Chapter 853: Siege of the City
Zhang Ruochen rested his chin on his hand and said, "So, according to you, if someone could force the Empress to make a move, she would fall?"
Han Qiu chuckled and said, "That's the logic, but everything I just said is just a rumor. Who knows if it's true or false? Maybe it's a deliberate message from the imperial court to lure reckless people to their deaths."
"Besides, in the entire Kunlun Realm, there are only a few people who can force the Empress to act personally. Which one of them hasn't cultivated for hundreds, even thousands of years? They cherish their own lives dearly. No one would gamble on this. If they lose the bet, it's death—the price is too high."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Everyone has fear in their hearts. The Empress has built up her authority over many years. Even if she just sat there without moving, she could still make countless people kneel in terror."
Han Qiu nodded and added, "Actually, this rumor is quite credible."
"Oh?"
"Think about it. This time, the passage to the Underworld opened, causing such massive damage to the Eastern Domain, yet the Empress didn't show herself. Isn't that too strange?"
"With the Empress's iron-fisted methods in the past, she would have already struck like thunder, slaughtering the Ghost Kings of the Underworld, the Death Zen Sect, and the saints of the Undying Blood Clan until they were utterly defeated. How could she allow them to wreak havoc in the Kunlun Realm?"
"The Empress painstakingly built this prosperous empire over centuries. If she weren't constrained, how could she tolerate such destruction?"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed, and he nodded, sinking into thought.
Han Qiu's words did carry some weight.
Next, Han Qiu told Zhang Ruochen more things. For instance, after Shao Lin's death, Huang Yanchen, as the number one king, had taken his place and become one of the nine realm sons.
Upon hearing this news, Zhang Ruochen felt happy for Huang Yanchen. Becoming a realm son meant she would receive the best training. Such an opportunity was rare and would bring her endless benefits.
Not only that, but Han Qiu also told Zhang Ruochen that Huang Yanchen had taken his mother to the Central Domain.
Originally, Zhang Ruochen had planned to return to the Eastern Domain Sacred City to properly settle his mother. Since Huang Yanchen had taken her to the Central Domain, it actually relieved Zhang Ruochen of some worries.
Zhang Ruochen's greatest fear was that his enemies, upon learning he was still alive, would go after his mother.
His mother staying by Huang Yanchen's side was certainly safer than staying by his own.
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About three hundred miles from the Divine Altar City, a line of soldiers riding Crimson Fire Leopards stood neatly aligned at the top of a mountain ridge.
Then, four Fire Cloud Dragon Leopards pulled a war chariot over the horizon, setting the ground within dozens of zhang ablaze.
Wan Ji sat inside the chariot, holding an octagonal sacred eye between his hands.
The octagonal sacred eye was as large as a washbasin, divided into eight faces, each one smooth as a mirror, like a quicksilver mirror brimming with spirit.
It was far more than just eight mirrors. It was a treasure crafted by the Divine Works Department for scouting enemy movements.
By injecting a trace of an enemy's sacred qi into the octagonal sacred eye, as long as the enemy was within a thousand li, the eye could locate them.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen's figure appeared on one of the mirror faces of the octagonal sacred eye.
Wan Ji gazed at the octagonal sacred flame, a smile forming on his angular face. "Just as I expected, Zhang Ruochen has indeed come to the Liangyi Sect."
"Your Excellency is wise."
Cao Feng bowed deeply, showing great admiration.
On the other side, Cao Gu asked with some confusion, "I am truly curious, Your Excellency. How did you guess that Zhang Ruochen would go to the Liangyi Sect?"
Wan Ji let out a cold snort. "The Ministry of War's intelligence system has already analyzed various data, deducing that Zhang Ruochen is very likely the Liangyi Sect's proud son, Lin Yue. Zhang Ruochen appearing on the outskirts of the Liangyi Sect only confirms this."
"What? Zhang Ruochen is Lin Yue?"
"Lin Yue stole the show at the realm son banquet and step by step helped Huang Yanchen secure her position as a realm son. Many say his talent is no less than that of the Sword Emperor's descendant, Xue Wuye." Cao Gu said.
Wan Ji said, "That Huang Yanchen is Zhang Ruochen's fiancée, isn't she? Why didn't Lin Yue dare to become a realm son? Isn't it because he didn't dare to face the Empress? His disguise might fool others, but how could it fool the Empress's eyes?"
"Whoosh—"
Cao Feng's sacred qi surged wildly, and a sacred soul burst out of his body, manifesting behind him. "Since Zhang Ruochen is in that abandoned city, let's capture him immediately before he escapes again."
"Hold on."
Wan Ji's expression was stern and cautious. "The Liangyi Sect is the foremost sect in the Eastern Domain, with countless experts within. How could no one have seen through Lin Yue's disguise?"
"Your Excellency fears the Liangyi Sect is deliberately sheltering Zhang Ruochen? Would the Liangyi Sect dare to protect someone the Empress has ordered captured?" Cao Feng asked.
