This whole battle just happened right under their noses.

The entire process was clear as day.

Yet right now everyone still really wanted to ask: what the hell actually happened?

They understood what they'd seen, but they couldn't make sense of it!

"Hurry up and pick up the loot, don't just stand there."

As Sect Leader, Brother Cheng still had to care about his image a little.

They'd just won a big battle, and then if he immediately rushed to pick things off the ground, that'd be way too low-brow.

Before, he'd had no choice.

Now he had disciples around, so to maintain his image, he of course wouldn't personally make a move.

Receiving his voice transmission, Ji Linghan, Zhongli Que, and the other four disciples snapped out of their daze like waking from a dream.

Damn, they'd actually forgotten the "proper business."

And Sect Leader Jiang continued to maintain his high-end, imposing demeanor as he flew to stand before the Six Realms Immortal Demons.

"Ahem…"

He cleared his throat and started to "explain science" about the battle that had just taken place.

"Actually, just now I let myself be trapped in that Yin Sha Array on purpose!"

He had to say that.

Otherwise what would that last battle amount to?

Oh, Sect Leader Jiang was beaten by the enemy.

He only won by sheer luck because the other side's Leader suddenly went crazy and got possessed, so he just about managed to keep his dog life?

It wasn't that he was strong, it was that the enemy was such trash they ended up dealing reverse damage.

If that got out, Brother Cheng's persona, which radiated dazzling golden awesomeness, would fall right off its Divine Altar.

That was absolutely something he could not accept.

"On purpose?"

"You got trapped on purpose? What kind of move is that?"

"Did Sect Leader Jiang have some deeper intention with that?"

"Ahem, there must have been some reason…"

These people were all wily old hands from the Immortal Realm; how could they easily believe such an absurd explanation?

Though they didn't dare refute this bro on the surface, what they really thought inside was something only they themselves knew.

If you can win, who would deliberately let the enemy capture them?

Could it be he's into some special kink?

Seeing the insincere look in their eyes, Brother Cheng knew this round of face-saving was very necessary.

"Wasn't that Venerable Qi Yan's behavior just now really strange?"

Everyone nodded in unison.

"Yes, yes."

"It was seriously weird."

Jiang Cheng's lips curled slightly. "You all think he got possessed, or suddenly went insane, don't you?"

Everyone nodded again.

"Indeed."

"Wrong! Completely wrong!"

Jiang Cheng said mildly, "In the middle of a battle, suddenly turning your sword around and slaughtering your own side—how could there be such a bizarre thing in this world?"

"Even if there were, it wouldn't happen to someone at Emperor Realm Ninth Layer!"

Everyone could only nod once more.

That was exactly the part they couldn't figure out.

"Could it be Sect Leader Jiang knows what happened at the time?"

Brother Cheng gave a slight nod. "But of course."

Everyone earnestly asked for guidance. "We beg Sect Leader Jiang to clear up our confusion."

If this mystery wasn't solved, they felt they wouldn't be able to sleep well from now on.

"The reason is very simple."

Brother Cheng pointed at himself.

"It was all because I made him do that."

"You?"

Everyone froze. "So you did something to him?"

"Could it be Sect Leader Jiang moved him with righteousness and reasoned him into submission at the time?"

"Talk him into it?"

"Just with my mouth?" Brother Cheng let out a cold laugh.

"You think trash-talking can have that kind of effect? If you said that, would you believe it yourselves?"

Honestly, of course they wouldn't.

"To tell you the truth, I actually cultivated a special Magic Technique, called the Supreme Undying Celestial Secret Reversal Central Soul-Vibrating Dust-Cleansing Evil-Slaying Forbidden Technique!"

The moment that ridiculously long Magic Technique name came out, everyone was cowed.

Just listening to it, it sounded super high-end and powerful!

Many veteran Immortal Emperors suddenly looked like eager little elementary students, faces full of thirst for knowledge.

"We wonder if Sect Leader Jiang could enlighten us: this Supreme Undying Celestial Secret Reversal Central Soul-Vibrating Dust-Cleansing Evil-Slaying Forbidden Technique… what wondrous effects does it have?"

"Good question!"

Brother Cheng had long since prepared his speech; he definitely wasn't going to reveal his own system Swap Skills.

"This Forbidden Technique actually reverses Yin and Yang, invading the opponent's central core, remotely dominating their consciousness and making them obey my will!"

Everyone was shocked.

They'd heard of controlling others before.

Usually it involved some Forbidden Technique targeting the Divine Soul.

But it was always High-tier Immortals controlling Low-Tier Cultivators several Great Realms below them; someone like Jiang Cheng at Emperor Realm Sixth Layer controlling a top Emperor Realm Ninth Layer—this they had never even heard of.

Heaven's laws cycle with order; logically speaking, no such unreasonable thing should exist in this world.

But those bizarre scenes had just played out before their eyes; whether they believed it or not, they had to believe it now.

"There's actually a Magic Technique like that?"

"Isn't that way too defiant of the heavens?"

"But what does that have to do with deliberately getting trapped?"

Brother Cheng sighed. "Letting myself be trapped was actually a trap I laid. This Supreme Undying Celestial… blah-blah Forbidden Technique also has its limitations."

Even he himself couldn't remember the full name of the Forbidden Technique he'd just made up.

"It requires some charging time, and I have to maintain continuous contact with the other party for half a stick of incense, slowly eroding their consciousness bit by bit."

Everyone paused, then a certain Demon Emperor suddenly came to a realization.

He slapped his thigh and shouted, "I get it!"

"Previously, in the heat of battle, Sect Leader Jiang had no time to use this Forbidden Technique, nor any chance to get the other side to fall for it."

"But after the other side set up the Yin Sha Array, everyone stopped moving."

"Wasn't that exactly the chance Sect Leader Jiang needed?"

"Exactly!"

Brother Cheng shot him an approving look, saving himself the saliva of more explanation.

Another Emperor of the Netherworld added, "I understand too. The Yin Sha Array—its Yin Sha Qi kept pouring into Sect Leader Jiang's body, and that was precisely the contact Sect Leader Jiang needed."

"By doing that, the other side was actively establishing contact with Sect Leader Jiang; wasn't that just serving themselves up?"

Like he'd finally solved a puzzle, he said joyfully, "This should be the original intent of the trap Sect Leader Jiang mentioned, right?"

Brother Cheng thought to himself: even I didn't think of that; you really do know how to extrapolate.

He unreservedly raised his thumb, giving that Emperor of the Netherworld a like.

"The boy is teachable!"

With that, everyone finally understood the "truth."

So Venerable Qi Yan hadn't actually gone insane; he'd just been remotely controlled by Sect Leader Jiang.

Exactly, who in their right mind would get "moved" by the enemy to that degree out of nowhere?

With this "explanation," everything made sense.

Right after, everyone's flattery came at him like it was free.

"Sect Leader Jiang is just too strong!"

"This Forbidden Technique is simply a heaven-defying move!"

"More than that—haven't you noticed Sect Leader Jiang's tactics were absolutely flawless as well?"

"That's right. Although at first the Demon Lord could chase Chi Yin Palace around and beat them, in the end he still couldn't kill them, but under his perfect tactical arrangement, he achieved total annihilation!"

"If it were us, even if we had this Forbidden Technique, we wouldn't dare let the Yin Sha Qi trap us. That was a high-stakes gamble."

"Deliberately putting himself in a deathtrap to be reborn—what kind of boldness is that?"

"Worthy of being Sect Leader Jiang!"

"Worthy of being the Demon Lord!"