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"General, has there been a reply from Jiangnan? What does it say?"

The speed of the messenger raven was extremely fast, even faster than that of a grey falcon, a round trip took merely two hours.

Tuoba Wu took the raven’s letter, and after opening it, his brows slightly relaxed, and he nodded: "The letter has consented to our request."

"They agreed?" Seeing how smoothly things were going, several deputy generals all breathed a sigh of relief.

"It says they agreed..." Tuoba Wu’s eyes still showed a hint of worry.

"What’s wrong?" A deputy general familiar with Tuoba Wu’s expressions asked with sudden confusion: "Sir... do you suspect deceit?"

"To be honest... it’s not impossible..." Tuoba Wu didn’t have many reservations in front of his deputies, speaking directly: "I recognize the handwriting in the reply; it’s Tian Heng’s."

"Tian Heng..." The deputy generals were stunned upon hearing this, then their faces turned somewhat solemn.

Tian Heng’s reputation on the battlefield was not good.

In those years, the fact that he could emerge from a minor family amidst the warring states scenario was not only because of his true capabilities but also due to his ruthless methods which were the foundation of his survival during those chaotic times.

Back then, Tian Heng’s actions of plotting, killing, and deception were anything but rare.

Especially at the beginning of his rise, he was an utterly unscrupulous desperado.

Other families had the rule of not harming the innocent family members, but there was no such rule for him.

He would use anything to his advantage, and often didn’t spare even children as young as three; his methods were extremely cruel, which at that time had earned him much hatred.

"He... wouldn’t need to deceive us, right?" One of the deputies hesitated to say.

"If this letter was written by Chen Qing, I wouldn’t have the slightest doubt," Tuoba Wu said gravely: "I haven’t seen Chen Qing much, but judging by his way of doing things, he is a person with a baseline, even entrusting his son to Princess Royale Siao Mingyue, which shows his character. But Tian Heng is different."

"That guy is a new favorite in Chen Qing’s camp and is an outsider.

Yet, Chen Qing treats him exceptionally well.

He actually needs some solid achievements to stabilize his position and get acceptance from those around him.

But since he defected to Chen Qing until now, he hasn’t had any outstanding military merits, which puts him in a rather awkward position. "

"Are you saying... he wants to take advantage of us?"

"It’s not impossible..." Tuoba Wu looked somberly towards the direction of Jiangnan, speaking in a low voice: "That guy is subtle and gloomy, with an understanding to clearly see the situation. Now, in terms of the legitimate power in the Central Plains, only Your Majesty and Chen Qing remain; and Yundu is confirmed to be ruled by demons. Now after the use of Ghost Temple, Your Majesty is losing support from people everywhere, scholars and noble families all over are recording His Majesty’s misdeeds. Once Your Majesty’s influence is gone, for the legitimate status in the Central Plains, there will be only Chen Qing! "

"Do not underestimate this point. The legitimacy of the Central Plains signifies great destiny, which has always been something fiercely contested by the ancients. Although Jiangnan has formed an alliance with us, it is not a permanent ally. Taking this opportunity to hit us when we’re down is also not impossible. "

"Then... what do we do?" The group of deputy generals suddenly panicked.

Tuoba Wu looked at the sky; if they left now and the army marched quickly, they would reach Jiangnan before dark. If Jiangnan is willing to wholeheartedly help them, it would be a win-win situation. But if they intended to stab them in the back...

A swift-paced journey would exhaust the troops; facing an ambush front and back would be almost certain death!

"We could split our forces..." Tuoba Wu took a deep breath and said: "Form an elite squad of about five thousand, it must include cavalry with Dragon Colts, to head straight back to Capital City, to preserve the last of Your Majesty’s vital energy. The rest, I will lead to Jiangnan and gamble!"

"Boss... you..." Everyone was stunned.

"If the commanding officer also flees, the army is done for. Someone must lead them, even if it is to death..." Tuoba Wu turned to look at the other deputies: "It’s different for you all, you’re just deputy generals. Under the pretext of an emergency military report, returning to the Capital City seems reasonable. We can’t put all our eggs in one basket. .."

