The Coalition Forces, Riddled Like a Sieve

Heaven Dou City, West Market, a teahouse facing the street.

In a private room on the second floor, candlelight flickered.

Ning Fengzhi, Young Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, sat by the window, clutching a secret report just delivered from outside the city.

"Four hundred and fifty thousand troops, the city is surrounded." He set the report down, his tone calm.

The steward stood to the side with his hands hanging down.

Opposite Ning Fengzhi sat a middle-aged man with a tall, upright figure and a composed temperament—the Seven Kill Sword, Sword Douluo Chen Xin.

A level 94 power attack system Title Douluo, the continent's number one attack-type Title Douluo, and the sharpest sword of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"Uncle Sword, you have finally arrived." Ning Fengzhi picked up a teacup and personally poured a cup for Chen Xin. "You've had a hard journey."

Chen Xin nodded slightly and took the teacup. "You sent word back to the sect saying there was an anomaly in Heaven Dou City, so I set out overnight."

"That sword intent, you felt it too?"

"I felt it." Chen Xin set down the teacup, his gaze calm.

"I felt a faint sensation when I departed from the sect."

"The closer I got to Heaven Dou City, the clearer that sword intent became."

"Sharp, cold, and carrying a state of mind that transcends the mundane."

He paused, a flicker of wariness crossing his eyes.

"I have immersed myself in the way of the sword for decades and considered myself to have reached the peak."

"But that sword intent... I have lived for more than half my life and have never seen a sword like that."

Ning Fengzhi was silent for a moment, then said:

"Before you arrived, I sent people to investigate. That sword intent rose from the direction of the imperial palace; it did not dissipate after appearing and remains there to this day. It is drawn but not released, suspended but not falling."

Chen Xin looked up at him. "You mean that sword intent has existed the entire time?"

"Yes." Ning Fengzhi nodded. "I arrived a few days before you, and I can feel that pressure every day."

"At first, I thought it was some Title Douluo passing through, but later I realized it was constantly hovering over the imperial palace, and I knew something was wrong."

Chen Xin's brows furrowed tightly.

"What's even more bizarre," Ning Fengzhi lowered his voice, "That woman—Yan Lingji—has not shown the slightest panic to this day."

"Four hundred and fifty thousand troops are surrounding the city, yet the atmosphere in all of Heaven Dou City remains so relaxed and carefree. What is she relying on?"

Chen Xin did not speak, his fingers resting lightly on the hilt of the long sword on his lap.

"I originally thought about whether I should send someone to contact Prince Xue Ye."

Ning Fengzhi stood up and walked to the window.

"If Yan Lingji is defeated, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will have taken a side in advance, and we would be great heroes in the eyes of the new emperor."

He turned to look at Chen Xin. "But that sword intent makes me afraid to act."

"You did the right thing." Chen Xin said in a deep voice. "Since I arrived in this Heaven Dou City, that feeling has become even stronger. In the imperial palace, there is a sword."

"It is more terrifying than any sword I have ever seen. It could fall at any moment."

He raised his hand and pointed toward the direction of the imperial palace.

"With this sword here, the four hundred and fifty thousand men outside the city may not necessarily win."

"After all, according to the secret report, those 450,000 troops,"

"The strongest among them is only a level 83 Soul Douluo."

"If there is truly a Title Douluo in the imperial palace,"

"Then it is highly likely to change the landscape of this war."

The Heaven Dou Imperial City originally had four city gates that were extremely difficult to breach, and on top of that, it is currently in a state of defending the city.

A mere 20,000 troops would be enough to withstand several times, or even ten times, that number of regular troops.

Not to mention that woman, Yan Lingji.

To be able to take the Heaven Dou Imperial City in such a short time, it is absolutely not something she could have done alone.

The forces behind her are even more terrifying.

Ning Fengzhi sat back down in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"Uncle Sword, do you think... what is the relationship between the owner of that sword intent and Yan Lingji?"

"I don't know." Chen Xin shook his head. "But to be able to have such a person guarding the imperial palace, that woman is definitely not simple."

Ning Fengzhi set down his teacup, his gaze becoming profound.

"The more indifferent she appears, the less I can see through her.

Even Sword Douluo is wary of her by three parts; with my meager weight, it is better to watch honestly."

Chen Xin nodded slightly.

Ning Fengzhi stood up, walked back to the window, and gazed toward where the allied forces were stationed.

"Wait. Do not rush to pick a side until they start fighting.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect never gambles on big or small; we only do business with the winner."

He looked toward the direction of the imperial palace and murmured:

"Yan Lingji... what exactly are you still hiding?"

