The Twelfth Regiment Marches Out

The Newly Formed Twelfth Regiment moved at an impressive pace. In less than an hour, they arrived at the east gate. A warrior in silver armor was already waiting for them. Seeing them arrive, the warrior thudded his right fist against his chest with solemn gravity. A psychic ripple surged into Li Hao's mind. "I am Jiang Shixun, Commander of the Seventh Regiment, Ninth Division, Reserve Guard Army. Welcome, brother regiment, to our reinforcement!" "Your unit is understrength, newly formed, and incompletely equipped. You will act as a mobile reserve to support the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Regiments in repelling the enemy!" "By military order of succession: if we fall in battle, remember that all three regiments of the Ninth Division shall obey your command! Likewise, should Commander Li Hao of the Twelfth Regiment fall, your unit shall be taken over by us!" The silver-armored warrior announced the military decree straightaway. He then looked at Li Hao, his hollow gaze carrying solemn weight. "Defend our homeland and repel external foes! No retreat, no desertion! Behind us lies pure land; while the city stands, we live, and if the city falls, we perish! The military department's orders remain: hold the east gate. Without orders from higher command, not a single step back is permitted. Understood?" "Understood!" Li Hao thumped his chest. The silver warrior's hollow gaze regarded him as if looking at an idiot. *You did it wrong!* Forget it, it was only a newly formed regiment. They probably had never even undergone basic drill. It was already remarkable that a newly raised unit was willing to reinforce them; what more could he demand? As long as they didn't disrupt the battle formation, that was enough! How many years had it been since newcomers joined the Ninth Division? Countless ages! So long that they had forgotten the passage of time. After countless ages of silence, they had revived once more, recovering scattered fragments of memory. For these silver warriors, that alone was rare. Now that recruits had arrived to inject new blood into the Battle Heaven Army, the commander of the Seventh Regiment seemed to be in a good mood. "Your unit shall serve as a mobile force assisting the three regiments in defending the eastern city. After the battle, military merit will be calculated at double! A special exception for new recruits—cherish it!" "Military merit?" Li Hao froze. What military merit? The silver warrior had grown used to recruits' foolish questions and said nothing more on it, merely continuing, "The enemy has temporarily fallen back, but they will attack again shortly. There are strong individuals among them... Alas, our souls have long dispersed, and less than one-tenth of our strength remains. Otherwise... driven to the plains, a tiger is bullied by dogs—there is nothing to be done! Your strength is meager; be cautious and do not act rashly!" *Less than one-tenth of their strength remains...* Li Hao's heart stirred in shock. In other words, these silver warriors might have been vastly stronger in their prime, far surpassing even the peak of their revival! How terrifying! And this was merely a regiment commander. Above him were division commanders, corps commanders, army group commanders, and above army group commanders was the commander-in-chief of the Battle Heaven Army... One could tell just by looking at their command tokens. This was merely the Battle Heaven Army's Ninth Army Group, the Reserve Guard Army! That meant the Battle Heaven Army had at least nine army groups. Each army group might have a First Corps, Second Corps, and so on, before dividing into divisions and regiments... The scale was staggering! In its peak era, wouldn't the Battle Heaven Army have numbered in the millions? A single army group of a hundred thousand wouldn't be excessive, right? Just how glorious was the ancient civilization? Li Hao found it hard to imagine! The regiment commander seemed occupied. He paid Li Hao no further mind, flickered into motion, and leaped onto the city wall, appearing atop the gate tower. Li Hao's eyes flickered, and he also bounded up after him. Two other silver warriors were already stationed above. Counting this one, there were three silver warriors in total. With Li Hao included, that made four. *** Meanwhile, outside. On the square, someone's eyes suddenly shifted, and they blurted out, "Look! Is that an extra silver warrior on the gate tower?" This sparked a commotion among the crowd. People looked over one after another. Some could see from their vantage point, while others could not. Those who saw were chilled to the bone. "One silver warrior represents a thousand black armors!" "Doesn't that mean... there's another thousand black armors?" "Heavens, we're done for!" "Why is there another one? Didn't they say there were only four guards for the four directions? Could there be a fifth? Just how many black-armored troops are inside this city?" Murmurs broke out across the crowd, full of worry and curses. What the hell was this! They had come to make a fortune, not throw their lives away. Several hundred had already died right after entering, and now another silver warrior appeared. *** Hou Xiaochen also frowned. Another silver warrior had actually arrived. This baffled them and overturned some of their earlier assumptions; there might be other military units in the city beyond the four directional garrisons. Each garrison force was no weaker than the Martial Guard Army, and they would only be stronger inside the city. One could imagine how terrifying that was. Over all these years, Hou Xiaochen