Spirit Realm

From the east, the eastern barbarians, the ghoul races’ giant flying spirit artifacts, giant flying beasts and small spirit artifacts flew towards them like flocks of birds.

They hadn’t just come from the sky.

There were many ships with eastern barbarians with quivers on their backs too.

The Heaven Ghoul Race, Earth Ghoul Race, and Blue Ghoul Race moved alongside the eastern barbarians. They looked savage, their eyes alit with cruelty.

“The eastern barbarians and the ghouls are coming!”

“The enemy has arrived!”

“Prepare for battle!”

Deafening shouts rattled the islands of the Setting Sun Islands for a moment.

The martial practitioners of Flaming Sun Island, Blood Fiend Sect, Terminator Sect, Heavenly Sword Mountain, Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, and Celestial Artifact Sect all took to the skies with solemn expressions on their faces.

Many giant spirit artifacts and experts clad in colorful light also appeared in the airspace of the Setting Sun Islands.

“We will continue our talk about Dark Shadow World after this war,” Qin Lie said while looking stern. “Act at your own discretion.”

“Whoosh!”

He released the Demon Sealing Tombstone and sent a command to the eight god corpses.

The eight god corpses that looked like eight bronze mountains suddenly rose from beneath the sea after receiving Qin Lie’s message.

“Jiejiejie!”

An eerie laugh came from the ghoul races’ camp. An old, tiny, gray-black Earth Ghoul that looked like a midget flew over while riding a five-level Soul Altar.

His Soul Altar sparkled with pitch black light, and his laugh sounded like the caw of crows. It was extremely unpleasant.

In the blink of an eye, the old Earth Ghoul flew ahead of the others and stopped in above the Setting Sun Islands.

While laughing shrilly, he waved his short arms and pressed many bolts of black light into his five-level Soul Altar.

Black, fleshy balls rolled inside the pitch black Soul Altar and made the vessel grow bigger and bigger.

It didn’t take long before his five-level Soul Altar turned into a giant wriggling ball of flesh.

The black, fleshy ball continued to wriggle until it finally transformed into a short, dark-skinned and black-dotted giant Earth Ghoul.

Those who paid attention would notice that that giant Earth Ghoul shared the same appearance as the old man.

That old man stood on the head of the Earth Ghoul warrior that was a thousand times larger than the original, dancing and laughing with unabashed arrogance. He allowed the warrior’s flesh and blood aura to radiate without restraint.

After that Soul Altar had transformed into a giant Earth Ghoul warrior, it wasn’t smaller than the Giant Race experts Qin Lie saw at Boluo Realm.

Even the eastern barbarians’ flying spirit artifacts and giant ships looked small compared to that earth ghoul warrior.

“A Soul Altar is truly miraculous. To think that it can be transformed into a terrifying flesh and blood warrior like this when injected with large amounts of refined flesh and blood energy. I seldom saw anyone using their Soul Altars this way.” Luz of the Dark Shadow Race rubbed his chin seriously. “Unfortunately, I’m not a Dark Nether clansman. Otherwise, I could activate my bloodline powers and transform into a Demon God myself after my bloodline reached rank ten.”

“The old ghoul did this so that his side has the morale advantage over Flaming Sun Island.” Tang Beidou snorted coldly.

He subconsciously looked at the eight god corpses and discovered that even they weren’t as big as the giant Earth Ghoul warrior.

The god corpses were technically at the late stage of the Imperishable Realm. Their flesh and blood strength was the same.

Generally speaking, the larger an ancient being was, the stronger their bloodline powers were.

That was why ancient races such as the ancient beasts, dragons, and giants grew larger as their strength increased and bloodline evolved.

The god corpses were obviously the same. The stronger they were, the bigger their physical bodies.

Istan of the Earth Ghoul Race had injected his Soul Altar with a tremendous amount of refined flesh and blood energy using a racial secret art and transformed it into an Earth Ghoul warrior a thousand times larger than the original.

When the giant Earth Ghoul warrior roared above the Setting Sun Islands, the sea rippled and the islands shook in response.

“Not even the eight god corpses are as big as Istan. The Horned Demon Race and the Dark Shadow Race don’t have the ability to transform themselves either. None of them can grow bigger than Istan right now.” Ke Yu of the Black Barbarian Tribe laughed loudly. “Even I’m afraid of that gigantic Istan right now. I’m certain these Land of Chaos bastards will lose their will to fight very soon!”

“Once their morale weakens, we’ll be able to gain the upper hand in this battle!” Another eastern barbarian elder laughed.

“The Earth Ghoul Race should be the tiniest race of all of us, so how did he transform into that giant thing? It’s so scary!”

