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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 15: Attack on Qingyang City
"The city is on fire!" the Saint King exclaimed in panic.
"It’s like a hellish furnace," Canglin replied, his skin taut with tension.
"Let’s descend a bit!" the Saint King shouted, taking the initiative.
Canglin controlled the clouds to lower their altitude slightly, bringing them closer. The details became clearer; colorful and exquisite houses were ablaze, some already collapsed. The city walls, towers, and pavilions all screamed in agony as they were consumed by the flames, charred corpses littering the streets.
In the city, regardless of wealth or poverty, everyone perished together. Even the elderly, the weak, and children were not spared. Many were killed in groups, and numerous officials were captured. Aside from Prince Huixin and Deputy Wei, various horses—especially those from the Crimson Rhino Battalion—were executed, dying in an exceptionally innocent manner.
"Is this Qingyang City? I visited here many years ago. Is this the war incited by the Evil God?" the Saint King said in horror. "No—this isn’t war! This is a planned massacre!"
"Indeed, it is a planned massacre!" Canglin said, his heart heavy with shock. "I heard that the Arbitrator has taken back the palace, but Benefactor Wang escaped. Benefactor Wang is hiding in Qingyang City. After the Tenth Prince's death, Prince Huixin inherited this city. The Arbitrator is intent on extermination; this is too ruthless—they are still our compatriots."
Canglin's gaze shifted toward the inner city. He maneuvered the clouds to fly toward that direction. The damage to the inner city’s palace was not severe; some of the surrounding walls at its center remained intact.
"Is this the inner city? It seems relatively unaffected," the Saint King murmured to himself, as if questioning Canglin.
Regardless of who he was addressing, Canglin nodded and said, "This is Qingyang's inner city, but I wonder if Benefactor Wang is alive or dead?"
The Saint King shot a glance at Canglin. "Do you know Benefactor Wang?"
Canglin shook his head. "I have spent many years in the Spirit Immortal Realm; how could I know Benefactor Wang?"
"Then why do you care about Benefactor Wang's fate?" the Saint King asked.
Canglin smiled wryly. "Kai Zhou Shen often traverses with his consciousness. I’ve seen Benefactor Wang several times in the Travel Path. Although we’ve never truly met face to face, he’s somewhat of a familiar figure to me."
"I'll fly around one more time; if possible, I'll lend him a hand," Canglin said.
The clouds circled around the inner city, and upon closer inspection, although the outer city had been engulfed in flames, many buildings in the inner city remained untouched, not a single corner harmed.
"There's movement over there!" Saint King pointed to the west.
Canglin nodded, having noticed the commotion as well. The clouds drifted toward the west, where Canglin and Saint King spotted a wave-like surge. In the city, there were no actual waves; instead, it was a throng of people, dark and dense like ants, surging toward the inner city. The clouds descended further.
Canglin recognized their attire and whispered, "It's the Cult of Hall of Malevolence!"
The Cult of Hall of Malevolence ruthlessly swept from the outer city into the inner city, leaving destruction in their wake. Armed with Magic Nail Hammers and Magic Shields, they smashed through stone walls and destroyed anything that obstructed their path. Above them soared massive winged Divine Eagles, which carried members of the Cult as they leaped onto the inner city walls to engage in battle with the guards.
On the ground, their mounts were Blood-Furred Raccoons. Canglin identified them; they were the suicide squad of Hall of Malevolence, particularly active in this chaos. The Blood-Furred Raccoons sniffed eagerly at the scent of blood. After the gates between the inner and outer cities collapsed, the Cult captured numerous prisoners.
Meanwhile, citizens began to gather in the central square of the outer city, forming a resistance group. Behind them stood a detachment of fully armed soldiers.
When they encountered the Cult of Hall of Malevolence in the outer city, it was the Cult that initiated the attack. Many people from the citizens' ranks fell in battle. One Blood-Furred Raccoon leaped forward and stood before them, its jaws snapping at an astonishing speed toward a nearby citizen. It bit into his chest and began to drain his blood.
Before anyone could rush to help, the struggling citizen was drained dry, left as nothing more than an empty husk.
Saint King roared in anger. Before Canglin could react, Saint King had already taken action. In truth, he bore all responsibility for what was happening; too many lives had been lost due to the actions of the Cult of Hall of Malevolence. Saint King's intervention was an attempt to prevent further destruction, but enough damage had already been done.
With a massive leap from the clouds, Saint King cleared away several Blood-Furred Raccoons in front of him. He spread his form wide and used his claws to slice through enemies like an angry hurricane, killing all within reach. Many Blood-Furred Raccoons felt fear at his presence and retreated with whimpering cries.
Saint King kept moving forward and turned to face the main force. Using his size to his advantage, he charged into the Cult members. Most were knocked off balance by his impact; a few Blood-Furred Raccoons were sent tumbling into flames but quickly fell to the ground due to their severe burns.
