The City Defense Array

Xu Yuan was telling the truth. If his deductions were correct, the sects' plot against the Western Desert had mustered six Saints in total. Guyuan's White Emperor, the Pavilion Master of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, the Qin family Saint, and that fanatic family of three with Mu Xingyi. The former three were among the world's absolute peak, especially the White Emperor and the Pavilion Master, while the latter three were estimated to fall short of even the newly ascended Barbarian King. Meanwhile, as one of Great Yan's most vital border strongholds, Zhenxi Prefectural City possessed an array on nearly the same scale as Beifeng City's. If they could also bolster it with the military array formed by the twenty thousand Zhenxi Army troops stationed within, their situation would by no means be so passive. The original garrison of Zhenxi Prefectural City, combined with the Saint and Linlang that he had summoned from the Prime Minister's Manor, might still leave their combat power uneven, but it gave them the capital to fight. After all, the six enemy Saints were unlikely to fight to the bitter end without retreating. If things went south, they would most likely cut and run. They weren't mere grunts; no discipline squad dared stand behind them and force them to risk their lives. Therefore, the first step to ruining the sects' scheme was securing control of Zhenxi Prefectural City's array in his own hands. To ensure this, Xu Yuan had considered numerous potential variables. For instance, using the concealment of the soul-shielding garment, he had warned the traitor Mu Qing that during these turbulent times, he might be lurking in the dark watching him at any moment, discouraging him from acting rashly. For instance, in case Qin Weishu's shadow double had feigned surrender from the start, he had stationed Huang Shiwei by his side. And for instance, in case the Zhenxi Army commander surnamed Zhan saw through the shadow's identity and turned the tables to lure the snake from its hole, the moment Xu Yuan stepped into the Zhenxi Prefectural Yamen, he stood ready to activate the Boundary Void Ring on his finger. Yet everything after entering the yamen went shockingly smooth, far beyond Xu Yuan's expectations. After a brief announcement at the yamen gates, an officer in company commander armor led them straight from the entrance to the secret chamber where the shadow and Huang Shiwei were waiting. Neither he nor Li Junwu faced any interrogation. Nor did they see the Zhenxi Army commander surnamed Zhan. This utter smoothness instinctively made Xu Yuan suspect a trap. Fortunately, that worry vanished like smoke the moment the shadow led the two of them before the underground cavern housing the city defense array eye. It was a massive subterranean cavern. Intricate array runes were carved into every corner of the cave, their shimmering glow reflecting off seven prismatic gemstones suspended in midair. The Seven Radiance Dark Armor Array. Looking at the colossal array eye before him, Xu Yuan parted his lips in disbelief. He suddenly felt the sheer absurdity of playing a high-ranked match, anticipating endless counterplays from the opponent, only to realize the enemy was a total scrub. In that instant, Xu Yuan felt a sudden urge to laugh. He hadn't really subscribed to the theory that the world was an amateur circus, but now it seemed the theory had its merits. For Zhan Xian'an to have risen to his current position and won the Marquis of Zhenxi's trust while serving as a spy, he had to possess extraordinary abilities. Yet such a man had so easily surrendered the vital underbelly of his own scheme to them? After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan grasped the gist of Zhan Xian'an's motives. If he put himself in his shoes: if someone bore a face identical to Xu Yuan's, mirrored his every mannerism, and could reveal secrets known only to him, deliberately setting out to deceive high-ranking figures like Zhou Chen or Huang Shiwei, what would the success rate be? Three. Two. One. The answer was practically a hundred percent. Setting aside Zhou Chen's sycophantic nature, even when Xu Yuan met Huang Shiwei—a man with a background in intelligence—he had never presented an identity token. Even if the ruling elites were not fools, they were still swayed by humanity's baser flaws. Namely, fawning over those above them. Musing silently, Xu Yuan let out an inward sigh. His voice quietly resonated in the minds of the other three in the chamber: "The world really is an amateur circus. We just walked in that easily?" "……" Li Junwu furrowed her brows as she stared at the seven magnificent prismatic gems, hesitating over something, and did not reply. The shadow wore a faint, nonchalant smile, the spitting image of Qin Weishu himself. Huang Shiwei trailed closely behind the shadow, watching his every move and ready to take his life at a moment's notice. Upon hearing the transmission, he quietly reminded: "Third Young Master, now is not the time to dwell on this. Since we have already entered the array eye, we must have the Commandery Princess test the array as soon as possible." Xu Yuan glanced at him, nodded slightly, and smiled. "Mr. Huang makes a good point. Though next time we meet, do remember to make me show my identity token first." The dim light flickered across Huang Shiwei's face. His expression shifted slightly, and he gave a solemn nod. Xu Yuan patted Li Junwu beside him and said in a soft transmission, "Bosom bro, your turn. Hurry it up." Li Junwu turned her head back, pursed her lips, and asked in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, "Do I... smear my blood on those crystals now?" "……" *What is this, dripping blood to bind an artifact?