Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 1030: Chapter 627: Captive (Plus one more chapter of 4000 words)

Chapter 1030: Chapter 627: Captive (Plus one more chapter of 4000 words)

A war had come to its end.

The remaining hundreds of thousands of troops, after surrendering, vanished, leaving behind only Prisoner Cards scattered across Yellow Sky City, which was left battered and littered with debris from meteor strikes and wrecked siege machinery.

The losses were grievous!

The Yellow Turban Army alone suffered deaths and injuries numbering in the hundreds of thousands and expended vast resources. Yellow Sky City, painstakingly built, was mostly destroyed by meteors and various siege devices, with its Mechanical Tower and other defensive constructions almost completely annihilated.

In other respects, whether Hua Mulan’s Heroic Female Guards, Li Cunxiao’s Flying Tiger Iron Cavalry, or other heroes’ personal guards, all suffered heavy casualties. The Gongshu disciples under Gongshu Ling were particularly targeted and nearly wiped out.

Even several Epic Heroes and many Rare and Common Heroes perished in the battle. However, thanks to the Mythical structure of the Unrivaled Commanding Platform, some were resurrected, reducing the losses somewhat.

But that was only a fraction of the total. After all, the slots in the Unrivaled Commanding Platform were limited, and in two years it had only converted twenty-four Unrivaled Heroes. Those heroes not transformed were completely lost.

In a word, the deaths and injuries were grievous!

Yet, that’s the way of this world; war and death are unavoidable. What matters isn’t the extent of the losses, but the return on them and whether they can foster a sustainable cycle fueled by combat.

Without a doubt, Xu Yang reaped a huge bounty, capturing hundreds of thousands of prisoners alone.

These hundreds of thousands of prisoners included noble Magic Type Soldiers like Complete Heaven Sword Cultivators and Netherworld Ghost Envoys, as well as the Emperor’s Forbidden Guard, more powerful than his own Breaking Formation White Dragon Army.

These were just the troops. There were also heroes; many of the Yuntai Twenty-Eight Generals had been killed or injured, but a few were lucky enough to survive.

Adding to these the generals who had not directly faced him on other battlefields, the captured heroes included no fewer than ten Legendary Heroes, and hundreds of Epic and Rare Heroes.

But the most valuable of all was Liu Xiu. Although this Mythical Emperor had fought fiercely against him with Wind and Cloud Dual Extremes, and had been tragically defeated, he survived the ordeal thanks to the “Hundred Kings Set,” which protected him in the fierce thunderstorm and left him unconscious rather than dead.

A Mythical Hero, especially one of emperor class, was invaluable.

Whether it was for his multitude of abilities, or the summoning of Gongsun Yang and the Yuntai Twenty-Eight Generals that came with him, it was enough to make the great lords fight tooth and nail over him, fetching an astronomical price was no issue.

Don’t ask why he would sell, Xu Yang wanted to utilize him as well, but it was clear that such a Mythical Emperor would never submit to a rebel leader.

In the settings of the Sky-reaching Tower, although lords were supreme, heroes and troops were not necessarily obliged to follow, especially heroes who retained significant autonomy. If their relationship soured, at best they would leave, and at worst, they might rebel directly.

Xu Yang could perhaps compel obedience with threats of life and death, but such an uncomfortably coerced allegiance would hardly be sweet and would sow various seeds of trouble. Xu Yang did not want to go off on a campaign only to find his territory in rebellion upon his return.

Thus, it was better to sell, easier on the mind and effort.

After taking prisoners, the various spoils of war from the million-strong army needed to be sorted, a task that would take some time.

Xu Yang was in no rush to inspect these because he had another important matter to attend to.

“Heaven-connecting Immortal Palace.”

“Netherworld Tao Mansion.”

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“Kunlun Immortal Realm.”

Xu Yang looked at Zhou Tianqi, Ning Bozhong, Tantai Qin, and a host of other minor captive characters before him, his voice calm and steady, “Now, what price will you pay to ransom your lives?”

His words were straightforward, cutting straight to the point and revealing his stance.

These lords, in fact, were the biggest gains of this battle, especially Zhou Tianqi who hailed from one of the three great powers and possessed Divine-level Talent, even more valuable than the Mythical Hero, Liu Xiu.

This was why Xu Yang had spared them; he intended to exact a hefty toll to compensate for his losses.

As for killing them out of spite, that was not considered. Slaughter was merely a means, not an end, and venting rage was out of the question. These individuals held no grudges against him nor were they worthy of becoming his enemies.

Though this mindset might seem arrogant, the truth was precisely so. He was an Immortal who had cultivated through several lifetimes and experienced immense vicissitudes. To hold grudges against a bunch of youths was a regression—what would be the point of cultivating as an Immortal then? It would be better to take a block of tofu and bash one’s head against it.

Hence, these individuals were not worthy of becoming his enemies; in his eyes, they held only pure utilitarian value, stirring not even the slightest ripple of emotion in him.

And now was the time for them to prove their worth.

“…”

“…”

“…”

In response to Xu Yang’s words, everyone fell silent.

Zhou Tianqi lowered his head without speaking, Ning Bozhong and Tantai Qin also remained quiet.

After a moment, one person summoned the courage to speak, “I am a descendant of the Li Clan from the Cangxuan Tao Palace. According to the rules among the major powers of the Sky-reaching Tower, I can use my territory to redeem my life and freedom.”

“Your territory?”

Xu Yang looked at him and shook his head, “That’s my territory.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

As these words were spoken, everyone was silent again, and the lord’s face turned pale.

The Sky-reaching Tower had no rules regarding the killing among lords; as long as you could capture your opponent, whether to kill or plunder was up to you.

But the Sky-reaching Tower had no rules, yet it didn’t mean the major powers didn’t have any. Just like the competition for the Newcomer List and the Dual Crown King, major powers set up some shallow rules to avoid vicious competition, maintaining competitiveness while ensuring the situation wouldn’t spiral out of control.

Thus, lords from these major powers could use their territories as ransom to exchange for their lives and freedom along with a chance to rise again.

However, Xu Yang clearly had no intention of following this rule, as he saw their territories as his own possessions.

Using my belongings as your ransom, what kind of logic is that?

Xu Yang’s intentions were very clear, and everyone understood them very well.

He was going to cash in!

To seek redemption, they had to pay a hefty price!

This left everyone feeling quite stifled, as they had never been treated this way.

But under someone else’s roof, one must bow one’s head, and eventually the lord gritted his teeth and said, “I can contact my family to pay an additional ransom, hand over the current territory, all constructions, all troops, everything will be yours.”

“Not enough!”

Even hearing this, Xu Yang shook his head, “You must also hand over the items and equipment on you.”

“…”

The man fell silent, his heart filled with sorrow and helplessness, but he had no choice but to nod his head, “Fine!”

Saying this, he turned his gaze and fiercely glared at Zhou Tianqi next to him.

He wasn’t a member of the Zhou Family; he had come entirely at the invitation of Zhou Tianqi. Now having capsized in the ditch, he didn’t know if the Zhou Family would compensate him for his losses?

Judging by the looks of it, the chances were slim, and even if they did, they couldn’t possibly cover everything.

Had he known this, he would never have boarded this pirate ship.

It was too late for regrets, too late for regrets!