Chapter 145: The Covenant Beneath the City Walls

"Miao Quan the Gu Shaman?"

Below the city walls, all the warriors were stunned. They had not expected Su Ye to make such a demand. However, they immediately realized his reasoning; Miao Quan had played dirty against the Jiang family, so it was only natural for Su Ye to seek revenge.

Instantly, everyone turned their gaze toward the formation of warriors from Fotian Peak, where Miao Quan was standing.

Miao Quan gritted his teeth and shouted, "Su Ye, you are despicable and shameless! To use such lowly tactics to incite the crowd just to kill my clansmen—if you have the guts, come down here. I will give you three strikes. Do you dare?"

Su Ye laughed, standing proudly atop the city wall. He retorted, "Miao Quan, when you were poisoning them, why didn't you call your own methods despicable? If you want to enter, then capture him for me immediately. Otherwise, don't even think about stepping inside!"

The warriors began to whisper among themselves. They were determined to enter Thunder City; no matter the method, they had to get in. Having seen Su Ye enter alone earlier, they were already filled with envy, and now a new opportunity had finally presented itself. Although Ye Lingyun seemed to possess strange methods and could slowly advance using the Thunder-Attracting Bead, he was nowhere near as efficient as Su Ye.

Furthermore, in their minds, Su Ye was more trustworthy than Ye Lingyun, who always gave them an unreadable, unsettling feeling. Besides, if they teamed up to eliminate Miao Quan now, they would have one less rival to split the treasures with once inside.

"I've long found that scoundrel Miao Quan an eyesore! I will take the lead in capturing this hypocrite today!" Elder Bei Fei was the first to call out.

The Guye Gu Shamans had harbored a generational feud with Miao Quan’s faction, and seeing a rare opportunity, they immediately charged forward. Seeing this, other factions realized it was the perfect time to strike a fallen foe. With Su Ye watching from the walls, they had to show some effort.

"Capture Miao Quan!"
"Using poison to harm others is an unforgivable crime! Old thief Miao Quan, stop resisting!"

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Suddenly, several powerhouses from various factions rushed forward. The city guards, in particular, were ruthless, leaving Miao Quan no chance of escape.

Miao Quan let out a strange cry. Facing the siege of so many warriors, he pulled out several black bottles, clearly filled with lethal Gu poisons.

"You bunch of ungrateful curs! Do you think killing me will let you into the city? That Su Ye is despicable; his words are absolutely not to be trusted!"

"Hmph, if his words aren't to be trusted, should we trust yours?"

Others might have feared the Gu poison, but shamans like Elder Bei Fei were unfazed. Several men coordinated their attack, striking Miao Quan’s shoulders, while another guard leaped up and shattered the bones in his hand with a kick.

Before long, the once-arrogant Miao Quan was kicked to the ground. Although they had broken his hands and firmly restrained him, they dared not kill him while the "Gu King Sharpening" period was still in effect.

The guard stepped on Miao Quan’s chest and looked up at Su Ye on the wall, shouting, "The man has been captured! Open the city gates now!"

At that moment, everyone turned their eyes to Su Ye once more. Even Ye Lingyun stopped his movements, waiting for Su Ye's response.

***

Su Ye realized he had actually lost out; the warriors below had only captured Miao Quan, while the other Gu shamans from Fotian Peak had all fled. However, he was not afraid. He had killed Miao Ba, and he could kill Miao Quan. If the others dared to provoke him, he would not show mercy.

"I keep my word; I will open the gates!" Su Ye said in a deep voice.

In his ears, Ye Lingyun’s words, "The tide is coming," continued to echo. These four words seemed to be a plea to Thunder City itself, as if each time they were spoken, the city gates felt compelled to accept the request. It seemed the city had such a mission.

When Su Ye opened the gate, however, he felt more like its master, simply commanding it to open. Regardless of whether it was a "plea" or "mastery," the gates would open, and Su Ye could not let Ye Lingyun get the upper hand.

"If you want to enter Thunder City, your fate is in your own hands! Do not blame anyone else—"

With those words, Su Ye turned and headed back into the city; it was easier to control the mechanism from within. Under the gaze of the multitude, the glowing gates of Thunder City rumbled open.

*Boom!*

The two massive doors were pushed open by some immense divine force. Standing proudly between them was Su Ye.

"The gate is open! It's actually open!"
"Hurry, get in! Ah—the spiritual energy is so dense! There must be treasures inside!"

Without a word from Su Ye, the various families and warriors erupted into a frenzy, rushing inside. This was the legendary Thunder City; if the gate alone held such dense spiritual energy, what treasures must lie within?

The warriors scrambled, using various techniques to dash through the entrance. The dense crowd flowed like water; they carefully avoided Su Ye in the center, but the space on either side was packed. In their excitement, these warriors were not stingy with their praise.

"Many thanks, Brother Su Ye! Haha!"
"The gate is open; you are truly a man of your word! We will not forget your great kindness, Su Ye!"

Su Ye merely offered a faint smile. Some words were even less reliable than those spoken over wine.

Because the warriors moved quickly and the gate was large, they all poured in within moments. Su Ye remained where he was, as a few figures approached him. It was Ye Lingyun and Luo Gui, and even the previously unseen Yu Zhisha appeared.

Both sides were enemies; they felt the killing intent with just a glance, but neither side chose to strike.

***

Ye Lingyun walked slowly past Su Ye and paused. He said coldly, "Even without you opening the gates, I would have entered regardless!"

Su Ye did not even look at him. "Try surviving your departure from Thunder City before you boast."

"Oh? Haha, interesting!" Ye Lingyun seemed to dismiss Su Ye entirely. His aura surged, and he led the Yu family inside with long strides.

Luo Gui and Yu Zhisha, however, did not dare pass too close to Su Ye, keeping a wide distance. They were clearly afraid he might strike. With only half a day left in the "Gu King Sharpening" period, they had to be cautious.

Once they had passed, the members of the Jiang family approached. Su Ye, worried about the poison, rushed forward. "Clan Leader Jiang, are you alright?"

Jiang Ziyang’s face was grim. He shook his head, indicating it was nothing serious, then whispered, "You did very well! I never thought you could open the gates; I always assumed we had to rely on Ye Lingyun."

"Just a coincidence," Su Ye said, looking toward Elder Bei Fei and Wu Yan. If there was an antidote, it would have to come from them, or from the captured Miao Quan.

"Su Ye, don't worry!" Ouyang Yunfeng stepped forward, pulling Su Ye aside. With a calm expression, he said, "We are poisoned, but it is of no consequence. In fact, we let ourselves be poisoned on purpose so that everyone would ignore our presence, making it easier to act."

"On purpose?"

Su Ye trembled. He looked at Jiang Ziyang, then back at Ouyang Yunfeng, noticing their lack of panic. Even as the crowd surged in, they remained unhurried. For some reason, Su Ye’s heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.

"Su Ye, don't take it to heart. To deceive them, we couldn't reveal too much. Now that everyone has stopped watching us, let’s get moving! Your Thunder-Attracting Bead is about to come in handy!"