Chapter 1986

Chimera beasts are usually unstable — either their forms easily collapse or their tempers are especially violent, or both. Chimera beasts sealed on a person become portable, ready to use at a moment's notice.

Formerly, Cloud Envoy He Jing of the Heavenly Court also brought several Devouring-Child chimera beasts into the Coiling Dragon Illusion, but they were all single-use. They would awaken, the host would die, and the chimera beasts would expend all their vitality in battle, not living long afterward.

However, the production of this "Hunsheng" adopted the latest research techniques from the Shanjin Plains' demon puppetry — "Breaking the Cocoon" only breaks halfway; as long as the chimera beast does not fully land, it can shrink back after battle and be sealed again.

The host suffers pain but does not die, and can still be saved.

Such Devouring-Child chimera beasts can thus be kept for a second use later. Otherwise chimera beasts are rare, and a single great battle would cost one beast, which the master would also find painful to lose.

Naturally, King Poliu would not feel pained over someone else's property; he single-mindedly only wanted to capture Boss Situ's Crane.

Boss Situ's Crane's guards were loyally devoted, and he himself had several protective talismans on his person, but they could not ward off sound no matter what.

Caught off guard, he was shaken by that piercing shriek until he saw stars, nearly collapsing to the ground unable to rise.

Nearly.

Because in the flash of a spark, a hand reached out from behind and yanked him backward.

Boss Situ's Crane stumbled back, and a person blocked in front of him, *shua* — flinging open the cloak behind them.

That cloak suddenly turned blood-red, its area doubling in size, fluttering loudly in the wind.

In this instant, King Poliu and the others' field of vision held only this sweep of dark red; they could not see anything else.

Boss Situ's Crane, standing behind the cloak, suddenly felt the whole world grow quiet.

He had never known the two words "quiet" could be so beautiful.

Just when he thought his eardrums had burst, he heard a familiar voice again:

"Wrap the cloak tight, and you will be unharmed."

Th-this voice? Boss Situ's Crane stared up in shock, seeing this person turn half their face and smile at him.

The face was different, but this half-smiling-not-smiling expression — he knew it too well.

He, He Xiao?

Boss Situ's Crane subconsciously wrapped the cloak tighter, his mind left with only a single thought spinning wildly:

When did this bastard sneak into his guard detail?

On this side, He Lingchuan faced hundreds of enemies without a trace of fear, tossing out a Sky-Turning Golden Seal straight at King Poliu.

King Poliu's guards fired arrows in succession, but they could not affect its trajectory in the slightest.

This seal was also fished out of the Ghost King's Palace scrap yard; after repairs by the Songyang Prefecture and energy-infusion carving by Liu Qingdao, its power had more than doubled compared to when He Lingchuan used it in the Yaowang Palace.

It grew larger and larger in midair, becoming a small hill in a moment; King Poliu felt the light above his head completely blocked out by it.

Seeing this thing about to come down like a mountain crushing the crown, King Poliu's guards desperately carried him away.

The next breath the giant seal slammed down — *honglong* — the ground shook three times.

Dust billowed in all directions; this courtyard was already ruined, and the surrounding scenery suddenly turned illusory. The seven warring factions locked in mutual battering unconsciously stopped, because the near and far vistas suddenly shifted from blurry to fading — only then did they realize they had long since fallen into an encirclement!

Surrounding these one thousand-plus people were black-armored warriors standing motionless.

King Poliu stamped his seal to escape, and having just steadied his nerves, he saw this scene and couldn't help cursing the messenger from earlier — where were the three thousand men?

A vast, dense mass; even the streets outside were packed full, stretching beyond sight.

There must be over ten thousand!

How could they possibly arrive this fast! Just a dozen breaths ago they were still at Zhen'nan.

Even more outrageous, the nearby rooftops were also packed with black-armored troops, bows drawn and arrows nocked, aimed at them.

Illusion?

Was it an illusion before, or is it an illusion now?

King Poliu hadn't even had time to get a clear look at the person blocking in front of Boss Situ's Crane before he himself was fully "clad" in Xuanjin battle armor, his face also covered by a ferocious dragon-head mask.

Wrapped up tight, thoroughly and completely, without a trace of living human aura.

Isn't this the Nine Nether Great Emperor?

King Poliu couldn't believe it: "Y-you, how did you come?"

The allied armies have held countless meetings; how did the Nine Nether Great Emperor know he would make a move against Boss Situ's Crane this time?

And, how did these ten thousand black-armored troops enter the town?

A low laugh echoed in everyone's heart: "You just said Boss Situ's Crane would offer the allied armies to me; naturally I came to receive them."

Boss Situ's Crane had just shaken his head, trying to shake off the dizziness, and hearing this he froze, subconsciously smiling bitterly.

That inexplicable fake letter! Alas, even jumping into the Dahe couldn't wash him clean.

At this moment, King Poliu's death warriors wanted to secretly trigger a mechanism and fire a crossbow bolt at the Nine Nether Great Emperor.

But his wrist had just lifted when a burst shot from not far away — *xiu* — pierced his throat.

The latest novel at ⊥⊥⊥ first release!

The one who acted was precisely Mo Yize.

Someone behind King Poliu suddenly said: "Fake, don't believe it! These are all illusion arts; the Nine Nether's subordinates fundamentally don't have that many people!"

"Is that so?" The Nine Nether Great Emperor snapped his fingers, and the black-armored troops in the front ranks and on high ground raised their arms in unison, crossbows all aimed at King Poliu and the Kan clan leader in the middle, "Want to test it?"

The distant black-armored troops then raised long spears, making a ready-to-throw gesture.

Ten thousand arrows, ten thousand spears.

Sharp arrow and spear tips reflected the sunlight; those they pointed at were all trembling with fear.

This close, missing was impossible; the key lay in who got hit.

The lucky ones might even take several hits.

King Poliu's man only let out a single shout, but no one present wanted to test arrows with their body for him; they could only look eagerly at their own leader.

Only then did the Nine Nether Great Emperor ask Boss Situ's Crane: "You see the scene — who is enemy, who is friend?"

Boss Situ's Crane had already quickly calmed down, knowing now was the time to screen people, and hurriedly said: "The Pei and Yan states are both friendly nations; just now they opposed the enemy alongside me."

"Good." These two monarchs had already regrouped with their guards, and both stood behind Jiuyou and Boss Situ He.

Jiuyou the Great Emperor then pointed to Baoxin Country and the Yutu tribe and asked, "What about these two?"

These two had originally been wavering, even leaning toward the King of Beruli, and the King of Beruli's ambush circle had not included them. But now the situation had changed, and Jiuyou the Great Emperor had gained the upper hand.

And Jiuyou the Great Emperor gave only two options:

Enemy, friend.

Not friend means enemy, with no neutrality in between.

Boss Situ He drew out his tone: "These two—"

These two sides had only four hundred people, and even adding the people of Beruli Country and the Kan tribe amounted to no more than eight hundred, while the opposing side had over ten thousand elite troops—the numerical disparity was truly vast.

He who knows the times is a true hero, so they exchanged a glance and immediately said, "May the Dragon God discern clearly—we will certainly not harm Alliance Leader Situ."

This was still a neutral statement.

How could He Lingchuan be caught by wordplay? He merely gave a faint smile: "You still take Alliance Leader Situ as your guide, and he can still speak for the alliance with one voice—isn't that right?"

The condition for joining the alliance is just this, and the two could not say otherwise, so they nodded: "Yes, we will wholeheartedly support Alliance Leader Situ."