52: Chapter 52 Get down here!

"This..."

Li Youming's words...

...instantly gave everyone present a massive fright.

No one had expected it.

Li Youming would suddenly fly into such a rage; he had never been like this before.

"That... Old Ancestor! Please calm down. If there is something, let's talk about it slowly. This is, after all, a major matter concerning everyone's lives. It's only normal to be cautious."

As the former Sect Leader of the Nine Nether Sect...

...seeing his Old Ancestor lose his temper, he immediately spoke up to smooth things over.

"Yes, Old Ancestor, please calm down. Don't lower yourself to our level."

"Old Ancestor, we will do whatever you say. We all listen to you!"

"Old Ancestor, anyway, I just believe in you. I'll do whatever you do."

...

Seeing the reactions of the crowd...

...Li Youming's expression softened slightly, then he spoke with a look of disappointment, as if they were beyond hope.

"Even now, do you still not understand?"

"The current Emperor of the Imperial Dynasty is a heroic sovereign, like a God King sitting high above the Nine Heavens. His word is law, and what he says goes!"

"If he wanted to deal with us, with the current strength of the Imperial Dynasty, would he need to go through such trouble? It would be nothing more than a single sentence from him!"

"Can you not understand such a simple thing?"

Hearing Li Youming's words...

...everyone couldn't help but nod. It was mainly because the Imperial Dynasty's recent actions had been truly ruthless.

They had destroyed two major Holy Lands in succession, along with many other forces.

As a result, they had become somewhat sensitive, fearing that the Imperial Dynasty would come looking for trouble with them.

"The Old Ancestor is right... we truly aren't worthy of the Imperial Dynasty putting in so much effort!"

"Haha... well said. Not being worthy is good, not being worthy is good..."

"Old Ancestor, just say the word. What should we do? We'll all listen to you!"

"Yes, we all listen to the Old Ancestor..."

Seeing that these people were still willing to listen to him...

...Li Youming's expression finally looked a bit better.

It must be known...

...that the people in front of him...

...were all the core figures of the former Nine Nether Sect. Whether out of sentiment or reason, he hoped these people could have a good future.

He was very confident.

Joining the Divine Martial Guard would absolutely have no downsides for them.

He believed...

...that the current Emperor would not lie to them!

This was an opportunity.

He also wanted to bring these people along to progress together...

Of course.

As an old monster hailing from the Nine Nether Sect, it was impossible for him to be without selfish motives.

He was a man of cautious Heart-Nature by nature. By bringing these people along, at the very least, he would have helpers within the Divine Martial Guard.

It must be known...

...wherever there are people, there is competition and various small cliques.

Given the current Emperor's personality, he didn't believe the Divine Martial Guard was a place for idle people!

"Alright!"

"Since you all still believe in me, your Old Ancestor, then I shall announce it now!"

"Everyone, go back and pack your things immediately. In fifteen minutes, follow me to the Imperial City!"

"Join the Imperial Dynasty's Divine Martial Guard!!!"

Hearing Li Youming's words, the crowd responded with a thunderous roar of agreement.

They were all core high-level members of the former Nine Nether Sect. Although it had been disbanded, they hadn't moved too far away.

In less than fifteen minutes...

...everyone had returned once again.

After Li Youming scanned the group, he didn't waste any words and simply waved his hand.

"Let's go!"

Without any grand speeches, Li Youming took the lead, transforming into a streak of ghostly light and silently gliding out of the underground palace.

Behind him...

...dozens of figures followed closely. Although they all tried their best to restrain their auras, the simultaneous movement of dozens of Great Grandmasters still caused quite a stir.

Li Youming understood very well that the Imperial Decree had just been issued and most people were still waiting and watching. This was the best time for them to take the lead, voice their support, and seize the initiative!

The earlier they arrived at the Imperial City...

...the more they could demonstrate their support for the Imperial Dynasty and their determination to serve. It would definitely be of great benefit to their future life within the Divine Martial Guard.

This was all based on experience...

