As soon as these words were spoken.

Everyone’s expressions changed slightly.

They all knew the situation had become extremely serious, and thinking they could enjoy the same leniency as before was almost an impossibility now.

But what they didn’t expect was that Xu Lingjun’s words were shocking to the core, startling everyone present.

They had to understand that behind his words was the apparent demand that they all abandon their family properties and hand everything over to Xu Lingjun, an outsider, to manage. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Although such demands might be considered reasonable in wartime.

But to be so eager to seize power just as the war began inevitably gives the impression that...

Has the Great Xia Empire long been unable to tolerate their sects controlling so many martial artists, and so now seizes the opportunity to wipe them out immediately?

Sun Bumie solemnly said, "Cuowu Sect fully cooperates with the Great Xia Empire. Whenever the Commander in Chief needs, all my Cuowu Sect disciples, even those only at the Qi Refining Realm, can be fully armed and ready to fight at any time... At worst, they are qualified to be human bombs."

"Sun and Moon Bright Sect concurs!"

With an indifferent face, Tomorrow had no objections either.

With this.

The faces of the leaders from Divine Wind Path and Xuan Yuan Sect changed slightly.

They felt that if they refused again, they would completely offend the hugely powerful Commander in Chief in front of them.

Sect Leader Yuan Ye of Xuan Yuan Sect hesitated for a while and said, "If it’s about dying for the country, we won’t hesitate, but there’s a point of confusion. Is the situation really so severe that deploying the sect’s elite disciples isn’t enough, and even nominally we must be under the command of the Commander in Chief?"

Xu Lingjun asked, "Does Sect Leader Yuan think I’m seizing power?"

"I just feel it’s unnecessary to go to such lengths."

"If you disagree, you can leave."

Xu Lingjun said, "This is not a compulsion; you have the right to refuse... As long as you say no, I guarantee there will be no three thousand axemen waiting outside for my signal to rush in and slaughter those who refuse."

Saying so, he tossed the cup in his hand to the ground.

With a crack, the cup shattered to pieces.

Sure enough...

There was no reaction from outside.

Yet Yuan Ye couldn’t help but feel a jolt in his heart, his breath caught.

Just breaking a cup... Yet to Yuan Ye, it gave a sense as if he had committed an unforgivable sin.

An enormous fear arose in his heart, a fear unrelated to strength but driven by instinct.

"The Four Great Martial Mansions all heed the Commander in Chief’s orders!"

Liu Zhiyuan first spoke up, "The Four Great Martial Mansions were built for war. Now that war is imminent, they naturally follow orders. Besides, the Secret Realm is already wasted; without it, half of the Four Great Martial Mansions are already wasted. It might as well be under unified command."

"Central State Martial Mansion also agrees to merge into the Immortal Martial College!"

Tai Zhengyuan glared fiercely at Liu Zhiyuan.

Thinking to himself, this old man set me up...

If not for someone named Guo Zheng in my Martial Mansion, from whom he had already heard some secret information.

I might have really been taken advantage of right there.

Now...

The likes of Yuan Ye and others were even more panicked.

This was clearly a power grab; it made sense for Cuowu Sect to agree... After all, Cuowu Sect had long ago aligned with Xu.

But for the Sun and Moon Bright Sect, as well as the Four Great Martial Mansions, and those other Martial Mansions, to agree as well.

They all felt that, in some sense, they were being left out.

There was very important information they didn’t know.

Yuan Ye smiled bitterly, "Commander in Chief, don’t toy with me. Bringing the sects together, gathering the Martial Mansions, what does it mean... My status is insignificant, and I can’t access much insider information. Commander in Chief, just give me a hint or two."

The tone of plea and submission.

As he spoke, he looked at Xu Lingjun with a hint of admiration and sigh...

To know, the last time he saw this Xu Lingjun was during the Five Sects Martial Arts Competition. Although Xu Lingjun won the first place, they all praised him warmly.

But at that time, no matter how outstanding he was, in their eyes, he was just a junior.

Their praise was so lofty...

Yet now, in just a few years?

Xu Lingjun had become the Commander in Chief of the Nine Major Military Regions. Sitting there, he exuded an aura of towering strength, making them unable to look at him as an equal.

And their intuition clearly sensed that his change wasn’t just a result of status but that his strength truly surpassed their dimension.

He could only express his stance.

He could yield.

But please don’t leave things half-said, let me at least die an enlightened soul.

Such an attitude was already exceedingly humble... Humble to the point where he had never shown such weakness even in front of Han Xu Yang.

"A bunch of fools!"

At this moment, Yun Yi outside the door could no longer bear it.

He pushed the door open and entered.

Everyone immediately rose hurriedly; in the face of a Creation Realm Grandmaster, the pinnacle of human martial prowess, they naturally maintained absolute respect.

Yun Yi cast a glance at Yuan Ye and sighed, "If it weren’t for my not-so-shallow friendship with your father, I wouldn’t want to bother with you fool... Commander in Chief Xu is extraordinary. If he wants your people, just obediently hand them over. Cuowu Sect handed over people to the Commander in Chief years ago, and do you know so far, among those disciples, the number who have broken through to the Grandmaster Realm has already exceeded thirty!"