Human Clan Defender

Late at night, in the courtyard.

Within the temporary Grand Hall of the Eternal Alliance, a few people, led by Hongyi, gathered, each with an unsightly expression.

"Hall Master, the city is searching for us in earnest. If we keep delaying, our hiding place will be exposed," an elderly man said gravely.

Upon hearing this, Hongyi's pretty face turned cold, a green glint flickering in her eyes. "A city-wide search means the Imperial Court is truly determined! The Barbarian Clan is good for nothing, failing even to assassinate Nie Xu and instead alerting the enemy. They deserve to die!"

She was well aware of last night's incident where Demon Evil attacked the Yamen. Currently, only two forces in the city were capable of controlling Demon Evil: one was the Eternal Alliance, and the other was the Barbarian Clan. Since her people had made no rash moves, the identity of the Yamen's attacker was obvious.

Up to now, Hongyi still couldn't fathom how the Barbarian Clan had failed. Similarly, she had no desire to know the reason for their failure. All Hongyi knew at the moment was that the Barbarian Clan's failure to assassinate Nie Xu meant their own location could be exposed at any moment.

In terms of strength, within Jincheng, she feared almost no one. However, the Black Tiger Army was exceptional. Relying on its elite forces, even she would find it difficult to contend with them.

"If he had managed to kill Nie Xu, things would have been much easier," a man's voice, icy cold, interjected. "With the Yamen slaughtered, the city would've been thrown into complete chaos, and suppressing the situation with the Black Tiger Army wouldn't have been easy. But he failed. Instead of causing chaos, his failure only made the Yamen more vigilant. Now, with the whole city being searched, the blame falls entirely on the Barbarian Clan." He clearly had a deep-seated dissatisfaction with the black-robed man.

Upon hearing this, Hongyi said indifferently, "There's no point in blaming anyone now. Although the Black Tiger Army hasn't searched our location yet, it's only a matter of time. We need to consider how to retreat."

It might seem that the Eternal Alliance could stay hidden in the city with some caution. In reality, that was only because the Imperial Court hadn't been serious. If the Imperial Court truly decided to conduct a city-wide investigation like the current one, rooting them out wouldn't be a significant problem. However, such thorough city-wide searches were never easy, as they involved many complicated issues. Everyone had secrets. Allowing the Imperial Court free rein to search would be tantamount to exposing one's own secrets. Therefore, once or twice was manageable. But if such thorough searches became frequent, aside from the consumption of human and material resources, maintaining public satisfaction would be difficult. If it weren't for the Demon Evil attacking the Yamen, the Eternal Alliance members believed the Black Tiger Army wouldn't have been so determined to search the entire city. However, it was too late to dwell on this now. The only practical thing they could do was figure out how to retreat before being exposed.

"If we retreat, I'm afraid Jincheng won't descend into chaos," the old man frowned.

"If it doesn't, then so be it," Hongyi sneered. "With the strength of the Barbarian Clan, can they not capture a small city like Jincheng? At worst, it'll just cost them more manpower. Besides, if the Barbarian Clan can't even conquer Jincheng, what right do they have to vie for the Central Plains? In that case, the Barbarian Clan isn't qualified to cooperate with our Eternal Alliance."

She was reluctant to leave Jincheng unless absolutely necessary. The promises made by the Barbarian Clan had greatly enticed her, the Hall Master of the Eternal Alliance. Regrettably, the Barbarian Clan had ruined the situation. Causing chaos in Jincheng was no longer possible. The only option left was to retreat; otherwise, they risked complete annihilation if encircled by the Black Tiger Army. After all, Hongyi wasn't confident she could withstand thousands of the Black Tiger Army's elite.

Upon hearing this, both the man and the old man fell silent.

Immediately thereafter, Hongyi continued, "You two go out and scout the situation. See how the Black Tiger Army is deployed so we can find an opportunity to retreat. We can't stay in Jincheng any longer."

"Should we notify the Barbarian Clan?"

"Let them die!" Hongyi shook her head, her eyes filled with lethal intent. In her eyes, the Barbarian Clan members deserved death. If not for their existing cooperation, she would gladly go and twist off their leader's head herself.

「In the city.」

Even late into the night, the city was brightly lit by torches. Elite members of the Black Tiger Army were stationed every five steps, securing all streets and previously searched locations within the blockade. Influenced by the Yamen's announcement and the curfew, the citizens stayed in their homes and did not venture out. The Jianghu martial artists who had searched during the day were now cooperating with the Black Tiger Army, gradually tightening the search perimeter.

"Now, only three areas in Jincheng remain unsearched."

In the Black Tiger Army's transformed encampment, Zhong Chi marked several circles on a map spread out in the middle. It was a map showing Jincheng's layout, the kind typically held by the Yamen.

Nie Xu said, "If the Demon Evil are still in Jincheng, they must be hiding in these three places. Does the Heavenly Inspection Guard have any news?"

"According to the Heavenly Inspection Guard's intelligence, this location and this one should both harbor Demon Evil." Zhong Chi emphasized two spots: one in the north of the city, the other in the west. Shen Changqing and the others also focused their gaze on the two circled areas.

