“Is everything settled on your end?” The Divine Generals who’d already completed their missions reached out to the others. Although Heavenly God City was huge, which meant they had a lot of ground to cover, they were rulers. Their divine sense was more than capable of covering the entire city.
“It’s settled,” came back a series of responses.
After receiving confirmation, someone asked yet another question: “Was anyone hurt?”
After a brief pause, the Divine Generals started to respond:
“No, not on our end.”
“We don’t have any casualties either.”
“Nor do we.”
They all fell silent.
When the last general reported their lack of casualties, they all fell silent.
Of course, it was good that no one had gotten hurt, but they’d expected them to encounter some resistance.
They’d encountered none!
None at all!
It didn’t matter whether they were charged with patrolling the streets or seizing the guard towers.
The Divine Generals had encountered no resistance to speak of; it was like water flowing downhill, smooth as could be. They’d merely put on a show of power, and all of Heavenly God City immediately cooperated.
The God Emperor’s Estate hadn’t sent anyone, nor did the Lightning Emperor intervene.
This overly-easy victory did not, however, make the Divine Generals of the Profound Pavilion relax.
This was the calm before the storm.
They’d just occupied a city!
Heavenly God City was the very root of the God Realm. Not even the Profound Pavilion could take it so easily.
It had been far too simple.
Easy to the point it was almost ridiculous.
The Divine Generals who’d been dispatched to take over the guard towers had expected some sort of bitter struggle, and they’d brought every elite soldier they could muster. They’d even prepared countless strategies for every contingency.
But they didn’t need any of them.
The generals guarding the towers were like wooden statues, while the ordinary guards were spineless cowards.
“Your mission is actually rather relaxed.”
Suddenly, they recalled what Hu Bazi had said to them before their departure.
At the time, they’d assumed he was just being sarcastic, but now it seemed their mission…. Really was simple, far too simple, so simple, it made them uncomfortable.
Compared to the others’ missions, theirs was far, far too simple.
Their dispersed forces needed to reconnect. They’d taken the city and captured the generals. Then, after just a few threats to the guards, they’d taken control….
WIth no casualties.
If they’d known it would be this simple, they would have just gone on their own. It would have been enough.
“Boss must have divined this in advance,” said a Divine General. On the surface, Hu Bazi had given them this mission, but all of them knew that it was their boss who’d really chosen them for the job: Xuan Ji.
Hu Bazi was merely her intermediary, responsible for sharing orders and information on her behalf.
“Now that you mention it, you’re right. Boss’ divinations leave no gaps. She must have known it would be like this, which is why Mister Ba said all that. And to think, we were all in a tizzy about it.”
They watched the cultivators of the Profound Pavilion surge throughout the city in tight formation. The Divine Generals, especially those who’d gone all out to capture the city only to win an anticlimactic victory, were suddenly a little embarrassed.
“Why is Boss doing all this? Did she and Zhou Wu have a falling out?”
“Who knows?” A Divine General sighed, and the others fell silent.
“What does that matter? If Zhou Wu wants to bully our boss, we’ll just have to take him out and be done with it,” growled a Divine General. His words instantly won all the others’ approval.
“If he wants to bully our boss, we’ll just have to take him out! Who’s afraid of him?”
“But I wonder how things are on Mister Jiu’s end? Have any of you ever seen him at ninety percent intoxication?”
“I haven’t,” muttered a Divine General. “I once saw him at seventy percent, when he beat a great yao king until his nose was no longer recognizable as a nose, and his face wasn’t recognizable as a nose…”
“I’d really like to see what he’s like at ninety percent intoxication,” sighed another Divine General.
“Enough. Watch over the gates properly. The boss must have had us do all this for a reason. This matter… absolutely won’t just end here.”
As soon as the Divine General finished their sentence, they heard yet another transmission. “The boss is here!”
Meanwhile, at the eastern gate, the main entryway into Heavenly God City.
