Sima Xiongfeng arrived at Haizhou's White Emperor City from Yanzhou, taking over ten days even at a full gallop. However, when Bai Tianyu and his twelve Grandmasters reached Lingyan City, they took only two and a half days. They spent just half a day investigating Bai Xiaomo's cause of death. Once it was confirmed that Bai Xiaomo had indeed been murdered, a furious Bai Ziyun charged directly toward the Lingyan City Lord’s Mansion, determined to capture Ye Jingyu alive…
Meanwhile, the City Lord’s Mansion housed three Young Masters. Lingyan City's great victory had allowed them to seize this, the largest granary in Yanzhou. Yet, all three armies had suffered losses, and this was the opportune moment to regroup. With Lingyan City as their base, the rebel armies from across Yanzhou were flocking there in eager droves…
In just three days, the rebel forces gathered outside Lingyan City exceeded one hundred thousand. Combined with the over two hundred thousand troops already stationed outside the city and some surrendered soldiers, Lingyan City's total strength approached four hundred thousand…
Of this total, Luo Ruofeng commanded as many as one hundred and sixty thousand troops. Among them were over fifty thousand elites brought from the Shu Yun Kingdom, while the remaining hundred thousand plus consisted of the various rebel forces and the soldiers who had surrendered to Lingyan City…
Though this represented a massive military force, both Luo Ruofeng and Zhuge Yishi understood that turning this army into their army would take several months at minimum. This was especially true for the surrendered troops; they still remembered being soldiers of the Tianyuan Empire, they still remembered being Sima Xuan’s army. If Sima Xuan showed any disloyalty, they would certainly follow him into rebellion…
To control this power, Luo Ruofeng kept Sima Xuan under soft house arrest within the City Lord’s Mansion, completely scrambling the organization of his forces and mixing them into the greater army. However, eradicating the seeds of sedition in their hearts would require time…
Luo Haitian and Luo Muyan employed the same strategy, though their contingent numbered only one hundred and eleven thousand. They were currently camped outside Lingyan City, and even the two Young Masters showed no intention of moving into the city to reside with Luo Ruofeng. They were merely receiving massive supplies from Lingyan City…
Luo Ruofeng had initially assumed that once Sima Xuan was controlled, and after Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke finished their secluded training, they could march on Blazing Flame City. He never anticipated the arrival of a group of uninvited guests outside the City Lord’s Mansion that very day…
There were only thirteen of them, but the moment these thirteen figures appeared before the City Lord’s Mansion, the two Grandmasters assigned to protect Luo Ruofeng’s person immediately pulled him away without a word…
Naturally, Bai Tianyu and his entourage had come looking for trouble with Ye Jingyu; as long as others did not obstruct them, they were largely indifferent…
Luo Ruofeng left in such haste, so abruptly, that he couldn't even notify Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke, who were still in seclusion…
He felt immense reluctance, towering anger, and overwhelming reproach for the two Grandmasters. But when the two Grandmasters informed him that the group of thirteen contained twelve Grandmasters and one Martial Saint, Luo Ruofeng was instantly struck dumb…
Twelve Grandmasters—even the Three Great Sects of the Shu Yun Kingdom in their heyday did not openly boast that many. Including their hidden, geriatric experts, they might have counted ten Grandmasters at most. Now, twelve arrived in a single group…
Fine, Grandmasters were formidable, but with the ten thousand or so soldiers near the City Lord’s Mansion fighting with all their might, there might be a chance to kill them. But now there was also a Martial Saint… A Martial Saint! That was an existence akin to transcending mortality!
Twelve Grandmasters plus one Martial Saint—let alone having just over ten thousand men around him, even within an army of over one hundred thousand, one could not hope to stop their advance…
A single Martial Saint might not be enough to annihilate an army of a hundred thousand, but to strike down one person amidst such a vast force? That would be as easy as picking something up from the palm of one's hand!
Yet, Luo Ruofeng couldn't comprehend why so many top-tier experts would appear outside the City Lord’s Mansion. Could they be Sima Xuan’s reinforcements?
Zhuge Yishi and Nangong Shang had been busy training the newly reorganized troops in the encampment outside the city. When they saw Luo Ruofeng being rushed away by the two Grandmasters in such a disheveled state, their eyes filled with shock…
Upon learning of the thirteen arrivals, Zhuge Yishi instantly thought of the Bai family from the Eastern Sea…
“General Ye killed Bai Xiaomo of the Bai family earlier. They have come for General Ye…” In an instant, Zhuge Yishi deduced the identity of this group…
Hearing the name Eastern Sea Bai Family, everyone’s expression drastically changed. They were a clan of fanatics who had always ignored worldly affairs, pursuing only the Way of Martial Arts. Furthermore, they were a super-family teeming with masters. Three hundred years ago, they ranked among the top ten sects, and now, three centuries later, while the Qinlong Sect and Hundred Flower Gate had declined, the Bai Family’s strength had only grown more immense…
If the declining Qinlong Sect was something Shu Yun Kingdom couldn't withstand, what hope did they have against the continuously flourishing Bai Family? Fortunately, ever since Bai Xiaodi abdicated, the Bai Family had strictly forbidden their disciples from interfering in court politics and never participated in the struggles between nations. These maniacs arriving now, it seemed, were purely here to avenge Bai Xiaomo…
“What are we to do? Are we simply going to stand by and watch Xiao Yu be killed?” Upon hearing Zhuge Yishi state that the Bai Family wasn't here to deal with the Shu Yun army but only sought Ye Jingyu, he felt a brief wave of relief, only for worry to immediately resurface…
“When facing such high-level martial might, we have no means of intervention. Therefore, we can only wait…” Zhuge Yishi stated softly…
“Wait?” Luo Ruofeng was stunned. Wait for Ye Jingyu to be killed?
“General Ye is blessed by providence; he will not die so easily…” Zhuge Yishi said calmly, yet his words carried an underlying tone of immense self-assurance…
If Ye Jingyu were truly so easy to kill, Zhuge Yishi would never have personally emerged from seclusion to follow him…
“Mr. Zhuge, do you realize what you are saying? At a time like this, you speak of General Ye being blessed by providence! Young Master, this humble subordinate implores permission to lead troops into battle and rescue General Ye…” At this point, Chen Qi spoke up. As soldiers, they never understood the meaning of fear. Even knowing that the enemy possessed a terrifying expert like a Martial Saint, their soldier’s nature dictated they could not sit idly by…
“Nonsense! If it were a group of Grandmasters, we might be able to drag them down using sheer numbers. But facing a single Martial Saint, whose every move carries immense power, sending more men is just feeding them to the slaughter… Young Master, our primary concern right now is counteracting any potential rebellion by Sima Xuan. You need not worry about General Ye. If anything truly happens to General Ye, Yishi is willing to offer his own head as a sacrifice in General Ye’s honor…” Hearing Chen Qi’s suggestion, Zhuge Yishi, who had remained impassive, let out a cold snort and guaranteed Ye Jingyu’s safety with his own life…
Hearing Zhuge Yishi's confidently spoken assurance, everyone present was momentarily taken aback. They truly couldn't fathom where Zhuge Yishi derived such certainty…
Just as Luo Ruofeng and the others stood there utterly bewildered, weapons were already clashing in the rear courtyard of the City Lord’s Mansion…