Chapter 160: Guiling City

Late into the night, Wang Yu politely declined the beautiful woman's invitation to enter her cave dwelling. He wasn't yet ready to pursue such a close relationship, needing another ten years before he could truly unleash his male potential.

He returned to his Flying Cloud Boat, which then sailed alongside Chao Yunniang's Rouge Boat.

As the sun first rose, a vast expanse of fields came into view, laden with heavy rice stalks. The rich aroma of rice drifted for a hundred miles, and under the morning sun, Guiling City resembled a giant turtle.

The ground was bustling with activity, filled with shouts and the calls of vendors, while in the sky, shimmering lights indicated the continuous arrival of cultivators' escape lights and flying boats entering the city.

It was still a mix of mortals and cultivators, but unlike Corrosion Heart City, there were no towering pillars. Here, mortals lived outside the city, scattered across the vast fields in individual farmsteads.

Only the middle class and wealthy households could reside in the outer city ring, beyond the five major urban districts. Their bodies were nourished by spiritual veins, which increased their chances of producing offspring with spiritual roots. Their bodies were also healthier, and they rarely fell ill.

The outer city district had many facilities focused on childbirth. Alchemists from the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect specifically refined a medicinal powder there that increased the chances of pregnancy, and dedicated staff handled deliveries, resulting in almost no infant mortality.

This measure, it was said, was also learned from the Taihu Spirit Realm. After all, they boasted a population of tens of billions, while Scarlet Kite's territory, despite being no smaller, only had a population of just over a billion.

This was largely due to the severe devastation caused by ancient demonic cultivators. Modern demonic cultivators, however, emphasized sustainable development and had altered many of their bad habits. For example, in ancient times, demonic cultivators preferred to use mortals for refining magical artifacts. However, how much spiritual essence did a mortal possess? Killing thousands of them still wouldn't equal one cultivator. Only a wisp of their soul was somewhat useful.

But once they became more astute, demonic cultivators discovered that instead of slaughtering millions of mortals, it was more profitable to let them reproduce and give birth to individuals with spiritual roots, cultivate them, and then kill them. The profits surprisingly increased tens of times over, instantly opening a new world for demonic cultivators.

For nearly a thousand years, Scarlet Kite had copied every new policy introduced by the Taihu Spirit Realm without fail. This was how they achieved a population of over a billion; otherwise, in the ancient or primordial eras, having a million would have been impressive. Previously, their population was only maintained by orthodox cultivators falling into evil or venturing to other realms to abduct people to preserve their lineage.

It was no wonder that historically, battles between righteous and demonic factions often resulted in more losses than victories, and frequent breaks in lineage occurred. Only in recent years had there been a trend towards equilibrium, with an increasing number of victories. The strategy of "the enemy is our teacher" had been a great success!

Meanwhile, as Wang Yu secretly entered the city, a significant event was also unfolding at the Guiling City Lord's Mansion.

The Tuoba family, acting in the name of the interim City Lord, summoned the patriarchs of the Bai, Guan, and Jiang families, along with the leaders of various minor factions and branches of external forces in the Northern District, to the City Lord's Mansion to discuss important matters.

Inside the City Lord's Mansion's council hall, a group of people were seated according to their status, with a tall, fierce-looking burly man occupying the main seat. He was Tuoba Lei, who had controlled the Guiling City Lord's Mansion for nearly a century. A century ago, he had merely been a general under Zhuo Kuangsheng. Now, he was the chief administrator of the City Lord's Mansion, and his cultivation base at Foundation Establishment Stage Eight made him stand out among all present.

The three patriarchs, however, were generally at Foundation Establishment Stage Six. The representatives sent by the Ink Wash Sect, Purple Dragon Mountain, and Scented Cult ranged from Foundation Establishment Stage Seven to Nine.

Once Tuoba Lei and the others had assembled, he immediately produced a notification scroll without a word. It stated that the new City Lord appointed by the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect would soon arrive.

