"I won't let my subordinates die for nothing, and I won't let them do it either," Xiao Lingyu replied decisively.
"This is an order from the higher-ups of the mercenaries, as well as Family Jiang's orders!" the golden-armored cultivator said solemnly.
"I can only say that I can't comply!"
Xiao Lingyu ended the transmission and ordered the ten thousand men of the Tianchi Iron Armor Regiment to continue retreating away from the swamp.
Soon, Xiao Lingyu understood something. No wonder it was so easy for him to become the regiment commander. The higher-ups of the mercenaries probably knew that there would be danger here and purposely gave him the position so that he could stay here and wait for his death.
Fortunately, Xiao Lingyu had gone deep into the swamp to check the situation. Otherwise, he might really have stayed here to fight against the Night Demons.
If Xiao Lingyu had stayed, he might not have been in too much danger. After all, not only did he have the strength of a Divine King, but he also had three sacred artifacts to protect his life. However, the mercenaries of the Tianchi Iron Armor Regiment would have been sacrificed for nothing.
Xiao Lingyu could also guess that Family Jiang and the higher-ups of the mercenaries had made this arrangement for a reason or a plan. However, he didn't care about the overall situation, nor did he care about what the higher-ups of the Family Jiang or the higher-ups of the mercenaries thought. He had to think about his own safety and the lives of these ten thousand men. At the very least, he was the one who brought the people from the Wildfire out. He couldn't let them die here so quickly.
However, Xiao Lingyu wasn't kind enough to warn the other cultivators. He only retreated with the Tianchi Iron Armor Regiment. When others asked about it, he only said that it was a normal order from the higher-ups.
The several hundred thousand cultivators stationed at the swamp probably didn't know that they were about to face a huge army of Night Demons.
"Regiment Commander Xiao, I represent the higher-ups of the mercenaries to remove you from your position as the regiment commander. The higher-ups have already decided to appoint Suo Lei as the regiment commander. You don't have the right to mobilize the Tianchi Iron Armor Regiment now. This matter will be reported to Family Jiang. After the battle is over, Family Jiang will settle the score with you!" the golden-armored cultivator said.
"Don't scare me. I won't fall for it," Xiao Lingyu replied calmly.
Ten breaths later, the mid-stage Divine Monarch called Suo Lei found Xiao Lingyu and said, "Have you conveyed the message from above?"
"Yes, I know. You're the leader now." Xiao Lingyu nodded.
"Then I'm going to have our Iron Armor Regiment turn back now. Do you have any objections?" Suo Lei asked in a seemingly friendly manner.
"I'm no longer a member of the Tianchi Iron Armor Clan. You don't have to consider my opinion. Do whatever you want."
Xiao Lingyu waved her hand in response. Then, she continued, "However, I must take away the people from Wildfire."
Suo Lei said, "The Wildfire Mercenary Group no longer exists. All that's left is the Tianchi Iron Armor Clan. The original members of the Wildfire Mercenary Group are now members of our Tianchi Iron Armor Clan. You have no right to take them away."
Xiao Lingyu sneered. "It's not up to you to decide whether I have the right or not."
Then, Xiao Lingyu ignored Suo Lei. He turned around and shouted, "Brothers of Wildfire, if you're willing to continue retreating with me, follow me. If you want to stay and fight against the Night Demon army, you can go back with Commander Suo!"
Hearing Xiao Lingyu's shout, everyone from the Flowing Fire Mercenary Band immediately stepped forward. Almost half of the cultivators from the Tianchi Iron Armor Regiment also stepped forward.
"You're rebelling. Sooner or later, there will be consequences!" Suo Lei scolded.
Xiao Lingyu didn't argue with Suo Lei. In his opinion, Suo Lei was already a dead man. He took the people behind him and quickly left.
After all, Suo Lei was only a mid-stage Divine Monarch. He didn't dare to force Xiao Lingyu to stay. He could only watch as Xiao Lingyu took away most of the iron armor mercenaries and left.
On the road away from the swamp, Xiao Lingyu saw a few small groups of cultivators heading towards them. These groups were all ordered to defend the swamp. They didn't know that the place they were going to defend would be attacked by the Night Demon army. Xiao Lingyu had no obligation to tell them.
However, there was a group that stopped Xiao Lingyu's group and asked them why they had left. Xiao Lingyu told them the truth, saying that the Night Demon army had invaded, so they had retreated. In the end, they were ridiculed, saying that they were cowards who were afraid of death and that they had retreated before fighting.
From then on, Xiao Lingyu didn't say anything.
Less than ten days after Xiao Lingyu's group retreated, the Night Demon army launched a fierce attack on the Yong An's defensive line in the swamp. Just as Xiao Lingyu expected, the Yong An troops stationed there were too weak. The Night Demon army only used one charge to break through. More than 90% of the Yong An cultivators stationed there were killed mercilessly. Only a small number of cultivators were lucky enough to escape.
