"Hidden disciples, keep up. Mu Tuo, your unit will halt and rest immediately upon entering the Ka Mu star domain!" Xian Cheng's voice echoed from afar. The hidden army, numbering a hundred thousand and following closely behind the flying swords, instantly accelerated, leaving the Fu Tian army behind.
Mu Tuo could only watch as the important figures ahead departed. Setting aside his dare to disobey orders, his five hundred million soldiers, after two months of non-stop interstellar travel, were already exhausted and in need of rest.
"Order, the entire army to accelerate! We will rest for three days after entering the Ka Mu star domain!" Mu Tuo reluctantly issued the command, his gaze fixed on the looming star gate. For them, these disciples from hidden factions were akin to the scions of noble families, merely here to gain some prestige. He could mostly guess their thoughts.
"General, do you think His Majesty might find it harder to dismiss these great figures once he's invited them? They're all acting like lords. Where in the court do we, the Mu Wu tribe, even have a say anymore?" Mu Tuo's two deputy generals followed behind him, watching the receding flying swords with evident dissatisfaction.
"What can we do now? Our Mu Wu tribe barely numbers a hundred million. Without their help, it's likely that the empire we established will be swallowed by the Ten Directions Empire before long," another deputy general lamented.
Currently, aside from Yao Die and Mu Tian, the entire court was almost entirely controlled by these hidden factions. They, who were once important ministers, were now nothing more than pawns.
"Silence!" Mu Tuo snapped. The Fu Tian Empire was no longer what it once was. Even if he were killed by these hidden disciples, Yao Die and the others would likely be unable to seek any justice for them.
"Heh heh, so Yao Die has become so pathetic now?" Suddenly, a sinister laugh echoed through the pitch-black star domain, and a shadowy mass materialized directly in front of the army.
"Tai Yin, don't waste time here. Let's finish quickly. Marshal Yue is still waiting for our good news." As Tai Yin's voice faded, three figures appeared from the other three directions of the Fu Tian army, encircling the five hundred million soldiers.
"Heh heh, Divine Lord, I'm just speaking my mind. Two marshals, I'll have my first taste then. It's been so long since I've fought, my body itches." Tai Yin rubbed his hands, glancing at Di Zang and Feng Xi. His eerie laughter made Divine Lord and Feng Xi frown.
The Divine and Ghost tribes were naturally opposed to each other. Cooperation between them was rare, unless they faced an existential threat, like when Ye Yun rampaged through the Divine Realm previously.
Since surrendering to Ye Yun, cooperation between the two tribes had increased under his unification.
"Hundred Ghosts Night Walk!" Tai Yin's body radiated ghostly energy, transforming into tens of thousands of malevolent spirits that surged towards the Fu Tian army.
"Form ranks! Kill the enemy!" Seeing Tai Yin attack, Mu Tuo immediately gave the order.
From the moment the four figures appeared, Mu Tuo's nerves had been taut. As a peak Extreme level cultivator, he had felt Tai Yin's terrifying ghostly aura the moment he appeared.
Quasi-Emperor! Four Quasi-Emperors had come to ambush his army!
"You brats, who haven't even reached the Monarch realm, think you can stop your grandpa from killing? What are you thinking!" The speed at which the Fu Tian army formed ranks exceeded the expectations of the four, which displeased Tai Yin greatly.
The tens of thousands of ghost shadows, each possessing strength comparable to Monarch realm cultivators, plunged into the army like wolves attacking sheep.
However, while most of these soldiers were at the Great God and Great Sage levels, there were also Monarch realm cultivators among them, and even dozens of peak Extreme level cultivators.
"Amitabha, Buddha's Palm Seals the Heavens!" Di Zang clasped his hands together, and a ten-thousand-zhang golden Dharma image rose behind him. He raised its colossal palm and brought it down.
Boom...
The boundless power of ghostly Buddhas, amplified by the Dharma image, stirred up colossal waves throughout the star domain. Several planets were even pushed back hundreds of miles by this immense force.
With this single strike, at least tens of thousands of soldiers were pulverized by the palm, and the resulting shockwave directly killed or severely wounded hundreds of thousands more in the vicinity.
After converting an infinite number of beings, Di Zang's strength had reached an unprecedented and terrifying level. His power was such that even Yue Xia had to be wary of him.
Within the Ten Directions Empire, Ye Yun's strength was the most terrifying, followed by Wang Chen, then Yue Xia and Di Zang. This was also the primary reason Yue Xia felt at ease letting these four intercept the five hundred million soldiers.
"Buddha blesses those with affinity, convert!" In the astonished eyes of Feng Xi and Divine Lord, the two Divine tribe Quasi-Emperors who had yet to act, golden light spread like a great sun, almost covering the entire star domain.
A flicker of struggle crossed the eyes of the five hundred million soldiers. Before they could unleash their might, their killing intent vanished, and they became benevolent and kind-faced.
"Holy hell... how did this monk become so terrifying?" Feng Xi stared blankly at the scene before him, feeling a chill crawl up his spine.
Three years ago, Di Zang's strength was at most comparable to Divine Lord's. In these short three years, Di Zang's power had surpassed that of an elder like himself by a significant margin.
"Tai Yin, damn it, leave a couple for me!" Divine Lord was a step too slow. Apart from the dozens of peak Extreme level powerhouses, the rest had all been directly converted by that fellow Di Zang, becoming his followers.
Extreme level cultivators comprehended laws and could form their own domains, so Di Zang's conversion had limited effect on them.
This made Divine Lord and Feng Xi, who hadn't fought in two years, anxious. As commanders of army groups and legions, especially after breaking through to Quasi-Emperor, they had to remain in command of their troops during every external campaign, leaving them with almost no opportunity to engage in combat. This made them extremely anxious daily. Now that they finally had an opportunity, how could they let Tai Yin and Di Zang steal all the glory?
"Haha, Divine Lord, Lord Feng Xi, there are still a hundred thousand Extreme level powerhouses for you to kill later. How about letting me test my skills on these small fries first?" Among the four, Tai Yin had the least seniority and was the weakest, but he was the fiercest in combat.
The Ghost tribe's cultivation techniques appeared similar to those of the Ghost King Sect. Similarly, Di Zang's Buddhist dharma was close to that of the Buddha tribe. However, after countless years of change, the Ghost tribe's techniques were more suited to the Ghost tribe itself, while the Ghost King Sect, with its diverse races, seemed to practice the Ghost King cultivation techniques in a rather peculiar manner. Therefore, the sect leaders throughout history were always of the purest bloodlines.
As for Di Zang, he had integrated the essence of both the Ghost and Buddha tribes, creating an entirely new cultivation system. It could be said that his current achievements surpassed those of the ancient great powers of the Ghost and Buddha tribes, as these two were completely unrelated systems.