Chapter 304: Calamity

In a small room in the northern part of the Changfeng City in the dark of night.

Shang Xia was listening intently to the situation outside his room. Ensuring that nothing was off, he continued to trace the runes he saw on the Multi World Anchoring Flag.

Several dozen crumpled balls of talisman paper could be seen lying all around the ground below. The light from the candle on his table flickered unsteadily, mirroring the erratic feeling Shang Xia was feeling in his heart. He was starting to get annoyed with each failure.

A formless energy emerged from the tip of Shang Xia’s brush suddenly, tearing the rank two talisman paper to shreds. More than half the completed rune was turned into trash.

Helpless, Shang Xia placed his brush down. He wanted to ball up whatever remained of the talisman paper but paused abruptly as he turned to stare at the flickering candle.

“The heaven and earth qi in the air is fluctuating violently. However, there aren’t any Martial Intent Realm experts or Martial Extermination Realm experts fighting nearby… Don’t tell me that the protection formation surrounding the Changfeng City is malfunctioning…” A frown formed on Shang Xia’s face and he turned to stare out of the window immediately.

Ever since the Mysterious Coral World appeared the other day, the heaven and earth qi in the You Continent hadn’t been too docile. It even caused several cultivators with weak foundations to experience cultivation deviation.

Previously, the heaven and earth qi in the city managed to maintain its calm due to the presence of the protection formation around the city.

Things seemed to be taking a turn for the worse at that moment. With Shang Xia’s discovery of the heaven and earth qi in the surroundings turning violent, one could only imagine how terrifying the situation would be outside the city.

Staring at the night sky, Shang Xia felt that it turned a shade darker. As he rose to his feet, he heard some sounds coming from outside.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Slapping the table once, everything he took out earlier, including the wasted talisman paper that had been crumpled and thrown to the ground earlier disappeared.

Blowing out the candle, Shang Xia returned to bed and let out long snores.

Everything happened in a flash and soon, the door of Hai Min’s room creaked open. She was clearly disturbed by the sudden fluctuations of heaven and earth qi as she stared into the skies in confusion.

As someone from the Eighteen Horsemen, Hai Min’s cultivation foundations were pretty solid.

She wasn’t the only cultivator who was woken up in the middle of the night due to the change. Many weaker cultivators received varying degrees of injuries as they were caught unprepared.

Hai Min stared into the skies and noticed several rays of light coming from the north.

The phenomenon shocked Hai Min, but she quickly understood that something had happened in the Tongyou City. Walking quickly over to Shang Xia’s room, she placed her ears against the door. She left quietly after hearing his snores, and she disappeared in a flash.

Shang Xia felt everything she did clearly and when the footsteps coming from the roof of his building disappeared, he leaped to his feet. He moved quietly and left his room.

Using his divine sense to cover the room Yuanyuan was in, he sighed, “Isn’t she afraid that Yuanyuan would be frightened after waking up and discovering her absence?”

Ensuring Yuanyuan was still sound asleep, Shang Xia ran after Hai Min.

It didn’t take long for him to notice that she was running in the direction of the City Lord Manor.

Wait a second… Is she trying to infiltrate the City Lord Manor alone?!

Fortunately, Hai Min was no fool. She slowed down after closing in on the manor and she hid her presence. She stared in the manor and observed the situation within.

Shang Xia was afraid that she would be discovered by the guards and was prepared to help her out. He didn’t expect to discover countless people observing the situation in the City Lord Manor using the cover of night.

The disturbance in the city was too huge, causing many cultivators to gather around the City Lord Manor to try to get to the bottom of the matter. At that moment, a three colored light tore into the skies from the core of the City Lord Manor, dulling every other light source in the residence.

A tyrannical aura emerged from the manor to reveal the prestige of a Martial Extermination Realm expert.

Yang Hu’s voice boomed through the air as he addressed everyone. “The Tongyou City has gone too far! Their selfishness caused the thinning of the spatial barrier and intrusion of cultivators from the Azure Spiritual World! The chaos they brought is immeasurable! Not even our protection formation can stop the fluctuation of heaven and earth qi anymore and that is a sign that the passage between the You Continent and the battlefield between the two worlds has been completely exposed!”

He was throwing all the blame onto the Tongyou Institution and he was so convincing that even Shang Xia who knew what was going on had no idea how to react.

