Li Hao paid no attention to what anyone else was doing; his gaze remained fixed primarily on Ziyue.
Red Moon harbored immense animosity toward him. On top of that, his teacher had slaughtered several of their Three Sols experts, so given the chance, these people would never let him walk away alive.
He watched Ziyue for two reasons. First, to gauge how badly she was injured. Second, to look for a Red Shadow.
Most members of Red Moon had a Red Shadow with them, yet he had not seen one on Ziyue. This puzzled him. Even in the face of such dire peril moments ago, she had never manifested a Red Shadow.
Did she not have one? Or was her Red Shadow simply not here?
Ziyue was formidable. Theoretically, if she possessed a Red Shadow, it would be around the Three Sols level. Why, then, was there no sign of it?
Li Hao wondered in silence, but there was no one who could answer his questions right now.
In the distance, Ziyue panted heavily. She cast a backward glance toward the silver warrior, then abruptly turned her head to look in Li Hao's direction. She had sensed someone watching her. Many people were staring at her, but that particular gaze made her deeply uneasy.
Following the line of sight, her eyes flickered slightly.
The heir of the Li family!
She hadn't spotted him earlier.
The Night Watchers had entered before Red Moon, so she hadn't known whether Li Hao and his companions had gone deeper into the city to scout or wandered off somewhere else. When she failed to see him, she had worried he might have perished here.
Seeing him now brought a small measure of relief.
Indeed, she desired Li Hao's survival more than anyone else. Red Moon's directive was that even if they could not capture him, they had to ensure he remained alive. Of course, that came with a prerequisite: give him no further chance to grow stronger. Li Hao quietly breaking through to the Hundred-Breaker realm had already reached the upper echelons, causing extreme displeasure.
Capturing him alive would be ideal!
There was also a final baseline requirement: if Li Hao truly died by accident, they had to bring back his intact corpse. That was an absolute last resort, to be enacted only when no alternative remained.
As long as it was possible, Li Hao could not be allowed to die.
Now that Ziyue saw Li Hao, she no longer cared about his gaze. Some of the resentment from her injuries earlier dissipated. As long as he was still here and alive, that was enough!
She knew somewhat more than others regarding the Eight Great Families of Silver City. It was a matter of utmost gravity. Red Moon had spent many years laying out plans around the eight families, intending to wrap everything up without making a sound.
Yet on the final target, things had gone awry with Li Hao. What a tremendous pity.
Even when members of the other families died, Red Moon had done everything possible to disguise the incidents as natural deaths, never drawing suspicion. Now, however, the entire situation was causing a massive uproar.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, a tremendous boom echoed from within the city.
Hong Yitang had been caught once more. Pushed to the brink, he roared for aid, "Commander Hu!"
In the distance, Hu Dingfang glanced back. Seeing the silver warrior flying through the air at incredible speed, he knew it was nearly impossible to outrun the creature on foot.
Save Hong Yitang?
Hong Yitang's Sword Gate was considerably stronger than the Three Great Organizations. Moreover, Hong Yitang was a native born and bred in Silver Moon and did not harm the common folk. Because of that, the authorities labeled the Three Great Organizations as evil supernatural syndicates, while Sword Gate had never been classified as one.
After a split second of deliberation, Hu Dingfang spun around and struck from afar. A razor-sharp burst of metal energy coalesced; he too was a metal-element powerhouse. In an instant, that metallic energy gathered into an orb of brilliant light.
The orb of light shot into the sky!
Boom!
Amid a deafening blast, the silver warrior was forced back several paces. That brief respite gave Hong Yitang his opening; he bolted forward and opened up another stretch of distance in the blink of an eye.
...
Over by the plaza.
Li Hao didn't watch the city's interior. Instead, he looked toward Sword Gate's direction. Many of their people looked sick with worry. The Three Sols expert he had noted earlier—the woman suspected of being Hong Yitang's lover—wore a look of deep distress, seemingly ready to charge out and rescue him at any moment.
Li Hao merely took a quick look. By now, a considerable number of black-armored guards had gathered around the crowd.
Hao Lianchuan and several other experts who had fled back stepped up, their strikes sending black-armored soldiers flying one after another. Some were knocked straight out of the plaza. Once they tumbled beyond the perimeter and cleared the outer city bounds, they quickly lost all combat capacity.
"The rest of you, pull back!" Hao Lianchuan barked. A large throng of black-armored guards had already been drawn over. If the others lingered, they would become nothing more than cannon fodder the moment the silver warrior arrived.
The crowd retreated in haste.
