Night Burns Iron Wall City

Iron Wall City's nights were far colder than its days.

The continuous, stringent checks and defenses over many days had inevitably left the night watch soldiers weary. Yet, they followed strict military orders, patrolling and remaining vigilant at their posts.

In the General's mansion, the study.

The lamp was still lit. Old General Li Chongshan had not yet retired. Instead, clad in his old armor, he was poring over a large map of the northern border defenses.

His grizzled brows were tightly furrowed.

The constant rumors and alarms of recent days, especially the news brought by Chen Qing and others regarding the Third Prince and the Shadow Kill Tower, weighed on his heart like a massive stone. He had already placed the batch of You Lan Stones under strict guard, assigning his most trusted confidantes and elite troops to watch over them. However, he knew deep down that the other side would not give up so easily.

"A time of turmoil..." The old general sighed, his voice sounding particularly desolate in the vast study. He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the boundless darkness outside the city.

"Xuanyuan Yi... you are truly destroying your own Great Wall!"

Just then, he thought he faintly heard a hint of unusual commotion from a great distance. Though faint, his battlefield instincts immediately put him on high alert. He cocked his ear, and his expression suddenly changed!

Past midnight, when people were at their most drowsy.

From the direction of the armory in the distance, dozens of swift and chilling presences appeared!

Almost simultaneously!

"Fire! The western granary is on fire!"

"The eastern camp stables are also ablaze!"

"South Gate! Enemy attack at the South Gate! Alert!"

The sound of gongs and shouts suddenly erupted from multiple directions within the city! The previously silent Iron Wall City instantly became a boiling cauldron! Flames surged into the sky in several places, thick smoke billowed, figures darted about, and cries of alarm, the sound of running feet, the clash of weapons, and the scolding of officers mingled into a chaotic cacophony!

Footsteps pounded furiously within the General's mansion!

"Protect the General!"

"Guard detail, assemble!"

Li Chongshan had already burst out of the study, his face ashen.

He shoved aside a personal guard trying to drape a cloak over him and barked sternly, "What's the panic?! Everyone to their post! Relay the order: First Battalion, fight the fire. Second Battalion, strictly guard the West Gate. No one opens the city gates without my explicit command! Third Battalion, maintain order on the streets. Anyone causing trouble amidst the chaos will be killed without mercy! Personal guards, with me!"

The old general's voice was like a stabilizing force, instantly bringing a semblance of order to the somewhat chaotic mansion. With a clang, he drew the saber that had been at his side for many years. Its blade gleamed sharply in the firelight.

"You want to disrupt my Iron Wall City? Let's see if you have the teeth for it!"

In the small courtyard, Chen Qing, who had been sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes!

"They've finally come!" Chen Qing moved like lightning, already outside the door. Yan Yunxi and Liu Meng also rushed out of their rooms, both dressed and armed.

"Brother Chen!"

"Young Hero Chen!"

"Act quickly!" Chen Qing's words were rapid, but his voice was remarkably calm. "Yunxi, Head Escort Liu, take people to the General's inner quarters to protect General Li's family. Be wary of a diversion! I'm going to the armory!"

"Alright! Young Hero, be careful!" Liu Meng knew this was no time for pleasantries. He grabbed Yan Yunxi, who was still a bit stunned, and rallied two lightly injured escorts, then rushed towards the backyard of the General's mansion. Yan Yunxi glanced back at Chen Qing with concern, gritted her teeth, and followed closely.

Chen Qing, however, flickered and was already on the rooftop like a wisp of smoke, his gaze sharp, quickly locking onto the direction of the armory! That was where the killing intent was strongest! Several powerful presences were rapidly approaching.

"Awooo!" The Wolf King let out a low growl. Without needing a command, its massive body erupted with agility unbefitting its size. It followed Chen Qing's figure, galloping like the wind through the alleyways, its emerald eyes flashing with ferocious light in the darkness.

The closer they got to the armory, the more chaotic it became. Clearly, the enemy's plan of coordinated attacks from within and without was being executed with ruthless efficiency.

Several barracks near the armory had also been set ablaze, the flames blocking the roads. Worse still, a number of "soldiers" wearing the uniforms of the Xia army but with fierce eyes were mixed in with the firefighting crowds. They suddenly attacked, causing even greater panic!

"Hold them off!"

"There's a traitor!"

"Protect the armory!"

The officers loyal to General Li shouted themselves hoarse, organizing resistance, but the scene was too chaotic, and friend could not be distinguished from foe.

Chen Qing ignored the chaos below. He had only one target – the armory gate! There, over a dozen black-clad assassins were locked in fierce combat with the soldiers guarding it.

These assassins employed vicious and tricky martial arts, their coordination seamless. Ordinary soldiers were no match for them and could only resist with difficulty!

Even more alarming were two figures, whose auras were clearly far beyond those of the surrounding assassins – the two hall masters, "Shadowy Phantom" and "Absolute Thorn." They moved like phantoms through the crowd, each strike drawing a spray of blood, rapidly hunting down the defending soldiers!

Chen Qing's eyes sharpened. He leaped from the rooftop, descending like a falling star! While still in mid-air, he pointed his fingers in rapid succession!

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

Several streaks of starlight finger energy shot through the air, their speed so fast it was barely discernible to the eye! The "Shadowy Phantom" hall master, who was about to deliver a killing blow to a defending general, suddenly felt a pang of dread. He forcibly twisted his body to dodge. With a shing, the finger energy grazed his cheek, tearing away a piece of flesh and leaving a scorched mark!

"Who is it?!" The "Shadowy Phantom" hall master exclaimed in shock and anger, looking up abruptly.

