After Withered Elder entered the city, Tao Yuanshan had been waiting.
He stood outside the South Gate, his gaze fixed intently on the inner city of Ninggu City, forming an extremely subtle standoff with the middle-aged man atop the tavern.
About half an hour later.
A deep tremor suddenly came from the direction of the fortress.
"Rumble—"
The ground trembled slightly.
It was as though some colossal beast had turned over beneath the earth.
Tao Yuanshan's eyes lit up. "Withered Elder succeeded!"
He recognized the sound.
It was a sign that the fortress had been activated.
Withered Elder truly deserved his reputation as an old monster from the previous generation. He had taken control of the fortress so quickly.
Once the fortress was activated, Ninggu City would become a death prison.
Tiger Lian Mountain's people would have no way to escape.
Yet one incense stick's worth of time passed, then two, then an hour... and no further movement came from the fortress.
The smile on Tao Yuanshan's face slowly froze.
A sense of dread rose in his heart.
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
"Withered Elder's strength is no empty reputation, not to mention that he successfully took control of the fortress."
"Just a few rats burrowing underground."
"How could they possibly threaten him?"
"He must have been delayed by something else."
He muttered to himself.
But no matter how he reassured himself, that ominous feeling only grew stronger.
In this operation.
The three great families and four Great Sirs had joined forces.
They had originally planned to crush Ninggu City, reclaim it, then flatten Tiger Lian Mountain and let every hidden expert in the world know that the dignity of the top families could not be offended.
Even if one or two Sirs emerged.
The great families could suppress them with a