Before long, everyone had pulled back beyond the outer city perimeter.
Just then, Wang Ming squeezed frantically through the throng. Catching sight of Li Hao and the others, he let out a breath of relief. "Are you guys all right?"
These few fellows had vanished right after entering.
Fortunately, they were back in one piece.
"We're fine!" Li Hao smiled and lowered his voice. "Minister Hao assigned us a special mission. After we entered, we deliberately split off from the group. Who would have thought Ziyue would suddenly lure out such a monster? What a shame—we were so close to completing our objective."
What mission?
Wang Ming's interest was piqued at once, his curiosity thoroughly stoked.
Li Hao simply shook his head, offering no further explanation.
Wang Ming felt a pang of regret, but it wouldn't do to pry. It involved classified matters, so it was better left unasked; he also worried he might blab about it everywhere if he knew.
Not far from them, Zhang Ting's ears twitched ever so slightly. It was an imperceptible motion, but she heard their entire conversation with crystal clarity.
A mission? Deliberately split off?
Hadn't Hao Lianchuan claimed that an issue with the teleportation had separated them? Turns out that wasn't true at all!
Three martial masters disappearing into the outer city... Martial masters certainly possessed advantages here, being less prone to detection by the black armor. Still, their cultivation wasn't particularly high, so what kind of special mission could they possibly carry out?
Zhang Ting looked toward Hao Lianchuan, who was still engaged in combat. On the surface, Hao Lianchuan seemed upright and candid, perhaps even a bit incompetent at times... yet it seemed he harbored his own hidden agenda.
Zhang Ting was also paying close attention to Li Hao.
The heir of the Li family, one of the Eight Great Families of Silver City.
Once the Silver City incident came to light, it wasn't as though the central region had ignored it. It was simply that the war in the center was raging fiercely, leaving them unable to spare much manpower. But since Li Hao was with the Night Watchers, several orders had been handed down from above.
First, acquire as much information on the Eight Great Families as possible—every scrap of it.
Second, secure the sword surrendered by the Li family if at all possible.
Third, get close to Li Hao and see if any special intelligence could be gleaned.
Fourth, under no circumstances allow Red Moon to succeed. As for how to prevent that outcome, use personal discretion.
Zhang Ting understood the meaning of "personal discretion."
If nothing went wrong, she didn't need to intervene. But if trouble arose, her first priority was to find a way to rescue him; if rescuing Li Hao proved impossible, she was to kill him rather than let Red Moon have their way!
As long as Red Moon's plans were foiled, it didn't matter if they never uncovered the secrets of the Eight Great Families.
After all, they knew far less about it than Red Moon did.
Her thoughts churning, Zhang Ting glanced once more at the silver warrior in the distance, her eyes shifting subtly. The ruins discovered in Silver Moon were unimaginably formidable. This had to be reported to the higher-ups!
Setting everything else aside, just those thousand sets of black armor, the bronze armor, and that silver set... each was an invaluable treasure!
If they could confiscate all of them, they could build a thousand-man regiment of martial masters!
Such a regiment could steamroll entire provinces. It was terrifying to contemplate.
And this was merely the strength of the outer city.
What about the inner city?
The inner city held at least one Origin God Armament, and judging by appearances, it was extraordinarily powerful—perhaps a legendary Sky Origin God Armament.
Origin God Armaments had distinct grades.
Any divine armament possessing certain traits qualified as an Origin God Armament. For instance, the ability to independently absorb mysterious energy to replenish itself, to shrink or expand at will, or to be integrated directly into the body...
These were all characteristics defining an Origin God Armament.
Yet they differed vastly in power. The Origin God Armament she carried was of the weakest sort, whereas the Fire Phoenix Spear wielded by Silver Moon's leadership was considered quite powerful, rare even in the central region.
She looked toward Ziyue again. She hadn't known what Origin God Armament Ziyue carried before, but she knew now: the Thunder God Armor.
It was a Profound-grade divine armament, one tier above her own Yellow-grade weapon.
Moreover, being a set of armor, its defensive utility made it comparatively more valuable. Of course, once an artifact reached the level of an Origin God Armament, the category hardly mattered; all of them were exceptionally precious.
As one of the Seven Moons, it was only natural for Ziyue to possess a Profound-grade divine armament.
Zhang Ting observed in silence. She hadn't been given many assignments for entering the ruins this time. When she reported to her superiors, their instruction had been simple: keep watch and refrain from making a move, with one critical exception—under no circumstances could any defensive divine armament that might appear fall into Hou Xiaochen's hands!
