Upon the city tower, the banner of Jia City snapped and fluttered in the wind.

The people of Qi held purple in high esteem.

Yang Country, with the crimson sun as its totem, originally revered the color red. However, since its incorporation into Qi Country as a vassal state, customs had gradually shifted.

Now, the mainstream also considered purple to be precious.

Yet, a minority of places still clung to tradition. Jia City was one such place.

The city flag of Jia City bore a red base, with carp embroidered in the corners, and the Yang script character “Jia” emblazoned in the center. Perhaps it was only on these flags and similar symbols that one could still behold the script of Yang Country.

Willingly or not, the entire officialdom of Yang Country had already embraced and promoted the characters of Qi Country.

The lake fish of Jia City were renowned for their freshness and delectable taste, and there was a saying that carp could transform into dragons. The carp patterns on the flag, therefore, served to gather good fortune while also declaring the ambitions of this city.

From afar, the red banner resembled a field of freshly spilled blood.

Indeed, the ancestors of the Xi family had shed fervent blood that year to lay the foundation for the current Jia City. Several generations of diligent stewardship had then culminated in the prosperous Jia City that Jiang Wang saw for the first time.

At this moment, Jiang Wang stood alone outside the inner city gate, a single figure with a sword encompassing the city.

But how could it be that he alone surrounded the city?

Nay, it was the rampant plague, omnipresent!

Those unseen, transmitting in silence…

Those visible, wracked by torment and succumbing to death…

The plague was like a vast army besieging the city.

Upon the city tower stood Xi Mu Nan, the Lord of Jia City, his hands clasped behind his back.

The great army had already encircled the city, and from all sides came the songs of Chu.

Today, they heard the drums of war…

From whom were these two or three youths conscripted?

Jiang Wang raised his head. “Dare I ask, Lord City Master, is the taking of your life sufficient to consecrate this red banner?”

Silence fell in an instant.

Xi Mu Nan had come at this time to gauge Jiang Wang’s stance, or more accurately, to ascertain the attitude of the Chong Xuan family, who stood behind Jiang Wang.

He had not anticipated such unwavering resolve from Jiang Wang, not the slightest hint of compromise.

But he was, after all, Xi Mu Nan, the Lord of Jia City. He remained silent for only a moment before pointing his spear downward.

Since words were useless, there was no need for further discourse.

Matters had reached this point, and thus, life and death would be decided. Xi Mu Nan would not allow the Xi family’s courage to be underestimated.

Behind him, the extraordinary guards, fifteen in number, suddenly descended like falling rain, like arrows loosed from a bowstring!

Fifteen extraordinary cultivators leaped from the high wall, forming a long arrow.

Two Tongtian Realm cultivators formed the arrowhead, four Zhoutian Realm cultivators the arrow feathers, and nine Youmai Realm cultivators the arrow shaft.

In an instant, they accelerated to the extreme, their combined power blending into a single, colossal, and incomparably sharp arrow!

Though Yang Country was small, it was still a nation. Though Jia City was weak, it was still a city.

Naturally, they possessed military formations and strategic arts.

The combined power of fifteen extraordinary cultivators was sufficient to transcend realms and engage in battle.

Indeed, the most fearsome aspect of military cultivators, their very foundation, lay in their battlefield killing techniques. Among these, military formations were the most widely known.

On the battlefield, the super formations composed of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of soldiers were capable of destroying cities, annihilating nations, and allowing mortal bodies to break through the extraordinary!

Countless extraordinary cultivators had met their demise at the hands of ordinary soldiers on the battlefield.

Hence, in the eyes of true military men, there was never a separation between heaven and man.

This elite team of fifteen extraordinary cultivators, forming an “arrow,” employed precisely the battle formation inherited by the Xi family for generations.

This formation was derived from the basic military array known as the Feng Ya Array, but it possessed unique mechanisms that placed extreme emphasis on killing.

However, even within the Tongtian Realm, there were differences as vast as a chasm.

These two Tongtian Realm cultivators were merely ordinary Tongtian Realm experts.

Yet, Jiang Wang was among that select group of individuals who were approaching the very limits of the Tongtian Realm.

The “arrow” launched by the fifteen extraordinary cultivators plunged headfirst into a sea of flowers.

Vigorous energy stirred, the sea of flowers surged, yet fresh blossoms withered and regenerated.

The intricate sea of flowers obscured their positions, rendering this “arrow” a headless fly. Having experienced countless battles, they understood that in such situations, they must not separate. Thus, they poured even more into the battle formation, condensing into a single entity.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fireworks mixed within continuously collided with the “arrow,” the sounds of explosion echoing incessantly.

