113: Chapter 113 The Bizarre Reason

Setting aside the state of the various regions of the Imperial Dynasty for a moment.

Even within the Divine Martial Guard,

things were in total chaos at this moment. This wasn't due to anything else but a massive disagreement over who should stay behind to guard the Divine Martial Guard headquarters.

In the past,

at a single command from Ge Nie, every member of the Divine Martial Guard would follow without a second thought.

But this time, it was different.

Because that group of people from the Xingyuan Continent was still at their base, and Wang Chen had ordered them to keep an eye on them. They couldn't just leave them unattended!

Immediately after Ge Nie returned from the palace to the Divine Martial Guard base, he announced the decree regarding Wang Chen's "Heavenly Conquest Plan."

As expected,

once they heard the contents of the decree, everyone present became incredibly excited.

However,

before their excitement could last long, Ge Nie's subsequent words were like a bucket of ice water poured over their heads!

"Vice Commander Ye!"

"His Majesty has ordered that the group from the Xingyuan Continent be temporarily detained under the supervision of our Divine Martial Guard."

"As the expedition is imminent, one team must remain to garrison the base, responsible for guarding and daily defense. You will arrange this."

The command was concise.

The responsibility was clear.

Vice Commander Ye Tian was to arrange for one team to stay behind at the Divine Martial Guard base.

Because of this single order,

the atmosphere within the entire Divine Martial Guard instantly became bizarre.

Nearly a thousand pairs of eyes

all simultaneously turned toward Ye Tian!

Then, they quickly looked at one another, their eyes filled with wariness, avoidance, and a trace of... fear that was hard to detect.

Stay behind?

What kind of international joke was this!

Wasn't this the same as asking for their old lives?

One must know,

the Divine Martial Guard was the group that benefited most directly and most bountifully from the expansion of the Imperial Dynasty!

There was no other group like them!

Just look at their current cultivation.

Those who were originally only in the Great Grandmaster Realm, after experiencing the Great Wilds, the Tianlan, and the simultaneous conquest of the four Realms, along with the subsequent rewards of Luck, were now all in the Land Deity Realm!

Among them, nearly a hundred people had even broken through to the Dharma Manifestation Realm!

And those ten Monster Ancestors who had pledged their loyalty early on were now terrifying existences in the Middle and Late Stages of the Dharma Manifestation Realm!

What did they rely on for this rocket-like rise in cultivation?

It wasn't bitter cultivation!

It was because they acted as the sharpest blade in every external war, slaying generals and capturing banners, performing illustrious military feats, and thereby receiving exceptionally generous rewards of Luck from His Majesty!

That pure and majestic Power of Imperial Fortune did more than just directly raise their cultivation.

It also improved their innate potential and broadened their future paths!

For these top-tier Martial Artists, what could be more enticing than "increasing their strength"?

And if one wanted to quickly increase their strength

in the current Imperial Dynasty,

the most effective and direct way was to perform meritorious deeds in external wars!

Now,

a new round of conquest on an unprecedented scale was about to begin, with dozens of worlds waiting for them to conquer.

What did this mean?

It meant countless merits, countless opportunities, and the unimaginable rewards of Luck that would follow!

At a time like this,

who would be willing to stay behind to watch the house?

As the saying goes,

severing someone's path to the Dao is like killing their parents!

When it came to something concerning their own cultivation future, no one wanted to yield!

Giving in once

was equivalent to throwing away a chance to soar to the heavens!

Missing one step could mean falling behind at every subsequent step!

Watching their comrades fight bloody battles in other worlds, establishing careers and performing deeds, and returning with their cultivation skyrocketing again, while they themselves could only guard a bunch of ants and wait with longing...

The mere thought of that feeling was enough to make one break down!

Therefore,

when the option to "stay behind" appeared, the hearts of all Divine Martial Guard members leaped into their throats.

They weren't afraid of death.

Nor were they afraid of being injured.

They only feared... missing the chance to raise their cultivation!

The scene was deathly silent; one could hear a pin drop.

No one spoke.

