Long Pojun eventually decided to return.

To the Flowing Gold Fort.

With him here, the Flowing Gold Fort would definitely not send out troops for no reason. In fact, it would be quite good if they didn’t start stirring up trouble in the first place.

No matter how much ability Lin Mengze had, the pressure mounting on him from three different fronts was definitely enough to disrupt his plans for a short period of time.

Now that he didn’t need to worry about his back lines, Su Chen returned his focus to the Abyss.

His research of the Deep Sea Sorrow was still ongoing. Every so often, the fleet would go into the Abyss and gather some resources for Su Chen to study.

Su Chen began to peel back the layers of secrets surrounding the Deep Sea Sorrow.

Just as Patelocke had said, this peculiar Origin Substance was the invention of the Arcanists. Their goal was to evolve their own strength, both to improve the power of Arcana Techniques and also to address the weakness of their own physical bodies.

However, this product was a failure. Even though it accelerated and enhanced the growth process, anyone it was used on would experience a regression in intelligence.

Many different Arcana Masters spent their whole lives vainly attempting to resolve this issue. Corniga, on the other hand, utilized the Origin Substance to create the Deep Sea Sorrow instead.

Su Chen’s goal of using this Origin Substance for himself was a bit like continuing the Arcanists’ research. He was going to try and resolve the issue that the Arcanists had attempted to resolve with blood, sweat, and tears.

This really was quite a challenge.

However, Su Chen had already faced many challenges of similar magnitude. The bloodline-less cultivation techniques were one such example. Adding on another challenge was not really that big of a deal.

In the following days, Su Chen immersed himself in his research.

At the same time, the situation within Long Sang Country also began to change.

As expected, Long Pojun returned to the Flowing Gold Fort, explaining that he had been the victim of a scheme set up by the imperial family, who were not afraid of having civilians take the fall for their own personal benefit. Even the Heavenly Might Battalion had suffered because of this.

When news of this spread, it created quite a bit of commotion. Several of Long Pojun’s former subordinates even chose to immediately leave with Long Pojun.

There weren’t many people who chose to leave, and there was basically no dent in terms of military strength.

However, the indelible impact that this revelation had left on the hearts of the soldiers was undeniable.

Even though most of the soldiers remained in the Flowing Gold Fort, the shocking news that Long Pojun had brought completely shook their will to fight.

Their morale immediately began to decline.

This decline in morale affected the entire Flowing Gold Fort. The soldiers became disorganized and disorderly, making it difficult for them to execute any military orders.

If that was only an issue for low-tier Origin Qi Scholars, that wouldn’t have been such a big issue in the first place. The problem was that even their direct superiors felt the same way.

The officers were like the nervous system of the entire army, responsible for controlling and directing the movements of the soldiers. Not only had the muscles been affected; even the nerves themselves and the brain suddenly began to malfunction. How could the soldiers not feel betrayed and hurt by this revelation?

Apparently, in one of their officers’ meetings, some of the more temperamental generals even motioned to “slaughter their way to the Thousand Hands Hall and kill that bastard Lin Mengze.”

Those words were treason.

Of course, no one actually dared to confirm the truth of that statement. It was merely a rumor.

However, the Flowing Gold Fort’s will to fight had completely disappeared.

It was impossible to mobilize them anywhere. Thankfully, the Ravagers were in a chaotic situation themselves. Otherwise, if they were to suddenly attack, the Flowing Gold Fort would have immediately fallen.

Long Pojun used this opportunity to head south with his men to join up with Lin Zuiliu.

In the southern region of Long Sang.

A group of soldiers flew through the air on a Cloud-Piercing Shuttle. There were even some who flew directly through the air instead of riding the shuttle.

At the very front of the flying cultivators was a massive, brawny, sturdy man. It was Long Pojun.

When he left Forever Clear Island, he had been nothing more than skin and bones. In Long Sang, however, his body had gradually begun to recover to its former state. At this point, he had regained roughly seventy to eighty percent of his full strength. This was possible because of the seventeen men that Lin Mengze had sent to capture him.

As they flew through the air, Long Pojun suddenly stopped, raising his right hand in the air. Everyone immediately understood what this signal meant and prepared for battle.

An instant later, a few dozen figures came flying in their direction from off in the distance.

They didn’t waste any time and immediately proceeded to unleash a barrage of Origin Qi Scholars in Long Pojun and the others’ direction.

“Hmph! Lin Mengze’s henchmen are really intent on killing us,” one of the soldiers who had chosen to follow Long Pojun harrumphed. He gestured, unleashing a violent wave of flames in the opposite direction.

“Allow me!” Long Pojun charged forwards, as if he was going to tackle the barrage of Origin Skills head-on.

This wave of Origin Energy contained the combined might of a few dozens of Light Shaking Realm cultivators. Even a powerful expert would have had a hard time withstanding that attack, but Long Pojun was able to endure through brute force. The people around him, however, were already used to this and used the opportunity to attack their opponents, who were still focused on Long Pojun.

This battle tactic was really quite simple.

Long Pojun was the shield, while the others were the spear.

He alone bore the responsibility for protecting everyone else!

Even so, Long Pojun, who was once considered to be a peerless warrior, managed to withstand this combined attack and protected the soldiers around him.

Throughout the many centuries, he had used these kinds of combat tactics to save the lives of countless soldiers, earning their respect and loyalty.

The other soldiers believed in him, and he had never betrayed their faith.

As for the trial he was facing now? Piece of cake.

