But at this critical moment.
A faint voice drifted down as though from the Ninth Heaven.
"Stop!"
The voice was not loud, yet it carried an authority that brooked no doubt.
As if its words became law, it instantly suppressed the sword-drawn, bow-bent tension on the scene.
The violent power Xiao Yun was about to unleash seemed pressed down by an invisible giant hand, forcibly frozen in midair.
Jiang Fan also felt as though the golden scale in his hand had been locked onto by a vast force, and the golden light upon it immediately withdrew.
Everyone looked up.
They saw a soundless rift split open in the air not far away, and a figure slowly stepped out from within.
The newcomer appeared middle-aged, dressed in a dark-red official robe and wearing a tall crown.
It was none other than Wei Lang, a Deacon of Grand Capital Prefecture!
"Lord... Lord Wei?"
Upon seeing the newcomer's face clearly, Xiao Yun's expression changed. He hurriedly withdrew all his aura, endured his injuries, descended from the air, and respectfully dropped to one knee.
"This subordinate, Xiao Yun, County Guardian of Linjiang County, greets Master Wei!"
"I did not know Your Excellency was arriving and failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive my offense!"
The moment he knelt.
The guards at the city gate, as well as the guard he had brought with him, were so frightened that their souls nearly fled their bodies. They all fell to their knees and loudly greeted the lord.
For a time, a dark mass of people knelt all around the city gate.
Wei Lang gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over the wreckage before him.
"Rise!"
Then his gaze fell upon Jiang Fan, and he was about to speak.
When Xiao Yun suddenly said.
"Lord