had only trained a thousand men. Yet here, in a short span, several thousand troops had appeared—and in the ancient civilization, this was merely a garrison left behind. At that moment, Equality King, Green Moon, and Elder Chi Ming walked over. Reaching this juncture, they were equally plagued by headaches. Frowning, Equality King looked at Hou Xiaochen. "Director Hou, this situation exceeds our expectations. Just how many black-armored troops are inside? If this drags on... waiting it out won't do much good, as their numbers are only growing! But our time is limited to three days. If we don't leave after three days, no one so far has ever survived here for a month... We won't last until the next opening!" Therefore, within these three days, they either had to give up on the inner city or force their way through! Break through the defense! Now they had watched and waited long enough; they needed to settle on a plan. Should they launch a full assault, or what? Giving up... Everyone had waited a month and prepared thoroughly to get in here; giving up was out of the question! Besides, with so many Rising Light experts present, they hadn't even made their moves yet. It was only a few thousand black armors. As long as those silver warriors didn't erupt into full power... it wasn't insurmountable. They were merely at the peak of Three Sols, and there were plenty of Three Sols experts here. The more formidable the defense, the more convinced everyone became that the city held countless treasures. Even if there were none, wiping out this army and taking several thousand sets of black armor would be an enormous treasure in itself. One or two hundred sets might not mean much, but gathering thousands or even ten thousand sets would be enough to forge an elite legion! Everyone would possess the defensive strength of a Solar Flare. If ten thousand charged together... the scene would be terrifying. Just like earlier, when a few thousand black armors charged, several hundred supers were killed in a short time despite powerful experts overseeing the field. Hou Xiaochen asked calmly, "What are your thoughts?" "Join forces!" Equality King got straight to the point. "Flatten this black-armored force. Another silver warrior has arrived, bringing the total to four. Conveniently, the Three Great Organizations and Silver Moon's official authorities can each take on one, while the black-armored troops are left to everyone else!" "It shouldn't be too big of an issue. Even if a silver warrior fully revives and erupts, they only have the combat strength of a late Rising Light expert. None of our factions will collapse against a single late Rising Light... So there's no need to fear their revival!" Indeed, they knew the revived silver warriors were formidable, but they also had their trump cards. The Three Great Organizations were confident they could each handle a late Rising Light expert. After all, Green Moon herself was at late Rising Light; why would she be afraid? As for the sheer number of black armors, there were plenty of supers present. At most, the black armors were comparable to early Solar Flare, while most supers here were Solar Flares, with many Three Sols as well. There were also unaligned Rising Light experts like Xu Feng, along with several powerful martial masters. Speaking of which, Elder Chi Ming of Feitian asked, "Has anyone seen Southern Fist? That fellow vanished. Did he sneak into the city?" Southern Fist was usually so loud and brash, yet he hadn't appeared during this battle at all, which felt unsettlingly unusual. "Did he die in the second passage?" "Who knows!" No one had seen where Southern Fist went. However, some people had indeed died in the second passage, and many had fallen in the preceding melee. The initial expedition of nearly two thousand had now shrunk to around fifteen hundred. A large number had been wiped out! Of course, it was survival of the fittest; those who died were fools, idiots, and the weak. Entering without any preparation, research, or guides—who else would die if not them? They only knew that divine energy stones lay everywhere... Most felt it was good that such people were dead; those who remained would be far wiser. Hou Xiaochen said nothing. Southern Fist? Not just Southern Fist. Li Hao and Hong Yitang had also vanished! After some thought, he nodded. "Fine! We will take responsibility for one silver warrior. However, there are many black armors, and the others might not act in unity..." As they spoke, someone arrived from a distance representing the rogue cultivators. It was Xu Feng! The graceful young gentleman walked over with an easy, elegant stride. "Seniors, fortunate enough to receive the endorsement of the rogue cultivators, I have come to discuss with you how to handle our current predicament..." Hou Xiaochen offered a faint smile without speaking. Green Moon glanced at him, her face filled with disdain. Elder Chi Ming of Feitian kept silent, while Equality King showed a faint smile on his dignified face. "We were just discussing this with Director Hou. We will deal with the silver warriors, while the rogue cultivators and our subordinates take on the black-armored troops. Without the silver warriors' support, the black armors are easy to deal with—as long as their feet leave the ground for one minute, they lose all combat strength!" "Some of the bronze armors among them are slightly tougher, but with Rising Light experts like Young Master Xu among the rogue cultivators, handling bronze armors at the Solar Flare level won't be an issue. You have no objections to this arrangement, do you, Young Master Xu?" There were quite a few black