The existence of a defensive Origin God Armament was no secret to certain high-level figures.
Denying Hou Xiaochen this treasure was, according to the higher-ups, a measure to prevent him from choosing to rebel right now. Once his lingering worries were resolved, Hou Xiaochen might truly revolt!
Would Hou Xiaochen rebel?
Zhang Ting honestly didn't know. What she did know was that Hou Xiaochen had repeatedly defied superior directives, refusing to carry them out and unwilling to participate in the central war. According to the original plan, she was supposed to take charge of Silver Moon after Hou Xiaochen stepped down.
Yet Hou Xiaochen dragged his feet and refused to leave. That alone was practically mutinous!
Her thoughts raced as she looked at Ziyue and the others ahead. Watching set after set of black armor being knocked outside the city perimeter and turning into inert suits, she wondered: Where were the suits of armor the Night Watchers had obtained earlier?
Was Hou Xiaochen secretly training a corps of experts to prepare for an upcoming rebellion?
This matter had to be reported as soon as possible!
Hou Xiaochen might genuinely be planning to rebel!
She couldn't fathom why he would want to revolt, but that was none of her concern.
As a Three Sols expert who had laid low here for three years, she might have already reached the late or peak Three Sols stage had she remained in the central region. Wasting three full years had worn her patience thin.
This time, she hoped to gather more evidence of Hou Xiaochen's treason. If she did, the central authorities might move against him directly. With conclusive proof, it wouldn't be an issue.
As for whether the Three Great Organizations would intervene... they wouldn't. They couldn't wait for Hou Xiaochen to be gone.
And then there was Hu Dingfang...
She glanced toward Hu Dingfang in the distance. Colluding with Hu Dingfang was a capital offense in itself. The military operated independently; under dynastic law, the Inspectorate and the military were two separate systems, and no level of collusion was permitted between them.
The moment someone colluded with the military, it was an omen of rebellion!
Even though this was Hu Dingfang's personal action, he was nonetheless the commander of the Tiger Wing Army. Perhaps they could bring down Hu Dingfang along with him this time.
...
While Zhang Ting observed the others, Li Hao kept an eye on her from time to time.
Before long, Li Hao shifted his attention back to the plaza.
By this point, the Wheel-Turning King had also fled back. A moment later, Hu Dingfang let out a resounding roar, crossing a hundred meters in a single stride to land on the plaza. Behind him, Hong Yitang, battered, disheveled, and coughing up blood, rushed back as well.
The Three Sols experts were reunited!
In the distance, the silver warrior clutching the broadsword remained completely enclosed within his armor. This time, instead of charging forward like the other armored guards, an inexplicable, ear-piercing screech sounded from inside his suit.
The next instant, all the black-armored and bronze-armored soldiers in the city disengaged and converged on him.
The crowd was startled!
Did the silver warrior still retain consciousness? Or did he follow a different set of commands?
He could actually order these guards around. Although they had known this was an army, the black and bronze armor had fought in eerie silence until now, completely unlike this.
A moment later, a massive formation of black-armored troops assembled beneath the silver warrior. Eight bronze-armored soldiers each took charge of a unit, dividing into eight contingents to form a peculiar battle array.
Grasping his broadsword, the silver warrior stared straight ahead.
Before him, several Three Sols experts had not retreated from the plaza. They watched with grave expressions, wanting to test the waters and see what else this army had in store.
Right at that moment, the silver warrior swung his greatsword!
Below, a hundred-man squad fanned out instantly. To everyone's astonishment, they drew massive shields from their armor!
Shieldbearers!
No one had seen these heavy shields until now.
With a hundred shieldbearers at the fore, the massive tower shields immediately formed an unbroken wall, locking together like an impregnable rampart of steel.
Not only that, but behind this iron barrier, another hundred-man squad suddenly shifted their longswords into spears—a spear phalanx!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Footsteps!
Moving in flawless unison, the steel army advanced toward them. The immense, flat expanse of the plaza provided the ideal terrain for an army to maneuver—or perhaps this plaza had been constructed specifically for grand army assemblies in the first place.
In an instant, the battle array of over eight hundred armored soldiers moved as a single organism, marching in lockstep to press down upon the Three Sols experts.
Among the Three Sols, Ziyue was the first to strike; she despised these things to the core.
A bolt of lightning crashed down with a deafening boom!
Previously, such lightning could blast black-armored guards flying; with enough force, it could even crack their armor.
This time, however, the moment the lightning struck the shields, its force was distributed across a hundred large shields at once. The residual power, as everyone observed, sank directly into the ground and vanished.