Long Pojun forcefully endured the storm of Origin Energy. A moment later, he appeared in front of one of the Light Shaking Realm cultivators. He reached out and grabbed that Light Shaking Realm cultivator by the throat.

That person tried to evade three times in a row, and activated two different defensive Origin Skills and a defensive Origin Tool.

However, none of these were useful against Long Pojun.

That cultivator discovered that there was no way for him to escape from that grab. The barriers shattered one after another as Long Pojun’s hand wrapped itself around his neck.

“NO!” Despair appeared in that person’s eyes.

Crack!

Long Pojun snapped his neck.

Under most circumstances, Light Shaking Realm cultivators could regenerate broken limbs, even a broken neck. Some even cultivated secret techniques that allowed them to survive even if they were beheaded.

This person possessed one such secret technique, making it so that a broken neck was only really a minor wound.

However, the “minor wound” didn’t regenerate this time.

The soldier was taken aback. He could sense the vitality being sucked out of his body shortly before he died.

A faintly discernible red light entered Long Pojun’s body. Long Pojun let out a long sigh as his body grew slightly stronger.

It was already impossible to see the Blood Fiend’s Bone from the outside, but Long Pojun’s bones were beginning to crack with satisfaction.

Death in a single blow!

An instant later, Long Pojun shot towards another person. The Origin Skills slamming into him felt like nothing more than tickles.

Long Pojun was like a wolf amongst the sheep, slaughtering them relentlessly.

Even though he was supposed to be the shield, this shield was somehow able to deal a devastating amount of damage.

In particular, the soldiers being killed by Long Pojun all basically died in a single blow.

Long Pojun had never really cultivated any offensive Origin Skills. The Blood Fiend’s Bone’s insatiable appetite was the best offensive weapon. In addition, the vitality that Long Pojun was absorbing would then be converted into defensive power. This was why, amongst the soldiers, Long Pojun was basically invincible.

The more people he was fighting, the happier he was.

These dozens of Light Shaking Realm cultivators were rapidly slaughtered by him.

Long Pojun could sense that his strength had recovered quite a bit. It appeared that he wasn’t far off from reaching the peak.

He stood up straight and howled, “Lin Mengze, you just wait! I’ll come looking for you soon!”

He had only just said that, however, when an icy cold voice answered him. “There’s no need to wait. I came looking for you first.”

Long Pojun felt his heart tremble. He turned around to find a person standing in midair, looking at him. If it wasn’t Lin Mengze, who else would it be?

He wore a crown on his head, and he stood atop a floating cloud. Every step he took, little clouds would form beneath his feet. A large golden cape was draped around his shoulders, and he strode forwards with his hands behind his back, as if he was Logn Pojun’s neighbor coming over for a visit.

Lin Mengze had come over personally to kill him. A trace of surprise appeared on Long Pojun’s face when he saw Lin Mengze.

Even though he said that he was going to look for Lin Mengze to get his revenge, he was clear that, even at peak strength, he was not capable of fighting Lin Mengze.

Not to mention when he hadn’t managed to reach peak strength yet.

Long Pojun yelled, “You guys, hurry up and get out of here!”

These words were meant to be directed at the soldiers around him. Even if those soldiers had never met Lin Mengze before, they could tell by the exchange of words and by what the newcomer had said what his identity was.

The might of the ruler of a country radiated from his figure. The soldiers, who were staunch supporters of General Long in his fight against an incapable ruler, discovered that they actually could not muster up the will to fight.

Long Pojun’s call seemed to wake them from a reverie. Only then did they finally retreat.

Lin Mengze didn’t bother chasing them. Instead, he glanced at them for a moment with pity before he said, “Do they really think they can escape from my hands? What idiocy.”

As he spoke, he gestured, and the countless soldiers who were trying to escape suddenly lost control of their own bodies. The clouds in the sky unfurled, wrapping around those soldiers. The soldiers felt as if they were drowning and their hands and legs were tied down. In addition, it felt as if a thousand-ton weight had suddenly descended on them and was gradually growing stronger.

Blood began to pour out of their orifices. It seemed apparent that they were going to be killed soon.

And to Lin Mengze, this was no more difficult than lifting his index finger.

Long Pojun’s heart was full of sorrow, but he could only stare intently at Lin Mengze. “You were nearby, but you sent those Light Shaking Realm cultivators to their death. Did you know that the Blood Fiend’s Bone wasn’t at full power yet and used them to nourish me?”

Lin Mengze harrumphed. “You seem to have gotten quite a bit smarter since we last met.”

“If you want the Blood Fiend’s Bone that badly, even to the point that you were willing to sacrifice all those Light Shaking Realm cultivators, even to the point of damaging your own reputation...... You must be really desperate, to the point where you are willing to pay any price...... You’re close to death, aren’t you?”

Lin Mengze’s expression sank.

Long Pojun, on the other hand, began to chuckle. “I hit the nail on the head! You’re about to die! The Dragon Centipede is supposed to be resistant to many kinds of poison, so there aren’t many things that can lead to an early decline. The only thing that can do this much damage to you is probably a Dying Wish, right?”

Lin Mengze’s expression grew even uglier.

Upon seeing this, Long Pojun laughed even more maniacally. “As I expected! Hahahaha! This is my revenge! Lin Mengze, you probably never expected that Little Yao actually really loved me. She was forced by you to uncover my secret, but she made a vow with you! If you went back on your promise, you would pay the price!”

Lin Mengze calmly said, “I took three whole days to kill that woman.”

Long Pojun felt his heart tremble.

Lin Mengze continued, “But I will be sure to kill you a bit quicker than that.”