Under the Zhen Divination Thunder Sword,
over a hundred Golden Pill Monks of the Blood Cloud Eighteen Knights spewed blood and were blown away.
The sky was filled with blood light, and the century-old Array Flags that had been refined fell everywhere, their Spiritual Light no longer present. Soon after, the Blood Cloud dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind only the over a hundred Golden Pill Monks with their vitality greatly weakened.
Immortal Baimei and others held their breath, once again feeling fortunate that they hadn't lost their reason due to greed.
"Regroup, immediately,"
Jiang Ding said indifferently, turning to leave.
Under that one sword strike, the defensive shields of these Golden Pill Monks shattered, exposing the characteristics of their Divine Souls and Mana, which he scanned and immediately determined their suitable positions within the Eight Trigrams Breaking Banned Formation.
His Divine Sense split into over a hundred strands, designating the positions within the formation to each of the Blood Cloud Eighteen Knights.
Blood Cloud paid no attention to the fresh blood at the corner of his mouth or the mostly ruptured meridians within his body as he struggled to stand up and respectfully knelt on one knee to salute.
The surrounding Blood Lance, Hei Loucheng, Iron Bone Vajra, and other Cultivators trembled, struggling to get up and kneeling to acknowledge their orders, not daring to look towards Blood Cloud, waiting for his command.
Everyone knew that the patience of the man before them was reaching its limit; any delay, regardless of the reason,
meant death as their answer.
One by one, the Golden Pill Monks of the Blood Cloud Eighteen Knights staggered into the Eight Trigrams Breaking Banned Formation. Their mouths bled as they flew, not caring in the slightest, desperately making their way to their assigned positions within the formation.
Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief, taking out healing elixirs and closing their eyes for a moment to regulate their breath.
This group of well-trained Golden Pill Monks joined the formation, immediately producing a noticeable effect on the Eight Trigrams Breaking Banned Formation.
Jiang Ding closed his eyes slightly.
The efficiency of the Eight Trigrams Breaking Banned Formation had increased by more than thirty percent, which was impressive considering it was their first time encountering it and their unfamiliarity.
Moreover, there were three exceptionally well-performing nodes within the formation.
Firstly, the Qian Position, overseen by the Six Dao Saint, Yin Dao.
Any slight turbulence in the Array Pattern that flowed through him was quickly sorted out, significantly reducing the difficulty of controlling it.
Next, the Kan Position's Blood Cloud and Blood Lance, Hei Loucheng, had the entire Kan section well-organized, promptly identifying and remedy any errors in the operation of the formation.
The last one, at the Xun Position, was Hei Louxi.
She also had a natural talent for controlling formations; the Xun Wind manifested with the flutter of her jet-black wings, even capable of reinforcing the power of the formation in the Xun section, thanks to her unique bloodline talent.
"Fourth-grade, mid-quality..."
Jiang Ding muttered to himself.
With these individuals, plus over three hundred Golden Pill Monks, forming a fourth-grade mid-quality formation didn't seem too difficult.
Of course, there were also clear drawbacks.
These people each harbored their own agendas; for now, everything was fine.
But if something unexpected happened during the process of entering the Ancestor Temple of the Luoxu Clan and he found himself in peril, it was likely that more than half would kick him while he was down.
In this regard, Jiang Ding was aware of his own shortcomings.
His command and empathetic abilities were lacking.
He could only suppress the Cultivators with brute force, motivate and inspire them with benefits, but he couldn't empathize with them, establishing a close relationship based on feelings.
Benefits are, of course, important.
But Golden Pill Monks are human too; they have emotional needs and also long to follow a leader with whom they can share their hearts, at least seemingly so, one they can trust—the so-called emotional intelligence.
Benefits and emotions, both are equally significant.
If Blood Cloud had his martial strength, apart from his arch-enemy the Six Dao Saint, he would likely win over the hearts of the vast majority of Cultivators, earning their genuine allegiance and forming a close-knit group that far surpassed his own.
The prerequisite being, he had it.
"Immediately proceed to the Ancestor Temple of the Luoxu Clan using the Eight Trigrams Breaking Banned Formation; practice the formation method along the way. In case of disagreements on decisions, follow the one with the most approval from the eight sectional leaders."
"Those who bring personal grievances into the matter will die."
Jiang Ding spoke indifferently, stepping forward and flying towards the distance.
The Six Dao Saint, Blood Cloud, Hei Louxi, and the other leaders respectfully complied, watching him disappear into the distance.
After a long while, everyone finally got up, exchanging glances with one another, with hatred and murderous intent visible in many eyes.
The Six Dao Saint looked at Han Lin.
Blood Cloud looked at Hei Louxi and the other Golden Pill of the Hei Clan's collateral lineage.
Immortal Baimei regarded Hei Louxi and the others, the enemies who had destroyed his Qiyu Sect.
And so on, relationships tangled up in chaos.
If it weren't for an external force suppressing them, these people would have instantly started fighting, with bloodshed and slaughter blossoming until death does them part.
After exchanging looks for a long time, Blood Cloud sighed softly, controlling the Kan section of the Eight Trigrams Formation, gradually familiarizing himself with the Formation Method, and his new subordinates.
Again, with a warm and polite tone, he inquired about their origins and names, expressing admiration and pleasantries, slowly easing the atmosphere within the Kan section, no longer so distant.
The Six Dao Saint and others also withdrew their gazes, continuing to practice their control of the Eight Trigrams Formation.
As a Saint Heir of Diabolism, he had his own way with interpersonal relations, hearty and generous before valuable people, with no airs, occasionally cracking jokes at the right moment.
Soon, on the surface, the Qian section began to seem harmonious, filled with nonstop laughter and mirth.
Jiang Ding flew in the sky, glanced at the Golden Pill Monks marked by One-Eyed Cicada and Sword Intent, and paid them no more attention.
Whoever crossed the line, simply order their execution.
If they did not comply, he would handle them himself—the order would not be disrupted.
"These cunning, ghostlike fellows."
Seeing the Six Dao Saint and the others rapidly taking control of the newly formed groups without resorting to brute force or intimidation, Jiang Ding felt a bit envious.
Each of them was like a social butterfly.
Of course, despite saying this, he did not feel it necessary to change himself, to suppress his own nature and delve into learning interpersonal skills to become a well-liked socialite.
Xianmen Sect did not need this.
Comrades would automatically cooperate and would not look down on you for being inarticulate or give you difficulty through unspoken or explicit rules.
In this foreign world, just let it be.
Having traveled over a thousand kilometers, Jiang Ding stopped in front of a collapsed, dust-covered attic, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"Do you wish to die, or do you wish to live?"
Jiang Ding asked calmly.
Accompanied by the sounds of rolling soil and shattering tiles, a young man with a broad nose, wide mouth, and flaming golden hair pushed aside the earth, emerging from underground, his robe filthy, his face covered in dirt, lacking his usual spirited demeanor.
"How did you find me?"
The Scorching Sun Swordsman asked in disbelief.
He had carefully chosen this place, one no cultivator had ever visited, and even affixed a Nascent Soul Stage Concealment Talisman to himself; in theory, Golden Pill Monks should have had difficulty finding him.
"Answer, immediately."
The Scorching Sun Swordsman, casting aside his questions, hurriedly said, "What do you want me to do for you? As long as you're not asking for unnatural favors, and as long as you don't make me betray my Sect, anything else is negotiable—I can even be your enforcer."
Unlike the Six Dao Saint's anxiousness, fearing he might die the next moment, he was more inclined to trust the promise of the person before him.
For no other reason than the trust among swordsmen.