320: Why did you pick on that guy's woman when you could pick on anyone else? (6K monthly ticket requested)

“Still not getting up?”

“Do I need to repeat myself?”

The Deputy General of the Vanguard Army slanted his gaze downwards, his voice turning cold.

Xu Xiangdong, kneeling on the ground, hesitated for a moment, then slowly stood up and walked towards the other party with his head bowed.

“Xu Xiangdong!”

A Local General of the Guard roared, almost gritting his teeth. Under the flickering candlelight, their eyes widened in fury, as if they wanted to devour someone.

“What, are you all dissatisfied with General Gongyang?”

“Or are you unhappy with Lord Town Demon Envoy?”

The young Deputy General’s eyes suddenly sharpened, like a cold blade in the dim light, sweeping over the furious Lang Jiangs. As soon as he spoke, the atmosphere in the hall froze.

Then, his gaze fell upon Wei Zhong, who was seated at the head, “What do you say, General Wei?”

On his seat, Wei Zhong faced the arrogant young Deputy General, his eyes dark. But the betrayal of a subordinate he had personally promoted was what pained him the most.

He spoke in a muffled voice,

“Retreat!”

“Everyone has their own ambitions. Since General Gongyang values him, let him go.”

As his attitude softened, the young Deputy General’s Face broke into a smile as if by magic. Then, he slightly turned his Face and spoke to Xu Xiangdong, who was walking over,

“Did Lang Jiang Xu hear? General Wei seems to be very reasonable. Go on.”

“Take some men to invite the dancers and musicians from Tianxiang Pavilion, especially that lead dancer, the West Region beauty. I'm sure the General will like her. Don't delay the General's banquet.”

“Yes!”

Xu Xiangdong quickly responded, lowering his head and hurrying away.

After giving these instructions, the young Deputy General, surnamed Hu, turned back to Wei Zhong and said with a forced smile, “Zhonglang General Wei, I didn't come here just to make you lose Face. General Gongyang has invited you over.”

“We have guests, and the General wants you to join them.”

“Please!”

His tone was condescending. Then, he glanced at the green-armored Lang Jiangs on both sides, whose anger had not subsided, chuckled, turned around, and stepped out of the hall.

Wei Zhong's expression changed upon hearing that the Vanguard Army's commanding General had invited him to a banquet. From the young Deputy General Hu's expression, it seemed the banquet would not be a pleasant one.

Ever since the Vanguard Army entered the city, he had felt the malice and ill will from them. They were slowly sidelining his troops and authority. He knew the reason, but he was unwilling to accept it; a Qi was stifled in his chest, refusing to bow his head.

The Central Court's damn Heavenly Army, discarding someone after they've served their purpose—how could they do things like this? His relationship with Chen Yuan wasn't particularly deep; they had only spent a few days together. But the other party had, under pressure and almost single-handedly, helped him clean up the mess at Tianxiong Pass, and for that, he owed him. Moreover, the reputation the other party had earned on the Demon Battlefield made him cheer for him from the bottom of his heart, admiring him!

Such a skilled General, a meritorious official, yet he was being dragged into the dirty schemes of those people in the Central Court!

How utterly pointless!

This made Wei Zhong feel somewhat disheartened and disappointed, while a surge of anger burned in his chest.

No wonder the world was in such chaos—a bunch of insects!

In any case, both emotionally and logically, they were all soldiers from Shu Land, comrades on the same Dao. He would absolutely stand with Ninth Zhonglang. No matter what, he would never bow to these insects; he looked down on them from the bottom of his Minds Eye.

He stood up with a grim Face. His Lang Jiangs gathered around him, their brows furrowed, their expressions agitated.

“General, these people are going too far. They don't respect you at all.”

“A mere Deputy General, too arrogant.”

“Their Vanguard Army has now driven all our men back and secured both the Inner City and outer city. What do they intend to do?”

“Xu Xiangdong, that traitorous dog, I'll beat him until he's looking for his teeth all over the ground, sooner or later.”

“General, these troops act without discipline, and some chaos has already broken out. Our men have had some conflicts with them and suffered losses. You must think of a way?”

“To hell with it, let's just fight them.”

“...”

