Gongsun Xin glanced at his impassioned clansmen and asked, "Do you all choose to fight?"
"Fight!" Tens of thousands shouted in unison, their imposing momentum surging.
"Can we still defend it?" Ye Xuan’s expression finally relaxed a little. If the Gongsun Family could withstand the assault, he would still be able to enter the Three-Star Secret Realm.
"Since everyone has chosen to fight, go back and prepare. If nothing unexpected happens, they will lay siege to the Gongsun Family tomorrow," Gongsun Xin said.
The crowd in the main courtyard gradually dispersed. Every member of the Gongsun Family carried a heavy heart, yet alongside that heaviness burned an endless will to fight.
That night, the news of Gongsun Wenjin passing away naturally spread throughout all of Dapeng City. The Sun Family, Qiu Family, Yun Clan, Feng Family, and He Family—the Five Great Clans—held emergency family meetings overnight.
"Have you heard? Gongsun Wenjin has died naturally! Our chance has come."
"Is this news confirmed?"
"It’s confirmed. We’re just waiting for the city usurpation notice to be posted at the city gates! I’ve already sent people to keep a close eye on Suo Weng’s every move at the gates. The moment the notice goes up, the battle can begin."
On a pitch-black night with howling winds, an elderly man wearing a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat appeared beneath the city walls. He looked entirely ordinary, yet no one in the entire city dared to provoke him. That was because he was Suo Weng.
Suo Weng possessed a special status. Every city had such a figure. Their sole purpose for existing was to constantly monitor the piece of Twin Jade they carried with them. Once the Twin Jade shattered, it meant the City Lord of that city had died naturally. In the dead of night, Suo Weng would then take a jug of wine, offering a tribute while posting the city usurpation notice.
"Have a safe journey." At this moment, Suo Weng poured the wine in his hands onto the ground as an offering to heaven and earth. His movements were not rushed; instead, they were incredibly slow. Finally, he arrived beneath the city wall. A piece of yellow paper appeared in his hand. As he pasted the yellow paper onto the wall, he sighed. "May Dapeng City find peace soon."
As his voice faded, the yellow paper was secured in place. Suo Weng downed the remaining wine, then staggered away, disappearing into the moonlight.
The moment he left, several silhouettes appeared beneath the city wall one after another. They glanced at the notice. It contained exactly nine words, but those nine words made everyone’s eyes gleam with sharp intensity.
"The City Lord has died naturally. Seize the city."
It was indeed the city usurpation notice. Everyone simultaneously crushed the replica Twin Jade they held in their hands.
At this moment, within the Sun Family.
Terrifying killing intent shot from Sun Zhenwu’s eyes. "The Twin Jade has shattered, and the city usurpation notice has been issued. Gongsun Family, your good days are over! Last time, it was our Sun Family that fought to the death to break through the Hu Family’s defenses, only for the Gongsun Family to snatch the victory out from under us. You won’t have such good luck this time. Sun Hang, have you notified your grandfather?"
"Grandfather Zhenwu, I have notified him."
"Good! Gongsun Family, you definitely won’t last seven days."
The sky gradually brightened. The members of the Gongsun Family had stayed awake all night.
"Xuan’Er, are you really not leaving? It’s still not too late to go now. You can come back once the Gongsun Family wins this war," Gongsun Yanran said to Ye Xuan with a worried expression in the Lingxuan Courtyard.
As a member of the Gongsun Family, she certainly couldn’t leave. However, Ye Xuan could go; he was a Ye, after all. Even if he left, no one would accuse him of being heartless.
Ye Xuan shook his head. "Mother, if you aren’t leaving, how can I? Besides, doesn’t the Gongsun Family have confidence in defending the city?"
"We do have confidence, but the battlefield is ever-changing. After all these years, who knows what trump cards those major families might be hiding?"
"Then I definitely can’t leave, Mother. If I go, I’m taking you with me."
"Xuan’Er..."
"Mother, say no more. I’m staying, no matter what. Hua, how about you return to the Ye Family first?"
Ye Xuan looked at Hua.
Hua’s eyes were resolute as she replied, "Mr. Ye, wherever you are, that is where I will be."
"Never mind, I know how stubborn you are, so I won’t press the issue. But Mother, Hua, you must promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"If the Gongsun Family fails to hold the city, we must find a way to escape."
Gongsun Yanran shook her head. "If we truly cannot hold on, you won’t even need to say it. The Elders will carve a bloody path out to preserve the Gongsun Family’s bloodline. Let us just hope we can defend it."
Ye Xuan didn’t say much more, though he also hoped the Gongsun Family could defend Dapeng City. The Secret Realm was just about to open—why did this have to happen now? He even considered finding his eldest uncle to ask him to open the Secret Realm ahead of schedule. The other members of the Gongsun Family certainly had no mood to enter the Secret Realm right now.
But he did. The resources he needed were all inside.
On second thought, however, if the Gongsun Family held their ground, he would be able to enter sooner or later. If they couldn’t, what would be the point of going into the Secret Realm? He might as well head straight for the resource vault! He could take advantage of the chaos and find a way to grab the resources he needed. Taking them himself was much better than leaving them for the enemy.
CLANG!
Right at that moment, the bell tolled again. This chime signaled that the enemy had arrived.
The Gongsun Mansion was incredibly vast, with main gates facing the four cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west. Now, densely packed Cultivators stood outside every gate. They numbered no fewer than a hundred thousand, their figures filling the surrounding streets. At this moment, the hundred thousand Cultivators unleashed their Beast Soul Power all at once. In that instant, heaven and earth lost their color, and the sun and moon dimmed.
"He Family men, hear my command! Show no mercy to anyone from the Gongsun Family. We will be the first to break through their gates and slaughter our way into the Gongsun Mansion. Within seven days, we will either kill every last one of them or drive them all out!"
"Qiu Family men, hear my command! Kill! Seven days from now, Dapeng City will belong to the Qiu Family."
"Yun Clan, the day to rule a city has arrived! Let blood dye this land red. We shall forge our glory with the flesh and blood of our enemies."
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Unison roars erupted from every direction. The collective shout of a hundred thousand people shook the heavens. These hundred thousand people were not ordinary Cultivators. The vast majority of them were at the Super Spirit Realm, and the strongest among them were even at the Earth Spirit Realm. They unleashed their pressure with full force, rendering it perceptible to half the city.
Normally, a city was a bustling place. Today, however, every single shop in the city was tightly shut. The establishments closest to the Gongsun Mansion had been completely evacuated. They knew that in a battle of this scale, their shops would undoubtedly be destroyed.
RUMBLE!
In the next moment, thunder crashed from the sky. Battles erupted simultaneously in all four directions. From that moment on, the sky above Dapeng City became a vibrant display of colors as Spiritual Qi of all hues and Martial Techniques of every grade rained down from above.
"It has begun," Suo Weng said. Holding a jug of wine, he suddenly appeared at the main entrance of the Gongsun Mansion. He planted a massive incense stick into the ground. This incense would burn for exactly seven days.
In seven days, the dust would settle. Whoever seized control of the City Lord’s Mansion would become the next City Lord.