Chapter 165: Alliance

With a wave of his left hand, Yaoye sent tens of thousands of miniature stars hurtling toward all the disciples of the Cloud Firmament Sect. Each collision carried the formidable might of the early Void-Returning stage.

In an instant, every single disciple of the Cloud Firmament Sect present was thoroughly annihilated. Yaoye hurried to Yuan Chen's side, silently circulating his vital energy to help dissolve Lingyun's seal.

Once the seals on all three had been completely removed, Peng Xiang cast a guilt-ridden glance at Yaoye and lowered his head deeply. As Yaoye turned around, everyone immediately bowed in reverence.

"Congratulations, Lord Prefecture Master, on slaying the mighty enemy!"

Gazing at Yaoye's slender figure, which appeared exceptionally tall and upright in the brilliant sunlight, Yuan Chen and the others knew that the new supreme powerhouse of the Western Battlefield had just been born.

"Fang Yu, Fang Yan, tally the casualties of our Heavenly Prefecture disciples. Commander Heilin, send men to calculate the losses of the demon clan, and I must also trouble you to oversee the rebuilding of the Tiger Heaven Hall!"

"Understood!"

With a synchronized response, the three men departed. Seeing how politely Yaoye treated his subordinates, Tiger Fierce and Yuan Chen held him in an even higher regard than before.

Struggling to his feet, Yuan Chen said, "The Tiger Heaven Hall has been destroyed. Come, let us go to my Ape Heaven Hall. Peng Xiang and I were largely untouched by this ordeal; let us rest at my quarters for the time being."

Supporting one another, the four men walked toward the Ape Heaven Hall. All the way there, Peng Xiang kept his head down, not daring to meet Yaoye's eyes. Upon entering the main hall of the Ape Heaven Hall, Peng Xiang abruptly dropped to one knee.

"I am sorry, Yaoye. I... I—"

The other three turned their heads in surprise, and Yuan Chen quickly spoke up to plead for Peng Xiang. "Brother Yaoye, things are not as you think. Younger brother Peng Xiang did it to save me. Please forgive him this once!"

Yaoye stepped forward and lifted the kneeling Peng Xiang to his feet. "Third brother, what are you saying? I, Yaoye, have never blamed you. Since I was willing to share the secret with you, I was not afraid of it leaking out, for without me, that secret technique is nothing more than a decoration!"

The three men nodded involuntarily in silent admiration of Yaoye's magnanimity. After they all sat down, Tiger Fierce could no longer hold back his thoughts.

"Brother Yaoye, you should seize the momentum now, strike down the Cloud Firmament Sect in one fell swoop, and take control of the entire Western Battlefield!"

Yaoye lacked the expected joy of victory. Instead, he stood up, gazed in the direction of the Northern Battlefield, and sighed softly.

"Slaughtering them was never my intention, but they refused to let me live. Alas!"

Yuan Chen and the others exchanged glances. Yuan Chen also stood up, walked over, and asked, "Then, what is my brother's ambition?"

"This continent is already overburdened and covered in scars. The demon race eyes us like a tiger eyeing its prey, yet the people of our Fengwu Continent still do not know how to huddle together for warmth. It is truly disheartening!"

Hearing Yaoye's words, Yuan Chen and the other two nodded in agreement, unable to suppress a joint sigh.

"Since the Fengwu Continent lacks rules, I shall write them. Since the Fengwu Continent suffers from both internal and external troubles, I shall put an end to them!"

When Yaoye finished speaking, a battle intent that soared to the heavens washed over Yuan Chen and the two others. Influenced by Yaoye, their own fighting spirits surged passionately.

At this moment, Peng Xiang spoke up. "Brother Yaoye is right. If we do not huddle together for warmth, destruction is all that awaits us!"

"I have a proposal. Let us all ponder it."

As Yuan Chen's voice trailed off, the three men looked toward him expectantly. "Here is what I think: let us merge our three forces together, place them under Yaoye's command, and take the first step toward stabilizing the Western Battlefield."

"That's right! Why didn't I think of that? Eldest brother, I agree. I only wonder how Brother Yaoye feels about this?"

Yaoye waved his hands repeatedly. "No, this is the force you built with your hard-earned sweat and blood. I cannot be so selfish!"

Peng Xiang patted Yaoye on the shoulder. "Little brother, the three of us rarely manage our respective halls anyway; we are always out on adventures. Handing it over to you feels like casting off shackles, and I believe that following you will make our lives far more exciting in the days to come!"

"Indeed, third brother is right. Stop declining, Yaoye. As long as I, Yuan Chen, have battles to fight, that is all I care about! I have no desire to manage these trivial, vexing matters!"

"Yes, Brother Yaoye. You just said yourself that we should huddle together for warmth. Why are you being so coy now?"

Moved by the words of Yuan Chen, Tiger Fierce, and Peng Xiang, Yaoye nodded. "Very well! From this day forward, the four of us brothers shall advance and retreat as one!"

"Come here!"

At Yuan Chen's command, a tall, burly demi-human walked in and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings to the four Demon Kings!"

"Heifeng, take some men to the Tiger Heaven Hall, gather everyone there, and have them put aside their current tasks to await orders at my Ape Heaven Hall."

"Understood!"

Peng Xiang hastily stood up and called out to Heifeng, who was about to leave. "Heifeng, wait. Take my identity token and make a personal trip to command all the brothers of the Peng Heaven Hall to assemble here!"

"What are you three brothers doing?"

Faced with Yaoye's inquiry, Yuan Chen laughed heartily. "Since we have already decided, we should make the arrangements early. Once we reorganize here, we shall march and conquer the Cloud Firmament Sect tomorrow!"

Peng Xiang picked up the thread of the conversation. "Brother Yaoye, the three of us manage different domains. I command all winged beasts, second brother commands all feline demons, and eldest brother commands the rest of the demon beasts!"

Yaoye fell into deep thought. "In that case, I have an even better plan!"

While the four of them were conferring, various demon beasts began streaming toward the Ape Heaven Hall from all directions. Hearing the commotion, the four men walked outside.

All the demon beasts and Heavenly Prefecture disciples dropped to one knee in unison, roaring with thunderous voices, "We pay our respects to the Demon Kings!"

The roar was immense and powerful. Yuan Chen and the others nodded with satisfaction. Yuan Chen stepped forward, pointed at Yaoye, and proclaimed:

"This is Yaoye, patriarch of the Celestial Demon Wolf clan, formerly the royal lineage of our demon race. I won't hide it from you—we were just bullied by outsiders. If not for the tremendous assistance of Patriarch Yaoye, the three of us would likely have perished long ago!"

"Brothers! Tell me, shall we exact this revenge? Shall we vent this grievance?"

"Avenge! Avenge! Avenge!..."

With a sweeping wave of Yuan Chen's hand, the din of the demon horde subsided. "We never bully others, but neither will we allow others to bully us. Not only shall we seek revenge, but we will also show anyone who dares to cross us that we are not to be trifled with!"

"Furthermore, the few of us discussed just now why we were able to be bullied in the first place: it is because we were not strong enough, because we grew complacent in our ease, and because we failed to huddle together for warmth. Once we unite, who will ever dare to bully us again?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"Therefore, I announce that all brothers of the Ape Heaven Hall, Tiger Heaven Hall, and Peng Heaven Hall shall fully merge with Patriarch Yaoye's Heavenly Prefecture to build a sanctuary where we will never be bullied. Brothers, are you willing?"