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"Something major has happened, esteemed guests..."

In the courtyard of the Lee Family, the head of the family was a short and chubby middle-aged man who stumbled over, sweating profusely after just a few steps, a clear sign of severe physical weakness.

Without any regard for appearances, he came up crying and shouting, "The city is surrounded by demons, and many people have died!!"

"This..." Wei Gongzhan suddenly took a cold breath. To avoid attracting attention, they had not flown directly into the air to gather intelligence, as the situation was unclear. Instead, they had asked the people of the Lee Family to help gather information and were waiting to act accordingly.

But now it seemed that the situation was more severe than they had anticipated.

The speed at which the Sea Clan had surrounded the city exceeded their expectations, and what was more, those aquatic beings were now slaughtering the ordinary civilians!

What did this signify?

It meant that the Sea Clan no longer cared to hide their intentions; they were ready to completely turn against them, even abandoning any plans of using the Human Race, starting a wholesale slaughter akin to the monstrous forces in the Northern Territory.

This was also very disadvantageous for the three of them because if the enemy merely intended to target the Southern Sea families, then the three could blend in with the common people and find an opportunity to escape back to Jiangnan.

But now... it seemed like there was no such chance left.

If the enemy breaks into Nanhai City, the likelihood of a massacre was quite high.

While Wei Gongzhan was frowning in worry, he saw Murong Yunji and Ao Zhen coming from the back courtyard, both with faint smells of blood on them and a distinctive fishy scent of the Sea Clan.

He immediately understood that the two had gone to deal with the aftermath of the recent assassination.

"Elder, was it the Sea Clan?"

"Hmm..." Ao Zhen nodded, "Yaksha, a type of Sea Clan expert in nocturnal stealth attacks, a specialty of the Southern Sea."

"How capable are they?" Wei Gongzhan thought and then made a comparison, "How do these creatures measure up to Yakshas?"

Ao Zhen glanced at him, thought for a moment, and then said, "They’re slightly inferior, but not by much."

"Only slightly inferior?" Wei Gongzhan said, stroking his chin thoughtfully upon hearing this.

The head of the Lee Family, totally lost in their conversation, could only wait anxiously. His only hope now was that the adult relative from the Lee Family who had promised protection would be able to guarantee their family’s safety during this crisis.

After this ordeal was over, he was determined to settle down in Jiangnan at any cost, even if his whole family had to beg on the streets!

"Do you have any discoveries?" Murong Yunji asked, looking at him.

She had a high opinion of Wei Gongzhan’s abilities.

Initially, her memory had been altered by Ali during the rebellion in Lyuzhou, and in such a critical situation, Wei Gongzhan had managed to seize that one opportunity, turning the tables with the help of Little Mink.

In her eyes, his ability to adapt to situations on the fly was no less than that of the crafty old members of the Shen Family.

"Nowadays, all the forces in the four seas are short on essence bloodstones, and only a limited number of Sea Clan can revive.

With the trade of Jiangnan booming, even with the strong military providing blood, only a few Yaksha troops have been awakened.

It is impossible for the noble families of the Southern Sea to have more resources than Jiangnan.

Given such a situation, for the Nanhai Dragon Palace to allocate precious spots to this class of assassins shows they had plans to control the Southern Sea for a while.

And the fact that Chen Zhuo can command such high-level assassins indicates his position is not low. "

"I really want to know whether it’s just Chen Zhuo who is an insider for the Dragon Palace, or if the entire Chen Family is..."

"Does it make a difference?" Ao Zhen looked at him. The young man’s analysis seemed reliable and reminded him of Chen Qing.

"The difference is substantial," Wei Gongzhan explained.

"The Formation outside Nanhai City is different from ours in Jiangnan. Jiangnan relies on the study of Neo-Confucian philosophy to understand the underlying principles of Formations thoroughly. In contrast, the Formation in Nanhai City is borrowed wholesale from Dragon Clan Secret Techniques and requires Dragon Blood to activate. I’ve heard from Shen Yuan before—when he visited the Southern Sea, he mentioned how crudely the formations were laid out.

Several major Arrays linked together, all requiring the Dragon Bloodline to activate.

If one step in the process is missing, the likelihood of initiating the grand Array is very slim. .. "

"I suspect, for the sake of power balance, the Dragon Vein Sorcerers of the Southern Sea noble families each have a part of the authority.

That is to say, the Dragon Vein Sorcerers of several major families must work together to launch the grand Array.

If one falters or something unexpected happens. .. then..."

"I see," Murong Yunji suddenly realized why he said the difference was significant.

If the problem lies solely with Chen Zhuo, subduing him and preserving the Dragon Vein Sorcerers among the Chen Family elders would mean the grand Formation of Nanhai could be activated as usual.

