Chapter 67: The Fall of the Incense-Burning Tower

"What did you say!"

At the Incense-Burning Tower, Sect Master True Person Yiyang stared in a daze at the straggling remnants of his defeated army, unable to believe the facts he was hearing.

The entire army wiped out?

How could this be possible!

The Heaven-Walking Sword Sect was merely a fallen little sect; they were called a Third-Grade sect only because everyone was used to calling them that. In reality, the entire sect didn't even have a single Third-Grade expert, and even among Fourth-Grade experts, there was only the Sect Master, Shen Tang!

For the Incense-Burning Tower, such an opponent was nothing more than a pushover.

He had already considered it a case of a lion using its full strength to hunt a rabbit, dispatching hundreds of elite soldiers and fierce generals. Among them were three Third-Grade experts—including an alchemist, a Daoist practitioner, and a sword cultivator—five or six Fourth-Grade experts, and thirty or forty Fifth or Sixth-Grade ones!

He had almost drained the Incense-Burning Tower of its combat power; what difficulty could there be in crushing a mere Heaven-Walking Sword Sect with such strength?

Even if it were a group of pigs of that grade running wild, the Heaven-Walking Sword Sect couldn't possibly have caught them all in such a short amount of time!

Furthermore, this surprise attack was supposed to be very secretive. Under normal circumstances, the opponent might not even have activated their mountain-protecting array. It should have been a complete and total massacre...

As a result, everyone from the Third Grade and above was wiped out; not a single one returned. Even the Third-Grade powerhouses didn't come back, and all those who ran back were Seventh or Eighth-Grade lackeys...

This blow was about to knock out three-quarters of the Incense-Burning Tower's combat strength!

"Sect Master, it's true." The disciple who ran back cried out: "Originally, Elder Chang had Dharma Protector Zhang, Dharma Protector Qin, and the others lead the vanguard. Once they entered the Heaven-Walking Sword Sect, they never came out again. We were left outside, trapped in a strange array... In the end, Dharma Protector Zhu was even killed by Dharma Protector Zhang's flying sword!"

The externally hired Dharma Protectors had defected!

True Person Yiyang understood everything in an instant.

How could a mere Heaven-Walking Sword Sect win such a battle? It was because Zhang Shaoyou, Qin Buwang, and those people had switched sides at the last moment. No wonder!

And no wonder the opponent was so prepared, having opened a great net to wait... From beginning to end, this was all caused by traitors!

True Person Yiyang felt dizzy and was so angry he almost vomited blood. He slumped into his seat and gritted his teeth, whispering: "I knew these people couldn't be trusted..."

Yang Dechang, the guest retainer of the Huo family, stood beside him, his eyes showing a hint of amazement.

He truly hadn't expected Princess Chaohuang to be capable of fighting such a battle. If these results were told to anyone beforehand, no one would believe it. He also wondered how much credit Lu Xingzhou, the suspected Seventh Young Master, deserved in all this... It seemed the combination of Princess Chaohuang and Seventh Young Master Huo needed to be re-evaluated.

"Mr. Yang!" True Person Yiyang said urgently: "Whether it was the trouble at the Grand Ceremony or this surprise attack, it was because you said Prince Jin was supporting us from behind that we did it! Given the current situation, what do you have to say?"

There was a trace of imperceptible contempt in Yang Dechang's eyes.

With such strong forces, to be beaten like this by the weak Heaven-Walking Sword Sect, how could they have the nerve to ask me for an explanation? How was I supposed to know you were all such trash?

He could only be the one connecting the dots from behind the scenes; how could he possibly come to the forefront himself? Whether it was leaking the Huo family or leaking Prince Jin, those were life-threatening matters.

