Chapter Forty-Six: The Army at the Gates

At last, the moment had arrived...

Tu Lu exhaled deeply and finally opened his eyes.

"Xiao Cai, Xiao Ci, come with me to the Grand Hall of the City Lord's residence!"

"Yes."

Led by Tu Lu, the three quickly made their way to the hall.

On the way, Tu Lu gave a stern warning: "The City Lord's moods are unpredictable. Even if you do not flatter her, do not provoke her."

Xiao Ci nodded rapidly the whole way.

As for Xiao Cai...

Tu Lu glanced at her and could only sigh in resignation. She remained silent, as usual, like a mute. But with such a disposition, she was unlikely to offend anyone. The real trouble would be if Gongsun Yan questioned her. That would be problematic.

He dared not hope that Xiao Cai might miraculously change at a critical moment.

...

"Just now, I believe I heard someone remark that my moods are unpredictable."

Outside the Grand Hall of the City Lord's residence, a jade-green airship hovered in midair, about the size of a small house. Gongsun Yan, Blue-faced Leopard, Wang Daozong, and Zhou Tianhua stood beside it. Further out, nearly a hundred cultivators had gathered.

The terrifying part was that half of these were at the Filling-the-Sea Realm!

As soon as Tu Lu arrived, Gongsun Yan turned to him and spoke.

Hearing this, Tu Lu felt a chill run down his spine, but he put on a righteous face: "The City Lord is majestic and wise—who would dare gossip behind her back!"

Seeing his expression, even Gongsun Yan couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"Enough. You wish to bring these two with you, yes? Come aboard with me."

"Yes!" Tu Lu nodded hurriedly.

But Zhou Tianhua's eyes flashed sharply. He spoke out, "City Lord, you mustn't!"

"And why not? This is what I promised. Or do you wish me to break my word?"

"I wouldn't dare!"

Gongsun Yan fixed her gaze on Zhou Tianhua, and even he felt the pressure. "The more people aboard the Grand Airship, the less maneuverable it becomes, and its speed will suffer. If we want to outrun a lightning-type primal beast, there must be no more than five people!"

"Wang Daozong, myself, and Master Lu—that makes three. Isn't that five in total?"

"But... what about me..."

Zhou Tianhua's mouth hung open. Gongsun Yan smiled: "If you lend the Grand Airship for now, that's sufficient. Thunder Tiger is powerful—how could I let you risk yourself?"

Everyone was stunned, and Zhou Tianhua was left speechless.

But just then, a thunderous roar shook Shinfeng City violently!

---

"What happened?"

"Report! The primal beast has attacked—the front lines have collapsed, the beast tide is at the gates!"

A cultivator in the Mountain-Moving Realm rushed into the City Lord's residence, but in truth, everyone could already see it.

Above Shinfeng City, a gigantic beast claw appeared, blotting out the sky—impossible to miss!

In the instant that the cultivator relayed the news, the beast claw struck the city's defensive array repeatedly, causing the earth to tremble and countless buildings to collapse.

For ordinary folk, it was nothing short of the apocalypse.

This sudden disaster caught even Wang Daozong and the others off guard, to say nothing of the commoners, who had no idea about the beast tide and were suddenly plunged into catastrophe.

"This can't be—just yesterday the front lines were holding. How did hundreds of miles of defenses fall overnight?"

"Fool! It's the primal beast—who can withstand it?"

"This is bad!"

The moment these words were spoken, cracks appeared in the floor of the City Lord's residence.

This place was the heart of Shinfeng City's grand array. If the residence was destroyed, the city's defenses would collapse, and all hope would be lost!

"No time! Zhou Tianhua, hand over the Grand Airship's controls. When the task is done, I'll return it to you. Wang Daozong, Master Lu—let's go!"

With that, Gongsun Yan shot up onto the Grand Airship with the four.

Zhou Tianhua gritted his teeth and flung out a golden spindle, shouting, "This is the core of the Grand Airship. City Lord, please succeed!"

"Haha! Thank you, Zhou Tianhua!"

Gongsun Yan laughed, instantly refining the golden spindle. The Grand Airship shrank into a streak of light and shot skyward.

Tu Lu was astonished. The City Lord's residence—and the entire city—shrunk rapidly in his view, becoming almost insignificant in an instant.

The Grand Airship—its speed was terrifying!

Below, the hundred cultivators were thrown into chaos, but Gongsun Yan made it clear she had no intention of caring for them, heading straight for the Thunder Tiger above.

Witnessing this, Tu Lu recalled what Yin Zhi had said, and his mind grew uneasy.

"Take care of yourselves and those beside you! I'm about to make a charge!" Gongsun Yan suddenly shouted.

What? Charge again?

Tu Lu hadn't even processed this when the Grand Airship's jade-green glow intensified, and its speed doubled!

He could barely control his body and nearly flew off the deck, his heart almost leaping from his chest.

Not only him—even Wang Daozong was caught off guard by the sudden acceleration. Only Xiao Ci and Xiao Cai, clinging tightly to a cord at the edge, were unaffected.

ROAR!!!

A tiger's roar echoed from the sky.

---

The enormous claw striking Shinfeng City suddenly changed direction, swinging toward the Grand Airship.

"It's coming! I'm going to circle around!"

Gongsun Yan cried out, excitement in her voice. The Grand Airship accelerated, looping a wide arc through the sky.

Thunder Tiger's claw missed, and it grew even more furious. Above, a colossal tiger face appeared, covering the entire sky above Shinfeng City.

"This is the primal beast's true form! We're heading straight in!"

Gongsun Yan's eyes gleamed as she charged toward Thunder Tiger's true form.

Thunder Tiger roared, and its image in the sky unleashed countless bolts of lightning.

But Gongsun Yan cared nothing for the airship's damage, charging directly through the thunder. As they neared the beast's true form, Wang Daozong suddenly cried, "No!"

"It's fine!"

Gongsun Yan grinned, her whole body radiating golden light that enveloped the Grand Airship like an arrow, plunging straight into Thunder Tiger's image!

A deafening blast echoed in the sky.

The force swept up countless clouds, blurring Thunder Tiger's image, while the Grand Airship twisted and deformed under the immense energy.

"This is bad—the Grand Airship can't take much more!"

Tu Lu's heart sank.

If the airship were destroyed, not only would Xiao Ci and Xiao Cai perish—all of them would likely die in the primal beast's energy!

"Haha! No need to worry, Master Lu!" Gongsun Yan laughed, flinging out a formation plate.

"Seal it!"

With a thunderous command, the heavens shook.

A shield opened in the sky, enveloping Thunder Tiger's true form. The Grand Airship barely escaped through a narrow gap!

Suddenly trapped, Thunder Tiger raged, its four claws pounding the sky. Thunderous booms echoed, distorting the protective shield formed by the Heavenly Array—but it could not break free!

The clouds parted, revealing a tiger as large as a mountain, its pelt crackling with electricity.

"This is the moment! Wang Daozong!"

Gongsun Yan's face was pale, yet her spirit soared.

But as she finished speaking, her expression changed abruptly.

Thunder Tiger let out a furious roar, shaking the sky. A wave of sound pierced the array and struck the Grand Airship. Gongsun Yan could not dodge, and the airship was blasted miles away!