Chen Qing had already landed. Without a word, he charged directly into the fray! His movement was elusive, flickering like starlight as he weaved through the crowd. With palms flashing, he unleashed palm strikes imbued with vibrating star power, or pierced bodies with his finger energy. Wherever he passed, the black-clad assassins fell like grass!

"It's him! The target has appeared!" The "绝刺" (Jue Ci) hall master shrieked. Abandoning his opponent, he wielded a pair of peculiar curved daggers that transformed into two streams of venomous light, striking directly at Chen Qing's vital points from behind! The angle was cunning, and the force of his attack was sharp and fierce!

Simultaneously, the "幽影" (You Ying) hall master, enduring the pain, also lunged forward. As his body swayed, he actually conjured two or three indistinguishable illusory figures, coordinating with "绝刺" (Jue Ci)'s attack to seal off all of Chen Qing's evasion space!

The combined assault of the two hall masters, who were both close to the Grandmaster level, was fierce and relentless.

Chen Qing's expression remained unchanged. The Ancient Star Ruins Scripture operated at full power, and the faint layer of starlight around him reappeared. His footwork shifted, and he slid through a gap between the two illusory figures. With a backhand palm strike, he slammed towards the curved daggers of the "Absolute Thorn" hall master!

"Clang!"

The palm met the steel hook! Jue Ci felt an unstoppable force, yet one imbued with a strange, vibrating energy, pierce through, numbing his wrist and churning his blood. He retreated in shock!

Meanwhile, the Shadow Kill Tower's leader's true body attack landed on the starlight behind Chen Qing, only to vanish like a stone into the sea, making no progress!

"What kind of protective technique is this?!" The two leaders' hearts churned with immense shock!

"Roar—!" The Wolf King had arrived! It directly sent two assassins blocking its path flying and charged towards the ordinary black-clothed figures who were setting fires and attacking the defenders. A single swipe of its massive claws shattered bones; its gaping maw directly tore throats! Its ferocity instantly eased the defenders' pressure.

However, amidst the chaos, no one noticed that a small, thin figure, extremely worried about Chen Qing, had secretly followed him. It was now cowering behind a burning supply cart, its small face flushed red by the firelight, its eyes filled with concern—it was A Ning!

A black-clothed assassin, sent flying by the Wolf King, landed near her. He caught sight of the isolated little girl, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes. He struggled to his feet, raising his saber to strike! "Brat, die!"

A Ning froze, her pupils contracting sharply in terror!

As Chen Qing and the two leaders clashed, their energy erupting, a fleeting glance from the corner of his eye caught the scene that made his heart stop—

In the flickering shadows of the firelight, behind a burning supply cart, A Ning's small figure was hiding there! Her small face was deathly pale, startled by the fire and the battle like a wounded kitten, her pupils reflecting a steel saber about to descend!

"A Ning—!!!"

A roar, as if tearing through the night sky, erupted from Chen Qing's throat!

A previously restrained and calm aura instantly exploded outwards!

The Ancient Star Ruins Scripture spun madly at an unprecedented speed, no longer a gentle stream but a surging starry river! The faint starlight around him suddenly blazed, as if countless miniature stars were being born and dying, exploding on his skin!

"Get lost!!!"

He didn't employ any complex moves. The wild star power surged outwards from his arms with a single tremor!

BOOM—!!!

Centered on him, an invisible yet vast and terrifying power erupted! It was like a shockwave from a volcanic eruption.

The air was compressed to its limit, then violently expanded and exploded!

The two leaders, Shadow and Thorn, who were at the forefront, their sneers instantly froze, replaced by fear and horror! They felt like two fallen leaves in a raging tempest!

Their protective qi shattered like paper, their chests felt the impact of a colossal hammer, and they were sent flying uncontrollably, spitting blood, crashing heavily into the distant darkness!

They should be grateful that Chen Qing's target wasn't them.

The surrounding black-clothed assassins, who had rushed forward with lower cultivation, were swept away as if by an invisible giant hammer! The closest few had their weapons twist and shatter instantly. They themselves were like ingredients in a grinding mill; before they could even scream, they exploded into bloody mist under the power of the stars!

Those a bit further away were violently thrown like leaves in an autumn wind, their bones broken, falling to the ground with screams!

Even the ferociously attacking Wolf King was staggered by the aftermath of this sudden, terrifying power.

The black-clothed assassin who had raised his saber to strike A Ning was the sole focus of Chen Qing's wrath!

The saber he raised, along with his arm and then his entire body, seemed to be thrown into the void, disintegrating and vanishing from the tip of the saber, leaving not even a speck of ash, completely turning into nothingness! As if he had never existed in this world!

RUMBLE!

Spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly across the ground, centered on Chen Qing's feet!

The next moment, Chen Qing's figure vanished from his original spot. He appeared beside A Ning as if teleporting, the gust of wind he created causing the burning flames to tremble!

He pulled the stunned A Ning tightly into his embrace, his arms trembling slightly from lingering fear and rage.

His voice was low, carrying a barely suppressed ferocity, yet he forced it into an unquestionable sternness: "Didn't I tell you to stay in a safe place?! Who told you to follow me?!"

A Ning's small body trembled in his arms, her small face buried in his smoke-stained, plain blue robe, unable to speak. Only her two small hands tightly clutched his clothes.

Chen Qing took a deep breath, the starlight and killing intent in his eyes slowly subsiding. He quickly placed A Ning behind a broken wall, a relatively stable spot away from the battle.

He crouched down, his gaze more serious than ever, and instructed her almost word by word: "Stay here! Don't come out! Don't look anymore!"