Chapter 237

Yao Li Jia, the head of the Yao clan, was already waiting outside the city gate to receive them; he cupped his fists at Li Youyi, his gratitude unspoken.

Li Youyi knew from Yao Xingyue's eyes that experts were definitely rushing toward the city gate. He returned the salute and left quickly, heading toward the North City.

He sighed in his heart: "The little nun still has a conscience!"

Li Youyi was very observant and could see that Ku Di didn't care that much about Ji Di's life or death. The reason she compromised was just to use Li Youyi's hand to release the people.

North City.

The imperial court's largest stronghold in Qiuzhouzhoucheng, the Prefecture Governor's Mansion, was broken through by the Zuoqiu Gate Court last night through internal and external cooperation.

And now, the Prefecture Governor's Mansion had instead become a sanctuary for the Zuoqiu Gate Court and the Nine Li tribe Wu Xiu. Cang Li, Li Ling, Li Jiu Fu, and other Nine Li tribe Wu Xiu had all retreated here.

It wasn't that they didn't want to retreat to the South City, but they couldn't go back.

The enemy's numbers were several times theirs, and they were only able to hold out until dawn because the formations in the Prefecture Governor's Mansion were numerous and well-preserved.

Li Youyi did not dare to get close to the Prefecture Governor's Mansion.

On the streets several miles away from the Prefecture Governor's Mansion, he could already see many Wu Xiu from the imperial court, the Far West Ash Region, and the Snow Sword Tang Court guarding every street corner.

Ge Xiantong and Luan Sheng and Lin You must be somewhere nearby; this place could be said to be extremely dangerous.

On the South City side, it was mainly the Dragon Gate and the Lei Xiao Sect attacking, responsible for destroying the various strongholds established by the Zuoqiu Gate Court. The main forces of the imperial court, the Far West Ash Region, and the Snow Sword Tang Court were all gathered in this area, surrounding the Prefecture Governor's Mansion like an iron bucket.

Li Youyi wandered on the edge, listening to various information and thinking about rescue methods.

If the Prefecture Governor's Mansion were broken, how many people would be put on roasting racks, how many would be beaten to their knees, stripped of their clothes, and lose all dignity. The evil demons of the Far West Ash Region definitely had methods that would make people wish they were dead.

And the war in reality would only be more cruel than this.

In reality, the Far West Ash Region's westward advance to conquer human territory was clearly visible even to a junior like Li Youyi; it was an inevitable trend.

What would the defeated lose besides their lives?

Li Youyi walked a circle around the edge of the layout of the three major forces, his mood heavy to the extreme. Experts were like clouds, Five Seas realm phalanxes were everywhere, and Great Thought Masters were setting up formations on every street...

The number of top experts was so high that I'm afraid nearly half of the two hundred strong holders were gathered here.

In this situation, let alone one Li Youyi, even ten Li Youyis would be left without even bones if they charged in.

Prefecture Governor's Mansion.

After resisting the attacks of the three major forces for a night, everyone was exhausted, but they didn't dare to rest, putting all their efforts into recovering magic power and mental power.

Cang Li sat on the mansion wall, which was as tall as a city wall, his right arm hanging down; it was broken by Luan Sheng and Lin You during the pursuit last night when he stayed behind alone, almost following in the footsteps of Yin Jiu.

Li Ling's mental power was severely depleted, nearly three hundred Golden Arrow Talismans were destroyed, and she had multiple wounds on her body.

The Zuoqiu Gate Court suffered heavy casualties, with nine Seventh Sea experts killed in battle, each of whom was a famous genius in their state. Now their cold corpses were laid on the ground, covered with white cloth.

Everyone's mood was very low, and they all knew that being able to hold out until dawn was already a fluke. Facing the encirclement of the three major forces, total defeat was only a matter of time.

If there was an option to surrender, some of them would definitely be very tempted.

Zuoqiu Hongting wore a wooden carved mask and a green Taoist robe, her whole body stained with blood. Having intercepted Ge Xiantong and Luan Sheng and Lin You one-on-two last night, she also suffered not-insignificant injuries.

