Chapter 591: Meeting with Commander Jiang

’Battle God Aruma...’ Maximilian murmured, the name feeling heavier now. ’Must be one hell of a warrior if his death alone could shift the entire balance of the war.’

"Thank you for filling us in on the information," he said to Mu Jin in a polite tone.

"My pleasure," Mu Jin replied before continuing, "Oh, one more thing. The rogue cultivators are assigned ranks on the basis of their realm. It can be further increased by their performance in the war. Low-Tier cultivators are basically assigned as foot soldiers or team leaders of a group. Awakened Sage Realm cultivators are given the rank of Vice-Commander, Commander Rank to True Sages, while Eternal Sages can directly receive the rank of General after being verified by a Wave Marshal."

’Hmm, now this is some useful information,’ Maximilian nodded inwardly. ’I should not get too low a rank that I couldn’t receive any useful information, nor should I stand out so much that my every move is noticed. In that case...’

They reached outside the barrier, where two men draped in armor were checking the realms of the cultivators before assigning them their ranks. These two soldiers were at the Early Stage of the Awakened Sage Realm.

"Mu Jin, Middle-Stage Spirit Adept Realm. Foot soldier."

"Gu Jin, Early-Stage Spirit Adept Realm. Foot soldier."

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.

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"Xiaoyan, Early-Stage Spirit Adept Realm. Foot soldier."

The next in line was Wukong. The soldiers looked at him with furrowed brows, their eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"Now that we have gained some advantage in the war, even brats are coming in to take the spoils," one of them muttered. He turned to Wukong and continued, "This is no place for children. Get lost."

Wukong’s brows furrowed at his behavior, his gaze sharpening at him.

"The hell are you staring at?" the other soldier added, stepping forward. "Lower your gaze, you punk."

His demand only caused Wukong to tighten his jaw, his glare turning sharper.

"Hah... let me teach this brat some manners," he muttered, unleashing his Soulforce pressure.

Wukong remained completely unfazed.

"Are you trying to tickle me or what?" he scoffed, raising his finger.

"Wukong," Maximilian called out to him, giving him a silent order that Wukong understood.

From the slight movement of his finger, a bone-crushing pressure descended upon the two soldiers, forcing them to their knees in an instant.

"L-Late Stage Awakened Sage... H-how could this be..." the soldier gasped, his eyes widening in shock as his face slammed into the ground from the pressure.

Even Mu Jin’s squad, who were waiting for the duo so they could enter the barrier together, were left flabbergasted.

"So the military judges their soldiers based on their looks," Maximilian said in a cold tone, stepping forward. "How disappointing... Let’s go, Wukong."

"Hmph, pathetic losers," Wukong spat, pivoting on his heel.

The duo had only taken a step when a voice echoed from behind.

"Fellow cultivators, please don’t be offended by the remarks of ignorant juniors."

The deep voice caused a ripple of gasps from the gathered cultivators.

"C-Commander Jiang..." the soldiers exclaimed, color vanishing from their faces. They instantly bent into a ninety-degree bow and shouted, "We pay our respects to Commander Jiang."

The other rogue cultivators in the line also bowed, saying similar words.

"Hehe, the big fish has taken the bait," Maximilian chuckled to himself as he turned, keeping his expression neutral.

"Although a lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinions of sheep, it doesn’t mean he will ignore a sheep foolish enough to bare its teeth at him," Maximilian replied in a firm tone.

From beyond the barrier, a middle-aged man with long green hair tied in a high ponytail with a hairpin emerged. The swaying beard on his battle-hardened face showed his long experience in the war.

His body was covered in heavy armor with a golden coating, while in his hand, he held a sharp spear. A green ribbon was tied to its shaft, where the head was connected.

"I apologize in my junior’s place for offending your companion," Jiang said in a gentle but firm tone as he moved toward Maximilian and Wukong.

From his waist, he drew a storage pouch and moved it toward them through the air.

"Please take this as a token of apology."

Wukong grabbed the storage pouch and sensed the materials inside.

"Ten thousand kilograms of Mid-Tier Grade Two Soul Stones," Wukong gasped, his face brightening.

"Ahem-ahem," Maximilian cleared his throat, sending a hidden sign.

Wukong’s demeanor instantly changed.

"Hmph, do you think I will forgive them with just some stones?" he retorted, tying the pouch to his waist.

"Y-You..." the soldiers retorted, pointing fingers at him.

"Shut up," Jiang snapped at the soldiers before they could even speak, causing them to freeze in their positions.

He drew another pouch from his waist and sent it toward Wukong.

"Fifteen thousand Mid-Tier Grade Two Soul Stones," Wukong exclaimed, barely keeping his excitement in check. As a Death Demon, the neutral and pure Soulforce contained within the Soul Stones was the only thing that would help him recover his Soulforce here.

"Ahem-ahem," Maximilian cleared his throat again. For some reason, his throat was unusually itchy.

"Oh right, what about compensating my Senior Brother?" Wukong demanded, pointing at Maximilian.

"Don’t be so shameless..."

"Didn’t I tell you to keep your mouth shut?" Jiang snapped at the soldiers. With a wave of his hand, he threw the two soldiers inside the barrier. With a tightened jaw, he took out another storage pouch from inside his armor and sent it toward the duo, albeit reluctantly.

Maximilian didn’t even check the contents within it. With a wave of his hand, he moved the pouch to his waist.

"I have accepted the apology," he said, turning to the other side. "Let’s go, Wukong."

"Yes, Brother."

Their actions left everyone, including the commander, completely flabbergasted.

"Wait, Fellow Cultivator," he called out to them. "You came to participate in the war, right? If you have accepted the apology, why are you leaving now?"

"Well, I’m not in the mood anymore," Maximilian shrugged.