Chapter 880: Twelve Hours

A clan without an Emperor declaring war on one that had an Emperor—this had never happened before in the history of the Daemon Continent.

Leave Adamant City? To nymphs who knew a little about the Blue Gold Tree clan, this seemed like a joke. However, some cautious types began to hesitate, wondering if they should indeed leave. After all, this was a conflict between two clans. No matter how weak the Blue Gold Tree clan was, they were still rulers of a main city. If two first-tier clans truly clashed, wouldn’t innocents get caught in the crossfire? The Adamant Nymph Emperor hadn’t immediately come out to deal with them, meaning that he likely wasn’t even in the city. To be cautious, it might be best to leave for a while and watch how things unfolded.

While using an artifact in the city lord's mansion to contact the Adamant Nymph Emperor Jin Chengwu, glared at Tang San, eyes blazing with anger.

Whether or not the Blue Gold Tree clan could pose a real threat, just the fact that Tang San had declared war would have a massive impact on the Adamant Nymph clan, especially in terms of reputation. A clan like the Blue Gold Tree clan had dared to declare war upon them, and an extermination war at that—what did this imply? More importantly, if this matter reached the Ancestral Court, the Adamant Nymph clan could not even complain!

The twelve-hour deadline wasn’t just a window for the Adamant Nymph clan to respond; it was also enough time for the message to reach the Ancestral Court. The Adamant Nymph Emperor would have time to return, and the other Emperors in the Ancestral Court would also have enough time to arrive.

Then, Jin Chengwu began to understand Tang San’s plan.

How cunning! They never intended to actually fight; they’re just using the situation to force the Ancestral Court to punish Adamant City. Given that the Ancestral Court published that decree a while back, they are forced to provide some resolution to the Blue Gold Tree clan. And after that, if these people retreat back to Skytree City, what can we do?

Jin Chengwu knew about the time the Adamant Nymph Emperor had suffered a defeat in Skytree City, and was under no illusions that the Adamant Nymph clan, or any other clan for that matter, could destroy the Blue Gold Tree clan in their own territory.

The Adamant Nymph clan’s reputation will surely take a massive blow from this incident. Afterward, the Blue Gold Tree clan can use this tactic to pressure other cities into returning their people. This must be his plan. What a cunning move! This new Blue Gold Tree clan leader is no simple figure!

Jin Chengwu believed it had figured out Tang San’s intentions, but at this moment, there was nothing it could do. It could only relay everything that had happened as quickly as possible to the Adamant Nymph Emperor and wait for the latter’s decision.

Earlier, when Tang San and the Blue Gold Tree clan elders summoned the Ancestral Tree’s projection, it had been truly terrifying. Even as a Great Nymph King, Jin Chengwu had felt powerless against it. At this point, he didn’t dare risk launching an attack on Tang San and the others.

Soon, five more Adamant Nymph Kings arrived, as well as another Great Nymph King. There were now almost twenty in total, representing all of Adamant City’s god-level experts.

They were fewer in numbers than the Blue Gold Tree gods, but combat power was something else entirely. The Ancestral Tree’s blessing made it easy for them to cultivate, but before Tang San’s arrival, even with double the numbers, the Blue Gold Tree clan could never match the Adamant Nymph clan. Even if the Adamant Nymphs just stood there and let themselves be hit, the Blue Gold Trees couldn’t even break through their defense.

Jin Miaosen sat beside Tang San, a hint of anxiety in her eyes. She hadn’t thought about things as deeply as Jin Chengwu had. Instead, she was simply proud. At the very least, her brother had done what no previous Blue Gold Tree clan leader had ever achieved—he had truly brought hope and light to their clan.

But soon, her worry started to grow. Twelve hours—was that too long? Although they could rely on the Ancestral Tree’s imprint for strength, would that be enough to face an Emperor? An Emperor was on a different level altogether from a mere Great Nymph King, and twelve hours was more than enough time for the Adamant Nymph Emperor to return from the Ancestral Court. What if, instead of avenging their people, they ended up trapped themselves?

Thinking of this, Jin Miaosen became anxious and whispered to Tang San, “Big Brother, why not act now? If we use the Ancestral Tree’s power, we might really be able to hit them hard. But if the Adamant Nymph Emperor returns, it could get tricky.”

Tang San opened his eyes and looked at her. “Don’t worry. We must wait for him to return. Otherwise, this will only be a sneak attack. If the Ancestral Tree’s light is to shine across the land once more, everything must be done openly.”

Jin Miaosen wanted to say something in response, but the second elder tugged her sleeve, whispering, “Miaosen, don’t disturb the clan leader. He knows what he’s doing.”

The elders of the Blue Gold Tree clan, old foxes in their own ways, had also figured out much of what Jin Chengwu had. After their initial shock, they realized that blowing this matter up was actually bound to work to their advantage. They had the moral high ground. Even if the Adamant Nymph Emperor returned, what could it do—kill them all? With such a commotion, there was absolutely no way the Ancestral Court could remain unresponsive; attacking the Blue Gold Tree delegation would be an unforgivable slap to its face.

Once the Adamant Nymph Emperor received word, it would surely report to the Ancestral Court. At the very least, the Emperors of the Solstice Empire would know. Then, it all depended on how the Ancestral Court handled this situation and what justice they would deliver to the Blue Gold Tree clan.

Thus, making a scene was the best option.

The more the elders of the Blue Gold Tree clan thought about the possible outcomes, the more they admired Tang San. After this upheaval, other major cities would likely return some of their captured clan members, and the Blue Gold Tree clan’s status would rise significantly. Their reputation within the Solstice Empire would improve, stabilizing Skytree City. As for offending the Adamant Nymph Emperor? Their relationship had never been good to begin with. This Emperor had already pushed them all the way to their own doorstep, until it was repelled by the Ancestral Tree. Even without today’s confrontation, the Adamant Nymph clan would hardly ever be friendly toward the Blue Gold Tree clan.

Not only could they avenge their fallen, but they could also raise the Blue Gold Tree clan’s standing and further protect their people. Such an open strategy was by far the most reasonable choice. But even if they had thought of it, none of them would have dared to act as boldly as Tang San had. Even the Grand Elder couldn’t have done so. With every moment that passed, the elders’ admiration for Tang San deepened.

The Blue Gold Tree clan finally has a true leader!

While the Blue Gold Tree clan was more united than ever, the Adamant Nymph clan was in chaos.

Once Jin Chengwu understood the situation, its first priority was to calm the citizens. After Tang San’s earlier proclamation, Adamant City had fallen into chaos, with various rumors already beginning to spread.

Adamant City was home to more than just the Adamant Nymph clan. In fact, the Adamant Nymphs themselves were not particularly numerous; mineral-type clans in general had few members, since growing sentience as a chunk of rock was rather difficult. At the same time, however, this city housed many such clans, and all were under the leadership of the Adamant Nymph clan. Weaker nymphs were naturally not qualified to live here, but those that had cultivated from precious gems and metals possessed considerable strength, and such resources were plentiful in the Solstice Empire. Thus, in this massive city, there were well over a hundred different nymph clans.

Tang San’s declaration of war had indeed frightened some of these clans. Within just an hour, Jin Chengwu received reports that the traffic through Adamant City’s gates had increased tenfold, and even in front of the main gate there were long lines of nymphs trying to leave. This was bound to severely disrupt the order within Adamant City and deliver a significant blow to its reputation.