The drill ground in Heavenly Thunder City lay deathly silent.
The battle generals, Yang Hong among them, watched in silence as Xu Taiping entered the drill ground.
Rumble... rumble...
As Xu Taiping drew closer, an invisible battle intent and imposing pressure swiftly engulfed the entire drill ground like a tide whose surface lay calm while fierce undercurrents surged below.
For a moment, the startled, intent looks on the battle generals' faces abruptly turned to awe and fear.
"Xu Taiping!"
Suddenly, the Old Martial God Zhu Huai, who stood behind Third Prince Chu Yinan, stepped forward and called out to Xu Taiping from afar:
"After all these years, do you still remember this old man?"
Xu Taiping, who had now reached the center of the drill ground, stopped and looked at the Old Martial God Zhu Huai with a smile.
"You jest, Elder Zhu. How could I ever forget you?"
Zhu Huai laughed heartily and said in a ringing voice:
"If you wish to take the seat of commander-in-chief, Taiping, I have no objections whatsoever."
With those words, the Old Martial God Zhu Huai had unmistakably declared his support for Xu Taiping.
At the same time, he was distancing himself from Yang Hong and the others.
"I have no objections either!"
"With Taiping Divine General in the commander-in-chief's seat, I would submit wholeheartedly!"
"I have no objections either!"
After the Old Martial God Zhu Huai spoke, half the battle generals from the Five Heavens on the drill ground chose to side with Xu Taiping.
Among them were not only many cultivators who had received Xu Taiping's kindness in the Lower Realm, but also quite a few who had once clashed with him.
Chu Hanshi of the Chu Household and Zhu Yuan of the Zhu Family in Chenglong Heaven, for instance.
Xu