Qin Shilei, resting his head on An Qian's lap, sighed, "We still lack Platinum experts. Otherwise, we could deploy more troops to the battlefield and earn more resources."
An Qian placed a small piece of apple in Qin Shilei's mouth, "Can we utilize the strength of the Demonic Sect?"
"Right!"
A sharp glint flashed in Qin Shilei's eyes, "How did I overlook the strength of the Demonic Sect?"
Although he held the lives of Huangfu Feng and others in his hands, he had never truly considered the Demonic Sect his subordinates. Instead, he had always been wary of them.
Therefore, for this expedition, he had not thought of the powerful force of the Demonic Sect.
Upon being reminded by An Qian, Qin Shilei felt it would be a great pity not to leverage the strength of the Demonic Sect.
Furthermore, the Righteous Alliance possessed even more Platinum experts, and they too needed to be persuaded to serve him.
With a plan formed in his mind, Qin Shilei immediately stood up, "I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back soon."
He then left the blessed land, took out a Thousand Mile Communication Talisman, and called for Huangfu Feng.
Prince An Qin had given an order, and Huangfu Feng dared not delay. He arrived that very night with seven or eight Demonic Sect experts.
Other Demonic Sect experts who were out searching for resources were also ordered to return as soon as possible.
In a tidied-up hall.
Qin Shilei sat at the head of the table and gestured towards the sofas in front, "Please, have a seat!"
After everyone was seated, he continued, "I hope you will join my expeditionary army and guard our subordinates. Do you have any objections?"
"We will obey Prince An Qin's command!"
Huangfu Feng replied respectfully.
In his heart, he silently grumbled, "What objections could we have? How would we dare have any?"
Qin Shilei glanced at him and said indifferently, "As long as you do this task diligently, you will receive the appropriate merits and exchange them for what you desire."
He paused, his expression turning cold, and warned, "If I ever discover you secretly causing trouble and harming my subordinates, do not blame me for being ruthless!"
"Our Demonic Sect will definitely do our utmost to protect everyone from Prince An Qin's Mansion and ensure they do not meet with misfortune easily."
Huangfu Feng quickly guaranteed.
Qin Shilei discussed some details with them, then let them leave to rest and arranged for them to be assigned to various teams the next morning.
The next morning, the remaining fifteen Demonic Sect experts, with the exception of one who remained in Tianzhao Kingdom, all appeared before Qin Shilei.
Accompanying them were nearly three hundred Gold-level high-tier experts.
Qin Shilei divided them into fourteen groups and assigned them to the half-million strong expeditionary army.
With the addition of this group of peerless experts, the expeditionary army's speed in clearing out the insects became even faster.
After Qin Shilei had made arrangements for them, Chu Ye, the leader of the Righteous Alliance, also arrived with several of his subordinates.
Chu Ye clasped his hands and inquired, "What exactly is the transaction Prince An Qin mentioned?"
Qin Shilei placed three leaves of Enlightenment Tea on the table, "Have you not always wished to obtain more Enlightenment Tea? I am giving you an opportunity now. Guard the people of Prince An Qin's Mansion in expanding our territory, and I will award you corresponding merit points. You can then use these merit points to exchange for the Enlightenment Tea you need."
Upon hearing this, Chu Ye and the others first rejoiced, then their expressions became extremely conflicted.
They had previously exchanged a few supreme-grade items with Qin Shilei for three leaves of Enlightenment Tea.
It was precisely because of those three leaves that they had deeply understood the heaven-defying effects of Enlightenment Tea.
Therefore, when they heard there was another way to obtain more Enlightenment Tea, they were naturally delighted.
However, amidst their joy, they felt a sense of resistance towards Qin Shilei's conditions.
An elder named Zhou walked to Chu Ye's side and whispered, "Alliance Leader, what Prince An Qin is asking for is clearly to use us as subordinates. We cannot agree to this."
Another person interjected, "If we want Enlightenment Tea, we can find more heavenly treasures or supreme-grade items and exchange them with him. We absolutely cannot let our Righteous Alliance become a pawn in someone else's game because of this."
Chu Ye looked conflicted. He wanted to refuse but couldn't bear to part with the precious Enlightenment Tea.
Although the voices of the two were not loud, everyone present had keen senses, and Qin Shilei naturally heard their words.
He looked up at the few of them, and a fierce glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.
"Should I use soul-controlling techniques to subjugate the Righteous Alliance as well?" This thought flashed through his mind.
The members of the Righteous Alliance suddenly felt as if they were being stared at by a venomous snake, and a chill instantly rose from the bottom of their hearts.
It was only then they realized that the person they were speaking with was a peerless expert who could easily kill them.
The two who had spoken earlier involuntarily retreated behind the others, not daring to look at Qin Shilei again.
During this period, the members of the Righteous Alliance had heard that the Demonic Sect had lost twenty to thirty Platinum experts who were killed by Prince An Qin for offending him.
The remaining Demonic Sect experts were now obedient to Prince An Qin, undoubtedly because Qin Shilei had grasped some critical weakness of theirs.
Such a powerful expert could not be easily refused, and even if refusal was necessary, a tactful excuse was required.
Just as Chu Ye was contemplating how to refuse Qin Shilei, the latter's voice sounded again.
"Five leaves of Enlightenment Tea!"
"Serve me for three years, and I will give each of you Platinum experts five leaves of Enlightenment Tea."
As soon as Qin Shilei finished speaking, the breathing of the Righteous Alliance members became heavy.
"Alliance Leader, I think Prince An Qin's proposal is excellent," Elder Zhou said with a flushed face.
"Elder Zhou, didn't you just disagree? Why have you suddenly changed your mind?" Elder Feng taunted.
"It is the honor of every citizen of Great Xia to contribute to expanding our territory. How can we prioritize the reputation of the Righteous Alliance and abandon such a righteous act?"
Elder Zhou stated righteously.
Those from the Righteous Alliance who had emerged from the secret realm needed to stay in the outside world for a full year and kill a certain number of alien races to activate their systems.
Without a system, the difficulty of their advancement was much greater than Qin Shilei's.
However, the three experts in the Righteous Alliance who had used Enlightenment Tea felt their cultivation had greatly improved.
As a result, the effect of Enlightenment Tea was amplified considerably, making it even more appealing to them than Qin Shilei had imagined.
Chu Ye, however, did not immediately agree to Qin Shilei. Instead, he said they needed to consult with their subordinates before giving an answer.
Watching the Righteous Alliance members walk out, Qin Shilei chuckled inwardly, "What consulting? They just want more Enlightenment Tea."
Qin Shilei had not resorted to soul-controlling techniques because he did not want to rely solely on coercive methods.
As long as the temptation was great enough, who could resist?
In less than a moment, the members of the Righteous Alliance returned to the hall.
Chu Ye said calmly, "If our Righteous Alliance is to help you, then the Enlightenment Tea should be increased to twenty leaves per person."
Qin Shilei sneered, "Only five leaves. Take it or leave. If you don't agree, you can leave now."
Chu Ye paused for a moment and said with a fawning smile, "Your Excellency has an abundance of Enlightenment Tea. Why be stingy with ten or so leaves? Ten leaves will suffice. For these three years, we will be at your beck and call."
"Only five leaves."
Qin Shilei paused, then relented slightly, "During this period, if any supreme-grade items are obtained, I will also provide a certain amount of reward."
Hearing his resolve, Chu Ye dared not bargain further, "Alright, I will have our people come over now."