Chapter 139: So Adorable

Seeing the outcome, Taishi Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, yet he looked as if he had lost his kin; his eyes were filled with venomous hatred, and his fists were clenched so tightly that the veins bulged, glaring furiously at Xiu Binggan.

Countless spectators were turned pale by the force of that strike, involuntarily taking a step back.

Xiu Binggan, however, was beaming with joy, his mouth split wide as he shouted loudly.

"You dog Taishi, your Grandpa Xiu gave you a chance earlier, but you didn't cherish it."

"As for now, don't blame me; blame your own stubbornness! Blame your Puppet Sect for overestimating itself!"

"As for your side having experts at the God-Transformation stage daring to interfere and break the rules of the battlefield set by the Lord of the Hegemon Palace, I, your Grandpa Xiu, am a man of great magnanimity, so I will let it slide, hahahaha."

"As long as your Puppet Sect is willing to cough up one hundred million spirit stones, what harm is there in letting you leave safely? Hahahaha."

"One hundred million? Keep dreaming!"

"Too much? Then how about this—considering the years of mutual appreciation between us, I’ll give you a discount. How about eighty million spirit stones?!"

"I’m warning you, don’t try to bargain. Eighty million! That is the absolute bottom line!"

"If you still refuse, then under the second wave of attacks, I’d like to see how your Puppet Sect can possibly hold out! Hmph!"

...

"One hundred million?"

"Eighty million?"

"Your Asura Mansion is truly as shameless as ever."

"Sect Master Taishi, do not panic! We have come to lend our support!"

Just as Xiu Binggan was gloating with his exorbitant demands and Taishi Zheng was agonizing over whether to agree, a loud, booming voice suddenly came from far away.

Whether it was the two warring parties or the countless spectators on the periphery, everyone was startled and looked toward the distance from where the sound originated.

Dozens of figures, all at least at the God-Transformation stage, arrived one after another—some old, some middle-aged—and among them were even several with the aura of the Tribulation stage.

"Xiu Binggan, you old dog, you’re doing quite well for yourself."

"Indeed, it’s been so long, yet you’re still as arrogant as ever, hahahaha."

"Oh, Sect Master Qin, you’ve come as well. It seems our arrival is quite timely."

"In such a grand event, how could this old man not come? Hahahaha."

"Sect Master Taishi, you really are something. You came here with all this fanfare, yet you didn't even notify your old brother."

"That’s right, that’s right, you really are being unkind."

"Senior Taishi, before I left, my ancestor said that once this is settled, please do him the honor of joining him for a drink."

...

Taishi Zheng, who had been caught in a dilemma, felt a complicated mix of emotions hearing these people go back and forth.

He knew his own situation; were there really any among these people who were truly on good terms with him? Absolutely not.

He thought to himself: *If you want to reap the benefits while we fight, just say so. No one here is a fool. Why must you hide behind the pretense of supporting my Puppet Sect just to pick up scraps?*

While feeling resentful, he also felt a sense of relief. At least, judging by these fellows' intentions, they weren't here to cause trouble for his Puppet Sect, which allowed him to breathe a little easier.

At this moment, however, Xiu Binggan's face was dark and livid, the triumphant look from before completely gone. Looking at the group of old relics descending beside Taishi Zheng, Xiu Binggan felt a sense of despair.

Most of these visitors were from factions that he or his Asura Mansion had offended in the past. If it were just one or two, his mansion might not care, but with so many gathered together, the pressure was immense.

Especially after a while, when dozens of large teams from various regions arrived simultaneously, lining up beside the remnants of the Puppet Sect and glaring at his own participants—who were currently locked in the Asura Death-Trap Array—the pressure on Xiu Binggan and his senior leadership grew even heavier.

"Hmph, you old relics, do you really insist on sticking your necks out for the Puppet Sect?!"

"Or is it that you see my Asura Mansion has just fought a battle and suffered some losses, so you want to take this opportunity to pick up scraps and seek revenge?!"

"Lord Xiu, we are all old acquaintances, why speak so unpleasantly!"