Ziyue's heart leaped in shock!
The next instant, the battle array surged forward.
The tower shields vanished in an instant, replaced by a bristling thicket of a hundred thrusting spears!
Whoosh!
The air itself seemed to detonate under the thrust. A hundred spears thrust outward, carrying an aura of blood-red mist that felt eerily like pure killing intent.
This was an army seasoned by countless campaigns!
It was entirely unlike any military seen on contemporary battlefields. Even Hu Dingfang's expression shifted erratically. If this thousand-man legion broke into the Tiger Wing Army, could his hundred thousand soldiers withstand them?
The Tiger Wing Army was made up mostly of ordinary mortals, with very few supernaturals. If firearms couldn't penetrate the armor... it would be an outright slaughter!
"Strike!" the Three Sols experts roared, launching their attacks in succession.
They wanted to test their mettle as well. The supernatural experts struck from a distance, supernatural fluctuations undulating violently. Under the combined assault of several Three Sols, the tower shields materialized once more.
Yet when all of them attacked simultaneously, a booming roar still shattered shield after shield. Even though the soldiers' shields were extraordinarily durable, the sheer destructive force pulverized them.
At that exact instant, a sense of mortal peril spiked.
The hairs on the back of Feitian's Three Sols expert stood on end!
Everyone had been watching the silver warrior, forgetting the eight bronze-armored soldiers. In that split second, the eight had materialized directly behind the shattered shields.
Eight longswords emerged in unison from behind the broken wall.
The blades struck with perfect coordination, sealing off every angle of escape—eight swords piercing out as one!
Boom!
With a tremendous blast, the Feitian expert unleashed his supernatural energy in a furious burst, yet the eight swords still pierced through his defense. Gaping bloody wounds appeared across his chest and head within a heartbeat. He scrambled backward in retreat, saved only by the presence of the other Three Sols nearby.
Though some present might have wished the Feitian fellow dead... everyone understood that losing a Three Sols expert at this juncture would deal a catastrophic blow to morale.
The Wheel-Turning King and Hu Dingfang moved to rescue him simultaneously, their coordinated strikes driving back the eight swords with a deafening crash.
Just then, Hao Lianchuan bellowed, "Watch out!"
Everyone had kept their eyes glued to the silver warrior, only to see him drop into the crowd. In the blink of an eye, the tower shields rose again, blocking their line of sight.
The next moment, dread seized the onlookers.
These armored soldiers gave off no aura whatsoever.
Behind those shields might lurk that very monster, but who would he target?
Before they could finish the thought, the shields vanished.
Everyone swept their gaze across the ranks... and their faces drained of color!
That conspicuous silver hue... was gone!
Vanished!
Where was he?
Just then, Yaocheng of Yama suffered a drastic change of expression. In front of him, a black-armored soldier slashed a sword straight toward him. He hadn't paid it much mind at first, assuming black armor was too weak to matter.
Yet a visceral terror told him... this strike was far from simple!
"Not... good—"
Boom!
A colossal detonation tore through the air. The black-armored soldier cleaved downward with power that instantly eclipsed Yaocheng's—a peak Three Sols strike!
Crack!
Yaocheng's wind blades shattered on the spot. His face turned ghastly as he was sent flying backward, yet the blade still caught his arm. With a sickening squelch, his arm was sheared completely off. Bloodless and terrified, he abandoned everything and bolted straight out of the city bounds.
The next instant, none of the Three Sols needed any further prompting. Every single one scrambled in retreat!
They all fled the plaza in panic!
There was no fighting this! Dread consumed their hearts; this silver warrior... could actually change his color.
He had disguised himself as a black-armored soldier and blended right into the ranks. How were they supposed to fight that?
The black armor carried no aura. Every soldier looked identical, stamped from the exact same mold. It was impossible to unleash full power against every single black-armored guard; their supernatural energy would dry up in minutes. But the moment you let your guard down... this disguised silver powerhouse would cleave you in two!
"Hao Lianchuan!" The Wheel-Turning King glared murderously at Hao Lianchuan, while Yaocheng stared at his severed stump with an expression ugly to the extreme. He had been ambushed. Worse, the silver warrior had targeted him specifically—did the monster think he was the weakest?
That single blow had nearly taken his life. If not for the other powerhouses nearby, he wouldn't have escaped by the skin of his teeth.
They had only intended to probe these armored troops... and a simple probe had cost a Three Sols expert an arm.
