First, there was a loud bang. Next, blood bloomed not far ahead of them. The blood splattered in all directions like a beautiful firework. Xiang Shaoyun's soul clone was too powerful. Even the eighth-stage Soul Foundation Realm cultivator was instantly killed by the clone.

At this time, the second group of Di Sect members arrived. This group was led by Di Luoyang, someone Xiang Shaoyun had met before. Di Luoyang nearly dropped from the carriage in shock from the scene of the massacre he saw when he arrived.

They had set off as a backup for Qin Junling's group, but before they had even arrived, they witnessed the slaughter of Qin Junling from far away. An eighth-stage Soul Foundation Realm cultivator was actually shot down just like that. This was too shocking a scene.

Di Luoyang also had some peak Sovereigns with him. They even had Heaven Battling Realm experts in their group. However, they all felt a chill creep up their spines, and they no longer dared to take a single step forward.

"Retreat! Retreat to the sect! The enemy is too strong!" Di Luoyang commanded without the slightest hesitation.

He did not have the courage to even try fighting, and he left with his tail between his legs. As for the over 100 people that had arrived with him, they naturally didn't dare to disobey him either. All of them started retreating.

As for Qin Junling's group, they were scattered everywhere. Most were dead, and a small number of them were able to slip away. Xiang Shaoyun's group only gave chase for a little bit before stopping.

Di Luoyang's group was rather far from them, so it would take some time for them to catch up. If they did give chase, even Di Batian might show himself. Now was still not the time for them to have a decisive battle with him.

"Big brother, why don't we take this chance to charge right into the Di Sect?" asked Ye Chaomu.

"There is no rush. I'll make Di Batian tremble in fear as I slowly kill him. He will understand that it isn't easy being a sect master," said Xiang Shaoyun with a sneer.

Over the years, he had accumulated a massive amount of hatred in his heart. Now that the time for revenge had arrived, he was in no rush to end it.

"Big brother, are you not afraid that he will escape or get some help?" Ye Chaomu asked.

Xiang Shaoyun thought for a bit before answering, "With that old dog's character, he might flee. But I personally think that it would be more probable that some Di Clan people would come help him. It looks like I need to take over the sect before they arrive."

In this battle, Xia Liuhui was the only one to have suffered some injuries. The others were mostly fine. The Di Sect had more people on their side, but Xiang Shaoyun's side was stronger. Each of the people on his side could easily take on 100 of their enemies. Thus, they suffered practically no losses.

When Xiang Shaoyun returned to the governor's manor, he called over Scarlet Flame Monarch and Devouring Ghost. He needed their opinion before deciding on his next course of action.

"Now that I have destroyed Di Sect's vanguard, they will definitely get ready for all-out war. They will think of a countermeasure to deal with us as well. I want to know what you think about this situation," said Xiang Shaoyun.

"If I were Di Batian, I would unleash my entire army upon you and destroy you immediately," said Scarlet Flame Monarch.

"That's right. Since he has been humiliated, he will have to return the favor, or his reputation will be destroyed," said Devouring Ghost. "Young master, you can consider using the empty city stratagem. We will withdraw first. When they arrive, we will surround them and take them by complete surprise. Or we can even skip the city and take their sect while they're busy here."

The two were worthy of being experienced generals, capable of giving excellent advice.

Xiang Shaoyun gave it some thought before saying with a sharp glint in his eyes, "I am going to rule this city and formally declare war on Di Batian. I will defeat him fair and square, completely destroying his reputation before killing him."

"You can do that, but it will be riskier since they will have enough time to prepare," said Scarlet Flame Monarch.

"That's right. I don't think it's worth it," said Devouring Ghost.

Xiang Shaoyun smiled. "Don't worry; I have my ways of dealing with them."

Xiang Shaoyun immediately acted on what he had in mind. Leading a group of people, he headed outside the city before flying into the sky. The people in the city were already becoming agitated. The appearance of a new group of people instantly caused them all to be anxious.

"Who are they? What are they trying to do?"

"What a terrifying pressure. That person is at least a Sovereign. They don't seem to be from the governor's manor. Are they the ones who have taken over the city?"

"Let's see what they're trying to do. If they are going to start a slaughter, we need to flee."

"Where are the Di Sect people? These people are acting too arrogantly."

Xiang Shaoyun listened to all the discussions calmly. After a while, he opened his mouth, "All of you must be wondering who we are and why we are here. Do not be fearful. Let me tell you the full story.

"I believe that everyone here is aware that before this city came to be known as Di City, it was known as Ziling City? The organization ruling this city was known as the Ziling Sect. Am I right? I am the Ziling Sect's young master, Xiang Shaoyun. The previous sect master of the Ziling Sect, Xiang Yangzhan, is my father. I hereby declare that I am taking over this city and renaming it Ziling City once again. If anyone has a problem with that, feel free to step forth."

"What proof do you have that you're the previous young master?" someone questioned.

"That's easy to prove. I hereby declare war against Di Batian. He is the proof of my identity. Of course, it doesn't matter even if he refuses to acknowledge my identity as I will simply replace him," declared Xiang Shaoyun in a domineering fashion.

His declaration created an uproar. The people in the city had never imagined that Xiang Shaoyun would be so confident.

"Those are some big words. You really think the sect master is nothing? By tomorrow, all of you will be corpses," said someone with a sneer.

That person did not dare to show himself, and he kept spreading his voice everywhere to confuse the people and mask his location.

"What a rat," Xiang Shaoyun said coldly.

Then, the turtle beside Xiang Shaoyun moved and reached out toward a certain person.

"What are you doing? Release me!" The person was only an Emperor. Before a Sovereign, he was nothing.

"Make him a lesson to everyone here," said Xiang Shaoyun coldly.

"Sure. This is what I call the fairy scatters the flowers," said the turtle as he exerted some strength with his hands, crushing the person into mincemeat.

Blood splattered everywhere, and the people around them hurriedly scattered in panic. The more cowardly ones among the crowd even pissed themselves. After all, there were also commoners in the city. Most of them had never seen a scene this bloody before, and they were the ones most frightened by the bloody scene.