Chapter 78: Panic in the Marquis

These Hu Yang Guards were all tense and terrified; though their commander was an Eternal True God, seeing the 139 colossal legion artifacts, he instinctively trembled with fear—he was afraid too!

“Why did we come to Hu Yang City? Hahaha…” Among the many colossal legion artifacts, one colossal plant emitted laughter; the terrifying sound waves from its rolling laughter swept over the Hu Yang Guards.

The Hu Yang Guards were all blasted far away; even their commander was flung off without any regard for his dignity.

“This is a major crisis! These intruders mean business!” As the commander was flung away, he realized the dire peril facing Hu Yang City: “With only the Hu Yang Legion, we stand no chance against 139 colossal legion artifacts! Such a powerful force has come—unafraid of Jiang Hou’s intimidation—likely sent by the Shi Nation!”

Anyone with even a little insight could guess.

If a powerful force intrudes Shanzi into a Chaos Province, the Shen Wangs of Yu Nation will be furious! Openly invading territory means they’ll be reduced to dust within a day.

This was precisely why Xin Ying Men could never find a foothold anywhere on the Origin Continent! The entire Origin Continent had long been divided among various divine nations and great powers.

Only by representing the Shi Nation could Xin Ying Men’s intrusion into the Nine Jiang Chaos Province be seen as a conflict between two nations!

…

At the Marquis’s Mansion, panic now reigned.

“This is bad.”

“It’s Xin Ying Men!”

“They mean harm—they’re going to attack the Marquis’s Mansion!”

The divine power incarnations of the five great families gathered here, watching the surveillance scene spanning the entire city; they too saw the overwhelming might of Xin Ying Men’s entire army.

“When Xin Ying Men offended the Nine Source Great Sage, the Great Sage personally came to their sect. The three Chaos Realm masters of Xin Ying Men used their formation to resist him— Nayizhan … one of the three Chaos Realm masters was killed, the other two fled. Even now, they dare not show themselves openly, hiding only in shadows,” Mo Li Xiao frowned. “Since then, Xin Ying Men has utterly declined, even splitting apart.”

The Hu Yang Marquis nodded: “After its decline, Xin Ying Men was taken in and protected by Liu Yin Hou. Today’s attack must be ordered by Liu Yin Hou himself!”

Liu Yin Hou is among the strongest Chaos Realm masters in the entire Shi Nation; his path of cultivation was forged in blood and fire, a path of darkness and calamity. He never feared powerful foes. Even when he protected the weakened Xin Ying Men, the Nine Source Great Sage said nothing.

The Nine Source Great Sage has a gentle disposition; as long as you don’t provoke him, he has no desire to ignite a life-or-death war.

“I’ve already reported the news to the Marquis,” said the white-haired elder. “The Marquis ordered us to hold the Marquis’s Mansion.”

“Hold the Marquis’s Mansion?”

“Only by relying on the Marquis’s Mansion can we buy some time.”

Each of them felt bitter inside.

The entire Hu Yang City was like a colossal mechanical artifact, and its core was the Marquis’s Mansion! Even Blood Cloud and Yu Tian Hu back then never dreamed of storming the Marquis’s Mansion.

Only by leveraging the Marquis’s Mansion’s unique defenses could they have any confidence in holding out for a while.

Outside the Marquis’s Mansion… they had absolutely no courage to resist Xin Ying Men.

“Order the core members of the five great families to retreat into the Marquis’s Mansion first.”

“Xin Ying Men may launch an all-out attack immediately.”

The five great families were in a panic.

Even with the Marquis’s Mansion, they dared only speak of “holding out”—the power disparity was too great.

Over a thousand large warships radiated terrifying might; above them, 139 colossal mechanical artifacts hovered in midair, their presence so overwhelming that the Hu Yang Guards dared not approach, and none of the Ten Hu Yang Legions dared to intercept.

Hu! Hu!

Suddenly, two divine power incarnations descended—Hu Yang Marquis and Mo Li Xiao.

At that moment, all the colossal mechanical artifacts turned their attention to the two; thousands of Eternal True Gods and countless Void True Gods inside the warships stared over, the invisible pressure making Hu Yang Marquis and Mo Li Xiao’s hearts tremble.

“No wonder it was founded by a Shen Wang—even in decline, it still commands thousands of Eternal True Gods,” Hu Yang Marquis thought in shock.

He wasn’t surprised: when Xin Ying Men was whole, three Chaos Realm masters guarded it, and it had over ten thousand Eternal True Gods; its sect foundation spanned three entire Chaos Provinces, rooted deeply by relics left by the Shen Wang. Only after provoking the Nine Source Great Sage did it split and decline.