But under the mask, her eyes were still sharp, without a trace of decadence.

Walking to the side of Cang Li and Zhu Yibai, she stood on the mansion wall, heroic and upright like a battle flag, looking at Luan Sheng and Lin You sitting in the center of the street in the distance, and asked in a low voice: "Do you two have any regrets about cooperating with me?"

Zhu Yibai lay on the ground like a character, not wanting to move his eyelids: "Regret what? The Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival is just a drill for the world situation. If we lose, at least we helped the Zhu Gate tread a wrong path, proving that cooperating with the Zuoqiu Gate Court is likely a dead end. It's quite good, it has value."

Cang Li said: "Whether we regret it or not, the Nine Li tribe and the Zuoqiu Gate Court have long been in the same boat. The Far West Ash Region is coming aggressively, and the imperial court is too busy to take care of itself; if we can't get the support of the Du'e Temple, how can we block the Southern and Western Territories? This is not a personal battle, it's a matter of the world!"

Zuoqiu Hongting smiled: "The fact that you two can jump out of the pattern of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival and see the world situation is the vision that a true inheritor should have. In fact, you don't have to be so discouraged; according to the strength of the five major forces, if they joined forces, we should have died last night. Why are we still alive now?"

Many eyes looked toward her.

Zuoqiu Hongting was full of spirit: "Because the five major forces cannot cooperate sincerely; they didn't stop fighting in secret last night, so it's good enough if they can exert sixty or seventy percent of their strength!"

"Lu Cangsheng and the Dragon Palace haven't arrived in the North City yet, which means they haven't pulled out all our strongholds in the South City."

Cang Li shook his head: "That shouldn't be; with the strength of the Lei Xiao Sect and the Dragon Gate, they should have cleaned up the South City long ago."

Zuoqiu Hongting said: "So, there must be a variable in the South City... eh... Li Youyi..."

Li Ling and Cang Li immediately stood up and looked into the distance along Zuoqiu Hongting's gaze.

Ten miles away, on the city wall of the inner city.

Li Youyi stood at the top of the tall city tower, let out three long whistles, and then flashed and disappeared.

Several experts rushed out of the camps of the imperial court and the Far West Ash Region to pursue him.

Cang Li felt confused: "What does he mean by this? Even if he lured away a few experts, it wouldn't change the overall situation, and he put himself in danger."

Zuoqiu Hongting's eyes under the mask flashed with brilliance: "This guy Li Youyi is not a reckless person; doing this must have a deep meaning."

"Even if there is a deep meaning, facing Ge Xiantong and Luan Sheng and Lin You, it's a dead end," Zhu Yibai said.

Zuoqiu Hongting didn't think so, and suddenly her heart moved: "I understand! The direction he was standing in just now is directly opposite the area where the imperial court Wu Xiu are located; perhaps he is telling us to break out from this direction."

Zhu Yibai sat up: "Face Ge Xiantong and Chen Ziliang? I'd rather fight Tang Wanqiu."

Li Ling said: "I think Sister Hong's analysis is reasonable. Li Youyi would never run there and whistle three times for no reason; he must be passing information to us, wanting to cooperate with us from inside and outside."

Zuoqiu Hongting suddenly chuckled: "I know how to break the situation! Besides the Prefecture Governor's Mansion, where is the imperial court's largest stronghold?"

"Naturally, it's the Attendant Hall located in the South City," Cang Li said.

Zuoqiu Hongting said: "To break the situation, we must first break the current balance of power in the city. The imperial court and the Far West Ash Region are too powerful; only by crippling one of them and letting the other side see the opportunity to eliminate their biggest competitor can the Zuoqiu Gate Court get rid of the dead end of being besieged."

Zhu Yibai was overjoyed: "You mean, at all costs, severely damage the imperial court and then take down the Attendant Hall. Let Luan Sheng and Lin You see the opportunity to clean up the imperial court, their biggest opponent?"

