"I didn't expect you to be so powerful now."
As they flew, Wan Liuchuan unconsciously positioned himself a step behind Wan Lei.
After all, their identities, statuses, and strengths were vastly different.
Furthermore, Wan Lei's aura just now had deeply impressed Wan Liuchuan.
"One must use different methods to deal with different people. If this leader of the Heavenly Punishment truly cherished the common people and spoke of benevolence and righteousness, I would have shown him more respect and persuaded him to join the alliance by appealing to justice.
If he were a person solely driven by self-interest, I could have offered him fame, wealth, and guaranteed his status and interests, even suppressing him when necessary.
However, this fellow is arrogant and looks down on everyone. To deal with such a person, one's posture must not be lowered.
Doesn't he love to put on airs?
He mobilized an army to block me, and then acted as if he were casually drinking tea, all to make me regard him highly and think of him as an extraordinary individual.
He's quite similar to that fellow, Fang Jufeng. You saw how I dealt with Fang Jufeng back then.
To handle such people, you must shatter their pride, be even more pretentious than them, and never show any sign of weakness.
Only then will they be truly convinced and willing to serve me.
If I had tried to persuade him with kind words, even if he agreed to join the alliance, he might still have been insubordinate and acted on his own whims, making him difficult to manage.
As a strong individual with formidable power and a vast influence, one must naturally possess the mindset and bearing of a strong person; otherwise, one's position is undeserved and will collapse as quickly as it came.
You know Huo Qingfeng, right? He was too young. At such a tender age, he became a Tribulation Transcender, possessing the strength of one, but lacking the mindset.
As a powerful individual, he tried to wear me down using the methods of a weaker person, and what was the result? He was crushed by my overwhelming momentum.
Of course, he truly couldn't defeat me either."
Hearing Wan Lei call Huo Qingfeng too young, Wan Liuchuan couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
Huo Qingfeng was at least of the same generation as the Fang clan leader. How could Wan Lei, a young man in his twenties, utter the word "young"?
"Do you usually research these things?"
Wan Liuchuan asked.
"Not exactly. Once one possesses such strength and status, their mindset naturally adjusts. It's just that some adjust faster than others. What about you? What do you usually research?"
"Cultivating, and chopping people."
"That's why you are still just an assassin for the Heavenly Punishment, without any real authority. Even though you are put forward as a figurehead by the Heavenly Punishment, you are merely a figurehead in name only.
Little Chuan, you're still young, you need to grow up quickly."
Looking at Wan Lei's precocious demeanor, Wan Liuchuan's mouth twitched again.
The Heavenly Punishment operated in the shadows. In all the Nine Great Powers, as well as other upper and middle-tier sects and families, in cities big and small, the Heavenly Punishment had strongholds and hidden operatives, permeating almost the entire Lei Feng Continent.
Consider this: even in a small place like Nancheng in Qishan County, Lanning Kingdom in the Northern Region, the Heavenly Punishment had infiltrated. One could only imagine how vast the scale of the Heavenly Punishment was and how meticulous their operations were.
It could be said that the Heavenly Punishment had no territorial boundaries; the entire Lei Feng Continent was its domain.
The number of Heavenly Punishment members was vast, their numbers likely comparable to those of a peak power.
However, because the majority of their members were scattered across various locations, lying in wait, Wan Lei saw so few people at the Heavenly Punishment headquarters.
And those who had been engaged in espionage, undercover work, and assassination for extended periods naturally excelled at infiltration and clandestine entry.
The Heavenly Punishment's hidden operatives had also made thorough arrangements for Wan Lei and Wan Liuchuan's secret infiltration into the Liu family to rescue Liu Yuxin.
As soon as they reached the border between the Lei Emperor Hall's territory and the Liu family's influence, Heavenly Punishment operatives were already waiting.
"Greetings, Holy Son, greetings, Alliance Leader Wan."
In an inn within this small city, the one who came to greet them was a middle-aged cultivator from the Liu family who was a hidden operative of the Heavenly Punishment.
His surname was indeed Liu, but he was not from the direct lineage but from a distant branch. Even within the wealthy Liu family, the resources allocated to him were meager, and his cultivation talent was only mediocre. In the Liu family, where talents emerged in abundance, he was quite unremarkable.
Discontented and unfulfilled, he later encountered the Heavenly Punishment and voluntarily joined. With the resources provided by the Heavenly Punishment, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. He was now in the Nascent Soul stage and held a not-insignificant management position within the Liu family.
Later, he lost a power struggle and was marginalized to the position of prison warden. Since he was a member of the Liu family, he was in charge of the prison for the Liu family's royal clan.
Within the Liu family, there were the royal clan and other subjects and soldiers. The royal clan consisted of people surnamed Liu, while others were cultivators who had pledged allegiance to the Liu family.
When others committed crimes, they were naturally imprisoned in ordinary cells. However, when members of the royal clan committed crimes, there were specialized prisons for them, and the treatment within these prisons was far better than in ordinary cells.
As fate would have it, his official position was now exactly what Wan Lei and Wan Liuchuan needed.
"This is Liu Luhang, who is specifically in charge of the royal clan prison. He will lead us to the Liu family this time."
Wan Liuchuan introduced him to Wan Lei.
Wan Lei sat on a chair and nodded, looking at Liu Luhang.
"Sit down."
"As you command."
Liu Luhang immediately sat on a stool in front of Wan Lei, his back straight and his demeanor extremely respectful.
Whether as a member of the Liu family or as a hidden operative of the Heavenly Punishment, he had to be extremely deferential when facing Wan Lei, the Alliance Leader.
"Tell me about the current situation of the Liu family, their defenses, their strong cultivators, and how many demons are still present."
"As you command, Alliance Leader. The Liu family has recalled many of their clan members who were dispatched outside and have distributed numerous magic treasures, elixirs, and spirit stones to them, urging them to cultivate diligently. Most of the previous affairs have been handed over to those with other surnames.
Furthermore, half a month ago, the Liu family announced the recruitment of guest elders with double the previous benefits. Many greedy rogue cultivators have joined the Liu family.
These individuals are simply beasts! Knowing that the Liu family colluded with the demons to invade our Lei Feng Realm, they still commit such acts of betraying their kin, their crimes are unforgivable.
However, due to the addition of these individuals, even though the Liu family suffered some losses in the two previous battles, their current strength has not diminished but rather increased.
As for the demons, the lowest in cultivation are at the level of Underworld Demons, equivalent to Nascent Soul. There are at least three hundred thousand of them. The number of Wrathful Demon Generals is countless. In terms of high-level combat power alone, they are sufficient to crush any peak power."
"What about the Demon Marshals?"
"Demon Marshals are not individuals that I, a mere subordinate, can meet. However, I have inquired with elders within the clan, and it is said that there are at least twenty more, perhaps even over thirty."
"Heh, it truly is a dragon's den and a tiger's lair."
Wan Lei chuckled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.