Chapter 915: Ulterior Motives

"Stay in your own quarters. Do not wander around or discuss anything recklessly. Wait for me to return before making any decisions." As soon as they returned to the detached residence, Chen Yang immediately ordered the Qingyang City group.

Without waiting for their replies, he turned and strode quickly outside.

The others exchanged glances, then silently returned to their temporary lodgings.

Han Li returned to his room, a contemplative look crossing his face.

He wondered what had happened to make E Kui directly order the suspension of the Five Cities Tournament. Could it really be that the Puppet City had chosen this very moment to launch an attack?

He thought of seeking information from Gu Qianxun, but considering that she was probably just as confused, he gave up the idea.

In truth, he had no interest in the conflict between the Xuan City and the Puppet City. However, this turn of events had disrupted his plans.

If the tournament could not proceed smoothly, his goal of obtaining the Tianlin Meteorite would be postponed indefinitely. And without resolving the隐患 of the Black Calamity Insect, even if he found a way to escape this secret realm, he would face trouble outside.

Han Li pondered for a moment, then quickly shook his head, abandoning futile speculation.

Since matters had reached this point, he would wait and see.

With that thought, he let out a light breath, sat cross-legged, and slowly closed his eyes.

The city was under martial law everywhere, with squads of black-armored soldiers guarding all major thoroughfares.

Near the city gates, the ground rumbled as underground passage entrances emerged. Teams of black-armored soldiers poured out, climbed the city walls, and soon filled them.

On the walls, a series of clicking sounds arose as the stone blocks shifted aside like living creatures, and every hundred zhang, a dark stone tower rose.

Each tower was equipped with enormous ballistae, loaded with giant bolts.

Most of these bolts were silver-white, glinting with a cold sharpness.

A few, however, were fiery red, inscribed with white patterns, exuding an explosive aura—clearly special bolts.

Besides these arrow towers, the walls were lined with catapults, mechanical weapons, and various puppets.

On the Chongxuan Mountain Range near Xuan City, figures and giant mechanical weapons were faintly visible.

All eyes were fixed on the distance, as if facing a great enemy.

…

After Han Li had sat quietly in his room for most of a day, a Qingyang City attendant suddenly came to summon him to Chen Yang's residence.

Without hesitation, he went to the meeting hall, where seven or eight people were already present, including Gu Qianxun, Yi Liya, and Xuan Yuan Xing.

Gu Qianxun nodded to Han Li in greeting.

Han Li walked over and sat down beside her.

"The city is under martial law everywhere. It doesn't look good," Gu Qianxun said slowly.

Han Li frowned but said nothing.

"I know what Fellow Daoist Li is worried about. If the Five Cities Tournament is truly canceled, I will find a way to help you obtain that Tianlin Meteorite," Gu Qianxun transmitted.

"I don't deserve favors without merit. Why would Fellow Daoist Gu help me?" Han Li's eyes flickered as he asked.

"I have my reasons for helping you. Simply put, you still have value," Gu Qianxun said flatly.

"Then I am relieved," Han Li said with a smile.

As they spoke, all the Qingyang City members had arrived, and Chen Yang emerged from the inner chamber.

"I called everyone here because of the commotion outside. I have clarified the cause. Within ten thousand li north of Xuan City, a large force from Puppet City has been discovered," Chen Yang said gravely.

Though most had guessed as much, hearing it confirmed brought varied expressions to their faces.

Some showed fear, others a glint of hatred.

Han Li's eyes, however, brightened slightly.

Since he had found no trace of Zi Ling within Xuan City, he had long planned to go to Puppet City at the first opportunity. Now they had come to him.

"City Lord, how many people are there from Puppet City? Could it be a few who strayed here by accident?" someone asked.

"The exact number is unclear, but City Lord E Kui has confirmed that Puppet City Lord Sha Xin is among them. Xuan City issued a warning, but they ignored it and continue to approach. Their intentions are hostile," Chen Yang said, shaking his head.

"Are Xuan City and Puppet City going to war again?" Gu Qianxun asked, frowning.

"Puppet City Lord Sha Xin leading the expedition without prior warning is not a good sign," Chen Yang said slowly.

The room fell silent. All eyes were on Chen Yang, but no one spoke. A pin drop could be heard.

"Don't worry, everyone. Now that the elites of Xuan City and its four affiliated cities are gathered here, and we have the advantage of terrain, those from Puppet City will not gain the upper hand," Chen Yang said, shifting his tone to lighten the mood.