Everyone spoke one after another, generally describing the current situation. In short, their situation was not good, and they were all seething with suppressed anger.

Wei Zhong walked down, fire flickering in his eyes, but his mind remained calm.

“First, appease the brothers under your command and await my orders!”

“Now, there is only one word: wait!”

“Wait for someone!”

Wei Zhong's words contained deep meaning. In his profound pupils, the flickering and intense lamplight of the hall was reflected.

The person he was waiting for was Chen Yuan!

During the suppression of the rebellion at Tianxiong Pass, the other party's methods had left a deep impression on him. Now, facing those insects, he wanted to see how the other party would handle it.

Calculating the time, the other party should have already received the message and be on the way!

After speaking, Wei Zhong strode out, and his Lang Jiangs automatically made way.

“You all go down first!”

“This Junior General will go and see who General Gongyang's invited guests are!”

Wei Zhong strode out of the Zhonglang Hall. The snow outside illuminated the sky, and with a few quick movements, he arrived at a separate courtyard in the Inner City.

The lights inside were much brighter and warmer than those in the Zhonglang Hall, and faint laughter could be heard from within.

The armor on the guards around them was also noticeably more exquisite than that of the Sky Patrol Division.

As Wei Zhong entered, he was stopped by the drawn swords of the guards at the door.

“Zhonglang General Wei, you may not enter without our General's summons!”

Wei Zhong frowned, his expression instantly sinking. Using such low and despicable tactics to disgust people was truly pointless. Immediately, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and with a “crack,” the two long swords blocking him shattered directly.

Then, he strode straight in!

Several green-armored guards at the door immediately stiffened, clattering as they prepared to surround him.

Just then, a scolding voice, neither painful nor itchy, came.

“What is this?”

“All of you, retreat.”

“Zhonglang General Wei is, after all, the Local General of the Guard. How can you be so rude?”

The Deputy General Hu, who had just come to invite him, walked out of the main hall. Then, with a faint smile in his eyes, he cupped his hands to Wei Zhong, “Zhonglang General Wei, don't be angry. It's also my oversight, Hu's. I forgot to inform the guards at the door. My apologies. Please, General Gongyang and several Junior Generals are waiting for you!”

Looking at this, it was clearly intentional, not an oversight.

Wei Zhong snorted coldly, but quickly caught the information in Deputy General Hu's words: several Junior Generals?

What did that mean?

He immediately strode forward, quickly entering the brightly lit main hall. His gaze swept across, and he saw three familiar figures, dressed in casual clothes, sitting in the hall.

The three also turned their gaze to him, their expressions slightly unnatural.

One was the Lang Jiang guarding Lanshan Pass.

One was the Lang Jiang of Yong'an City. This person had fled with his troops when demons caused chaos at the Demonic Dao Fruit Conference, and he hadn't yet been reprimanded because a whole host of other matters had come up afterward.

And another was the Lang Jiang of Yunshan City.

The passes and cities these three guarded were not far from Tianxiong Pass. The farthest, Yunshan City, was in the northwest of Shu Land, over four thousand li from Tianxiong Pass.

The three had seen Wei Zhong being stopped just now, and each had their own thoughts. None of them stood up, only cupped their hands, “Greetings, Zhonglang General Wei!”

“Zhonglang General Wei, long time no see.”

Their tone was neither cold nor warm, showing no particular enthusiasm.

Wei Zhong's Face fell somewhat. These three Lang Jiangs, instead of staying at their own guarded territories, had come to Tianxiong Pass, and he, as the Local General of the Guard, hadn't even received any news. Clearly, they had directly contacted the Vanguard Army. This feeling ignited a surge of anger in his heart, and he wanted to question what these three fellows were trying to do!

At this moment, a buzzing sound rang out,

“Zhonglang General Wei has arrived. Grant him a seat!”

At the head position directly in front of the main hall, a towering strongman sat.

This person was estimated to be about ten feet tall, dressed in a black tiger-patterned robe, with silver-inch hair, tiger-like brows, and a full beard. A tattoo extended from his neck up the left side of his Face, his skin had a metallic sheen, his eyes were like black lacquer, sharp and piercing, and his entire body exuded an oppressive aura, like a small mountain standing there.

