Chapter 598: Doubts

On the towering city gate of Chiguang City, several figures were gazing into the distance, taking in everything that was happening below the gate.

"City Lord, this young man is incredibly formidable—even the commander of the Windstorm Realm is no match for him!"

The speaker was named Ding Qi, a trusted aide of City Lord Su Hu, a great expert at the eighth level of the Soul Sea realm.

Su Hu's expression remained calm, but the hint of surprise in his eyes was unmistakable.

Hearing Ding Qi's appraisal of the young man, he nodded and said, "I wonder where this young man came from. His strength is truly terrifying! He's only at the Sea Transformation realm, yet he can fight across an entire major realm!"

Ding Qi's eyes flickered as he said, "City Lord, could this young man be reinforcements sent to us by the Alliance?"

Su Hu was taken aback, then nodded. "All our communications with the outside world have been cut off; we have no idea what the Alliance's arrangements are. Hearing you say that, it's possible. But... what if it's a trick?"

Ding Qi was startled. "Now that you mention it, City Lord, I am a bit worried. Since the young commander of the Windstorm Realm took command of his army, he has been invincible, personally dealing with many troublesome opponents, and I've heard he kills them all in one blow. That young man is strong, but it's almost too incredible."

With Ding Qi's analysis, Su Hu's doubts deepened. "Now that you mention it, I really am suspicious! That young man is unreasonably strong. Just now, those ten Soul Sea mid-stage experts couldn't even withstand a single move from him! Although his punch looked terrifying, it could easily be a staged act!"

"And that young commander clearly didn't go all out. With so many warriors against five people, why would they let them pass?"

"Yes, and another thing! Even if that young man is really that strong, he's just one person. How does that help the battle situation? Even if he can come and go freely, how can he lead so many people to safety?"

Ding Qi and Su Hu exchanged glances. "Could it be that this young man is really here to trick us? Once we open a gap in the great formation, those Windstorm Realm warriors below will have an opportunity! I'm not worried about the others, but that young commander is too strong—he's practically unrivaled below the Divine Travel realm! If we give him even a sliver of a chance, the lives of the entire city are at stake!"

The two went back and forth, finally concluding Ye Yuan's "true identity."

By this time, Ye Yuan had already arrived at the city gate.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Lingyun was watching them from not too far away, still wearing a smile.

"City Lord Su Hu, we are reinforcements sent by the Alliance. Please open the formation and let us in!" Qin Yan shouted, his voice amplified by his yuan energy.

Su Hu frowned and exchanged a glance with Ding Qi.

Ding Qi understood and called out, "Do you have any proof?"

Qin Yan produced something like a silk scroll, struck a hand seal into it, and the scroll vanished, reappearing before Su Hu.

Su Hu took the scroll and saw that it was indeed issued in the name of the Alliance, but his expression did not improve.

The Boundless Alliance had been established too recently; many systems were not yet perfected.

Chiguang City was too far from Wufang City, and they were unfamiliar with many of the Alliance's protocols.

A mere silk scroll—they had no way to verify its authenticity.

"This thing is too easy to forge. We cannot open the formation!" Ding Qi declared.

Qin Yan was taken aback, not expecting these people to be so rigid. He was somewhat proud by nature, and coming to help this city only to be disbelieved made his aristocratic temper flare.

"Open your dog eyes and see! I am the direct grandson of Qin Hongtao, the ancestor of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. Do you think I would fake that?" Qin Yan shouted angrily.

Su Hu's suspicions only grew. He sneered, "Heh, would Ancestor Qin send his own grandson here? Don't make me laugh! It seems you are indeed sent by the Windstorm Realm to trick us!"

"You!" Qin Yan was momentarily speechless, unable to retort.

Indeed, logically, Qin Hongtao would not send his grandson to such a dangerous place, especially after they had so brazenly fought their way into the city.

Seeing this, Su Hu shook his head in disappointment. "Alas, it seems the Alliance is unreliable. Are all the Boundless Realm warriors in this city doomed to die?"

The city was now packed with warriors, and as city lord, Su Hu was under immense pressure.

Faced with the situation outside, he had to be extremely cautious. One wrong move, and the cost would be unbearable.

"Heh, it seems your own people don't trust you much!" Shangguan Lingyun said with evident schadenfreude.

Ye Yuan turned and glanced at him indifferently. "You seem quite pleased with yourself."

Shangguan Lingyun smiled. "Shouldn't I be? Even if I let you through, you can't get into the city, can you?"

Ye Yuan suddenly smiled. "You four, follow me closely. We're going into the city."

"Huh?" The four were stunned. Before they could react, Ye Yuan had already moved to the edge of the formation.

"What are you waiting for?" Ye Yuan urged.

The four quickly followed.

Ye Yuan stepped forward and directly crossed into the formation.

Seeing this, the smile on Shangguan Lingyun's face froze instantly.

This formation, which had held back thousands of troops, was as if it didn't exist for Ye Yuan?

The reason the five armies of the Windstorm Realm had been besieging without attacking was precisely because of this formation!

This formation was called the Mystic Crystal Iron Chain Formation, a genuine fifth-grade low-rank formation. Unless a Divine Travel realm expert came, it was impossible to break.

All along, Shangguan Lingyun had not been in a hurry, simply besieging the city. Once it became isolated, they would eventually take it.

Who could have imagined that this formation, which even Divine Travel realm experts couldn't crack, Ye Yuan would simply step into?

Qin Yan and the others were overjoyed and quickly followed Ye Yuan into the formation.

On the city wall, Su Hu's face changed dramatically. He quickly said to Ding Qi, "Hurry, activate the formation and kill the five of them!"

Ding Qi was also startled. He quickly took out a talisman, infused it with yuan power, and sent it to the formation's control center.

The one presiding over the formation was a young fourth-rank formation master named Shao Siqi.

Although he couldn't unleash the formation's full power, he could still activate it to defend against warriors below the Divine Travel realm.

Receiving the message from the talisman, he dared not delay and quickly activated the formation, intending to kill Ye Yuan and the others.

But as he activated it, Shao Siqi's face changed. "What's going on? This... the Mystic Crystal Iron Chain Formation is no longer under my control!"