In Nie Rong's heart, that arrogant and untamed fiery spirit instantly diminished by half.
There was no helping it; might makes right, and the situation had changed.
His attitude naturally followed suit.
In the past, the Four Great Families would at most send a few Nascent Soul cultivators, along with some treasures, to try and win him over.
It was precisely because of this that Nie Rong had always maintained a calm heart.
Facing such overtures, he had always appeared at ease, graceful, and composed, as if he were truly a paramount figure.
…
But this time, standing before him were ghost soldiers clad in armor, exuding an aura of malevolence.
Observing these grim, dark figures, whose eyes flickered with ghostly flames and whose bodies emanated chilling cold, he felt a vague sense of crisis!
Qin Wei, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator wielding a Soul Summoning Banner, sighed slightly as he looked at the indecisive Nie Rong.
How glorious was the Heavenly Blade Nie Rong in his prime, unmatched with a single blade against all? How had he become like this in just two to three hundred years?
He had become someone Qin Wei disdained, someone who filled him with disappointment. The Heavenly Blade Nie Rong of centuries ago was truly dead.
Unlike other aristocratic families, the Qin family, one of the Four Great Families, possessed a partial bloodline of the Netherworld Ghost Clan. Consequently, their descendants were few.
However, the Qin family's status among the Four Great Families was not without reason.
The Qin family possessed a small world.
This small world differed from ordinary ones. Most small worlds were either empty or populated by common animals.
But in the Qin family's small world, the inhabitants were almost exclusively ghosts and sinister, netherworld creatures.
Since ancient times, it has been said that after death, one's soul enters the Six Paths of Reincarnation, drinks the Forgetfulness Soup, crosses the Bridge of Helplessness, and is then reborn.
The most peculiar aspect of the Qin family's small world was its ability to continuously generate souls.
And these souls, nurtured by the Qin family and absorbing abundant netherworld energy, could solidify their forms and become more powerful.
Unlike other aristocratic families, the Qin family held a special fondness for ghosts, undead, and zombies, cultivating them extensively!
Among their most renowned legions was the Yin Soldier Ghost Army, a legion that existed almost solely for the purpose of slaughter.
Yin Soldiers were souls cultivated by the Qin family through a method akin to raising poisonous insects.
They fused the inherent unwillingness and resentment within the bodies of zombies into the souls, allowing the original souls to evolve.
These Yin Soul Ghost Soldiers, imbued with a natural aura of slaughter from their inception, converged, ultimately giving birth to Yin Soul Ghost Soldiers that existed only for killing, achieving an unconventional form of life.
Yin Soul Ghost Soldiers would absolutely obey their master's commands. They would slaughter any living being they perceived.
This terrifying army instilled dread and fear in all factions.
It was no wonder that even Nie Rong's complexion changed drastically and he gasped in disbelief upon seeing them.
Qin Wei and hundreds of other Qin family disciples held Soul Summoning Banners, Soul Guiding Banners, Soul Stirring Banners, and other artifacts to control the Yin Soul Ghost Soldiers!
These banners were pitch-black, yet they gleamed with an unusual luster, clearly not ordinary items.
The banners emanated a chilling, frigid aura, as if countless souls were struggling within.
Faintly, the wails of ghosts could be heard emanating from the banners.
Pairs of eyes, glowing with a faint green light, converged on Nie Rong.
Strange and terrifying roars echoed through Mount Wutai, sending shivers down one's spine.
Threads of resentful ghost energy shrouded these Yin Soul Ghost Soldiers.
This resentful ghost energy was distinct from ordinary ghost energy; each strand contained a strong sense of unwillingness.
This resentment stemmed from the zombies' resentment towards the heavens and earth. A mere touch could conjure terrifying visions in one's mind.
Ordinary ghost energy, even a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage, could not easily resolve!
Qin Wei frowned and said in a stern tone, "Nie Rong, you have committed evil for many years, your sins are deep. We are here today to eliminate you. Will you surrender meekly, or will you struggle until death?"
A chilling wind swept across Mount Wutai, and Nie Rong's face turned crimson with anger.
After all, who was he? He was the Heavenly Blade, a legendary figure, and for years he had looked down upon others with an air of superiority.
He hadn't endured such humiliation in so many years. This thunderous blow left Nie Rong utterly discomposed.
He shuddered all over, gazing at the densely packed Yin Soul Ghost Soldier army, his face turned pale and weak.
...