"Exactly. We only said we came to support Sect Master Taishi; we didn't say we were definitely going to stand in total opposition to your Asura Mansion."

"However, Brother Binggan, look, we’ve come all this way. If your Asura Mansion could... hehe, offer a little something, it’s not impossible for us to leave immediately."

The infuriated Xiu Binggan saw a gaudy old man in red robes raising his hand and rubbing his fingers together with a lecherous grin, and he immediately erupted in a curse.

"Bastards, do you really think my Asura Mansion is a sick cat?!"

...

Within the main hall of the Ethereal Sect:

"Sect Master, with the situation as it is now, what do you think the Asura Mansion will do?"

"Based on my understanding of Xiu Binggan, he is unlikely to agree to the other party."

"After all, those who have arrived all have grudges against the Asura Mansion. They won't miss such a perfect opportunity."

"That’s true, but if that’s the case, won't that brat's strategy be completely dead in the water?"

"Besides, if the Asura Mansion is truly crippled, the entire Southern Region will inevitably face a reshuffling, and our Ethereal Sect will not be spared."

"Rest assured, that brat surely has more tricks up his sleeve. Let us wait patiently."

"Furthermore, if the Asura Mansion is truly crippled, it might not necessarily be a bad thing for us."

"Just now, An Ran of the Crouching Tiger Sect and Wen Baiyi of the Azure Cloud Gate sent messages saying that regardless of what happens, our three sects will stand on the same front."

"That is good, that is good indeed. After all, it is best to maintain our current position rather than being forced to the very front."

"Indeed, let us wait patiently for that brat to make his move."

...

In a private residence in the central area of the Southern Region:

"Little Fatty, those old geezers are abominable, causing trouble at this time. What do we do now?"

"Yes, Young Master, we must think of something."

"Don't worry! I have it all under control."

As he spoke, Gu Xiaopang pulled out a jade slip right in front of the three anxious people and sent out a command.

...

"Senior, why have you come?!"

"Everyone, the Young Master has an order!"

"I will take half of the one million flyers the Young Master had you print. You must ensure the remaining half are distributed in their entirety within half a day, according to the Young Master's instructions."

"Understood, I will arrange it."

...

Just as the eyes of countless factions were fixed on the battlefield, the members of the Heavenly Mansion and the various Nascent Soul assassins of the Southern Region all emerged.

In every bustling location across the Southern Region, a massive amount of flyers began to fall like snow.

Teahouses, restaurants, streets, alleys, nameless mansions, the gates of various factions... they were everywhere. Even the mountains outside the exit of the Ethereal Sect's grand formation were covered in them.

By this point in the battle, the members of the Heavenly Mansion finally understood why their Mansion Master had arranged for this to be printed, and they were all deeply impressed by his strategic foresight.

As a result, these guys worked with pride and gave it their all.

What was originally intended to be finished in half a day was completed by these guys and the assassins in just three or four hours.

Throughout the Southern Region, countless people—whether cultivators or commoners—picked up the flyers out of curiosity, only to be moved by the content written upon them.

"When the predecessor Wind God unified the realm and ascended, the world was divided into five, and the Southern Region was exhausted; this is truly a moment of crisis."

"Yet our Asura Mansion does not slacken within, and loyal warriors risk their lives without; this is because they remember the special favor of the predecessor Wind God and wish to repay our fellow cultivators of the Southern Region."

"It is time to listen to the wisdom of the sages, to shine with the legacy of the Wind God, to inspire the spirit of the righteous, and not to belittle ourselves..."

"The Asura Mansion was originally ordinary, stationed in the Southern Region, seeking only to survive in troubled times, not asking for fame among the other regions."

"The Wind God did not despise my humble origins... After the collapse, I took over at a time of defeat, accepting the mission in times of danger; it has been seven thousand three hundred and one years since then..."

"Our Asura Mansion is overwhelmed with gratitude. Now that the decisive battle is at hand, I write this in tears, not knowing what else to say."

Such a text, overflowing with the righteous spirit of heaven and earth and possessing a soul-stirring charm, spanned over six hundred words. Reading it left no one unmoved.

