Over sixty percent of the Star Altar’s starbearers took action, glorious and imposing as a sky full of shooting stars as they rushed toward Heavenly God City.
However, Great Emperor Chao Feng’s decision was nothing but the start of what was to come.
Meanwhile, in Heavenly God City’s Profound Pavillion, all of Xuan Ji’s subordinate Divine Generals had gathered. They were usually spread about all across the God Realm, so it was rare to see them all in one place.
It wasn’t just the Divine Generals, however. All of the cultivators loyal to the Profound Pavilion had gathered together like a well-trained army, standing upright in the main hall.
The Profound Pavillion currently had eighteen Divine Generals, and two of them had joined up in the past hundred years.
The Divine Generals stood in two rows on the right and left sides of the hall, while a man with grandmasters robes and a handlebar mustache stood in their center.
Hu Bazi.
Xuan Ji’s absolutely trusted confidante, her most favored subordinate.
At that moment, Hu Bazi clenched a jade slip. He was waiting for a message. He was waiting for Xuan Ji’s response.
Suddenly, the jade slip lit up. He inserted his divine sense and after a brief silence, his solemn expression made the onlookers’ hearts clench.
“Sir, what did Boss say?” asked one of the Divine Generals.
Hu Bazi said nothing. He merely stroked his chin, then glanced at the first Divine General to his right.
“Ol’ Jiu, how drunk are you?”
“Seventy percent,” said the man he called ‘Ol Jiu. He looked like a disreputable, disheveled sort, and his face was flushed red from overindulgence. But never mind that; he held a gourd of wine, and even as he spoke, he took two big swings of booze.
As he spoke, he even staggered as if he were about to fall. He really looked like a drunkard.
It seemed that if anyone, no matter who, punched him even casually, he’d fall. It also seemed that, once he fell, he wouldn’t be able to get back to his feet.
The Profound Pavillion’s Divine General Rankings were based on seniority, but this wine-guzzling drunkard wasn’t merely the first Divine General to follow Xuan Ji. He was also her strongest subordinate.
The God of Wine.
Although people called him that, he wasn’t, in fact, prone to excessive drinking. It was fair to say that, on any ordinary day, not even a single drop of wine would pass his lips.
But if he did drink? That was when his strength was the most terrifying.
“That’s not enough.” Hu Bazi frowned in response. When they heard that, the other Divine Generals’ hearts shook. At just thirty percent intoxication, the God of Wine was a peak-level Divine General. At fifty percent, it was hard for anyone to match her. At seventy percent, he could even fight emperors.
If that still wasn’t enough….
Gulp.
The God of Wine didn’t dilly-dally. He raised his gourd to his lips and poured it down his throat like an endless waterfall.
“Burp!” He put his gourd up to his ears and shook. Based on the sound, there was still a little wine left at the bottom. He let out a few contented hiccups, then staggered and fell. Fortunately, he fell into a pillar. Otherwise, he would’ve hit the ground.
“What percentage?” asked Hu Bazi.
“Nine…Ninety percent…. Hic…!” At ninety-percent intoxication, the God of Wine was so drunk he could barely speak. When the two newest Divine Generals heard that, they worried that he’d pass out drunk on the floor.
This time, Hu Bazi finally smiled. “That’s just about enough.”
When the other Divine Generals looked at the God of Wine, their gazes were full of terror. They’d never once seen him at ninety-percent intoxication before.
If he could fight emperors at seventy percent, then ninety percent….
“Ol’ Three, Ol’ Five, Thirteen, Eighteen.”
“Present!”
The Divine Generals he called stepped forth in unison. These four were, second to the God of Wine, the strongest of Xuan Ji’s subordinates.
They were all called up at once, so everyone roughly knew what to expect next.
“You four, follow Ol’ Jiu to the Bai Family estate. You don’t need to do anything; just station yourselves in the surrounding area and don’t let anyone from the Bai Family get within thirty thousand miles of Heavenly God City.”
“The Bai Family… hic….” The red-faced God of War smiled, and his eyes overflowed with sharp light. When he next spoke, his words were unusually clear given his drunken stupor. “This is perfect; I’ve been wanting to see just how strong the Bai Family Patriarch, someone whose fate not even Boss can divine, really is.”
Whoosh!
He shot away so quickly, he left afterimages in his wake. The designated Divine Generals followed hot on his heels.
“Ol’ Two, Ol’ Six, Ol’ Seven.”
“Present!”
“Each of you, lead three hundred diviners and twenty thousand supremes into the city. I don’t want to see so much as a single person on the streets of Heavenly God City.”
“Yes, sir!” The three designated Divine Generals acknowledged the order in unison, then left, each leading a grand procession of troops behind them.
“Ol’ Four, Eleven, Twelve, Seventeen!”
“Present!”
“Your mission is actually rather relaxed,” said Hu Bazi with a hint of a smile. The designated Divine Generals couldn’t help but smile back until they heard, “All you need to do is seize Heavenly God City’s four city gate towers. You can freely arrange for as many people as you need.”
The four Divine Generals’ smiles froze in place. They stared intently at Hu Bazi.
“We’re taking the city?”
“I didn’t say that, now did I?” said Hu Bazi with
“Sir, what on earth does Boss want? Taking the guard towers? If that’s not taking over the city, what is it?” asked a Divine General.
“Do it, or don’t. Why ask so many questions? I’ll tell you right now: Zhou Wu has gotten on Boss’ nerves, and she wants to take over Heavenly God City and have a little fun. Well? Are you in, or out?” asked Hu Bazi.
“Screw it. Isn’t it just Heavenly God City?” The designated Divine Generals roared at the top of their lungs, then led their forces into battle. In the blink of an eye, almost no one was left in the hall, and even outside, there were less than ten thousand cultivators remaining.
As they watched their comrades in arms leave, the remaining few Divine Generals looked at Hu Bazi, hesitated, then said, “Sir, what about us….”
“Hold down the fort at the Profound Pavillion. If someone comes, kill them! If two come, kill them both!”
…..
After Hu Bazi gave his orders, the Divine Generals all carried out his orders methodically.
Troops bearing the Profound Pavilion’s mark on their c.h.e.s.ts were visible at every corner. They demanded, leaving no room for doubt or arguments, that every cultivator of Heavenly God City was to return home as quickly as possible, or barring that, take refuge in a tavern or leave the city altogether.
In but six hours, the streets of Heavenly God City were empty, as if the city had died. There wasn’t so much as a shadow left behind. Never mind people; not even flies remained.
After ordering the ordinary residents into hiding, the Profound Pavillion immediately took control of the city’s defenses.
Divine senses intercrossed, forming a web with no blind spots over the entire city.
At the same time, at the city’s four guard towers, something big was happening.
Things were already tense due to the ambiguous relationship between gods, demons, and yao, so the guard towers were thoroughly armed with ample manpower. Every guard tower had a ruler-evel expert to hold down the fort.
However….
“Tie them up and gag them. Be quick about it.” The Divine Generals sent to attack the guard towers roared out orders, and their orders did indeed swiftly and deftly seal the ruler-level generals defending the place, binding their divine cores and using thick hemp ropes to bind them tightly.
Practically all the rulers occupying the four guard towers received the exact same treatment. The only real difference was which specific knots were used to bind them.
Their generals had been captured, so the guards naturally….
“Will you seal yourselves, or do we have to do it for you? Heh, you ought to know that when we of the Profound Pavillion take action, we’re rather heavy-handed.”
In the blink of an eye, the remaining guards had all sealed themselves.
