Chapter 204: Chapter 192: Subduing the Ultimate Venerable

’Possessing Qi, hidden in my mind?’

The young man spoke casually, but to Huo Gang, his words felt like the world was collapsing. He was on the verge of a complete breakdown!

He had thought the masterpiece the Three Great Demon Pets had wrought upon him was the most extreme thing in history, but he never expected their master... to be even more terrifying!

’I can only obey his words and never defy him... How is that any different from being a puppet?’

A dignified Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse, an Ancestor Level figure from one of the Divine Wind Empire’s three great families, had been turned into a puppet who must obey orders... Huo Gang felt like he was going insane!

"If you don’t believe me, you can try. However, if you don’t like this arrangement, I can also use a Beast Tamer’s methods to tame you and make you my Demon Pet!"

Seeing the struggle in the old man’s eyes, Nie Yun added casually.

"Tamed into a Demon Pet?"

Huo Gang coughed up a mouthful of blood, nearly dying from sheer rage.

A Beast Tamer’s Beast Taming Qi could not only suppress Demon Beasts but also work on humans. As long as your methods were superior to your target’s, it was incredibly simple to tame a person into something like a Demon Pet!

"Actually... I love nothing more than taking orders! My lord, please feel free to command me as you wish from now on..."

As a veteran Ultimate Venerable, Huo Gang was incredibly thick-skinned. But upon hearing the young man’s words, his face turned ashen with fright, and he hurriedly shouted his reply.

’Are you kidding me? This way, even though I’m under duress, I still have my own will. I’m still myself. Once I become a Demon Pet, I’ll be no different from a chicken or a dog! I’d rather die!’

’Loves taking orders? Feel free to command him...’

Seeing Huo Gang, the dignified Ancestor of the Huo Family, say such a thing, a chill ran down everyone’s spines.

’So shameless. Utterly, shamelessly so!’

’Is this still that supremely arrogant Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse?’

Still, after a moment’s thought, they realized he had no other choice. Obeying orders, even with his life on the line, was far better than becoming a Demon Pet! If he became a Demon Pet, forgetting everything else, he’d die of sheer humiliation!

Besides, when they recalled what the Three Great Demon Pets had done to him, everyone winced. If they had suffered such an inhuman ordeal, they probably would have agreed even faster than he did...

"Heh, I enjoy working with smart people."

With a faint smile, Nie Yun crooked his finger. Huo Gang immediately felt a strange stream of qi rampaging through his mind. It felt as if the slightest treacherous thought would cause it to detonate, and he instantly dispelled any and all rebellious ideas.

This Possessing Qi was a supreme Secret Technique the Demon Race used to control humans. Its actual complexity was several times more difficult than Demon Spirit possession. Though Nie Yun made it look easy, he had actually spent a full decade deep within the territory of the Demon Race just to master this special method!

A person controlled by this method could not harbor any dissent. The moment they plotted anything treacherous, just as Nie Yun had told Huo Gang, the stream of qi would rampage through their mind, causing them to explode and die.

Of course, the method to break this technique was also very simple: your strength had to far surpass that of the person who cast the Secret Technique on you.

This strength referred to combat strength, not cultivation level. If Huo Gang’s strength ever surpassed Nie Yun’s, perhaps he could break the Secret Technique.

However, given Nie Yun’s rate of improvement, the man probably wouldn’t have a chance in his entire lifetime.

"I don’t have any tasks for you right now. You should be attending Zhao Xingpu’s wedding in three days, right? Just follow my orders then."

Nie Yun ordered casually.

"I was already planning to attend Zhao Xingpu’s wedding. My lord, just tell me what your orders are when the time comes! It’s just that... I’m severely injured right now..."

Huo Gang shook his head.

Right now, all the bones in his body were shattered, and not a single muscle was intact. Even with the powerful regenerative abilities of an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse, it would take him one or two months to fully recover from such injuries.

A Healer’s healing ability was related to their own strength. The stronger the Healer, the purer their Healing Qi, and the faster they could heal injuries.

Although the Luo Family, one of the three great families, had a Healer, that Healer’s personal strength was too low. It would be impossible for them to heal him.

"Heh, that’s simple." Nie Yun smiled faintly and, with a wave of his hand, a dense and overwhelming wave of Healing Qi washed over Huo Gang.

"Hm? Healing Qi? My lord, you’re a Healer as well?"

Feeling his injuries rapidly mending under the influence of the qi, Huo Gang’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Special talents like being a Healer or a Beast Tamer were rarely found in the same person. For this young man to possess both was truly terrifying!

Of course, he had yet to see Nie Yun’s Tracking Qi, Storage Dantian, and Pill Fire Dantian. Otherwise, he would have likely died of shock on the spot.

In just a short while, Huo Gang’s injuries were completely healed, and his Essence, Qi, and Spirit were restored.

"Go back for now. This is my Communication Jade Token; I’ll contact you if I need anything." Tossing a Communication Jade Token over, Nie Yun continued, "Take care of the matter of Liu Jifei’s and Wei Tian’s deaths. I see no need for three Mercenary Corps in the Imperial Capital. The Iron Rock Mercenary Corps alone is fine. You should lend them a helping hand."

The Huo Family controlled the Empire’s army, making them the most powerful of the three great families. With their help, the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps would surely face no further difficulties in unifying the Mercenary Realm.

"Yes!" Huo Gang nodded and flew away.

He had arrived menacingly, intending to seize the Essence Energy. He probably never would have dreamed that not only would he get nothing, but he would end up as someone else’s puppet.

"Lord Yun..."

After Huo Gang left, the Mercenary Corps’s crisis was resolved. Tie Yan and the others walked up, their eyes filled with gratitude as they looked at the young man.

If the young man hadn’t intervened at the critical moment, it would have been uncertain whether their Mercenary Corps could have even survived, let alone unify the Mercenary Realm in the future.

"It’s nothing. As it happens, I have something I need your help with."

Seeing that they were about to express their gratitude, Nie Yun quickly cut them off.

’In my previous life, I was the cause of the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps’s complete annihilation. In this life, helping them unify the Mercenary Realm of the Divine Wind Empire is just a casual act. In my mind, it doesn’t count as some great favor.’

"My lord, please feel free to give us any orders!"

Tie Yan said hurriedly.

"You don’t have to call me ’my lord.’ It sounds awkward. Just call me Nie Yun," Nie Yun said, shaking his head helplessly.

"As you command. I will obey your words, my lord!"

Nie Yun was speechless.

After insisting for a moment, he saw that their deep-seated sense of hierarchy was impossible to change. Nie Yun decided not to press the issue and explained what he needed. "I hope you can use the Mercenary Corps’s intelligence network to investigate something thoroughly..."

"My lord, you’re saying the Zhao Family might be involved? Speaking of the Zhao Family, that reminds me of something!"

Nie Yun first described the appearance of his father and the others, then asked him to send people to search carefully, mentioning in passing that the Zhao Family might be involved. Upon hearing the name "Zhao Family," Tie Yan’s brow furrowed.

"What is it?"

"The Zhao Family has been getting very close with the Luo Family and the Royal Family lately. And... someone personally saw an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse who doesn’t belong to the Divine Wind Empire fly into the Zhao Family’s estate!" Tie Yan shared the information he had.

"An Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse who isn’t from the Divine Wind Empire? And they’re close to the Luo Family and the Royal Family?"

Nie Yun’s heart skipped a beat.