Ling Xiao was not in a hurry to come out of seclusion after breaking through to the middle stage of the Saint realm. Instead, he chose to meditate for three days and fully adapt to his new power before slowly opening his eyes.
A pair of threatening sharp lights burst forth from his eyes, and two substantial forces directly pierced through the stone walls of the cave abode.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The power of the explosion was not inferior to that of a peak middle stage Saint, which showed how powerful Ling Xiao was now.
With his strength as a mid-level Saint, he was completely capable of fighting against a high-level Saint. If he used his full strength, he might not even be afraid of a peak Saint. Coupled with his various trump cards, he might even be able to fight against a half-step Saint Emperor.
Ling Xiao stood up and exclaimed softly, "I didn't expect this Metal Origin Qi to contain such terrifying damage. Fortunately, I was able to withstand it. I must be more careful next time!"
Ling Xiao walked out of the cave abode and found many people waiting for him.
"Saint Master Ling, you're finally out!"
Yi Chengrong smiled and went up to greet him. Before he reached Ling Xiao, his old eyes narrowed and he exclaimed softly, "Saint Master Ling, did you break through?"
Ling Xiao smiled faintly and replied, "I was lucky enough to break through!"
"This is really worthy of celebration!"
Yi Chengrong congratulated him, then pointed to the people behind him and said, "They are also allies of the Hundred Alliance Clan. They know that Saint Master Ling can refine the Holy Emperor Pill, so they insisted on coming to see you."
Yi Chengrong's attitude in introducing these people was not as enthusiastic as when he introduced Huang Dongsheng, King Qingfu, Zhao Han, and the others. Ling Xiao guessed that their relationship with the Yi family was only ordinary, so he immediately had a plan.
Yi Chengrong called those people over and introduced them to Ling Xiao one by one.
Ling Xiao's expression was extremely indifferent, in line with his arrogant status as a Great Saint Master.
He did not immediately agree to refine the Holy Emperor Pill for them, but he gave them a chance to choose, unless they were willing to participate in the plan to attack the Dark Demonic Sect, or they had to pay a much higher price than the Yi Family.
Two clans were willing to send people to assist Ling Xiao and the Yi Clan in their crusade against the Ghastly Python Sect, while four clans were willing to accept the latter conditions and increase Ling Xiao's compensation.
Ling Xiao accepted these tasks and continued to enter the alchemy state.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. Ling Xiao had already sent those families away. At the same time, he welcomed the first batch of rogue cultivators.
Most of them were Saints, and there were 25 of them in total. Six of them were at the half Holy Emperor realm, and only two were at the Holy Emperor realm.
Yi Chengrong ordered people to treat these people well, and at the same time, secretly roped them in to become Yi Clan's Tributary Elders. Some of them accepted the invitation, while others came just for the pills.
Ling Xiao stated in advance that he would only refine the pills for them after the battle. Whether they wanted to participate in the battle was up to them to decide.
Ling Xiao did this to prevent them from going against the plan after obtaining the pills. If that happened, it would not be worth it.
As the Yi Clan gradually spread the news, more and more rogue cultivators, mercenaries, and people from other factions arrived.
All of them had come for the pills. All of them wanted to improve their strength and increase their lifespan!
Three months later, those who were supposed to come had mostly arrived.
A total of 12 Holy Emperor, 30 half Holy Emperor, and more than a hundred Saints had gathered.
Such a force was enough to draw the attention of anyone.
These people were all entertained by the Yi Clan. The Yi Clan used all sorts of temptations to move these people, hoping to rope in more Tributary Elders.
Yi Chengrong came to the cave dwelling and asked Ling Xiao, "Holy Master Ling, now that everyone is here, when do you think we can start the battle with the Yin Demon Sect?"
It was not only Ling Xiao who was eager to start the battle, Yi Chengrong was the same.
Now that he was a high rank Holy Emperor, he was naturally very confident in fighting the Yin Demon Sect.
"How many Holy Emperor cultivators do we have on our side?" Ling Xiao asked.
Yi Chengrong replied, "We have two high rank Holy Emperor cultivators, but it's enough to deal with the three high rank Yin Demons. We have 15 mid rank Holy Emperor cultivators, and 27 low rank Holy Emperor cultivators. This lineup is enough to deal with the Yin Demon Sect. After all, the most troublesome thing about the Yin Demon Sect is that they have too many Yin Demons. However, these Yin Demons cannot compare to Holy Emperor cultivators of the same rank, so there's no need to fear them!"
From Yi Chengrong's words, it could be seen that he was very confident in winning this battle.
Ling Xiao listened to Yi Chengrong's words and pondered for a moment. "Does the Yin Demon Sect have something to rely on to become one of the four major factions?"
Regardless of what the Yin Demon Sect relied on, the Sky Suppression Drum was in the hands of the Ghost Lair. If he used it, even a high rank Holy Emperor would be instantly killed!
Therefore, Ling Xiao had to remind Yi Chengrong to raise their vigilance and not be too conceited.
"If you didn't mention it, I would have forgotten that the Yin Demon Sect still has a strange demigod killing tool. It's a Demonic Guiding Lamp that can control the mind. As long as you're hit by the Demonic Guiding Lamp's energy, your soul will be temporarily controlled, and you'll be at their mercy. This is also why the Yin Demon Sect has been able to capture many Holy Emperor cultivators alive and refine them into Yin Demons," Yi Chengrong said indignantly. He paused for a moment before continuing, "If the Hundred Alliance Clan or the other two major factions were willing to take action, the Yin Demon Sect would have been destroyed long ago. It's just that most people are used to a comfortable life, so they won't easily destroy this evil sect!"
