The Ascension of Contracted Spirits

Chapter 928 - 368: Pioneer Sect Leader_2

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

Surrounding the ring of wooden stakes, Rabbit Fighters, Formidable Corpse Kings, Crocodile Marshals... all sorts of massive creatures roared excitedly, quickly drowning out the human cheers, forming a world of their own.

"The ritual is complete, retreat."

Dongfang Xu turned around, flames blazing above his head, even Ye Hanjun had to avert his gaze from the oncoming wave of heat, let alone the followers.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

The several thousand members of the Fire Mercenary Group restrained their excitement as they stepped back and out.

"You should also leave in batches, don’t just stand around here clustered together."

Lin Pingfan, wearing a slight smile, waved at the assassins.

Thus, belonging to Yeren, either blended into the shadows or leapt down from the towering trees, moving through like ghostly figures.

"Disperse."

Wang Xinfei also shouted with a commanding gaze focused on the most frenzied of the Pursuing Stars members.

With reluctance, Pursuing Stars merchants, guards, negotiation masters, traders, shop owners, and artifact appraisers... crowded and left towards the areas beyond Julu Forest.

"Eh?"

Ye Liuying suddenly let out a soft exclamation, her face showing a trace of confusion.

Just by turning around to glance at the followers.

Ye Hanjun’s distinctive features, hair color, and physique... they all faded from her mind, transforming into a blurry gray shadow, no longer clear.

When she turned back around and tried to pinpoint Ye Hanjun once more, that discomfort was erased, and the blurry memories became clear again.

"Unable to recall... an inherent secret principle?"

"Is this the result of breaking free from Heavenly Dao’s suppression, or is it a liberation from and transcendence beyond the world?"

Ye Hanjun also noticed the anomaly, he examined his hands then more closely inspected his physical body, lost in silence.

He could not interpret the current state, but compared to before, standing in this realm, indeed felt a sense of disjunction.

As if he was abrupt, abnormal, not supposed to be here; everything around him clashed with his being, a faint yet undeniable sense of rejection that could not be ignored.

"Is this the price of breakthrough?"

"I still haven’t gained the recognition of heaven and earth, but have I avoided the scrutiny of Heavenly Dao in a different way, ignoring the iron principle that forbids promotion with Dual Authority?"

Realizing something, Ye Hanjun watched as the followers scattered.

A moment later, the deepest part of Julu Forest returned to its usual calm and tranquility.

"Master Han, due to some reasons, in front of outsiders, we will uniformly address you as ’Lord Shenyi’, and will not reveal your true name."

"Shenyi... Why does it sound like a title used by the Elder of the sequenced elders?"

Ye Hanjun raised his eyebrows slightly but didn’t refuse.

He was currently in a situation severely lacking in information, confirming only that he had broken the taboo and successfully changed his profession. As for the internal empowerment and transformations of his abilities and significant external events, there were large gaps in his understanding.

Of course, aside from these, his flesh and soul felt unprecedentedly unobstructed, as if every organ, every bone, every drop of blood within him was a source of power, with inexhaustible strength waiting to be activated.

Furthermore, he felt an indescribable sense of expansion; his body seemed like a balloon filled with air, almost bursting open with a poke. There were suspicions in his heart, but he was not yet certain.

"Da... Da... Da..."

Leading a party, Li Jingming rushed to a secluded wooden house thirty miles away.

A bronze and iron-cast plum deer awaited outside the house, its hooves fretfully scraping the ground.

Ye Hanjun exchanged glances with it, and the animal showed an incredulous, humanized expression. Its forelimbs softened and collapsed on the ground, its heart racing as it said:

"Greetings... Lord Shenyi..."

"Who are you?" Ye Hanjun asked, puzzled.

The Immeasurable Perfection ’Golden Plum Deer’, in his memory, belonged to the seldom seen delicious delicacies.

Especially the back meat and deer ribs, slow-roasted with a small fire, were fragrant and defined as ’delicacies’ indeed.

"I am the lord of this place..."

The Golden Plum Deer tried to imitate human manners and prostrated itself, submitting through mental transmission:

"Unknowingly offending the noble envoy of Divine Mountain..."

"From now on, Julu Forest and beyond are willing to become part of Lord Shenyi’s command, to be called upon and utilized without any second thoughts..."

"Oh." Ye Hanjun nodded and signaled, "Jingming, you handle this."

"Yes." Li Jingming took the command and led the Golden Plum Deer away first.

After a private conversation for a few moments, the Golden Plum Deer relaxed, seemingly having taken a tranquillizer, its uneasy emotions completely dissolved.

Once it had left, Li Jingming took the lead again, pushing open the door to the quiet wooden house and then activating all the defensive and concealing formation patterns.

"Click!"

Mechanisms moved, the floor sinking downward.

About ten seconds later, Ye Hanjun stood still as a huge round table conference room came into view.

Without much hesitation, he took the main seat, poised to listen attentively, waiting for the others to speak.

"The Father King has fallen..."

"The greatest price for achieving Crown Rank was his life, leaving only enough strength for one battle..."

"The Tainted Demon God and Corrupt Demon Minister have escaped... Ghost Lamp has sunk, split into two factions, the Living and the Death; we now belong to the Death Sect, needing to find our own path..."

Ye Liuying started, and the revelations were earth-shattering.

Ye Hanjun was shaken, tongue-tied, his mind in turmoil.

After a long while, he reopened his involuntarily closed eyes, struggling to clear the fatigue and sorrow from his gaze:

"So, you have departed from Ghost Lamp for almost 400 years now?"

"And what’s with Ye Dong? How did he also become a high ranking follower, providing me with faith?"

"Just happened to meet him."

Ye Dong removed his veil, playfully sticking out his tongue:

"Then I was recruited by Sister Liuying, and we joined the Black Demon Church together, providing mutual support."