252: Chapter 252 This is outrageous! Do you really think this city lord is made of clay?!

Three spirited horses galloped through the wind and snow.

Hooves crushed the ice, splashing mud mixed with ice shards in all directions.

Gu Changsheng sat firmly on horseback, his green robes snapping in the gale.

Houzi hunched his back, gripping the reins tightly for fear of being thrown off.

The old man shielded Shitou in his arms, both of their faces turning blue and purple from the cold.

They galloped through the night.

The wind and snow gradually subsided, and a pale, fish-belly white dawn appeared on the horizon.

On the horizon ahead, the silhouette of a massive black city rose from the ground.

Luoxia Commandery City.

The towering city walls were built from solid blocks of black rock, their surfaces covered with the scars of war from blades and axes.

Gu Changsheng pulled the reins.

The weary horse snorted and stopped on a snow-covered hill half a mile from the city gate.

The city gates were tightly shut.

The drawbridge was raised high, and the city walls were lined with a dense array of torches.

The atmosphere was chillingly solemn.

On the open ground outside the city gate, two groups of people were in a tense standoff with swords drawn.

On the left were hundreds of Imperial Guards clad in black armor, riding scaled exotic warhorses.

On the right were City Lord Manor guards, all dressed in grey rock heavy armor and holding fine steel spears, firmly blocking the entrance to the city.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.

It would only take a single spark to trigger a total explosion.

Houzi swallowed hard, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

"Master... the city gates are sealed."

"With this kind of setup, I'm afraid there's going to be a war."

Gu Changsheng ignored the lackey's nonsense.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the golden system panel began to vibrate violently without warning.

Lines of text cascaded down like a waterfall.

[Intel 1: The Luoxia Commandery City Lord and the Imperial Guard Commander have a serious conflict of interest over the allocation of power regarding the "search for outsiders," and a violent clash could break out at any moment.]

Gu Changsheng's knuckles lightly tapped the saddle.

So it's dog eat dog.

The Imperial City sent the Imperial Guard to search for the Desolate God's Legacy Blood, but they've overstepped their bounds.

Under the guise of inspections, they were planting their own people everywhere to seize control of Luoxia Commandery.

The natives of this Grotto-Heaven were no different from the cultivation families of the outside world when it came to playing power games.

In the face of profit, there is no such thing as absolute loyalty.

The system panel did not vanish; instead, a second piece of intel flashed up.

[Intel 2: A 'Bone Fragment' is hidden within the City Lord Manor's secret treasury. It is suspected to be an ancient Magic Treasure shard that can greatly enhance the power of sonic-type Magical Artifacts.]

Gu Changsheng's tapping on the saddle abruptly stopped.

A Bone Fragment.

Enhancing the power of sonic-type Magical Artifacts.

He reached back and touched the bone flute at his waist.

His third Divine Ability, the Soul-Guiding Melody, had been stuck at a Bottleneck for several years.

The four effects—Heart-Beguiling, Soul-Hooking, Spirit-Controlling, and Illusion-Breaking—had all reached perfection.

Yet, he could never quite reach the threshold known as "dao rhyme."

This Bone Fragment was like being handed a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.

Once he obtained it and integrated it into the bone flute, the power of the Soul-Guiding Melody would surely undergo a qualitative leap.

When that time came, even the Heavenly Dao rules of this world would not be able to easily suppress his musical slaughter.

He was determined to have this item.

Gu Changsheng dismounted.

His feet crushed the ice without making a sound.

"Dismount and follow me."

His flat tone carried an irresistible will.

Houzi didn't dare to hesitate for a second, scrambling off his horse.

The old man held Shitou and followed tremulously behind.

Gu Changsheng waved a hand.

At his chest, the taiyin submerging spirit jade quietly activated.

A cold, black crescent moon phantom flashed briefly behind his head.

[Effect 1: Traceless].

[Effect 2: Deception].

The overlapping of two high-dimensional rules instantly erased the figures, Aura, and even the presence of the four people from the perception of this world.

Gu Changsheng stepped forward and walked straight toward the city gate.

Houzi's legs went weak with fear.

Ahead were hundreds of fully armed Vajra Realm Martial Artists!

Was he really just going to walk over there so brazenly?

But he didn't dare make a sound and could only bite the bullet and follow.

Like ghosts, the four of them passed through the two camps that were at each other's throats.

A black-armored cavalryman's horse snorted, its head brushing right past Houzi's cheek.

Yet the cavalryman didn't even glance at Houzi, his eyes fixed on the City Lord Manor guards across from him.

Houzi covered his mouth, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

Immortal methods!

This was definitely the work of an immortal!

Gu Changsheng strolled through the city gate tunnel.

The heavy Portcullis couldn't stop the infiltration of Taiyin Mana.

Upon entering the city, the streets were deserted.

Every household had its doors and windows tightly shut; not even a dog's bark could be heard.

