Mo Han knew his only recourse now was to glean information about Nangong Haitang from these soldiers; otherwise, in this chaotic mess, finding her would be impossible. With that thought, Mo Han instructed Daili to protect Murong Feixue, grabbed a weapon at random himself, and plunged into the fray. Mo Han’s entry instantly shifted the balance of the battle. Though the black-clad figures possessed considerable strength, they were no match for him, and he swiftly cut them down across the courtyard.

The City Lord’s soldiers, though they didn't recognize Mo Han, understood he wasn't an enemy upon seeing him repel the attackers. The arrival of such a powerful ally electrified their spirits, and they pressed their counterattack against the black-clad assassins. Despite being at a disadvantage, not a single one of the assailants turned to flee; they fought to the death.

Alas, they had encountered Mo Han. No amount of desperate fighting could overcome his might. Within a few exchanges, the dozens of black-clad figures in the courtyard were annihilated by the combined efforts of Mo Han and the City Lord’s guards. At this moment, a soldier, clearly a captain, approached Mo Han, bowed respectfully, and politely inquired, "Thank you for your assistance, hero. Otherwise, I fear both my brothers and I would have perished at the hands of these black-robed assassins today."

Mo Han had no time for pleasantries and urgently pressed for Nangong Haitang’s whereabouts.

Although the soldier captain sensed no malice from Mo Han, he dared not reveal Nangong Haitang's location, instead questioning Mo Han’s purpose. He likely feared that if Mo Han intended harm to the City Lord, no one in the City Lord's guard could possibly stop him given Mo Han's skill.

Seeing this, Mo Han grew increasingly anxious but could do nothing to earn the captain’s trust; the captain was merely fulfilling his duty.

Just then, Murong Feixue spoke from behind Mo Han. "You must be soldiers of the Silver Fox Legion. This is His Highness Prince Mo Han, newly ascended in the Empire. I am Murong Feixue of the Murong family. Even if you don't know us, you must surely recognize this troop deployment token of the Murong family."

Murong Feixue raised a golden plaque in her hand. On its face,

a magnificent dragon was vividly depicted ascending through clouds and mist—the unmistakable insignia of the Murong family's Raging Dragon Legion. Engraved in the center of the dragon were the two large, golden characters: "Murong." Upon seeing this golden token, the faces of the Silver Fox Legion soldiers changed dramatically.

Since they all belonged to the Empire’s major legions, they naturally recognized such a gold token. Their Silver Fox Legion’s token bore the image of a silver fox, whereas the Murong family’s displayed a great dragon; everything else was identical. Each legion in the Empire possessed one such token, representing the legion's highest authority. These tokens allowed the holder to mobilize all soldiers belonging to the legion designated by the token. They immediately recognized the token in Murong Feixue's hand as the ultimate symbol of the Murong family’s Raging Dragon Legion. Coupled with Murong Feixue's renowned status among the Empire's Five Great Legions, the Silver Fox soldiers instantly accepted Mo Han and Murong Feixue’s identities and hastily saluted them.

From them, Mo Han learned that

not long ago, over a hundred black-clad assassins had suddenly flooded the entrance of the City Lord's Residence, killing indiscriminately. The City Lord’s guards were no match for them and were quickly routed, forced to send emergency signals requesting aid from other troops in the city. Just as they were about to be overwhelmed, Mo Han and his companions arrived. As for the other assassins, they had all surged toward the rear courtyard, though the soldiers did not know Nangong Haitang’s exact location. They only overheard that when the incident began, Nangong Haitang was in a meeting with the leading generals of Meige City, so they presumed Nangong Haitang and the others were still in the Council Hall.

It seemed these black-clad assailants had long laid a conspiracy. They chose this time precisely because all the Meige City generals were gathered at the City Lord’s Residence. Normally, these generals remained in their respective camps under heavy guard; even if the assassins managed to kill one or two, it would alert the others. Therefore, the black-clad operatives chose this moment to strike, aiming to eliminate all Meige City generals in one fell swoop. If they succeeded in killing every general present, Meige City would truly descend into chaos.

