?Several days later, with Marquis Yao and Old Master Seventh leaving successively, and with the three Palace Masters and the various sects busily suppressing the rebellion across the entire county, news from various sources began to converge.
For example, the extent of the rebellion, the situation of the nonhuman races of the Forbidden Sea and their determination to cause chaos, and the true reasons for over 10,000 Fenghai cultivators being trapped in the desperate situation and escaping from the Black Heaven Battlefield.
The truth was that the Great Expansion Dao Palace, a former member of the Eight Sects Alliance, provided assistance!
The Eight Sects Alliance's Alliance Leader didn't join the Seventh Prince alone. He had left with the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect and the Great Expansion Dao Palace.
After siding with the Seventh Prince, the Great Expansion Dao Palace was arranged to assist in the arrangement of array formations on the battlefield with its expertise in array formations. It was a safe position.
In the end, unable to bear the suffering of the Fenghai cultivators and witnessing the extent of the casualties among the five million people, the Great Expansion Dao Palace secretly granted Kong Xianglong and others a certain degree of array permissions.
This allowed Kong Xianglong and the others to survive and escape.
This matter wouldn't have been discovered so quickly, but the hearts of the people within the Great Expansion Dao Palace were complex. While some couldn't bear what happened to Fenghai County, others wholeheartedly attached themselves to the Seventh Prince.
Due to their respective ideals and internal power struggles, this matter was spread by the Great Expansion Dao Palace on its own, targeting the sect master.
This caused the Great Expansion Dao Palace's ancestor and the Seventh Prince to be furious. They ordered a cleanup and killed everyone who participated. Only the sect master of the Great Expansion Dao Palace, who was defined as the main instigator, was missing.
It was also because of this that this information spread and attracted the attention of all parties.
At this moment, while Marquis Yao, Old Master Seventh, and a large number of forces were still scattered, a person came to the relatively empty capital city of Fenghai County.
This person was an old man dressed in a brown Daoist robe. His expression was filled with fatigue and he was heavily injured. While he was travel-worn, he was also cautious and extremely vigilant.
The moment he stepped into the county capital, he immediately contacted two people.
One was Zi Xuan, and the other was Xue Lianzi.
They didn't head out but stayed in the city to guard it. The instant they received the news, the expressions of Zi Xuan and Xue Lianzi changed.
This was because they knew who it was.
It was the sect master of the Great Expansion Dao Palace, Yan Yezi, who had Perfected Spirit Repository cultivation.
If it was anyone else who came to the capital of Fenghai County at this moment, it would be very difficult for them to meet Xue Lianzi and Zi Xuan. After all, it was war preparation time and the situation was ever-changing.
However, this Yan Yezi from the Great Expansion Dao Palace had saved the lives of the Fenghai County cultivators on the Black Heaven Battlefield.
His forces in the sect were completely wiped out by the Seventh Prince, resulting in the deaths of over a thousand people. The scene might not be a river of blood, but it was undeniably a gruesome and brutal outcome. Even he barely escaped with his life, severely wounded..
He had come to seek refuge, so they had to meet him, especially since he had mentioned that he had an important secret to tell them.
Very soon, in the main hall of the County Governor's residence, Xu Qing, Xue Lianzi, Zi Xuan, and some others saw Yan Yezi.
The seriousness of his injuries didn't seem fake. His internal organs were mostly shattered and he was relying on his Spirit Repository cultivation to hold on. After seeing Xu Qing and the others, his expression was a little dazed. Clearly, he recalled the first time he saw Xu Qing.
"Greetings, County Governor!"
A while later, Yan Yezi suppressed his emotions and cupped his fists respectfully. However, the fluctuations in his heart triggered his injuries, and his complexion turned even paler.
Xu Qing immediately waved his hand and sent over a gentle force. After he helped the sect master up, he instructed people to bring over a medicinal pill and politely placed it in front of Yan Yezi.