Of course, he was also afraid that True Person Yiyang wouldn't be able to hold up and would go around shouting that Prince Jin had ordered this, which would also be a troublesome matter. Yang Dechang pondered for a moment, then revealed a smile: "The True Person has paid a great price this time; Prince Jin is aware of it. How about this: I will go and report to Prince Jin, asking him to secretly send more powerhouses to the True Person, as well as various resources for support. As for the people Prince Jin sends, the True Person can rest assured; they are absolutely reliable."

True Person Yiyang stomped his foot: "By the time you report back to Prince Jin and he sends powerhouses, who knows how much time will have passed? The crisis facing the Incense-Burning Tower is imminent!"

"Even if Shen Tang incited Zhang Shaoyou and the others to defect, she wouldn't dare to absorb and employ them immediately. There is a lack of trust between the two sides, and it will take time for them to work together." Yang Dechang comforted him: "Moreover, attacking is not the same as defending. Your sect has its own mountain-protecting array and hidden seniors. Even if Shen Tang has already finished integrating them, your strengths are still evenly matched. Shen Tang isn't crazy; how could she dare to come and attack so rashly?"

True Person Yiyang knew this logic in his heart, but the crushing defeat he had never imagined left him extremely panicked: "Since Mr. Yang says so, then go quickly and return quickly... All of you, pass on my order: from today on, close the mountain, recall all members, and activate the mountain-protecting array!"

Yang Dechang smiled slightly and vanished into thin air.

…………

At noon, a motorcade flying the City Lord's flag left Xiazhou.

City Lord Sheng Yuanyao, dressed in the official uniform of the Demon Suppression Division, rode a fine horse at the front to clear the way. Her fiery red cloak fluttered lightly in the wind and snow, and her high ponytail looked capable and handsome, causing many in the procession to gaze at her with sparkling eyes.

The team consisted of fierce warriors from the Demon Suppression Division. In fact, when Sheng Yuanyao first arrived, many felt that a young girl like her couldn't possibly do the work of the Demon Suppression Division, let alone lead it... They feared she might just be a spoiled young lady making a mess of things. But over the past two months, everyone's impression of her had changed surprisingly for the better.

Although Sheng Yuanyao still had the ideals and dreams of a young girl in many matters, and was sometimes so naive it made people want to laugh, her serious and responsible attitude was beyond reproach. Moreover, everyone could see that she truly loved this profession.

She couldn't be bothered to manage the City Lord's duties, instead eating and living at the Demon Suppression Division every day, her mind filled with chasing down demon cases. She had never used her position to bully others or do anything underhanded, and she hadn't taken a single cent in bribes.

She was beautiful, dashing, full of vitality, and a sight to behold.

If only she weren't so overly curious and didn't listen to her subordinates' gossip every day, it would be perfect... Two days ago, when Old Wang was caught cheating on his wife, what did that have to do with you, a dignified Commander? You actually went to watch in person...

The reason it was a motorcade was that there was a carriage in the procession. The carriage wasn't for the dignified City Lord herself to sit in, but for a pair of "dogs" (a couple).

Cripples have privileges... although the colleagues in the Demon Suppression Division didn't know why the Commander was bringing this pair of cripples along.

Dugu Qingli wasn't as shameless as this pair of cripples; she was too embarrassed to squeeze into the carriage, so she held Anuo and rode another horse, invisibly giving the couple a private space to be alone.

"Is it that good to look at? You've been staring without blinking."

Lu Xingzhou had been lifting the curtain and smiling as he watched the heroic posture of Sheng Yuanyao riding her horse ahead. He had been watching for nearly half an hour, and Shen Tang, who was in the same carriage, finally couldn't bear it anymore and asked this question with a sour tone.

Lu Xingzhou lowered the curtain and sighed: "If I said I was mainly looking at the snow scenery, would you believe me..."

Shen Tang made a sour face: "I don't believe you. You were definitely looking at Sheng Yuanyao."

"In the wind and snow, the female knight's heroic posture is like a painting." Lu Xingzhou laughed: "And look at Qingli; she looks quite lovely after changing her clothes, too."