* Speechless, Xu Yuan was about to say something when Li Junwu's self-reproachful muttering reached his ears: "I know arrays are vital for a military commander, but this is partly your fault too. If you hadn't dragged me out every day back then to indulge in wine and debauchery, I wouldn't be this useless right now. One must feel shame before finding courage. Right now, I'm certainly inferior to that Li Qingyan, but I'll learn these things in the future..." "……" Hearing those words, Xu Yuan wondered if his earlier criticism had been a bit too harsh. He hadn't expected his good bosom bro to be so sensitive deep down. After a moment of silence, he said softly: "I don't know much about arrays either. My Fourth Sister just taught me a few things about them." "Eh? Isn't your relationship with that adopted sister of yours always terrible?" Li Junwu asked instinctively. "Tsk." Black lines formed on Xu Yuan's forehead. Seeing that, Li Junwu quickly fell quiet, waved her hand, and said softly, "Alright, alright. What should I do now?" Xu Yuan pointed at the circular array pattern beneath the seven prismatic gemstones and said in a low voice, "Stand in there and circulate the military array technique you practice. See if you can achieve resonance. That was how Li Qingyan controlled the Beifeng array back then." "No blood needed?" "What, do you think you're binding a spirit tool?" "Oh." Li Junwu curled her lip, leaped into the circular array pattern, and hesitated. "Changtian, what I practice is the foundational military array technique. Circulating it might be sensed by soldiers outside, including Zhan Xian'an." Xu Yuan casually snapped his fingers, and a cloud of black mist enveloped the entire cavern. "Not anymore." Looking at the eerie black mist that blocked intent souls, Li Junwu rolled her eyes at him with a laugh. "All you do is show off." Xu Yuan shrugged. Sensing the fluctuations of source qi around her, he sent a mental reminder: "By the way, city defense arrays are always paired with a Sky-Peeking Array. Well, you can think of it as a bird's-eye view from high above, letting you look down upon the entire city. If you enter that state after circulating your cultivation, it means you can control the grand array." Hearing this, Li Junwu hesitated slightly. "And if it doesn't work?" Xu Yuan gave a faint smile, glanced at the shadow beside him, and chuckled softly. "No matter. It'll just be a bit more troublesome. Once Tianye returns with Linlang, we'll use the shadow as bait, kill him, and seize the array control token in his hands." With those words spoken, Li Junwu nodded slightly, sat cross-legged, and slowly closed her eyes. Time ticked past. Roughly an incense stick later, the Seven Radiance Dark Armor Array within the cavern flashed for an instant. Then, Xu Yuan felt an immense pressure lock onto him. At the exact same moment, Li Junwu opened her eyes with a beaming smile from the center of the array eye. Looking at him, she glanced down at her own palms and murmured, "Changtian, I... think I succeeded." Xu Yuan walked forward at an unhurried pace, smiling as he transmitted his voice: "Then congratulations. Your old man is now guilty of treason too. The two of our families should be considered accomplices now." Li Junwu was slightly taken aback. Xu Yuan wore a peculiar expression as he said, "Don't you know that tampering with the underlying logic of a city defense array is punishable by the extermination of nine generations?" Li Junwu rolled her eyes at him. "Of course I know that. What did you mean by 'accomplices'?" Xu Yuan smiled faintly and said nothing. As if realizing something, Li Junwu's pupils shrank slightly. She parted her lips and transmitted, "Xu Changtian, your father didn't... Di'an City's array..." "Shh, that's not something you should go around spouting." *Smack!* Li Junwu slapped his hand away and glared at him. "Gross! Don't press your finger against my lips." Not the least bit vexed, Xu Yuan proposed with a smile, "Alright, now that this matter is settled, do we head back and wait for Tianye, or go celebrate in the eastern part of the city?" "Wait, can't you show a little sense of urgency?" "I'd like to be urgent, but the problem is the next step can only proceed once Tianye returns." "Do what?" "Announce that you have returned to the prefectural city, of course, seize control of all troops in the city, enforce full martial law, and begin preparing for war."