Chapter 450: Siege of the Yuwen Family
Eastern Northern Profound Region, Yuwen City.
Yuwen City lies in the northwest part of the Eastern Region, rivaling even Dongling City in both grandeur and bustling energy. Strategically positioned, this city is one of the region's most prominent, towering above nearly all others within the Northern Profound Region. With its mighty structures and vibrant streets, few places in the region can truly compare to its splendor.
This city serves as the stronghold of the Yuwen Family, who dominate not only the city itself but also the surrounding territories within a ten-thousand-mile radius. Yuwen City is their private domain, and within this area, all local powers recognize them as the sole authority—a status even the Dark Hall has historically tolerated.
Massive city walls, towering hundreds of meters high, extend across the landscape, stretching beyond the eye's reach. Within and around the city, the Yuwen Family's elite guards stand vigilant. Each of them radiates a powerful aura, their eyes sharp and watchful, clearly well-trained to guard their land against any threat.
On the city walls, hundreds of Yuwen Family disciples patrol, ever watchful against intruders. Due to recent developments, Yuwen City has been placed under the highest level of alert, and these sentries regularly scan the surrounding area, occasionally sending scouts out to investigate any unusual signs.
"What's that?" One guard suddenly exclaimed, eyes widening. Others followed his gaze to a distant part of the sky, where a blinding light was intensifying, accompanied by countless shadowy figures. Even from a hundred miles away, the sheer force of this dark cloud advancing on them brought an oppressive sense of dread.
"Sound the alarm!"
The guards' faces paled, eyes filled with fear, and frantic cries broke out among them. One of them launched a fiery red signal into the sky, its bright flare spreading wide enough to be seen from far and wide.
Moments after the signal went up, the ominous light in the sky surged forward, revealing a vast army filled with relentless killing intent. They descended upon Yuwen City like a dark wave, their eyes fixed mercilessly upon the walls.
In an instant, a torrent of attacks descended from the sky, obliterating all the city's defenses in a violent surge. With the city's barriers destroyed, the soldiers continued their advance without hesitation, heading straight for the heart of the Yuwen Family's vast, luxurious estate.
As alarms spread across multiple directions, additional signal flares rose, only to be swallowed by waves of reinforcements flooding in from all sides. The Enforcer Army's Seventh Regiment, split into five battalions, converged from every direction, completely encircling the Yuwen Family's estate. Meanwhile, the Dark Hall's allied forces had formed a tight ring around the entire city, ensuring that not even a single fly could escape.
Inside the Yuwen Family estate, fear filled the air, with a bone-chilling cold settling over every soul. The entire estate was thrown into chaos as countless figures dashed about, only to pause in horror when they saw the endless wave of dark silhouettes approaching.
Even the proud Yuwen Family disciples, known for their haughty arrogance, couldn't hide the terror on their faces as they took in the sheer number of enemies descending upon them.
"Attack!"
The command echoed as legions of Enforcer Army soldiers appeared outside the estate. At the sight of the Yuwen Family disciples, they launched forward, weapons drawn and faces hidden behind ghost masks that glinted coldly. Lin Langtian and Qingtan charged alongside the main force, attacking the northern side of the estate. Leading dozens of Enforcer soldiers under their command, they joined the assault without hesitation.
"Who dares to invade Yuwen territory!"
As the Enforcer Army stormed in from all sides, a deep, resonant voice thundered from within the estate. A massive yellow energy burst forth, sweeping across the sky. The force of this single attack struck countless Enforcers, sending them flying and leaving many coughing up blood. Only the intervention of the battalion commanders managed to block this overwhelming strike.
The sudden resistance halted the Enforcer Army's advance. They knew that the head of the Yuwen Family—their primary target in this rebellion—was about to make his appearance.
Exchanging a tense look, Lin Langtian and Qingtan felt the weight of the battle. A peak Death Profound Realm expert was not an opponent to be taken lightly. If he were to step into the Reincarnation Realm, he would become one of the most powerful figures across the continent. The challenge of destroying such a powerful family was indeed a formidable one for the Seventh Regiment.
Eyes narrowed, Lin Langtian focused intently. No matter what, he was determined to achieve significant merit in this battle to secure the Life-and-Death Wheel Pill. He was willing to give it everything he had.
Above the battleground, the Enforcer Army hovered, all eyes locked on the Yuwen Family estate, alert and ready. The soldiers filled the sky, maintaining their deadly gaze on the estate below, their killing intent palpable.
In a sudden movement, the crowd split open, creating a path as Commander Jiang Shan strode forward. Towering and powerful, his presence exuded the weight of a mountain. Right beside him was Xu Xin, the lord of Dongling City and the Dark Hall's appointed ruler of the Eastern Region, who was as expressionless as ever.
The Dark Hall had sent not one but two peak Death Profound Realm experts to annihilate the Yuwen Family—a rare and overwhelming show of force. The sight of these powerful figures dampened the morale of the Yuwen Family's defenders, their gaze filling with apprehension and dread.
Hovering in the air, Jiang Shan and Xu Xin gazed down at the fortified Yuwen estate, a cold smile playing on Jiang Shan's face.
"Yuwen Hao, will you keep hiding like a coward?"
Jiang Shan's voice echoed across the sky, wrapped in surging energy, booming like thunder over the estate and the city beyond.
"How dare you address the head of our family so disrespectfully! Are you looking for death?" a loyal elder of the Yuwen family bellowed from above the Yuwen family estate.
"And who gave you permission to speak here?"