The entire Luoxia Commandery City had been completely crushed by this chilling atmosphere.

Gu Changsheng stopped in a dark alley less than a hundred yards from the City Lord Manor.

Outside the alley entrance.

A squad of nearly a hundred Imperial Guards was aggressively advancing toward the main gate of the City Lord Manor.

The leading lieutenant rode an exotic beast, carrying a blood-stained Broad-axe in his hand.

In front of the City Lord Manor gate, hundreds of grey-armored guards stood ready.

Shields were layered together, and spears stood like a forest.

"By the Commander's written order, the City Lord Manor is harboring outsiders. Open the gates for inspection immediately!"

The Imperial Guard lieutenant shouted, his voice like rolling thunder.

The violent power of his vital blood shook the surrounding roof tiles, causing them to fall.

"Presumptuous!"

On the gate tower of the City Lord Manor, a grey-armored general leaned out and yelled back.

"The City Lord Manor is a vital location of the commandery city. How dare you act so wildly here!"

"Take one more step, and you will be executed without mercy!"

Neither side would back down, and the tension reached its breaking point.

Gu Changsheng stood in the shadows of the dark alley.

Watching this clumsy standoff, his face twitched into a cold sneer.

All bark and no bite.

Since neither of you dares to fire the first shot, I'll give you a hand.

Gu Changsheng raised his right hand.

Pressing his index and middle fingers together, a faint wisp of bluish-black vital blood circulated at his fingertips.

This vital blood was disguised to perfectly simulate the Cultivation Technique patterns of the City Lord Manor's grey-armored guards.

He flicked his finger.

Whoosh.

The vital blood transformed into an afterimage barely visible to the naked eye, instantly piercing the air.

Bang!

This wisp of vital blood struck the back of the Imperial Guard lieutenant's head with pinpoint accuracy.

Although it wasn't very powerful and didn't even break through the lieutenant's Protective Aura...

...the blatant provocation was like a resounding slap to the face of the Imperial Guard.

The lieutenant felt a pain in the back of his head and wobbled on his horse.

He whipped his head around, his eyes instantly bloodshot.

That lingering fluctuation of vital blood was clearly from the City Lord Manor's Cultivation Technique!

"Those City Lord Manor bastards dare to sneak attack me!"

The lieutenant went completely berserk, his reason instantly consumed by rage.

He raised the Broad-axe high with both hands, and his violent Vajra Realm vital blood exploded outward.

"Brothers, the City Lord Manor is rebelling!"

"Kill them all!"

The Broad-axe, carrying a whistling gale of malice, slammed into the shields at the very front of the City Lord Manor's formation.

Crack!

Three heavy shields made of fine steel shattered instantly.

Several grey-armored guards hiding behind the shields were directly torn apart by the violent force, blood spraying everywhere.

This sudden, thunderous blow completely ignited the powder keg.

"The Imperial Guard is rebelling!"

The grey-armored general on the gate tower roared and drew his sword.

"Fire! Kill all these traitors!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A dense shower of armor-piercing heavy arrows poured down like a swarm of locusts.

The black-armored Imperial Guards raised their shields to block, but many were still pierced through their armor by the sharp arrows, falling to the ground with screams.

A bloody battle broke out instantly.

Severed limbs and warm blood splashed in all directions.

The neighing of warhorses, the clashing of weapons, and the screams of the dying intertwined, turning the long street into an Asura slaughterhouse.

Gu Changsheng tucked his hands into his sleeves, quietly admiring his handiwork.

That's it.

The muddier the water, the easier it is to catch fish.

Houzi hid behind Gu Changsheng, so terrified that his breathing stopped.

He had seen with his own eyes how this master had casually flicked his finger...

...and incited a bloody clash capable of destroying the entire Luoxia Commandery.

Such methods of manipulating events were far more terrifying than even the legendary demons.

The old man tightly covered Shitou's eyes, not letting his grandson witness this bloody scene.

The fighting on the long street grew more intense.

Relying on their superior equipment and violent battle formations, the Imperial Guard forced their way through the City Lord Manor's defensive lines.

Stepping over corpses that littered the ground, they closed in on the tall vermilion gate.

The City Lord Manor guards retreated steadily, suffering heavy casualties.

Just then...

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed from deep within the City Lord Manor.

Even the bluestone slabs beneath their feet shook violently.

That incredibly sturdy vermilion gate shattered from the inside without warning.

Countless wooden shards, mixed with a violent airwave, slammed into the Imperial Guard's formation like cannonballs.

The dozen or so black-armored cavalrymen in the front row, along with their horses, were crushed into mincemeat.

A terrifying vital blood far exceeding the Vajra Realm transformed into a solid pillar of dark red light, shooting straight into the sky.

A violent pressure instantly enveloped the entire long street.

"You've gone too far! Do you really think this City Lord is made of clay?!"