Ding Ping battled against Zhang Mo.
In terms of cultivation, Ding Ping was six minor levels below Zhang Mo. However, after unleashing all of his abilities, his battle prowess was surprisingly no weaker than that of Zhang Mo. In fact, due to his outstanding stamina and the limitless power of the nation, he could easily outlast Zhang Mo if they were to fight a drawn-out battle.
The two of them continued to battle, and the Ding Clan's residence was transformed into a pile of rubble in no time at all. At least a third of the clan members had already been killed by the shock waves of the battle.
Zhang Mo became more and more astonished as the battle progressed. He had initially thought that he would be able to easily capture Ding Ping. However, his opponent's battle prowess had far exceeded his expectations. If the battle continued in this direction… perhaps he would lose!
This fact drove him crazy.
So be it if he couldn't defeat Ling Han. That person was a freak, after all. In fact, even his master, his master's master, and the prodigies from the Immortal Realm couldn't defeat him. However, even Ling Han's disciple turned out to be so ferocious and powerful. How could he endure such humiliation?
"Heh, who would've thought? Not only is Ling Han freakish, but even his disciple is not someone to be underestimated!" A beautiful woman descended from the sky. There was a pair of wings on her back, and as they flapped lightly, they allowed her to soar in the sky.
These wings had been useless in the small world as all those at or above the Flower Blossom Tier possessed the ability to fly. However, everything was different in the Immortal Realm.
Only those who reached the Heavenly Body Tier could glimpse the secrets of heaven and earth, and thus gain the ability to roam the skies.
However, how many cultivators at the Heavenly Body Tier did the entire Joint Peace Planet have?
Thus, having wings in the Immortal Realm would allow one to realize the dream of flying at least several million years before others.
This woman was Dong Ling'er, an excellent disciple of the Cloud Phoenix Sect.
Due to the Spiritual Qi environment of the Immortal Realm, and due to the fact that they had arrived after opening the sky, the group of prodigies that Dong Ling'er was a part of had been blessed with fortune by heaven and earth. Of course, their blessings were similar to what other ordinary people had received, and couldn't be compared to Ling Han's. Even so, all of them had already reached the ninth layer of the Shattering Void Tier.
"Humph! Enough with the sarcastic remarks. Help me suppress this brat!" Zhang Mo was extremely displeased.
Dong Ling'er smiled, and said, "Wasn't someone brimming with confidence just then and saying that they wouldn't need any help?" Her battle prowess was no weaker than that of Zhang Mo, and she could even fly on top of that. Thus, she naturally wasn't afraid of Ding Ping fleeing from their grasp.
Zhang Mo humphed, and said, "Rubbish! Why don't you try to battle him yourself?"
This brat was almost as freakish as Ling Han had been. He possessed a body of incredible power that Zhang Mo barely dared to face head on.
"Letting him flee will only lead to more trouble. We need to dispose of this brat as soon as possible. There are still several Shattering Void Tier cultivators in the Imperial Capital, after all." Dong Ling'er didn't throw any more barbs, and immediately jumped into the battle.
"There's no need to be afraid of the Shattering Void Tier cultivators. It's that old dragon that we need to remain wary of," Zhang Mo said.
"Many of our seniors have already broken through to the Immortal level. Once they join forces, that old dragon is nothing to worry about!" Dong Ling'er was extremely ruthless, with each of her attacks aiming to cripple Ding Ping.
In any case, they only needed a temporary puppet to ascend the throne. Thus, it would naturally be of no importance whether this puppet could cultivate or not.
There was turmoil in Ding Ping's mind as he listened to their exchange.
He knew that his opponents were purposefully saying this for him to hear—their aim was to crush his fighting spirit. However, they would never have imagined that Ling Han had suddenly returned, and even created four Mountain River Tier cultivators in a mere three months!
Right now, there were close to 10 beings who had Immortal level power in the Imperial Capital. Moreover, the battle prowess of Ling Han and the Asura Demon Emperor was more so at the consummate level of the Mountain River Tier.
Taking into account the massive gulf in power after reaching the Immortal Realm, Ling Han could easily suppress these people with a single finger.
'Hold on!' Ding Ping said in his mind.
