Chapter 826

·

·

·

Main Character:

Shen Yao

The timing of her emergence was impeccable; the moment the two of them touched down, they heard a deafening roar, and the five arrays that had been activated earlier collapsed directly.

It was just a boom, and they collapsed outright.

Shen Yao pulled Lu Yan back in retreat; Fan Sheng at the side was in a rather sorry state — he had been carried every which way, and one look told you he had suffered plenty.

The people guarding outside the City Lord's Mansion were all in a panic; they did not know what had happened with that huge boom just now, thinking some accident had occurred outside again, never expecting it was the internal passage of the City Lord's Mansion that had collapsed.

Then, what about the people who went inside?

"Right, hurry and check the situation; the Lords are still inside!"

The temporary Person in Charge hurriedly led people inside, only to see the ground collapsed into a stretch of ruins, including the parasitic host mother body used for support — not a single spot was intact.

"Then, what about the Bronze Gate?"

No gate; how are the Lords supposed to come out? They can't just appear out of thin air, can they?

Those who came here were all veterans of a hundred battles; what hadn't they experienced? It was just that the scene before them was rather intimidating, but analyzing it carefully, they could still deduce that a problem had arisen internally; otherwise the Bronze Gate serving as the passage would not have vanished without a trace.

"Go, there are arrays like this all over Jin Jue City; check the situation first, report back to me quickly."

He instructed his men to hurry and check the conditions everywhere; the temporary Person in Charge pinched his fingers and circled the place that had collapsed beyond further collapse several times, then, as if thinking of something, hastily led his men away.

Shen Yao and Lu Yan were hiding in a corner inside the City Lord's Mansion, except they had a concealment array on them that even evil demons could not see through; these people certainly could not discover anything either.

Fan Sheng was thrown at her feet and ignored, because when Shen Yao reached out at the end she had not controlled her strength well, so Fan Sheng would need some time before he could wake up.

"Will they still come out?" Lu Yan turned her head to look at Shen Yao beside her.

"Uncertain, but given that Mastermind's temperament, he probably won't let them leave," Shen Yao pointed at the spot that had collapsed beyond recognition, indicating the Bronze Gate was an entrance, not an exit; as long as these people could reach inside the parasitic host mother body and leave through the passage like they did, there would be no problem.

But the trouble now was these people simply did not have the strength of the two of them (mainly Shen Yao); moreover, the Mastermind was already furious because they had taken Fan Sheng and left, so for those people to still want to replicate the escape at a time like this — the probability of success was less than one in ten.

"Mastermind, is that the parasitic host mother body?" A colossal existence; just looking at it was enough to produce a sense of oppression.

Shen Yao nodded, then shook her head, "It is and it isn't; didn't you see that corpse at the passage entrance?

Actually, the Mastermind is not entirely that parasitic host mother body," that corpse is also a part of it.

Before, Shen Yao was still very puzzled; the parasitic host mother body looked like an artificially cultivated monster, how could it appear out of thin air?

After they left through the passage, Shen Yao realized the answer was far in the horizon yet right before her eyes.

"The parasitic host mother body has only the instinct to feed, and its food is still Human Race flesh and blood and crushed souls; this is related to its original formation.

It is actually a trace of obsession left by that corpse; the vicissitudes of the world, ten thousand years of pollution interference and fusion, gave rise to this monster."

When attacking earlier, Shen Yao discovered the parasitic host mother body had no physical body; its whole form was condensed from that kind of black baleful qi, which further verified her speculation.

"No need to worry about its main body running out; that corpse gave birth to it, and likewise restricts it," therefore that parasitic host mother body can never leave the Secret Realm, and can only continue to lure newcomers with various legends to send it provisions.

Like the matter of Jin Jue City; to succeed, who knows how much effort it cost.

Lu Yan: ……

The contents in her memory slowly matched up with what Shen Yao said; Lu Yan raised a hand to rub her temples, then turned her head and spoke to Shen Yao about returning to the Floating City next, "Now that matters here are settled, we don't need to stay any longer."

She trusted Shen Yao's judgment completely; at the same time, matters at the Floating City were waiting for her to rush back and handle.

The Xuan Yuan Clan and Sima Clan suffered losses here, and what they did will be publicized; in the coming time, the Jiuzhou Continent will likely not know peace.

Hearing this, Shen Yao raised an eyebrow, "Back to the Residence first," then she glanced at Fan Sheng lying on the ground, "How should we arrange him?"

He nearly ruined things; it couldn't be called Fan Sheng's unintentional mistake, but having Fan Sheng follow the two of them wasn't suitable either.

