Chapter 2598 Calm Down, Captain!

The Black Dragon Army presented itself as a united front; a monolithic entity where its members shared the same conviction and goal. Outsiders would be hard-pressed to topple them altogether.

However, there were cracks beneath the surface. Soldiers sometimes clashed among themselves, resulting in violent skirmishes. Under these circumstances, the weaker captain’s battalion would, naturally, be much more cautious and non-confrontational when faced with battalions led by more superior captains. After all, any skirmish that escalated to full-blown conflicts always harmed the groups with weaker backings.

For this reason, when news broke about the death of Huang Ji Bing, not only did his men grieve his death, but they were also worried about the possible hardship they might have to endure. After all, it was not certain if the captain who would be replacing Huang Ji Bing would be a good captain like Huang Ji Bing! This was why they were particularly anxious about the prospect of their new captain. They had no clue about their new captain’s strength. Should he proved to be too weak, then, they would have to discard their previous superior attitudes. Moreover, many soldiers from the other battalions might even seize this opportunity to bully them. Previously, when Huang Ji Bing was still alive, no one in the army dared to look for trouble with them. Now that Huang Ji Bing was gone, if their new captain was weak, those with an ax to grind would definitely seize this chance to seek revenge.

“Soldiers formerly under the command of Captain Huang, please present yourself to his successor, Duan Ling Tian!”

The soldiers were still worrying about this matter when a booming voice blared in the air.

“The new captain is here?”

“That sounds like Captain Jian Qiu Ping. The new captain must be with him.”

“Well, since the new guy is replacing Captain Huang, it’s only natural for him to acquaint himself with us. I wonder if he’s easy-going and even-tempered…”

“I don’t care about his temper or how easygoing he is. I just want him to be as good as Captain Huang. At the very least, he can’t be too inferior compared to Captain Huang.”

The battalion once under the command of Huang Ji Bing rose to the air immediately, murmuring among themselves, as they made their way toward the source of the voice. Many of them fervently wished their new captain would not be too weak. As long as he was not weak, they were even willing to overlook his other traits.

High up in the air, Duan Ling Tian in his purple robes walked behind Jian Qiu Ping at a leisurely pace with his hands clasped on his back. He observed the scenery as he flew past several beautiful valleys. It was situated a distance away from the hundred-odd tents that were located conspicuously further from the other groups.

‘These tents must belong to the centurions and decurions under my command,’ Duan Ling Tian deduced.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind began to blow in the air as a group of black dots, akin to a swarm of migrating locusts, appeared in Duan Ling Tian’s line of sight. They seemed to be heading toward him and Jian Qiu Ping.

With his superior eyesight, Duan Ling Tian quickly counted the number of heads and discovered they were about 800-odd soldiers coming toward them. He was not surprised by the low turnouts. After all, some of the soldiers, now under his command, likely had their duties to attend to.

“Since you’ve fulfilled Commander Chen’s order, you can take your leave now, Captain Jian,” Duan Ling Tian said flatly to Jian Qiu Ping who seemed like he had no intention of leaving. It was clear that Duan Ling Tian could not wait to see Jian Qiu Ping leave.

“Not so fast, Captain Duan. There’s still a message I would like to convey to them,” Jian Qiu Ping replied with a smirk as his eyes shone slyly.

“What? You’re going to tell them their new captain is just a Violet Moon Heavenly Celestial?” Duan Ling Tian retorted, fixing Jian Qiu Ping with a cold stare. It was as though he was aware of the thoughts running through Jian Qiu Ping’s mind.

Jian Qiu Ping responded to Duan Ling Tian’s words with a sneer. He stayed rooted to his spot, waiting for Duan Ling Tian’s battalion to arrive.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The wind picked up speed as roughly 800 soldiers from the Black Dragon Army arrived before Duan Ling Tian. They moved into neat formations of three. Eight individuals made up the first line, seventy formed the second, and finally, seven hundred-odd people gathered at the end.

All of the soldiers donned the same black armors, giving them a uniformed appearance. However, the badges pinned on their chests set them apart. Duan Ling Tian scanned their badges. ‘ Centurions, decurions, foot soldiers…’ Based on this, he knew the first group consisted of centurions, the second consisted of decurions, and the last were regular soldiers.

“It’s an honor to meet you, captains!” The gathered soldiers greeted in unison, following the lead of the centurions in greeting the two captains.

“Commander Chen had asked me to accompany your new captain to meet his battalion for the first time. Now that my job is done, I’ll excuse myself,” Jian Qiu Ping said. Then, he scanned the soldiers before laughing heartily. “I suggest you cherish every moment you have left with your new captain!”

The soldiers were naturally confused.

Jian Qiu Ping continued to say, “You see, he’s only a Violet Moon Heavenly Celestial! There’s a high chance he won’t be able to hold on to this position as long as you expect him to.” With another burst of laughter, his figure blurred before he left like the wind.

At this moment, the entire place was deathly silent. Everyone’s eyes were trained on Duan Ling Tian. The respect in their eyes when they looked at Duan Ling Tian earlier was replaced with a hint of disappointment. Most importantly, the eight centurions had frowns etched deeply on their faces.

“So… the person who found Captain Huang’s identity token is just a Violet Moon Heavenly Celestial?”

“How can fate play such a cruel joke on us?!”

After Jian Qiu Ping dropped the bomb about Duan Ling Tian being a mere Violet Moon Heavenly Celestial dropped, the eight centurions began murmuring among themselves, their dissatisfaction was palpable.

Meanwhile, the decurions were also discussing among themselves when they recovered from the shock.

Upon hearing the commotion, Duan Ling Tian bellowed with a stormy expression on his face, “Quiet!” His voice was so loud that it drowned out the voices of the soldiers immediately.

The soldiers quieted down instantly.

“Are you going to treat your captain like air?” Duan Ling Tian’s fury was evident in his glare. Even if he was only to be their captain for a few days, he was still their superior at this moment. However, none of his subordinates showed him respect. It was clear they thought he was undeserving of their respect.

One of the centurions broke the silence with a scoff. A sneer could be seen on his face as he said, “You’re just a Violet Moon Heavenly Celestial who obtained your position from sheer luck. You won’t even be our captain for long. You’re pretty bold to put on airs with your low cultivation base.”

Bang!

The centurion’s smirk froze on his lips suddenly as a loud explosion rang in the air.

A loud and miserable scream rang in the air followed by a crash. The centurion who was mocking Duan Ling Tian was sent flying back. He spat out a fountain of blood in the air. The blood drew an arc in the air, looking gruesome.

The other centurions who were about to chime in earlier were stunned into silence. They now understood their new captain was more than just a Violet Moon Heavenly Celestial. They were Violet Moon Heavenly Celestials themselves, and yet, they could not even capture Duan Ling Tian’s movements when he injured their comrade.

“Please calm down, captain!” An elderly centurion implored with a trembling voice. He was the first to regain his senses. He fell to his knees immediately.

There was a rule among the Black Dragon Army soldiers; the punishment for insubordination to one’s superior was death.

When he witnessed his new captain’s true strength, he was reminded of how he had been dismissive of this new captain earlier. The realization of his transgression caused him to break out in cold sweat.