Han Jue still couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, as if the Lord of Yaoguang City had uncovered certain truths.
Yet he remained confident that no one within the Seven Flames Palace possessed the capability to neutralize the poison from the Moshu Poison Fruit. The toxin had been cultivated by the pharmacists of the Virtual Universe Company, if the natives of this training ground could crack it, the entire premise would be laughable.
Which meant Qi Yunxian must have leaked information.
"Teacher is an extremely proud man, not the type to willingly submit to someone else's authority," Yaoguang Ye offered, attempting to explain Qi Yunxian's potential motives. "My grandfather originally promised him the position of deputy commander of the Yaoguang Guards, commanding numerous powerful Domain Lords and World Masters, but Teacher refused. He rejected any restrictions on his freedom, preferring to fight for the family's interests as an independent agent rather than serve as a subordinate."
"That's why he maintains such a good relationship with my father and a personal connection with my grandfather. On the surface, he's merely the head of an ordinary family, but secretly he serves as my teacher."
The relationship was certainly complicated.
Han Jue found himself wondering what the Lord of Yaoguang City was scheming.
Judging from the orders Yaoguang Tianyou had issued, it seemed the old warrior was actually helping him. Both had set their sights on Dulan Main City as their target. Very well, let the final battle for the City Lord position be postponed for two months.
This delay would provide an excellent opportunity for the Star-Eating Grass to recover and improve its strength. If it could reach the third or even fourth level of World Master rank, it would possess sufficient power to eliminate a ninth-level human World Master with ease.
Dulan Main City sprawled across a landscape dominated by greenery, over eighty percent of the city was covered in various plants. Nearly every powerful individual maintained a parasitic plant companion, with the Blood Orchid Vine being the most prevalent species.
The Blood Orchid Vine represented the Dulan family's most stable parasitic cultivation, free from the dangerous drawbacks that plagued other parasitic species, such as draining the host's blood to the point of mummification in severe cases.
While it might not be the strongest parasitic plant available, it was undoubtedly the most popular. This vine had fundamentally changed how other humans viewed parasitic plants, transforming them from feared aberrations into acceptable cultivation tools.
The current head of the Dulan family had cultivated a peak-level World Master Blood Orchid Vine that could match even ordinary peak-level World Master humans in combat. Despite her own modest personal strength, Patriarch Dulan had ascended to the position of City Lord through the power of this extraordinary vine. She had even passed the Sacred Pillar Trial and obtained an Origin Spark.
Within the City Lord's Mansion, a woman bearing a striking resemblance to Dulan Que sat in the main seat, wearing somewhat revealing attire. A brilliant crimson vine coiled around her arm like a living jewel.
Below her sat numerous officials, most of them members of the Dulan family.
"Patriarch, is the Yaoguang family truly going to war with us?" someone asked doubtfully.
Another official spoke up confidently. "That old monster Yaoguang Tianyou hasn't made a move in a hundred thousand years, not since he seized the City Lord position and shocked everyone into submission. After that, he left everything to his son and grandson."
"The last time he acted personally, he already possessed the strength of a peak World Master. After obtaining an Origin Spark and improving further, his power must have increased substantially. We cannot afford to be careless."
"But the strength of the Dulan Guard is arguably the strongest in the entire Jinghu Divine Kingdom! Each member is protected by a Blood Orchid Vine. Why should we fear them?"
"Exactly! The Yaoguang Guard is even smaller in number. Even if their quality is higher, we have the Blood Orchid Vines, there's no need to fear."
The officials debated heatedly, their general consensus suggesting that Dulan Main City need not worry about Yaoguang Main City's declaration of war. Some even proposed launching a counterattack to seize Yaoguang Main City's resources for themselves!
The woman seated in the main position said nothing, quietly stroking the blood-colored vine beside her.
Ordinary Blood Orchid Vines were primarily green, but Patriarch Dulan's vine displayed a vibrant crimson hue, as if drenched in fresh blood. The appearance was genuinely eerie.
"Yaoguang Tianyou cultivates the Law of the Origin of Light and has been recognized by it as a World Master," she murmured to herself. "Even with that recognition, he should still pale in comparison to the combined might of my Blood Orchid Vine and myself. What could have possibly motivated him to take such drastic action?"
Patriarch Dulan felt a persistent sense of unease gnawing at her thoughts, though she couldn't identify its source.
After fruitless contemplation, she could only choose to wait.
Wait for two months to pass.
Within the Seven Flames Palace, two months was still quite a substantial period.
Han Jue had brought an enormous quantity of supplies with him, more than enough to facilitate the Star-Eating Grass's complete recovery and subsequent growth.
The Star-Eating Grass had successfully advanced to the second level of World Master rank and stood just one step away from breaking through to the third level. It was expected to reach that milestone before the war commenced.
"There are only three individuals in the Dulan family worth being wary of: the Dulan family head, the Dulan Guard commander, and the deputy commander," Qi Yunxian explained.
After spending considerable time in Yaoguang Main City collecting intelligence for Han Jue, he had also returned to Tianyan Prefecture City with his findings.
"The head of the Dulan family is named Dulan Lian. Her personal strength is at the sixth level of World Master rank. She has not been recognized by the Origin Laws, but she is always protected by a peak-level World Master Blood Orchid Vine. When fighting together, their cooperation makes her nearly invincible, ordinary City Lords would never be her opponents."
"Dulan Lian's Blood Orchid Vine can be called a mutated specimen. Its strength far exceeds that of ordinary Blood Orchid Vines. It's worthy of being called one of the top two parasitic plants in the entire Land of Order. Only the Vast Ancient Tree of the Linmu Divine Kingdom can compare with it."
"However, that Vast Ancient Tree serves as the guardian tree of the Linmu Divine Kingdom. It spans millions of kilometers and possesses no combat capability whatsoever."
"As for the two commanders of the Dulan Guard, they are both descendants of Dulan Lian. Their strength is at the third and fourth levels of World Master rank respectively. They're not overwhelmingly powerful, but they should possess Origin Sparks on their bodies, so we must remain vigilant."
Han Jue listened attentively. This intelligence was extremely valuable.
"A City Lord showdown is typically a one-on-one battle, but the specific rules vary depending on which main city Lord you're challenging. For example, when challenging the Dulan City Lord, you're permitted to bring your parasitic plant to the duel."
"Sir, your parasitic plant can absolutely crush Dulan Lian's Blood Orchid Vine!" Qi Yunxian exclaimed with genuine excitement.
"Excellent!" Han Jue smiled with satisfaction.
"Then let's march our forces to Dulan City immediately and seize the City Lord position from Dulan Lian!"
Battles between main cities generally avoided deploying high-level forces, that approach differed from the City Lord showdown Han Jue intended to initiate.
After all, Tianyan Prefecture wasn't truly his territory, so he wouldn't mind sacrificing the troops stationed there. Han Jue temporarily appointed Yaoguang Ye as the commander of the Tianyan Guards, leading the assembled army toward Dulan City.
Most of these Tianyan Guards were at the Universe level, with a few at the Stellar level and a very small number at the Domain Lord level. Strictly speaking, they served as little more than cannon fodder.
The true main force would still be the elite Yaoguang Guards.