From this point, it was clear that Sima Xuan was no ordinary man; Lingyan City at that time was supposedly impregnable, yet it fell with barely a word—shattered.

The guard general, upon hearing that Bai Xiaomo had been killed, instantly lost the arrogance in his expression, his face turning ghostly pale. He stammered, his voice catching, “You… what did you say? Young Master… the Young Master was killed?” His eyes were wide with disbelief; he truly could not comprehend that his master’s heir had met such an end.

“Mm,” Sima Xiongfeng nodded heavily.

Having confirmed this devastating news, the guard general dared not linger or speak further. He immediately dispatched riders at full gallop to notify the Bai family while personally leading Sima Xiongfeng toward the City Lord’s Mansion.

Half an hour later, in the largest hall of the City Lord’s Mansion, seated upon the grandest chair at the very front was an old man clad in a long, white robe. His hair was entirely white, his face etched with age, giving him the appearance of a man nearing the end of his days.

Yet, no one dared to underestimate this elder. Even the Emperor of the Tianyuan Empire, upon seeing him, would respectfully address him as 'Uncle-Grandfather.' Indeed, this was Bai Yunlan, the City Lord of Baidi City.

Below him sat four other men. Three of them had hair streaked with grey, but their physiques remained robust, making them appear only in their early forties. These three were Bai Yunlan’s three Martial Saint sons: the eldest, Bai Tianyu; the third, Bai Tianhu; and the fourth, Bai Tiankun. Even the youngest, Bai Tiankun, was well over eighty, but having stepped into the Martial Saint realm, their physical vitality had increased immensely, making them look barely past middle age.

The fourth man present was Bai Yunlan’s youngest son, Bai Ziyun.

Bai Ziyun was born to Bai Yunlan when the City Lord was one hundred years old, his birth coinciding precisely with Bai Yunlan’s centennial birthday. For Bai Yunlan, achieving fatherhood in his old age was the greatest gift heaven could bestow. For this reason, he personally named him Bai Ziyun and doted on this son above all others.

And Bai Xiaomo was Bai Ziyun’s only son, naturally becoming Bai Yunlan’s most cherished grandson.

Besides these four, two others stood in the hall. One stood behind Bai Yunlan, dressed in a white long gown, handsome and dashing, with sharp, brilliant light flashing in his eyes. This was the most outstanding genius of the younger generation in the Bai family, having already reached the Grandmaster realm at a tender age, with one foot already crossing into the Martial Saint threshold—a talent even surpassing figures like Huangfu Buyue or Dugu Qian.

He was also Bai Yunlan’s most favored great-grandson.

The last person present was naturally Sima Xiongfeng, the messenger. Facing four Martial Saints simultaneously, even though Sima Xiongfeng was accustomed to countless intense situations, he was covered in a cold sweat, his heart filled with dread.

“Speak. What exactly happened?” Bai Yunlan spoke calmly, yet his voice resonated with forceful strength, utterly unlike that of a man nearing his end.

Sima Xiongfeng quickly recounted how Bai Xiaomo led the four legions of Silver Armor troops out of the city and subsequently fell into an ambush.

“You are saying Xiaomo was killed during the clash between the two armies?” After hearing Sima Xiongfeng’s account, Bai Yunlan stated plainly.

“Yes,” Sima Xiongfeng affirmed, though his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

“If he died in the midst of battle, then he was simply outmatched. He deserved to die,” Bai Yunlan roared suddenly.

The force of his shout startled everyone in the hall; even Bai Ziyun dared not utter a word of protest.

Since Bai Xiaomo chose that path, he should have been prepared for death. While the Bai family was powerful, they would never act unreasonably to shield the guilty. If Bai Xiaomo had been assassinated, he would certainly pursue the murderer; but having been killed head-on in battle, Bai Yunlan would not interfere, even though Bai Xiaomo was his most beloved grandson. This was precisely why the Bai family had produced countless experts over the years: once a family member chose their path of cultivation, the elders were forbidden from interfering or blindly indulging them. Unless the death was unnatural, the elders absolutely could not seek vengeance for the deceased junior.

“But City Lord, General Bai didn’t die because he was outmatched; rather, it was because…” Sima Xiongfeng trembled inwardly and quickly relayed the detailed intelligence he had obtained to Bai Yunlan. Although he didn’t know what weapon the Shu Yun Army had used to kill Bai Xiaomo, he knew for certain that Bai Xiaomo’s death was not a normal battlefield casualty.

“Father, you must seek justice for Mo’er!” Hearing Sima Xiongfeng’s words, Bai Ziyun sprang up from his seat and immediately knelt before Bai Yunlan. Bai Xiaomo was his only son, and he was heartbroken. If his son had truly perished in a standard engagement, he would have had to suppress his grief out of respect for the Bai family rules. But since this was clearly not a natural death, there was no reason for him not to demand vengeance.

Bai Yunlan looked at his son’s anguished face, then recalled Bai Xiaomo’s stubborn gaze, and sighed softly.

“Tianyu, take your seventh brother and go to Lingyan City to investigate. Ascertain the truth. If Xiaomo was indeed killed by that mysterious weapon, find the culprit, bring them back to Baidi City, and I will personally deal with them.”

“Yes, Father,” Bai Tianyu immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to Bai Yunlan.

“Jingfei, you will accompany your great-uncle and seventh grand-uncle on this trip as well,” Bai Yunlan added calmly.

“Yes, Great-Grandfather,” Bai Jingfei also bowed respectfully.

“Besides Ziyun and Jingfei, Tianyu, take ten additional Grandmasters with you,” Bai Yunlan swept his gaze over Bai Jingfei, then instructed Bai Tianyu below.

“Understood, Father.” Bai Tianyu bowed again. However, Sima Xiongfeng below was terrified. Ten Grandmasters, plus Bai Ziyun and Bai Jingfei—that made twelve Grandmasters.

Heavens! Baidi City truly deserved its reputation as the place with the most masters in the world. A casual deployment involved one Martial Saint and twelve Grandmasters.

In any other region, such a force would be enough not just to establish a powerful sect, but to found an entire nation. It was no wonder the former Emperor had always treated the Bai family with utmost courtesy.

Bai Yunlan cast another look at the stunned Sima Xiongfeng below, sighed softly, and rose, walking toward another area. Meanwhile, Bai Tianyu stepped forward to help his seventh brother up, comforting him in a low voice. It could be said that Bai Ziyun was not only Bai Yunlan’s treasured son but also the beloved younger brother of Bai Tianyu and the others. When Bai Ziyun was born, Bai Tianyu’s own grandson was already in his teens.

How could they not dote on him? The others also rose to console Bai Ziyun. Only Bai Jingfei awkwardly beckoned Sima Xiongfeng over; he genuinely had no idea how to comfort this Seventh Uncle-Grandfather who was a decade older than him.