"I am willing to surrender to the Qin family. As a powerful individual like myself, the benefits you would gain by having me join your Qin family are immense, as you can imagine!"
Faced with the threat of death, Nie Rong buckled.
Although he was confident in his vast divine abilities and boundless combat power, fighting against a dense army of Yin Soul Ghost Soldiers, unless he could break through to the Purple Mansion stage, he had no chance of winning.
However, having already fallen, he was weaker than he had been two hundred years ago.
Despite the seemingly defiant words he spoke in the face of death, his actions were incredibly submissive.
His servile demeanor was quite amusing.
The surfaces of the Soul Summoning Banners, Soul Guiding Banners, Soul Stirring Banners, and other ghost banners rustled. Qin Wei stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at Nie Rong from afar. His face showed not only sympathy but also a flicker of mockery.
Qin Wei waved his hand and stated the grim reality in a calm tone.
"I'm sorry, Nie Rong, we are not here to subdue you and recruit you into our service."
"We need to borrow your head to deter those with ulterior motives."
...
Upon hearing this, Nie Rong's expression changed instantly. He could no longer suppress his fury and roared in anger, "You scoundrel, what did you just say? You've gone too far! I will cut you down today."
In his rage, Nie Rong wielded his life-bound magical treasure, the Heavenly Wolf Shattering Moon Saber.
A blade light tens of thousands of feet long erupted from his hand!
The blade contained boundless killing intent, piercing through heaven and earth, truly peerless.
The terrifying power of the blade light was worthy of the title Heavenly Blade. With a single strike, space itself was rent asunder!
"However, we also need to accelerate our actions. The alliance with the Human, Elf, Giant, Dragon, and Mermaid races must be hastened..."
Raphael's expression was exceptionally calm, and the other high-ranking angels were thus reassured.
While the divine being Jehovah slept, among the angels, the one who inspired the most confidence was not the strongest, the Angel King Michael, but Raphael, known as the Angel of Wisdom.
It could be said that as long as Raphael was present, the angelic race would always be in an invincible position.
In reality, only Raphael himself knew that with the divine being Jehovah in slumber, the angelic race was inferior to the demonic race in terms of peak combat power.
...
Therefore, he sought to make the angelic race the leader and form a six-race allied army with the Human, Elf, Giant, Dragon, and Mermaid races to face the impending war.
The meeting of the angels did not last long, and even without a few Divine Realm angels speaking, it concluded.
This was also why Raphael, when no major events were occurring, rarely spoke. Once he did, his words carried the weight of a final decision, setting the future course of action for the angelic race.
...
"Gabriel, Raphael, you two stay behind."
After the meeting concluded, Michael detained Gabriel and Raphael, two Divine Realm angels.
Uriel, Raguel, Sariel, and Remiel, four Divine Realm angels, respectfully withdrew.
...
"Now that there are no other angels present, Raphael, if we want to achieve a great victory against the demonic race outside the Divine Kingdom..."
"And yet minimize our race's losses, what is the most correct course of action?"
Michael rested his hands on the conference table, propping up his chin, his golden eyes fixed on Raphael as he spoke.
...
"Although we angels possess great individual strength, with each angel reaching the Golden Age realm, our numbers are too few."
"After so many years, our total population is only a little over ten million. The loss of even one angel pains us greatly."
"Therefore, when engaging in battle with the demonic race, the main fighting force absolutely cannot be us angels. Otherwise, even if we win, we will be finished."
Raphael slowly stated, "It is precisely for this reason that I want to drag the Human, Elf, Giant, Dragon, and Mermaid races into this, letting them serve as cannon fodder."
...
Seeing that Raphael had finished speaking and was looking at him expectantly,
Michael also stared intently at him. Gabriel let out a wry smile and said, "Don't look at me like that. I will go and talk to the kings of these five races."
Originally, he had already discussed it with Michael and the other Divine Realm angels, clearly expressing his desire to retreat to the rear.
However, he was met with strong opposition from Michael, the Angel King, and other Divine Realm angels, and the matter was left unresolved.
It was a joke. As the third-ranked powerhouse in the Divine Kingdom, after Jehovah and Michael, the Angel King, it was impossible for Gabriel to retreat to the second line and the rear.
...
"The most terrifying aspect of the demonic race,
There were even some who wished to recruit Wu Tao and use him for their own purposes.
In any case, everyone stood at different positions and considered different matters.
Regardless, Wu Tao's trip to Chang'an was ultimately fruitful. He had established a territory for himself, opening up more possibilities."