Both ends of the Jade Slip fell silent.
Lin Qingzhu's voice came first.
"So... Zhao Ji isn't trying to break in. He's trying to make our defenses rot from within."
"Yes." Zhou Xuan's voice held little inflection.
"He's training the Divine Statue to make mistakes. Once it's had enough training, the Divine Statue will be nothing but a decoration."
"Then he'll launch a full-scale attack, and the entire city's vow power system will collapse from within, taking every Resonance Stele, every Academy, and every mortal's cultivation foundation down with it."
A Spirit Sword Pavilion Disciple in the cabin muttered, "Is this guy a fucking animal?"
No one answered.
Ye Changqing pressed, "How far has the drift progressed?"
"I need to go back and see it myself to be certain. But judging by how much Lin Qingzhu said the Resonance Stele has dimmed, we have seven to ten days left at most."
"Beyond that, even killing Zhao Ji won't reverse the damage to the recognition rules. We'll have to tear it all down and rebuild."
"Then what do we do now?" Lin Qingzhu spoke faster. "Should we put the whole city under martial law? Seal off all the mortal districts to reduce the gaps the demonic beasts can slip through?"
"We can't seal them off."
Zhou Xuan answered immediately.
"Seal off the mortal districts, and panic will spread. Once people panic, their negative emotions will become Zhao Ji's finest raw materials. He'd love nothing more than for us to impose martial law."
Lin Qingzhu swallowed.
"Then..."
"Hold fast to three things."
Zhou Xuan's tone remained unchanged.
"The mortals stay calm. The Academy keeps running. The Divine Statue stays in place."
Zhou Xuan did not order Yang Wudi to lead troops to the Extreme Bone Ruins. Qin Keqing received no orders to