Lu Yan had Shen Yao find a way to selectively seal part of Fan Sheng's memories; since the people inside couldn't come out, the matter of Jin Jue City was also at an end; we'll send Fan Sheng out of Jin Jue City and then wash our hands of it.

As for how Fan Sheng chooses after he wakes, that has nothing to do with the two of them.

Shen Yao indicated this arrangement was fine; she lowered her head, raised her hand, and quickly reinforced the seal on Fan Sheng's memories and designed several nodes, guaranteeing no one could break open Fan Sheng's memories; then Shen Yao raised her hand, easily lifted Fan Sheng by the sleeve, and teleported with Lu Yan to outside Jin Jue City.

They chose a sheltered spot, set up a disguise, threw Fan Sheng down, and left some items sufficient for his food, clothing, and expenses; only then did Shen Yao and Lu Yan return to the Residence.

The Servants who had come with them had long been trembling in fear because of the situation in Jin Jue City; they simply did not know how long such days would last.

"Pack your things; we depart immediately," Lu Yan's words were like a ray of light piercing the darkness, not only letting the Servants see a glimmer of hope but also pulling them out of their panic and unease.

Seeing the Servants happily packing their luggage, Shen Yao scurried over to Lu Yan's side, "What arrangements for the Floating City next?"

Confront the Lu Family head-on and blow up, or pretend to get along with the Lu Family and wait for them to blow up first, then choose to strike back.

Lu Yan: ……

"Need to see the situation; the things in my memory are rather complex," they also involved the transaction between Lu Yan's mother and Lu Yan's father back then.

Actually, including Lu Yan's birth, it was all part of the transaction between Lu Yan's mother and Lu Yan's father; it cannot be said Lu Yan's ordeal was excusable, but Lu Yan's mother did not anticipate the speed of her own physical deterioration, so she left too quickly, leaving insufficient preparation for Lu Yan.

And Lu Yan's father showed signs of regret midway; later, because Lu Yan's mother passed away, Lu Yan's father harbored a desire to test Lu Yan, completely ignoring Lu Yan's experiences in the Lu Family, causing Lu Yan to grow up stumbling, until leaving the Floating City did she finally have a few years of true peace.

But these are only appearances; Lu Yan's father still paid considerable attention to Lu Yan, although his motives were not pure, even harboring the idea of using Lu Yan as cannon fodder; but before the final result comes out, Lu Yan is unwilling to speculate out of thin air, as that would affect her own judgment.

"No rush; from Jin Jue City to the Floating City, at minimum a few months, at most several years," besides, she is here; is the Lu Family stronger than the Xuan Yuan Clan? The Xuan Yuan Clan already capsized in Jin Jue City; the Lu Family had best be sensible, or they will die even more miserably than the Xuan Yuan Clan.

Because Jin Jue City's geographic location is relatively remote, while the Floating City is the center of the Central State, going from Jin Jue City there requires not only time but also money.

Shen Yao and Lu Yan are not short of money, and they previously ruthlessly sheared a wave of wool from Jin Jue City's jade mine; if it weren't for the fact they had to leave now, staying longer they might even catch the next harvest.

…………

The Servants quickly packed their luggage; Shen Yao and Lu Yan boarded the carriage, and the group openly left along the original route out of the city.

As for why no one in Jin Jue City jumped out to stop them? Probably because the arrays at the city gates in all four directions were all blown up; both sides' forces had to confront and guard against each other while worrying about their Leaders who might not be able to come out; they had no mood to care about other people in the city.

After all, from their perspective, no one had appeared from the City Lord's Mansion at all, and most of these people leaving Jin Jue City were not any fat treasures; there was absolutely no reason to waste energy and time on them.

'Host, they really are unprofessional,' a careful rub and they could strike it rich, but they just don't have that fortune; the System really finds it a pity.

'Who says they're unprofessional; they just look down on small fry,' and they don't even look at how much a set of clothes on the Xuan Yuan Clan and Sima Clan costs; they have big family and great business; we can't compare.

System:...

Every time the Host spoke in a sarcastic, double-edged way, the System felt this person was scolding one thing while meaning another—not just themselves, but others too.

The System didn't know how to answer, and forcibly cut off the topic right there.

Seeing this, Shen Yao merely raised her eyebrows, then leaned back slightly, chose a comfortable position, and closed her eyes to rest directly.

Aiya ya

Finally able to let the System quiet down for a while—the intensity of these past days had certainly not been low. Now that they had left Jin Jue City, there would be no danger for the time being, so she might as well restore her condition first.