armors, but their individual strength was mediocre. Strictly speaking, only the revived silver warriors posed a true threat. Xu Feng smiled upon hearing this. "Of course! Since the seniors are handling the troublesome silver warriors, leave the rest to us!" This was naturally acceptable! It was even better than expected; the rogue cultivators had been worried these faction leaders would continue sitting on the sidelines. *** Meanwhile, atop the gate tower. Li Hao asked curiously, "Commander Jiang, can our defense system not be deployed? The aerial defense system is very formidable. If it could be used..." "It can only activate passively!" "Insufficient energy!" The Seventh Regiment commander's voice sounded hollow. "Battle Heaven City requires energy. At present, energy is severely depleted. That we could partially revive is tied to the large number of deaths here. When many die, energy is absorbed, accelerating our revival. Otherwise... we generally remain in a dormant state!" Li Hao's heart stirred. So the ground absorbing energy could actually accelerate Battle Heaven City's revival. "Then if they took the second passage—the small building with the mesh—can they bypass the aerial defense system?" "Yes." The Seventh Regiment commander replied hollowly once more. "That is the Reception Pavilion. Guests are welcomed... Yet these people refuse to be guests and insist on acting as bandits. However, the Reception Pavilion has granted them certain privileges. Our authority is insufficient to revoke them. Neither the city lord nor the army group commander is in the city, and the Reception Pavilion's authority ranks above ours... Unless the Guardian revives, no one can revoke it!" *The Guardian?* *And the city lord isn't in the city?* *Then who was that golden warrior?* Li Hao was utterly baffled. In that case, the golden warrior at the City Lord Manor was most likely not the city lord. Then who was he? The Guardian? He wanted to ask more, but the Seventh Regiment commander's tone turned stern. "Commander Li, before battle, observe silence!" He was talking too much! The commander's thoughts could hardly keep up. After all, they were dead men. Recalling things consumed tremendous mental energy. Right now, they possessed only instincts and pitiful remnants of memory. Every question Li Hao asked forced them to draw upon mental energy to search the past. Over time, it would stimulate revival, causing them to reach peak awakening prematurely, which would lead to their permanent demise shortly thereafter. Li Hao felt frustrated, but he stopped asking. It appeared these beings were not fully revived and possessed few memories; being able to answer some of his questions was already fortunate. He walked over to the side of the city wall, where his two subordinates were stationed. They stood out clearly! Originally, Li Hao had thought that once the two blended into the black-armored ranks, he wouldn't be able to find them. As it turned out... the armor system was extraordinary. With a sweep of his gaze, one set of black armor among the thousands shimmered with faint light. Looking closely, data gradually materialized. *Private He Yong, First Company, Newly Formed Twelfth Regiment!* Li Hao felt both amused and speechless. From an officer's perspective, their identities could be discerned at a single glance. No wonder! Yet he possessed no such authority over others. Clearly, this clearance applied only to members of his Twelfth Regiment. "Private He Yong!" At that moment, words suddenly surfaced in He Yong's mind as he blended among the black armors. He hurriedly turned toward Li Hao and indeed saw him staring at him from dozens of meters away. He Yong was stunned. *I'm hidden in here and you can still pick me out?* *Damn!* *What is this? Once I put on this armor, you have complete control over me?* His black armor possessed pitifully few permissions. Its sole function was to call the First Company commander... In truth, that was only because he was the sole recruit in their company, which gave him decent clearance; otherwise, he might have had to call a squad leader first. Helpless, He Yong stepped out from the black-armored ranks. A moment later, Hong Yitang walked over as well. The three-man regiment gathered on the wall. He Yong grumbled, "What did you call us for?" "I'm thinking we might not be able to hold..." Li Hao glanced toward the outside, frowning slightly. "To be honest, those people are very strong. There are many Rising Light and Three Sols experts, as you've seen. If they go all out, we might not be able to stop them, and these units of the Battle Heaven Army might not hold either." "Then let's just run..." As He Yong spoke, Li Hao shook his head. "No, I want to defend this city!" He Yong was taken aback. Why? To be frank, he had been excited back at the barracks, but once he came out, he cooled down. Whether the city held or fell had nothing to do with him. If it fell, that might even be fine—perhaps he could fish for more benefits in the chaos. If it held, it wouldn't necessarily do much good. Hong Yitang also asked in a deep voice, "Why do you want to hold this city?" You have no family or friends here. What meaning does holding an empty city have for you? Those people outside were certainly not to be trifled with! "I don't want the Three Great Organizations to gain anything, nor do I want anyone else to profit!" Li Hao's tone was calm. "I gave it some thought... Perhaps this city ought to belong to me!" The two were struck speechless. On what grounds? "Of course, it belongs to the two of you as well! Think about it—wouldn't enjoying the benefits alone, or rather, among the