The descent of the Mysterious Coral World definitely required widening the spatial tunnel connecting the You Continent to the battlefield between the two worlds. By doing so, the spatial barrier would definitely be weakened. Shang Xia witnessed how cultivators of the Azure Spiritual World crossed the barrier and the fluctuation of heaven and earth qi was also true.

The institution might have planned for everything to happen, but Shang Xia didn’t know about their considerations. Yang Hu might have learned something, but he wouldn’t reveal it to the outside world. The only thing Shang Xia could do was to guess.

Moreover, the Tongyou Institution was dancing on the edge of a blade at the moment. If they succeeded, they would be able to reap huge benefits. If they failed, they would be doomed for eternity. Not even the allies of the Tongyou Institution could agree with what they were doing. From the looks of it, even the closest allies of the institution might be plotting against them. It was evident from the complete lockdown the Tongyou Institution ordered. The complete lockdown was so serious that even Shang Xia couldn’t return.

“What does City Lord Yang plan to do in that case?” A reply came from the skies above the City Lord Manor.

“Everyone, relax!” Yang Hu’s voice came again. Even though it boomed in their ears, only cultivators could hear what he was saying. “I might not be powerful enough to take on the entire Tongyou Institution, but I have invited an expert from the White Deer Paradise to protect the city. Everyone, you can rest assured that no matter what happens to the Tongyou City, our Changfeng City will stand tall!”

“When day breaks tomorrow, I will personally head over to the Tongyou City to ask for an explanation! The Ji, Liu, Yun, and Shang Clans will have to give us an explanation of what is going on right now! They can’t possibly play with the lives of everyone from our You Continent for their stupid plan!” Yang Hu became more agitated the more he spoke.

Those residing in the city weren’t fools. They knew that with Kou Chongxue at the helm, the Tongyou Institution had been protecting the You Continent for the past twenty years from the invasion from those from the Azure Spiritual World. They might not know what was going on in the Tongyou City at that moment, but they had their faith in the institution. No matter how righteous Yang Hu sounded at that moment, all they could hear was that he was planning to collude with the White Deer Paradise. Suspicion filled their hearts but they remained silent.

In front of a powerhouse like Yang Hu and an expert of the White Deer Paradise he invited, no one would dare to question his decision.

Those who came quickly took their leave, but Yang Hu remained in the air as he turned to stare in the direction of the Tongyou City.

A three colored light surrounded his body and made him look extremely intimidating. Only after looking around and discovering no one left around the City Lord Manor did he return.

Under the illumination of several lanterns surrounding the City Lord Manor, Yang Zhenbiao ran over to where Yang Hu was standing.

“Father, are you really going to the Tongyou City tomorrow?” Yang Zhenbiao asked apprehensively.

Ignoring his son, Yang Hu’s gaze landed on Mister Sima who was standing beside him. “Will you follow me there tomorrow?”

Mister Sima’s expression remained neutral but before he could speak, Yang Zhenbiao yelled, “Is Mister Sima also going? That would mean that there would be no Martial Extermination Realm expert protecting the city!”

Yang Hu glared at his son once to shut him up before turning to Mister Sima. “What do you say?”

“I’ll listen to City Lord Yang.” A smile appeared on Mister Sima’s face as he replied.

“Great!” Roaring with laughter, Yang Hu turned to leave.

“Father, you…” Before Yang Zhenbiao could say anything, Yang Hu had disappeared.

Yang Zhenbiao could only turn to Mister Sima with a helpless expression on his face. “Mister, do you think…”

“Young City Lord, relax. Since the Changfeng City has chosen to side with the White Deer Paradise, we should go all the way. As long as your father or myself remains, they will be able to let their guard down. We’ll just leave the entire place to them when we head over.” Mister Sima explained.

“But… But… Father’s twenty years of hard work on the Changfeng City…” Yang Zhenbiao stuttered.

Mister Sima patted Yang Zhenbiao’s shoulder and explained, “The City Lord’s ambition doesn’t stop here. A mere Changfeng City is too small to fulfill his appetite!”

After he spoke, Mister Sima turned to leave. The moment he turned around, his expression turned completely dark.

…

When Hai Min returned to the courtyard, she could hear Shang Xia’s snores ringing steadying through the air.

At dawn the next day, Hai Min surprised Shang Xia with a sudden declaration. “I have to visit my family today and I will be leaving the city. Can you stay at home and take care of Yuanyuan for today?”

Raising an eyebrow in shock, Shang Xia eventually regained his composure and a smile appeared on his face. “Sure.”