Siege

"So it's you!" Yu Xian ripped the mask from Yili's face, sudden clarity striking him the moment he saw who she was. As Gleaning City was the next target the Sparkle Legion needed to conquer, Ximen Wangcai and Situ Xingye had thoroughly investigated the local factions long ago. The Xia Hai Legion was truly a colossal titan. Ximen Wangcai had even dispatched spies to figure out the identities of the Xia Hai Legion's core members. Yili, full name Xia Yili, was a member of the Xia Hai Legion's Shadow Guard. Her class and skills were complete enigmas. Who would have guessed she was actually Assassin Xia's assistant? That made everything fall into place. Assassin Xia himself was part of the Xia Hai Legion. Evidently, the legion had taken notice of the Sparkle Legion's rise, prompting this decapitation strike. There was no need for an interrogation. Yu Xian tossed the mask aside with brisk finality and said flatly, "Kill her." "You know her?" Niman asked. Yu Xian nodded. "A core member of the Xia Hai Legion—Xia Yili." "Then what do you plan to do?" Niman pressed. "Ten days!" "A total lockdown on the Xia Hai Legion!" Yu Xian lightly flipped through the Book of Sealing, gazing at Xia Ming sealed within its pages with a murderous grin. *** *Who Are We Assassinating Today?* blew up. The show had already been popular, but what truly caused it to explode was Xia Ming's swan song. He had set out full of confidence, declaring he would claim Yu Xian's head, only to be neutralized by Yu Xian in the blink of an eye. Because he had not died and the delayed stream had remained on, the broadcast went live right on schedule an hour later, and countless viewers witnessed his sealing with their own eyes. The Xia Hai Legion naturally caught wind of it as well. However, when their rescue squad teleported into Gleaning City, before they could even step outside, every classholder in the city watched as an overwhelming horde of summoned beasts trampled across mountains, rivers, and forests, locking down Gleaning City without leaving a single gap. "I knew it... I knew it... I just knew this would happen..." Staring at the dense carpet of monsters outside the walls, Xia Yue slumped to the ground, muttering to herself like a lost soul. "Hmph, a mere tens of thousands... hundreds of thousands... mil—millions?" Xia Yu, who had just teleported in to lead the rescue operation, let out a cold snort. He had been about to say that a few tens of thousands of summoned beasts were nothing to fear, but then he noticed the horde was still swelling. When he finally realized the monsters seemed completely endless, he fell dead silent. Aboard the Astral Black Tortoise's back, Yu Xian continuously cast Chaos Descent. This time, he intended to push his summon production to the absolute limit, flattening the Xia Hai Legion with overwhelming, crushing force. Gleaning City was merely the beginning. Leaving behind over a hundred thousand summoned beasts to blockade the entire city, the rest regrouped and marched toward the next city ruled by the Xia Hai Legion. The Xia Hai Legion naturally received word from Xia Yu. A massive contingent of legion classholders mobilized from various cities, intending to halt the summons' advance. Yet after several hours of fierce fighting, they either fled in disgrace or couldn't even manage to run, dying miserable deaths under the siege of summoned beasts. Word quickly spread through various channels, and many classholders settled in to watch the drama unfold. Everyone had assumed there would be an extended lull after the event concluded; no one expected Yu Xian to make such an enormous move out of nowhere. Still, clever minds were never in short supply among classholders. Connecting Assassin Xia's failed hit to Yu Xian besieging the Xia Hai Legion's cities, anyone could see the clear cause and effect with just a moment's thought. Many factions that had lost core members to Assassin Xia relished the spectacle, watching from the sidelines with cold sneers. Naturally, what they hoped for most was that Yu Xian and the Xia Hai Legion would fight to mutual destruction, allowing them to step in afterward and reap the spoils. In just ten days, every city ruled by the Xia Hai Legion was surrounded by Yu Xian's summoned beasts. Standing on the battlements and looking out, one could see an endless expanse of densely packed creatures stretching to the horizon. Although these summoned beasts did not assault the cities, any Xia Hai Legion member who stepped beyond the gates was attacked immediately. Simply put, Yu Xian had penned every member of the Xia Hai Legion inside, refusing to let them leave. The classholder message boards were completely dominated by posts about Yu Xian. People had known Yu Xian was powerful, but nobody had ever imagined he could encircle an entire legion single-handedly. Even heavyweight figures like Gong Yinhu could never accomplish such a feat. Those experts approaching the level of Mighty Ones were formidable, but at most they could assassinate a legion's commander. They could never wipe out an entire legion down to the last person. Yet Yu Xian had achieved it. Most terrifying of all, the number of summoned beasts was still rising. Every day, fresh waves of summons appeared outside each city; the encircling perimeter grew thicker and thicker, a dark, undulating sea of beasts. "They're just summoned beasts! I don't believe he can summon them faster than we can slaughter them! Everyone, charge together and wipe out this trash!" Xia Donghai finally stepped forward to rally morale. To keep his legion's fighting spirit alive, he even gallantly charged out of the city, slaughtering vast numbers of Yu Xian's summoned beasts before retreating back inside before his strength was exhausted. This act indeed gave a boost to the members' morale. Numerous classholders from the Xia Hai Legion surged out of the gates to kill enemies, falling back inside to rest when spent, repeating the cycle over and over. Naturally, this did not come without a price; some classholders failed to retreat in time and were slain by the summoned beasts. The real issue was that Yu Xian could replenish his summons endlessly, whereas every death among the Xia Hai Legion was an irreplaceable loss. Furthermore, with Yu Xian blockading the gates, many peripheral members of the Xia Hai Legion began leaving the organization in droves. Outside the siege ring around Longdan City, dozens of classholders observed from atop a hill. "If this continues, Yu Xian will inevitably become a dire threat to us all," an old man murmured, stroking his beard as his eyes took in the vast army of Yu Xian's summons. Beside him stood a man with resolute features and stiff hair like steel needles, clad in heavy armor. "Then we eliminate him before he becomes one," the man said coldly. The old man sighed. "If Yu Xian were that easy to kill, how could Assassin Xia have failed? In my opinion, our best bet is to unite several factions and crush him in one fell swoop." "Personally, I think if we can't beat him, we can always join him," another man chimed in with a genial smile. The others all frowned and turned toward him. The old man demanded coldly, "Shi Jie, are you planning to betray our alliance?" "What I mean is... perhaps we could invite Yu Xian to join our alliance. The jianghu isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about worldly wisdom and relationships. If we present generous gifts and extend a sincere invitation, even if he declines, would he really have the face to turn on us?" Shi Jie asked, smiling. Naturally, this was mere lip service to pacify them; he harbored his own plans. Whoever adapts to the times is a wise man. Yu Xian had clearly attained unstoppable momentum, and Shi Jie had no intention of digging his heels in. Just as he had said: if you can't beat them, join them. Surviving and growing stronger were what truly mattered in the Zhen Realm.