After everyone had read through it, Tuoba Lei's deep, powerful voice grew slightly somber: "Gentlemen, after a century, just as the new generation of our families has come of age, the higher-ups have sent down a new City Lord. This is not good news."

The Bai family patriarch was secretly displeased but retorted, "General Tuoba, this is your problem. My Bai family has always been loyal subjects of the Sacred Sect, and we have never failed to pay our annual tribute."

"Heh heh—"

Before Tuoba Lei could retort, the Guan family patriarch spoke up. "You haven't paid less, but the Sacred Sect's rule is 20% annually. Your family's assets have grown richer year by year, and you haven't reported any of that increase."

The Bai family patriarch's face instantly darkened. Tuoba Lei was secretly pleased, realizing that helping the Guan family conceal their taxes had been the right move, as it secured an ally in times like these. The Jiang family patriarch, however, remained silent. Among the three great families, they alone had stagnated, showing no development for a century. Their Foundation Establishment Stage Peak ancestor was also close to passing away. At such a time, observing from the sidelines was best, and they would not easily get involved in disputes. The others paid them no mind. In their eyes, the Jiang family would be expelled from the ranks of Guiling's Three Great Clans within fifty years. Instead, the newly arrived Core Formation forces in the Northern District were more worthy of their attention.

"What do the three of you say?"

The Ink Wash Sect representative lowered his head, sipping tea.

The Purple Dragon Mountain representative was a red-faced elder. He seemed eager to participate, grinning as he asked, "What is the new City Lord's cultivation level? And do they come from a prominent family?"

This information wasn't on the scroll, only that it was a young man named Wang Yu.

"Wang... I haven't heard of such a branch within the Sacred Sect."

The Scented Cult representative was an elegant beauty with a faint, pleasant fragrance about her. Her eyes were deep, showing almost no emotional fluctuations, clearly indicating her advanced age. She said, "Don't forget, the previous City Lord's surname was Zhuo—the Zhuo of the Guifang Zhuo Clan. Do you think they would surrender Guiling City to an ordinary cultivator?"

At this, the Purple Dragon Mountain elder also lowered his head to sip his tea. The atmosphere instantly grew silent.

Tuoba Lei involuntarily looked towards the Azure Dragon Gang Leader. This man was a Foundation Establishment Stage Three cultivator from the Northern District, originally a rogue cultivator whom Tuoba Lei had recruited to handle unsavory businesses. Such individuals, though not very knowledgeable, possessed a ruthless streak and dared to do anything as long as they were paid enough spirit stones.

As expected, upon receiving his eye signal, the Azure Dragon Gang Leader declared loudly, "I can kill this person, but their cultivation level is unknown. How about all of you fellow cultivators also dispatch some people to temporarily join the Azure Dragon Gang?"

Tuoba Lei instantly showed a satisfied expression. "The messenger just arrived, so the person will likely need to prepare thoroughly before departing. We don't know how many people they'll bring. I will send scouts to investigate around Reed Marsh. As for manpower support, another Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Tuoba family will accompany Brother Azure Dragon."

He would never have imagined that Wang Yu had departed just a few days later, even slightly faster than the messenger, a fortunate coincidence.

The conflict between Tuoba Lei and the new City Lord was inevitable, so he didn't mind letting everyone know. This made it easier to drag all of them into the scheme. However, some only dared to make covert moves. The council hall appeared silent, but many secretly transmitted messages to Tuoba Lei, intending to send people to participate. As long as the individual didn't die within Guiling City, there would be plenty of excuses to deflect responsibility. Yunling Province was a region of barren mountains and treacherous waters, with a highly dangerous external environment. Using the Yellow Spring Monastery as an excuse was perfect.

Although no one openly acknowledged the collusion between the Bai family and the Yellow Spring Monastery, everyone secretly knew. During their whispered conversations, he proactively suggested, "We can use the experts from the Yellow Spring Monastery. They certainly wouldn't want Guiling City, which they've managed for years, to fall back into the hands of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect so easily."

