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Zhen Gui Pass — Main Hall of the City Lord’s Mansion.
The atmosphere within the hall was grim and heavy. Two rows of soldiers stood like statues outside, as motionless as javelins. The weapons in their hands gleamed coldly under the sun, casting a chilling light.
Inside the hall, over a dozen figures were seated in rows of chairs, all of them staring straight ahead.
"Meng Li, you actually dared to attack your commanding officer without orders! This act is tantamount to mutiny. If word of this reaches the Sacred City, you’ll lose your head for sure!"
Below them knelt a man with a towering, iron-tower-like physique—shirtless, dressed only in shorts. Heavy chains as thick as a child’s arm bound him in place, his body covered in dozens of bloodied wounds, large and small. His hair was a mess, his breath weak, and he looked utterly disheveled.
Yet despite his condition, he raised his head and glared fiercely at a man in yellow robes across from him, roaring with fury.
"Heh, Mu Tie, you’re already a prisoner, and you still talk big." The yellow-robed man, Meng Li, shook his head and sneered coldly. "Empty threats won’t work on me. Do you think I’d dare to do something this rebellious if I were afraid of the Imperial Family’s retaliation?"
"Yun Lan Sect... What exactly are you planning?" Mu Tie shifted his gaze to the white-robed elder seated at the head of the hall and shouted sternly, "If the Imperial Family finds out about this, they’ll send the army to annihilate you!"
The white-robed elder sat with his eyes half-closed, not even bothering to raise his eyelids at the accusation.
"Heh... And what if the Imperial Family finds out?" Meng Li chuckled darkly, then his gaze turned cold and sinister. "With the strength of the Yun Lan Sect, why should we fear them?"
"Besides, I’d wager the Imperial Family already has its hands full trying to protect itself. It won’t be long now before the Jia Ma Empire has a new ruler!"
He leaned forward slightly, his voice lowering.
"Mu Tie, there’s a saying: A wise man submits to the times. As long as you obediently hand over the command token and help me take full control of Zhen Gui Pass’s forces, the Yun Lan Sect won’t treat you poorly."
"You want to take over the empire’s army from me?" Mu Tie took a deep breath and shouted angrily, "Dream on!"
A storm surged in Mu Tie’s heart. He had never imagined that the Yun Lan Sect would dare to go this far.
If they truly intended to make a move against the Imperial Family, it meant they were almost completely confident in their chances of success.
What was happening in the imperial capital right now? He couldn’t even guess.
But no matter the outcome, the empire would surely suffer severe losses from this rebellion.
He could only hope that the surrounding empires didn’t take advantage of the chaos to invade—or the people would suffer greatly.
"Mu Tie, you’re far too stubborn." Meng Li sighed and shook his head.
"You think that just because you refuse to cooperate, I won’t find a way to take control? Let me tell you, even if I kill you, I’ll still be able to seize command. I’ve built up enough authority in this fortress over the years that—while it might be troublesome—it’s certainly not impossible."
"Not everyone is as loyal to the Imperial Family as you are."
"Loyal soldiers follow capable kings. The Imperial Family is a sinking ship. Why keep clinging to it?" Meng Li added persuasively.
Mu Tie just laughed coldly in response.
"Stubborn fool," Meng Li scoffed and curled his lip.
Then, turning, he stepped forward and bowed respectfully toward the white-robed elder seated at the head of the hall.
"Elder Yun Fan, this man is a die-hard loyalist of the Imperial Family. I ask that you give the order to execute him, then display his head at the gates to serve as a warning."
Hearing this, Yun Fan finally opened his eyes slowly. His aged face showed no expression—calm as still water.
But the moment his eyes opened, a terrifying pressure immediately swept through the entire hall.
Under the weight of that aura, Mu Tie’s face turned grim, and a trace of despair and unwillingness surged within him.
He had lingered at the peak of Dou Ling for many years and had only recently broken through to the Dou Wang level by sheer luck.
But in truth, he wasn’t even considered a true One-Star Dou Wang yet.
His breakthrough had been recent and unstable—he had not fully established his footing at that level.
