A series of rushed footsteps sounded on this city gate pass’ city walls.

A middle-aged city defense official had an extremely unpleasant expression on his face as he led a division towards the capstan position.

An open city gate naturally had its uses. The Central Continent Army in Central Continent’s outskirts and the military equipment sent over from some workshops all had to go through these city gates that were still open to enter Central Continent CIty… For someone like him who had to always ensure that this city gate was open, this city gate was precisely connected to his very life. This city gate could have issues at other times, but how could it have problems at this type of crucial time?!

The instant the city gate’s captains appeared in his field of view, his pupils already rapidly contracted. With a zheng noise, while drawing the blade at his waist, he shouted out fiercely, “Just who was it that had all of you do this?!”

More than ten city gate defenders were currently working together to bend a metal locking pillar.

All city gate defenders understood extremely clearly that this type of metal locking pillar was used to stop the capstan from spinning in reverse.

When the city gate rose, whenever the capstan’s giant gears moved forward a bit, this metal locking pillar would roll into the gear that was falling back. This way, even if the soldiers who were spinning the capstan didn’t exert any force, the gears wouldn’t go backwards, the rising city gates wouldn’t fall down again.

Even though there were a dozen or so soldiers pushing this type of capstan together, they still had to stop for rest. The pushing soldiers definitely didn’t have the strength to raise the city gates without stopping. The most crucial thing was that without the lock, even if the city gates reached its highest point, it would still fall down again unless there were always a dozen or so people holding on.

In practice, an instantaneous eruption of force and this type of continued strength were completely different. Several dozen soldiers exerting force together could easily move the capstan a notch. However, there was no way they could continuously exert force to keep this kind of heavy sluice gate suspended.

Putting it simply, right now, as long as this metal locking pillar was destroyed, before the capstan was repaired, this city gate had no way of continuously remaining open!

When faced with the flustered and exasperated shouting of this middle-aged city defense official and seeing him directly drawing his blade, these dozen or so city gate defenders who were currently destroying the capstan’s locking mechanism didn’t stop at all, to the extent where none of them even replied to his question.

All of the other Yunqin soldiers standing at these dozen or so soldiers’ sides only coldly watched as he arrived.

“Sir Guan…”

This middle-aged city defense official’s waist blade fell to the ground in front of him with a crash noise.

Only now did he discover that among these Yunqin soldiers, there was someone several ranks higher than him here.

This rough faced Yunqin soldier whose official rank was far above his was Martial Sector’s City Pass Defense Leader Guan Yong[1].

The day Yunqin Emperor and Jiang Family had a falling out, during those days where blood flowed like rivers, Guan Yong and his superior Lu Miedi both received promotions, becoming Central Continent Army’s important high ranking officers[2].

This middle-aged city defense individual thus thought that according to normal reasoning, Guan Yong and Lu Miedi should even more so ensure that this city gate was unobstructed.

A dang noise sounded.

This was the sound of a crowbar breaking free from within the metal locking pillar.

The durable metal locking pillar made from extremely sturdy Yunqin steel only bent slightly, but it already couldn’t be used for locking purposes. However, those dozen or so old City Gate Guards didn’t stop, starting to undo the capstan’s other mechanisms and bolts, bringing about even greater damage.

Guan Yong still didn’t say anything.

After giving this middle-aged city defense member a cold look, he then treated him like air, his existence no longer appearing in his eyes.

This middle-aged city defense official began to feel a chill, his entire body starting to continuously flow with cold sweat.

He now completely reacted to what happened, also understanding that right now, what he needed to do the most was only to obey. Otherwise, he didn’t have to wait until the results of this battle at all, just like the components of this capstan that were being removed, he would be thrown out of this city gate tower like trash.

Boom!

It was just like some type of strange chain reaction.

While the areas around the city gate tower this middle-aged city defense member and Guan Yong were at were still continuously surged with noise, another similarly heavy giant noise that even made the entire city wall tremble a bit sounded from the northwestern corner.

After one noise was another noise.

These noises that were like the trampling of incomparably massive giants sounded five times, coming from different parts of Central Continent City.

All of these added together totaled six.

The only thing this middle-aged city defense official was thinking about inside was why it was seven sounds and not six.

However, as if it was to help absolve him of his confusion, a few breaths of time later, with a boom noise, the city walls shook again.

Even if it was the Central Continent Guard soldiers running through the Imperial Palace, they could hear these thunderous noises, just that they didn’t immediately understand just what exactly was happening.

…

The six city gates that were originally opened were all shut. While everyone in Central Continent City was trapped inside, the Central Continent Guards and military equipment that was being transported over were blocked outside.

Wen Xuanshu frowned deeply under these six loud noises.

“This is the second card the emperor has revealed.”

He turned around, looking at the white clothed scholar on the horse beside him, saying with a sunken voice, “Lu Miedi[3] and Guan Yong have rebelled.”

