Chapter 603: Storming the Immortal City of Luye

Dazheng and Dayin didn't share a border; there were plenty of empires and kingdoms separating them from each other. By the Eastern Sea, however, was a long, narrow stretch of desert whose ends joined the two empires. The desert was particularly devoid of aether and filled with all manner of poisonous bugs. No one wanted to claim the territory, allowing the two empires' war to proceed without trespassing over other kingdoms' and empires' borders.

The Immortal city of Luye directly bordered the desert, and Dazheng's demon-slaying army was headed right for Luye.

Within Luye, Yin Peng, dressed in golden robes, stood on the largest floating island above the city as he glanced out past it. Beside him stood a middle-aged man.

"Was I correct, City Lord Chen?" Yin Peng smiled.

The middle-aged man was none other than the lord of Luye. He sighed. "Wise you are, Your Highness. If not for your warning, I would never have suspected that Dazheng's assassins would have made it into my manor. If they were to strike, our clan would be done for."

Yin Peng smirked. "The demon-slaying army is headed straight for Luye, not any other Immortal city. It's clear what their plans are. There are plenty of assassins in other officials' manors all over the city, too. They're waiting until Dayin attacks the city to strike down the top officials and open the city gates from within."

"Your Highness, how should we handle these assassins?" City Lord Cheng asked.

"Since you're already on guard against them, they don't pose much danger. Don't capture them for now, lest you alert Xiao Nanfeng," Yin Peng said.

"Understood," City Lord Chen replied. "Your Highness, I've reorganized the governance of the city and installed my loyal subordinates in critical positions. There won't be any trouble in the future. I've had them modify the city's defense formation to guard against Dazheng as well."

"Well done," Yin Peng replied. "We fight against Dazheng's army of bandits. City Lord Chen, I hope you'll remain loyal to Dayin."

City Lord Chen's eyes flashed with hatred. "Worry not, Your Highness. Even without what I owe to Dazheng, my eldest son was recently sent out against Dazheng and perished at the hands of those treacherous bandits. I'll kill them all as revenge!"

Yin Peng smiled with satisfaction. "Very good. Simply follow my orders."

"Understood, Your Highness. I'll do my best to support your army."

Yin Peng nodded again.

Just then, several figures flashed by from afar. They landed before him.

"Your Highness, the bandits of Dazheng have arrived. They're starting to make camp in the distance," one reported.

"Oh?" Yin Peng was taken by surprise.

Far across the horizon, tens of thousands of cultivators were flying out of the endless expanse of a desert. They dropped down by a forest high in the mountains and began constructing a base of operations immediately. Fog rose into the air, a clear sign of an active formation.

"I thought Dazheng's army would have crept into Dayin, avoiding our lines of sight. To think they would attack us head-on and even establish a garrison in the vicinity... How strange. What are they trying to do?" Yin Peng narrowed his eyes.

"There must be a ploy if they're daring to act so openly. Perhaps they want to lure us into attacking them," a subordinate suggested.

Another replied, "What plan could they possibly have come up with? Our bandit-quelling army has been waiting here for days. We can destroy them at any time. What's more, the Golden Immortals in our employ would completely wreck them."

Yin Peng narrowed his eyes. "Xiao Nanfeng's spies have infested Luye, and he surely knows that my bandit-quelling army is stationed here. That they haven't been scared off—there must be some reason for that. I'll investigate."

"Understood!" his subordinates replied.

Night fell.

Yin Peng silently crept toward Dazheng's demon-slaying army's garrison.

There were plenty of Dazheng spies in the city whom he didn't bother catching, because he was certain that they knew nothing about the demon-slaying army's plans. The spies were only acting on orders, after all. Rather than interrogate them and alerting Xiao Nanfeng that he was aware of their presence, why not check out the garrison himself?

He was particularly confident in his own strength. He had even managed to escape from Ao Canghai before, and he would be able to flee rapidly if there were any danger. Indeed, if he found that the demon-slaying army was far weaker than they appeared, he might even be able to take down the entire army all by himself.

He cautiously made his way toward the garrison, only to find a formation that had manifested a huge barrier hiding what lay within.

He reined in his aura and didn't rush in. Rather, he waited until a few guards out on patrol were about to retreat back into the barrier before he transformed into his roc form, then shrank his body down until he was the size of a mosquito. He hitched a ride in via one of the guard's sleeves.

Then, he continued to fly about as a mosquito-sized roc.

He quickly found the commander's tent in the center of the garrison.

"Haha, allow me to toast everyone!" Laughter came from within the tent.

"That's Xiao Nanfeng's voice. As expected, he's here himself. He instated Ye Sanshui as the commander-in-chief of the demon-slaying army, but that was clearly misdirection. One of Xiao Nanfeng's bodies is going to take the lead, isn't it?" Yin Peng murmured to himself.

