Chapter 895: Turmoil

"City Lord Qin is questioning this Xuan Warrior under my command. What's wrong with him answering truthfully? As for you, who do you think you are? Did anyone ask you to speak?" Chen Yang glanced at Feng Wuchen and said coldly.

"You..." Feng Wuchen was furious, pointing at Chen Yang, about to say something.

"Cough, cough, Wuchen, step back. Don't lose your manners. City Lord Chen has a way with his subordinates, admirable, admirable." Qin Yuan waved his hand to stop Feng Wuchen from continuing, speaking with a forced smile.

"Likewise." Chen Yang smiled faintly and said.

Han Li listened to these words, his expression unchanged, not a ripple on his face.

Feng Wuchen's gaze at Han Li was full of murderous intent.

"Hmph, a shameless usurper without loyalty or righteousness, still putting on airs here, utterly disgusting. Do you really think we dare not destroy you?" Fu Jian suddenly raised his eyebrows, glared, and roared.

"It seems City Lord Fu has quite a grudge against me. If you want to destroy little old me, feel free to try." Chen Yang laughed heartily, showing no sign of backing down.

Upon seeing this, Tu Gang and others from Qingyang City under his command stood up, glaring angrily at Fu Jian and his men.

The men from Tongyu City under Fu Jian's command also stood up in response.

Although Xuanzhi City Lord Qin Yuan did not speak, he coughed violently. His men, led by Feng Wuchen, all looked toward Tu Gang and the others, their eyes showing eagerness to try.

Inside the hall, swords were drawn and bows bent; only a spark was needed for an immediate outbreak.

"Oh dear, I'm late, I'm late. Everyone, calm down, don't hurt our harmony here..." Just then, a strange magnetic voice came from outside the hall.

A fat, bearded old man in a gray robe walked in, smiling as he said to everyone:

"We are all under the Mystic City, so naturally we should help each other and not fight among ourselves. If you really want to fight, you can wait until the Five Cities Tournament to do so."

"Fellow Daoist Sun, you look well." Chen Yang's smile deepened as he saw him enter and said.

"City Lord Chen Yang, haha... congratulations, congratulations..." The gray-robed old man returned the greeting with a smile.

As he spoke, he led his men to sit opposite Han Li and the others.

This man was the only one among the other three cities who was willing to greet them with a smile.

"Is this Sun Tu, the city lord of Baiyan City?" Han Li transmitted to Gu Qianxun.

"Yes, that's him. Don't be fooled by his smiling, friendly demeanor; he actually has the deepest foundation among the four subsidiary cities, but he usually keeps a low profile. See that pig-faced guy behind him?" Gu Qianxun asked.

Han Li slightly turned his body to see past Sun Tu's bulky frame that behind him was a short, ugly-looking youth who did not sit but followed closely.

Calling him pig-faced was an exaggeration; his nose was slightly upturned and his lower lip jutted out, making him look somewhat pig-like.

The youth's eyes were set wide apart, giving him a dull look. He held a greasy roasted scale-beast leg, gnawing on it intently, his eyes never leaving it.

"I see. What's special about him?" Han Li asked in confusion.

"His name is Fang Chan. Don't be fooled by his gluttonous, sleepy, harmless appearance. Once he starts fighting, he changes completely. For some reason, he can emit a very peculiar sound wave attack through his mouth and nose. Those hit often feel numb all over and lose the ability to resist. I've suffered from him before." Gu Qianxun transmitted back.

Han Li listened and took another deep look at Fang Chan, silently noting what Gu Qianxun had said.

Seeing Sun Tu act as a mediator, Chen Yang naturally went along and sat down with Tu Gang and the others.

Fu Jian and Qin Yuan exchanged glances and also sat down.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, Fellow Daoist Fu, when did you arrive at Mystic City?" Sun Tu looked at them and asked.

"Just two days ago, cough, cough..." Qin Yuan showed a smile and replied.

"Only a few days earlier than him." Fu Jian closed his eyes again and said.

"Ah, I was delayed by some matters and only arrived yesterday. I haven't had time to visit you two. It's been a long time since we last met." Sun Tu laughed.

"Cough... We haven't seen each other since the last Five Cities Tournament. Cough, cough... I never thought that after parting with Fellow Daoist Du, we would never meet again..." Qin Yuan said with some regret.

