Chapter 577: Expansion

Thanks to prior preparations, Lin Feng now held most of the information within Zhao Guo in his hands, and he knew the towns surrounding Chishi Commandery like the back of his hand.

If not for this, Lin Feng would not have directly ordered the Zhiren army to officially begin operations; after all, one must know oneself and the enemy to be victorious in every battle!

While he did not believe there would be any major issues in dealing with a mortal kingdom, being cautious was never a mistake.

That was why he had arranged for the Shuangzi Gui to conduct a detailed investigation within Zhao Guo, ensuring no areas were overlooked to avoid stumbling at the final hurdle and wasting troops for nothing.

According to the Shuangzi Gui's findings, the highest combat power in all of Zhao Guo belonged to a few God-Ghost level Guidao Xiushi, most of whom were in the capital. As for other forces, they existed in various prefectures, but power exceeding the Tribulation-Ghost level was pitifully scarce.

Although Zhao Guo was called a country, it was actually a feudal system. Every prefecture was a local emperor in the true sense; the Son of Heaven in the capital had very little power to conscript them, and beyond that, he could do nothing.

Therefore, the incident at Chishi Commandery had basically not reached the ears of Zhao Guo's true upper echelons. In this world, information dissemination remained very backward, even with the assistance of Guiyi power.

In short, due to various factors, Zhao Guo remained completely unaware of the massive army that had suddenly appeared at Chishi Commandery.

At dusk, in Jiang City on the other side of Heifeng Shan, the city gates had already been closed by the busy guards, and the villages surrounding the city had also locked their gates.

Calamities caused by Guiyi occurred frequently in the Cangming Jie, and the people who had lived here for generations had long since developed their own survival rules.

For example, every place would invite some "immortals" that sounded powerful to be worshipped, or after nightfall, every household would sprinkle incense ash obtained from temples around their eaves, or in remote areas, there would be naturally dim-witted village guardians...

Although these methods could not guarantee people's safety, having them was better than nothing; even if it was just for psychological comfort, it made people relax and feel more at peace.

Otherwise, living in constant fear of sudden, tragic disasters would make it impossible to even live a life free from hunger, let alone farm fields or raise livestock!

At this moment, the afterglow of the setting sun still lingered in the sky. The guards standing on the walls of Jiang City were already yawning; they had long since become accustomed to this day-after-day night watch life.

From initial fear to later numbness, basically every guard had come through this way.

To them, if a disaster really happened, they were powerless to stop it; the only thing they could do was scream at the moment before the disaster arrived to alert others.

"Crack, crack, crack."

However, this evening seemed somewhat unusual. A guard standing on the wall had good eyesight and saw from afar that quite a few troops were approaching Jiang City from the outskirts.

"Damn it, why are there still people wandering outside?"

Such a thought habitually popped into his mind. Just as he was about to complain, his peripheral vision suddenly caught that those troops were not ordinary civilians.

This discovery gave him a violent jolt, and he immediately shouted, "Someone is attacking the city! Someone is attacking the city!"

He didn't know if shouting like this was right, but as long as he shouted, it couldn't be wrong!

"What!!"

"Where did these troops come from!"

"Quick, quick, quick, notify the General!"

"Hurry and report to the City Lord!"

"..."

In almost an instant, the previously sluggish city defense army began to bristle and scream like a frightened cat.

"Boom, boom, boom~"

The intense drumming soon broke the tranquility of the evening. The people in the city were instinctively stunned upon hearing the drums, and then, as if they had suddenly realized, they all began to flee back to their homes, bolt their doors and windows, and hide carefully, not daring to show themselves.

In the City Lord's mansion, the City Lord, who was hosting a Guidao Xiushi, saw his fawning smile freeze. The wine cup in his hand was crushed flat unconsciously, and the anger in his heart began to accumulate continuously.

"Sigh, it seems heaven does not grant one's wishes; tonight's banquet can only end here."

"Not at all, not at all. It is fine to have this banquet another day. However, this Daoist would like to see who exactly dares to come here and court disaster!"

The Guidao Xiushi opposite also had an unpleasant expression, but as an invited guest, he naturally could not lose his temper, so he spoke to the other party in this manner.

"Hahaha, with Daoist brother taking action, those petty thieves will surely flee at the sight of us!"

"..."

After a brief mutual boast, the two left the table and hurried toward the city gate.

Outside the city, the Zhiren Marshal leading the ten-thousand-strong Zhiren army had already seen the city ahead. However, he did not continue to advance, but stopped in place and waited silently.

The Zhiren army under his command deployed their formation, composing a special military array to ensure they could respond to attacks from all sides at any time.

"Someone, go forward and challenge them! Convey our purpose and the words of the Master!"

"Give them one quarter of an hour to consider. If they do not open the gates and surrender after one quarter of an hour, then attack the city immediately. I want to enter the city before the sun sets completely!"

With the military array prepared, the Zhiren Marshal gave the order. Immediately, a Zhiren General who looked exceptionally tall and fierce stepped out, and his Ghost Domain unfolded, instantly erupting with an extremely terrifying power.

The sky, which had already dimmed, began to change in an instant. Thick, dark clouds gathered, followed by streaks of purple lightning spreading in the high sky. A terrifying sense of oppression instantly enveloped the entire Jiang City along with the surrounding villages and towns.

Then, an extremely huge face began to form in the sky. Anyone on the ground only had to lift their head to see this face formed by dark clouds and lightning.

"By the order of the Yuling Wang, we lead the army here to recover lost territory!"

"The Yuling Wang, mindful of past kindness, does not wish for mass slaughter, and hereby grants you permission to open the gates and surrender!"

"If you have not surrendered after one quarter of an hour from this moment, our army will begin to attack the city. When the city falls, all officials, Guidao Xiushi, wealthy gentry, noble families, and great clans within the city will be executed!"

"If you open the gates and surrender, these people may retain their family property and be spared the death penalty..."

The huge face in the sky spoke like thunder, every word making people feel their entire bodies trembling, and the meaning within was incomparably clear.

The City Lord and the Guidao Xiushi who had just climbed the city wall turned pale instantly. Until now, although they still did not know who the so-called Yuling Wang referred to, anyone who could casually command such a large army to create such a massive commotion was definitely not simple!

And right now, they were facing a simple choice: should they open the city gates and surrender?

Surrendering was no different from handing over their own lives to the other party; if they didn't surrender and the city fell, then their families would inevitably be destroyed! ===== CHAPTER 578 =====