In Harmony Splendor City, Immortal Academy’s Celestial Sword praised by the whole world was about to go extinct. At the same time, on a slope a hundred li from Harmony Splendor City, a group of Great Mang officials and cultivators were currently awaiting death.

These Great Mang officials and cultivators, including several Purgatory Mountain disciples, were all like that Yunqin female spy, individuals transferred over from Great Mang by Wenren Cangyue through great effort.

When that Yunqin female spy admitted to her identity, these Great Mang officials and cultivators already thought that this was just a false alarm. Staying in this mountain slope camp, after enjoying a feast that was already considered quite extravagant on the front lines, most of the people here all believed that they would all be sent back afterwards. However, soon afterwards, all of these people’s bellies felt a wave of pain, the pain making their stomachs feel like it was splitting apart inch by inch, even the cultivators among them unable to use their own soul force.

There was poison in the food!

All of these people reacted. “Why?!” An incredibly pale-faced Great Mang cultivator whose entire forehead poured out drops of sweat asked a high ranking officer dressed in scaled armor who was watching over them, furious and unable to understand.

This officer turned around, not looking at him, only saying with an ice-cold voice, “You all should understand that Great Marshal always wants to remain absolutely safe.”

“Just because there are suspicious people and because of that Yunqin female spy being here, all of us have to accompany her to the grave?” This Great Mang cultivator began to laugh out of bitterness. “Turns out Wenren Cangyue never wanted to let us go from the very start, this meal was just a last supper to see us off?”

This high ranking officer dressed in scale armor still didn’t look at him, only coldly saying, “For the sake of Great Mang, for the sake of this battle’s victory… regardless of whether it is you all or our lives, none of these things are big deals.”

“What a Great Mang.” This Great Mang cultivator began to laugh loudly. “Only, being forced to die this way, compared to willingly giving up our lives for Great Mang, it really is different.”

The head of that Great Mang high ranking officer dressed in scaled armor hung slightly, not saying anything in reply.

When they heard these two’s conversation, everyone understood the result they were all about to face. “Wenren Cangyue, this swindler, I have no grudge with him, yet he is actually fierce to this degree… I have always remained absolutely loyal to Great Mang, so why do I have to accompany this Yunqin spy in death?!” In that instant, sounds of curses and crying filled this place.

“General Ma!”

A middle-aged Great Mang officer dressed in gray uniform howled towards this scale armored Great Mang officer, “General Ma, you know that I am only an ordinary account officer, how could I possibly have any connection with this Yunqin spy? Please save me?!”

The corners of his Great Mang high ranking officer’s lips twitched slightly, but he shook his head. “This is a military order, I have no choice but to follow it.”

The middle-aged Great Mang officer began to sob. “General Ma, I even invited you for a meal before…”

This Great Mang officer silently released a sigh inwardly, and then he turned around, walking into the distance, pretending he didn’t hear anything.

…

The sun gradually descended. As the color of night gradually thickened, East Scenery City’s rain stopped, but the feeling of autumn only became stronger.

Tang Chuqing stood in an alley not far from the city walls, watching as Great Mang’s army occupied the city walls.

He already knew that Great Mang’s archery master Gongsun Yang already died, but towards Lin Xi finding Gongsun Yang from the endless army, and then assassinating Gongsun Yang, he didn’t feel that it was all that strange.

It was because back then, in the battle of Meteor City, Principal Zhang had also directly killed many important figures from the enemy side, the chaos and alarm triggered greatly influencing the movements of the enemy army.

Lin Xi’s reputation within Great Mang’s army seemed to even exceed his imagination. Even before there was a situation of large scale casualties, the Great Mang army already became dejected to the extreme.

In the last dozen or so minutes of time, the fierce shouts and berating of Great Mang officers rose and fell without end… An army that needed low level officers to continuously berate to keep order was already on the verge of collapse. In this type of situation, even those lower level officers would be shaken. At that time, the entire army would directly become like a sheet of loose sand, a bit of wind enough to trigger a large scale collapse.

However, right at this time, Tang Chuqing’s brows instead furrowed.

He heard less and less fierce shouting from those low level Great Mang officers, instead hearing many heavy breathing sounds come from their throats, these noises surging like distant ocean waves.

…

Both on the city wall and outside the city wall, most of the Great Mang soldiers were taking medicine.

They were taking a type of white colored pill that carried slight green black lines.

Thousand Devil Nest had a type of flower that was extremely bright, covering the mountains and plains. These flowers were mostly red-purple colored, the colors brilliant, flower petals carrying a pupil black color, thus named Devil Eye Flower[1].

This type of flower’s stem leaves and fruit juices only went through a simple extraction before being turned into medicine, and it would already have pain killing, bowel inhibiting, and even mental stimulating effects, allowing those who were seriously injured to even shockingly be able to hold on. However, because of the heavy dependence it would cause in people, when it was used often or overdosed on, it would inflict long term mental damage to one’s mind. That was why in Thousand Devil Nest, this type of Devil Eye Flower was always viewed as a double-edged sword, thus being seriously controlled.