"Such is fate... Fellow Daoist Chen Yang was able to step up and take his place by his own ability. Fellow Daoist Qin need not dwell on it too much..." Sun Tu said.

As they spoke, heavy footsteps sounded outside the hall. A middle-aged man of medium build and ordinary appearance stepped over the threshold, followed by a man and a woman in bone armor.

The middle-aged man had graying temples and some wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. His appearance was truly ordinary, no different from a farmer one might see in the market.

The two behind him, however, were one handsome and spirited, the other stunningly beautiful with a cold temperament. The bone armor they wore was different from others, adorned with fine patterns, looking quite magnificent.

With these two following him, the middle-aged man seemed somewhat unusual, giving off an unfathomable air.

As soon as they entered the hall, Fu Jian and Sun Tu immediately stood up. Qin Yuan, a step slower, pulled his legs off the table and also stood upright.

Their men also stood up in unison.

Chen Yang's men reacted quickly, immediately guessing the identity of the unremarkable middle-aged man, and stood up as well.

"Greetings, City Lord Ekuai." They all bowed and said in unison.

Han Li noticed that Gu Qianxun's gaze was fixed on the spirited bone-armored youth.

"What? Fellow Daoist Gu, have you taken a fancy to that handsome man, or do you have a grudge against him?" Han Li transmitted.

"His name is Zhu Ziyuan. He practices a strange ancient body-refining technique, and his cultivation is unfathomable. He has won the Five Cities Tournament championship several times in a row, but in fact, he never goes all out in any Xuan fight. You'd better pray you don't have to fight him too soon." Gu Qianxun ignored his teasing and transmitted back.

The middle-aged man walked to the host seat, showed a gentle smile, and pressed his hand down slightly to signal everyone to sit.

Seeing this, no one sat down.

Ekuai showed a helpless smile and sat down first.

The armored man and woman stood on his left and right respectively.

Only then did the four city lords sit down one after another, followed by the others.

"Fellow Daoists have traveled a long way. Mystic City's hospitality has been lacking; please forgive us." Ekuai said, showing no intention of mentioning the earlier conflict in the hall.

"Ah, City Lord Ekuai, what are you saying? You flatter us..." Sun Tu quickly said.

"Haha... The Five Cities Tournament has always been a grand event among the cities of Mystic City, a demonstration of each city's overall strength. It greatly benefits the interaction among our five cities and promotes the improvement of our respective strengths." Ekuai said with a smile.

Sun Tu and the others nodded in agreement.

"I see many new faces among the participants this year. Good, good... Our Mystic City lineage produces talents. The Five Cities Tournament should have more fresh faces to show the vitality of each city." Ekuai's gaze swept over the crowd, lingering a bit longer on Chen Yang and his men, with a pleased smile in his eyes.

Qin Yuan exchanged a glance with Fu Jian. They kept their smiles but were secretly displeased.

Wasn't the Mystic City Lord's statement equivalent to tacitly encouraging acts like Chen Yang's rebellion against his master? If their subordinates wanted to replace them in the future, would they also receive support?

Despite their dissatisfaction, they dared not show it, for the seemingly gentle City Lord Ekuai was the top cultivator in their Mystic City faction.

"In recent years, the Puppet City's strength has grown rapidly. Although they have held back and not engaged in large-scale direct conflict with us, in areas where our forces intersect, their layout is more thorough, and they have begun to gain the upper hand. We must be vigilant." Ekuai suddenly sighed and said.

"You are right, City Lord. In recent years, Heiliang City, not far from our Tongyu City under the Puppet City, has been frequently active, often sending hunting teams across the border into our territory to hunt scale beasts. Although they retreat as soon as they encounter our hunting teams, these repeated attempts are still unsettling." Fu Jian frowned and said.

"It's similar on our side, but we've had a few small-scale clashes, and we've mostly won." Sun Tu said with a somewhat proud expression.

"Our Xuanzhi City is farther from Puppet City, so it's relatively calm. However, incidents of spies sneaking in still occur. Before I came, I personally executed a Xuan Warrior of considerable strength. That guy had hidden in my Xuan arena for thousands of years, and only when cornered did he use his ultimate puppet technique." Qin Yuan also spoke.

"Ah, it seems the situation is unstable now. Qingyang City has been through turmoil recently and is most likely to be infiltrated by Puppet City. City Lord Chen Yang must be careful." Sun Tu looked at Chen Yang and said with a meaningful tone.