In that instant, time itself seemed to halt. Across the vast expanse, from the upper city perched upon the turtle’s shell to the twenty-seven cities nestled below, all drew a collective breath, held fast in their chests.

Then, the colossal beast lifted its foot.

From the depths of the earth, a tiny black shadow shot forth, once more interposing itself before the behemoth.

A roar erupted from the masses!

Upon the walls of the upper city, the soldiers, as one, struck the ground with the butts of their spears.

“Wei!”

“Wei!”

“Wei!”

Their cries were for their nation’s invincible War God, the commander of the Fu Bei army, Zheng Chaoyang!

In the precious moments he had bought, the elite cultivators who had descended into the lower twenty-seven cities swiftly identified the source of the problem.

Across the entire expanse of the city, battles erupted simultaneously.

Gazing upwards, one could discern tendrils of black smoke coiling from numerous locations within the twenty-seven cities. Each plume of black smoke signified a manifestation of curse power.

While these individual curse powers, judged by their scale, were not formidable, there were nearly a hundred such locations!

If each of these spots harbored an entity brimming with hatred and resentment, akin to that white-haired old woman, then this city…

Jiang Wang couldn’t help but ponder: how could that white-haired old woman, a mere wet nurse to the weeping woman in the secluded courtyard, harbor such deep-seated, bone-chilling hatred and resentment?

These powers, these resentments, these curses, individually, were not terrifying. Any cultivator of the Zhou Tian realm could eliminate one without issue. But when gathered and amplified by some clandestine method, they were potent enough to incite the ferocity of this massive turtle beast.

And indeed, once the curse power was dispelled, the colossal turtle beast, bearing the bloodline of Ba Xia, would instantly be pacified, returning to its initial state.

Yet, the upper city did not subsequently quieten.

“Yin Guan, City Lord of the Twenty-Seven Cities, for his failure to govern effectively and his egregious use of sinister means to influence the sacred beast, his crime is heinous! Let him be devoured by the sacred beast as just retribution!”

The voice paused for a beat, then erupted anew with a sudden shout.

“Damn it! Go find him!”

Clearly, the events of today were orchestrated by the lower city lord named Yin Guan. And he, amidst the full might of You Guo’s main force, had managed to escape!

As the decree from the capital city descended, the cultivators dispersed throughout the lower twenty-seven cities not only did not return, but even more elite cultivators descended from the capital.

The high-ranking figure in the upper city who issued the orders was clearly convinced that Yin Guan remained within the twenty-seven cities, and was determined to seal the area completely. Then, they would search inch by inch, dragging that person out.

“Cousin!”

Jiang Wang suddenly heard a voice bordering on a wail. Following the sound, he saw none other than the woman who had wept in the secluded courtyard and ignited the cursed paper effigy.

She stood on the long street, her face ashen, a pretty countenance streaked with tear marks.

Jiang Wang had deliberately startled her family earlier, hoping they would restrain her and prevent her from causing further trouble in her confused state.

But to his surprise, after a long detour, he still encountered her on the main street.

This was far too coincidental!

Moreover, her cousin was none other than Yin Guan, the perpetrator of this massive incident. The City Lord of the Twenty-Seven Cities!

Jiang Wang felt his head pound. He quietly turned, using the crowd as cover.

He was merely a fleeting passerby in You Guo, and had no desire to entangle himself in such a significant mess.

“Beauty, what did you just cry out?”

Just then, a man dressed in attire completely different from the cultivators of the Fu Bei army, smiled and stood before the woman, whom he now knew was called Mu Qing.

Though she was heartbroken and somewhat disoriented, the woman was not foolish.

Recognizing at a glance that this person was not well-intentioned, she immediately turned to walk elsewhere.

She hastily explained, “No, nothing.”

“Hey!” The man’s face was not ugly, though there was a hint of slyness about him. Clad in a set of pink and white Confucian robes, he chuckled. “Nothing, then why are you running?”

