Chapter 233: Chapter 233: Charging the City Lord’s Mansion
The sight was so incredible that everyone was left reeling in disbelief.
At that moment, a single thought echoed in all of their minds—
’The very heavens over Tianxu Province are about to change.’
After a quick reorganization, Ye Xuan led the large contingent of the Imperial Guard, galloping toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
"Ye Xuan, was everything that commander said just now true?" On the way, Ye Batian and the others stared at Ye Xuan, asking with a mixture of shock and nervousness.
"Grandfather, of course it’s true," Ye Xuan said with a smile. "This is Commander Ouyang Xiaoshan. He was the Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard. His word is beyond question."
"Then... does that make you King Ye?" The old man was dumbfounded, muttering, "My Ye family... has actually produced a king from outside the royal line."
The other members of the Ye family were also in a state of stunned disbelief, their minds reeling.
Ye Xuan couldn’t help but smile faintly. "Grandfather, I’m not the one who was named King Ye. You are!"
"What? Me?"
The old man’s jaw dropped so wide it looked like he could fit an egg in his mouth. He looked at Ouyang Xiaoshan. "Senior Ouyang Xiaoshan, Xuan’Er isn’t spouting nonsense, is he?"
"Lord King Ye, Young Master Xuan is correct," Ouyang Xiaoshan said hurriedly. "His Majesty has named you, old master, as King Ye. You are a first-rank duke of the kingdom, and your fief is Tianxu Province. From this day forward, the Ye family will be in charge of all tax collection and official appointments within the province. You need only pay a portion of the taxes to the kingdom annually. Also, Lord King Ye, please don’t call me ’Senior.’ This subordinate is unworthy of such an honor. We are now your personal army, and we obey only the commands of the Ye family. You may simply call me by my name."
The old man was so stunned by Ouyang Xiaoshan’s words that he couldn’t process them for a long time.
After a long moment, he shook his head. "Commander Ouyang, you don’t need to call me Lord King Ye, either. Just ’old master’ is fine."
"Yes, old master." Ouyang Xiaoshan nodded, then turned to the rest of the Imperial Guard. "What are you waiting for? Greet Lord King Ye!"
"We greet you, Lord King Ye!"
This troop of Imperial Guards roared in unison. Every one of them was an expert at or above the level of an Earth Martial Artist. Their resounding voices were like a clap of thunder on a clear day, shaking the souls of the many onlookers from various factions and the lone Martial Artists, filling them with terror.
Watching this unfold, the Ye family was overcome with an indescribable excitement. They silently watched Ye Xuan, whose expression was calm and who had a faint smile on his lips. They all knew, with absolute clarity, that their family had reached this height entirely because of him.
’Ning’Er, did you see that? This is our son,’ Ye Zhanyun thought, his eyes growing moist.
A moment later, the group finally arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion. The mansion, which also served as the Governor’s official residence for Tianxu Province, was immense. It covered several acres in the very heart of the provincial capital and was magnificent in its own right. While it couldn’t compare to the royal palace in sheer luxury, it was every bit as grand and imposing.
"Just look at how grand this City Lord’s Mansion is. You can tell that Governor Wei Hong is a corrupt official," Chen Xing grumbled.
When they arrived, the area in front of the City Lord’s Mansion was completely deserted. Not a single guard was on duty. Listening closely, they could hear that the mansion within was also eerily quiet and still.
"What’s going on? Where is everyone from the City Lord’s Mansion?"
"There’s not a single soul in sight. Could they have gotten word and fled?"
"Sir, allow me to go in first and scout things out."
Confusion was written on the faces of the Imperial Guards. One of the squad leaders volunteered to go in and investigate.
"Wait!" Ouyang Xiaoshan was about to agree when Ye Xuan cut him off. He frowned. "Something about this mansion feels wrong."
"Of course it’s wrong," Chen Xing piped up. "How could the great City Lord’s Mansion be completely empty? Even if Governor Wei Hong got wind of us and decided to flee, he wouldn’t have taken every last servant with him. There’s not even a ghost of a shadow here."
"It’s not that." Ye Xuan shook his head. As he looked at the mansion, a strange feeling welled up inside him, as if some danger lay in wait.
His intuition was always incredibly sharp and had never once been wrong.
"Let me test it." Ouyang Xiaoshan drew his battle saber and slashed at the main gate of the City Lord’s Mansion.
When a Martial Artist cultivates Profound Qi, it typically transforms into Profound Power upon reaching the rank of a Tier Four Celestial Martial Artist, allowing them to release it externally. As a Tier Five Martial Sect, when Ouyang Xiaoshan slashed his saber, a brilliant arc of light shot forth. It slammed violently into the main gate of the City Lord’s Mansion, unleashing a deafening BOOM.
The massive gate of the City Lord’s Mansion was split in two, revealing the front garden within. But once the arc of light passed through the gateway, it was like a stone dropped into the sea—it simply vanished without a sound. The silence that followed was terrifying.