Even so, no one dared underestimate Xin Ying Men.

Because the two fleeing Chaos Realm masters might one day break through, no longer fearing the Nine Source Great Sage—and then Xin Ying Men could rise again.

“Gentlemen of Xin Ying Men,” Hu Yang Marquis spoke.

A three-eyed man stepped out of a warship, appearing voluntarily, smiling: “Xin Ying Men’s Feng Yu Qi greets Hu Yang Marquis and Commander Mo Li Xiao.”

“So you’re the Xin Ying Men Sect Master,” Hu Yang Marquis said. “Why has Xin Ying Men come here with such overwhelming force?”

“Sigh.”

The three-eyed man sighed softly: “Our Xin Ying Men has declined to this state. We’ve searched the world, yet found no place to establish our sect’s foundation. We’ve come to Hu Yang City merely seeking temporary shelter.”

At this moment, the 139 colossal mechanical artifacts loomed overhead, watching Hu Yang Marquis and Commander Mo Li Xiao.

Even though the three-eyed man spoke with such pitiful sincerity, neither Hu Yang Marquis nor Mo Li Xiao believed him.

If you merely seek shelter, why bring such overwhelming force?

“Please, Sect Master Xin Ying, restrain your disciples and avoid disturbing Hu Yang City,” Hu Yang Marquis said.

“I will certainly restrain my disciples,” the three-eyed man smiled. “I won’t stay with you any longer—I must attend to my disciples. There are too many of them; settling them is troublesome.”

Saying this, he immediately returned to the nearby large warship.

Hu Yang Marquis and Commander Mo Li Xiao exchanged glances, and reluctantly dismissed their divine power incarnations.

Inside the warship.

The three-eyed man’s face turned cold; he transmitted orders: “Execute the plan as arranged.”

“Yes.”

Over a thousand large warships and countless colossal mechanical artifacts moved simultaneously, their might terrifying.

“Sect Master, I always thought we should have struck with thunderous force and seized the Marquis’s Mansion outright,” an Elder transmitted. All eighteen Elders now controlled colossal legion mechanical artifacts.

“A large city is built over countless ages; its core is the Marquis’s Mansion—it’s not easy to conquer,” the three-eyed man said. “Even if we conquer it, our Xin Ying Men will suffer casualties. Our true opponent in this war isn’t the hundred or so Eternal True Gods of the five families here, but the armies under Jiang Hou.”

“Sect Master is right,” another Elder agreed. “We must preserve our strength. The stronger we are, the more Liu Yin Hou will rely on us. If we weaken ourselves fighting Jiang Hou’s army, our standing under Liu Yin Hou will drop.”

“Exactly,” the three-eyed man said. “The strongest army in the Nine Jiang Chaos Province isn’t in Hu Yang City—it’s in Nine Jiang City. Jiang Hou may even summon powerful Eternal True Gods from other parts of Yu Nation. We must proceed with caution.”

“Sect Master,” came a cold voice. “Sometimes war demands a thunderous strike—to strike fear into them. Only with sufficient killing Weishe can Jiang Hou’s army truly fear us. You don’t want your disciples to die, but when seizing a sect’s foundation, you cannot afford mercy!”

“At our current state, Xin Ying Men must tread carefully and remain united,” the three-eyed man sighed—his strongest Elder, “Heart Eye Elder,” held views contrary to his own.

“I’m only voicing this privately to you, Sect Master,” Heart Eye Elder said—he disagreed with the Sect Master.

In his nature,

he would have destroyed the Marquis’s Mansion at once, willing to pay some casualties to fully seize Hu Yang City.

If Jiang Hou dares send an army? Then kill! Kill until Jiang Hou hesitates! Kill until Jiang Hou aches!

As for disciple casualties? For the sect’s future, they’re worth it!

“The two Ancestors side with the Sect Master. Fine—though Feng Yu Qi is a bit soft-hearted, he truly cares for the sect,” Heart Eye Elder thought, forced to endure it due to the instructions of the two Chaos Realm Ancestors.

…

!.

Luo Feng, inside Meng Hua Tower, received wave after wave of news.

At this moment, all factions in Hu Yang City were alarmed, sensing the entire city might undergo a great upheaval.

“Xin Ying Men’s army has arrived in Hu Yang City? 139 colossal legion artifacts? Thousands of Eternal True Gods?” Luo Feng was stunned; he immediately shouted to his servant beside him: “Luo Sa, let’s go see.”

“What’s happened?” Mo Luo Sa was still eating meat; reluctantly, he stopped and followed his master flying outward.

Mo Yu Hu and the owner of Meng Hua Tower followed them out.

Hu!