three of us, be better than sharing with everyone else? The soldiers here are already dead. They consume no resources and only appear during combat to serve as our guards. How wonderful is that? Why let them perish?" "Think of the spring pool of life, think of the treasures in the city. Rather than sharing them with so many people, it's better if the three of us keep them to ourselves." "This is a ruin that strictly belongs to no one... but as a city of the Wang family, one of the Eight Great Families, I have more right to claim it based on connections... Of course, that doesn't matter right now, but splitting things among three is clearly far more pleasant than splitting among thousands." "However..." Southern Fist wanted to say that they genuinely couldn't hold out! Even if the three silver warriors fully revived, it wouldn't be enough. Li Hao added, "This city won't fall so easily! There is still a golden warrior in the barracks, and he might not be the only one. There's also the one at the City Lord Manor, and possibly others... It's just that right now, they seem unwilling to revive prematurely and perish." "We might be able to seize this chance to earn merits and secure extra rewards. The armory seems intact; when I received my silver armor, a silver warrior went in to retrieve items. I suspect a vast amount of treasures remains inside..." Hong Yitang cut straight to the point: "What do you plan to do? It is nearly impossible for us to confront all those people." "Why is it impossible?" "This is our home turf!" Li Hao smiled. "Have you forgotten? I am a regiment commander! As a commander, I hold special wartime clearance to enter civilian residences. Therefore, in the outer city, I can enter any closed building!" "Not only can I enter, but I can also grant you permissions to accompany me... As long as we wage guerrilla warfare or even open combat in the outer city, we can take cover inside the houses while they wait helplessly outside to be ambushed... Did you forget how the bronze armors entered the buildings last time, leaving us unable to do anything but take a beating?" Last time, bronze armors had indeed entered the ancient houses. Black armors could technically do so as well, but black-armored soldiers had completely lost their intellect and could not act autonomously, whereas bronze armors still retained a shred of sentience. Hearing this, the two were slightly stunned. Entering ancient buildings to ambush powerful experts from all sides? A position to advance or retreat at will! The ancient houses were integrated with the city; unauthorized entry was forbidden. If anyone else forced their way in, they would trigger attacks from the entire defense system. Li Hao had only recently learned that those who had rashly barged in before were actually killed by the city's defense grid! Slaying bandits took precedence, even if they had traversed the second passage; barging into residences violated Battle Heaven City's rules. Li Hao continued, "Also, there are thirty bronze armors outside right now, and they possess similar sentience. I'll try to borrow some of them. I will lead you all to hide within the houses, holding back our auras. Moving through the city will be like fish in water. Ambushing them and taking down strong experts will be effortless!" "With how powerful the two of you are, as long as you deliver lethal strikes and immediately retreat into the houses, even if all the Rising Light experts come, they won't be able to do a thing to you... We hold the complete initiative; there's no need to clash head-on!" "The other three regiments are bound by duty—if the city falls, they perish. We are a mobile reserve whose job is merely to assist in defense, whereas they must hold this ground... Given that their intellect is diminished compared to when they were alive, they can only hold fast. We are different!" Southern Fist stroked his beard... only to touch bare armor, feeling a bit disappointed. After a moment's thought, he said, "Isn't that a bit inappropriate? Li Hao, we're technically in the same camp as those people outside..." Then he sent a voice transmission: *"Say, should we take out the Silver Moon officials as well?"* Li Hao was speechless! *Damn it! Stop putting on an act!* Hong Yitang chuckled and transmitted, *"Feasible as it may be, I'm worried we'll arouse suspicion! In everyone's eyes, the Battle Heaven Army is an army of undead spirits. If we pull off ambushes..."* *"Didn't that happen last time? Those bronze armors ambushed everyone in the end. Did you forget?"* Li Hao reminded him that this wouldn't be the first time. It had already happened before! Besides, what if they did suspect something? *"Moreover, you two only display Three Sols strength to the outside world. Who would suspect you? Once enough people die, no one will know anyway, so their suspicions won't matter!"* Hong Yitang smiled and transmitted, *"Then do we target the officials?"* *"What do you think, Martial Uncle Hong?"* *"What do I think? Does my opinion matter? You're the commander."* Li Hao was speechless. Now he was using that line? *"Forget it, we won't target them. Weakening the official forces might bring trouble to Silver Moon..."* *"Do you care whether Silver Moon faces trouble?"* Li Hao smiled and replied via transmission, *"I'm not a lunatic. Even if I don't care, I don't want chaos in Silver Moon. The stronger the officials are, the more stable it remains. Martial Uncle Hong, even if I don't harbor ambitions to save the world, I have no desire to manufacture turmoil. Are you overthinking things?"* *"I kill people from the Three Great Organizations because they are vile and hold grudges against me. I don't kill indiscriminately."