Early that morning,
Ink-black clouds shrouded the sky like an enormous net.
An army of a hundred thousand marched toward Sea Emperor City in perfect formation.
Just then,
Zhongli Wei moved beside Qian Fan and said,
"Your Majesty, Sea Emperor City is twenty kilometers away. Should we keep advancing?"
Qian Fan gave it careful thought.
He looked toward Sea Emperor City, barely visible in the distance, and a flicker of shock crossed his eyes.
Then he shouted to the hundred-thousand-strong army,
"Halt!"
Amplified by soul power, his voice reached every soldier's ears.
The Tiger King looked at Qian Fan in puzzlement but still waved for the army to stop advancing.
As the hundred thousand soldiers came to a halt,
Qian Fan took a deep breath and unleashed his divine sense at full strength, probing toward Sea Emperor City.
His divine sense served as his eyes as he tried to send it flying into the city.
A moment later, his expression turned extremely grim.
He turned to Zhongli Wei and said, "There's an extraordinarily powerful aura inside Sea Emperor City.
"It's probably even stronger than the Tiger King.
"Pass down my order. The entire army is to retreat ten li and make camp!"
Zhongli Wei's heart jolted, and he hurriedly asked,
"Your Majesty, why not enter the city directly? We have a hundred thousand soldiers. Even if they mean us harm, we're not without the strength to fight."
"We mustn't act rashly. Their strength is unfathomable, and I sensed several familiar auras inside Sea Emperor City.
"Hold our position for now. Send a few people into Sea Emperor City undercover to investigate."
Qian Fan spoke in a grave voice.
Zhongli Wei nodded and turned away to make the arrangements.
Qian Fan gazed at Sea Emperor City, silently pondering, *Who could possess