Hao Lianchuan's brow furrowed tightly, irritation and anger flaring in his eyes. "What are you barking at me for? How was I supposed to know about this? The Night Watchers never encountered such a thing before! If I knew he could blend into the ranks and turn black, I would have warned you long ago. What good does your death do me right now?"
His head ached fiercely!
He truly wasn't lying about this; he genuinely had no idea the silver powerhouse could disguise himself as black armor. It was impossible to tell them apart until the moment he struck, eerily similar to a martial master masking his presence.
This was trouble!
Everyone was at their wits' end. Before long, the army assembled back into formation.
A moment later, the silver warrior soared into the air once more, glancing toward the area outside the city.
In the blink of an eye, the silver warrior flew back toward the inner city, while the remaining black armor dispersed and withdrew. As long as no enemies entered the city, they wouldn't pursue.
Only after all the black armor vanished did the Lunar Nether and Solar Radiance cultivators in the rear heave a collective sigh of relief.
Terrifying!
Meanwhile, over on Yama's side, the Wheel-Turning King swept his gaze over his people, his face darkening further. Because Yama had been the first to arrive, many of their supernaturals had entered the city. The sudden eruption moments ago had triggered a massive influx of black armor that slaughtered anyone in sight...
And most of the dead belonged to Yama!
Yama had already suffered heavy casualties before. Out of the thirty-odd people who entered this time, barely half remained clustered around him!
Half their numbers wiped out!
Aside from the rogue cultivators, Yama had suffered the most grievous losses, losing several Solar Radiance experts who had apparently perished in the outer city.
Sword Gate hadn't fared well either.
They had brought in quite a few disciples, losing seven or eight in the outer city. Hong Yitang's face looked grim; just scouting the outer city had cost so many lives.
The other factions hadn't suffered quite as badly.
For Yama, the greatest loss wasn't even the foot soldiers, but Yaocheng losing an arm. For supernaturals, losing an arm didn't cripple combat strength entirely, unlike martial masters who relied heavily on physical technique. If a martial master lost a hand, the impact was devastating.
Still, losing an arm weakened Yaocheng's combat effectiveness, and more importantly, it dealt a brutal blow to their confidence. When even Three Sols experts faced mortal danger, the entire exploration party's morale plummeted!
The Wheel-Turning King glanced toward the Night Watchers, his gaze turning chillingly sharp as he glared at Liu Long, Li Hao, and the others. "Where were the few of you earlier?"
Liu Long frowned slightly and replied calmly, "Scouting the outer city!"
The Wheel-Turning King's face turned icy as he barked, "Scouting the outer city? At what time? Yama and Sword Gate were the first to arrive and kept this place locked down. We never saw you enter the outer city!"
His expression was dark and venomous. "The Night Watchers know far more than they let on. You three martial masters vanished suddenly and reappeared out of nowhere, and the moment you showed up, all hell broke loose. This matter... has everything to do with you!"
"..."
Li Hao and Liu Long cursed inwardly. Spot on.
Yet this fellow was clearly just making trouble on purpose, grasping for an excuse to vent.
Li Hao didn't believe the man truly thought they caused it. Yama had simply suffered catastrophic losses, and this guy had other motives in mind.
The three of them remained silent.
Hao Lianchuan's face darkened. "Wheel-Turning King, what are you getting at? You know full well what happened. Ziyue took too long to strike, and her supernatural surge drew their attention. What does that have to do with them? I sent them into the outer city to scout certain things. Are you looking for a fight?"
The Wheel-Turning King sneered. "So you're saying you have a second passage into the outer city? Other than this plaza, no other direction seems passable; the whole perimeter is cloaked under some protective barrier. Where did they get in? Tell me!"
Finding fault was one thing.
Second, he wanted more information; the Night Watchers had definitely withheld critical intelligence.
Hao Lianchuan frowned. Seeing this, others chimed in with accusations of their own.
"Hao Lianchuan, are the Night Watchers trying to use this chance to wipe us all out?"
"Is this plaza truly the only entrance to the outer city? The black armor watches this area closely; entering here practically guarantees their attention!"
"Just what are the Night Watchers playing at?"
"..."
Hao Lianchuan scowled. After a long pause, he said in a low voice, "There is a second passage, but it's extremely dangerous. Martial masters are relatively safe, but supernaturals entering it face nine deaths to one life! Besides, we're only trying to enter the outer city; there's no need to suffer heavy casualties..."
"Where is it?"
The others' eyes lit up. There really was one?
As for why they wanted a second route into the outer city, the silver warrior would likely keep a close watch on this plaza now, making it far too perilous.