However, following Li Ku’s death[2], Thousand Devil Nest that could previously stand side by side with Purgatory Mountain was no longer the same. This type of flower was even more so planted in the fertile volcanic ash behind Purgatory Mountain in large amounts, becoming another important resource for Purgatory Mountain, a secret weapon for Great Mang’s military to use at this time.

Originally, most Great Mang soldiers’ morale already fell to the point where they might rebel at any time, but after taking two of these pills, these Great Mang soldiers’ eyes became even more red, their breathing even more dry and hot. Their minds gradually shifted from fear to great excitement. Moreover, their bodies that had experienced a long forced march and city siege seemed to have completely released all of their fatigue, appearing even more vigorous than usual. No one among them wanted to calmly sit down or lean against something to rest, all of them starting to move around.

Shentu Nian calmly watched these soldiers who became excited.

This was the first victory seizing weapon he threw out.

He had three victory seizing weapons like this in total.

The ground began to shake again.

Inside East Scenery City, Yunqin’s war drums sounded again as well.

Great Mang’s soldiers, before night arrived, didn’t view the city walls as a defensive line to stop for rest, instead directly launching an attack towards East Scenery City.

Moreover, it was a full frontal assault of the main army.

Apart from the ten thousand rear army, the remaining close to seventy thousand Great Mang army separately rushed out from several positions, entering the city at the same time, starting to fight against Yunqin’s soldiers in East Scenery City!

…

“Your soul force consumption is extremely severe.”

Within Natural Course Temple, Ceng Rou[3] looked at Lin Xi and said, “Shentu Nian has directly launched a full frontal offensive. You will not have any time to carry out meditation cultivation to restore soul force.”

Lin Xi looked at this gentle faced and quiet high ranking officer, saying, “This isn’t what’s most important… The most important is that Shentu Nian and Wenren Cangyue are similarly callous, not caring about the lives and deaths of these eighty thousand Great Mang soldiers. Moreover, the sky is already dark, so even if the Divine Wooden Flying Crane flies in the sky, we cannot see much.”

Ceng Rou nodded. “What do you need?”

Lin Xi looked at him, not replying to his question, instead saying, “I believe that since Shentu Nian took action, this type of fighting method is staking it all on one throw… even if he has shocking amounts of medicine, able to ensure that these Great Mang soldiers’ strength and fighting spirits are stimulated above usual, when alley fights are carried out, their losses will still be much greater than ours. Their army of seventy thousand, even if they continue fighting just like this, they cannot wear down all of the Yunqin soldiers in this city.”

Ceng Rou understood what Lin Xi was trying to say. “We share the same opinion. I reckon you also understand that he still has other methods that can deliver shocking damage to us.”

“I indeed also think this way.” Lin Xi looked Ceng Rou in the eyes. He thought for a bit, and then said, “There is no way I can grasp all of the battles in this city. The battles in this city all need your army and Sir Tang’s commands, but I might be able to change some of the most important battles that can decide victory and defeat… That is why I need military intelligence to travel as quickly as possible, I need to know where all of the comparatively more important battles are taking place in this city as soon as possible, regardless of whether the battle just begun or if it is about to end.”

Ceng Rou remained silent for a bit, and then said seriously, “Even battles that are about to end, or battles that have already ended, even these need to be reported to you?”

“They must!” Lin Xi gave him a deep look. “Even though it is the first time we have met, for the sake of the lives of tens of thousands here, for the sake of more people living, general, I must ask you to trust me… even if it is a battle that is about to end, especially those whose casualties are most severe, where our important forces are lost, you must bring the information into my hands with even faster speed. Moreover, you must try to bring the information into my hands within four halts of time.”

Ceng Rou didn’t say anything, only showing Lin Xi a military salute.

This military salute, in the army, was the military salute a lower ranking officer showed a higher ranking one. This military salute already fully expressed Ceng Rou’s attitude.

“General Ceng’s experience in commanding the army is far above mine, naturally able to deduce which battles in East Scenery City are more important. What I need general to do is to bring me the reports as early as you can… Meanwhile, I need to find out where Shentu Nian’s other victory seizing areas are, moreover try to stop him.” Lin Xi didn’t speak any modest words, only looking at Ceng Rou and saying this.

Ceng Rou didn’t say anything else, turning around and leaving.

Soon afterwards, more than ten officers arrived, starting to arrange two sand tables to the sides of the original sand table.

Lin Xi looked at the darkened sky, at this city that was filled with sounds of killing from all sides. He knew that this night was definitely going to be the longest and most difficult night of his life.

1. B13C24

2. Roadside Li Ku B7C43

3. East Scenery City’s highest level military commander