However, an arrow, once released from the string, loses its momentum and its sharpness is blunted.

Even a strong crossbow, when spent, cannot pierce silk gauze.

With a single stroke, Jiang Wang cleaved forth the River of Sun, Moon, and Stars, vertically spanning the sky, shattering the soldier’s formation, dispersing this “arrow,” and even tearing open the sea of flowers he himself had conjured!

The fifteen extraordinary cultivators scattered in mid-air, and at this very moment, Xi Mu Nan, who was about to join the attack, had just barely descended.

Jiang Wang, from below, swung his sword horizontally in mid-air.

One sword, mountains and rivers!

Rolling momentum, unstoppable.

Xi Mu Nan, just about to pounce and kill, was instead cleaved back to the city tower by a single sword!

And Jiang Wang, seizing the momentum, turned his body. Chang Xiang Si moved like a flood dragon, wandering lightning flashing, in one breath, he horizontally slashed left and right.

Fifteen consecutive swords!

Jiang Wang held his sword and stepped on the ground.

Bang, bang, bang…

Fifteen consecutive sounds, fifteen corpses fell!

Like a blooming flower, enveloping Jiang Wang within it.

Each corpse was a petal, and Jiang Wang, like the heart of the flower, raised his head again, meeting Xi Mu Nan’s gaze.

Fresh flowers filled the sky, covering the inner city walls from top to bottom.

The sea of flowers bloomed once more.

Today’s Jiang Wang was even more formidable than when he had slain Zhu Gu Mianzhe.

The Sea of Flowers, such an exquisite Dao technique, only now truly displayed its full power, leaving Xi Mu Nan momentarily disoriented, unsure of where he stood.

Upon the city gate tower, Xi Mu Nan spread his great sleeves, a seal appearing in his hand. His voice, like a grand bell and drum, resounded with a decree: “Hundred flowers wither!”

This seal was the Lord of Jia City’s seal.

Xi Mu Nan mobilized the power of the entire Jia City domain, issuing a decree downwards. With every action, ten thousand blessings were added.

Comparing Yang Country and Zhuang Country, regardless of the court’s independence or lack thereof, solely considering the various domains:

The power of the lords of the major domains in Yang Country was far greater than that of the city lords in Zhuang Country.

Although both countries had a county-city system, and the city lords in various places were like feudal lords, nominally enjoying autonomous power,

In Zhuang Country, under the overt and covert control of the court, no domain could have an independent family ruling for more than three generations.

For example, Wei Quji in Fenglin City was a newly appointed lord.

Meanwhile, the Xi family had been in Jia City for several generations; it had clearly become a country within a country.

This situation was not an exception in Yang Country.

This was also the reason why the Xi family vehemently rejected the Yang Country court’s intervention in Jia City affairs, as it related to their vital interests!

And the benefit of this kind of operation for the Xi family was that they had successfully bound Jia City and the Xi family as one.

One specific manifestation of this was their ability to truly mobilize the power of the entire Jia City domain!

Initially, Wei Quji died in battle at the city lord’s mansion not because he didn’t want to mobilize domain power, but because he couldn’t.

He hadn’t governed Fenglin City long enough, and his power was, in fact, granted by the Zhuang Court. However, the Wusheng Wumie Array had severed his connection with the Zhuang Court.

In Jia City, Xi Mu Nan held the Lord of Jia City’s seal. With domain power added, a single decree was issued, and the fresh flowers gradually withered.

Jiang Wang’s figure, holding the sword, was clearly imprinted in his eyes.

The sea of flowers was destroyed! And for a time, unable to rise again.

Xi Mu Nan’s face was ashen, his heart filled with deep hatred. He issued another decree: “Your crime deserves execution!”

Rumble!

A startling thunder erupted from the clear sky.

A shocking thunderclap suddenly exploded in the clear sky, instantly descending upon Jiang Wang.

Fireworks bloomed.

In an instant, Jiang Wang sent forth seven fireworks consecutively.

And in a single vertical line, they collided successively with the thunder.

But they could not even obstruct for a breath’s time. The fireworks exploded and scattered, and the thunder directly descended.

Densely intertwined vine snakes entwined around Jiang Wang, wrapping him.

The vine snakes formed an entangling wall.

Food flowers bloomed upon it, but just as they bloomed, they were extinguished.

The entire vine snake entangling wall also collapsed!

All of this happened too quickly, to the point that the sounds of the seven fireworks exploding and the vine snake entangling wall collapsing merged together, yet both were drowned out by the sound of thunder!