The fourth of the Profound Pavillion’s Divine Generals had occupied this place. He was over two meters tall and built like a bear with huge eyes and arms thicker than a girl’s waist. He looked coarse and rough around the edges…
This was one of Xuan Ji’s Divine Generals: the God of Strength, the same God of Strength that, one hundred years ago, destroyed the entrance to the Xiao Family estate. He was the one who, in one punch, had shattered the spiritual formation protecting the Xiao Family. He had then proceeded to rush right inside, straight into the dragon’s den.
That certainly wasn’t his only accomplishment, either. His Heaven-Rending Divine Power was famed and feared throughout the Upper Three Realms.
In front of outsiders, he was a vicious fiend, but in front of Xuan Ji…
As he saw her from the distance, he leaped off the tower. With a bang, he rushed towards her, leaving a clear imprint of his feet in the dirt.
“Boss!” Xuan Ji didn’t even reach his waist, yet he nevertheless nodded, grinned foolishly, and bowed to her.
When Xuan Ji saw it was the God of Strength, she nodded slightly back. “Are you the one who took the eastern gate?”
She hadn’t come here on her own. She was accompanied by Great Emperor Xue Yang, His Majesty Bi’an of the Four Directions Palace, the master of the Jade Pond Palace Zhao Qianling, and… Su Qingyan, the empress of the foxes.
Of course, Zhao Qianhe had come too, but compared to the others, she didn’t stand out. She almost seemed like an ordinary person.
“Ocean Emperor, Palace Master, Your Highness, Empress…..”
When he saw these new arrivals, even the God of Strength felt a bit starstruck.
As he greeted them one by one, Xuan Ji smiled and said, “Did the Shen Family behave themselves?”
“The Shen…. Family?”
‘Wasn’t everyone manning the towers I had you seize from the Shen Family?” Xuan Ji laughed.
“Those were Shen Family members?” The God of Strength pointed at the sealed, bound guards. “Did they swap in ordinary troops?”
Xuan Ji glanced up at the bound guards, then laughed indifferently. “Well, they sure acted awfully fast.”
“Xuan Ji, there’s no need to discuss such trifles now, is there? We don’t have any time to waste.” Xue Yang knit his brows.
“Aren’t you just an avatar? If it really comes down to a fight, will you be of any use?”
Xue Yang was furious.
Yes, this was just an avatar. His true body was back at the River Styx.
He owed Emperor Hades a favor, and had to stay at his palace. At first, he’d left his avatar there, but after thinking it over, he decided that wasn’t appropriate or sufficient. Afterward, he and his avatar had switched places.
Although the Xue Yang outside was just an avatar, he was strong enough to defend the Sea of Innocence if need be.
And besides, he hadn’t been talking about going off into battle. He’d been referring
How could he just let this go?”
“Enough already. Even if you glower, you can beat me.” Xuan Ji sighed. “You think you’re anxious? I’m more anxious than any of you. But do you really think we can catch up to them? We came here all the way from the Sea of Innocence!”
“Then we have to hurry,” said Xue Yang.
“Calm down, you. He’s my nephew. I have a lot more to worry about than you.” She let out a long sigh, sounding utterly exhausted.
The God of Strength knew this was no time to interrupt, but he couldn’t restrain his curiosity any longer. “Boss, you’re doing this because…."
“I know what you want to ask but…. Don’t.” Xuan Ji directly interrupted him, then narrowed her eyes. “All you need to do is remember what I’m about to tell you.”
“Please, Boss, go ahead and speak,” said the God of Strength solemnly.
“We’ve captured the city gates, so don’t let go of them. Tell the others as well: No one is to move about within the city, nor is anyone allowed through the gates. From now on, the people of Heavenly God City cannot leave, and outsiders cannot enter.”
“Understood!”
“I wasn’t finished! You understand nothing! I still haven’t gotten to the key point….” Xuan Ji glowered viciously at him, then continued, “Only yao of the fox clan and gods of the Four Directions Palace and Star Altar are allowed inside. As for all others…. None are permitted to enter the city. If anyone tries, kill them!”
“What about members of the Sea of Innocence and Jade Pond….?” The God of Strength glanced at Xue Yang and Zhao Qianling.
Xuan Ji glanced at this pair of exes and nodded. “Yes, kill them too!”