* Did this man truly view him as a demon king? Even if he didn't want to help the authorities, he had no urge to slaughter them. Hong Yitang chuckled self-deprecatingly. Indeed! He had overthought it! "Then we'll follow your lead. After all, you're the commander!" *Yeah, right! You'll follow my lead when there are benefits, and brush me off when there aren't!* Li Hao said no more and quickly walked up to the three silver warriors, communicating through the armor's psychic ripples: "Commanders, I wish to lead a detachment of centurions to wage guerrilla warfare against these foes! We shall annihilate the enemy outside Battle Heaven City! Not a single enemy shall cross the threshold!" "The three commanders may hold fast here, while my Twelfth Regiment, being understrength, requests some reinforcements..." *Annihilate the enemy outside the city!* Those words struck a deep chord! The three commanders' psychic ripples fluctuated. Annihilating the enemy beyond the walls... was the military's tradition. It was a pity that the Ninth Division of the Reserve Guard Army had shamed the military by being reduced to holding fast. Li Hao's other words were largely nonsense to them. Little did he know that that single phrase struck their hearts so deeply that faded memories began to resurface. Moments later, the Seventh Regiment commander transmitted, "Approved! The three regiments can spare ten centurions. However... no more. Any more, and the Battle Heaven Army will lose basic operational capabilities. The black-armored brothers have lost their sentience and require centurions to lead them to be of use..." Only ten! Li Hao considered it and decided it was plenty. Good enough! "Many thanks!" "It is our duty. Be careful, Commander Li!" *Thud!* Li Hao struck his chest, well-accustomed to the salute now. The three commanders returned the chest thud, showing genuine respect for this new regiment commander. Shortly after, ten bronze armors appeared before Li Hao. At that moment, data regarding them surfaced within Li Hao's silver armor. *"Centurion Hu Xinwu of the Third Company, Seventh Regiment, reporting to Commander Li!"* *"Centurion Wu Kaifu of the Ninth Company, Eighth Regiment..."* Pulsing ripples reached Li Hao's mind. They felt somewhat stiff, knowing only how to obey orders and possessing basic combat instincts, yet lacking the fluidity of the three silver warriors. "Very well. You will follow my arrangements from here on!" "Understood!" Resounding, forceful acknowledgments surfaced in Li Hao's mind, carrying slightly more emotion this time. Li Hao discovered that the clearances of these ten centurions were now linked to his silver armor. He admired the system all the more. With such an armor network, one could imagine how convenient and unified the Battle Heaven Army had been during operations in the ancient era. Military orders only needed to be broadcast through the armor for everyone to receive them, and only those with higher authority could issue orders to subordinates, eliminating countless complications. The next moment, Li Hao shifted his armor to black. In the eyes of these warriors, the disguise made no difference; they could still recognize him. "Have the troops below stir. Commanders, deploy some forces on routine patrol duties. The fishing operation begins!" The three commanders didn't fully comprehend the phrase, but they understood that covering maneuvers were required. Soon, squads of black armors began to move. Aside from this avenue, the outer city had eight other streets. This was First Street, though no one dared to venture near it at the moment. Organized in squads of ten, with a hundred per street, eight hundred black-armored soldiers deployed at once, commencing their routine patrols. The movement of the black armors immediately drew the attention of the supers in the distance. *** "The black armors are moving!" "What are they doing?" "It looks like... they're patrolling the city... Strange, why patrol at a time like this? As expected, these fellows have long become puppets without much intelligence left. Aren't they just delivering themselves on a platter?" "They were hard to deal with when gathered together, but now they've split into ten-man squads, a hundred per street. If we can swallow these eight hundred... That's how it went last time; we harvested plenty of black armors and made a fortune!" At that moment, the supers grew restless. That was exactly what had happened last time. The silver warriors held the gate while the black armors patrolled the streets. Caught unprepared, many black armors were wiped out. It was through that opportunity that many people had gathered sets of black armor. Just moments ago, everyone thought they had lost their chance. Who would have thought it would happen again! Although the garrison was larger than last time, the quality of the supers this time was vastly superior as well. Meanwhile, Hou Xiaochen and his peers frowned slightly. How could this be? The silver warrior earlier hadn't seemed devoid of intellect; he appeared to possess clear thought. Yet sending the black armors on street patrols now was truly foolish! Doing this clearly offered everyone the chance to defeat them in detail! Three thousand black armors gathered together were formidable. Now, with a hundred per street in squads of ten, swift action could take them down quickly. If these eight hundred were lost and the enemy continued to act foolishly... couldn't they be picked off piece by piece? Otherwise, even if they could overcome three thousand black armors, the casualties would be severe. Among