Who would have guessed a second path actually existed!
Li Hao and his companions were slightly taken aback as well. Was there really one? Or was he lying to them?
Hao Lianchuan definitely knew they hadn't used any second passage; they had been teleported straight inside. The fact that he hadn't even asked how they ended up there meant he already understood part of the situation.
In that case, this second passage was almost certainly fabricated.
Hao Lianchuan grimaced. "I told you, it's dangerous. I'm not lying to you! We accidentally explored it once before, and many people died, so we gave up on it. When martial masters enter, they emit no energy ripples, so it's somewhat safer. I had Liu Long and the others go in first purely to scout the distribution of the black armor, because their patrol routes shift somewhat from month to month..."
The Wheel-Turning King cut him off coldly. "We don't need your reminders. We only want to know where the second passage is!"
Hao Lianchuan's frown deepened, irritation flashing across his face. "I told you, it's very dangerous..."
"Since when do you care about our safety?" the Wheel-Turning King mocked. "You'd like nothing more than for all of us to die here! Would you be so kind as to warn us of danger? Hao Lianchuan, it seems there's something special about this second passage, isn't there?"
Hao Lianchuan hesitated, his expression shifting through several shades of reluctance.
Ziyue added darkly, "Things have already reached this point, and all of us have suffered significant losses. Hao Lianchuan, do you really think you can keep hiding it?"
Hao Lianchuan glanced at Hu Dingfang. Hu Dingfang ignored him, letting Hao Lianchuan make the call.
Hao Lianchuan let out a long sigh and relented. "Over by the first street, there's an ancient house. Its front door faces outwards toward the exterior, unlike the other buildings. Entering through there leads into the ancient city as well... But as I said, it is dangerous—extremely dangerous! Martial masters give off no supernatural ripples, so their survival rate is ninety percent. But supernaturals... have only a ten percent chance of surviving!"
At these words, everyone's eyes flickered.
Entering directly through an ancient house?
What was inside the house?
And what benefits came with going that way?
Ziyue pressed immediately, "Is there any difference between entering through the house and entering through here?"
"Yes!" Hao Lianchuan replied begrudgingly, sounding deeply annoyed. "After going through the house, nothing special has been found regarding martial masters yet. But if supernatural experts enter through there... when they fight later, they won't emit supernatural ripples, just like martial masters, and won't draw as much attention..."
Hearing this, Ziyue and the others were visibly shaken.
The Wheel-Turning King spat out a curse, "Bastard! Why didn't you mention this earlier? The Night Watchers truly intended to trap us all and get us killed..."
Hao Lianchuan flared up in anger. "Idiot! They're just supernatural ripples—how many could possibly die from that? Entering that house means nine deaths to one life! Which loss is greater? If I wanted to screw you over, I would have told you right from the start so every last one of you would die! The only reason I kept quiet was so we could face the enemies together. Otherwise, wouldn't I have taken that route myself?"
"Who knows if what you're saying is true!" the Wheel-Turning King sneered. "For all we know, you wanted to use this chance to kill us off before taking the house passage yourselves!"
Regardless, they had acquired a crucial piece of information.
No supernatural ripples!
What did that mean?
It meant they could strike with utter impunity! Even if they slaughtered black-armored guards, the enemies might not be able to track them.
It meant their Three Sols experts could launch ambush attacks.
It meant that if they hid, even the silver warrior might fail to detect them.
Damn it all. Hao Lianchuan was a scoundrel; the Night Watchers were indeed hoarding secrets, refusing to share them.
How loathsome!
Of course, it was natural for enemies to withhold secrets, but Hou Xiaochen had preached cooperation so earnestly... The man was a complete hypocrite. Was this what he called cooperation?
Without another word, several figures began shifting in that direction.
Hao Lianchuan looked as if he wanted to speak up, wearing an expression of someone desperately wanting to dissuade them.
After a long while, he sighed and couldn't be bothered to say anything more.
He cast a look toward Liu Long and the others, his eyes carrying an air of reproach, as if saying, Look at the mess you've caused!
Li Hao, on the other hand, was partly surprised that an entrance really existed, and partly convinced that... Minister Hao's acting was far too theatrical!
That posture of playing hard to get, that conflicted look... Perhaps he really hadn't intended to tell them, but acting like this only made everyone want it more, didn't it?
This Minister Hao... was quite the schemer!
Now that Hao Lianchuan had revealed the second entrance, attention on Liu Long and the others diminished considerably. Since there was a second path and these three were martial masters, it made sense that they had been sent in ahead of time.
