The person who had come from Beifeng City was the Third Prince, and he was accompanied by five hundred soldiers.
When they arrived at the entrance of the valley, they did not dare to enter Gu Town, fearing that there would be more ambushes.
In truth, Gu Town had already been burned to ashes, so what kind of ambush could there be?
However, there was nothing wrong with being careful. The volunteer army was very careful, so who knew if there would be more ambushes?
"Your Highness, please wait for a moment. I will go in first and have them come out to welcome you," said a middle-aged man behind the Third Prince.
The Third Prince waved his hand and said, "No need. I will go in personally to show your sincerity."
After saying that, he flew up into the sky and shouted towards the mountain ridge, "Where is Yao Yue?!"
His voice reverberated through the mountains.
Soon, a few figures appeared. They were Yao Yue, Duan Tao, and a few others.
"So it is the Third Prince. May I know why you are looking for me, Yao Yue?" Yao Yue asked the Third Prince.
In the past, he would have bowed when he saw the Third Prince, but now that he did not have a good impression of the Third Prince, he could not be bothered to do so.
"How dare you! Kneel when you see the Third Prince!" Another figure suddenly appeared behind the Third Prince and shouted.
This person was the Third Prince's personal guard, a mid-grade Yuan Monarch. He looked at Yao Yue and the others coldly, seemingly dissatisfied with the attitude of Yao Yue and the others.
Yao Yue and the rest were voluntary soldiers and not from the imperial court. Furthermore, they had attained the combat power of a Xiantian Yuan Monarch. They did not even have to bow to the Emperor, let alone the Third Prince.
However, the Third Prince was not willing to let them go. This was bullying.
On the other hand, the Third Prince waved his hand and smiled. "You are all heroes of my dynasty, so there is no need for such formalities."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Actually, I just wanted to see you all and chat with Yao Yue."
Yao Yue looked at the Third Prince's smiling face and was confused. He couldn't understand what the Third Prince was trying to do!
The Third Prince's attitude was completely different from before, which made Yao Yue suspicious!
Even so, Yao Yue still welcomed the Third Prince to where they had set up camp.
Many of the volunteer soldiers knew that the Third Prince had arrived, but they didn't dare to be rude like Yao Yue and the others. Instead, they all came over and bowed before retreating.
"It's hard to imagine that you managed to kill so many Asura Devils with so few people. Yao Yue, you've contributed greatly in this battle!" The Third Prince praised as he looked at Yao Yue.
Yao Yue didn't know what the Third Prince was trying to do, so he could only go along with it. "Actually, this isn't just my contribution. Every brother here contributed greatly. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to achieve such results!"
"You don't need to be so humble. Although they all killed for the sake of the dynasty, I know how cohesive they are. If not for you leading them, Yao Yue, they wouldn't have been able to achieve such results!" The Third Prince looked at Duan Tao and the others.
When Duan Tao and the others heard this, they felt their faces burning.
However, the Third Prince was speaking the truth!
Duan Tao, Yan Yan, and the others knew that the Third Prince had something to say to Yao Yue alone, so they tactfully retreated.
"Third Prince, if you have something to say, just say it," Yao Yue said.
He didn't want to continue arguing with the Third Prince. Instead, he wanted to see what the Third Prince was planning.
Although Yao Yue had already thought of a possibility, he wasn't too sure.
"Mm. I have two things to discuss with you this time. When put together, they can only be considered as one thing," the Third Prince said indifferently. After a pause, he continued, "Follow me!
There will definitely be a place for you as a general in the future! "
Yao Yue looked at the Third Prince in astonishment. He hadn't expected the Third Prince to make such a request.
Logically speaking, with the Third Prince's arrogance, there should be no need for him to lower himself to rope Yao Yue in, even if Yao Yue was lucky enough to make a contribution.
After all, Yao Yue had contradicted the Third Prince before. The Third Prince should be unhappy with him. Why would he lower himself to do such a thing?
"Actually, there are only some misunderstandings between us. Let's talk it over. There's no need for you to doubt my sincerity!
As long as you nod your head now, you will be my trusted aide, "the Third Prince said solemnly to Yao Yue.
The Third Prince was very pleased with Yao Yue. This was the truth.
However, ever since Yao Yue had taken out the Imperial Medallion, his impression of Yao Yue had completely changed.
Originally, he had thought that Yao Yue was acting so insensibly because he was relying on the Long Clan. However, he hadn't expected Yao Yue to be related to his grandfather, the Emperor.
Some time ago, the Third Prince had sent a messenger eagle back to the Imperial Court to investigate this matter. Only then did he find out that Yao Yue was acquainted with his grandfather. As for what had happened between them, it wasn't something that others could find out.
However, the Third Prince was certain that his grandfather admired Yao Yue. Otherwise, how could the Imperial Medallion have fallen into Yao Yue's hands?
He didn't think that Yao Yue had the ability to steal the Imperial Medallion from his grandfather.