the fifteen hundred supers present, taking down the black-armored army cleanly would cost at least five or six hundred lives. The rogue cultivators were the first to stir. Someone shouted, "Let's operate independently... We don't need the black armors we claim; we can sell them to the factions. What price will you offer?" "That's right! We have no experience with large-scale warfare and our coordination is poor. Operating in small teams is much better!" Before the Three Great Organizations or the Silver Moon authorities could speak, the rogue cultivators grew agitated. They didn't want to launch a frontal assault on the ancient city like before. That was far too dangerous! Now they could scatter in small groups of three to five. With enough confidence, they could take down a ten-man squad and claim ten sets of black armor! If one set sold for three to five divine energy stones, a single harvest would yield thirty to fifty stones! The entrance fee would be nothing compared to that! To them, thirty to fifty divine energy stones... equated to thirty to fifty thousand cubic meters of mysterious energy, an astonishing sum! Even if ten people teamed up, a single success would leave them rolling in wealth! Hou Xiaochen and the leaders of the Three Great Organizations frowned, but the rogue cultivators were inherently disorganized. Forbidding them from acting independently was out of the question. After a moment's consideration, Hou Xiaochen said, "If anyone collects black armor and sells it to the Night Patrollers, one set can be exchanged for one divine energy stone." "Too stingy!" "These are extraordinary items! We all know they can withstand attacks from a Solar Flare. You're offering only one stone for such a treasure?" "Exactly!" Hou Xiaochen refrained from saying more. Green Moon chuckled. "Sell them to Red Moon: three stones per set!" As for whether they could actually collect... that depended on their ability! It was merely an empty promise. How many of these people would walk out alive was anyone's guess. Still, offering a high price served to annoy the Night Patrollers while motivating the rogue cultivators to do the dirty work. If these rogue cultivators truly managed to clear out the black armors, it would be a fine outcome. Without so many black armors, the silver warriors would be easier to handle. As for why the Battle Heaven Army was acting foolishly—whether their intellect had deteriorated or they were intentionally setting a trap to lure the supers—what did it matter? If rogue cultivators died, so be it! Besides, rogue cultivators possessed decent strength; even if they died, they would drag down some black armors with them, which was beneficial. Moreover, several leaders noticed that one silver warrior was missing. Perhaps he was hiding among the black armors! Yet a silver warrior at the peak of Three Sols acting alone might give them an opportunity to take him down in isolation. "Feitian is also willing to purchase them at three stones per set!" "Yama offers the same!" The Three Great Organizations all matched the price of three stones. Hou Xiaochen glanced at them with a faint smile, saying nothing. They were wealthy, whereas the Night Patrollers were poor; he couldn't afford to make empty promises, so he held his tongue. This sent the rogue cultivators into a frenzy. Wiping out one squad meant thirty stones! Divine energy stones, not ordinary mysterious energy. Many of them had never even laid eyes on a divine energy stone. This was a true fortune! As for whether they could survive to claim the reward, that came down to their own skills. Someone asked eagerly, "Will payout be on the spot?" "Of course!" Green Moon replied indifferently. "Even if all the black armors are wiped out, there are only three thousand sets—nine thousand divine energy stones in total. Combined, the Three Great Organizations can easily afford that!" "Besides, you won't take them all. Claiming half would already be impressive—forty-five hundred stones, or fifteen hundred per organization. Do you truly believe we cannot afford even that?" Fifteen hundred stones was a massive sum. Yet the Three Great Organizations truly could pay it! They had come well-prepared with many experts. Pooling their resources would suffice, and even if stones fell short, they had abundant stores of mysterious energy. Besides... what if they paid a little less in the end? Over on the other side, Kong Jie transmitted, *"Old Hou, do you think... they really brought that many divine energy stones?"* If true... it was deeply tempting! Silver Moon was nowhere near that wealthy. Hou Xiaochen didn't answer that point, instead transmitting, *"Everyone, stay cautious and observe. Something feels off! Those silver warriors previously displayed sound command and high morale, yet suddenly they're acting like fools... While there is precedent, the situation still doesn't feel right. Do not enter the outer city rashly!"* What was going on? Hou Xiaochen, who normally felt everything was within his calculations, was left baffled. Watching the supers eagerly pour into the outer city, he let out a soft breath. *Trouble!* Who knew how many of these people would die this time. Several Three Sols experts also slipped inside. It seemed divine energy stones tempted them as well. At three stones per armor set, a Three Sols expert with a storage ring could easily defeat a ten-man black-armor squad, and a single haul would net thirty divine energy stones. To be honest, even he felt tempted! It was lucrative! Yet was money ever so easy to earn? Some experts from the Three Great Organizations also slipped inside, either aiming to scout the situation or seize the opportunity to capture black armors. Among the Silver Moon officials, Hu Qingfeng transmitted, *"Aren't we going? Even if we don't commit fully, we should send someone to scout. Rising Light experts shouldn't move rashly, but Three Sols can!"