Chapter 339: Chapter 338: Great Fury
The last surviving General Long was successfully slain. After looting the body, Yi Tianyun tossed out a ball of Immortal Fire, instantly incinerating the corpse. A Grand General of the Netherworld Empire had just been killed. If word of this got out, it would undoubtedly shock the entire continent!
However, this would also completely infuriate the Netherworld Empire. It was unclear if they would dispatch even stronger enemies in retaliation. But no matter how many came, Yi Tianyun would kill them all! To him, they were just walking piles of experience and Sin Value, a prospect he was more than happy with. Especially with the help of the Illusionary Array, cleaning them up was now much easier.
After finishing the cleanup, Yi Tianyun returned to the village with Ye Qingxuan. The villagers erupted in cheers when they learned that General Long was dead. No one had expected that Yi Tianyun and his companion had actually pulled it off. Not only had they wiped out all the Dragon Soldiers, but they had even killed General Long himself.
In an instant, Yi Tianyun’s prestige soared to its zenith. Everyone saw him as the strongest being alive, their Spirit Race’s Guardian God!
Back at the Spirit Tower, the Spirit Race Ancestor greeted them with a smile, though his face was somewhat pale. Maintaining the great array had consumed too much of his Spiritual Power, and since he hadn’t fully recovered yet, he looked quite haggard.
But his smile grew wider upon learning of their victory.
"You truly managed to eliminate General Long and save the entire Spirit Race!" the Spirit Race Ancestor exclaimed with a laugh. "I knew I wasn’t mistaken about you. Or rather, the Saintess has brought back our Spirit Race’s Savior!"
"Ancestor, you’re exaggerating." Yi Tianyun smiled. He was more than willing to lend a hand.
’Especially since I already have a grudge against the Netherworld Empire, completing a quest at the same time is a bonus. Why wouldn’t I do it?’
"Ding! Successfully completed Quest Five: ’Protect the Spirit Race and repel General Long’s army.’ Reward: 60,000,000 Experience, 250,000 Madness Value, 10,000 Sin Value, and Spirit Race Favorability +100!"
"Ding! New Ultimate Quest accepted: ’Become the King of the Spirit Race’! Completion Reward: 100,000,000 Experience, 300,000 Madness Value, 10,000 Sin Value, 10,000 Divine Rune Proficiency, and the title ’King of the Spirit Race’!"
’The quest is complete, I got a ton of experience, and I even got the ultimate quest. At least it’s not about fighting the Netherworld Empire anymore. If I had to completely eradicate the Netherworld Empire before I could even get this ultimate quest, that would have been a huge scam.’
’Right now, I can’t possibly eradicate the Netherworld Empire on my own. Even with the combined strength of the Spirit Race and the Merak Sect, it’s impossible. The power gap is just too massive. They could send just two Void Spirit-level experts and swat us all dead.’
’The only reason I won this time was because I had the advantage of the Spirit Race’s Mist Forest. If I were anywhere else, it would be like a fortress without walls—I’d be overrun in an instant.’
"It’s not an exaggeration at all. Just as I said before, as long as you could repel General Long, you could become the King of the Spirit Race," the Spirit Race Ancestor said solemnly. "In a few days, I will make a public announcement and have you undergo the trial to become the Spirit King."
"Alright!" Yi Tianyun didn’t try to decline this time. To refuse now would be overly modest.
They both nodded. This was a major event, and they needed to discuss their strategy, particularly how to placate the people. Making a Foreigner the King of the Spirit Race would be extremely difficult, so it required a great deal of preparation. If the majority of the people were against it, it would be a lost cause.
Whether it was a large or small faction of dissenters, they had to be placated. Otherwise, Yi Tianyun would never win the people’s trust, making his position incredibly difficult. The Spirit Race already had a small population, so even a small group of opponents was a significant number.
While they were making their preparations, word of what had happened began to spread. Many factions had been watching the area closely. When it became clear that General Long and his men were never coming out, everyone concluded that they had died inside, not that they had successfully conquered the Spirit Race.
If the conquest had been successful, knowing the Netherworld Empire, they would have immediately broadcasted their victory for the whole world to hear.
The entire Celestial Realm Continent was in an uproar. The Netherworld Empire’s forces were reeling. ’General Long and all his men are dead?’ The very thought was chilling. ’The Spirit Race is that powerful? The Dragon Soldier Legion led by General Long was annihilated just like that?’
To put it bluntly, an army that strong could easily flatten any third-grade faction. The Spirit Race was in decline, riddled with traitors, and had many of its people captured, yet they still managed to annihilate a Dragon Soldier Legion from the Netherworld Empire. It was simply incredible.
The news sent shockwaves everywhere. Many factions began to speculate. ’Did the Spirit Race have help? Or did some hidden expert suddenly emerge to assist them?’ The rumors spread like wildfire, reaching far and wide.
When the news reached the Netherworld Empire, the Netherworld Emperor exploded with fury. He glared coldly at the trembling ministers and generals below his throne and snarled, "What in the hell happened? Wasn’t the National Preceptor assisting this time? How was the entire army annihilated? A measly Spirit Race... we couldn’t take them down after all this time, and now even General Long is dead!"
"Great Emperor, something is very wrong," the National Preceptor said, his gaze turning icy. "The Spirit Race Ancestor is gravely poisoned; it’s impossible for him to have unleashed the full power of the Illusionary Array. I believe they must have had outside help—from the Celestial Dragon Empire, for instance!" He stubbornly believed that his poison could not be so easily neutralized.
’There’s only one explanation for how General Long was trapped like that: our mortal enemy, the Celestial Dragon Empire.’
The two great empires had been at war for many years and were currently in a temporary truce. At least, that was the official story. Behind the scenes, the ceasefire meant nothing. They were still locked in a life-or-death struggle, just not openly.
"Reinforcements from the Celestial Dragon Empire?" The Netherworld Emperor slammed his hand on the table. "That’s highly likely. They must have their eyes on the Spirit Race’s power as well. By helping during a crisis, they can win the Spirit Race’s favor." He sneered, "It seems we created an opening for them to exploit!"
"Then what is your decision, Great Emperor? Shall we continue to send forces to attack the Spirit Race?" the National Preceptor inquired from the side.
"Our position is critical, and now General Long has been killed. If we just swallow this insult, what will become of the Netherworld Empire’s prestige!" the Netherworld Emperor said coldly. "In that case, we will dispatch General Feng!"
"Dispatch General Feng?" The National Preceptor was taken aback. He quickly added, "Isn’t General Feng preparing to eliminate the last remnants of the Celestial Dragon Empire? If we send him away, won’t it affect that operation?"
"Of course it will be affected, but the remnants of the Celestial Dragon Empire can wait. The Spirit Race annihilated our forces—that is a fact known to countless other powers!" the Netherworld Emperor said gravely. "Send General Feng. I refuse to believe he can’t deal with them!"
The ministers exchanged glances but said nothing, choosing to remain silent.
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