Countless people—commoners, wandering cultivators, noble families, and sects—stood still holding these flyers, lost in deep contemplation.

Indeed! If the great hall were to collapse, how could the tiles remain intact?

The hearts of all were the same.

Think of the Asura Mansion. In previous years, they had indeed been a bit overbearing, acting with arrogance over the cultivators of the Southern Region.

But in the cruel world of cultivation, was it not precisely because of the Asura Mansion's strong presence that the wolves and tigers of other regions could not invade the Southern Region? This was what had bought the entire Southern Region thousands of years of relative peace.

If, in this battle, the low- and mid-level members of the Asura Mansion were truly wiped out, even if they had a few Great Perfection-stage ancestors and several Tribulation and God-Transformation experts left, a crippled Asura Mansion that was truly bowing out of history would no longer be able to protect them.

Rely on the remaining second-rate factions of the Southern Region? Could they guard this Southern Region?

The answer was definitely no.

Therefore, the response came even faster than Gu Xiaopang had anticipated.

Countless wandering cultivators immediately strapped on their swords and headed toward the battlefield;

Countless noble families had elders lead teams, temporarily pulling their disciples to join them;

Countless sects gathered their mid- and low-level disciples, charging out under the leadership of their sect heads;

The various kingdoms followed suit, dispatching countless available hands from their palaces, capitals, and counties.

Even the elders of the Ethereal Sect, after seeing Gu Xiaopang's move, couldn't help but smile bitterly, cursing the brat for his grand vision and grand strategy—that a single sheet of paper had completely drawn the entire Southern Region into the fray.

Naturally, their Ethereal Sect could not remain aloof in this grand event. The bells rang, and eighty percent of their Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators set out in a flurry under the leadership of the Sect Master and the Peak Masters.

Within an hour of the flyers falling, the entire Southern Region had awakened like a sleeping lion and was fully mobilized.

Countless teams, large and small, fueled by a shared hatred of the enemy, marched together toward the battlefield.

...

"Asura Death-Trap Array, strike!"

"Strike again!"

On the battlefield—no, it should be called a one-versus-many battlefield—the thunderous and enraged Xiu Binggan was howling hysterically.

Wave after wave of blood-red giant blade shadows were slashed out, only to be forcibly countered by the opposing forces, which outnumbered the Asura Mansion by dozens.

And not only were they countered, but the opposing forces were also launching constant counterattacks.

"Old dog Xiu, come again!"

"You dog thief, if you don't want the last few tens of thousands of your Asura Mansion's disciples to be exhausted or killed by the backlash, then keep going!"

"Strike!"

"Damn you, Xiu Binggan, you don't know when to quit!"

"Full strength! Everyone, counterattack! Break his damn Asura Death-Trap Array!"

By this point, the participants of the Asura Mansion had already seen over ten thousand of their own either exhausted to death or killed by the backlash. With the fierce counter-onslaught of the dozens of opposing factions, countless more perished in an instant.

Seeing Xiu Binggan and his senior leadership staring with blank eyes, helplessly and despairingly watching their formation being broken, one could only feel heartache, sorrow, and coldness...

And just as the dozens of opposing factions were about to launch a final massacre, an accident occurred!

"Lord Xiu, we, the wandering cultivators of the Southern Region, have come to lend our support!"

"Lord Xiu, the noble families of the Southern Region have all arrived!"

"Lord Xiu, the various kingdoms of the Southern Region have also brought their troops!"

"Lord Xiu, the Crouching Tiger Sect, the Azure Cloud Gate... we stand with your mansion against the enemy!"

"Lord Xiu, the Ethereal Sect swears to stand with your mansion through thick and thin!"

With the countless familiar shouts and the arrival of countless figures, the members of the Asura Mansion—from Xiu Binggan and the high-ranking officials down to the countless participants who were about to die—were moved to tears or outright weeping!

For the first time in thousands of years, they realized that the cultivators and comrades of the Southern Region were actually so dear, so lovable, and so worthy of reliance.