Hearing this, the group's spirits lifted slightly.

"In the meantime, prepare yourselves as best you can. If war truly breaks out, we will have to fight," Chen Yang said, scanning the crowd.

Though worried, none were cowards; they all agreed in unison.

Chen Yang nodded in satisfaction at their response, then announced some city regulations.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, do you think the Puppet City Lord's sudden appearance is really for a full assault on Xuan City? Or is there another purpose?" Han Li transmitted to Gu Qianxun.

"Hard to say. Xuan City and Puppet City alternate between peace and conflict, but most of the time they are hostile, with constant small-scale skirmishes. After years of mutual slaughter, deep enmity has formed. Every large-scale clash between the two forces is exceptionally fierce," Gu Qianxun replied via transmission.

"I suppose periods of détente are due to external factors?" Han Li asked.

"They only join forces when facing natural disasters or large-scale beast tides. If I recall correctly, the last major battle was thirty thousand years ago. The main battlefield was Baiyan City. The fighting lasted nearly a century, destroying most of the city and causing countless casualties. At that time, the Baiyan City Lord was not Sun Tu but another person, who unfortunately died in that war. Sun Tu then seized the opportunity to become City Lord," Gu Qianxun said.

"I didn't expect such intense conflict among the survivors in this desolate secret realm, almost forgotten by the outside world," Han Li said, shaking his head.

"All struggles are for scarce resources. In the end, both Xuan City and Puppet City aim to escape this sunless secret realm," Gu Qianxun said, glancing at Han Li meaningfully.

"I should have thought of that. But those with such aspirations are mostly the upper echelons here, aren't they?" Han Li nodded.

"Who knows... If war does break out, you must not be careless. Individual strength is insignificant in large-scale battles," Gu Qianxun warned.

"City Lord, although the Puppet City forces are outside, it's hard to guarantee their target isn't Qingyang City. We are all in Xuan City now. If they send a main force to attack Qingyang City, our defenses there won't hold," Yi Liya said after Chen Yang finished his announcements.

"Do you think I don't know that? But even if we rush back to defend Qingyang City now, it's too late. We can only pray that their target is not there," Chen Yang sighed.

Chen Yang then gave some final warnings before dismissing everyone.

The other three cities in the detached residences had also received news of the Puppet City approach and quickly gathered their forces, standing ready.

After some time, horns sounded throughout the city, echoing the war drums.

The once bustling streets were now empty. The few pedestrians hurried by with panicked faces, and all shops were shuttered.

On the main roads, squads of armored soldiers and a few beast-drawn carriages sped toward various parts of Xuan City, the air thick with tension before the coming storm.

On the walls at Xuan City's main gate, countless black-armored soldiers worked methodically.

Just then, a group ascended the wall, and the soldiers ahead quickly made way.

Leading them was E Kui, accompanied by seven or eight others, including Tong Song, who had led Han Li and the others into the city, and the eagle-nosed man.

E Kui gazed silently into the distant sky, and no one dared disturb him.

After a moment, E Kui's brows furrowed.

A gray line appeared on the distant horizon, accompanied by thunderous rumbling as it rolled forward.

The black-armored soldiers on the wall soon saw the distant situation, stirring restlessly. Each tightened their grip on their weapons.

Expressionless, E Kui raised his arm and waved forward.

The main gate of Xuan City swung open with a rumble, and countless black-armored soldiers poured out. Most marched on foot, while about three-tenths rode various scale-beasts, forming several phalanxes on the open ground outside the city.

A sharp cry came from the Chongxuan Mountains near Xuan City, and then flocks of flying scale-beasts swooped down. Most were vulture-like scale-beasts, carrying black-armored soldiers on their backs. They filled nearly half the sky, forming a battle formation, ready for action.

The gray line in the distance had grown much larger, now a sandstorm-like gray cloud. Within the cloud, an army of countless puppets was faintly visible.

The puppet army seemed to sense the formation outside Xuan City and halted about a thousand li away, advancing no further.

The soldiers on and below Xuan City's walls, seeing the Puppet City army, felt their battle spirit surge. They looked to E Kui, waiting for his command to charge.

But what happened next caught everyone off guard.

The Puppet City army simply remained still in the distance, not pressing forward. This made E Kui frown slightly, and he did not issue the order to attack.

The two sides remained deadlocked.