Hearing this, Mo Han hesitated no longer. After confirming the location of the Council Hall, he, Daili, and Murong Feixue flew toward it. Following the direction indicated, they saw a vast square before a towering structure where two to three hundred people were locked in a dense melee. Nearly a hundred of the combatants were the black-clad figures, while the remainder consisted of the City Lord’s guards and several Meige City generals.

This must be the Council Hall the soldier captain spoke of. However, the City Lord’s guards and generals were clearly at a disadvantage. The black-clad assailants were superior in skill and moved with seamless coordination. Although the City Lord's forces outnumbered the assassins by more than two to one, the disparity in fighting prowess was too great; the guards were surrounded, completely unable to launch an effective counterattack.

If not for the presence of several commanding generals fighting alongside the soldiers, they would have already been wiped out. Even so, without outside reinforcement, the besieged soldiers and generals could not hold out much longer. By the time other military units from the city arrived, everyone present would likely be slaughtered by the black-clad figures.

These possibilities had clearly all been calculated by the assassins, accounting for their precise timing. If Mo Han and his group hadn't arrived when they did, hardly any of the generals and soldiers present would have survived. Mo Han secretly admired the exceptional foresight and precise calculation of the mastermind behind this plan.

At that moment, Murong Feixue pointed excitedly toward a middle-aged general surrounded and protected by a cluster of guards and officers. Standing beside this general was a boy of about fourteen or fifteen, his face alight with excitement, clutching a longsword, pressing closely against the general’s side. If the general hadn't held him back, the boy would surely have charged out to join the fight.

Mo Han conjectured that this middle-aged general must be Nangong Haitang, the head of the Nangong family, and the boy beside him, Nangong Tian, Nangong Haitang's son. Indeed, Murong Feixue turned happily to Mo Han and said, "Brother Mo Han, that middle-aged general in the yellow uniform is Uncle Nangong, and that is Cousin Tian beside him."

Nangong Haitang currently surveyed the unfolding situation with a calm demeanor, betraying no hint of panic. He constantly issued crisp commands to the surrounding officers for counterattacks, maintaining perfect order. He truly lived up to his status as one of the heads of the Empire's Four Great Families. Even though the Nangong family was the weakest of the four, their inherent strength was beyond common comparison. It was clear that their ability to hold out this long was intrinsically linked to Nangong Haitang’s command.

Suddenly, Mo Han felt faint ripples of magical fluctuation sweeping through the air—someone was covertly casting magic. Though not overtly obvious, the caster had clearly attempted to conceal their magical signature, but to a master of Mo Han's caliber, it was like an amateur showing off their meager skills.

Mo Han observed for only a moment before pinpointing the caster's location. The faint magical echoes emanated from one figure among the black-clad crowd who was also shrouded in a black robe. A small golden flower was embroidered on the cuff of this figure's sleeve. Seeing this insignia, Mo Han’s heart gave a jolt. Wasn't this the unique mark of the Dark Church? Why was it here? Could these people be connected to the Dark Church? The thought instantly reminded Mo Han of the Dark Saintess, Liu Yanran, and a wave of guilt washed over him. After they parted ways in Behemoth City, he had promised Liu Yanran he would visit her, but continuous events had prevented him from fulfilling his promise.

Now, more than half a year had passed, and he still hadn't found the opportunity to see her. Liu Yanran must absolutely despise him for being such a philanderer. If he hadn't seen this mysterious black-robed figure who might be connected to the Dark Church today, he might not have even recalled his promise to Liu Yanran. At this thought, Mo Han felt a genuine distaste for his own womanizing nature for the first time.

What was Liu Yanran doing now? Why would a Dark Church sorcerer appear here? Liu Yanran and her master had promised him they would peacefully reform the Church, and they knew of his ties to the Sky Dragon Empire. They shouldn't be sending agents to attack the Empire's officials and generals at this juncture.

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