The carriage left Jin Jue City so smoothly that by the time the Xuan Yuan Clan and the Sima Clan noticed the problem and wanted to chase the person back, there was no trace left.

On one side was a Leader who might not be able to return; on the other was herself, who didn't know how to control the situation. The temporary Persons in Charge of the Xuan Yuan Clan and the Sima Clan first thought of contacting the Master's House, and would wait for people from above to arrive before saying anything.

On the other side, Lu Yan and the others, having already left Jin Jue City, began their formal journey.

This was completely different from the route they had taken coming over, so when they encountered towns and villages by the roadside, they no longer had the previous tension and worry, but instead stopped the carriage to rest at any time, calming down from their experiences in Jin Jue City.

"Aiya, coming from the west side? That's terrible, I heard Jin Jue City is gone."

"It's gone, the City Lord has vanished without a trace, and who knows if it will affect our lives."

"Where is Jin Jue City? What does it have to do with us? It's all big shots' business."

"......"

The people they met said all sorts of things; occasionally Shen Yao would join in and say a few sentences, but more often she just listened to their idle chatter—all trivial matters, but more interesting than those grudges and affections, with a sense of smoke and fire.

"Keep going forward, bypass this stretch of continuous mountains, and we will have completely left the border range," also considered to have arrived in the heartland of Central State.

Shen Yao stood on a small hillside gazing into the distance; it had been half a month since leaving Jin Jue City, and there was no longer that endless wasteland, the environment around the carriage had also become lush and green.

"That's right," Lu Yan nodded, indicating that this side of the border, being adjacent to Qing Zhou and Huang Zhou, would experience conflicts at certain times.

"I remember when I was a child there was some trouble here, and it was the Xuan Yuan Clan joining with other great families to suppress it," that trouble, whether big or small, didn't have much sense of presence in his memory.

Thinking about it now, it might be related to Jin Jue City, and could even be connected to demons.

Shen Yao suddenly mentioned the letters they had sent out; given their traveling speed, by the time they reached the Floating City, everyone who had been informed might already know, and then would the Xuan Yuan Clan choose to make a quick decision and leave the Floating City temporarily to avoid the sharp edge?

"Given their behavior style, they will most likely cede benefits to save face first," as for subsequent arrangements, it depends on what the Xuan Yuan Clan and other great families think—not every great family wants to be Eldest Brother, but more like to play the pig to eat the tiger; just like in the matter of demons, the Sima Clan is in the open, the Xuan Yuan Clan is in the dark.

Whether the Xuan Yuan Clan falls or not is unknown, but the Sima Clan will definitely have a layer of skin peeled off; this is also the reason the Xuan Yuan Clan is one step better than the Sima Clan.

Those great families of the Floating City—Lu Yan really didn't believe they had the guts to provoke the authority the Xuan Yuan Clan had accumulated over many years.

The great families of the Floating City being discussed by Shen Yao and Lu Yan still didn't know their authority was being questioned; at this time they were still living in peace, completely unaware that the Xuan Yuan Clan pressing down on their heads was shrouded in dark clouds and about to meet misfortune.

"Patriarch, this matter must be handled; our losses are small, but once those evidence are exposed," it would be of no benefit to their reputation.

Inside the antique-style residence, the Xuan Yuan Patriarch was discussing countermeasures with the Elders.

From the time Jin Jue City had trouble until now, the Xuan Yuan Patriarch had not slept a single peaceful day; indeed, this matter could be big or small, and given the Xuan Yuan Clan's long-standing reputation, the Xuan Yuan Patriarch should not have agreed to such risky behavior in the first place.

But who could resist the temptation of longevity? In the end, the Xuan Yuan Patriarch still endured it, and could only arrange for an Elder with low presence but loyal dedication to go handle it.

Who would have thought this Elder would also betray the Xuan Yuan Clan? Fortunately, in the end the Xuan Yuan Clan used the other party to set a trap, greatly restoring the Xuan Yuan Clan's reputation—but what about the Sima Clan? The Sima Clan is not an easy collaborator to send away; even if both sides could really get the news of longevity, there must be a dragon-tiger fight.

"Second Elder, there are some matters this Patriarch is powerless to handle; no news has been transmitted back from Jin Jue City yet; I reckon everything is not going smoothly."

"Our side needs to make preparations; if it really doesn't work, we can only strike first," compared to the Xuan Yuan Clan having trouble, sending the Sima Clan back to the furnace for remaking satisfies him more.

The Xuan Yuan Elder's gaze turned stern; he raised his hand and waved for the few Elders to go discuss, while he just sat in the study until the moon rose before walking out of the room door.