This person was the Vanguard Army's commanding General, Military Commander Yang Jianshan, at the third level of the Heavenly Gate Dao Fruit Realm, just one step away from the Martial Treasure!

The Vanguard Army belonged to the middle army of the new Town Demon Envoy's three-route army, led by the Gongyang family. This person's official rank was actually only a Brigadier General under the middle army. From this, one could infer the strength of the three-route army.

Wei Zhong sat down at the side with a solemn expression.

The three Lang Jiangs came uninvited. Were they actively choosing sides?

On the other side, under the cover of the night's wind and snow, Tianxiang Pavilion, with its warm pavilion lanterns, was met with a clamor of troops. A group of soldiers rushed into the Tianxiang Pavilion hall.

Xu Xiangdong, who had betrayed the Sky Patrol Division, had received orders. Leading a group of soldiers under Deputy General Hu, he came to invite the dancers from Tianxiang Pavilion to liven up General Gongyang's banquet. He entered with a booming voice, completely different from before.

“By order of the Vanguard General under the Town Demon Envoy, bring out the dancers and musicians who performed in Room C of the Heaven-class today. The General is hosting guests; there must be no delay.”

“Especially Miss Mi!”

The approaching Hu manager's Face changed upon hearing this, then he forced a smile:

“Sir Lang Jiang, this… this might not be possible. Those young ladies are performing for other guests right now. If we do that, it will displease the other guests.”

“Moreover, Miyi no longer performs outside.”

The Hu servant carefully finished speaking with an apologetic smile, only to hear a fierce roar,

“Seeking death.”

A Vanguard Army armored soldier behind Xu Xiangdong rushed out, kicking the Hu manager to the ground. Then, he stepped on his chest, leaned down, his Face full of murderous intent,

“You dare to refuse our General's order? You truly don't know how to write the word 'death'.”

With that, he directly drew his sword with a “clang.”

This made Xu Xiangdong, who was leading the team, twitch his eyelids. Why were these Vanguard Army soldiers so quick to kill? They didn't seem like soldiers, but rather bandits.

This wasn't the way to invite people either.

However, he didn't stop them. If he couldn't even complete the task of inviting people, his act of submission would be for naught.

Just then, as the blade was about to fall, a streak of light flew swiftly, hitting the blade with a “ding,” knocking the sword away. Then, a figure like an iron tower descended from the skylight, and a wave of Qi directly blew the soldiers below every which way.

A large Hu man with a thick chest and bulging muscles appeared, his Heavenly Gate Qi manifesting. He helped the kicked-down Hu manager up, his leopard-like eyes showing might, and his expression was grim.

“My name is Baturu, the owner of Tianxiang Pavilion. Aren't you gentlemen going a bit too far? This is no way to invite people, is it?”

This person was none other than Baturu, An Ge's top warrior and the nominal owner of Tianxiang Pavilion.

However, as soon as he spoke, several blue-armored soldiers behind him simultaneously drew their weapons, their expressions unfriendly.

"Stop the nonsense. Since you're the owner, that's even better. Our General's orders are to quickly bring the people out so we can report back."

Xu Xiangdong stepped forward at this moment and said with a smile to the few unruly soldiers,

"Gentlemen, please give me some Face."

He then looked at Baturu, "Owner, General Gongyang of the Vanguard Army is currently hosting a banquet. It so happens that today I am entertaining the Deputy General under the General, and he specifically requested these dancers to perform at his mansion. I ask the owner to consider this thoroughly, for if we truly mess things up, neither you nor I can bear the wrath of this General."

"Besides, letting these young ladies appear before General Gongyang is such a great opportunity. If the General is pleased, there will surely be a generous reward, and Tianxiang Pavilion's reputation will naturally soar. The owner has no reason to refuse."

Xu Xiangdong seemed to be mediating, but in reality, he was indirectly threatening, because he truly felt the owner had no reason to refuse.

After all, everyone with a discerning eye knew who was in charge of Tianxiong Pass now.

Baturu's Face darkened and shifted, his leopard-like eyes seeming to want to devour someone. The attitude and actions of this so-called Vanguard Army were extremely malicious. They had twice threatened to kill people in their building. Who knew what would happen if Miyi and the others were sent to the Inner City?

