Chapter 915: Ulterior Motive

Chapter 915: Ulterior Motive

"Stay in your residences and don't go anywhere. I don't want to hear any baseless speculations, either. Don't do anything until I come back," Chen Yang ordered as soon as he and the other Green Goat City cultivators returned to their courtyard.

After that, he immediately turned and made his way out of the courtyard.

Everyone else exchanged a few glances with one another, then returned to their residences.

As Han Li returned to his room, he couldn't help but wonder what was happening. Could it be that Profound City really was under attack from Puppet City?

He was planning to ask Gu Qianxun if she had any information to share, but it was clear from her earlier reaction that she was just as perplexed as everyone else.

He had no interest in the conflict between Profound City and Puppet City at all, but with the Five City Martial Gathering put on hold, there was no telling if he would be able to secure a Heavenly Qilin Crystal, and with the threat of the Black Tribulation Centipede constantly looming over his head, it was very difficult for him to do anything or go anywhere.

After some contemplation, Han Li shook his head to rid himself of this pointless train of thought.

At this point, all he could do was watch the situation unfold.

Meanwhile, the entire city was placed under lockdown, with groups of armorclad guards stationed at all of the city's important roads.

At the same time, a burst of rumbling rang out from the ground near the city gates, and a series of entrances of underground passageways appeared, out of which more armorclad guards came pouring out before stationing themselves atop the city walls.

The stone slabs on the city walls also began to part and split, while a black stone pagoda emerged roughly every one thousand feet.

The pagodas were fitted with astonishingly massive crossbows with enormous arrows nocked on them, and the arrows were giving off a sharp and forbidding gleam.

Most of the arrows were silver in color, but some were of a fiery red color with a series of white patterns engraved upon them, and they were clearly a special type of arrow.

Aside from these pagodas, many catapults, mechanical weapons, and even puppets of different descriptions had appeared on the city wall, while some giant mechanical weapons had also emerged on the Myriad Profound Mountain Range near Profound City.

......

After meditating in his room for close to a day, Han Li was suddenly visited by a Green Goat City servant, who invited him to Chen Yang's residence.

Upon arriving in the guest hall of Chen Yang's residence, Han Li discovered that there were already seven or eight people gathered inside, with the likes of Gu Qianxun, Yi Liya, and Xuanyuan Xing among them.

Gu Qianxun gave Han Li a slight nod as he entered the room, and he sat down beside her.

"Right now, the entire city has already been placed under lockdown, and things are not looking good," Gu Qianxun said.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, but he offered no response.

"I know what you're worried about, Fellow Daoist Li," Gu Qianxun said through voice transmission. "Rest assured, even if the Five City Martial Gathering is canceled altogether, I'll help you secure a Heavenly Qilin Crystal."

"Why would you help me?" Han Li asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"I should've guessed that this was the case. However, I presume that it's most likely those in positions of power in the two cities that are trying to leave this realm, right?" Han Li asked.

"Who knows? In any case, if the two cities really do clash, then make sure to proceed with the utmost caution. In such a large-scale conflict, any single of us is as insignificant as a speck of dust," Gu Qianxun cautioned.

"City Lord Chen, even though the troops of Puppet City have appeared outside Profound City, there's no guarantee that our Green Goat City isn't also one of their targets. Right now, with all of us in Profound City, if they decide to attack Green Goat City, then our city stands no chance," Yi Liya said.

"I'm well aware of that. However, we're currently forbidden from leaving Profound City, and even if we set off back to Green Goat City right away, we definitely won't be able to get there in time, so all we can do now is pray," Chen Yang sighed.

The meeting concluded shortly thereafter, and everyone was dismissed.

The cultivators of the other three cities had also been informed of the approaching Puppet City army, and everyone was making preparations for a potential war.

Some time later, the beating of the Heavenly Might War Drum rang out once again.

At this point, the previously lively and bustling streets had become completely deserted, and the few pedestrians walking on the streets were hurriedly rushing back to their homes, while all of the shops were closed.

Patrol groups of armorclad guards were constantly roaming the main streets and roads in the city, further adding to the tension that was permeating throughout the entire city.

Countless armorclad soldiers were busy at work on the city wall above the main gate of Profound City, and right at this moment, a group of people arrived on the city wall.

The soldiers in front of them hurriedly parted to let them through, and it was a group of seven or eight people that was led by E Kuai.

Upon arriving atop the city wall, E Kuai cast his gaze into the distance in silence, and none of the people with him dared to disrupt him.

Moments later, E Kuai's expression darkened slightly, and he could see a gray line approaching on the distant horizon amid a burst of thunderous rumbling.

The armorclad soldiers on the city wall quickly spotted the approaching gray line as well, and all of them tightened their grips around their weapons in anticipation of a potential clash.

E Kuai swept an arm through the air in an expressionless manner, and the city gate down below instantly swung open.

Countess armorclad soldiers flooded out of the city, with most of them traveling on foot, while roughly a third of them were riding atop various types of scaled beasts, and they arranged themselves into several formations in front of Profound City.

At the same time, a sharp screech rang out from the nearby Myriad Profound Mountain Range, and a flock of flying scaled beasts swooped down from the mountains. Most of them were a type of vulture scaled beast, and they were also carrying armorclad soldiers on their backs, forming a series of aerial formations.

At this point, the gray line on the horizon had become far larger than before, and one could begin to make out a formidable army consisting of countless puppets.

The puppet army seemed to have detected the hostility from Profound City, and it drew to a halt hundreds of kilometers away from Profound City, not advancing any further beyond that point.

The hearts of the soldiers on the city wall were brimming with battle intent, and all of them were looking at E Kuai, waiting for him to issue the order for them to charge into battle.

However, to everyone's surprise, the puppet army in the distance continued to remain in the distance without advancing any further, and E Kuai's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this as he refrained from issuing any orders.

As a result, an impasse ensued.