"Huh? My attack just vanished, as if something devoured it," Ouyang Xiaoshan said, a look of alarm on his face.
"It’s an Array," Ye Xuan said, his expression grave.
From Ouyang Xiaoshan’s strike, he could tell there was a massive Array inside the City Lord’s Mansion. Judging by its effect, its level wasn’t low—at least a Fifth-level Array. Otherwise, a typical fourth-level array, while it might not shatter instantly from Ouyang Xiaoshan’s attack, would have at least shown some sign of strain.
"Looks like this Governor Wei Hong has set a trap for us," Chen Xing grumbled.
"Young Master Xuan, allow me to go in first and break this Array," Ouyang Xiaoshan said in a cold voice.
"No need." Ye Xuan shook his head. "Here’s what we’ll do: all of you will follow me into the Array. I’d like to see for myself just how formidable this Array of Governor Wei Hong’s really is."
Ye Xuan didn’t feel safe letting Ouyang Xiaoshan go in alone, but he also didn’t feel safe leaving his father and the others outside. If he got trapped in the Array and Fang Tianhong’s men attacked, his family would be in grave danger. Therefore, the simplest solution was for everyone to enter together. With his own mastery of Arrays, Ye Xuan had no fear of being trapped.
"Everyone, listen to my orders! We will enter the mansion using the basic formation of the Hundred Linked Array. If anything unusual happens, do not panic. The purpose of most Arrays is to cloud your perception and Profound Sense, but they can’t truly alter your physical location. Just follow the standard response protocols for the Hundred Linked Array."
After explaining the key points, Ye Xuan led the Imperial Guard into the mansion. The Celestial Martial Artist-level guards formed the outer perimeter, with the Earth Martial Artist-level guards inside them. The members of the Ye family were protected at the very center. Ouyang Xiaoshan moved freely throughout the formation, ready to support anyone at a moment’s notice.
「Deep within the City Lord’s Mansion」
In a great hall, a large group of people was gathered.
"Fang Tianhong, are you certain that the Ye family are the new lords of Tianxu Province, personally appointed by His Majesty?" A richly dressed, middle-aged man of about fifty spoke with a frown. He was staring into a Void Mirror, which clearly displayed Ye Xuan’s group and their every move.
"Your Excellency, it’s the absolute truth," replied the heavily injured Fang Tianhong, his face pale. "I saw the leader’s token—it was without a doubt that of an Imperial Guard commander. Besides, his strength is terrifying, no less than my own. Someone like that could only have come from the Royal City."
"Damn it! They arrived without any warning whatsoever. And His Majesty... to hand over Tianxu Province to a minor clan like the Ye family... he’s really getting senile in his old age." Wei Hong’s gaze was venomous, his eyes glinting with a cold light. He turned to an old man beside him and spoke respectfully, "Master Lv Hao, are you confident you can eliminate them?"
This Master Lv Hao wore a Five-Colored Soul Master Robe. His body was as withered as deadwood, and his face was hidden beneath a hood. Only a pair of narrow eyes, glowing with a ghostly green light, were visible. "Governor Wei Hong, rest assured. A mere Tier Five Martial Sect is child’s play for me to handle. But when this is over, don’t you forget the promise you made to me."
The man’s voice was hoarse and grating, like the wailing of ghosts and wolves, enough to make one’s skin crawl.
Wei Hong gritted his teeth. "Master, rest assured. I will honor my promise to you."
"Good." The old man let out a sinister cackle, his voice like a screech owl’s cry. "Then you just watch, Governor, as I play them right into the palm of my hand. This ancient Grand Array surrounding your City Lord’s Mansion is terrifying. Forget a Martial Sect; even a Martial Venerable would find only death here. Heh heh heh... they’re entering the Array now."
The moment Ye Xuan and his group stepped into the City Lord’s Mansion, their surroundings instantly transformed. The courtyard, once filled with flowers and plants, vanished. A vast, white mist filled their vision, and the companions who had been standing beside them a moment ago disappeared, as if each person had been thrust into an isolated space.
"What’s happening?"
"Where am I?"
Many of the Imperial Guards, never having experienced something like this, began to panic. But then they recalled Ye Xuan’s earlier warning and forced themselves to calm down. They began to operate the principles of the Hundred Linked Array, trying to locate their comrades through the connections between them.
The effort immediately steadied their nerves. Although their surroundings were an endless white void where they couldn’t distinguish anything, they could vaguely sense that they were still within the formation of the Hundred Linked Array. Their comrades were still at their respective positions, even if they couldn’t see or perceive them at the moment.
Ye Xuan found himself in the same predicament, but he felt not a flicker of panic. His eyes narrowed slightly. In an instant, the Soul Sense in his mind, at the Peak of Third Grade, erupted from his body and radiated outward in all directions.
Although his Soul Sense was only at the Peak of Third Grade, his control over it was far superior to that of an ordinary Third Grade Soul Refiner. It quickly spread out, but after extending only a dozen meters, it was abruptly blocked by a strange power, unable to advance another inch.
Ye Xuan’s expression changed instantly.