From the former lands of the Nine Nether Sect in the Northern Territory to the Imperial City, the journey was long, requiring them to cross dozens of cities of varying sizes.

However, they were all experts at the Great Grandmaster level or above.

If they traveled at full speed without resting, arriving at the Imperial City within two days was not impossible.

However...

...their journey met with an accident when they encountered the first city of the Imperial Dynasty.

Tiebi City.

In the Imperial Dynasty, it could only be considered a medium-sized city.

In the past, when facing such a city, Li Youming and the others wouldn't have given it a second thought.

Therefore...

...they habitually prepared to fly directly over it, choosing not to enter the city to report their presence.

In truth, the Imperial Dynasty had long-standing regulations.

No one was allowed to fly over the cities.

But since the decline of the Imperial Dynasty, this regulation had essentially become a dead letter.

Many Jianghu Martial Artists had long forgotten that such a rule even existed.

Especially for people like Li Youming who were originally from a Holy Land; they used to be high and mighty beings, and flying to and fro had become an instinct.

Even someone as naturally cautious as Li Youming had forgotten this regulation at this moment.

However...

...just as they flew over Tiebi City...

...an angry shout, like a sudden clap of thunder on dry land, erupted from the city below.

"Audacious madmen! You dare to fly recklessly over an Imperial Dynasty city? Do you seek death?"

"For this General—get down here!!!"

"Get down here!!"

"Get down here!"

The thunderous voice...

...carried a vast pressure of heaven and earth as it boomed, spreading through the entire city in an instant!

The strength of that pressure had shockingly reached the level of the Celestial Realm!

And it was definitely not just someone who had recently entered the Celestial Realm.

It wasn't until this terrifying scene occurred that Li Youming and the others suddenly snapped to their senses.

"Not good! I forgot the Imperial Dynasty's rules! Quick... we must... quick, get down!"

Actually, Li Youming didn't even need to say it.

The people behind him had also reacted.

Because the aura from below had already locked onto them, and there was another powerful aura in the city waiting to erupt.

This scene scared them senseless.

Including Li Youming and another Old Ancestor in the Celestial Realm, everyone was dumbfounded.

It must be known...

...this was just a medium-sized city.

Since when did a tiny city like this have a Celestial Realm expert stationed in it?

Had Celestial Realm experts become so worthless?

Looking at it this way...

...what level of person would be stationed in the Imperial City?

They didn't dare to think about it.

They absolutely didn't dare to think about it...

"General, please appease your anger! We did not intend to violate the law; we have urgent matters and must rush to the Imperial City. In our haste, we lost our sense of propriety. We beg the General's forgiveness!"

After landing from the Void Realm, Li Youming adopted a very low posture.

And the people behind him didn't even dare to breathe loudly. One by one, they stood in place like well-behaved primary school students, not daring to move an inch.

At this moment, on the city wall...

...at some point, a middle-aged general clad in Black Armor with a resolute face had appeared, looking down at them coldly.

"Hmph! Just because you have urgent matters, you can trespass into the city without reporting?"

A cold snort shook heaven and earth!

Facing Li Youming and the others, the opponent didn't take them seriously at all.

His eyes were filled with a coldness that kept people a thousand miles away.

"General, please appease your anger. It was our oversight."

Li Youming didn't look for any excuses and directly admitted his mistake.

Admitting defeat was the best way right now.

If he still wanted to argue, he would be a pure fool...

"Report your identities. For what purpose are you heading to the Imperial City? Do you have Travel Documents or an imperial decree from His Majesty?"

Hearing this...

...Li Youming immediately cupped his hands and explained.

"Reporting to the General, we are all people of the former Nine Nether Sect. This journey to the Imperial City is in response to His Majesty's Imperial Decree to form the 'Divine Martial Guard'!"

"Because we were anxious to travel, we were momentarily negligent and failed to enter the city to report according to the rules. It is indeed our fault, and we are willing to accept punishment."

"But we beg the General to consider our sincere devotion to the Imperial Dynasty and grant us passage..."