Siege (Part One)

"Click, click-click!!"

The staff had only been turned a fraction, yet an indescribable, earth-shaking tremor erupted, as if from the very foundations of the world!

The entire ruined space around the City God Temple—and all of Ghost Capital, Chang'an, as far as the eye could see—seemed to be gripped in a mighty, invisible hand that spanned the heavens and earth.

The air groaned under the strain, like enormous panes of glass on the verge of shattering.

The ground no longer trembled with a faint layer of ash. It convulsed violently, like a living thing! The charred rubble, carbonized beams, and bones buried deep in the earth surged like waves, piling up and crushing together with a teeth-grinding scrape and crunch.

Beads of sweat had already begun to form on Xiao Ran's forehead.

The three-dimensional model he had constructed in his mind seemed to float before his eyes. The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the 36 Heavenly Spirits, and the 72 Earthly Fiends formed a gigantic compass cipher.

"Strange. What purpose does this design serve? Is it just to buy time?" Xiao Ran furrowed his brow.

The steps involved in turning the staff were filled with redundant loops, as if deliberately draining his mental strength—or stalling for time.

"Boom!!"

A deafening crash interrupted Xiao Ran's thoughts. The commotion outside grew louder, and great quantities of Malevolent Qi evaporated, forming black smoke like dark clouds in the air.

"Big brother, where are you?"

The girl who had been playing beanbag was red-eyed, the veins on her face bulging. It seemed that after failing to find Xiao Ran for so long, she was on the verge of losing control.

With a flick of her wrist, she sent one beanbag after another flying in every direction. They tore through the air with shrill whistles,