As for why no one saw them initially, they might have taken a completely different route from the start. Who knew if the Night Watchers had yet another secret way in?
Hao Lianchuan let out another heavy sigh. "Hu Dingfang, keep watch here... I'll go check it out. Can't let them go charging in recklessly. If too many die... that won't look good!"
With that, he paused and added, "Li Hao, you guys come with me!"
Li Hao and the others promptly fell into step behind him.
As they walked, Hao Lianchuan sent a voice transmission: "If anyone asks later, tell them it was pitch-black inside and you couldn't see a thing. You couldn't see what was in the room, only felt countless tiny hands stroking you... something along those lines. As for where you went after getting through... just say you wandered around scouting once you entered the city..."
He then added, "Also, tell them that just as you came out, you vaguely caught sight of a token... that looked somewhat like the city entry tokens described in ancient texts. Remember, don't volunteer the information unless they press you! Liu Long, Liu Yan, you two keep your mouths shut. Let Li Hao do the talking. That kid is very convincing when he lies..."
Li Hao wore an innocent expression. Did you misunderstand me?
Minister Hao truly had a deep misunderstanding of his character!
Of course, he felt Minister Hao was quite the schemer himself—hardly a saint. Why did this feel like... an outright setup?
Hao Lianchuan couldn't care less what Li Hao thought and continued transmitting, "Lastly, don't tell a soul that you were teleported directly into the outer city. There must be something special about how you got in. Other martial masters have entered before without anything like that happening... Ten to one, it's connected to you, Li Hao! I said it long ago—you definitely have ties to this place... The main gate of the inner city bears the emblem of a giant turtle. There's a good chance this place is linked to the Eight Great Families."
Clearly, he was no fool. He had simply been playing dumb all along, keeping his thoughts to himself.
"Also, remember: stop running off on your own! Stick close to me from now on... We might actually have a shot at entering the inner city. Li Hao, whether we can claim that Origin God Armament enveloping the ancient city... I suspect it all hinges on you! If you die, it'll be a massive disaster. Forget the Origin God Armament; your teacher coming to settle the score would be an absolute nightmare!"
"Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention. If you run into danger while I'm tied up, go find Hu Dingfang... That guy wouldn't dare let you die! Your teacher has wanted to settle accounts with him for a long time, and even tried to assassinate him several times... only to be talked down. If he dares slack off on protecting you this time, he's a dead man!"
"..."
Li Hao was stunned. An enemy? Why else would his teacher try to assassinate him?
"He... learned the Five Animals Art!"
That was normal enough. Many people had learned it; so long as they didn't learn the Five Animals Breathing Art, his teacher didn't care.
"He learned the core technique as well!"
Li Hao's expression shifted, his gaze turning icy. The core? The Five Animals Breathing Art? How was that possible!
"Don't lose your temper. It has nothing to do with you. The whole affair is too complicated to explain in a few words, and your teacher let it go eventually. Anyway, whenever danger crops up, just glue yourself to his side!"
Li Hao committed this to memory, taking another look at Hao Lianchuan.
This deputy minister... always had a smile on his face, but when it came to underhanded schemes, he was hardly a decent fellow either.
Hao Lianchuan completely ignored his gaze.
He hadn't spoken a single word aloud—where was the proof? He had used voice transmission! Even a recording wouldn't catch it. Go ahead and sue him if you have evidence!
That bastard Hu Dingfang... A massive headache like Li Hao belonged squarely on his shoulders.
If the riot in the city had nothing to do with Li Hao and his crew, Hao Lianchuan would chop off his own head and kick it around like a ball.
Li Hao glanced at him and whispered, "Minister, can I speak out loud now?"
"Of course!" Hao Lianchuan looked baffled. "Why wouldn't you? Could someone possibly eavesdrop on me?"
"..."
Li Hao and the others were dumbfounded. Then why... were you using voice transmission just now? They had assumed someone was listening in and hadn't dared to utter a peep.
Rendered speechless for a moment, Li Hao finally mumbled, "Um... there's a bad person in our ranks..."
"Oh!" Hao Lianchuan nodded, suddenly grinning. "You mean yourself?"
"..."
"No!"
Li Hao felt it best to give him a heads-up. Otherwise, if he tried to launch an ambush and this man was nearby, Hao Lianchuan might assume he was killing a comrade and strike him down.