After understanding this matter, the Third Prince was hesitant about whether or not he should rope Yao Yue in. He had been very conflicted about this.
After all, Yao Yue was a member of the Long Clan. The Long Clan supported his eldest brother. They weren't on the same side as him.
However, after Yao Yue's meritorious service and Yao Yue's capture of Kaya, the Third Prince received a messenger eagle. After knowing the decision of the Imperial Court, he decided to try and rope in Yao Yue.
If Yao Yue was willing to agree, then it wouldn't be a bad idea to take Yao Yue in as a follower. It would be very beneficial for his ascension to the throne.
Of course, if Yao Yue didn't agree, then it would be another matter.
"Your Highness, you think too highly of me.
I'm just a volunteer. I don't want to be bound by anyone. Therefore, I appreciate Your Highness's good intentions. "Yao Yue tactfully declined.
Yao Yue wasn't very clear about the Third Prince's character, but after interacting with him a few times, he didn't like the Third Prince's way of doing things. If such a person became the Emperor, it wouldn't be a good thing for the Imperial Court.
It was impossible for Yao Yue to be recruited just because of a few words from him.
The Third Prince seemed to have known that Yao Yue would make such a decision. However, when he heard Yao Yue's straightforward refusal, he faintly revealed a displeased expression.
However, he suppressed his anger and said, "I knew you wouldn't agree so easily." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Then let's talk about something else. Hand over the Shura Prince that you've captured. I'll bring him back for interrogation. After all, he's of no use to you here, right?
As long as you hand him over to me, this prince will owe you a favor. "
So that's what he's after! Yao Yue thought to himself.
Earlier, he had felt that the Third Prince was here for Kaya. Now, the Third Prince's goal was finally revealed.
"Third Prince, there's no need for you to worry about this. This is a captive that all of my brothers captured. I don't have the final say in this matter," Yao Yue bluntly refused.
Rejecting once was rejecting, rejecting twice was also rejecting. Yao Yue had completely shed all pretense of cordiality with the Third Prince!
"Speak. What conditions do you want before you hand him over to me?" The Third Prince's anger had already risen to his head.
"Hehe, I already said that I don't have the final say in this matter.
How would I dare to raise any conditions with you? "Yao Yue shrugged with a smile.
The Third Prince narrowed his eyes at Yao Yue, intense killing intent flashing in his eyes as he said, "Good, very good. You will regret your decision today!"
Then, he turned around and quickly left.
Yao Yue looked at the Third Prince's back and thought to himself, Looks like I have to quickly reach the Demonic King realm. Otherwise, I don't know how the Third Prince will deal with me.
With that thought, Yao Yue was no longer in a hurry to continue hunting Asura Devils. He might as well continue cultivating here for a period of time and wait until he broke through. This way, it would be safer and he wouldn't have to worry about being hated by others.
At that time, he wouldn't have to worry about low-grade or mid-grade Yuan Kings unless his enemies were high-grade Yuan Kings.
With that thought, Yao Yue immediately got to work.
However, before that, he still gathered everyone and expressed his intention to stay.
After all, these people were all volunteers. They had their own free time, they could leave first to hunt Asura Devils with others, or they could sell the Asura Devil Horn and the spoils of war elsewhere.
In any case, Yao Yue didn't want to waste their time.
As for whether or not he would have any helpers in the future, that would have to wait for some time.
As expected, when Yao Yue made the announcement, many volunteers said that they wanted to leave.
After all, some of them were here for the spoils of war. When the time came, they could sell the spoils and earn a lot of money. It would be enough to feed themselves and their families.
There were also some who didn't want to be bound and chose to leave on their own accord. They would gather again in the future.
More than half of the seven hundred volunteers left, leaving roughly two hundred people behind.
Duan Tao looked at the departing crowd and said with a burning face, "Young master, they are only here to listen to our orders. Don't take it to heart."
These people had gathered because of him, Duan Tao. He hadn't expected them to leave so quickly, which made him feel very embarrassed.
Yao Yue waved his hand and said, "It's fine. It's not your fault."
He then said to the people in front of him, "Brothers, if any of you wish to leave, you can leave now. Those who don't wish to leave will be my brothers in the future. We will go to the battlefield together, kill Asuras, snatch the Asura Devil Horn, and contribute to the dynasty!"
"Young master, we are willing to follow you. We will go to the battlefield together, kill Asuras, snatch the Asura Devil Horn, and contribute to the dynasty!" the remaining two hundred volunteers shouted in unison.
"Very good. As long as I, Yao Yue, am alive, I will not let you all die so easily on the battlefield!" Yao Yue declared loudly.
Yao Yue made up his mind. He might be able to nurture these two hundred volunteers and turn them into a powerful army. This would be of great help to him in the future.
However, these people were a little uneven. If he wanted to turn them into a powerful army, he would need to train them well.
Now that he was about to close his door, he could only wait until he broke through to the Xiantian Yuan Monarch realm.