As time gradually passed, another group arrived at the Medical Clinic...
"Brother Xiao... y-you... how did you end up like this?!" The one speaking was Qi Panjian.
Following behind him were the Qi Family head, Qi Yunlong, and the Wang Family head, Wang Tianba. Wang Tianba also served as the City Lord. In theory, only he could activate the City Defense Array using the array token!
Just like the Si Family, they had noticed that the City Defense Array had suddenly activated and was constantly shrinking, restricting their range of movement... Qi Yunlong had immediately gone to the City Lord's Manor, only to learn that even Wang Tianba had no idea what was happening!
The City Defense Array possessed extremely powerful defenses. Even those in the God Master Realm could not easily damage it. Moreover, it was continuously contracting, squeezing their living space...
When they sensed that the center of the City Defense Array's contraction was the Medical Clinic, they immediately rushed over. Yet they had never expected to witness such a horrifying scene.
The once-flat streets around them had cracked apart and become riddled with holes, while the collapsed buildings nearby made the place look like ruins...
Not long ago, Xiao Feng had still stood tall and proud. Now, he lay limply in Qi Qingyun's arms, barely breathing, looking as though he would not live much longer.
Even this small area seemed to have been divided into two clearly distinct territories, with two sides silently facing off. On one side stood Ximen Qing alone; on the other stood everyone else besides Ximen Qing!
And Ximen Qing's cultivation... why did it make them feel so uneasy...
What exactly had happened?!!
Qi Panjian came to Xiao Feng's side, while Situ Hao immediately stepped before Wang Tianba and roared, "Why did you give the City Defense Array's token to Ximen Qing? You never discussed something this important with us, yet you activated it just like that!"
Wang Tianba looked utterly bewildered. "I don't know! The array token is still in my possession. I just don't know why the activated City Defense Array isn't under the token's control at all. It's even constantly compressing the space within the city. We only came here after noticing that the array was contracting toward this place, hoping to find some clues..."
Hearing this, Situ Hao studied Wang Tianba's expression. Seeing that he did not seem to be lying, he let out a low sigh.
He looked toward Ximen Qing, who stood alone in the distance as though he did not care about anything, and quietly told Wang Tianba and Qi Yunlong every detail of what had just happened, as well as Ximen Qing's words...
Whenever people were shocked and doubtful, the first thing they did upon encountering acquaintances was undoubtedly... talk.
At this moment, those who had arrived later also learned the general situation through discussions with those who had come before them.
When they looked at Ximen Qing one after another, the mystic might he displayed alone made them shudder.
And when they looked at the heads of the four great families and saw their grave expressions, they knew that the claim of a God Master was no lie...
In but an instant, panic spread through the crowd. They unconsciously moved away from Ximen Qing, the "culprit" behind everything...
At first, Wang Tianba and Qi Yunlong clearly could not believe it. Someone in the God Spirit Realm had actually risen directly to the God Master Realm through some so-called divine source!
A God Master! That was the realm they had pursued their entire lives! They had never imagined that an eighteen-year-old youth would attain it so easily!
But as they carefully sensed the pressure emanating from Ximen Qing... with the facts right before them, they had no choice but to force themselves to believe it.
"Is the Creation God Sect really that miraculous..." Qi Yunlong murmured distractedly as he looked at Ximen Qing.
He had only heard that the Creation God Sect was an extremely powerful evil sect, with followers spread across many places...
After hearing Situ Hao's account, his first reaction was actually to think of the Creation God Sect's unfathomable divine source method... rather than Ximen Qing's declaration that they needed to die!
Wang Tianba was no different. As he stared at the pressure Ximen Qing was releasing, obsession showed in his eyes...
After all, that was a God Master! The pinnacle of the Mortal Realm!
Qi Yunlong and Wang Tianba looked at each other and saw the burning desire in the other's eyes, confirming each other's intent.
They then did something that left Situ Hao dumbfounded.
Together, they walked up to Ximen Qing and bowed. "Nephew Ximen, we have long admired the great name of the Creation God Sect. We never imagined that someone from the divine sect would be right before us. We truly failed to recognize greatness. Might you introduce us to the sect?"
Ximen Qing looked at Wang Tianba and Qi Yunlong, who were bowing before him, and said softly, "You want to join the divine sect? Are you worthy?"
The moment those words fell, Qi Yunlong and Wang Tianba's faces turned awkward. They were, after all, from the same city. Neither had expected Ximen Qing to give them no face at all.
"The fact that you are still alive now means you should thank Divine Doctor Xiao properly... otherwise, I would have sent you on your way long ago!" Ximen Qing said coldly.
Upon hearing this, they silently retreated to Situ Hao's side. Looking at his two former friends, Situ Hao wore an expression of utter disbelief. "Don't you know? The Creation God Sect is an evil sect! The Wind Cloud Empire's imperial family has explicitly issued a decree!"
If they were discovered, their entire clans would be executed!
Hearing this, Wang Tianba let out a low sigh. "How could we not know..."
"Situ Hao, haven't you realized it yet? The City Defense Array activated so suddenly, and we knew nothing about it. Even the array token in my hand cannot control it now. Why do you think that is?"
"Th-this..." Those words instantly left Situ Hao stunned.
Qi Yunlong looked at the stunned Situ Hao and said, "Have you forgotten why City Lord Wang arrived late during the Mystic Dao Assembly?"
After Qi Yunlong's reminder, Situ Hao instantly recalled the scene from the Mystic Dao Assembly not long ago. He remembered that Wang Tianba had arrived late and specifically explained the reason. The Flowing Wind Empire's imperial family had specially dispatched someone to supervise and maintain the City Defense Array...
But after the envoy inspected it, he said that the City Defense Mystic Array had gone unused for too long and had been poorly maintained. It needed to be modified again, with new small mystic arrays added to drive it... (Chapter 10)
Situ Hao simply disliked using his brain; it did not mean he was stupid. With such an obvious hint, how could he still fail to see the problem?
Right after the envoy had "repaired" the City Defense Mystic Array, it activated without their knowledge, and the suddenly activated City Defense Array could not be controlled through the array token at all.
Furthermore, this mystic array kept shrinking, compressing the space where they could move. Everything seemed as though invisible hands were manipulating it from the shadows, while they were like prey that had already stepped into a trap, unable to escape...
And that envoy had come from the Flowing Wind Empire's imperial family...
The very place that had declared the Creation God Sect an evil sect...
"Could it be..." Situ Hao spoke with great difficulty, yet he could not bring himself to say the final words.
Qi Yunlong sighed softly beside him. "Perhaps the Flowing Wind City imperial family has long since colluded with the Creation God Sect, and we... perhaps we were abandoned long ago..."
"So perhaps, at this moment, we can only rely on ourselves..."
"And judging from the mystic might Ximen Qing is releasing, he is undoubtedly a God Master, perhaps even higher. So avoiding conflict is the best solution right now..."
After all, the strongest people in Flowing Wind City were merely four Peak God Lords...
But the gulf between a God Master and a God Lord was immeasurable...
If they truly fought, with only four of them, death would be their only outcome...
Chapter 33 delivered. "PS: Thank you to the reader for the tip. Though the amount is small, it is a token of heartfelt support and carries great significance. This is the first tip I have ever received in my life. I will record it in a cloud document later... As long as Word remains, the sentiment endures...
"If you think it sounds bad, you can change the name."
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