Zhang Tie was too fast!
From appearing at the Great Emperor Palace on Xuanyuan Hill and killing Meng Shidao, to destroying the Ancient Morality Stele in Swallow Province, then wiping out the Devil Race's main camp and two armies in Great Xia's Western Theater, and finally returning home—throughout it all, neither the Devil Race, the Devouring Party, nor any faction in Great Xia had been able to react in time.
When news spread that Grand Minister Meng Shidao had been blasted to death by Zhang Tie in the Nine Extremes Grand Hall, all of Xuanyuan Hill entered a state of emergency.
In an instant, the streets of the Imperial Emperor City on Xuanyuan Hill, still lashed by torrential rain, came alive. All the knights and troops of the Zodiac Guard stationed on Xuanyuan Hill were mobilized and began imposing a curfew. The forces of the Four Upper Armies stationed outside Xuanyuan Hill began marching into it. In the blink of an eye, the formerly deserted streets of Xuanyuan Hill were filled with fully armed warriors and armored vehicles.
Countless family disciples, stewards, representatives of interest, and informants from Great Xia's powerful clans on Xuanyuan Hill sprang into action, prying everywhere for details of what had happened in the Nine Extremes Grand Hall. The ambassadors and envoys in the embassies of every continent stationed on Xuanyuan Hill likewise mobilized, activating their respective networks in hopes of obtaining more detailed and reliable information.
Some of the news leaking from the Great Emperor Palace sounded half real and half illusory, leaving listeners dumbfounded and unable to distinguish truth from falsehood. It was said that Zhang Tie had descended from the sky amidst thunder. The moment he appeared, it was as though time had stopped throughout the Great Emperor Palace. The knights of the