Which was why, three days ago, in under ten moves, he had been utterly defeated by this Yun Lan Sect elder—Yun Fan, a true Four-Star Dou Wang.
If he had just ten more days to stabilize his breakthrough, he definitely wouldn’t have been defeated so quickly. And if the army had been fully assembled and battle formations deployed in time, perhaps the situation wouldn’t have become this dire. Thɪs chapter is updated by Nove1Fire.net
"Commander Mu Tie, you’d best hand over that hidden command token and assist us in taking control of the army."
Yun Fan gazed calmly at Mu Tie and said slowly, "The Mu Clan is one of the empire’s three Great Clans. If you pledge allegiance to our Yun Lan Sect, your rewards will far exceed anything the Imperial Family currently offers. But if you continue to resist, destruction may not be far off."
"The Yun Lan Sect has betrayed the empire and will be despised by all!" Mu Tie roared. "I, Mu Tie, am a general of the empire. If I surrender to the likes of you, I wouldn’t just lose the respect of others—I wouldn’t even be able to respect myself!"
Yun Fan shook his head, his expression turning increasingly cold. With a slight clench of his hand, a long, deep-blue sword appeared in his palm.
He raised the sword in his right hand, its tip aimed straight at Mu Tie’s heart. His voice turned cold and detached:
"Those who dare oppose the Yun Lan Sect—death is their only fate. This is your final chance. Will you submit or not?"
"Haha! Kill me if you want—why waste time talking?" Mu Tie threw his head back and laughed wildly. "If I so much as frown, I’m no man! But know this—your Yun Lan Sect’s ambitions will die before they’re ever born!"
Between submission and death, Mu Tie chose death with pride. His spirit was unyielding. To him, surrendering to traitors was more humiliating than death.
"Since you insist on courting death... don’t blame this old man for being merciless."
Yun Fan narrowed his aged eyes, his face turning even colder.
A powerful surge of Dou Qi began to pour out of his body. The pressure it brought caused the very air in the hall to thicken and still.
Buzz... buzz... buzz...
A faint sword light flickered along the edge of the blade, flowing and pulsing. The sharp energy even caused the air itself to emit faint sizzling sounds as it was cut apart.
Mu Tie slowly closed his eyes and raised his head high, a defiant look on his face. He had no intention of uttering another word.
Seeing this, a cold gleam flashed in Yun Fan’s eyes. He lightly flicked the sword.
A streak of pale blue sword energy shot out, aiming directly for Mu Tie’s forehead.
Even before it landed, its razor-sharp aura caused a stabbing pain at the center of Mu Tie’s brow—like being pricked with a needle.
As the sword qi neared, several loose strands of hair hanging by his cheeks were silently severed by its sharpness and floated gently to the ground.
Watching the blue sword qi about to pierce Mu Tie’s forehead, Meng Li couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smirk.
But at that very moment—
A strange, searing heat suddenly surged into the hall, eerie and abrupt. In an instant, it spread across the entire space.
Without warning, threads of black flame began to ignite silently in midair.
Even the streak of pale blue sword energy was suddenly consumed by these black flames.
As the black fire burned, it was as if all the energy within the sword qi had been devoured. Within moments, it disintegrated completely into nothingness.
This bizarre scene stunned everyone present.
Even Mu Tie, who had shut his eyes waiting for death, suddenly sensed the sword energy vanish and opened his eyes in confusion.
What greeted him was a floating black flame, burning and swaying just inches from his face—his pupils shrank in alarm.
Silence reigned for a heartbeat.
"Who’s there?!" Yun Fan shouted in shock, suddenly leaping to his feet.
A terrifying wave of Dou Qi erupted from his body, shattering the chair beneath him with a deafening bang.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of swords being drawn echoed crisply through the hall as over a dozen white-robed Yun Lan Sect elites unsheathed their weapons in unison.
Their auras exploded outward, and as their feet moved swiftly across the floor, they began forming a faint, coordinated formation.
Standing at the center of the formation, Yun Fan’s expression turned grim. His gaze scanned the entire hall warily as he spoke in a deep voice:
"Which expert has arrived? Are you here to oppose the Yun Lan Sect?"
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