Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost-Chapter 495: The Unstoppable March Towards Death_1

Chapter 495: Chapter 495: The Unstoppable March Towards Death_1

"I didn’t expect you to be able to accomplish this without shedding any blood; it’s truly unbelievable." Zhang Cheng looked dumbfounded.

He had originally assigned Yuan Lin to gain some prestige and experience, but unexpectedly, once Yuan Lin went over, he managed to bring everyone, along with their horses and even the city, under his control. He even resolved issues with several surrounding factions along the way.

This was no longer just gaining prestige; it was a straight-up triumph.

"It was pure luck, all thanks to the blessings of the Holy Emperor," Yuan Lin said with utmost sincerity.

Initially, he had indeed gone with the intention of gaining prestige. Then, using his Amulet and the perception of a Class B follower, he suddenly discovered that the person on the other side also seemed to be a Class B follower. After a brief discussion, he suggested to the Class B follower from the opposing side that perhaps he should join the Northern Jiang Army.

The Class B follower from the other side considered it and agreed, on the condition that his subordinates would be treated well.

On their way back, they happened to encounter several factions engaged in conflict. A quick glance revealed they were all believers of the Holy Emperor. Once the two Class B followers made their appearance, well, everyone became one big family again.

So, by the time they returned, their group had snowballed into a considerable force, leaving Zhang Cheng somewhat at a loss.

Were they, the Northern Jiang Army, perhaps holding Yuan Lin back? If they let him venture out again, he might just recruit a large number of personnel for them.

However, Zhang Cheng also knew this was unrealistic. Luck had likely played the largest part this time.

It was unlikely such a situation would occur again.

"Indeed, it’s the blessing of the Holy Emperor," Zhang Cheng responded, then added, "But since you possess this ability, we can rest assured. Next, Father plans to first unify the Northern Prairie. In the coming days, you’ll need to manage more of the family’s affairs."

"Well... in just over a month, it will be the Holy Emperor’s birthday. It would be inappropriate to mobilize Blade Soldiers at this time," Yuan Lin advised.

Events such as the Holy Emperor’s birthday and the bestowal of gifts upon Class B followers were now common knowledge, especially with the Qingxi Army vouching for them. The Qingxi Army’s strength was only a notch below their own Northern Jiang Army.

Currently, the Qingxi Army was urging many rebel armies not to mobilize Blade Soldiers during this period.

Zhang Cheng, however, was unconcerned. Firstly, he was far away in the Northern Prairie. Secondly, he didn’t really believe in the Holy Emperor. He had been grateful in the past, but as time wore on, his gratitude faded, and he came to trust more in the power he held in his own hands.

"That is a custom of the Central Plains. We, who reside far away on the prairie, do not need to observe it," Zhang Cheng said slowly.

Yuan Lin was taken aback; he hadn’t expected Zhang Cheng to refuse. This meant Zhang Xuan would likely refuse as well.

"Doing so could easily lead to a mutiny. Most of the soldiers in the army, eight or nine out of ten, are believers of the Holy Emperor," Yuan Lin cautioned further.

One had to remember, everyone had risen up under the banner of King Heaven Equivalent. Playing such games now would inevitably lead to trouble sooner or later.

It didn’t matter if Zhang Cheng himself didn’t believe, but many of his subordinates did.

"No matter, I have my own judgment," Zhang Cheng paid no heed to this matter. If such a trivial issue could cause a mutiny, wouldn’t it make him, the Marshal, seem to lack authority, especially with his father, the commander-in-chief, also present?

"Since you’ve made your decision, Brother, then that’s fine." Yuan Lin could see that Zhang Cheng wouldn’t heed his advice. This was an ill omen.

I can only do my utmost to prevent them from getting into trouble. Yuan Lin thought to himself.

Irritated by this matter, Zhang Cheng waved his hand dismissively. "I have other important matters to attend to, so I won’t speak with you further."

With that said, he paid no more attention and rose to leave.

In his eyes, the Holy Emperor was now in decline. If the 365 Dai Temples were still standing, he might have been somewhat wary. But now, with only Mount Tai Temple remaining, why should he be afraid? If his and his father’s great undertaking succeeded in the future, this Holy Emperor would become their enemy.

As an emperor, he naturally couldn’t allow such a massive civilian organization to exist outside his control.

They certainly wouldn’t eradicate it, as such an act could easily provoke public outrage. To operate under someone’s banner only to eliminate them later was utterly capricious, the act of a villain. Therefore, they would only slowly suppress it, eventually eliminating its influence, reducing the Dai Temple and the Holy Emperor to mere symbols under their control.

They weren’t thinking that far ahead just yet because they hadn’t conquered the world. They still needed this guise as a cover.