"That's true."

After half an hour of discussion, Tuoba Lei rose, satisfied, and called out, "Little sister, please see our esteemed guests out."

"This is a restricted area of the City Lord's Mansion. Unauthorized entry is prohibited."

"Shing—"

Wang Yu sighed helplessly, looking at the halberd pointed at his neck. "You are being very rude."

Hearing this, the team of armored guards at the gate attempted to seize Wang Yu's collar, but he evaded them with a swift step back, instantly infuriating them further. "Brat, acting insolent right at the City Lord's Mansion gate! Don't you know this is General Tuoba's residence? Go, butcher this scoundrel!"

However, as seven or eight armored guards lunged forward, only a few streaks flashed through the air. The next second, the doorway was stained with bloody body parts and internal organs.

Sensing the powerful auras within the mansion, Wang Yu smiled happily. Arriving at the opportune moment was better than arriving early. He was both early and at the right moment—a heaven-sent opportunity not to be missed.

His figure flashed and disappeared from the main entrance. Only then did a horrified passerby cry out, "Murder! The City Lord's Mansion guards have been butchered! Murder!" Chaotic commotion began to spread.

Inside the council hall, Tuoba Lei's laughter didn't last long. Just as his younger sister entered the doorway, preparing to escort the esteemed guests out, all the large doors were simultaneously blown open by a cold wind.

A continuous drizzle filled the sky, and freezing rain and snow enveloped the entire City Lord's Mansion. On the steps, a handsome, silver-haired young man was ascending.

"The newcomer means trouble," the Scented Cult female cultivator looked up at the sky and murmured. "The celestial phenomena are abnormal; it must be the result of a spell. Tuoba Lei, is the new City Lord from the Sacred Sect's Frigid Blood Peak?"

"I don't know."

Tuoba Lei pushed through the crowd and stepped to the forefront. His keen perception detected the unusual aspects of Wang Yu: a cultivation aura of Foundation Establishment Stage Two, yet a spiritual sense of Foundation Establishment Stage Six. "Brat, are you the new City Lord? You arrived quite quickly, catching this general off guard. But your cultivation... it's too weak."

Wang Yu didn't reply. After a quick scan, he noted the characteristics of everyone present, which perfectly matched the intelligence provided by Chao Yunniang. "I will only say one thing. Those who step to that side will live; those who stand by Tuoba Lei will die. You have ten breaths to make your choice."

"One."

"Presumptuous!"

"Audacious!"

"Two."

The Azure Dragon Gang Leader stepped forward proactively. He was naturally a bully who feared the strong and preyed on the weak. He had expected someone much more powerful from the higher-ups, but this person was merely at Foundation Establishment Stage Two, weaker than him. "Heh, let this gang leader teach you a lesson."

"Three."

The Ink Wash Sect representative, the Scented Cult female cultivator, and the Jiang family patriarch immediately ran toward the spot Wang Yu had indicated. As they moved, several members from the minor factions operating in the Northern District also followed suit. Among them were the Cloud Dream Pavilion, Blood Blade Gang, and Fine Rain Tower. Even more remained behind, specifically four leaders of minor factions, all at the early Foundation Establishment Stage. Including the still-hesitant Purple Dragon Mountain elder, the Azure Dragon Gang Leader, the Bai and Guan family patriarchs, and Tuoba Lei, a total of nine Foundation Establishment cultivators stood in opposition to Wang Yu.

"Whoosh—"

The moment the Azure Dragon Gang Leader attacked, an icy sword-gang nearly twenty meters long swept forth. Wang Yu, who was counting softly, instantly jumped from "three" to "ten."

"Ten!"

This sudden development seemed to provoke a strong reaction from his opponents. The Guan family patriarch and the Purple Dragon Mountain elder immediately activated their escape techniques and fled to join the Scented Cult group. In an instant, two of the nine had left.