"Better safe than sorry. We must not alert the Liangyi Sect. No matter what, we cannot let Zhang Ruochen escape this time."
Wan Ji's gaze turned icy cold as he immediately gave orders. "Bao Qian, Bao Kun, Bao Long, Bao Hu, each of you lead a squad and set up the White Mist Concealment Formation around the abandoned city. Cao Feng, Cao Gu, you two will deploy the Earth Martial Sacred Light Cannons at the east and west positions. I will personally enter the city to apprehend the imperial fugitive, Zhang Ruochen."
This time, all the soldiers Wan Ji brought out were top-tier elites from the Leopard Army, each at least at the Fish-Dragon Realm.
Bao Qian, Bao Kun, Bao Long, and Bao Hu were all at the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, seasoned warriors tempered by countless battles and bloodshed.
Soon, the Leopard Army soldiers split into four groups and quickly dispersed.
Inside the Divine Altar City.
Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power was nearing the forty-sixth rank, making his perception far sharper than Mu Lingxi's and Han Qiu's. He quickly sensed something was wrong.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's expression change, Mu Lingxi asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhang Ruochen frowned, strode quickly out of the pavilion, and reached the center of the street, looking up.
Layers of white mist surged in from all directions, blocking the sunlight and soon enveloping the entire Divine Altar City.
"Why has such thick fog suddenly appeared?"
Han Qiu's beautiful eyes widened in shock.
The Divine Altar City was built on high ground, and even in the morning, such heavy fog was rare, let alone at noon.
This eerie fog made everyone uneasy.
"Something's definitely wrong. Leave here immediately," Zhang Ruochen said.
Just then, a powerful surge of sacred qi emerged from within the white mist. Vaguely, a tall figure could be seen standing there.
"Zhang Ruochen, there's no place for you in this world. Where else can you flee?"
"Clatter, clatter."
Crisp footsteps echoed as metal war boots struck the ground.
The tall figure stepped out of the white mist, clad in heavy armor, exuding an icy, domineering sacred aura.
Wan Ji's cold face appeared—narrow eyes, an aquiline nose, thick beard, and blood-red killing intent swirling around him.
Standing before such a powerful figure, even Han Qiu felt immense pressure, as if a great mountain loomed before her, making it hard to breathe.
"Damn it."
Han Qiu cursed inwardly.
She could tell at a glance that this was a high-ranking official from the Ministry of War. Such a formidable existence had come personally to capture Zhang Ruochen. With Zhang Ruochen's Fish-Dragon Realm cultivation, how could he possibly escape?
She turned to look at Zhang Ruochen, only to find him showing no trace of fear, standing there calmly.
"Lord Wan Ji, your sense of smell is truly sharp. You caught up so quickly. Can you tell me how you found my trail?"
As Zhang Ruochen spoke, he released his spiritual power and soon detected that, besides Wan Ji, there were two other half-saints in the Divine Altar City.
They should be Cao Feng and Cao Gu.
Both Cao Feng and Cao Gu were at the second-rank half-saint level, which shouldn't pose much of a threat to Zhang Ruochen. Yet, for some reason, Zhang Ruochen sensed an extremely dangerous aura from them.
Could they be carrying some powerful war artifact?
Wan Ji sneered coldly. "A prisoner has no right to ask questions? Zhang Ruochen, you can't escape this time. If you don't want to die, you'd better surrender. Otherwise, when we fight, I might accidentally... kill you."
"Such arrogance. Wan Ji, don't you know that Zhang Ruochen's master, Xuanji Sword Saint, has revived? Aren't you afraid of offending him?" Mu Lingxi said bluntly.
Wan Ji glanced at Mu Lingxi. "A demon cult witch, and you dare threaten me? Cao Feng, kill her first, so she doesn't cause trouble here."
"Understood."
Cao Feng stood atop the western city wall, raising both hands. Using his sacred soul, he channeled the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from hundreds of li around, condensing it into a white river of sacred qi, which he poured into the Earth Martial Sacred Light Cannon.
In an instant, the Earth Martial Sacred Light Cannon gathered enough energy, unleashing a pillar of light three chi in diameter, roaring as it shot toward Zhang Ruochen, Mu Lingxi, and Han Qiu.
The Earth Martial Sacred Light Cannon was a powerful forbidden weapon, developed by the imperial court and used exclusively by the Ministry of War to deal with half-saint-level experts.
The denser the sacred qi gathered in the cannon, the more devastating its power.
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(Little Fish calculated: a few days ago, I owed four chapters in total. Yesterday, I repaid one, so I still owe three.
Originally, I wanted to update three chapters today, but I found a hard lump on my arm, so I went to the hospital for a checkup in the afternoon. Fortunately, the doctor said it's just a fibroma, not a big deal, and surgery isn't necessary.
As for tomorrow and the day after, I'll still do two chapters. Because on the 10th, I have to go out for two days, so I need to save up some drafts in advance to avoid another interruption. The updates from the past few days were really terrible, and I don't want to go through that again.
So, the three chapters I owe will have to be repaid after the 10th. Hehe! I hope everyone understands.)