"Linpeng Overlord, hold on for another moment, we'll come help you once we've dealt with these two enemies!" Wan Lei roared.
"Piece of cake, given time, I can slay these two little brats myself." Linpeng Overlord, seeing their victory assured, was ecstatic, his combat power surging as he engaged Yun Xiao and the other in battle.
He indeed had a chance, not only relying on his incredibly strong physical defense but also on the assistance of sixty Thunder Beasts.
"Wan Lei, do you intend to show no mercy? We have no grievances with you; why must you relentlessly pursue us? Do you truly believe our backing families are to be trifled with? If you kill us, you will find no place for yourself in the Thunder Wind Realm. Do you truly think the Yin Yang Sect, Kui Lian Sect, and the Fang family can protect you?"
"Hmph, spare your lives? Look behind you, have you shown any mercy to those millions of people? Of course, I myself have killed many indigenous people and plundered resources. I did it to lead my people to survive. You also want to survive, and I am just as much a scoundrel as you are, so I have no right to judge you. However…" Wan Lei sneered.
"I have already offended the Huo, Liu, and Wu families. It's the same whether I chase one sheep or two. My debts are so numerous I no longer worry about them. You five families view me as a thorn in your side, eager to remove me. How can you tolerate the rise of a descendant of the Thunder Emperor? You intend to kill me either way. Now that I have such a good opportunity to weaken your families, how could I possibly let it pass so easily?"
"You villain, you've gone too far!" Zhou Zhanxin gritted his teeth, yet he was helpless. The combined combat power of just Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu was heaven-defying. With Liu Yuxin, whose strength was not inferior to theirs, added to the mix, along with Fang Jufeng and Chen Yijun, they truly had no chance of victory. After their forceful plea for surrender failed, Zhou Zhanxin and the other had no choice but to engage Wan Lei's group of five in fierce combat once more.
Wan Lei unleashed all his techniques, suppressing them with his two domains, summoning wind and rain to strip away life force, and continuously absorbing the enemies' cultivation with his Blood Demon Art. After more than an hour of fierce fighting, the cultivation of the two was completely drained. Wan Lei's Sword Immortal Dharma Body cleaved through them with a single strike, severing their heads, while his Thunder Sea Domain annihilated their nascent souls.
After killing Zhou Zhanxin and the Shield Warrior God, Wan Lei retracted his domains and the formation. Holding two bloody heads, he turned his gaze to the remaining Yun Xiao Shangren and Bei Han Wu, who were now surrounded by the group, including over fifty Thunder Beasts.
Yun Xiao Shangren and the other stood together, their brows furrowed as they surveyed their surroundings. Judging by Wan Lei's current achievements, they had no chance of victory. Bei Han Wu gritted his teeth and drew his saber, about to charge at Wan Lei, but was pulled back by Yun Xiao Shangren.
"Wan Lei, to be frank, the two of us truly have no grievances with you. We are rogue cultivators and do not bear ill will towards your Wan family. Our opposition to you this time was out of necessity, as we merely wished to survive. The indigenous people who were massacred were all killed by those four and their clansmen; we did not kill a single one of them. I have heard of your principles: if you have no enmity, you will spare lives after they hand over their storage bags. The two of us are willing to give you all our spirit stones and magic treasures. Will you spare our lives?" Yun Xiao Shangren said, tearing off his storage bag and extending it towards Wan Lei.
"Those two have a decent reputation in the Central Domain," Fang Jufeng said softly, approaching Wan Lei, implying that he hoped Wan Lei would spare them.
Wan Lei looked at Yun Xiao Shangren and shook his head. "I don't want them."
Upon hearing this, Yun Xiao Shangren's hand, holding the storage bag, tightened fiercely. He gritted his teeth and began to speak, "Since that is the case, then I…" He had barely started when he saw Wan Lei toss a head towards him. Suspiciously, Yun Xiao Shangren caught it and examined it closely, realizing it was Zhou Zhanxin's head.
"What do you mean by this?"
"Tell the people below to surrender. Combine them into one tribe. You can take the heads as proof of completing your mission and return to the Thunder Wind Realm. Too many people have died in our Thunder Wind Realm this time." Wan Lei's expression was somewhat weary. He was indeed exhausted from a year of continuous combat, and the consumption caused by his people of the Thunder Wind Realm being manipulated into fighting each other by immortals pained him even more. He had no choice back then; to survive, he had to kill. But now, with victory achieved, there was no need for further bloodshed.
He produced two more heads, giving one to Fang Jufeng and another to Chen Yijun. "We'll each take one, and then everyone goes back." Fang Jufeng and Chen Yijun bowed in silence.
Yun Xiao Shangren and Bei Han Wu were stunned for a long while before they finally clasped their hands in unison. "Wan Lei, we will forever remember this great kindness. Should we have the chance in the Thunder Wind Realm, we will surely repay it. Thank you, Daoist Wan Lei, thank you, all Daoist friends."
Wan Lei waved his hand, signaling them to say no more. Yun Xiao Shangren took a deep breath and shouted down below, "Alliance warriors, obey my command! Lay down your weapons immediately! We surrender! We can enter the Great Wall now. Stop fighting!"
Upon hearing this, the combatants on the battlefield below immediately ceased fighting and looked up at the sky in astonishment. Yun Xiao Shangren raised the head in his hand. "This is the head of the Mahayana stage cultivator that Wan Lei gave us. Now, all the allied tribes gather, and we will merge into one tribe. We are going home."
Seeing this, the members of the allied tribes let out shouts of joy and rushed towards Yun Xiao Shangren. They had lost, but they could live. What more could they ask for?
Wan Lei raised his hand, stopping all the sacred beasts, and nodded to his own tribesmen below. "Cease fire, we have won! Open the path and let them gather."
"We won!"
"We won, we finally won!"
"We defeated the enemy, we can go home."
"Home!!"
"We are going home, we survived!"
The three tribes belonging to Wan Lei's faction erupted in deafening cheers. Everyone was overcome with joy and excitement. The war had ended, and they could go home. Not only them, but the remaining ten thousand plus people from the allied tribes were also ecstatic. They had expected to be slaughtered after their defeat, but they never imagined they would have a chance to live by surrendering, and even keep their tribal names.
This war, orchestrated by immortals, thus drew to a close.
"What are you dawdling for? Clear the battlefield! Take back everything that can be used. You'll need it to build your new homes. Once it's done, get on the battle ships, and we'll depart once everyone is here," Wan Lei shouted with a smile, his joy infectious to everyone.
Watching their beaming faces, Wan Lei relaxed and sighed. "I promised I would take you home. I have fulfilled that promise."