Family had been destroyed, he successfully managed to get on the good side of the Xie Family elders.
He would offer great gifts in tribute, and the elders of the Xie Family found him pleasing. Therefore, they secretly supported Han Pu in the compet.i.tion for Grand Hall Master.
Xie Zhizhang knew about it, but he didn’t think there would be any problems because of this matter.
There had always been both open and secret struggles for power between the three big families of Profound Heaven Alliance. This kind of relations.h.i.+p never stopped, but also never affected their unity and harmony.
They always believed that compet.i.tion would create greater power.
Due to this, both Song Yu and Xie Yaoyang would quietly permit fighting among lower ranked forces and ignored the struggles between them.
This ensured that their lower ranks stayed sharp and maintained their offensive capabilities.
“Tu s.h.i.+xiong and Qin Lie’s relations.h.i.+p is not ordinary. In the past, when Seven Fiends Valley targeted the Ling Family, Tu s.h.i.+xiong didn’t just put pressure on Shen Meilan and the others, he also sent people to Seven Fiends Valley.” Song Siyuan rubbed his chin. “Tu Ze and Tu Mo all fought side by side with Qin Lie, especially Tu Ze. He and Qin Lie are great friends!”
“Alright, you don’t need to say so much.” Xie Zhizhang grimaced. “It’s already like this, does it matter what I will do? This time, no matter what Han Pu has done, he could have never expected a variable like Qin Lie. He is fated to be met with misfortune.”
Xie Zhizhang’s words also meant that the Xie Family would give up the authority over Dark Asura Hall.
“I’m doing this to satisfy Qin Lie.” Song Siyuan was slightly embarra.s.sed.
“I understand.” Xie Zhizhang nodded.
Inside a city made entirely out of black stone, countless vast palaces could be seen. The palaces were of various sizes and filled the entire city. They belonged to the five hall masters of Dark Asura Hall, the commanders of the areas, the enforcers, the generals, and the Department of Internal Affairs.
Currently, the atmosphere in this city named “Hundred Palace City” was tense.
Fu Zhuohui had entered the Fulfillment Realm and successfully entered Profound Heaven Alliance. The seat of Dark Asura Hall’s Grand Hall Master was thus vacant.
First Hall Master Han Pu and Second Hall Master Tu s.h.i.+xiong fought on all fronts for the seat. They did all they could and embroiled Hundred Palace City in a storm.
Many martial pract.i.tioners gathered inside Dark Asura Hall to witness the compet.i.tion for the position of Grand Hall Master, the seat of absolute authority.
The compet.i.tion for Grand Hall Master was divided into three parts: leaders.h.i.+p, personal fighting ability, and personal charisma.
The leaders.h.i.+p part had both compet.i.tors lead three of their commanders and fight against each other using three hundred people. This was akin to testing one’s leaders.h.i.+p, and compet.i.tor’s ability to lead an army was of great importance.
In the first battle, Han Pu had come out on top.
Individual fighting power referred to the battle prowess of the compet.i.tors. It was a duel between the compet.i.tors.
This was the second battle. This time, Tu s.h.i.+xiong barely managed to squeeze out a victory.
As the two were at draw and the two rounds did not determine victory and defeat, it depended on the charisma of the compet.i.tors.
The personal charisma of the compet.i.tors was judged by a vote, in which the remaining three hall masters and the Department of Internal Affairs partic.i.p.ated. The three hall masters each had a vote, the Department of Internal Affairs had two.
If one was strong and crafty enough to win the leaders.h.i.+p and personal strength rounds, no matter how much the person was disliked, they would still successfully obtain the seat of Dark Asura Hall’s Grand Hall Master.
Otherwise, it depended on the last round, and how the people of Dark Asura Hall chose.
In the plaza outside Dark Asura Hall, Han Pu and Tu s.h.i.+xiong were on opposite sides as they stared at each other. They were silently waiting for the votes from the three other hall masters and the Department of Internal Affairs.
Han Pu and his commanders were relaxed.
The people around Tu s.h.i.+xiong had grave expressions.
“Unfair!” Tu Ze was among them. Two years later, his body was built, his skin dark, he had entered the Manifestation Realm and he was much more mature. “In the leaders.h.i.+p round, there were clearly many outsiders under Han Pu’s command. A few of them should be the private soldiers of the Xie Family!”
In the first battle, Tu s.h.i.+xiong and Han Pu were competing with their ability to lead. There was a large number of experts in Han Pu’s ranks. Their existence completely broke the balance, making the whole fight completely pointless.