Zhang Cheng was, of course, aware that Class B followers could possess Divine Arts and Spirit Glyphs. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a Class B follower; he probably wasn’t even Class C at this point, just barely above Class D.

Since the benefits wouldn’t fall to him, he saw no need to concern himself with these matters.

「」

After Zhang Cheng left, an old man emerged and snorted coldly. "This young man is truly arrogant. His demeanor shows he doesn’t even respect the Holy Emperor. Without the Holy Emperor’s protection, how could he have established his current foundation?"

"Old Man Bao, you’re joking. It’s just that they don’t believe in the Holy Emperor," Yuan Lin explained. This Old Man Bao was a remarkable individual he had unexpectedly encountered while consolidating power, who was now temporarily working under him.

Since the other party was also a Class B follower, they had developed an increasingly good rapport.

"I’ve observed both father and son. Neither strikes me as capable of achieving great things," Old Man Bao stated bluntly.

This left Yuan Lin feeling somewhat helpless. He knew Old Man Bao thought highly of him, but he had no intention of seizing his father-in-law’s foundation, so he could only disappoint the old man’s kind intentions.

"It doesn’t matter if they can’t achieve great things. I simply want to destroy the Royal Family," Yuan Lin said, unconcerned. As long as the Royal Family was destroyed and Emperor Jing died, he would retreat into the mountains with his wife.

Previously, he fought for survival; now, he fought for revenge.

He knew that the peaceful life he currently enjoyed was due to the staunch assistance of the various Temple Masters from the Mount Dai Temple in the Central Plains. Some had even sacrificed themselves to allow him to escape back to the prairie. Therefore, as long as Dajing was not destroyed, he would find no peace in his sleep or at his meals.

Old Man Bao looked deeply at Yuan Lin and said, "This matter can be seen as both difficult and easy."

"The Capital has been besieged for several months now. Food supplies were cut off a month ago, and yet no one has come out to surrender. What do you think the situation inside the Capital is like now?"

At first, Yuan Lin didn’t quite grasp the implication. But upon careful thought, a chilling realization dawned on him.

"This... why haven’t I received any news?" Yuan Lin’s expression was complex.

"What do you think?" Old Man Bao asked.

Logically, such vital intelligence should have definitely passed through his hands.

Yet, he hadn’t heard a whisper about it. This wasn’t just strange; there was definitely a problem.

Then, there was only one possibility: someone had intercepted this intelligence.

He didn’t know who it was, but he had his suspects. Within the Northern Jiang Army, only Zhang Xuan and his son Zhang Cheng possessed such authority.

Yuan Lin didn’t understand why they would do this.

Logically, there was no reason for them to intercept it, yet they had.

"Could it involve something related to me?" Yuan Lin asked, puzzled.

"It’s not very clear for now. But if you want to find out, you can investigate yourself," Old Man Bao said. He seemed to know something but didn’t say it outright, as if he had a plan.

"Never mind. Since they aren’t speaking up, they must have their reasons. I won’t probe any further," Yuan Lin pondered for a moment and finally decided against it.

After all, it wasn’t a major issue. No matter how dire the situation in the Capital became, it had nothing to do with him. In fact, he felt a faint sense of relief.

For him, this was a form of indirect revenge.

He didn’t care who exacted revenge for him; he just wanted to see his enemies dead.

He actually had a vague idea why the news was withheld. Many people knew about his desire for revenge, and Zhang Xuan and Zhang Cheng were probably worried that Yuan Lin would retire with Zhang Qing’er after his revenge was complete.

Wouldn’t that be a waste of Yuan Lin’s abilities? The Northern Jiang Army couldn’t afford the price of losing him.

Thus, they had resorted to some minor tricks. Even though they knew these tricks might not last long, they still went ahead with them.

Seeing Yuan Lin’s expression, Old Man Bao didn’t pursue the topic. Instead, he said, "Since you’re not looking into it, let’s continue with yesterday’s lessons."

"I must say, your deceased tutor possessed considerable skill. It’s just a pity he encountered such unworthy people."

Yuan Lin didn’t comment on Old Man Bao’s assessment of Zhang Xuan and Zhang Cheng. Those two were indeed obstinate; once they decided on something, they wouldn’t listen to anyone.

Otherwise, how could there have been such a massive defeat in the past, one that severely weakened the Northern Jiang Army?

It was just like this time when he advised Zhang Cheng not to rashly mobilize Blade Soldiers and to wait until after the Holy Emperor’s birthday to take action. Not only did Zhang Cheng fail to see a problem with this, but he also considered it an opportunity to expand their influence.

Even if they succeeded, they would be despised by the world and subsequently become a target for other factions to attack, tarnishing their reputation.