Immediately following, Zhong Chi stated, "After our Heavenly Inspection Guard's investigation, we can be almost certain. Aside from the Eternal Alliance, the remaining Demon Evil forces in Jincheng originate from the Barbarian Clan. It's highly likely they are Barbarian Clan Priests."

"Barbarian Clan Priests?" A look of confusion appeared on Shen Changqing's face. Barbarian Clan Priests. It was the first time he had heard of them.

Zhong Chi patiently explained, "Barbarian Clan Priests are powerful individuals within the Barbarian Clan who wield mysterious forces, similar to the Demon-Subduing Division of Great Qin. However, the difference lies in the Priests' extremely mystical methods and their ability to control certain Demon Evil. According to intelligence from the Heavenly Inspection Guard, the Demon Evil that attacked the Yamen last night were driven by Barbarian Clan Priests. The Barbarian Clan has long harbored intentions of attacking the Great Wilderness Prefecture. They dispatched strong infiltrators into Jincheng solely to weaken the city's defenses. If Lord Nie had perished at the hands of Demon Evil last night, Jincheng would likely be in great chaos today."

At these words, Shen Changqing gained a basic understanding of Barbarian Clan Priests. Evidently, Priests were similar to Martial Artists. The key difference was their ability to control Demon Evil, making them, to some extent, more like Demonfolk than Martial Artists.

Meanwhile, after explaining about Barbarian Clan Priests, Zhong Chi paused before continuing, "From the Heavenly Inspection Guard's intelligence, it's clear that Barbarian Clan Priests are not confined to Jincheng; their presence has been observed elsewhere. It's no longer a great secret that the Barbarian Clan is collaborating with the Eternal Alliance. When the Barbarian Clan breaches city walls, some civilians are captured, and a portion of them are sacrificed to the Eternal Alliance."

With that, the atmosphere in the room suddenly grew heavy. An almost imperceptible killing intent lingered in the air.

Chu Ding's face was as grim as dark water, his voice ice-cold. "Has the Heavenly Inspection Guard received any specific intelligence?"

"Within two days, the Barbarian Clan not only breached the gates of the Great Wilderness Prefecture but also conquered three cities, displacing a large number of civilians. A considerable portion fell under Barbarian Clan control, with hundreds of thousands sacrificed to the Eternal Alliance—" Zhong Chi stopped there.

Even if he said no more, everyone else understood the fate awaiting those offered to the Eternal Alliance.

"The Barbarian Clan must die!"

"The Eternal Alliance deserves death just the same!" Chu Ding slammed his palm down hard, shattering the armrest, his face flushed with intense rage.

At this moment, Nie Xu's face also showed anger, but he remained relatively restrained compared to Chu Ding.

"The Barbarian Clan came well-prepared this time," Zhong Chi spoke solemnly. "First, they caused chaos with Demon Evil to distract the Imperial Court. Then, they amassed their strength to launch a major assault on the Great Wilderness Prefecture. Their goal is to break through completely and then direct their forces towards the Central Plains. Currently, the Barbarian Clan forces are divided into several routes. One of these, consisting of roughly 120,000 soldiers, is targeting Jincheng. According to Heavenly Inspection Guard intelligence, the Barbarian Clan Army should reach us by Midnight tomorrow. Even if delayed, it won't be by much."

At these words, Chu Ding suppressed his anger and looked at Zhong Chi. "Does the Heavenly Inspection Guard have concrete information on that 120,000-strong Barbarian force?"

"The one leading the 120,000 Barbarians is Mairba," Zhong Chi declared calmly. "This man is said to possess innate Divine Power and holds significant repute within the Barbarian Clan. Mairba was involved in their past onslaught on the Great Wilderness Prefecture. Later, when the Barbarian forces threatened a Sect, a Grandmaster from that Sect intervened, only to be directly slain by Mairba. So, based on the Heavenly Inspection Guard's assessment, Mairba's strength is formidable, approximately at the mid-Grandmaster Realm."

Mid-Grandmaster Realm! Shen Changqing's heart sank slightly. He hadn't heard of Mairba before, but judging by Zhong Chi's words, this opponent was evidently very strong. However, Shen Changqing hadn't actually fought a Grandmaster, so he couldn't be sure just how powerful a mid-Grandmaster Realm cultivator truly was.

"Are you referring to Hengjiang True Monarch of the Hundred Rivers Sect?" Nie Xu asked, seeming to recall something, though somewhat uncertainly.

Zhong Chi nodded. "Precisely Hengjiang True Monarch. The Hundred Rivers Sect was once a great power in Jianghu, and Hengjiang True Monarch was a prodigious talent. He reached the Grandmaster Realm before the age of forty. It was believed that under his leadership, the Hundred Rivers Sect would surpass its former peak. However, it ultimately fell to the Barbarian Clan's iron cavalry. Mairba's strength is formidable, and the Barbarian Clan's power is substantial. Considering Jincheng's current strength, it will be difficult to withstand their cavalry charge."

"Does Lord Zhong perhaps have any suggestions?"

"I advise prioritizing the evacuation of the city's civilians," Zhong Chi suggested, pausing for a moment. "That way, even if Jincheng falls, our losses won't be too great. However—before that, we still need to root out and eliminate the Demon Evil within the city!"

Upon hearing this, the gazes of the several individuals present fell upon the map once more.