Shen Tang turned to look. Because they were disguised as the "City Lord's Guard," Dugu Qingli had also changed into a Demon Suppression Division uniform. She had inexplicably transformed from an icy little white-haired girl into a figure of serious, cold sternness. It really was true that clothes make the person; temperament could indeed be changed by one's attire.

"Then what about me?" Shen Tang lowered the carriage curtain, her eyes shifting: "I'm wearing the same thing, you know."

The two were sitting face to face. Lu Xingzhou looked at Shen Tang in her Demon Suppression Division uniform, pursed his lips, and subconsciously shifted his gaze slightly.

This is really deadly. I never felt she was this well-endowed before; how did changing into a relatively tighter uniform make her look so buxom? Coupled with her current expression of slight anger and thin resentment... When others wear this, they look serious or heroic, so why do you look so inexplicably seductive wearing it...

A true "uniform temptation."

Seeing his slight retreat, Shen Tang bit her lower lip and deliberately said in a charming voice: "What, am I not as good-looking as them?"

The embrace and kisses in the early morning had brought a small change to their relationship. Words that used to get stuck in their throats, feeling like they would break some window paper if spoken, now felt so casual.

Anyway, Shen Tang had basically figured out Lu Xingzhou's thick skin by now. If they were sitting side by side, he might be getting handsy, but sitting opposite each other like this, he wouldn't be so shameless as to move over, so teasing him a little was fine.

As a result, Lu Xingzhou bent over without expression and grabbed Shen Tang's ankle.

Shen Tang: "?"

Lu Xingzhou said with a straight face: "Sect Master, as your attending physician for your leg injury, I have an obligation to remind you that your leg injury needs to be checked frequently to prevent a recurrence. Especially after the fierce battle last night, you must be even more careful..."

The fierce battle last night... Shen Tang had been sitting in a wheelchair pretending to be a cripple and hadn't stood up at all; what did that have to do with her leg?

The battle with the corpse puppets in the secret realm was the only fierce battle where you left the wheelchair; why didn't you say anything then?

Just as Shen Tang was about to pull her little foot back, her shoe was taken off, revealing her beautiful little foot. Lu Xingzhou's expression was serious: "Don't move around; a recurrence of a leg injury is a very serious matter..."

As he spoke, he really did rub up along her lower leg with a straight face, as if he were truly examining it.

Shen Tang was both angry and amused, her eyes like autumn waves, her face blushing to her ears: "I should have known... you're not a good person..."

She had thought that since he had already touched her lower leg for ten days, she should have been numb to it by now... But back then, it was truly for medical treatment, while now he was holding it to play with. The psychological experience was completely different, and she was so ashamed she almost cried out, biting her lower lip hard to keep from giving herself away.

But she was the one who started this; what could she do?

If she had known, she wouldn't have teased him...

But since he had touched it so many times, it seemed like it was nothing...

The poor Princess didn't even think that she could just pull it back; what was there to "do"...

Dugu Qingli glanced in from outside the window.

Practicing the Yellow Supreme World-Shocking Scripture, no typos.

A wind blew past in the distance, and Dugu Qingli's expression shifted slightly, her hand pressing on the hilt of her sword.

Yang Dechang's voice came from somewhere: "Don't be anxious, Miss... I have something I wish to discuss with Princess Chaohuang and the Seventh Young Master."

Dugu Qingli said indifferently: "You can just transmit your voice to them; why are you looking for me?"

Yang Dechang was extremely embarrassed: "But... Princess Chaohuang and the Seventh Young Master are currently... they are, you know..."

"Oh, they are observing a leg injury." Dugu Qingli casually picked a withered branch from the roadside and threw it into the carriage with a "whoosh."

Lu Xingzhou's hand was just about to cross her knee and move upward when it was hit by the branch with a "slap," and he pulled it back as if electrocuted.

Dugu Qingli's voice came: "Stop the treatment; someone is looking for you."

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