"Thank you for your help on the Black Heaven Battlefield, Sect Master. We've already heard about the matter of the Great Expansion Dao Palace. This is a healing treasure here in the city, Heaven Rejuvenation Pill. You should consume it first and take care of your injuries."
Yan Yezi picked it up when he heard this. He noticed that Xue Lianzi and Zi Xuan were observing him. Although there was no hostility in their gazes, he knew that his arrival would definitely arouse suspicion.
Hence, he didn't hesitate at all. He didn't even look at the authenticity of the pill and swallowed it in one gulp.
Xue Lianzi narrowed his eyes while Zi Xuan remained calm.
From the start to the end, Xu Qing's expression was as usual. He looked at Yan Yezi who was meditating after eating the medicinal pill and didn't continue to speak.
After about fifteen minutes, Yan Yezi opened his eyes. The injuries in his body had eased somewhat, which he suppressed once again. He took a deep breath, bowing to Xu Qing once more. His expression carried a sense of lamentation, along with a touch of guilt.
"Time flies, many years have passed… I still remember the first time that the County Governor came to the Eight Sects Alliance…"
Yan Yezi shook his head and sighed.
"It's a pity that my Great Expansion Dao Palace has followed the wrong person. One wrong step and every step will be wrong…"
"County Governor, I risked my life to escape and came to Fenghai County to tell you some news. You can choose what to do."
"One, even though I couldn't bear the tragedy that happened to Fenghai cultivators on the Black Heaven Battlefield, I couldn't bring myself to risk the lives of my sect disciples and myself to save them."
"The reason I was able to save those 10,000 people was because there were some flaws in the array formation at that time. During the repair process, I had an opportunity to form a teleportation array without being discovered. Even if it was discovered, it would have nothing to do with me."
"So, I chose to help."
"It's impossible for outsiders to know about this, and it's impossible for the internal department of the Great Expansion Dao Palace to discover it so quickly. However, not long after the 10,000-odd cultivators from Fenghai County were teleported, the news spread from within the Great Expansion Dao Palace."
"It was a massacre. I understood this was a trap and I risked my life to escape. Someone calculated my soft-heartedness and set up a trap."
"Someone wants to let those people from Fenghai County out and use them as a bargaining chip so that Fenghai County has no choice but to rescue them. At the same time, they are luring the tiger away from the mountain."
Yan Yezi spoke in a low voice. The expressions of everyone in the hall were different and it was completely silent.
"That person is Chen Yangzi, the alliance leader of the former Eight Sects Alliance!"
The eyes of Yan Yezi were bloodshot when he said this.
"The second news I want to talk about is also related to this person. All the chaos in Fenghai County, including the Forbidden Sea, was arranged by Chen Yangzi. I… was once in charge of communicating with the nonhuman races in the Forbidden Sea."
Yan Yezi lowered his head and spoke bitterly.
"As for the third piece of news, it's from the frontline. King Tian Lan's army is about to return victorious!"
"The bloody immortal art he needs has been completely set up. Moreover, he has already unleashed the might of immortal art. The Black Heaven Race is retreating step by step on the battlefield he is in charge of."
"Now, under the lead of King Tian Lan and relying on the blood immortal art, the army has fought their way into the hinterland of the Black Spirit Region. They will soon complete their mission. At that time, the army will return triumphantly. With just a word from the Seventh Prince, Fenghai County… will definitely be in great danger!"
In the main hall, other than Xu Qing and a few people, the expressions of the others changed. This was the first time they had heard such specific news about the battlefield.
The words of Yan Yezi didn't end.
"There's also a fourth piece of news that is related to Chen Yangzi. The mission he received was to probe the situation in Fenghai County before King Tian Lan returned. At the same time, he has a deeper goal, and that is Fairy Zi Xuan."
"Chen Yangzi wants to capture Fairy Zi Xuan alive."
These words echoed in the main hall. Zi Xuan's expression was cold and Xu Qing narrowed his eyes.
Xue Lianzi sat at the side and looked at Yan Yezi as he slowly spoke.
