1398 Entering the Heavenly Abyss (2)
“Buzz!”

A tremor sounded in the void.

A thousand-foot flying ship descended, hovering a hundred feet above the ground.

“What a mess,” a young Daoist in a green robe exclaimed, furrowing his brow and speaking out loud.

As his voice fell, the commotion gradually subsided.

“It’s the Guyang Gang. They’re one of the three major gangs on the first floor.”

“This mission was issued by the Guyang Gang to gather the people from various villages nearby to come to the Heavenly Abyss.”

“Should we report to the Guyang Gang that our village chief was killed by the people from the Phoenix Forest Stronghold?”

“It’s useless. They won’t care.”

The young man from the Guyang Gang swept his gaze over and landed on Huang Zhihu. He raised his eyebrows and said, “Were you the one who attacked just now?

“Your sword technique is not bad. I’ll give you an hour to restrain everyone here.”

With that, he moved and returned to the deck.

“Junior Brother Qi, that sword was quite spectacular; you could see the sword light even from a hundred miles away,” a big man in light black armor on the deck grinned. “What do you think, are you planning to recruit them?”

“I didn’t get a clear look at how that sword was executed, but it was probably due to the advantage of a sword technique.” The man who was called Junior Brother Qi nodded and looked down at the chaos below.

“If she can really recruit these people, I don’t mind having them as my subordinates.”

He said this so bluntly that the people on the deck burst into laughter.

But no one thought he was wrong.

Being noticed by the elite disciples of the Guyang Gang was also an opportunity for these independent cultivators.

Down below, in the midst of chaos, the cultivators heard the words of the Guyang Gang disciples on the flying boat. For them, Huang Zhihu was the one who had killed their gang leader, making her their enemy.

“Hmph, I won’t go with them even if I die,” someone shouted.

“Yes, avenge our gang leader.”

“Let’s go together; the people from Phoenix Forest Stronghold are outnumbered.”

Someone quietly incited.

But no one dared to step forward.

Huang Zhihu frowned and shook her head. “Their cultivation is not that great, and their combat power is lacking. They also lack loyalty. If we were to recruit them, our strength would likely decrease instead of increase.”

Zhao Chen also spoke, “That’s right. Let’s not bother with these people; just us going should be enough.”

The people from Phoenix Forest Stronghold had been training for more than ten days, and the initial results of their formation were evident.

More than 300 Phoenix Forest Stronghold cultivators were equipped with armor. Every one of them was much stronger than their peers.

For them, recruiting outsiders would only be a burden.

“Actually, the method to expand the Heavenly Mystic Sword Cultivation Technique can also be used.” Yunduai chuckled, her eyes flashing.

“Zhihu, if you want to establish a firm foothold quickly in this first level, it’s too slow to gradually gather forces from various mountain villages.

“Using the Guyang Gang as a stepping stone is a good idea.”

Guyang Gang?

Huang Zhihu looked up at the flying ship in the sky.

That was a good idea indeed.

Using the Guyang Gang as a springboard and then establishing a foothold on the first level.
While there were no high-level experts on the first level, there were many people.

Each of the three major gangs had hundreds of thousands of cultivators.

To gather and integrate various mountain villages into such a powerful force through gradual consolidation was a slow process.

“Good,” Huang Zhihu nodded, placed her hand on her sword hilt, and stepped forward.

“All members of the Phoenix Forest Stronghold, listen up.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the Phoenix Forest Stronghold cultivators with iron boxes on their backs exuded their fighting spirit and shouted, “Yes!”

This shout made the eyes of the Guyang Gang cultivators on the flying boat above light up.

“Phoenix Forest Stronghold, your aura is impressive.”

“It’s not just the aura, look at their fighting spirit; even our Guyang Gang members can’t compare.”

An old man with white hair spoke softly.

Upon hearing his words, Junior Brother Qi raised an eyebrow, and several young cultivators around him showed a glint in their eyes.

A female cultivator with formidable swordsmanship was already a rarity.

Having such a retinue would be a matter of great face no matter where they went.

In addition, she had a team of capable subordinates.

Originally, the elite disciples of the Guyang Gang had no intention of competing for these people, but they were now tempted.

“This mission was originally intended for selecting elite disciples of our sect, so recruiting some experts can also be considered a part of the mission,” a voice from the cabin said with a light laugh.

With those words, the people on the deck became even more determined.

However, Junior Brother Qi’s expression darkened.

The one who spoke was an elder who was overseeing this mission for the sect.

“Let’s see how she organizes these chaotic cultivators,” Junior Brother Qi said indifferently, his gaze fixed on the chaos below.

Everyone on the flying ship watched with curiosity.

Those scattered cultivators were not easy to control.

“Phoenix Forest Stronghold disciples, assemble your teams. Recruit four people from each squad.

“The captain will gather the entire team. Every squad will be expanded to a 100-man team. The commander will be the lieutenant. An hour later, the lieutenant will come to collect the weapons and combat equipment.”

Huang Zhihu’s voice echoed throughout the mountain hollow.

Recruit four people each from Phoenix Forest Stronghold squad?

On what basis?

These cultivators didn’t have exceptional cultivation or combat power, so why should they get these roles?

Who do they think they are, government officials?

Around them, many cultivators watched, some with a sneer on their faces.

“Yes!” Bai Shi shouted.

“Yes!”

All the cultivators of Phoenix Forest Stronghold shouted in unison.

“Brother Yang, you’re about to be promoted.” Cao Xiaowu looked at Gongsun Yangjin with a smile.

The others laughed too.

Everyone was a squad leader.

“In an hour, we need to act quickly. We can’t afford to embarrass Commander Zhihu and General Bai Shi,” Gongsun Yangjin said, his gaze sweeping around.