A month later.
In the hall of Black Iron City's City Lord's Manor, now the temporary headquarters for the four cities.
The atmosphere was grave and somewhat oppressive.
"How is this possible? The Heroes Alliance's main force actually held off the encirclement by the Commandery Governor and the Three Great Fortresses, and even inflicted considerable losses on the fortresses!"
Lei Qianjun stared at the battle report in his hands, disbelief on his face.
Gu Chenfeng sat at the head, with Ling Wanshuang and the other two City Lords seated below.
They passed the frontline battle reports among themselves.
A month had passed.
As Gu Chenfeng had expected, the situation in Xilin Commandery had not improved. Instead, it had begun deteriorating rapidly.
In the central region of Xilin Commandery in particular, the combined offensive of Commandery City and the Three Great Fortresses had stalled. They had even suffered setbacks at the hands of the Heroes Alliance's main force.
When the news broke, all of Xilin Commandery was shaken.
"Impossible. However strong the Heroes Alliance is, there's still an enormous gap between their raw strength and that of Xilin Commandery's authorities. How exactly did they manage it?" Daoist Qingxuan looked equally incredulous.
Ling Wanshuang said gravely, "According to reports from the main battlefield at the front, the Heroes Alliance's main army not only has staggering numbers and excellent equipment, but also numerous powerful fighters.
"In terms of top-level fighters, they even outnumber Commandery City and the Three Great Fortresses."
Her words made the atmosphere in the hall even more stifling.
Anyone could see that something strange lurked within this rebellion. There had to be a powerful backer helping the Heroes Alliance.
"How are things elsewhere in southwestern Xilin Commandery?" Gu Chenfeng asked.
Ling Wanshuang, who now handled most of the intelligence gathering,