The group met face to face, then went into the tent.
Xiahou Cang formed a hand seal with one hand and spoke.
"Gentlemen, since we are all in the same boat now, I hope this time we all pull in the same direction..."
At this the others all smiled and nodded. Li Guanqi's expression never changed, but inwardly he was speechless.
This Xiahou Cang was like a cultivator who knew nothing of the ways of the world.
At a time like this, who is going to be of one heart with you?
Everyone here was playing mind games!
There was only one damn Cold Soul Jade Glaze — in the end, who would not fight over it?
It could only be said that everything Li Guanqi had done so far was an off-board move, played outside the matter of the Cold Soul Jade Glaze itself.
Holding in check the delicate relations among the various powers — if no battle broke out before the Cold Soul Jade Glaze appeared in the world, that would naturally be for the best.
At this the others smiled and nodded again. Then, the moment the barrier cracked, everyone unconsciously stepped forward!
Xiahou Cang instantly flashed over, spreading his arms to block them all.
"Gentlemen! The fissure has not opened yet, so do not probe it so carelessly!"
Chu Yuan, still gentle as polished jade, smiled and said, "Of course, of course."
But Xiahou Cang's face was remarkably grim, because he had sensed three auras all reaching out toward the fissure.
He simply stepped to one side and said, "When this fissure first appeared, the cold was not intense. Only recently has it shown itself."
No one spoke. Beneath the sweep of divine sense, they could indeed tell that this cold energy was no ordinary thing.
And the fissure could not have been there long — only for the last short while.
Inside the tent, everything around them was wrapped in frost.
The vast stone fissure was surrounded by layer upon layer of ice, and a deep blue spirit light came from its depths.
It dropped a hundred-odd zhang. At such a depth, the deeper it went, the fiercer the cold energy grew.
The cold pressed at them, and the aura contained within it was exactly the aura given off by the true Cold Soul Jade Glaze!!
Just then, Li Guanqi suddenly spoke.
"Gentlemen, that is about enough. That barrier fissure is not something you can open even if you combine your strength."
"And right now Castellan Huyan still has a play to put on — a play for the two southwestern cities."
"Once we walk out of this tent, we will be 'enemies'!"
"Everyone must keep that firmly in mind, and not give ourselves away in a few days."
"As for the rest of the plan, I will direct you step by step."
As soon as Li Guanqi said this, the others, who were still probing, withdrew their power one after another.
None of them dared underestimate this young man Li Guanqi in the slightest.
They nodded repeatedly, and Huyan Lie was well satisfied too — he had managed to board their great ship.
Huyan Lie cupped his hands with a smile.
"Elder brothers, when the real fighting starts, don't single out my Beizha City men to kill."
Everyone answered with a laugh and a joke.
Chu Yuan and Chen Ce, however, were shocked to the core.
They had both assumed Beizha City would side with the two southwestern cities without a moment's hesitation.
Who would have thought things would turn out like this...
Meanwhile, in the West City Castellan Manor.
The lamps in the manor were dim, and over a hundred men in black had gathered in the hall.
Two middle-aged men stood at the very front. One of them swept his hand.
"Move out! In Xialin City's Castellan Manor, leave not even the chickens and dogs alive!"
A great clatter!!
The crowd's footsteps had only just sounded when suddenly a man came flying in, frantic with haste.
"Castellan! Something's—"
The man frowned and said in a low voice, "What is so urgent it has to be said right now?"
The newcomer straightened up and spoke by voice transmission: "Castellan, Huyan Lie has slipped quietly into the manor! He is waiting for you over by the main hall, saying he has important intelligence to report to you!"
Zhao Mu looked at the man beside him and said grimly, "What is Huyan Lie doing here at a time like this?"
Lou Fuchang, as Castellan of West City, had come in person tonight together with Zhao Mu, ready to wipe out Xialin City outright.
He had not expected Huyan Lie to stick his foot in at this very moment...
"Come on, let's go see what he has to say first."
"If Huyan Lie is of no use to us, we may as well finish him right here in the manor!"
Zhao Mu frowned and said in a low voice, "That old bastard Huyan Lie is no weakling. Let's not spook him yet. I'll go with you and hear him out."
Li Guanqi still had no idea that his accidental, unwitting move had actually defused a tremendous crisis for Xialin City.
After Huyan Lie left, Chu Yuan and Chen Ce took their leave as well.
The moment the two were gone, Xiahou Cang began gasping for breath in great gulps.
So did Li Guanqi; his back was soaked through with cold sweat.
Li Guanqi turned to the man and said in a low voice, "What happened?"
Xiahou Cang looked back at the fissure behind him, a trace of fear in his eyes.
"Just now, the power of those few nearly broke the barrier I formed."
"The green jade gourd... has cracked. I'm afraid it won't hold much longer."
Li Guanqi let out a long breath.
"No matter. Hold on a few more days, and the secret realm will open."
"But we must get ready for war. These last few days the two southwestern cities have been a bit too quiet — something feels wrong!"
"Let's head back first."
Xiahou Cang nodded, and with a wave of his hand tossed out an array plate that covered the tent.
Chu Yuan and Chen Ce, however, did not part ways; they went straight to the East City Manor to talk in private.
In the middle of the night, Li Guanqi suddenly jolted awake in his room!
He had been sending messages to Huyan Lie, and no reply had ever come.
"Not good..."
As the words left his mouth, Li Guanqi flashed straight to Xiahou Cang's room.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!!
"Castellan Xiahou, get up!! Hurry!!"
A flurry of panic came from inside the room, along with the rustle of clothes being pulled on.
"Hold on... j-just a moment."
Knock, knock, knock!!!
"Hurry!! There's no time!!"
"The southwest has joined with Beizha City to wipe us out!!"
At those words, the man in the room ran to open the door without even putting on his shoes.
"What?! What do you mean?"
Before Xiahou Cang could work out what was going on, the sky above was suddenly covered by thirteen array flags!!
In an instant, the Castellan Manor, over a thousand zhang across, was enveloped in an immensely powerful spatial barrier.
The crimson barrier screen was heavy and thick, and figures in black robes kept riding the air upward.
Without hesitation, Li Guanqi pulled out two jade slips and said in a low voice, "Come at once to reinforce us! The plan has changed — the southwest has joined Beizha City and is attacking!!"
Li Guanqi took out Huyan Lie's jade slip and sent another message. Still there was no answer...
Li Guanqi's face darkened.
There was no need to think about it: Huyan Lie had turned on them!
With that thought... Li Guanqi said in a dark voice, "Castellan Chu, Castellan Chen, take your men and wipe out Beizha City outright!!!!"
Xiahou Cang's expression turned hard, and cultivators in red-gold robes kept darting in across the manor.
Xiahou Cang glared furiously at the heavens and roared, "Huyan, you old dog!!!"
He turned to Li Guanqi and said coldly, "Will Chu Yuan and Chen Ce come to help us?"
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Unless they want to die too, they will definitely help us!"
Yu Su, having finished dressing, came out the door.
Xiahou Cang said grimly, "Take the child and go first!"
Yu Su wanted to protest, but Xiahou Cang pushed her straight back into the room.
The great battle was about to erupt!
Chapter 1743