Chapter Seventy-One: The Asura Killing Field

The western side of the town was being inspected far more stringently than usual. Mages, swordsmen, and archers bearing the golden crest of the Ayle family on their chests scanned the outskirts with focused gazes, assessing each person entering the city with both their spiritual senses and their eyes.

At the other end of the city wall, two middle-aged men—clearly high-ranking members of the Ayle family—cautiously set up a soundproof barrier around themselves. Casting their eyes toward the city’s edge, they conversed in low tones.

“This time, nothing must go awry. If those people from the Dark Empire fail to take Greencloud City, our family will surely be erased from the Greencloud Empire altogether.”

The speaker, the slightly older of the two, was a six-star, seventh-rank magic swordsman, his breast adorned with seven stripes and the crossed emblems of sword and wand. His combat prowess rivaled that of a seven-star archmage.

The other, radiating an imposing presence, bore the insignia of seven-star lightning magic and seemed utterly unconcerned. “Set your mind at ease. Over the past two years, we’ve smuggled in more than seven hundred high necromancers and dark warriors; the Salem family’s numbers surely match our own. We’ve provided them with over a hundred thousand high-grade magical beasts. This time, the elders of both Greencloud Academy and the imperial palace have been successfully lured away, the Tenfold Barrier broken. No matter how many people reside in the imperial capital, can they possibly withstand an undying army of the dead?”

At this, his eyes glimmered with a fervent intoxication. “It’s a pity we’re too old, otherwise learning necromancy would be a fine path. Commanding dozens, even hundreds, of undead with a single hand—one seven-star necromancer can stand against an eight-star grand mage. Ten could raze a town, a hundred a city, a thousand an entire nation! Waging war to feed war, their forces grow like a snowball. No wonder, centuries ago, the Soul Continent’s mightiest empire was the Dark Empire—its national strength truly eclipses that of Greencloud.”

As his companion’s words grew increasingly feverish, the magic swordsman frowned faintly and reminded him, “You must understand, if even a hint of today’s events leaks, and the Scarlet Alliance or the Beamon Dynasty catch wind, they will never sit by and let the Dark Empire annihilate Greencloud. Should the Dark Empire be repelled and Greencloud recover, the Ayle family’s end won’t be far behind.”

The seven-star lightning mage snorted, “You’re growing more timid with age. This operation has two necromancer lords and over forty high necromancers overseeing it, with our people assisting them. The imperial capital will soon become a city of the dead! Who could possibly escape from a million undead?”

Before he finished, the magic swordsman glanced at him. “Did you forget the person we just captured?”

“From Greencloud Academy?”

“So what?” The lightning mage’s face was full of arrogant disdain. “The grand teleportation array can’t send them too far. We’ve placed spies in every town within a hundred-mile radius. Even if they all teleported out in time, they can’t escape our notice. Besides, we’ve already captured their teacher. What could a group of students possibly stir up?”

“In any case, caution is imperative.” The magic swordsman’s expression was grim; he could not relax. Ever since that Greencloud Academy teacher was beset and killed, he’d had a persistent feeling that something was about to happen.

Moreover, in the interest of secrecy, the thousands of city guards stationed in the town were not at their disposal. The Ayle family’s presence at the gate was justified merely as an investigation into the theft of their merchant goods.

If, by some chance, those students from Greencloud Academy really had infiltrated the town, their situation would become extremely precarious.

At the thought of the Academy’s students, the magic swordsman suddenly furrowed his brow and asked the lightning mage at his side, “Among the convoy that entered earlier, I felt two young men looked oddly familiar, as if I’d seen them before. Now that I think on it, they might be from Greencloud Academy. One of them seemed to be the son of He Kun, commander of the palace guard.”

“Here you go again!” The lightning mage shot him a look of exasperation. “Can you stop being so paranoid? You’re driving me mad. I heard He Kun’s son is a fire magic prodigy, already at four-star, seventh rank. Did you see anyone today above three stars among the young men?”

The magic swordsman fell silent. It was true: they’d been on guard for anyone above three stars, but that boy who resembled He Kun’s son had only one star—there was no way it could be him.

“Still, unless we track them down, I can’t rest easy.”

“You think I don’t want to find them? But how many men do we have? Very few in the family even know the real plan. Most of the Dark Empire’s people have gone to the imperial capital! The elder left for us can only act once the Greencloud Academy students’ precise location is confirmed.”

Their whispered conversation was noticed by others atop the city wall, but no one dared approach. Those responsible for the city’s defense were well aware of the Ayle family’s power—with over a hundred six-star warriors guarding the gate, it was not their place to intervene.

At that moment, urgent hoofbeats echoed down the street within the city, a lone rider galloping in from afar, immediately drawing the attention of both the city guards and the Ayle family members by the gate.

The magic swordsman and the lightning mage started in unison, turning to that side of the wall to observe from above.

“Hmm?”

“Who’s that?” the lightning mage asked quietly, a trace of caution in his voice.

The magic swordsman glanced at him with derision. Didn’t you say nothing could go wrong? Why so nervous at the approach of just anyone?

In fact, he’d already recognized the rider: a deputy commander of the city guard, a six-star senior swordsman, apparently surnamed Wanyan. Coming at this hour—could it be time for a shift change?

As he pondered with a hint of surprise, three distant explosions of magic erupted in different directions simultaneously!

Both men’s hearts lurched: Something’s gone wrong!

Before they could react, the Wanyan officer had already charged up, holding an order aloft for the city guards by the gate to see.

“All city guards, hear my command! The Ayle family and Salem family have colluded with the Dark Empire to attack the imperial capital—high treason! Arrest them all! Any who resist, kill without mercy!”

A thunderous roar responded as one.

Martial law was absolute—the city guards answered as one, battle energy flaring as they surrounded the stunned, bewildered Ayle family members.

The lightning mage and magic swordsman’s faces changed drastically. Several familiar family members rushed over with questions and incredulous looks.

“Steward! This can’t be true!”

“Tell them it’s not true!”

The Ayle family had already harbored suspicions about today’s events. To mobilize so many over the theft of a few merchant goods, and to inspect every entrant, was odd enough. Earlier, they’d killed a high-ranking fire mage without cause. Now, with the city guard’s shout, they finally realized something was wrong.

Treason?

The thought had never crossed their minds.

As panic spread through the Ayle family, the Wanyan officer shouted once more, calling to the high-ranking warriors still resisting near the gate.

“The commander orders: Any Ayle family members who are unaware and surrender their weapons of their own accord will be spared!”

Those kept in the dark were overjoyed, tossing aside their weapons and allowing the city guards to bind and subdue them, demanding a full investigation.

Atop the city wall, the two men’s expressions darkened. Fools! Treason—how many in the family could possibly escape with their lives? What imbeciles!

The magic swordsman easily dispatched more than a dozen city guards who lunged at him, making no move to leave.

The next instant, a voice as cold as death itself echoed in everyone’s ears: “Since you can’t even handle this trivial matter, your bodies are mine now…”

The voice was untraceable, drifting like a wraith.

As the words fell, the temperature near the gate plummeted. Before the hundreds of city guards could react, a bone-chilling, spectral wind arose, instantly manifesting countless razor-sharp, ghastly scythes. With a whistle and shriek, they swept through the area in a chaotic crossfire.

Even those who hastened to activate battle energy or defensive spells could not stop the scythes from shearing through both city guards and Ayle family members alike.

Blood sprayed in torrents, limbs flew.

In the space of a heartbeat, save for the two Ayle family experts atop the wall, all others were reduced to scattered remains—the area by the gate transformed into a hellish slaughterhouse, enough to make anyone retch at the mere sight.