Chapter 792: The Possibility of Turning Enemies into Friends

In fact, judging by common sense, the Anping Prefecture Chief's reasoning was sound. However, if Xu Yang, an unpredictable variable, was factored in, then the chief's decision was clearly foolish. The seemingly real opportunity was incredibly slim; with the Anping Prefecture Chief's current strength, even if he were a hundred times more powerful, he would likely still be no match for Xu Yang.

"Haha, why aren't you continuing to fight these scoundrels for a chance to break through? What are you doing here with me? Don't tell me you want to give up already?"

The Anping Prefecture Chief's face was icy cold as he glared fiercely at A Yang.

"Even if I am fated to fall by your hand today, I refuse to be a mere pawn in someone else's game! And you are certainly not qualified to judge me."

As soon as the Anping Prefecture Chief finished speaking, he ascended into the air. Eight wings materialized out of thin air behind him, each radiating a pure, icy-blue light. In the next instant, two icy-blue ice spikes rapidly formed in his hands. He then flickered through the void at blinding, phantom-like speed, aiming to disorient Xu Yang's vision and disrupt his perceptive sight.

"Heh, you actually have the gall to try such childish tricks on me? Do you feel no shame at all?"

Xu Yang scoffed with contempt, mocking his opponent. He suddenly raised his left hand, and an incredibly powerful primal aura erupted. A transparent, colorless vortex of energy instantly appeared, locking the Anping Prefecture Chief's spatial position. The figure, which had been darting around like a phantom in the night, instantly froze.

"My heavens! How did the Sect Master pinpoint his exact location? I couldn't even see him clearly, yet he managed to instantly immobilize him from a distance. Such a technique is truly unimaginable; it's a complete, unilateral crushing!"

Coming from the Shadow Lord, these words carried a significantly different weight. Before Xu Yang's arrival, the Shadow Lord was considered among the fastest in the entire alliance. Yet, even the extreme movement techniques he couldn't grasp or predict appeared laughably slow, like a scene in slow motion, before Xu Yang.

With just this single exchange, the Anping Prefecture Chief truly realized that he could no longer perform any miracles. The individual before him, A Yang, was an existence far beyond his comprehension.

"Aren't you incredibly fast? Why aren't you moving now? Keep moving! Did I tell you to stop?"

Xu Yang's icy voice continued to intimidate him. By now, the Anping Prefecture Chief had lost all dignity. A moment ago, he had still seen himself as the supreme leader of the entire alliance. But with his body completely locked in the void by the energy vortex Xu Yang unleashed, he was overwhelmed by profound despair and powerlessness.

"I know I'm no match for you; even if I trained for another thousand years, I'd still be nothing more than an ant before you. What I truly want to know is your identity. Why have you appeared in our Anping Alliance, specifically beside Third Master Yun of Changle Prefecture? Is there some hidden secret at play here?"

Xu Yang, of course, clearly understood the hidden meaning in the Anping Prefecture Chief's words. He was essentially probing Third Master Yun's intentions and ambitions. If his suspicions were correct, it would imply that Third Master Yun, a descendant of the imperial family, had not truly fallen into decadence over the years but had instead chosen to bide his time, enduring hardships and planning his resurgence. If this knowledge were to become public, everyone associated with Third Master Yun in Changle Prefecture would become public enemies of the entire Northern Region, and indeed, the entire Yingzhou Continent. The imperial family would undoubtedly move with swiftness to eradicate Changle Prefecture.

"Hahaha, you're overthinking things. While Third Master Yun is my friend, his qualifications and abilities are nowhere near enough to control me, A Yang. He's merely a puppet I found. This battle today isn't about promoting Changle Prefecture's name. It's about making the world remember the name of A Yang of the Sacred Flame Divine Sect."

The Anping Prefecture Chief nodded gravely. "If that's the case," he said, "I don't believe there's any need for us to be mortal enemies. If I willingly cede the position of alliance leader to you, A Yang, would you grant me a way out?"

The Anping Prefecture Chief displayed no panic whatsoever. His face remained utterly calm. He clearly understood that trying to oppose Xu Yang now offered no chance of recovery. Kneeling and begging for mercy was not an impossible feat for him; if it meant a chance at rebirth, he would readily abandon everything in the present for the sake of the future.

"Heh, you are quite shrewd; you understand what I desire. Indeed. I intend for the Sacred Flame Divine Sect to control the entire alliance. If you can achieve this and willingly act as my public representative, I have no objection to you retaining your current position. Naturally, you must first demonstrate sufficient sincerity and prove your irreplaceable value to me."

The Anping Prefecture Chief ascended into the air with virtually no hesitation. This time, however, his chosen targets were not Xu Yang, nor anyone from the Sacred Flame Divine Sect, but all the chiefs of the Enforcement Hall from the fifty thousand alliance troops who were also trapped within the flame formation. Every one of the seven Enforcement Hall chiefs from the other seven prefecture city factions, besides the Anping Prefecture Chief himself, became his immediate targets. The icy-blue wings on his back suddenly transformed into eight incredibly sharp, icy-blue sword beams. Guided by the Anping Prefecture Chief's soul, they sequentially pierced through the bodies of every Enforcement Hall chief.

"Cobalt, you scoundrel! You're using our lives to pave your own way! I utterly despise myself for ever trusting you. Not only did you betray me, but you also implicated the Enforcement Hall warriors of my prefecture city lineage!"

The Enforcement Hall elder from one of the prefecture city factions, the first to be struck by this sneak attack, roared with furious indignation. However, these were his final words to this world. Immediately after speaking, his physical body, severely wounded by the icy-blue ice shard, instantly froze into a rigid, solid mass. It then completely disintegrated into nothingness under the mental pressure of Cobalt, the Anping Army leader.

Following that, the chiefs of the other prefecture city factions all met the same grim fate. It must be said that, putting aside Xu Yang, the colossal sovereign, the Anping Prefecture Chief, Cobalt, possessed strength far surpassing that of the other alliance prefecture city chiefs. Even Elder Tan might not be able to secure victory in a one-on-one duel against Cobalt. Unfortunately, no matter how powerful he was, before Xu Yang, he was as fragile as a mere toy.