One burning Blood-Furred Raccoon attempted to extinguish itself by jumping into a water pool in the inner city, hoping to douse its flames. It leaped into the water but floated motionless on its surface.
Saint King suddenly plunged into battle. This unexpected assault overwhelmed the Cult of Hall of Malevolence with sheer force; however, it did not completely incapacitate their defenses. Above their ranks, a flock of Divine Eagles swooped down unexpectedly. Saint King noticed them; despite knowing it was dangerous, he charged toward them anyway.
The Divine Eagles dove to attack Saint King, and chaos erupted as both sides clashed violently.
At that moment, Canglin was no longer a mere observer. With a wave of his hand, a large group of Qingyang City Soldiers materialized before the Hall of Malevolence Cult, leaving everyone in shock. These soldiers seemed to have descended from the heavens; however, they were not actually soldiers from Qingyang City. Canglin was manipulating their minds, much like what Ji Zichen had witnessed in the Spirit Immortal Realm. Although these were not genuine Qingyang City soldiers, it did not mean they were fake.
They were not illusions; Canglin had simply made the Hall of Malevolence Cult believe they were Qingyang City soldiers. In reality, these manifested Qingyang City Soldiers were members of the Hall of Malevolence Cult themselves. The Cult members became entangled in battle with the illusionary soldiers, and many fell to the ground as the remaining members regrouped.
Such mind-manipulating techniques were powerful but not enduring. Before long, the Cult members realized they were attacking their own comrades, causing confusion and prompting them to halt their actions in shock.
Canglin was already at a disadvantage, having emerged from the Spirit Immortal Realm with his magical artifacts and techniques depleting faster than usual. He was nearly out of energy.
"We need to leave!" Canglin shouted to Saint King while sitting on a cloud.
Saint King responded loudly, "Leave? How can we leave now? These people are too ruthless! We can't go until we eliminate them all!"
Canglin reminded Saint King, "There are too many of them. Our goal is not to protect Qingyang City. Have you forgotten our purpose?"
Saint King hesitated. Deep down, he wanted to kill every one of these demons before him, but it was indeed more important to deal with the Evil God at this moment.
With an angry roar, Saint King charged again, slaying over ten Cult members. Canglin lowered the cloud slightly, allowing Saint King to leap onto it as they easily evaded the remaining Cult members.
As they soared back into the sky, they saw even more Cult members surging forward. The terrifying sounds of battle reached Prince Huixin's ears. With a serious expression, he asked Wei Deputy, "What’s happening outside?"
Wei Deputy, bloodied and battered, looked up at Prince Huixin and concealed his pain as he said, "It’s difficult to hold onto Qingyang City, Prince Huixin. I suggest we abandon it."
Prince Huixin's face twitched in anger. "Abandon? If we give up on Qingyang City, we will lose everything!"
Prince Huixin and Wei Deputy made their way to a balcony overlooking the main city area. Normally, Prince Huixin rarely visited this balcony because he did not want to be seen by the public; yet now he stood there.
From this vantage point that once offered a view of bustling Qingyang Street under the sun, he now faced a scene he no longer recognized. His eyes took in the ruins of buildings, endless flames consuming everything, and corpses littering the streets.
Grinding his teeth, Prince Huixin declared, "Wei Deputy, we cannot abandon the city! No matter what happens, we must hold our ground!"
"Deputy Wei," he said solemnly, "I will stay to defend the city. You must leave through the southern gate quickly."
Prince Huixin fixed his gaze on Deputy Wei. "I cannot leave. My people need me now more than ever. How can I abandon them and flee for my life?"
Deputy Wei urged him, "Prince Huixin, please hurry and leave. If you die, we will have no hope left."
Prince Huixin forced a pained smile. "As the lord of this city, how can I abandon it? I absolutely cannot leave them behind. If we want to reclaim the palace, Qingyang City is our only base. Even if I die here, I will not retreat."
Deputy Wei lowered his head. "I understand, Your Highness. I will do everything in my power to protect Qingyang City."
With the composure of a ruler, Prince Huixin nodded at Deputy Wei. He surveyed the massacre unfolding before him and asked, "They still cannot completely breach the inner city. Is the Seventh Prince's reinforcements on their way?"
Deputy Wei replied, "Your Highness, the Seventh Prince is coming; he may have already arrived. But I fear he won't..."
"He will come! If Qingyang City falls, he gains nothing," Prince Huixin interrupted, falling into thoughtful silence for a moment as he reflected, "Seventh Prince, you must come; otherwise, we will truly lose everything."
Prince Huixin looked up at the high moon. Despite the chaos in the city, the moon remained unchanged, coldly observing from above without a word. "Deputy Wei, I command you to hold the inner city until dawn. That moment will determine our fate."
"Yes! If I cannot hold out until dawn, I will present my head," Deputy Wei saluted and stepped back to leave.
Prince Huixin stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the distant raging flames. In his heart, he vowed that if he survived, he would spread those flames to Desolate Evil Hall.
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