Zuoqiu Lancheng said: "This is too difficult, right? Whether we can kill our way out of the encirclement is still unknown. Then, we have to attack the Attendant Hall with a tired army; any step is as difficult as ascending to heaven. And even if it succeeds, it's just making wedding clothes for Luan Sheng and Lin You."

"It's very difficult, but this is our only chance to rewrite the war situation. Only by letting the existing balance of power collapse and letting Luan Sheng and Lin You fight the imperial court do we have a glimmer of life."

Zuoqiu Hongting said: "That's it! Right now, we can only choose to trust Li Youyi. Since he whistled three times... notify everyone to hurry up and recuperate; in three quarters of an hour, break out from the direction of the imperial court. Life, death, and victory depend on this battle."

Li Youyi changed his appearance, changed his clothes again, and ordered a bowl of beef noodle soup at a noodle shop at the bridgehead by a big river.

He sat facing the shop's door, and could see boats passing by on the river, which was more than ten feet wide.

By the bridge, a storyteller in a Confucian robe was telling the story of the several fierce battles that happened last night.

"The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky should stand. The year is Jiazi, the world is auspicious."

After the old gentleman shouted this slogan, it caused everyone to clap and cheer.

Li Youyi always felt the voice of this Confucian-robed old man was familiar, so he channeled magic power to his eyes, wanting to see what he looked like.

But a figure flashed in front of him, and an uninvited guest sat opposite him, blocking his view, shouting in a delicate voice: "Shopkeeper, please cook me a bowl of noodle soup."

The owner of this delicate voice was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, his skin as white as porcelain, his eyebrows and eyes clear, wearing a dust-free white robe, wearing a jade crown, his temperament elegant and noble, completely out of place with the environment here.

But he was very easygoing, always smiling on his face, and very polite.

Li Youyi's noodle soup was served first, and after holding it in his hand, he hesitated for a moment and asked: "How about you go first?"

The delicate boy waved his hand hurriedly: "Everything has a first come, first served; how can I grab your noodles? Just like, it is clearly the territory of the Lingxiao Palace; if everyone comes to grab it, the world will be in chaos, and the people will not be able to live. If the rules are broken, everyone has to pay for those who break the rules."

Li Youyi said: "Isn't the territory of the Lingxiao Palace also grabbed from the Lei Xiao Sect?"

"When the Fog Emperor was there, it was indeed like this. But the catastrophe a thousand years ago, the Lingxiao Life Realm was equivalent to having been destroyed once; it was the Great Palace Master who killed out a new Lingxiao Life Realm for the world's common people. Without the Great Palace Master, there would be no life in the Lingxiao Life Realm now."

The delicate boy said: "You seem to know who I am?"

Li Youyi took a sip of the noodle soup and sighed: "Do you people in the imperial court all have dog-like noses and eyes that see through everything?"

The delicate boy said: "Since you escaped, you shouldn't have appeared again. Do you know? I actually don't call myself Ge Xiantong, but Ge Xiantong. It's just that I have been following the Great Palace Master since I was a child, and I looked like a child, so I was misnamed."

Li Youyi said: "Misnaming hurts people! I thought the Disguise Technique was a remarkable technique in the world, but I didn't expect to meet a nemesis. Do you really have a pair of immortal pupils?"

Ge Xiantong looked at Li Youyi carefully, observing his eyes: "Strange, it's really strange, didn't Jiang Ning bring the words to you? Why are you not afraid of me at all? Don't you know I'm here to... kill you?"

As soon as the word "kill" was spoken, a cold murderous aura enveloped the entire shop.

The wind couldn't blow in, and the sound couldn't be transmitted in.

The noodle soup in the bowl no longer steamed, and all dynamics were suppressed.

"Anyway, I'm blocked here by you, what's the use of being afraid? What kind of person are you, Ge Xiantong, you shouldn't be in a hurry for a bowl of noodles, right?"

Li Youyi started eating noodles.

"Not in a hurry, I just fought all night, and I'm hungry too!"

Ge Xiantong took out a pair of chopsticks, stood up hurriedly, and reached out to catch the noodle soup served by the shopkeeper.

The murderous aura had temporarily converged and gone.