The Night Demon army took advantage of the situation and drove straight in. Although the Family Jiang responded actively and mobilized a large number of troops with higher combat standards to resist, they were also quickly defeated.
After achieving a breakthrough in the swamp, the other legions of the Night Devil Army also gave up on attacking the other positions. Through this breakthrough, they all charged into Yong An and gathered together with the previous Night Devil Army. For a moment, they were unstoppable.
Xiao Lingyu had retreated earlier. Ten days was enough for them to not be caught up by the Night Demon army. He didn't know much about the terrain in the north of Yong An, so he led the Wildfire cultivators and retreated back the way they came.
What Xiao Lingyu didn't expect was that after traveling at full speed for a year, they were blocked by an army of over ten thousand neatly dressed soldiers.
Fortunately, although this army wasn't weak, it was made up of Human Clan cultivators and not Night Demons.
However, before Xiao Lingyu could negotiate with the army in front of them, another army of over ten thousand appeared from the left, right, and back. For a moment, they were surrounded by four armies.
Xiao Lingyu was a little puzzled. Since Yong An still had such a powerful army, why didn't they send it to the main battlefield to resist the Night Demon army? Why did they stay here?
A person flew over from the front of the group. It was a late-stage Divine Lord expert. He asked Xiao Lingyu a few questions and returned to the group after receiving answers.
What Xiao Lingyu didn't expect was that these humans didn't resist the powerful army of the Night Demon army. Instead, they flashed their weapons at them and gradually narrowed the encirclement, as if they were going to fight to the death with them.
"Those who don't obey Family Jiang's laws and retreat without fighting will be beheaded!"
A Godking flew high into the air from the other party's group and called out.
Although Xiao Lingyu didn't tell the truth to the late-stage Divine Lord expert, he should have recognized the origin of this group through other means.
"We don't want to die in vain. What crime have we committed?"
Xiao Lingyu also flew out from the group and said loudly, "Since you're so powerful, why are you hiding behind the front lines and not fighting?"
After flying up, Xiao Lingyu finally saw the appearance of the cultivator. However, after a glance, he was stunned and frowned.
The other party looked very young, like a 20-year-old youth in the secular world. He had a dignified appearance and broad eyebrows. He wore a brocade robe and looked like a young master of a big family.
Xiao Lingyu had a very deep impression of this person's appearance, because this cultivator had once called him an ant!
That's right, the young Divine King floating in the air not far from Xiao Lingyu was Jiang Lanyue's cousin, who had humiliated Xiao Lingyu in the Ancient God's cave abode in the cultivation world. Even worse, this person had once attacked Xiao Lingyu when he was still a mortal.
The Divine King also found Xiao Lingyu a little familiar, but he didn't think that Xiao Lingyu was the mortal from back then. How could a mortal reach such a level in such a short time?
"You're so stupid, how could you know the overall situation? We purposely let the Night Demons break through so that they could charge into our encirclement and kill them all in one fell swoop! "Jiang Lanyue's cousin said proudly, as if he was the one who had come up with this plan.
"Even if you have a long-term plan, how could you ignore the lives of those ordinary cultivators? Do they owe you their lives? Why should you use their lives to pave the way for your plan? "Xiao Lingyu replied in the same tone.
"How can there be no sacrifice if you want to achieve great things? This time, the Night Demons are invading on a large scale. If we don't use any extreme measures and fight them head-on, even if we can win, we'll only suffer more casualties! What's wrong with sacrificing a small number of people for the overall victory? "Jiang Lanyue's cousin said eloquently.
"No matter who it is, they have the right to choose whether they live or die. Did you consider their opinions before you made your decision? Sacrificing them without their consent is murder! "Xiao Lingyu retorted with a cold smile.
"It's hard to explain to a vulgar person like you. I can only tell you that there is no absolute fairness in the Divine Realm. If you want power, you have to first see if you have the ability to do so!" Jiang Lanyue's cousin said disdainfully.
"This retreat was my own idea. It has nothing to do with them. If you have anything to do with it, come at me!" Xiao Lingyu said with narrowed eyes.
The reason why he said this was not because Xiao Lingyu wanted to take the blame, but because he was confident that no one could stop him.
"We wanted to catch the leader and punish him. Since you're willing to accept your punishment, then surrender!" Jiang Lanyue's cousin said calmly.
"Let them go, and I'll accept my punishment!" Xiao Lingyu said without batting an eyelid.
Jiang Lanyue's cousin nodded and said, "As long as you stay, they can leave!"
Xiao Lingyu was a little surprised that the other party agreed so readily. However, he still ordered his troops to leave.
Jiang Lanyue's cousin opened a gap in the encirclement, and the cultivators who released the Wildfire left. However, his gaze was fixed on Xiao Lingyu.
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