It could be said that the rebel army's collapse had been a foregone conclusion from the moment Patriarch Jinzhong was destroyed.
Still, seeing a force of over ten thousand routed by a single person and two beasts was a sight that shook the soul.
Of course, among those ten thousand, cultivators at the Heavenly Position or above made up only about two percent. The rest were ordinary cultivators below the Heavenly Position, mostly at the Emperor and Royal realms.
After all, even the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms couldn't build their armies primarily from Heavenly Position powerhouses.
Even in Myriad Abyss Island, even among the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms, the number of Heavenly Position cultivators was limited. Every single one was an invaluable resource.
A force of ten thousand contained only around two hundred Heavenly Position cultivators, and most of those were merely at the early stage.
In Myriad Abyss Island, anyone who reached the mid-stage of the Heavenly Position could generally secure a position among the upper echelons.
Those who became high-stage Heavenly Position cultivators held positions of extreme prestige even within those upper echelons.
Take the Eternal Divine Kingdom, for example. Even in a family like the Xiahou Clan, the Grand Supreme Elder would at most be at the ninth level of the Heavenly Position.
And other senior elders would be at most at the high stage of the Heavenly Position — the seventh level, or perhaps the eighth.
Anyone who truly cultivated to the ninth level of the Heavenly Position was a peak existence within their respective forces.
After all, divine-level powerhouses could be counted on one hand.
And demigod-level cultivators were even fewer — they could be enumerated.
This rebel army could be considered to have included a quarter of the elite forces from the True Martial Divine Kingdom's rebellion, which showed just how determined the rebels were to seize this Spiritual Medicine base.
Yet who would have thought that after surrounding the base for so many days without even launching a full assault, the rebels would suffer a catastrophic defeat first?
The battle on the field was gradually nearing its end.
Under the onslaught of the Dragon Roar Divine Ability, the rebel army's main force — aside from a handful of low-level cultivators with extraordinary defenses — had mostly been reduced to their last breath. Those unfortunate few at the forefront had already been blown apart, their bodies destroyed.
As for the Heavenly Position powerhouses, those who hadn't kneeled in surrender had been thoroughly eradicated, their remains scattered to nothing.
Clearly, not every rebel had the resolve to fight to the death. Many of the Heavenly Position cultivators had seen through the pattern of Jiang Chen's attacks — they realized that Heavenly Position cultivators were the primary targets. Once that became clear, how could they dare to resist?
The combat power of this one person and one dragon alone had them completely outmatched.
To make matters worse, there was still the Vermilion Bird lurking in wait, held in reserve the entire time. The terror of that Vermilion Bird far exceeded that of the person and dragon combined.
With that, the rebel leaders lost all will to fight. One after another, they dropped to their knees, expressing their willingness to surrender.
With around two hundred Heavenly Position cultivators, even if Jiang Chen and his allies had launched a bloody massacre, they couldn't possibly have killed them all.
After cutting down a batch, when Jiang Chen saw those who had proactively knelt and surrendered, he chose not to press for total annihilation.
After all, slaughter was merely a means of suppressing the rebellion. And suppressing the rebellion was not the same as wiping everyone out.
Especially with the chief culprits already dead, there was no need for further slaughter.
In less than an hour, the battle at the outer reaches of the deep valley had drawn to a close. Apart from a scattered few cultivators still fleeing, most were either dead, wounded, or had surrendered.
Very few retained any fighting capability.
After making a sweep of the area, Jiang Chen ceased his attacks.
Instead, he walked to the outer edge of the valley, cupped his fists toward the direction of the formation passage, and called out: "I am Jiang Chen, from the Eternal Sacred Ground. I have come at the invitation of the True Martial Sacred Ground to provide reinforcements. May I ask which expert from the Sacred Ground is stationed here? I would be honored to meet them."
Jiang Chen harbored no resentment toward those inside for keeping their gates shut.
After all, when they had unleashed the Dragon Roar Divine Ability, the destructive force had been so great that no one could have stepped out to join the fight.
After Jiang Chen's voice fell, a moment later, light bloomed within the formation like petals unfurling as layer after layer of restrictions dissolved.
Batch after batch of True Martial Sacred Ground cultivators filed out, appearing well-drilled and disciplined.
Though reinforcements had arrived, the cultivators of the True Martial Sacred Ground did not let their guard down completely. They took up positions around the formation and did not advance too far.
From within the formation passage, two graceful silhouettes slowly emerged — none other than Sacred Master Ningyan and Sacred Maiden Yuling.
"Salutations, Sacred Master!" the cultivators on both sides shouted in unison.
Sacred Master Ningyan waved her delicate hand gently. "There is no need for such formality."
At the same time, her lovely face tilted slightly skyward as her clear eyes settled on Jiang Chen's face, studying him carefully. Then she spoke: "Since ancient times, heroes have risen from among the young. Young Master Jiang Chen, though I have remained in a remote corner, I have long heard your name — it truly resounded like thunder in my ears. But hearing about someone is not the same as meeting them. Seeing you today, I find that the rumors do not do you justice. The reputation of genius is well earned, indeed."
Looking at these two women of extraordinary bearing, Jiang Chen was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that the leaders of the True Martial Sacred Ground stationed at this Spiritual Medicine base would actually be two women.
"I am Jiang Chen. Greetings, Sacred Master. I am sorry that my rescue came so late — please forgive the delay."