Sword Douluo Chen Xin, meanwhile, kept his gaze fixed on the imperial palace.

The night was as black as ink, devoid of stars or moon.

Heavy clouds pressed down over Heaven Dou City, swallowing the last trace of starlight.

The allied camp outside the city stretched for over ten miles, with flickering torchlight scattered like fireflies, outlining a massive military fortress in the darkness.

Along the perimeter of the camp, a watchtower stood every few dozen paces, where sentries fought to stay alert, vigilantly peering toward Heaven Dou City.

The outer side of the trenches was bristling with sharpened wooden stakes and caltrops.

Patrols held torches, weaving back and forth along the camp walls.

The sound of armor clanking and boots striking the earth was clearly audible in the night wind.

Everything was orderly.

Everything was heavily guarded.

Yet, no one noticed that in several spots on the ground of the camp, the soil was shifting slightly.

The movement was minuscule, lighter even than the crawling of insects.

Even if someone were to look down, they would only assume it was dust kicked up by the night wind.

But these shifting spots were not just one or two.

They were spread across the operational zones of the 450,000-strong army.

The soil continued to loosen as several metal wires, thin as hair, poked out and swayed gently in the night wind, only to retract a moment later.

In a tent beside the central command tent, a man wearing the armor of a deputy general slowly opened his eyes.

He was the captain of the guard for a certain count.

Back when Xue Ye conscripted the nobles to crusade against Yan Lingji, he had already been captured by members of the Net, his memories wiped and replaced with loyalty commands.

His face remained the same, and his accent was unchanged, but the object of his loyalty had become Yan Lingji.

There were quite a few others like him.

The entire allied force had long since been infiltrated until it was riddled with holes.

It was laughable that Xue Ye and the others remained completely unaware.

He pulled a short blade from under his pillow, tucked it into his waistband, threw on his coat, and lifted a corner of the tent to peer outside.

The patrol had just passed; the next shift would not arrive for half an incense stick's time.

That was enough.

He signaled to the men behind him.

Those men, likewise puppets with their memories wiped, nodded expressionlessly and drew their weapons.

At the same moment, in the left flank, the right flank, the rear supply camp, and even several tents on the periphery of the central command of the allied camp, thousands of people opened their eyes simultaneously.

Some were disguised as noble guards, some were mixed in with logistics laborers, and some had become personal soldiers to various counts, with a few even having climbed to the positions of mid-level officers.

138 individuals, distributed throughout every unit of the allied forces, ranging from scouts to guards, from logistics to personal soldiers of generals, were all present.

They had been waiting for this signal for a long time.

It was time to act and offer their loyalty to the Empress.

Inside the central command tent, the candles were burning bright.

Marshal Helge sat in the main seat, a massive map of Heaven Dou City's defenses spread out before him.

Prince Xue Ye sat on the left, King Kundera of Balaque sat on the right, and the generals of dozens of noble houses were lined up on both sides.

"The defense map has been drawn," Helge said, pointing to the markings on the map.

"Of the four gates of Heaven Dou City, the north gate has the weakest defenses but the most soldiers.

The south gate has the strongest defenses but the fewest soldiers.

That is because they are certain we will not launch our main attack from the south."

"So we attack from the south gate?" Xue Ye asked.

"No." Helge shook his head.

"We surround it for three days first, cut off their supply lines, and wear down their morale.

The grain in the city won't last more than half a month. Once they are too hungry to fight, we will take the city in one fell swoop."

Kundera stroked his beard and nodded slowly: "The Marshal's insight is brilliant. A direct assault would incur too many casualties; besieging without attacking is the superior strategy."

The generals in the tent nodded one after another, the atmosphere relaxing.

What they did not know was that dozens of zhang beneath their feet, a steel behemoth lay dormant.

Earth-Breaking Three was curled up underground, its torso tightly retracted, its pitch-black scales gleaming with a cold, eerie luster amidst the soil.

Xiaomeng sat on the back of Earth-Breaking Three, the Qiuli Sword resting across her knees, her cold, aloof face devoid of expression.

On the high ground outside the city, Snow Maiden raised the Blue Sea Tide-Rising Flute to her lips.

In the backyard of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Yan Lingji reclined on a soft couch, her nine tails swaying gently, her peach-blossom eyes slightly lowered.

A pitch-black tentacle emerged from beneath her dress; she grasped it gently, leaned forward to kiss it with her red lips, and smiled enchantingly.

"Move."

In an instant.

The signal was transmitted directly to the women through the connection of Jiang Ce's Venom symbiote.