He clenched his fists, and a killing intent erupted from the depths of his eyes.

At this moment, a soft voice sounded.

"Since the General has invited them!"

"It is an honor!"

Following the voice, a figure shrouded in golden gauze descended the stairs from above.

Miyi had appeared at some point.

A few minutes later, a convoy of carriages left Tianxiang Pavilion, and various curses echoed from within the building.

Everyone was cursing these Vanguard Army soldiers for being too arrogant, taking away several top West Region musicians and dancers from the building. As a result, many guests left Tianxiang Pavilion disappointed and grumbling, and with that, many of the lights in the building went out.

This was exactly what the Golden Lion and You Lian of the Twenty-Eight Buildings wanted!

"Move!"

From the candlelit room, the voice of the black-clad woman, You Lian, came.

Two candlelit silhouettes on the window vanished with a whoosh. A gust of wind blew, extinguishing the candles in the room, and the window was blown open by the wind.

With a soft thud.

In a room on the top floor of Tianxiang Pavilion, a window was wide open, and snowflakes, like willow catkins, drifted in from outside.

An Ge, in a purple dress and with a tall figure, stood by the window, looking at the distant carriages on the northern road. Her noble and delicate Face flickered with a hint of solemnity.

Behind her, Baturu had an angry expression. "Princess, you shouldn't have let Miyi and the others go. That Inner City is now controlled by the Vanguard Army. These soldiers, relying on the Town Demon Envoy's background, are arrogant and ruthless, constantly threatening to beat and kill. Who knows what will happen..."

"That place is a pit of fire!"

"Not go, and then what?" An Ge said in a deep voice, with a hint of suppressed emotion. She carried too many burdens and dared not let go. If they didn't go, the retaliation from these people might come. They could easily run, but what about their other tribesmen? Miyi knew, and the others knew too, so they didn't hesitate.

However, she was not flustered, and her voice became calm.

"Go to the vicinity of the Inner City and try to contact the Local General of the Guard Wei Zhong. Explain the situation."

"And give him this item. He will understand at a glance."

"With his help, Miyi and the others should be safe."

An Ge turned around, her aquamarine eyes flashing with a hint of preciousness. She gently took out a secret letter from her sleeve.

This was the second protective item Chen Yuan had given her.

If she encountered any difficulties, she could seek out the Local General of the Guard Wei Zhong, and he would help.

Although intelligence suggested that this Local General of the Guard was suppressed by the Vanguard Army, he still held military power and had been rooted in Tianxiong Pass for more than ten years. How could he fall so easily? Helping to look after Miyi and a few others should not be a problem.

Baturu, the warrior, heard this, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, but he still took it with both hands. "Then this subordinate will go!"

With that, Baturu leaped directly out of the open window, diving into the wind and snow outside. After a few flashes, he disappeared.

An Ge slowly turned around, watching her subordinate warrior leave. Her beautiful brows twitched for some reason. This should have been a small matter, but she knew that undercurrents were surging within Tianxiong Pass, and a force targeting her man was forming. She had to treat it with caution.

One after another, these things made her uneasy. The cold wind howled outside the window, making the warm room feel desolate.

After watching out the window for half a cup of tea's time, An Ge finally composed herself. She raised her hand and gently closed the window, sealing off the wind and snow outside. Then, a layer of transparent glazed light, like flowing water, also closed in at the moment the window was shut.

This was the Restriction of this room!

Just as An Ge closed the window and let go, this water-like Restriction suddenly trembled, rippling, and then the tremor became increasingly violent.

Someone was forcing their way through the Restriction!

An Ge's long willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed, her mind tensed. She raised her hand and drew a circle in the Void Realm in front of her chest. Water ripples spread from her fingertips, forming a three-foot-wide circle, followed by the emergence of a water mirror.

Within the water mirror, a place of mechanisms appeared, with interconnected rooms inverted up and down, and moving left and right. Two figures were crashing through it with brute force.

Of the two figures, only a man and a woman could be distinguished in the water mirror. Their Faces seemed to be intentionally obscured and could not be reflected.

The Qi they displayed was very powerful, even possessing the Qi of a Heavenly Gate Dao Fruit Realm!

Moreover, the method they used to break the Restriction felt strangely familiar to her.