—It had nothing to do with the ability to lead.
It was just a performance of the outsiders under Han Pu’s command!
The spirit arts of a few of them clearly came from the Xie Family.
“And in the charisma round, the Department of Internal Affairs has two votes. Who doesn’t know that the Department of Internal Affairs is filled with people of the Xie Family?” Zhuo Qian’s expression was also dark as she snorted. “The Xie Family is clearly helping Han Pu. The Department of Internal Affairs has two votes, they can determine the position of Grand Hall Master, what is there to compete for? There is no fairness at all!”
Many of the martial pract.i.tioners under Tu s.h.i.+xiong’s command were also muttering. They clearly were also unsatisfied.
“There is no absolute fairness in the world.” Tu s.h.i.+xiong’s expression did not change as his brow creased. “It was me that was careless. I hadn’t expected that Han Pu was able to get personal soldiers from the Xie Family. I had originally thought that there would be no need for the third round, that I could easily eliminate Han Pu in the first two rounds.”
“Father, if Han Pu gets the position of Grand Hall Master, our lives here won’t be good,” Tu Mo frowned and said.
“Doesn’t matter.” Tu s.h.i.+xiong was calm as though he was not affected by the inevitable result. “The Song Family will not allow Han Pu to suppress us. That is of no benefit to Profound Heaven Alliance. An acceptable amount of infighting can help maintain the fighting ability of the lower ranks, can increase their fighting spirit. Endless fighting would be severely punished, so do not worry too much.”
Tu s.h.i.+xiong had created Nebula Pavilion and turned it into a Limestone rank force. Then, he had entered Dark Asura Hall as a general.
Under Cao Xuanrui’s command, he became a commander through several b.l.o.o.d.y battles at the Nether Battlefield. After a few more years, due to Dark Asura Hall’s heavy losses at Armament Sect, he overtook Cao Xuanrui to become the second hall master. Tu s.h.i.+xiong surpa.s.sed ordinary people in terms of experience, endurance, and determination.
He would not lose motivation due to one victory or failure.
“Whoosh whoosh whoos.h.!.+”
The sound of a flying spirit artifact speeding through the sky came from above. This caused the martial pract.i.tioners in Dark Asura Hall plaza to raise their heads.
“Flying spirit artifact!”
“That’s a crystalline war chariot! It’s very valuable!”
“Has someone from Profound Heaven Alliance come?”
Amidst the shouts, the three hall masters and the Department of Internal Affairs that had been prepared to announce their opinions suddenly stopped and looked anxiously to the sky.
A short time later, a glittering crystalline war chariot stopped over Hundred Palace City and hung over the crowded Dark Asura Hall plaza.
“Big Brother Tu, Sister Qian!” On top of the crystalline war chariot, Qin Lie roared with laughter.
In the next moment, the crystalline war chariot charged downwards, disregarding the alarmed cries of the Dark Asura Hall martial pract.i.tioners and landed heavily beside Tu s.h.i.+xiong.
“Qin Lie!”
“Qin Lie! Good boy!”
“It’s Qin Lie!”
Tu Ze, Tu Mo, and Zhuo Qian almost immediately shouted, and laughed as they darted towards Qin Lie.
Only Tu s.h.i.+xiong’s expression changed as he felt the situation could go wrong.
The eyes of Han Pu and the others lit up and they said with joy. “It is the survivor of Blood Spear that Profound Heaven Alliance and Eight Extreme Temple is pursuing!”
“Not from now on.” Song Siyuan’s voice came from afar. “In the future, the martial pract.i.tioners of Armament Sect and Blood Spear can openly move on the Scarlet Tide Continent.”
“This is a decision that Profound Heaven Alliance and Eight Extreme Temple made together.” Xie Zhizhang added.
A short while later, the two of them appeared behind Qin Lie on a crystalline war chariot.
Xie Zhizhang saw the captain of the Department of Internal Affairs. His lips moved as he secretly sent an order. “Choose Tu s.h.i.+xiong as Grand Hall Master!”
That person looked with doubting eyes at Xie Zhizhang.
“This is what my big brother wants!” Xie Zhizhang snorted.
His big brother was of course the patriarch of the Xie Family, Xie Yaoyang.
That person’s expression changed slightly and he imperceptibly nodded as he immediately changed what he wrote.
With Qin Lie’s arrival, without uttering a single word, the balance had been broken and the scale of victory had been forcibly tipped towards Tu s.h.i.+xiong.
This was Qin Lie’s “influence!”