Chapter 2301: Down the mountain and into the city

The Stonehide Grass Spirit was, after all, a spirit creature of limited intelligence. Being a living creature, it was prone to complacency and unexpected incidents.

However, just then, the disciples pointed at the water mirror again and exclaimed, "Oh, look! It's back."

The ripples on the water surface gradually dispersed, the image slowly became clear, and the water mirror spell was working again.

It was still Xunyang Mountain, still the brightly lit Wei'an City; nothing had changed.

The mountain forest around the entrance remained as quiet as ever. The image showed no difference; no people, no army, and no monsters were approaching.

Yuan Xilin breathed a sigh of relief.

If a master from Cangyan had eliminated the Stonehide Grass Spirit, the water mirror would not have recovered by now. Sure enough, the Stonehide Grass Spirit had encountered another problem, but it had occurred at an inconvenient time.

But after this incident, he grew even more agitated, feeling that danger was imminent. A sudden wave of unease washed over him.

Elder Chu felt the same way, pacing back and forth constantly. "How much longer until the Titan God awakens?" he asked.

"Soon," Yuan Xilin said, suppressing his anxiety. "About seven or eight minutes. First, send a few people out to thoroughly patrol the surroundings."

Although the water mirror spell had recovered, he still felt a faint unease deep down.

He looked at the image. Dark clouds gathered above Xunyang Mountain and Wei'an City, with lightning flashing within the storm clouds, in shades of blue, red, purple, and white.

A storm was about to break.

Soon, the disciples reported back that everything was normal around Butterfly Stream, with water gurgling and insects and birds chirping. There were no signs of any living beings approaching.

They had also released their Phantom Spirit sentinels. These beings detected suspicious activity not by sight, but by tracking the vital energy of living creatures, making them highly reliable.

It seemed the surroundings were peaceful.

A quarter of an hour later, several flashes of green light emanated from Crouching Ox Rock, and Yuan Xilin emerged, leading the remaining members of Qixia Sect.

The surroundings were silent. The disciples stepped forward to report, "Sect Leader, we have patrolled the mountain, and there's no one here."

Yuan Xilin nodded, and his taut nerves relaxed slightly.

That's right. Only half an hour had passed since Elder Xu's demise. Even if the Bingyuan Division sent people to Xunyang Mountain, it would take them more than that amount of time to travel here. They had dealt with the human kingdom before, and the official response speed was never that fast. He was simply being overly suspicious.

No sooner had he spoken than several bolts of lightning struck the horizon in succession, illuminating the mountains and wilderness repeatedly as if it were day. The sudden transitions between blinding light and darkness made it difficult for their eyes to adjust, and many disciples simply closed their eyes.

Fortunately, the intensity of these lightning strikes quickly subsided. Sect Leader Yuan looked up at the sky and solemnly commanded, "Descend the mountain and enter the city!"

They had already changed into civilian clothes, whose style was similar to those worn in Wei'an City.

Elder Chu pulled out a banana leaf and tossed it straight ahead. The leaf was vibrant green, two sizes smaller than a normal banana leaf, petite and charming. But just as it was about to hit the ground, its size suddenly expanded, reaching a length of thirty feet from end to end! This length was comparable to a pleasure boat and could easily accommodate over thirty members of the sect.

"Get on."

Everyone jumped onto the banana leaf. It rose with the wind, ascending at an angle, and only leveled out to fly steadily when it was fifty feet above the ground. At this height, it moved almost skimming the treetops of the forest. Its speed was swift, and it required less energy than high-altitude flight. If it occasionally encountered a particularly tall tree, it would simply fly around it.

With a major battle imminent, Elder Chu conserved every bit of strength he could.

Each time they flew over a perilous cliff, they could see the brightly lit Wei'an City drawing nearer. Just a few days ago, everyone had thought it would be a pity if such a beautiful city were to be destroyed by war, but now, Qixia Sect simply wanted to show Cangyan Kingdom their true capabilities!

The city's conventional defenses certainly couldn't stop them.

On the banana leaf boat, Yuan Xilin gave instructions to the group: "After we enter the city, we will release Phantom Spirits in both the southeast and southwest. Let them unleash their full power and cause as much chaos as possible."

This operation was revenge, a deterrent, and an outlet for their rage! The wrath of immortals would stun the entire city.

"Yes, Sect Leader!" the disciples answered in unison. Another disciple then asked, "Where should the Titan God be placed?"

"The Wei'an City Bureau, of course," Yuan Xilin said, his eyes flashing with a cold glint. "But don't rush. Release the Titan God only after the other Phantom Spirits have created two rounds of chaos!"

The grand finale, of course, would come last.

"By that time, Liu Qingdao and the others should be busy quelling the chaos everywhere, leaving the City Bureau empty," Yuan Xilin said, enunciating each word. "Then the Titan God can make its appearance. I will smash the Wei'an City Bureau to the ground, to show the people of Wei'an City how utterly vulnerable the official military force they rely on is!"

If the powerful figures of Cangyan Kingdom rushed to stop them, all damage caused by the battle would be borne by Wei'an City. Fighting on someone else's territory, Qixia Sect would lose nothing.

He then reminded his disciples: "When you control the Phantom Spirits in battle, do not expose yourselves initially. This battle with Wei'an City won't be easy; you must take it slow in the beginning."

Previously, Wei'an City had demonstrated its power by sending out Golden-Armored Divine Generals and monsters to excavate the mountain. Yuan Xilin had observed this with caution and originally did not wish for a direct conflict with Cangyan. But with Elder Xu's death, everything changed. If Qixia Sect continued to cower and remain hidden, they would only be stifled and annihilated by the enemy! It would be better to reveal their strength: on the one hand, to avenge Elder Xu, and on the other, to hold Wei'an City as leverage to gain better bargaining chips in negotiations with Cangyan!

In truth, everyone understood that the safest method was not to enter the city themselves, but to control the Phantom Spirits to wreak havoc within the city. However, the maximum remote control range for Phantom Spirits was only fifteen li. Wei'an City was too vast; if they simply stood outside the city, the Phantom Spirits would be unable to damage the key buildings and important officials within the city.

As for how they would get out once inside the city... well, they would just fight their way in and then fight their way out. Qixia Sect had dealt with cities before, and none had defenses capable of stopping their Phantom Spirits.

The leaf boat glided swiftly over the treetops, quickly leaving Xunyang Mountain behind and entering the outskirts of Wei'an City.

The night was already deep, but there were still carriages and horses on the official road. Seeing something fly overhead, they all looked up. However, the leaf boat was too fast; before they could get a good look, it had already flown past.

The Qixia Sect disciples glanced casually at the ground, naturally not taking notice of the mortals below them. Thus, they noticed nothing unusual.

Soon, the tall city walls of Wei'an City appeared in their sight.

Ahead, flight was prohibited, so Qixia Sect landed in a nearby forest. They then put away the leaf boat and walked towards the city gate. Although it was late at night, the city gate was still open, with carriages and horses passing through frequently. More than half of them were likely transporting water.

The lights at the city gate were not bright. There were two rows of guards, five in each row, each one expressionless, standing inside the gate tower. Their posture was somewhat relaxed, likely from being tired from being up so late. They stood in the darkness, beyond the reach of the light, and did not step forward to inspect the carriages, horses, or pedestrians, allowing them to pass through freely.

Qixia Sect divided into three groups, blending in with two teams of carriages. They entered the city gate smoothly and were not stopped for questioning.