But everyone's eyes were screaming silently: "Don't pick me! Please don't pick me!"

Ye Tian looked at this group of fierce and elite generals below him, who were usually decisive in slaughter and made enemies in other worlds tremble with fear, but now each of them had shifting gazes.

Some looked up at the sky, while others looked down to study their own shoes!

Some pretended to discuss "tactics" in low voices with the companion beside them, while others simply closed their eyes and focused their minds, entering a state of meditation...

He also knew what these fellows were thinking.

Besides,

how could he himself not want to personally lead the team and ride across those dozens of battlefields?

But military orders were military orders; someone had to stay at the base, and someone had to watch over those people from the Xingyuan Continent.

Just as Ye Tian frowned, preparing to forcibly appoint someone, someone suddenly stepped forward.

It was his lackey—Li Youming!

The man stepped out, first bowed to Ge Nie, then bowed to Ye Tian, and only then spoke with a face full of sincerity.

"Vice Commander Ye! Your subordinate knows that staying behind is a grave responsibility and should be my duty! However..."

He changed his tone.

Then, a very "regretful" expression appeared on his face.

"What a pity! Last night, I had a dream. I dreamt of an old man with a white beard who told me that if I wanted to break through to the Middle Stage of the Dharma Manifestation Realm, I would need a life-and-death battle!"

"Therefore, this time your subordinate cannot help the Commander stay behind at the Divine Martial Guard. I hope the Commander will give me a chance to go to the front and kill the enemy. I will definitely not lose face for our Divine Martial Guard!"

Everyone: "..."

How shameless...

You, a damn powerhouse at the Early Stage of the Dharma Manifestation Realm, can still dream?

Besides,

with your crappy talent, if it weren't for His Majesty's Power of Imperial Fortune, could you have broken through your Realm on your own?

How can your skin be so thick?

Before everyone could react,

those ten Monster Ancestors also couldn't sit still.

One of them, whose true form was a Mountain-Moving Giant Ape, spoke with a voice like a great bell, booming out.

"Commander! Old Ape here is a crude man and doesn't understand those twists and turns!"

"You want me to watch the house? Absolutely not! With my hot temper, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back and will slap those weaklings into meat paste with one palm. So, I can't do this job!"

Several other Monster Ancestors also chimed in, saying they were "clumsy" and only good at charging into enemy lines, not at watching people.

In short, it was one sentence.

Stay behind?

Not a chance!

With someone leading the way, others also began to put on their performances.

"Commander Ye! Your subordinate has recently mastered a new killing move and wants to test its power on the foreign battlefields. Staying behind would be a waste!"

"Vice Commander, your subordinate has been feeling a bit agitated lately and must go to the battlefield to vent, otherwise, it'll be easy to suffer a Qi Deviation!"

"Your subordinate... has had a heartbreak and doesn't want to stay in this place of sorrow. I want to go out and clear my head..."

"Your subordinate... your subordinate gets base-sick! I feel uncomfortable all over if I stay at the base for too long. Only killing on the battlefield can relieve it!"

"Last night, your subordinate dreamed of His Majesty's instructions, telling me to forge ahead bravely and not be lax! This is the will of heaven!"

The reasons were bizarre and varied.

Full of tricks!

Anyway, it was just one message: they didn't want to stay at the base and wanted to go kill enemies to earn merit!

Looking at this group of subordinates who were usually strictly disciplined, blood-soaked, and fearless, now racking their brains to escape "staying behind," Ye Tian only felt both annoyed and amused.

He knew.

At a time like this, he could only forcibly assign someone; there was no other way!

But,

who should he assign?

There was a knack to this as well; he couldn't just assign someone at random...

Just as Ye Tian was considering whom to assign,

Ge Nie suddenly spoke. His character was straightforward, and he never liked wasting time on such trivial matters.

"All of you, shut up. You, you, you, and you two! Stay behind at the Divine Martial Guard base!"

As Ge Nie pointed,

the few people standing at the front were dumbfounded on the spot...

[Guess who Ge Nie pointed at??]