“It probably can flatten Gray Island with in one stomp!”

“This is unbelievable!”

A lot of martial practitioners on the Setting Sun Islands were shocked by Istan’s transformation.

Many of them had subconsciously compared it to the eight god corpses and discovered that even they weren’t as big as Istan.

Istan had successfully intimidated the allied forces. Many weak martial practitioners began to tremble in fear.

As Ke Yu had said earlier, their morale had dropped even before the battle began. Many people even felt like the ghoul races were invincible.

“Eh!”

Luz suddenly let out an exclamation.

Another stifling presence suddenly rose from among the ghoul races. A lot of ghouls cheered while others stared at them in astonishment.

“It’s Lord Fiennes!”

“Lod Fiennes has awakened as well!”

“This is too good!”

A ferocious-looking Blue Ghoul elder howled sharply while he was cheered by the ghouls.

He also set loose his Soul Altar and caused it to grow into a giant Blue Ghoul warrior like Istan’s using a secret art.

Both old ghouls stood on the heads of the giant warriors and laughed arrogantly in unison.

“There’s another giant ghoul!”

“Oh heavens, what do we do?”

“How can we beat them?”

The martial practitioners of Heavenly Sword Mountain, Celestial Artifact Sect, and Ten Thousand Beast Mountain were afraid of the ghoul races from the beginning. Now, their fear level only increased after witnessing the creation of another giant ghoul by Fiennes.

“They have another five-level Soul Altar expert!” Luz’s expression also changed.

Qin Lie expression grew even more severe.

Istan and Fiennes didn’t rush into action after their Soul Altars had transformed into giant ghouls. They simply laughed loudly at the Land of Chaos’ forces.

Qi Yang, Feng Yi, and even Lei Yan wore heavy looks on their faces. Suddenly, they felt that this battle would end badly for them.

At first, Qi Yang and Feng Yi thought that the ghoul races only had Istan. Luz of the Dark Shadow Race was a five-level Soul Altar expert himself, so he should be able to suppress Istan even if he couldn’t transform into a giant.

As the master of Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, Qi Yang had a secret art that could suppress the first voodoo creature.

Besides that, the Land of Chaos’ allied forces actually had a slightly bigger army than the eastern barbarians and the ghoul races combined.

That was why they thought that this battle would be very easy at the beginning. They thought that their chances of victory were huge, and that the situation was all under their control.

However, Fiennes of the Blue Ghoul Race had tipped the balance against them. It made them afraid as the realization that the situation had gone out of hand hit them.

“Sect master, I think… we might actually lose this battle.” Artificer Luo Han frowned deeply and bitterly. “Maybe we shouldn’t have come here.”

Behind him, the many elders who were against Feng Yi supporting Flaming Sun Island in the first place looked afraid as well.

Just the same, a lot of Ten Thousand Beast Mountain martial practitioners were suggesting to Qi Yang that they should leave and preserve their strength if the war turned out to be unfavorable for them.

Conflicting voices were already starting to appear in Celestial Artifact Sect and Ten Thousand Beast Mountain even before the battle had begun. It was all because of Istan and Fiennes’ terrifying presences.

Even Heavenly Sword Mountain’s martial practitioners were sparkling with an ulterior light.

“They’re not all in the same sect, so the first thing that entered their minds the moment they encountered an obstacle was to preserve their own strength.” Luz snorted as he stared coldly at their allies. He said to Qin Lie, “That is how it has always been within the human race. The Horned Demon Race, Dark Shadow Race, and Ghost Eye Race are different. Once we confirmed our enemies, we would obey our leaders’ orders and charge them even if we knew it would cost our lives.”

Qin Lie frowned in secret.

He could see that Celestial Artifact Sect and Ten Thousand Beast Mountain’s martial practitioners were whispering amongst themselves. Their eyes also looked uncertain and wavering.

This meant that they didn’t have a unified opinion.

“That’s because we haven’t fought with each other before and built trust in each other. If we had fought side by side like this a couple of times more, we wouldn’t have looked as uncertain as we are now.” It was at this moment Li Mu spoke up before pointing at Blood Fiend Sect, saying, “Look at their disciples’ eyes.”

Surprised, Qin Lie obeyed his request and looked at the Blood Fiend Sect commanded by Mo Lingye and Mo Jun. He noticed panic on their faces too, but there were no secret whispers about preparing for the worst case scenario were exchanged between them. In fact, they looked relatively determined to see this battle through.

A lot of people were also looking his way. They seemed to grow slightly more spirited and confident after doing so.

“At the beginning, you had defended them and beat back the three great families and the Gongye brothers of Black Voodoo Cult. After that, you forced Jiang Zhuzhe to abandon his original plans and retreat. Then, you made a comeback against Wen Bin and forced back Illusory Demon Sect. Finally, they beat back the ghoul races with you at the helm.”

