The remaining diviner charged with guarding the city lowered his head and avoided Ye Zichen’s gaze. As he responded, his pupils darted about, and he trembled violently from head to toe. It was obvious that winter was approaching, but his face was covered in a sheen of sweat.
He was afraid.
Although he didn’t know what these people had against the Bai Family, between the youth’s blazing murderous intent and the lifeless Bai clansman lying on the floor, everything was clear.
The entire city was under the Bai Family’s jurisdiction, but this particular guard wasn’t a member of the Bai Family. There was no need for him to throw his life away just to protect the Bai Family, either.
Whatever Ye Zichen asked, he answered.
Throughout this entire process, he never hesitated. If he knew an answer, he offered it freely, without even trying to lie or scheme.
The only thing that confused him was his awareness of the Bai Family’s extraordinary strength. Although the people standing beside Ye Zichen looked like rare experts, with just the few of them, taking on the Bai Family wasn’t even remotely possible.
But before he could wonder much longer, the ear splitting sound of countless figures hurtling through the skies filled the air.
The diviner guard glanced outside and saw a vast procession, so enormous, he couldn’t see the end. Countless figures however in the air outside the city.
He roughly estimated their numbers, and terrifyingly, it seemed there were tens of thousands of them.
What terrified him even more was that the experts flying outside….
Were all yao.
“This….” the diviner guard was astonished.
If they were just other gods with a grudge against the Bai Family, he wouldn’t care. But if members of the yao race tried to invade and attack the Bai Family, he….
The diviner didn’t dare object out loud, but he tried to reach out with his divine sense and send word.
“Yes, sir.” From Ye Zichen’s arrangements, it was clear that Xuan Ji ordering the troops of the Profound Pavilion to seize the control of Heavenly God City had been a rational choice.
If Ye Zichen didn’t take control of the city’s defenses before attacking the Bai Family, he might fight himself beset on both sides, which would put his forces at a disadvantage.
Taking control of the city walls and defenses could prevent ambushes. Furthermore, even if the Bai Family was overwhelmingly powerful, if Ye Zichen had control of the city, he’d be able to withdraw in time.
The yao servants dispersed, targeting the other city gates. The diviner guard’s eyes were as wide with astonishment as possible. He stared intently at the departing yao servants. He wanted to send a message to his superiors, but found he’d been sealed.
“Thank you for your useful information. As your reward, I’d like to offer you a nice rest.”
Wham!
The Great Sage whacked the man over the head with the Ruyi Jingu Bang. A line of fresh red blood dripped from the point of impact, but the guard hadn’t died; he’d merely been knocked out.
No matter how angry Ye Zichen was, he wouldn’t randomly massacre the innocent… For every debt, there is a debtor. In this case, it was just the Bai Family!
Ye Zichen stood atop the guard tower and puffed away at a cigarette. He gazed down calmly onto Spirit City. Against the night sky, the scattered orange glows of the street lights didn’t stand out much. He stayed silent until finishing his cigarette, then he tossed the b.u.t.t out the tower window.
“The Bai Family.” Ye Zichen’s eyes flashed with piercing cold light as he took to the skies. He flew so quickly, the air exploded around him, and the surrounding space cracked and shattered.
Pu Jingwan and Xiao Yumei followed directly after him. The Great Sage and Yang Jian glanced at each other, but neither of them said anything. They merely nodded, then followed Ye Zichen into the night sky.
…..
Meanwhile, in the east of Spirit City.
Three years ago, the Bai Family had been nothing more than one of many minor family clans in Spirit City. At the time, the city was under the jurisdiction of City Lord Duanmu.
However, three years ago, that tiny, overlooked Bai Family suddenly rose to prominence.
Their forces were so huge that others could only stare, eyes wide. The Duanmu Family’s foundations, built up over ten thousand years of hard work, crumpled into dust in just half a month. The Bai Family took their place, taking complete control over their city. Everything within the city bounds was now considered part of their territory.
The Bai Family’s sudden rise to prominence hadn’t merely shaken up Spirit City; it had stirred the entire God Realm.
Countless other clans pondered how on earth the Bai Family had pulled off their sudden rise. Then, three months ago, they learned the truth: the Bai Family was actually one of the family clans Zhou Wu had been cultivating in secret.
No one would ever have guessed that the God Emperor of tens of thousands of years had been raising up such vast, powerful factions in secret. Furthermore, the aforementioned family clans were just what he’d chosen to reveal. Who knew how many more factions were still a secret, or how many he’d cultivated in total?
“He’s here.” The Profound Pavilion Generals arrived outside the Bai Family’s gates one stop in advance. They glanced up at the sky in unison and saw Ye Zichen tearing through the sky. Before long, he’d already arrived.
“This is the place, huh?” Ye Zichen looked down at the Bai Family estate and grinned hideously. “Bai Yulong, come out and die!”
His roar was like a sudden thunderclap, an explosion amidst the tranquility of the night, so loud it reverberated throughout the entire city.
It stunned countless experts awake. Instantly, lights lit throughout the city.
Those with relatively low cultivators stayed indoors, their hearts full of terror. They didn’t dare so much as look outside. As for those who thought themselves comparatively strong, they stepped outside or took to the skies and looked in the Bai Family’s direction.
The truly ludicrous thing was that, although Ye Zichen called out a member of the Bai Family, the Bai Family members were the last to step outside.
Quite a few seconds passed between Ye Zichen’s shout and the Bai Family first night watchmen rushing out in a tizzy. Many of them reeked of booze and rouge, and many of them weren’t even dressed properly.
After all, the city had guards, too. The men guarding the Bai Family estate would never have guessed that someone inside the city would dare provoke the Bai Family. Ye Zichen’s yell had really caught them off guard.
“You’re seeking death! Take a look around and see just whose territory this is!”
“You’re throwing your life away! How dare you come here and make trouble for our Bai Family? Tell us your name, then step forth and die!”
More and more Bai clansmen gathered. In just a few breaths of time, there were hundreds of them, all of them chattering away. There was also an endless stream of people walking out of the buildings, yelling and cursing at Ye Zichen.
Not all of these people were Bai Family members. Many of them were retainers who’d joined forces with the family after their rise to prominence.
All the while, these visiting retainers had kept an eye out for opportunities to display their strength and loyalty, but the Bai Family was so strong that no one dared provoke them. Ye Zichen’s arrival was exactly the sort of opportunity they were waiting for, so they shouted even louder than the actual Bai Family members.
Ye Zichen’s eyes flashed with cold light.
He was already angry, and when this clamor of voices echoed in his ears, it only made him even angrier. “Bai Yulong of the Bai Family, come on out and accept your death!”
Boom!
A bolt of heavenly lightning came crashing down from above, startling all the shouting retainers into silence. It fell directly onto the sign above the main gate, shattering it into countless pieces.
