The Game with Fairies

Chapter 190

Under the cover of night, clusters of flickering campfires cast long shadows across the wilderness.

Outside Tianjiao City, the sprawling tents and campfires merged into a vast expanse of crimson.

Followers of the Blood Lotus Sect, with red headbands and lotus emblems, stood out distinctly in the darkness.

Tianjiao City, without a moat or even walls high enough to be considered formidable, relied on the combat prowess of cultivators.

In all the historical turmoil and strife, mortal armies hardly had the chance to enter the fray. Their sole value lay in serving the cultivators as shepherds to their flock.

Thus, even though Tianjiao City was one of the larger cities under the rule of the Demon Refining Sect, its walls were merely a few zhang high, hardly a formidable fortress.

A slightly stronger martial artist could easily scale these walls with bare hands.

To the tens of thousands of Blood Lotus Sect followers outside, the low walls were no different from a mere dirt mound.

Yet, so far, the Blood Lotus Sect had not launched a full-scale assault.

Tens of thousands of followers, clad in red armor and wielding steel weapons, simply encamped and surrounded Tianjiao City without attacking.

A massive banner stood outside the western gate of Tianjiao City, bearing the words 【By the True Lord Imperial Decree, Vanquish Demons and Exterminate Immortals】.

Even in the darkness, the characters were clearly visible.

This was the banner of the Blood Lotus Sect’s leader, representing absolute power outside Tianjiao City at this moment.

Underneath the banner, several figures hurried into the tent.

Liu Hucheng, one of the four great Incense Masters of the Blood Lotus Sect, lifted the tent flap and entered anxiously.

“Master, why haven’t we launched the full assault yet?”

Liu Hucheng had come from within Tianjiao City, where he was the first Incense Master to appear, acting as bait and orchestrating everything.

He and Nangong Ting operated within Tianjiao City, one overt and the other covert, one still and the other active, working together to stage this grand spectacle.

Eventually, they successfully trapped the Sect Master of the Demon Refining Sect and twelve Elders within Tianjiao City.

After Nangong Ting initiated her attack amidst the chaos, Liu Hucheng, who had been imprisoned, was released.

But as Liu Hucheng and his followers wreaked havoc in the city, breaking through several government offices and slaughtering many Demonic Sect cultivators, he received unexpected and terrible news.

–Nangong Ting, who had been acting with him in the city, had been captured by the Demon Refining Sect!

Upon learning this, Liu Hucheng did not linger.

“Right now, there are only fifty to sixty thousand soldiers in Tianjiao City with wavering morale, no match for our sect’s army of one hundred and sixty thousand.”

“If we launch a full assault, taking Tianjiao City would be a matter of moments!”

“Now that Incense Master Nangong has unfortunately been captured, we must break through Tianjiao City as quickly as possible to rescue her!”

“Moreover, several of those Demonic Sect Elders are still hiding in the city! If we don’t quickly take the city and find them, they might find a chance to escape too!”

Liu Hucheng was extremely eager.

Taking Tianjiao City and slaying the Demonic Sect Elders within was the most crucial objective of this operation.

It was already troublesome that several Demonic Sect Elders had displayed their powers and escaped during the day.

Now, the whereabouts of the other Demonic Sect Elders hiding in the city were unknown, and they must not be allowed to escape!

However, facing Liu Hucheng’s urgency, the pale-faced girl still shook her head.

She exhaled a breath of cold air, seemingly chilled, and warmed her hands over the brazier in front of her.

The girl then spoke, “We no longer have one hundred and sixty thousand.”

She shook her head, continuing to speak under Liu Hucheng’s astonished gaze.

“Now, there are only ninety thousand followers outside the city. It seems like more because I’ve used a deception technique.”

“I had the soldiers leave the camp through one gate, circle the city, return to the camp, then change their armor and banners before exiting through another gate to circle the city again.”

“This cycle repeats, pretending that we still have tens of thousands outside the city.”

“In reality, it’s just to intimidate the soldiers inside the city, a mere show of force.”

“The strongest battalions of our sect have already been taken by the leader and the others.”

“They have now left Tianjiao City to pursue and kill those fleeing elders. It is imperative to stop these escapees in the wilderness.”

“And two hours ago, our spies stationed outside relayed intelligence.”

Shen Yan looked at the astonished Liu Hucheng and slowly said, “During this upheaval, one of Yan Xiaoru’s direct disciples actually managed to escape.”

“And in just a few short hours, she escaped the area covered by the blood mist.”

“Two hours ago, she arrived at Bishui City, two thousand li away, with a white-robed female disciple and publicly revealed her identity.”

“By now, the entire Demonic Sect should be aware of the unrest that has occurred within Tianjiao City...”