Chapter 692: Chapter 685: Conscription

At the foot of the mountain, in front of the stone tablet that was engraved with “Black Water Immortal Mountain.”

The light twisted for a moment, and Chen Hai’s figure slowly began to emerge.

Behind him, the Black Water Immortal Mountain, particularly the upper half belonging to Black Water Cave Mansion, also distorted and changed, then gradually became blurred, beginning to vanish from sight.

The foundational hill began to rise upward, and in the blink of an eye, it had turned into a small bun-shaped hill.

“It’s either a blessing or a curse, but if it’s a curse, it’s inescapable.”

“If that flying boat is indeed coming for me, let’s wait for them to arrive right here!”

From the moment Chen Hai appeared to the disappearance of the Black Water Immortal Mansion, although it seemed slow, it was actually just an instant.

Ye Qingqing, Zhang Tianci, and the others were not strong and were small targets; they could hide and whether or not the people on the flying boat would notice them, all depended on luck.

However, Chen Hai himself could not do such a thing.

Through his domain, when he sensed some of the general situation aboard the flying boat, his existence had likewise already been perceived by the powerful beings there.

In that instant, it seemed that several gazes had settled on him, firmly locking onto him.

The owners of those gazes were likely much stronger than him.

He could vaguely sense that those gazes stayed locked on him, but as for what scene lay on the other end of those gazes, he had absolutely no idea.

Thinking of hiding, he could not; thinking of fleeing, he could not…

Facing the approaching flying boat, what needed to be confronted would ultimately require his personal confrontation.

His gaze reached into the distance, and within his line of sight, that giant flying boat had gone from a small black dot at first to gradually becoming clear.

On the deck of the flying boat, aside from the human race, there were strangely shaped creatures of various forms, clearly not belonging to the human race, and there were just as many of them.

Most of these beings were dispirited and listless; moreover, some even huddled in a corner, actually sobbing quietly after suffering some psychological blow.

Besides these beings, there were also many clad in armor, with even their heads completely covered by helmets, patrolling back and forth on the deck.

“I already knew that the territory of the West Barbarian Mountain is a barren land, with pitifully weak spiritual energy, hardly enough to give birth to any real powerhouses.”

“This time, by order of Commander Qing, we came to Golden Dawn Island to recruit Heavenly Soldiers, and the West Barbarian Mountain territory is the last stop on our journey.”

“Hearing that the Bloodthirsty Demon Sect is the number one sect in the West Barbarian Mountain territory, we made a special trip here.”

“In such a barren land, to have advanced to an Earth Immortal? A person with such talent can just barely deserve the title of genius.”

“Recruiting this person into the army, it seems, would not make our trip in vain.”

Dressed in golden armor that shone brightly, nearly blinding others, He Yu sat grandly on a Taishi Chair in the center of the deck, his gaze profound as he looked off into the distance.

Around him, more than ten similarly armored individuals were gathered.

The armor on these people shimmered with light; though it couldn’t compare to the golden armor on He Yu, it was obviously much more luxurious than that of the patrolling individuals.

“The Third Vanguard Camp of Heavenly Mansion is recruiting Heavenly Soldiers. All Cultivators above the rank of True Immortal or True Demon, report to the Spirit Ship immediately.”

“Defiance of orders and refusal to enlist will result in execution!”

The Spirit Ship was very fast, and in just a few breaths’ time, it had already flown over the domain of the Bloodthirsty Sect.

Transitioning from extreme movement to extreme stillness, the entire Spirit Ship now hung suspended in the void.

An armored figure walked to the edge of the Spirit Ship’s deck and, gazing down at the territory below, let out a light reprimand.

“Heavenly Mansion conscripts Heavenly Soldiers? Defiance means death for those who refuse to be conscripted?”

“How is this conduct of Heavenly Mansion any different from forcibly drafting people?”

“Do these great powers always act so tyrannically, offering no chance for anyone to refuse?”

Below, in front of the massive stone stele inscribed with ‘Black Water Immortal Mountain’, Chen Hai looked up at the sky with a helpless expression and let out a long sigh.

Not long ago, during the leisure times he spent with Shi Qingying, he had often heard her talk about the affairs of these great forces like Heavenly Mansion and the Demon Palace.

Back then, Chen Hai always felt that the conflicts between these great powers, no matter how intense they were, still seemed distant from their West Barbarian Mountain Territory.

He really hadn’t expected that less than a year after parting with Shi Qingying, those of Heavenly Mansion’s Third Vanguard Camp would come drafting all the way into the West Barbarian Mountain Territory.

With the Black Water Immortal Mansion’s sect opening ceremony making such a stir, Chen Hai’s presence was already no secret to those in this realm.

Within the entire West Barbarian Mountain Territory, there were only a few beings of the level of True Immortal and True Demon and above—as few as a couple of cats.

Thus, it was within reason for this Spirit Ship to fly directly here and issue a conscription order.

If he had known that the people of Heavenly Mansion would come here to forcibly conscript troops, when Shi Qingying offered to recommend him to join the Demon Palace, he would have nodded and agreed, which would surely have been the better choice.

After all, being forcibly conscripted by Heavenly Mansion meant those conscripted were, to put it nicely, Heavenly Soldiers, but in reality, they were no different from cannon fodder.

If he had accepted Shi Qingying’s proposal back then, letting her recommend him to join the Demon Palace, he would at least have been an official disciple of the Demon Palace, which was undoubtedly a much higher status than that of cannon fodder.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a medicine for regret in the world.

At this moment, no matter how much Chen Hai regretted it in his heart, everything was already a step too late.

With a complicated expression and a heart full of struggle, faced with the colossal presence of Heavenly Mansion, any struggle seemed futile, and even Chen Hai had no choice but to temporarily submit.

With a light touch on the ground beneath him, he ascended to the heavens, landing on the deck of the Spirit Ship.

“Bloodthirsty Sect’s Chen Hai greets the General.”

“I am willing to accept the conscription and become a member of the Heavenly Mansion’s Third Vanguard Camp.”

Scanning the deck, his gaze fell directly on He Yu, who sat in the Taishi Chair at the very center.

This He Yu, seated there, gave the impression as if he did not exist in this world at all.

Chen Hai could be certain that when the Flying Boat entered his domain, he sensed terrifying presences, but not this man’s.

Yet now, as his gaze fell on He Yu for the first time, the man before him naturally became the focal point like the bright moon in the dark night sky.

The faint aura that drifted from him involuntarily caused Chen Hai to experience a sense of existential fear.

“This person is terrifying.”

“The strongest on this Spirit Ship is undoubtedly him.”

“Merely a Heavenly Immortal cannot be this powerful; perhaps, he has already stepped beyond the realm of the Heavenly Immortal…”

This thought emerged unbidden in Chen Hai’s mind, and he bowed, paying his respects to He Yu.

“You’re called Chen Hai? To have reached the Earth Immortal Realm in such a barren place as the West Barbarian Mountain Territory, your potential is commendable.”

“Join our Third Vanguard Camp, and if you can acquire sufficient military merit or catch the attention of someone important, the possibility of truly becoming one of us in Heavenly Mansion is not non-existent.”

After sizing up Chen Hai a few times, He Yu’s expression remained unchanged as he nodded and casually offered a few words of encouragement.