* Not many official personnel had come, but they still had several Three Sols. Were they just going to wait here? Of course, Hu Qingfeng didn't want to go in himself. Who knew if he might run into the missing silver warrior? Even if the warrior was only at peak Three Sols and might not overwhelm him, he refused to take unnecessary risks. At that moment, Golden Spear spoke up: "Director, I'll go!" He possessed formidable combat power. Even if he encountered the silver warrior outside their revived state, he had nothing to fear. As a martial master, his ability to conceal his presence was exceptional. With Golden Spear volunteering, Mu Lin, who had planned to play dumb, had no choice but to follow suit: "Director, I'll go in with the boss!" Hou Xiaochen considered it. Mu Lin had formidable defenses, while Golden Spear was a lethal combatant... If they encountered danger, they should be able to react in time. After brief contemplation, he nodded. "Go. Be careful, and do not touch the black armors... Just scout the situation and observe. Things... aren't quite right!" "Understood!" The two headed into the outer city together. The darkened outer city seemed like a gaping maw ready to devour men. Hou Xiaochen kept his brow furrowed, glancing toward the inner city gate with a soft sigh. At this moment, he felt powerless. *Li Hao... is this your doing?* *Or are you merely hunting for treasures and uninvolved in this?* Clutching a key in his hand, he fell into contemplation. As a guest bearing a key, so long as he didn't attack the Battle Heaven Army, could he avoid certain unseen perils? After a moment's thought, he gently patted Chief Steward Yu beside him, slipping the key into her palm. "Hold onto it. Do not discard it; keep it in your hand at all times!" Chief Steward Yu nodded without a word. The group watched the others enter the outer city. Footsteps of the black armors echoed through the streets as patrols resumed, just like last time. *** Inside a tea shop. Li Hao slipped in. There wasn't much inside—just tables, chairs, and benches. However, Li Hao spotted several divine energy stones, though he left them untouched for now. As a silver regiment commander, how could he be tempted by petty gains? Besides, Battle Heaven Army regulations forbade taking even a needle or thread from the populace... He, Li Hao, was a man of discipline! A moment later, his eyes flickered. Peering through the door plank, he almost laughed. A ball of light stood right in front of him. How amusing! Able to hide inside ancient houses and equipped with these eyes, he was practically invincible here! *I can see you!* In everyone's understanding, the ancient houses could not be opened. Yet in an instant, Li Hao pulled the door open, reached out, grabbed a Solar Flare super right outside, and snapped his neck! Without the slightest hesitation! He didn't even need to verify the person's identity. No Solar Flares from the official side had entered; their weakest were Three Sols. Aside from official personnel whom he couldn't touch recklessly, anyone else—be they rogue cultivators or Three Great Organizations—was fair game. The moment the Solar Flare was dragged in, his neck was snapped. He likely never imagined he would fall right after stepping inside. "Private He Yong, there's a Three Sols outside your building. Strike swiftly and drag him in!" In another building further away, He Yong was observing quietly when the voice surfaced in his mind, catching him off guard. He looked around. Was Li Hao nearby? Strange! How did he know? Furthermore, even He Yong couldn't see through this Three Sols expert, who had passed through the second passage and concealed his aura thoroughly. Even silver armor should have struggled to detect him. Yet Li Hao had called it out directly. Still, since Li Hao gave the order... he would strike! In a flash, He Yong opened the door, seized a super, and threw a punch—*boom!* A dull roar sounded, and the Three Sols fell dead. He Yong vanished with the corpse, slipping into another room in the blink of an eye. When the next group came to investigate, they found nothing, left wondering where the sound had come from. Meanwhile, Li Hao didn't just act on his own; he continuously monitored the surroundings. He could observe at least the adjacent streets and knew which ancient houses his subordinates were hiding in. Whenever someone approached, he assessed their strength and promptly issued orders. The ten bronze armors possessed peak Solar Flare combat strength, backed by two unfathomable masters, plus Li Hao at peak Three Sols... In an instant, the entire outer city became a slaughterhouse! Solar Flares vanished one after another. When Three Sols encountered Li Hao's trio, Li Hao might have had to exert some effort, but for the other two, dealing with a Three Sols was effortless. In the blink of an eye, five or six Three Sols disappeared across the outer city without raising much commotion. *** Out on the square. Hou Xiaochen's brow was knit tight. He transmitted, *"Old Kong, go in... Find Golden Spear and Mu Lin, and bring them out!"* Kong Jie was taken aback. *Me?* *Are you sure?* Unless a dire crisis occurred, there was no need for him to go in. Golden Spear was no weakling, possessing Rising Light strength; who could easily take him down? *"Old Hou..."* *"Go in!"