Indeed, no one would do anything that had no benefits between the various factions.
The Yin Demon Sect did not offend the Myriad Sword Sect or the Yang family, so these two factions would definitely not go to great lengths to deal with them. This would only waste resources and weaken their own forces, so the losses outweighed the gains.
If it weren't for the fact that Ling Xiao couldn't take this lying down, he wouldn't be looking for trouble.
Now that he naturally chose to destroy the Yin Demon Sect, he definitely wouldn't give in so easily.
"Demonic Guiding Lamp?
Is there any way to suppress this demigod tool? "Ling Xiao asked.
"What can we do? We can only take it from their hands by force. However, that Yin Ghost Matriarch is at the peak of a mid-tier Holy Emperor. I don't know if she's advanced any further, but if she does, it'll be a little troublesome!" Yi Chengrong said with some worry.
"Yin Ghost Matriarch?
It should be that old witch who gave the order to capture me! "
Ling Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly and thought to himself. He then said, "It's better to be safe than sorry. We must be fully prepared. We're going to destroy the Yin Demon Sect, not fight them to the death!"
"That's right. I'll go discuss with the others and see if there's any way to deal with it. We'll set a specific time to attack the Yin Demon Sect then," Yi Chengrong replied.
Ling Xiao said, "En, I'll have to trouble Elder Yi!"
Yi Chengrong returned, and Ling Xiao sighed and said, "Master's wife has been out for so long, but there's still no reply. Could it be that she failed?"
Ling Xiao really wanted to wait for Feng Qingyuan to return before taking action, but he thought about it again and felt that it was better not to let his master's wife take the risk. If something bad happened to her, wouldn't he be letting his master down?
Thinking up to this point, Ling Xiao allowed Yi Chengrong and the others to discuss the specifics of the crusade against the Yin Demon Sect.
…
About half a month later, Ling Xiao summoned all of his people.
Yi Chengrong, Huang Dongsheng, Duke Qingfu, Zhao Han, and the others each brought a group of people over.
Every one of these people had reached the cultivation of a saint, and none of them was a Mystic Thearch or even a half-saint.
Among them, Yi Chengrong and one of the Huang Clan's patriarchs had already reached the strength of a high-stage Holy Emperor. Huang Dongsheng, Duke Qingfu, Zhao Han … and the others had reached the mid-stage Holy Emperor. There were also dozens of low-stage Holy Emperor.
Yi Chengrong introduced Huang Dongsheng's uncle, Huang Mantang, to Ling Xiao.
"Saint Sovereign Ling, I've heard a lot about you. You're really young and promising!" Huang Mantang cupped his hands at Ling Xiao and spoke passionately.
He originally had no hope of suddenly reaching the high-stage Holy Emperor, and his lifespan was already at its end. He didn't expect to suddenly obtain a Holy Emperor Elixir to change his fate. This filled him with endless gratitude towards Ling Xiao.
"Elder Huang is too polite. I believe Elder Yi has already told you that we have a common enemy. That's why we can stand together and become friends. There's no need for such polite words between friends, right?" Ling Xiao waved his hand and said.
Huang Mantang didn't expect Ling Xiao to be so easy to talk to and immediately smiled happily. "Yes, yes … Saint Sovereign Ling is right. We are friends since we can stand here. In the future, if Saint Sovereign Ling needs our Huang Clan's help, just say the word. We will not hesitate."
"That's right. Our Qing Clan is the same," Duke Qingfu added with a smile.
The other Holy Emperors also made their promises.
They knew that having a good relationship with a Great Saint Master was crucial to the development of their clans.
"Alright, let's cut the polite words. Now, Saint Sovereign Ling will lead us to crusade against the Ghastly Drake Sect!" Yi Chengrong pressed his hand down and said.
Yi Chengrong's words had undoubtedly pushed Ling Xiao to the leader's position. This was also a way to curry favor with Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao naturally wouldn't be careless. Although he was a Great Saint Master, his strength had only reached the middle stage of the Saint realm.
"How can Ling Xiao take on such a great responsibility? I think it's better for Elder Yi and Elder Huang to lead us. I, Ling Xiao, am willing to advance and retreat together with the two of you!" Ling Xiao said humbly.
Ling Xiao's words undoubtedly made Yi Chengrong and Huang Mantang feel extremely comfortable.
The two of them were the strongest out of everyone, so they naturally didn't want to be suppressed by others. Ling Xiao's suggestion was undoubtedly what they wanted.
Thus, this temporarily gathered group of Saints and above was led by Yi Chengrong, Huang Mantang, and Ling Xiao to crusade against the Ghastly Drake Sect.
Since they had mobilized so much to crusade against the Ghastly Drake Sect, it was naturally impossible for them to act in secret. Someone would definitely find out.
Thus, Ling Xiao simply suggested to slow down their speed towards the Ghastly Drake Sect. At the same time, they would announce a lot of information to everyone.
The righteous would crusade against the evil Ghastly Drake Sect. The Ghastly Drake Sect was the leader of all evils, and all righteous men had the right to punish them.
At the same time, they would publicize how the Ghastly Drake Sect had always harmed others and refined living people into yin demons.
The goal of doing this was to let everyone in the stronghold know, so that those who had once been oppressed by the Ghastly Drake Sect could join forces to crusade against them.