He didn't fly into the tent itself to have a look, because he heard a voice that shocked him.

"Xiao Nanfeng, when will we strike?" Ao Canghai asked.

Yin Peng blanched. He hurried away, hiding in the darkness, not daring to draw near. He reined in his spiritual power again, not daring to emit any trace of it at all.

"Eastern Aspect, night has just fallen. We'll strike an hour past midnight. I've already arranged everything within the city, and my subordinates are poised to kill the important officials of Luye at any time. At that point, those within will open the city gates for us and we'll defeat the army in one fell swoop."

"How troublesome," Ao Canghai said coldly.

"The death of the Martial Aspect of Bluefrost has tarnished our reputation as Martial Aspects. Unless we can destroy this supposed bandit-quelling army in one fell swoop, how will we restore our reputation?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"Can't we just move on them directly?"

"This bandit-quelling army won't be an easy foe. It's composed of the Immortal spirits of Dayin, and there are even five Golden Immortals among them besides Yin Peng himself. If we can defeat them all, that would surely be a huge boon for the war. However, my subordinates have discovered that not all five Golden Immortals are within the city. Some are out on urgent business, and may only return after two or three hours. If we strike past midnight, we'll be able to get them all at once."

Outside the tent, Yin Peng narrowed his eyes. How could Xiao Nanfeng possess such detailed knowledge about the bandit-quelling army, and even information about the five Golden Immortal spirits' whereabouts?

"How can this be? Thank goodness I came here to have a look myself. Otherwise, Dayin would have suffered tremendous casualties today..." Yin Peng murmured.

"Past midnight, then," Ao Canghai finally acceded.

"Very well. Once the city gates are open, my subordinates will pinpoint the Golden Immortal spirits' locations for all Martial Aspects. Two Martial Aspects can take on each Golden Immortal spirit—don't worry about killing them. Just delaying them is sufficient. Meanwhile, the Eastern Aspect and two Martial Aspects will take on Yin Peng. Once Yin Peng dies, the Martial Aspect will be free to assist others. We'll need to finish them all off before Yin Shenhua receives word and rushes over," Xiao Nanfeng explained.

"Don't worry. We'll cooperate fully with you to avenge Bluefrost," Ao Canghai replied.

"My thanks. Please, accept another toast from me." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

Within the tent came the sound of clinking cups.

Yin Peng shuddered. He didn't dare release any spiritual power to investigate the inside of the tent, because Ao Canghai and twelve Martial Aspects, all Golden Immortals, were present. If he were to expose himself, he would be taken down immediately.

Scared beyond belief, he flew out of the camp and emerged from the barrier the same way he entered, hitching a ride on a guard's sleeve.

After that, he shot back toward Luye and returned to the floating island where he had been meeting with his subordinates. A sheen of sweat was visible on his forehead.

"Your Highness, how did your scouting mission go?" one subordinate asked.

Yin Peng explained what he had learned.

"What? What insidious foes! Should we inform His Majesty?"

Yin Peng narrowed his eyes. "The bandit-quelling army has yet to engage with Dazheng. It would be far too embarrassing to request aid at this point. What's more, now that I've seen through their plan, we hardly need any assistance."

"What should we do, then, Your Highness?"

"Of the eighteen Martial Aspects of the Eastern Quadrant, if we exclude the deceased Martial Aspect of Bluefrost, Xiao Nanfeng, Ao Zhou, and Ao Canghai, only fourteen remain. Ao Canghai and twelve Golden Immortals are garrisoned outside the city. Doesn't that mean that there are only two Golden Immortals guarding Yongding?" Yin Peng's eyes lit up.

"Your Highness, could you be intending to launch a sneak attack on Yongding?" his subordinate exclaimed.

"And why not? You two Golden Immortals, accompany me. You'll stall the two Martial Aspects while I destroy Yongding. Once that happens, Dazheng's morale will drop precipitously. The empire itself might even be done for. I'll be able to take advantage of the opportunity to destroy Xiao Nanfeng's other body as well. Although Ao Canghai will quickly rush back once he learns of the news, it'll be too late by the time the Martial Aspects return to Yongding. If we're lucky, we might even be able to kill one of the Martial Aspects stationed in Yongding," Yin Peng said.

"Should we wait for the other three Immortal spirits? They should be returning shortly," the two subordinates suggested.

"There's no need. Xiao Nanfeng has eyes on them. Have them stay here and provide cover for us to lure Ao Canghai and the others into a false sense of security. We'll move out at once!"

"Understood!" the two subordinates replied.

Yin Peng summoned a few other subordinates loyal to him and gave them simple orders. Then, he and the two Golden Immortals secretly left Luye and headed straight for Yongding.

They left covertly and in haste, not realizing that City Lord Chen of Luye had been lying in wait, his eyes baleful as he watched them leave. Then, he retreated into the darkness and vanished from sight.