Li Mu smiled. “You have done many things that looked like miracles to them. That is why they all believe in you.”

“That is also why they still believe that this battle is winnable despite Istan and Fiennes’ terrifying presence. They are fearless because they believe in you.”

Qin Lie trembled in realization.

“Now, if you will look at Jiang Zhuzhe’s forces,” Li Mu said.

Qin Lie naturally turned his gaze towards Jiang Zhuzhe’s Blood Drinkers.

The Blood Drinkers’ scarlet eyes were bloodthirsty and warlike. Istan and Fiennes’ attempt to intimidate them seemed to have failed completely.

When they occasionally turned to look at Jiang Zhuzhe, their eyes were filled with fanatical worship. It was as if Jiang Zhuzhe was the god in their hearts.

“Jiang Zhuzhe is an extraordinarily charismatic person. His Blood Drinkers worship him so zealously that they can kill themselves for his sake at first notice. They will charge Fiennes and Istan without a heed for their own lives if Jiang Zhuzhe were to give them the order to do so. This zealousness is a terrifying power.” Li Mu sighed.

Qin Lie subconsciously looked at Flaming Sun Island’s martial practitioners with a thoughtful look on his face after he heard this.

He noticed that his martial practitioners weren’t frightened by Istan or Fiennes either. Although Flaming Sun Island’s martial practitioners weren’t as crazy or fanatical as the Blood Drinkers, they were full of confidence.

“You are the island master of Flaming Sun Island, and your subordinates see you as the soul of their sect. If one day you command enough presence to turn them into zealots just like the Blood Drinkers of Jiang Zhuzhe, their fighting power will reach a whole new level.” Li Mu said while rubbing his chin, “Speaking of which, there is one person under you that’s very similar to Jiang Zhuzhe in terms of individual charisma.”

Li Mu pointed at a certain person from a distance. “The way his subordinates look at him is very similar to how the Blood Drinkers look at Jiang Zhuzhe.”

“Lang Xie!” Qin Lie couldn’t help but exclaim softly.

“Mn. Lang Xie’s Blood Spear is the same as Jiang Zhuzhe’s Blood Drinkers. They are bloodthirsty, warlike, and they worship their leader zealously. Lang Xie may only be at the Fragmentation Realm right now, but he possesses a very rare charisma.”

Li Mu smiled. “Lang Xie has great potential, and his self-restraint is better than Jiang Zhuzhe’s. If he becomes as strong as Jiang Zhuzhe one day, his future… may be greater than Jiang Zhuzhe’s.”

Li Mu paused for a moment before continuing, “If you want Flaming Sun Island to improve further, and if you want to truly rule over this land, you must first utilize these extraordinary people around you to the fullest. You should know that you are the soul of Flaming Sun Island, and only you can lead it through all obstacles and make it into something greater.”

“Your partner, Miss Song is just a woman. She may be able to manage Flaming Sun Island and handle the financial matters for you, but she can’t turn you into a god inside your subordinates’ hearts.”

“When your martial practitioners worship you to a point that is beyond almost all reason and logic, they will become fearless and resistant to all temptation. They will be unafraid to die for you in battle.”

Li Mu looked at him deeply before saying, “The reason Terminator Sect was able to become the strongest force of this land isn’t just because Nan Zhengtian is the strongest cultivator of the Land of Chaos. It is also because every Terminator Sect martial practitioner views him as a god of war and will obey his every word and order as gospel even if he turned out to be wrong.”

“He is the factor that united Terminator Sect like never before! This is why Terminator Sect is strong!”

“You may look at Heavenly Sword Mountain, Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, Celestial Artifact Sect, and Illusory Demon Sect if you need further proof. They were all Silver rank forces, but they’re not nearly as united as Terminator Sect. The moment something bad happens, dissonance will appear and prevent their sect from uniting their strength or fighting bravely.”

“How can a force like them possibly be Terminator Sect’s match? And how can they possibly be fearless in face of the ghoul races?”

“Your words makes a lot of sense, sir.” Luz stared at Li Mu in praise and surprise before he turned to look at Qin Lie. “Your father and your grandfather are also worshipped as gods within the Qin Family! The reason the Qin Family is as powerful as they were is because their orders are treated as the truth and law of the world.”

“Thank you very much for your guidance, Uncle Li.” Qin Lie bowed deeply with bright eyes.

Li Mu’s teaching had enlightened him greatly. He now understood what lay at the core of a faction’s power, why Jiang Zhuzhe was powerful and why the Terminator Sect was a level above all its peers.