However, if the entire Chen Family is compromised, then tonight’s grand Formation is destined not to be initiated.

That meant their task would no longer be defending the city; without soldiers and without the grand Formation, it was impossible for the noble families of the Southern Sea to hold. The best option for them would be to hide among the civilians and use the chaos of battle to break out.

"You’re right..." Ao Zhen nodded, his eyes full of approval, "So what do we do now? Go directly to the Chen Family?"

"Given the current situation, that’s all we can do."

-----------------------------------

Meanwhile, several great clan elders stood atop the city walls, while the ordinary elders of each major family were arrayed to the side, acting as guardians.

The Nanhai noble families had obtained no small amount of resources from the Dragon Palace.

Nearly every larger family had elders capable of dragon transformation.

Although not all could achieve the best True Dragon Bloodline, there were quite a few capable of sub-dragon transformation.

Even though many had gone to Yundu, there were still over a hundred Extraordinary Sorcerers remaining behind, and more than thirty sorcerers who could undergo dragon transformation!

Therefore, even in the face of the Sea Clan’s sudden attack, though they were extremely surprised, they were not panicked!

"Has Ye Qing not arrived yet?"

At the South Gate, where thousands of aquatic creatures confronted them, more significant protection was naturally needed. The strongest elders from the great families who remained behind almost all went to the South Gate to assess the situation. The only one missing was the Chen Family matriarch.

Everyone knew that currently in the Chen Family, there were three True Dragon Sorcerers: Chen Baifeng, the bastard Chen Ye, and then there was the Chen Family’s Ye Qing.

This was also why the fierce matriarch was able to secure so many resources for her two good-for-nothing sons.

After all, however prestigious her maiden family might be, they couldn’t possibly intervene in such crucial resource matters.

The reason the Chen Family kept giving ground was because Ye Qing herself was powerful enough!

"The Ye Family is preparing to bring out a magical artifact in case of emergency, which will take some time. But don’t worry, with the bloodline of us two old men, starting up the Array will be sufficient."

Hearing this, the elders of other families didn’t say much.

The fact that the other side was willing to bring out a magical artifact already showed great responsibility.

The Nanhai families had obtained plenty from the Southern Sea, but using these resources was very costly.

For example, setting up the city’s protective formation had already consumed a lot of materials, and activating it once required a massive amount of jade stone energy.

According to the original agreement, if there was an invasion by external enemies, the cost for the jade stones for the city’s protection would be shared among the families.

But there was no such clause for magical artifacts. Those relics from the Nanhai Dragon Palace, any one of them starting up would require tons of jade stone. In the current situation where jade stone was scarce, no family would be willing to bring theirs out unless necessary.

"The Chen Family’s magical artifact is the Fire Dragon Pearl, which, when combined with the Formation, is peerlessly powerful and happens to be suitable. The Ye Family is thoughtful..."

"It’s all for the benefit of the noble families. If Nanhai City is gone, how can we protect any valuable belongings?" the two Chen elders chuckled with a hint of sarcasm, obviously mocking the other families for still holding back at such a time.

At this time, the people from the other noble families, openly mocked, all pretended to be deaf and dumb, feigning ignorance, which made the Chen Family’s people roll their eyes in frustration.

Amidst the awkward atmosphere, a deep horn sounded from outside. A group of people urgently focused their attention on it.

"They’re here..."

The elders from each family glanced at one another, each biting the tip of their finger. The pure Yang from their dragon veins turned into a series of bright fire beads, flying towards the four corners of the Array. Suddenly, streaks of fire soared into the sky, encircling the entire city.

Feeling the near-earth-moving might of the Array, the elders felt reverence and were grateful that they had been prepared; otherwise, they really didn’t know what they would have done today.

However, with the Array now activated, the group grew more confident about defending Nanhai.

They were well aware of the strength of those demons revived by the Dragon Palace.

Counting the most formidable Yaksha troops, even if they fought for half a month, it would be impossible to break Nanhai’s Array.

And as long as the Sea Clan dared to attack, relying on the might within the Array, they even felt confident of annihilating these aquatic creatures!

"Wait..."

Suddenly, an elder at the very top of the Formation turned deathly pale. He spat out a mouthful of fresh flame, which then turned into countless fire beads flying towards the Array. The firelight of the Array immediately intensified, more than doubling.

This sight left the other elders stunned. What was this Chen Family doing?

How could they use their lifeblood like this?

The more they used, the more they depleted. Were they complaining that the Spirit Jade was not being consumed fast enough?

"Quick..." The two pale-faced elders, their expressions fierce, shouted loudly, "Get Ye Qing here immediately!!!"