If he fled, would his opponents become wary and delay their attack? His master didn't have the spare time to muck around with these small fries. Their aim was to journey through the entire Immortal Realm!
'It's decided, then!'
Ding Ping suddenly retreated, only defending and not attacking. "I'm willing to cooperate with you guys. However, you must guarantee that you won't hurt me or cripple my cultivation!"
"Hmm?" Dong Ling'er and Zhang Mo exchanged a glance. They could see the strange look in each other's eyes.
'Why is this brat suddenly surrendering?
'Is it because he knows that he has no chance of winning against the two of us? Hehe, humans are afraid of death, after all. This brat is only in his teens, so such kind of fear will only be stronger. As a youth, he still has many lofty ambitions, so he naturally won't want to die.'
"Fine!" Dong Ling'er and Zhang Mo both nodded in agreement. Ding Ping was only at the Shattering Void Tier, and as long as they brought him back, there would be many elites at the Immortal level to keep him in check. This place wasn't the small world, where elites at the Immortal level would be suppressed. Here, they could unleash their full strength!
In front of elites at the Immortal level, those at the Shattering Void Tier were nothing but trash!
Ding Ping barely uttered any words before he left with Dong Ling'er and Zhang Mo. They didn't use force to restrain him, either. Both parties displayed a certain amount of sincerity.
They traversed mountains and crossed rivers, eventually entering a lively and bustling city. This was where the five sects had headquartered.
Sure enough, truly powerful forces secluded themselves in cities. All this while, the Rain Emperor and the others had been searching for the survivors of the five sects in secluded mountains and seas. Who would've thought that they would be blatantly living in such a bustling city?
He followed Dong Ling'er and Zhang Mo's lead and entered a large manor. There was even a naturally formed lake in this manor, and the warm sunlight rippled across the surface of the water, making the already splendid environment appear even more tranquil.
"He who understands the times is a wise man." The Sword King appeared, yet he had already reached the Mountain River Tier at this moment. He didn't suppress his aura, and the sword intent exuded from his body was almost tangible, forming rings of sword shadows around his body. A casual flick from these sword shadows could easily kill a cultivator at the Shattering Void Tier.
He had already been informed about the events just then by Dong Ling'er and Zhang Mo. His suspicion hadn't been raised—it had only been a short two years, after all. Ling Han definitely hadn't returned yet, and the strength of the Imperial Capital definitely wouldn't have seen any significant improvements, either.
On the contrary, how many people had the five sects sealed away using the Time Liquid in these past 10,000 years? After ascending to the Immortal Realm, at least one-tenth of them had broken through. Right now, they had almost 40 elites at the Immortal level!
This was an overwhelming force, and the only person that they were still wary of was Helian Tianyun. That old dragon was extremely freakish, and after reaching the Mountain River Tier, his battle prowess was definitely terrifying.
"Tell us everything you know," the Sword King said. He had to learn all he could about Helian Tianyun. Only then would he be able to form a flawless plan.
Ding Ping didn't hesitate, and spilled everything he knew about Helian Tianyun… from three months ago. The information was so detailed that even the Sword King was astonished. 'Brat, aren't you a little too cowardly? We're not even torturing you, yet you're already spilling your guts!'
The five sects also had some information on Helian Tianyun, and after comparing it against what Ding Ping had told them, they discovered that Ding Ping had told them the absolute truth.
They believed Ding Ping's intel. They concluded that Ding Ping was still too young, and was thus more worried about his own life and wellbeing.
Since Ding Ping cooperated so readily, they didn't give him any more troubles. Perhaps they could use him as their dog in the future. After all, he was at the Shattering Void Tier.
They decided to launch their main assault on the Imperial Capital in 10 days.
In the past few months, they had already contacted and joined forces with numerous other forces. All they were waiting for was to launch the final attack.
Time flew by, and 10 days passed in a flash. Ding Ping obediently led the five sects, entering the city gates and marching through the Imperial Gates. They sneaked into the Imperial Palace, with several other forces gradually joining their rebel army.
Ruling an empire required more than just tens or hundreds of people, after all.
The rebel army quickly ballooned to several thousand strong, their might increasing by the minute.