Before Li Hao could elaborate, Hao Lianchuan frowned slightly. "I know who you're talking about! But remember: even if the minister says it doesn't matter... you can't actually treat it as nothing! You have to realize that if she dies, it'll cause huge trouble, adding another layer of blame onto the minister! It would also make certain people think the minister truly harbors intentions to... well, you know. In truth, that's not the case at all! The minister is just too lazy to explain..."
Li Hao stared at him blankly. What do you mean? You already knew?
Hao Lianchuan chuckled. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not blind! That person isn't a professional at espionage; she's bound to leave slip-ups. She's untouchable, understand? Touching her invites trouble. What's more, if we get rid of her and the other side doesn't hold us accountable, they'll just send someone who hides even deeper. What do we do then? At least she's out in the open, so we can stay on guard."
Li Hao felt a headache coming on. Scratching his head, he murmured, "I... I'm short on water energy..."
Hao Lianchuan was rendered speechless!
He gave Li Hao a long look before suddenly asking, "Even if you got water energy, what then? Can you step straight into Spirit Nourishing like your teacher?"
"No... but Thousand-Battler is within reach."
Hao Lianchuan hesitated, pondering the matter for a while. Eventually, he said, "At any rate, you can't make a move. Even if you do, you might not succeed... Of course, if you truly want to act, wait until no one is around... Remember, when no Night Watchers are present, you can consider it! That is, assuming you have absolute confidence..."
He didn't continue forbidding it. He merely warned Li Hao never to do anything while Night Watchers were watching, because she might not be the only plant among them. While she hid her strength, others might be serving as eyes without hiding theirs.
Li Hao understood.
Then, Hao Lianchuan transmitted his voice again: "To ambush a Three Sols expert, you just need to break their supernatural energy. But remember: if she carries an Origin God Armament... an ambush won't do much good. You saw Ziyue earlier; the Thunder God Armor manifested instantly, boasting absurd defense! Not even aerial strikes could kill her... If you want to deal with that woman... find a way to knock her into the air... let the sky bombard her a few times to shatter her Origin God Armament. Only then will you have a chance!"
Li Hao's expression grew increasingly strange.
Hadn't you just said she couldn't be killed? Why are you giving me tactical advice now?
Hao Lianchuan didn't care. It was a voice transmission; none of this could be traced to him.
"Even if she brought an Origin God Armament, it won't be that strong. It can't compare to Ziyue's—probably just a bottom-tier Yellow-grade piece... Ziyue's is Profound-grade, capable of blocking five or six strikes, while hers can withstand three or four at most... However, she'd need to be suspended in the air for about ten seconds... That's the real test for you guys."
Li Hao spoke up, "Minister, why don't you..."
Hao Lianchuan looked at him in mock astonishment, transmitting his voice once more: "Why don't I what? I'm a Three Sols expert with all eyes on me, and you want me to murder a comrade? Stop fooling around. If I kill someone and it gets seen and leaked, won't I be stripped of my post and investigated? If you want to do it, handle it yourself—self-reliance brings abundance... Besides, even if you claim I put you up to it once we're outside, no one will believe you! What's more, I'll never admit to it!"
Li Hao didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
This man was truly slippery!
Did he really think Li Hao could keep a mid-stage Three Sols expert suspended in midair for ten seconds?
What a joke!
Even with Liu Long helping, it would be nigh impossible.
"It's actually not that hard!" Hao Lianchuan chimed in with another voice transmission, imparting his earnest guidance. "Later, I'll assign you to the same team. You just sprint toward the black armor as hard as you can, luring a massive horde of them over. As long as you martial masters conceal yourselves well, the black armor won't pay attention to you. Once she's surrounded by black armor... she'll have to take to the air whether she wants to or not!"
"Oh, and if even that fails, lure her near the inner city gate... The moment the silver warrior appears there, she's completely done for... Don't you just want water energy? As long as you're quick enough before the ground absorbs it all, you'll be able to harvest a decent amount..."
Having laid out the plan, Hao Lianchuan regained his composure and ceased his transmissions.
"Minister..." Li Hao began.
Hao Lianchuan cut him off with an authoritative air. "Less talk! You lot, don't go stirring up trouble for me!"
"..."
At that moment, Li Hao, Liu Long, and Liu Yan exchanged looks, their eyes filled with utter disbelief.
Good heavens, what a two-faced hypocrite!
Minister Hao was truly no saint either!
He had practically drawn up a step-by-step walkthrough on how to assassinate Zhang Ting. The key was that the fatty refused to shoulder any blame, never mentioning a word of it aloud and relying entirely on secret transmissions... Truly, villains never wore their wickedness on their faces.
Chapter 92