Under the night sky, everyone froze in place.
They hadn't expected Ling Shu to not be setting a killing formation at all, but to have planned his escape all along!
"Ling Shu, you're less than human! We brothers actually believed you!" an esper with stubble on his chin roared resentfully, his eyes red.
Ling Shu's betrayal struck them deep to the core, and now their morale was scattered, and they still had to face Wanyan Zhenyao.
Seeing everyone lost in despair, the great generals under Ling Shu also reluctantly lowered their weapons, knowing that further resistance was meaningless.
"Ling Shu and Wei Daolin's subordinates, you don't have to be eliminated, and your points can be kept, but I have one condition," Xu Mu suddenly said.
Hearing this, the espers, who had been filled with despair, were all surprised and looked up.
A sallow-faced young man in yellow clothes asked Xu Mu, "What condition, please?"
Xu Mu's voice was calm as he surveyed the crowd, saying, "It's very simple. As long as you join our alliance and work for me, you won't be eliminated."
"Not only will your points be kept, but you will even be rewarded with points. If there's an opportunity, I might even help you get revenge on Ling Shu."
After hearing this, they exchanged glances, hesitant.
The yellow-clothed youth who had asked first looked at Xu Mu with a complex expression and asked, "Can you really help us get revenge on Ling Shu?"
Before Xu Mu could answer, an esper among Wei Daolin's subordinates said disdainfully, "What are you thinking? Since Ling Shu has run, he'll definitely go to Shou Ding Mountain to find those two Ghost Kings."
"The two Ghost Kings who rule Shou Ding Mountain, when they join forces, their combat power will be several times higher than Wei Daolin himself. If we defect now, we might die even more miserably."
As soon as this was said, it startled many espers who had wanted to join the alliance.
That's right, Wei Daolin was a subordinate of Ye Gong, and he also had two sworn brothers who were Ghost Kings. They would definitely seek revenge for Wei Daolin.
The situation here seemed settled, with Wanyan Zhenyao and others achieving victory, but if the two Ghost Kings arrived together, overthrowing the rule here would only take minutes.
"No, you are mistaken," Xu Mu shook his head, saying with a serious expression, "Whether Ling Shu went to Shou Ding Mountain to report or not, I was going to Shou Ding Mountain anyway."
"To form an alliance with you is to prepare for the attack on Shou Ding Mountain, as there are two Ghost Kings there, so I need to be fully prepared."
Upon hearing Xu Mu's words, almost everyone in the field was stunned.
This young man not only killed Wei Daolin but was now planning to attack Shou Ding Mountain?
"The two Ghost Kings of Shou Ding Mountain are brothers. Their combined combat power is more than one level higher than Wei Daolin's. What makes you think you can defeat them?" a subordinate of Wei Daolin asked, confused.
"Yes, and even if you win, it will only solve a small part of the problem. The most crucial part lies with Ye Gong of the Ye family, who now rules Tian Qiong Peak!" another person added with a solemn expression.
"My original intention was to go to Tian Qiong Peak."
Xu Mu, while cleaning the bloodstains on himself and the mud from his hair, said to everyone:
"Attacking Tian Qiong Peak, eliminating or even killing Ye Gong, was my initial goal."
"It's just that I arrived at Juling Holy Land later and missed the opportune time for alliances, so I could only expand my influence little by little and dismantle Ye Clan's pawns in this way."
"Now, I give you two choices: either surrender your points and be eliminated now, or join my alliance, and together, we will first go to Shou Ding Mountain, and then tread on Tian Qiong Peak."
Silence fell upon the scene after Xu Mu finished speaking.
They looked at each other, clutching their jade slips, but unwilling to crush them. After a long struggle, they finally chose to join.
"Damn it, being eliminated at this stage is too embarrassing. It's death either way, so why not try something big? I choose to join!" a burly man stood up and shouted.
"I'm joining too. If I'm eliminated now, my family will definitely put me in confinement!"
"Me too, I'm joining too..."
More and more people chose to join the alliance. In the end, nearly ninety-nine percent of Wei Daolin's and Ling Shu's forces chose to join, with only a handful not joining for various reasons.
For example, Wen Boye.
He was tied to a tree by Qi Lan, his jade slip was snatched away, and he couldn't even eliminate himself. As for joining the alliance, Xu Jingchu would certainly not agree.
"Miss Jingchu, he is left to you to deal with," Xu Mu said to Xu Jingchu.
"Mhm, thank you," Xu Jingchu smiled sweetly at Xu Mu, gratitude showing on her beautiful face.
If Xu Mu hadn't turned the tide and killed Wei Daolin, none of the subsequent events would have happened, and Wen Boye wouldn't have fallen into her hands.
"It's time for revenge," Xu Jingchu said, taking out a short dagger and slowly walking towards Wen Boye.
"Brother Wanyan, do you believe it now?" on the other side, Qian Qian put his arm around Wanyan Zhenyao's shoulder and asked with a smile.
"Brave and resourceful, a general's talent. I, Wanyan Zhenyao, am sincerely convinced and willing to join your alliance to attack Tian Qiong Peak together!" Wanyan Zhenyao said to Xu Mu with utmost respect.
"Brother Wanyan exaggerates. When it comes to generals, how can I compare to you?" Xu Mu walked over with a smile and then said, "These newly recruited members will have to be trained and integrated by you. It will be a lot of trouble."
"Not at all, this is all as it should be." Wanyan Zhenyao nodded with a smile, a look of pleasant surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected Xu Mu to be willing to let him train the allied forces.
He felt immense joy in gaining the recognition of such a talented and strong individual.
"What should we do now, heal our wounds?" Qian Qian asked.
"No rush for healing. I need to visit Mo Han's territory first," Xu Mu said, then shouted to the crowd, "Everyone, if you still have the ability to fight, please follow me to incorporate Mo Han's forces as well."
"Because we will be attacking Shou Ding Mountain later, facing two Ghost Kings and their reinforcements, estimated to be around a thousand people. So, we can only match them, and we need to expand further."
"Those who can still act and fight, come here. Of course, Mo Han might not fight us at all."
Xu Mu finished speaking and stood quietly in place.
Soon, many espers stood up and walked towards him, those who had suffered less damage in the previous battle.
Out of nearly a thousand people in the alliance, more than four hundred were selected.
"You guys heal first. I'll be back soon." Xu Mu patted Qian Qian's shoulder, then turned to Xu Jingchu, "Miss Jingchu, do you want to come along?"
At this moment, Xu Jingchu was busy punishing Wen Boye, her expression cold, as he had killed several people from her team in the past.
"Yes, you're coming with me. I'll take you back downstream, so my brothers can see you die with their own eyes!" Xu Jingchu angrily dragged Wen Boye to Xu Mu's side and tied him to a horse.
Then, this large contingent led by Xu Mu marched mightily towards Mo Han's territory.