"What does this have to do with Fellow Daoist Zi Xuan?"
Yan Yezi hesitated for a moment and gritted his teeth. In the end, he still told them what he knew.
"When Chen Yangzi sought refuge with the Seventh Prince, he said that Fairy Zi Xuan's origins are special and her cultivation method is extraordinary. If you dual cultivate with her, using her as a vessel can allow the dual cultivator to break through the shackles of their realm."
"The Seventh Prince asked Chen Yangzi to send Fairy Zi Xuan over. Hence, these things are happening one after another."
Killing intent flashed in Zi Xuan's eyes. Xu Qing didn't speak but his aura instantly turned cold.
Everyone in the hall emitted a murderous aura. Xue Lianzi sneered.
After Yan Yezi finished speaking, the injuries in his body fluctuated and he panted slightly. He suppressed them again and continued to speak.
"There's still the fifth one. This time…"
Just as Yan Yezi said this, he suddenly paused. His eyes widened and his stomach instantly swelled. His entire body instantly expanded. In the blink of an eye, his clothes tore apart and he transformed into a huge ball of flesh.
It was a shocking sight!
A mournful cry rang out from his mouth, echoing through the hall. When everyone's expressions changed, the meatball-like body of Yan Yezi directly collapsed and exploded!
Xue Lianzi walked out immediately. The others were the same. As they guarded themselves against the splattering flesh and blood, they also used their cultivation to protect their surroundings.
Rumbling sound echoed, and an invisible ripple spread out from the shattered body of Yan Yezi.
This ripple rapidly covered the hall and the entire city.
It didn't have any lethality. It was more like an extremely detailed and tight investigation.
After investigating, all the flesh and blood in the hall rapidly rose into the air and gathered together to form a huge vortex. A terrifying aura erupted from the vortex.
All of this took a long time to describe, but in reality, from the moment Yan Yezi transformed into a meatball and exploded until the vortex formed, only a moment had passed.
At the same time, in the former Heavenly Wind Imperial Capital, which was extremely far away from here, in his residence, the alliance leader revealed a smile as he stared at the chessboard.
"So, there's really no Nihility stage four in Fenghai County now."
The chessboard in front of him was filled with flesh and blood, forming a vortex. In the depths of the vortex, what was reflected was the scene in the hall of Fenghai County.
The smile on the alliance leader's face grew even wider. Everything was within his plan. From the begin to the end, he had everything under control. Step by step, he formed the situation with victory in his grasp.
"Then, it's time to pluck the fruit."
Alliance leader calmly lifted his hand and reached into the flesh and blood vortex on the chessboard in front of him, grabbing at the hall.
At the same time, in the main hall of the County Governor's residence, just as everyone's hearts were in turmoil, the aura of the flesh and blood vortex erupted with huge energy. A large hand wrapped in black flames suddenly stretched out.
This large hand wasn't a human arm but more like a bird's claw. It was the Golden Crow's claw.
However, regardless of whether it was its aura or might, it far surpassed Xu Qing's. After it appeared, it carried endless pressure and terrifying fluctuations as it grabbed at Zi Xuan in the crowd!
There was likewise the aura of a late third stage Nihility cultivator that emitted from the claw, suppressing the surroundings.
A destructive force rumbled and swept out like an avalanche.
Xue Lianzi spat out a mouthful of blood. It was the same for the others. They were unable to resist the great power of the third stage Nihility. It was the same for Zi Xuan.
The Taboo magic treasure of Fenghai County was flickering. Qingqin likewise roared furiously in the sky. However, that ripple from earlier continued to spread, causing everything to be a little slower.
The large paw was about to grab Zi Xuan.
The power of fortune in Fenghai County around Xu Qing erupted, rumbling in all directions and neutralizing the pressure. He then stood up from his seat.
After that, he calmly lifted his right paw and threw a sphere into the flesh vortex.
This sphere had a name, Mid Sphere.
Someone called it the miniature version of the Sun of Dawn.