Immortal of the Nine Realms

Chapter 128: Justified Loss

Xian Wuchang's expression changed slightly, and he immediately tried to stabilize the morale of the martial artists. "Don't let him fool you, everyone! Since we are all here, we will undoubtedly face his punishment. Even if you retreat now, he won't let you go!"

Some sects which had wavered, immediately abandoned the idea of withdrawing after hearing Xian Wuchang's words. However, other sects, who strongly disagreed with Xian Wuchang's actions to begin with, immediately made their choice.

"We, the Azure Point Sword Sect, will not be part of any of this," declared the Azure Point Sword Sect Master sternly. Then, he led the group of disciples with him and moved to the side of the Profound Blade Sect.

With him taking the lead, several other sects also made their choices and went over to the side of Azure Point Sword one after the other. There were about seven to eight hundred martial artists who had switched sides, but that number could not affect the overall situation.

Seeing their meager numbers, Xian Wuchang breathed a sigh of relief, then sneered. "You’ve made the most foolish decision. This will bring about the destruction of your sects.”

Feng Chen looked at the rest of the sects, and said, "As for the rest of you, are you determined to rebel?"

A martial artist shouted, "Even if we don't rebel, you will still punish us, so why shouldn’t we resist?"

Feng Chen nodded. "You have a point."

It was unknown when, but the dragon truncheon had appeared in Fang Chen’s hand at one point. Fang Chen gently tapped it on the ground, and a terrifying surge of spiritual qi erupted from the dragon truncheon.

Immediately, the ground turned into dust inch by inch, sweeping toward Xian Wuchang and the others like a tidal wave. The spiritual energy was like a mighty army, leaving nothing alive in its path as it marched forward.

By the time the wave of spiritual energy reached the martial artists, they couldn't react in time. They were instantly annihilated on the spot. Their bodies were reduced to ash, and not a piece of flesh could be found, neither a drop of blood.

The spiritual energy didn’t fade away with the death of the martial artists, but it swept over several dozen yards. Nothing could resist its power. Whether it was people, grass, or the ground in that area, everything disappeared, turning the area into a deep pit.

With a simple move, three to four thousand martial artists met their demise.

The heavens and the earth seemed to fall into silence.

Huangfu Jie and the others looked at that scene in disbelief. Such methods far exceeded their imagination.

"I-Is this the strength of the Earth Profound Stage?" exclaimed the sect master of the Azure Point Sword Sect in shock.

Witnessing the scene, a strange feeling arose in the hearts of Zhong Ying and the others as they looked at Fang Chen. That gentle person who had traveled with them was actually Duke Fang! And he even had such brutal means at his disposal!

While his move had been swift and seemingly painless, as there hadn’t been any screams let out by the martial artists before their death, and everything seemed tranquil. Yet, they felt that only the word "brutal" could describe the terror of this move!

Thousands of people disappeared in an instant. How horrifying was that!

The martial artists who had survived by luck broke out of their state of shock. Their eyes showed nothing but fear. They had clearly lost the will to fight. How could they have not? Fang Chen had eradicated thousands of them in a single move. Not to mention that many of those who had died without the faintest chance to resist were sect masters from major sects!

Fang Chen’s voice reverberated calmly in the air. "Kneel," he said.

As his words fell, the vast majority of the martial artists on the other side fell to their knees, leaving only a few standing, mostly those from the Giant Sword Gate.

"Is this... the power of the Earth Profound Stage?" mouthed Xian Wuchang's, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Fang Chen shook his head. "In my eyes, those in the Earth Profound Stage are like ants."

A gasp echoed from everyone present. It seemed that Fang Chen's cultivation had reached a profound level!

"Those at the Earth Profound Stage ...are like ants!?"

Xian Wuchang smiled bitterly. "My loss is justified," he acknowledged, but after a pause, he changed tack. "Duke Fang, even though I’ve lost, it doesn’t change the fact that you cannot deal with the entire southern region.”

"They won't oppose me." Fang Chen smiled faintly. "People fear death."

Xian Wuchang's face turned extremely pale. Indeed, facing such terrifying power, the southern region had no chance of winning. In such circumstances, there might be very few who would dare to resist.

Fang Chen fixed his gaze at Xian Wuchang. "Kneel."

Xian Wuchang seemed to have lost all his strength as he knelt in a daze. Following his lead, all the disciples of the Giant Sword Gate also knelt, their heads hung, and their expressions pale.

"Sigh..." Some warriors who were still standing let out a sigh and gradually knelt as well. They didn't know what kind of outcome they were about to face, but as long as there was a glimmer of hope, they wouldn't give up.

"Is it going to end like this?" Some disciples of the Profound Blade Sect were bewildered. There was supposed to be a major upheaval in the southern region on this day, but it seemed to have all been completely suppressed by Fang Chen alone. The uprising had turned into a bit of a joke.

"Jue Panshi," called Fang Chen indifferently.

Jue Panshi snapped out of his daze and hurriedly ran to Fang Chen's side. "At your service!"

"I need a list," said Fang Chen.

Jue Panshi was slightly lost at first, but he quickly understood. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Rest assured, Duke Fang. I will produce the list within three days!"

"Alright, three days it shall be." Fang Chen nodded slightly, then turned to Huangfu Jie, "Is the food supply of the Profound Blade Sect sufficient to support these people?"

Huangfu Jie replied, "If it's not enough, we can go down the mountain and buy more."

Fang Chen nodded slightly. "Alright, detain them."

There were about three to five hundred people in the Profound Blade Sect, and with the addition of the disciples of the Azure Point Sword Sect, there were well over a thousand. It was not an easy task to arrest over three thousand people with only a force of a thousand. However, the other side had long lost their fighting spirit, so it shouldn’t be difficult. They were timid and meek now, hoping that Fang Chen would spare their lives. After all, they hadn't had the chance to truly rebel.

Huanfu Jie personally escorted Xian Wuchang. When they passed by Fang Chen, he crippled Xian Wuchang’s sea qi, causing his face to turn even paler, and he seemed to have aged considerably after that.

The sect masters, who were now prisoners, felt shocked and fearful.

Fortunately, Fang Chen did not do the same to them, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief.

Even though Fang Chen had given Jue Panshi three days, on the second day, civil and military officials from Southern Immortal Prefecture arrived at the Profound Blade Sect to apologize.

Some individuals who had heard the news fled from the southern region. Those who came to confess were individuals with minor crimes, while those fleeing were likely aware that they had no hope of living. Upon learning of Xian Wuchang's defeat, they chose to escape directly.

Jue Panshi had already killed several captains of the guards, once again taking control of the guards and his elite troops. He then ordered his trusted subordinates to pursue and hunt down the officials who had fled.

Then, on the third day, he handed Fang Chen an extremely detailed list.

"Duke Fang, some of these individuals have been detained, while some have fled. However, my men are already pursuing them. I believe they will soon be apprehended," said Jue Panshi in a low voice.

Fang Chen looked at the list and lightly marked over a dozen names on it. He then handed the list back to Jue Panshi.

"For those marked, schedule their execution at a convenient time. As for the rest, let them go back and reflect," said Fang Chen.

Jue Panshi was slightly surprised but nodded quickly and said, "Yes, Duke Fang!"

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