Chapter 3613: Destined

Just as Marquis Changyun was about to breach the city, the Demon Race army pursued from behind.

"They actually dare to chase!" Marquis Changyun was startled as well; he could only dispatch a squad to intercept, then fled with the remaining troops.

"Deploy fifty thousand troops, annihilate the intercepting unit, the rest continue the pursuit."

Ye Liuyun immediately issued the order, then charged forward with the Monster Beast beside him to help annihilate the enemy's intercepting force.

Marquis Changyun, seeing he couldn't shake off the Demon Race army behind, arranged several intercepting squads along the way, finally slowing their pursuit.

When they reached the next city, they weren't turned away, but they discovered the Southern Region's Teleportation Array had indeed been severed.

"What now?" Marquis Changyun was baffled, having not expected this situation.

He simultaneously sent soldiers to the next city to reconnect the Teleportation Array, while arranging the city's defenses here.

However, the soldiers he sent out of the city were soon ambushed by a Mercenary Corps, so he had to dispatch several more squads outward.

But those he sent out were pursued by various mercenary groups all the way; after a squad finally entered the next city, they were slain by the city's mercenaries.

At this moment, Ye Liuyun's Demon Race army began massing beneath the city, preparing to siege. The small city's walls could not withstand the bombardment of firepower war chariots.

Just as Ye Liuyun's forces commenced the assault, the city's mercenaries suddenly struck, causing chaos among his troops and preventing any focused defense.

Ye Liuyun did not engage in a hard fight; he relied on firepower war chariots to advance steadily, blasting all obstacles flat, gradually driving Marquis Changyun's army out of the city, then allowing the Demon Race army to begin slaughtering them.

As a result, when Marquis Changyun fled this time, fewer than fifty thousand men remained with him.

After clearing the battlefield, Ye Liuyun immediately led the Demon Race army in pursuit.

When Marquis Changyun arrived at the next city with his defeated troops, the result was the same: the Teleportation Array had been sabotaged in advance and was unusable.

With no other choice, he could only keep fleeing; he no longer dared to hold any city for defense.

Along the way, they frequently encountered ambushes by mercenary squads, forcing them to stay constantly vigilant and highly tense.

Thus they fled until they reached Black Cloud City, only to find its Teleportation Array likewise destroyed and completely unusable.

Upon entering Black Cloud City, they were immediately besieged by the entire populace. Scores of elite mercenaries surged forward, and the tens of thousands of defending soldiers were surprisingly formidable.

This sudden assault wiped out most of Marquis Changyun's fifty thousand soldiers. In the end, under his guards' desperate protection, he escaped with only a few dozen men.

After receiving the news, Ye Liuyun immediately ordered the Demon Race army to turn back, and he led his companions to continue the chase.

Moreover, Marquis Changyun's subsequent path became even more arduous, constantly intercepted by mercenary corps; ultimately he was caught by Ye Liuyun, who beheaded him.

Marquis Changyun died without ever understanding why everything went awry for him after reaching the Southern Region.

"From the moment you decided to dispatch troops to the Southern Region, your fate was already sealed."

Ye Liuyun meant that he had already become cannon fodder for the central dynasty. Yet he never grasped what Ye Liuyun meant, even in death.

Ye Liuyun said only that line, then sent him on his way. He then hung Marquis Changyun's head on a Flying Boat and sailed straight back to Pingyang Guan.

After returning, he neither ordered Du Hansong to surrender nor allowed the Demon Race army to advance.

But Du Hansong immediately disbanded his army and surrendered to Ye Liuyun, as did Song Qing. With Du Hansong's surrender, he had no more backing; continued resistance would cost his life.

"Given your voluntary surrender, I won't kill you. Hand over all the resources you possess"

"and find a place to retire yourselves!"

Ye Liuyun truly did not kill them. Their voluntary surrender spared many soldiers on both sides, earning some merit.

The remaining matters became much simpler.

The Demon Race army toured each city, declaring that the Southern Region's dynasty would henceforth be administered by the Demon Race. Those unwilling to submit were ordered to leave; anyone daring to resist with the city's populace would face a city‑wide slaughter.

Where the Demon Race army arrived, the local Mercenary Corps vanished without a trace. Deprived of Martial Cultivator support, some City Lords who wished to resist were powerless and could only surrender.

In every city, all merchant guilds except Chengyuan Shānghuì were looted empty by the Demon Race army. Some guilds protested to the army; the result was either being slain outright by the Demon Race or never seeing a Leader.

Soon the entire Southern Region fell under Demon Race control, and Chengyuan Shānghuì seized the spotlight, monopolizing the whole Southern market.

At this point, Zhongxing Wangchao feigned a diplomatic mission. Initially they attempted to intimidate, claiming the central dynasty would send troops to attack them.

Ye Liuyun had the negotiating Demon Race tear several of the negotiators apart alive, after which they finally became obedient.

The negotiation outcome was exactly as Ye Liuyun expected: as long as the Demon Race obeyed the central dynasty's administration, the matter was settled.

Thus Ye Liuyun ultimately used the Demon Race to bring the entire Southern dynasty under his control.

Thereafter, he gathered all the mercenaries, handed the Southern Region over to the Demon Race for governance, and, leading the Wolf Hunt Mercenary Corps, returned to the camp to replenish the army with these mercenaries.

When Yu Xiaofeng inquired about the Southern Region, Ye Liuyun replied casually: "Much smoother than I expected; none of the mercenaries I prepared were needed, and the central dynasty accepted the status quo. It seems they are strong outwardly but weak within, their power unstable!"

"What about us?" Yu Xiaofeng asked Ye Liuyun.

"Accelerate, sweep the surrounding Xingqiu, then advance toward the Western Region. I'll head to the Western Region first and talk with Yueying's father first," Ye Liuyun replied.

"I suggest you take some men and eliminate the Thousand Spirits Sect first; that gives you bargaining chips and prevents those guys from causing trouble after you return!" Yu Xiaofeng advised.

"Hmm, that's a good plan!" Ye Liuyun agreed, immediately selecting three hundred Ninth Realm mercenaries and two hundred Seventh/Eighth Level Realm mercenaries, totaling five hundred, and returned to the Western Region.

When Ye Liuyun mentioned returning to the Western Region, Chen Yueying realized Ye Liuyun might act against the Western Region, and she grew increasingly anxious each day.

Seeing Chen Yueying's worry, Tang Xinyao simply arranged for Ye Liuyun to speak directly with Chen Yueying first, sparing her from constant anxiety.

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