"But..."

"There are no buts... Take advantage of the time we still have, get your troops ready, and move out immediately!!"

"Boss, I won’t go..." One of the deputies shook his head: "Not all deputy generals can leave; that would arouse suspicion. The soldiers are not fools."

"Exactly, let Old San go. That guy is straightforward and less likely to mess things up..."

"What do you mean ’single-minded’?" the deputy general surnamed Gu became instantly irritated: "Are you calling me stupid? I won’t leave. If I retreat in the face of battle, my old man would kill me if he knew..."

"You all..." Tuoba Wu looked at several familiar comrades-in-arms, feeling a rush of emotions at that moment. Even though they had forsaken their humanity and committed acts devoid of principles, they were still once valiant men.

"There’s no need to shirk responsibility anymore.

Xiao Gu, Old San, you two take five thousand elite troops back to Capital City, to leave some groundwork for His Majesty.

The rest will follow me to Jiangnan. You don’t need to worry too much, going to Jiangnan doesn’t necessarily mean death, it’s just that I don’t trust Tian Heng’s character completely. "

"Compared to that, Chen Qing is the real master there. He definitely knows that now is a time when the Human Race should not slaughter each other."

"Boss..."

"Alright, that’s it... No more arguing, we don’t have time to keep this up.

.." Tuoba Wu glanced at the sky and said, "Brothers, going to Capital City might not be a safe path, either. None of us knows what the situation is like in the Northern Territory now, or how many Celestial Serpents have arrived. If they come in large enough numbers, they might even split their forces in two. Don’t let your guard down, go quickly and don’t delay any longer. .."

"Okay..." Seeing that the discussion had reached this point, several deputy generals no longer demurred: "Take care, boss. You must come back alive."

"I can’t guarantee that, but what I can promise is..." Tuoba Wu looked in Jiangnan’s direction and sneered coldly, "If they dare to make a move there, I’m willing to die a terrible death, but not without skinning them first!"

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"Who are you?"

Outside Jiangnan City, the entire Shen Family was mobilized, watching warily from the city gate at the black-robed woman below.

All of them were Lords of the Hell, but none could fully employ Hell’s full power outside their own territory, and yet Wei Gongcheng, who was supposed to be the greatest fighting force in Lyuzhou, was in someone else’s hands.

"Who here has the authority to decide?" The one holding Wei Gongcheng hostage was a woman, her voice soft as water, belying the impression that she could actually take Wei Gongcheng captive.

The Shen Family members exchanged glances and finally, Second Elder Shen stepped forward to speak.

With Xuu Hu gone to Beihai City, Tian Heng rushing to the Central Plains pass, and both Ziyue and Lord Chen Qing absent from Lyuzhou City, not to mention Chen Ying, the ones who could make decisions were just them.

Second Elder Shen cleared his throat softly and said, "State your demands. We have the authority to make decisions. Please, don’t harm Official Wei."

"Is that so?" The woman replied coldly, "I’ll ask you just one thing, where is the Dragon Palace Great Formation?"

"The Dragon Palace Great Formation?" They were momentarily stunned, what was this woman talking about?

"Are you referring to the Flaming Sun Array?"

"Flaming Sun?" The woman furrowed her brows and immediately said, "Are you talking about the fire array you use at your sea customs? That’s not what I mean."

"Then what are you referring to?"

"I’m talking about the Great Formation that was initially used to seal the entrance of the Dragon Palace, the one to imprison the Ancient Worm."

"You..." Second Elder Shen suddenly realized, "Are you talking about... Nine Heavens Mirror Valley?"

"Oh? So there are still people who know the name of that Formation..." The woman regarded Second Elder Shen with a peculiar look, "Interesting. Just how much did my sibling reveal to you?"

"Sibling?" The Shen Family members looked solemnly at the woman: "Who on earth... are you?"