With a cold scoff, Jiang Shan swung his arm, sending a crushing force of elemental energy barreling down toward the elder. This energy pulsed with the weight of a mountain, breaking through the air as it charged at the Yuwen elder with devastating force. But just as it was about to strike the estate, a flash of yellow light shot up from within, meeting the energy head-on and dissipating it.
"Impressive. To think that the Dark Hall's Seventh Regiment would dispatch Black Mountain General Jiang Shan himself. They've truly graced the Yuwen family with their attention."
As the energy attack shattered, several yellow streaks appeared from deep within the estate and quickly converged in the sky. Leading the group was a middle-aged man clad in an opulent yellow robe, his features radiating authority and strength. This man was none other than Yuwen Hao, the patriarch of the Yuwen family and a pinnacle expert of the Death Profound Realm. Behind him stood four elder men, their auras deceptively calm, giving away no trace of the power within them. But anyone could tell these were the core leaders of the Yuwen family, and each held the strength of the Death Profound Realm.
Lin Langtian glanced at the scene and noticed, not far from Yuwen Hao, a handsome young man with a face pale from terror.
"Is that… could that be Yuwen Hao's youngest son?" he murmured to himself. Without this young man, the Yuwen family's acquisition of the Time-Stopping Talisman might have remained hidden from the world. His carelessness had exposed their secret and brought disaster upon them—a true disgrace to his family.
Meanwhile, up above, Commander Jiang Shan fixed his gaze on Yuwen Hao, the silver sword engraved on his ghostly mask reflecting a chilling light as he spoke.
"Yuwen Hao, do you know your crimes?"
Yuwen Hao's face hardened, a flash of trepidation in his eyes, but he quickly straightened up. "What crime have I committed?" he retorted defiantly.
With the Enforcer Army at their doorstep, he knew pleading was futile. Better to face his enemies with dignity than to cower.
"Hiding the Time-Stopping Talisman—do you realize this is a gross affront to the Dark Hall? The Lord of the Hall has ordered the complete extermination of the Yuwen family!" Jiang Shan's voice rang coldly.
"Hmph! The Dark Hall is so overbearing! The Time-Stopping Talisman was acquired by the Yuwen family after decades of effort and the loss of several elders at an ancient site. You expect us to just hand it over? Is that your idea of justice?" Yuwen Hao's sleeve snapped as he shouted in fury.
"In the Northern Profound Region, the Dark Hall is the highest authority," Jiang Shan replied, his voice booming. "Our lord is your king. All things in the Northern Profound Region belong to him. The lord himself is the law! It seems that centuries of peace have made the Yuwen family lose sight of this. You've forgotten this world's natural order—where the weak are devoured by the strong. You're not strong enough to harbor such ambition, Yuwen Hao—that is your family's greatest transgression!"
"We're not strong enough?" Yuwen Hao muttered, a lost look crossing his face. Yes, the Yuwen family had lived in peace for centuries, so much so that they had forgotten caution, forgotten that this was a world where only the strong survived.
Outwardly, he had shown allegiance to the Dark Hall, but deep down, he harbored dreams of one day seizing power for himself. The Time-Stopping Talisman was his chance, and despite the high cost in lives, he had finally obtained it. Although the Talisman was not as powerful as the Dark Scythe, it was still an ancient relic of considerable strength, one that he hoped would mark the beginning of the Yuwen family's rise.
But now, before they could even take that first step, his ambitions had condemned his family. If only he'd let go of that dream, handed over the Talisman to the Dark Hall, they could have avoided this catastrophe and perhaps even received a generous reward. But his ambition had blinded him, leading the Yuwen family straight to ruin.
"Patriarch, it's too late to dwell on regrets now," a white-haired elder beside Yuwen Hao said softly. "The best we can do is fight with everything we have. If we can at least get Tuo'er out, a spark of our legacy may survive. Perhaps, one day, our family will rise again."
The elder's words broke Yuwen Hao from his thoughts. They were all complicit in hiding the Talisman, each of the family's senior members, for the Dark Hall had ruled the Northern Profound Region with tyranny for so long. Every faction here secretly coveted their power. To the Yuwen family, the Time-Stopping Talisman had seemed like a rare opportunity to change their fate, a chance to challenge the Dark Hall's iron grip. But fate had played a cruel trick on them, and now, they faced the full force of the Dark Hall, all because of a foolish mistake by one of their own.
A long sigh escaped Yuwen Hao's lips as he steeled himself and looked back at Jiang Shan and Xu Lie. "Commander Jiang, Master Xu," he called, a last flicker of hope in his voice. "If my family were to surrender the Time-Stopping Talisman now, would the Dark Hall spare us?"
"You know well that we have no tolerance for traitors," Xu Lie replied coldly. Although they had once shared some camaraderie, Xu Lie's loyalty to the Dark Hall left no room for mercy. This was now a battle to the death.
With no reply from Jiang Shan, who only let his killing intent grow stronger, Yuwen Hao's face hardened in resignation. "Then let us see just what strength the Enforcer Army is so proud of."
Jiang Shan's response was immediate. With a wave of his hand, the Enforcer Army surged down from the sky like a tidal wave, crashing toward the Yuwen estate with deadly intent.
"Master Xu, provide support from the flank," Jiang Shan ordered. "Yuwen Hao is mine!"
Fixing his gaze on Yuwen Hao, Jiang Shan sprang forward, his massive frame tearing through the air like a falling star, his overwhelming power gathering in his charge.
And thus, the fierce clash began.
Friends, if you liked the novel, you can subscribe to my p*treon. Use this code: FRANKLIN1 and you'll save up to 25% on any subscription level. The promotion ends October 4th.
You can also purchase the following parts of the novel, which are also on sale.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1