As he spoke, he lightly extended a hand. Without any visible movement, he had already seized the woman’s wrist.

“Let go of me!” The woman struggled with all her might, but could not break free. She coldly rebuked, “I am from the Su family, assistant officials of this city!”

Unlike the political system of Zhuang Guo, in You Guo, the city lord changed every six months. Only the most exceptional talent in a city was qualified to become a lower city lord, governing for half a year.

However, due to the brevity of the term, the lower cities had specialized families handling mundane affairs – these were the true core families within a lower city.

The Su family, to which Su Mu Qing belonged, was the assistant official family of the twenty-seven cities.

Of course, their power was not absolute. Truly significant matters still required decisions from the upper city.

The protective holy beast regularly patrolled the borders, allowing its back-dwelling capital city to maintain deep control over the entire territory.

During the semi-annual examination, if a city lord performed outstandingly, they would be rewarded with the qualification to cultivate in the upper city. If their performance was deemed unsatisfactory, they would be punished by being devoured by the protective holy beast.

Su Mu Qing’s cousin, Yin Guan, was precisely such a city lord.

“Hahaha, assistant official family?” The pink-faced man roared with laughter, pulling her back just as she turned. “Then it’s even better to talk!”

“Stop!”

Although Jiang Wang was concealed within the crowd, he had been paying close attention to the situation.

The one who spoke to stop him was not Jiang Wang himself, but the fellow he had a brief encounter with earlier, the seemingly unremarkable Xu Xiang Qian.

His notably high forehead was very conspicuous.

“In broad daylight, in the clear light of day! What do you intend by seizing my cousin?” The man demanded indignantly.

The pink-faced man’s act of seizing someone on the street had already displeased the bystanders. However, due to his identity as an upper city cultivator executing duties, and their concern that Su Mu Qing might indeed have some connection to today’s events, they had not dared to step forward.

Now, with Xu Xiang Qian stepping forward, the surrounding bystanders scattered momentarily, subtly surrounding them.

Seeing this, the pink-faced man showed no fear. Instead, his eyes held contempt.

“Your cousin?” He turned back to look at Xu Xiang Qian and smiled. “What is your name, what is her name? Where does she live, what is her age? Speak now. Get one thing wrong, and I’ll kill you!”

Su Mu Qing tried to speak, but he grasped her chin, rendering her unable to utter a sound.

As he spoke, some nearby upper city cultivators also roughly pushed aside the crowd, surrounding Xu Xiang Qian.

Only those cultivators in Fu Bei army uniforms continued to meticulously carry out their duties, searching everywhere.

Xu Xiang Qian was momentarily stunned. While he had indeed stepped forward out of temporary kindness, it was impossible for him to truly understand Su Mu Qing’s situation. Naturally, he could not answer the pink-faced man’s questions.

“Everyone saw that, didn’t they? He actually lied while I am executing official duties. I wonder if he has any connection with those evil cults and heretics?” The pink-faced man laughed heartily, then turned back to look at Xu Xiang Qian. “I can arrest you right now, lock you up for ten or eight years. Do you believe me?”

“Bring it on!” Xu Xiang Qian was not like a scholar at all. He immediately began to roll up his sleeves. “If you’re afraid, you’re not your grandfather!”

“I rather hope you can remain this defiant.” The pink-faced man’s smile suddenly vanished, replaced by a cold expression. “This person is suspected of being connected to the rebel thief Yin Guan. Take him away for me!”

Amidst the commotion, a clear voice suddenly shouted, “Wait!”

A young man with a clear and handsome face, though with white hair, squeezed out from the crowd.

“Her name is Su Mu Qing. She lives on the street behind you. Turn left, walk to the end, then turn right. It’s the innermost, largest house! As for her age, I cannot tell you, because a woman’s age is a secret, and you are not qualified to know.”

“I am here to testify that Su Mu Qing’s shout of ‘cousin’ was directed at Xu Xiang Qian! What else do you wish to ask?”

PS: An earthquake just happened, o, o, but it won’t affect my update!

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