One of the black-clad women, with every breath, exhaled a misty Qi. Then, colorful butterflies emerged from the mist, flying into the inverted rooms.

If they encountered a Restriction, these butterflies would explode with a bang. Only when a butterfly passed through a certain location unharmed would the black-clad woman immediately follow, breaking the Restriction at an incredibly fast speed.

An Ge moved her hands continuously, her ten fingers emitting aquamarine spiritual light, controlling the Restriction to quickly block the two. Yet, the woman in the water mirror seemed to notice her watching, and beneath her hazy Face, there was a hint of mockery.

Immediately after, a black lotus bloomed in the black-clad woman's hand, shimmering like black ice crystals, emitting an eerie light.

The black-clad woman then struck the foot-long black lotus forward, and as the black lotus flew past, the rapidly rotating rooms suddenly became still.

Immediately after,

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

Doors opened one by one, revealing a long corridor. At the deepest part of the corridor, the main door was wide open, and the black-clad woman and An Ge looked at each other from a distance.

The black-clad woman's light purple pupils showed realization, and she chuckled softly,

"Found it!"

And An Ge, looking at the open door and the black-clad woman at the other end of the passage, her eyes, like a calm lake, seemed to have a giant stone thrown into them, stirring up past events from many years ago and buried hatred.

Sun Moon Holy Church!

"Noble Lou Lan Princess of yesteryear, it must have been hard hiding all these years. Back then, you were high above, and who would have thought you'd come to this today? Your cultivation hasn't even improved much. I wonder who can protect you now!"

The black-clad woman's laughter was as resonant as a bell, then her footsteps shifted, turning into an afterimage, and her drawn-out voice became sharp, rushing directly to the end of the passage.

However, in the next second, a "hehe" strange laugh echoed in the corridor.

This obvious villainous laugh startled You Lian, stopping her in her tracks.

But the Golden Lion, who was rushing from behind, was very irritable and continued to charge wildly,

"Playing tricks!"

Just as he reached the middle of the corridor, a huge black furry paw suddenly stretched out from a nearby room and grabbed at the Golden Lion's entire body.

The Golden Lion roared, his entire body immediately covered in brilliant gold, and a violent Qi swept out. He then threw a punch fiercely towards the large black paw.

With a loud "clang."

The Golden Lion's golden fist met the large black paw for only an instant. The golden light on his arm rapidly receded, and his bones emitted a piercing cracking sound. Immediately after, with a tearing sound, the Golden Lion's arm was actually torn off.

With a scream, the Golden Lion clutched his arm and retreated in horror, falling back next to You Lian.

"What?"

You Lian's charmingly smiling Face showed great shock, her light purple pupils flickering wildly.

The Golden Lion was at the first layer of Dao Fruit Realm, and in a single exchange, his arm was crippled.

What kind of monster was that black paw?

However, across the corridor, An Ge was also surprised, looking at the room from which the paw had extended. "You didn't leave?"

"Leave my ass!"

"The contract that guy gave me was to protect you every step of the way, or else this dog-lord would die. I was just playing disappear because I was afraid you'd miss me." A voice filled with deep resentment came from the room.

"Who is it?"

You Lian's pupils widened in surprise, staring intently at a room by the distant passage.

At this moment, a chilling sound of bones being chewed came from inside.

Then, low growls came from the rooms on both sides of the passage.

Subsequently, the rooms on both sides were quickly engulfed by darkness, lights extinguishing one by one, and large, eerie green eyes appeared, surrounding the two Western Regions Holy Sect members, staring fixedly at them, as if they were two pathetic crawling insects.

"You said, of all people to provoke, you just had to provoke that guy's woman!"

A sinister and ferocious voice echoed in the surrounding darkness.

Like the sound of a death omen, it reverberated all around.

You Lian immediately felt an overwhelming Devilish Qi and her expression changed drastically.

"Dao Fruit Realm Demon!"

And it was a Dao Fruit Realm Demon of the third layer, just a hair's breadth away from being a Great Demon!

And as her startled cry rang out, soon, in the surrounding dark space, green lights, like coiling pythons, surged, and roars, like surging tides, engulfed the two Western Regions Holy Sect members.

Not long after, screams came from within.