“Previously, they obtained our trust through the over a thousand lives they weren’t willing to sacrifice. For them to do this type of thing now, they really have put in quite the work.” The white clothed scholar nodded, saying heavily, “Di Choufei[4] also rebelled, or else it isn’t possible to accomplish this with just the two of them.”

Wen Xuanshu became quiet. “Indeed, Di Choufei also rebelled.”

“I just cannot think through one thing.” The white clothed scholar looked at the extremely overcast Wen Xuanshu, saying, “Di Choufei isn’t an easily swayed opportunist like those in the royal court, a stupid official who will fall just from the wind. He is an outstanding military officer from Dragon Snake Border Army. Someone like him might understand how to fight even better than me. Even if he wanted to rebel, he should rebel during the moment when he can receive the greatest benefits. Right now, the battle between the emperor and us has just started, who will come out on top is still completely unknown, yet he chose to rebel at this time, isn’t it a bit too early?”

“If we are to say that the emperor still has something to deal with our tens of thousands of soldiers, then this tattered Imperial Palace cannot fit it all. It can only be in True Dragon Mountain.” Wen Xuanshu looked at that True Dragon Mountain inside the Imperial Palace, laughing coldly, “Could it be that you believe this True Dragon Mountain really is like the legends say, hiding a dragon? A dragon that can devour all of us?”

The white clothed scholar chuckled. “If you do not believe this, then I do not believe it either.”

“That is why whether or not Lu Miedi and Guan Yong rebelled, if this city is shut or not, it doesn’t make much of a difference.” Wen Xuanshu said coldly, “If all of us in this city still cannot win against this broken Imperial Palace, then the Central Continent Army outside completely lacks all meaning too.”

The white clothed scholar calmly replied, “This is precisely my thinking as well. If there is enough power in the Imperial Palace to deal with us, if we turn around to deal with the city wall defenders, we will instead be pincered from both sides. That is why we can just let this city remain closed… Let’s just see who this closed city will end up belonging to.”

Wen Xuanshu nodded. Then, he raised his fist, brandishing it forward.

This order was precisely to not worry about the back. All Central Continent troops in the city are to enter the Imperial Palace at full force.

A silver tide-like Central Continent Army poured into the throne room.

This was even more so a place ordinary people couldn’t enter.

There were some soldiers who even couldn’t help but gather their attention beneath their feet. While they breathed heavily, the first thing they thought about actually wasn’t fighting, but rather that this golden color beneath their feet, the extremely thick tiles, was it made from gold?

However, it didn’t seem like pure gold either. It looked like bricks produced from a kiln. However, just what kind of clay could produce this type of heavy and cold color?

A silver-armored soldier couldn’t help but send the spear in his hands into the ground. He received his answer.

An extremely small spot appeared in the ground. The fine powder in that spot wasn’t like metal, but rather like some type of ceramic powder.

The instant he solved this somewhat laughable question, many streaks of blade radiance and sword radiance swirling with golden lightning appeared in this palace.

Cultivators dressed in light golden clothes began to appear from many parts of the Imperial Palace. With similar speed as Immortal Academy’s swordsmen, they began to cut down the Central Continent Guards.

The entire Imperial City was filled with sounds of killing.

Corpses of Central Continent Guards were lying everywhere within the ruined Imperial Palace.

Looking at it from the outside, the Central Continent Guards who continuously poured into the Imperial Palace from all directions were just like groups of sheep directed into a slaughterhouse.

This type of casualty rate was shocking.

However, Wen Xuanshu’s mood still remained extremely calm.

For him, this was also a process where both sides forced out the other party’s true strength.

The emperor was one of Thunder Academy’s founders. During this type of great battle, since there were actually so many Immortal Academy cultivators, then this many Thunder Academy cultivators appearing was also an extremely normal thing.

What he was worried about was only variables he didn’t foresee like Lu Miedi.

…

As Thunder Academy cultivators and Central Continent Guards continuously fell, the Yunqin Imperial Palace that originally seemed full of people now seemed a bit vacant.

An elder dressed in extravagant great robes walked out from who knew which hall, appearing in the Imperial City’s central axis behind the throne room.

Wen Xuanshu’s carriage already stopped on a palace bridge in front of the throne room.

Perhaps it was his carriage that made this elder appear.

Regardless, right now, Wen Xuanshu saw this elder slowly walk on the central road covered in corpses, walking towards his carriage.

This elder was Imperial City’s Great Consecrator Ni Henian, the most powerful cultivator in all of Central Continent City.

This type of person, regardless of which cultivator he walked towards, that cultivator would always feel an extremely great amount of pressure.

However, when he saw Ni Henian appear at this time, Wen Xuanshu’s lips instead produced a hint of a smile. He suddenly couldn’t help but think inwardly, Changsun Jinse, are you finally almost out of cards to play?

1. B12C18

2. Guan Yong was previously a Deputy General among the Central Continent Guards

3. Previously Guan Yong’s subordinate, Central Continent Guards Defense Army Commander Lu Miedi B12C57

4. Immortal Academy disciple who previously wanted to kill Lin Xi and looked for him in Great Desolate Swamp