* Hou Xiaochen's tone grew anxious; the situation had exceeded his expectations. Something was wrong! He had sensed faint disturbances—Three Sols experts were vanishing in an instant! It wasn't through sensing their supernatural power; those who traversed the second passage had their auras heavily suppressed. While that was normally an advantage, it was also a disadvantage. Previously, when a Three Sols perished in the outer city, others could sense it. Now, when they vanished... they were simply gone. With everyone's aura concealed, who would know when someone disappeared? Under these circumstances, even if all the experts died, those outside might never realize. Hou Xiaochen glanced toward the young man from Red Moon in the distance, another Heavenly Eye cultivator. That youth was also peering toward the outer city with furrowed brows, clearly sensing something amiss, though unable to see anything more. Beside him, Kong Jie had no choice but to enter the city swiftly. *What is going on that requires me to handle it personally?* He hastened inside. Moments later, his expression changed. In the distance, an ancient house door suddenly swung open. Before Kong Jie could react, a black-armored figure emerged, snatched a super inside, and vanished alongside his captive in the blink of an eye! Right at that moment, Li Hao's voice echoed in He Yong's mind: "Retreat! Get out of there quickly... There's an expert near you... either Hou Xiaochen or Kong Jie. Fall back immediately!" He Yong was stunned. *Damn!* *He can detect that too?* *Just what method is Li Hao using?* *Or is it a function of the silver armor?* Envy flooded him! He hadn't sensed Kong Jie at all; otherwise, he wouldn't have struck so recklessly. The next instant, He Yong opened the door—getting cornered here was a bad idea. He darted across the street and vanished in a flash before Kong Jie's dumbfounded eyes! Kong Jie broke out in a cold sweat! *Rising Light! He definitely has Rising Light strength... Dammit, a black armor with Rising Light power?* *What kind of joke is this!* *And they can launch ambushes from inside the ancient houses... We're done for!* *The people who entered this time are in grave danger.* He had no time to worry about this bizarre black armor and rushed to find Golden Spear and Mu Lin, praying the two hadn't stumbled into disaster. *** With Kong Jie's swift departure, He Yong, Hong Yitang, Li Hao, and the ten bronze armors struck repeatedly. Every grab was a clean kill! At that moment, a shrill scream echoed: "There are bronze armors inside the ancient houses!" Hearing this, many outside breathed a sigh of relief. They had wondered what was going on, but this had happened last time. It seemed the garrison was merely repeating old tactics. Bronze armors were formidable, but only to a point; they posed little threat to Three Sols experts! The tension in their chests eased slightly. The outer city, however, grew increasingly quiet. Occasional sounds echoed—the clash of battle between supers and black armors. Several rogue cultivators even sprinted out in excitement, some dragging sets of black armor from fallen foes. Seeing this, several experts showed faint smiles. It seemed the rogue cultivators were proving useful after all. The black armors entering the outer city would eventually be wiped out. Several powerful figures grew restless. Within the Three Great Organizations, some Three Sols and even Rising Light experts looked toward their leaders. *Should we head in?* Over at the Night Patrollers' side, Golden Spear had already entered, along with Mu Lin and Kong Jie... They couldn't let them claim all the spoils! Green Moon and the other leaders exchanged glances. Soon, several Three Sols from the Three Great Organizations mobilized. Capturing more black armors would benefit them as well. *** Meanwhile, Li Hao and his companions sowed slaughter everywhere. Grab, drag into an ancient house, and execute swiftly! Being able to see light orbs gave Li Hao an unmatched advantage. Unless he ran into a martial master, very few could match him. After slaying another Solar Flare, a set of data displayed on Li Hao's silver armor. *Commander Li Hao, Newly Formed Twelfth Regiment. Military Merit: 11 points!* *Company Commander Hong Yitang, First Company, Newly Formed Twelfth Regiment. Military Merit: 14 points.* *Private He Yong, First Company, Newly Formed Twelfth Regiment. Military Merit: 17 points!* These numbers had appeared several times already. Sometimes they updated after killing one person, sometimes after several, evidently accumulating toward merit thresholds. Still, what did eleven points of military merit mean? Li Hao didn't know yet, but He Yong, a mere private, was doing remarkably well—even surpassing Hong Yitang. Li Hao calculated that three Solar Flares probably yielded one merit point, while one Three Sols also yielded about one point. He had slain over twenty Solar Flares and three early Three Sols experts, yet had only earned eleven merit points. It seemed He Yong had killed quite a few. Some hadn't even been directed by Li Hao; the fellow had observed on his own and struck. Despite claiming it felt inappropriate, he was vicious when it came to killing! Hong Yitang had also slain more than he had. These people... full of pretenses. Truly, few martial masters were virtuous; they were all ruthless villains! He just wondered what eleven points of military merit could do. A promotion? Or exchange for treasures? He had to admit, the armor system was magnificent, keeping clear and precise track of military merit. In the ancient civilization, there hadn't even been a need for merit assessment officers. Whoever designed this system was truly brilliant!