Flying into the sky, Luo Feng gazed far off; even through Hu Yang City’s formation effects, he could still pierce the void and glimpse Xin Ying Men’s vast fleet of over a thousand warships and countless colossal legion artifacts.

“What a formidable display,” Luo Feng marveled. “No wonder it was founded by a Shen Wang—even in decline, it remains this powerful.”

Xin Ying Men was a normal Shen Wang sect; at its peak, it was a major power with countless disciples.

The Duan Dong He lineage, however, perhaps found training disciples too troublesome—each generation passed down to only one successor. The previous Duan Dong He died in the Cosmic Sea; fortunately, Luo Feng inherited the legacy and became the 193rd Duan Dong He.

“With Xin Ying Men here, Hu Yang City’s situation will change drastically,” the owner of Meng Hua Tower was anxious.

“They’ll target the Marquis’s Mansion first,” Luo Feng gazed afar, then suddenly his expression changed: “Bad.”

“Master, what’s wrong?” Mo Luo Sa asked. Mo Yu Hu and the owner of Meng Hua Tower looked puzzled.

“Xin Ying Men’s army is heading straight for the center of Hu Yang City—they’re now seizing the dwellings in the Chaos Jia District,” Luo Feng said quickly. “Let’s go, hurry back—don’t let them take my dwelling!”

“Seizing dwellings?” Mo Luo Sa was startled.

Immediately, Luo Feng, Mo Luo Sa, and Mo Yu Hu boarded a warship and pierced through space directly toward their own dwelling.

Within Hu Yang City’s boundaries, short-range space traversal was no difficulty for Luo Feng.

…

At this moment, the center of Hu Yang City—the Marquis’s Mansion—was in chaos; the elite of the five great families had already retreated into the Marquis’s Mansion.

“Xin Ying Men is attacking?” Mo Li Feiyun and Diao Rongqi were among the bustling core group of the five great families; the sisters gazed outward, knowing only that the situation had turned dire.

“Father and Gao Wu Senior Brother are preparing to fight,” Mo Li Feiyun worried.

“Don’t worry—the Marquis’s Mansion isn’t easy to breach,” Diao Rongqi comforted.

At this moment, the elite of the five great families—including the Hu Yang Legion and Hu Yang Guards—had mostly retreated into the Marquis’s Mansion; only a few still guarded the three forbidden zones.

“Xin Ying Men claims to seek shelter, yet now they’re heading straight for the Marquis’s Mansion,” the white-haired elder gazed afar.

“Are they going to start war?” the leader of Mei Wu Clan worried.

“We can only face it,” said the Hu Yang Marquis.

As branches of great families, they came to Hu Yang City to enjoy comfort—who wanted to fight to the death?

But tied to a conflict between two nations, they dared not surrender.

On the Marquis’s Mansion side, whether the direct descendants of the five great families or their vassal Eternal True Gods, there were only about a hundred in total! Even with the Marquis’s Mansion’s unique defenses, could they hold out? They had no full confidence.

Hu Yang Marquis and Mo Li Xiao gazed afar, watching Xin Ying Men’s army march toward the dwellings of the neighboring Chaos Jia District.

“This dwelling belongs to Xin Ying Men now.”

“Get out quickly.”

“We Xin Ying Men claim this dwelling.”

Every cave dwelling was directly seized.

Among them, the Zhushì clan’s cave dwelling occupied an enormous area, ranking among the largest in Chaos Zone A, far bigger than Luo Feng’s small cave dwelling—it had originally been formed by purchasing and combining multiple cave dwellings.

“All of you from the Xin Ying Sect, this is the ancestral land of the Zhushì clan,” said Zhú Gǔ, the clan’s patriarch, personally appearing, with five Eternal True Gods trailing behind him, all bowing respectfully. “The Zhushì clan is willing to offer treasures to preserve our ancestral land.”

“And what of ancestral land?” Suddenly, a massive golden eye descended, its voice thunderous. The golden eye fixed upon Zhú Gǔ, filling him with dread—he felt the threat of death.

“Vacate immediately, or not a single member of the Zhushì clan will be left alive. As for your so-called offering of treasures? Show them to me. If they are not valuable enough, you need not bother moving—just die here all together.”

The thin old man Zhú Gǔ’s green arcane markings twisted on his face; the five Eternal True Gods behind him were filled with grief and outrage.

“Very well, we will leave at once,” Zhú Gǔ could only endure, daring not to defy even slightly, while still obediently surrendering his treasures.

……

“Whose cave dwelling is that?” A colossal mechanical war artifact turned toward Luo Feng’s small cave dwelling.

“Uncle, that is the cave dwelling of Luohe Shenjun,” a disciple reported.

(End of Chapter)