Xu Mu completed the task perfectly.
Upon receiving the news, Zhou Yuan hastily formulated a plan, mobilized his forces, and headed towards the eastern, southern, and northern city gates to prepare for an interception.
Due to insufficient manpower, and for the sake of caution, Xu Mu, Zuo Mingqiu, and Li Zao were also added to the team.
Imperial City, Yinshi.
The east began to show the pale white of a fish's belly. The sky was just dawning, and the sun had yet to rise. Amidst the gloom, the streets of the Imperial City were already crammed with carriages, forming two long lines, with people entering and exiting the city.
East Gate, carriages lined up in a long queue.
Xu Mu, dressed in black, sat in a carriage with three other Fourth Stage Royal Black-Clad Envoys, quietly waiting in the long line for exit inspection.
Ahead of them were seventeen carriages, and by the time it was their turn, it was estimated to be exactly five o'clock.
Inside the carriage, an elder envoy of the Royal Black-Clad Envoys looked at Xu Mu and asked calmly, "Are you sure they only have one Lord-level cultivator at the Fourth Stage?"
Xu Mu nodded and replied, "The opponent made a Heavenly Oath before me. They should not have lied."
The old man nodded slightly upon hearing this.
The other two exchanged glances, and then one of them smiled at Xu Mu and said, "With your talent at such a young age, you will surely become a great help to His Highness in the future."
"Since the disparity in strength between us and the enemy is so great, why did His Highness send you? Is it to supervise us, or do you want to learn from the experience?"
The elder who spoke had kind eyebrows and a thin build, but his black robes made his eyes appear exceptionally sharp.
Xu Mu felt uncomfortable under that gaze and therefore did not answer the question, quietly meeting the old man's gaze for dozens of breaths.
After a long time, a hint of surprise flickered in the latter's sharp, hawk-like eyes before he slowly withdrew his gaze.
It was then that Xu Mu calmly replied,
"His Highness the Third Prince sent me along to prevent any unexpected incidents. There is absolutely no intention of supervising the three lords."
"If an accident were to occur, what use would you be?" the middle-aged Black-Clad Envoy asked with a laugh.
He was not looking down on Xu Mu; rather, the three of them were all top-tier cultivators at the peak of the Fourth Stage, their combat prowess close to the Fifth Stage, capable of matching cultivators from the Demon Extermination Division. Xu Mu was clearly just a junior.
Xu Mu fell silent, unable to deny it, for even if he were to go all out and use his holy relic, his combat strength would not reach the peak of the Fourth Stage.
However, let's not forget that the Weaving Heaven Pavilion does not solely possess high-stage combat power. For cultivators below the Fourth Stage, he could easily handle them.
"If the situation gets out of control, you three seniors can rest assured that I will handle everyone below the Fourth Stage," Xu Mu said.
A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the three men.
The elder who had questioned Xu Mu first intended to ask more, but was interrupted by the middle-aged Black-Clad Envoy.
"Since it is His Highness Zhou Yuan's specific arrangement, we can only trust you."
Xu Mu calmly cupped his hands in a salute.
"It is but a small effort."
Upon hearing this, the three men showed a smile.
A similar scene was unfolding at the other two city gates. Zuo Mingqiu had gone to the North Gate, where three Lord-level cultivators at the Fourth Stage were also leading the team.
Li Zao had gone to the South Gate, where their team had only one Lord-level cultivator.
Time passed quickly.
As the tail end of Yinshi arrived, the murky gloom in the sky lessened considerably. There was only one batch of seven carriages left in front of Xu Mu and his companions.
So, these were the people they were looking for.
"Stop!"
At the city gate, two guards stopped the carriage in front of them, looking sternly at the coachman.
The coachman was tall and burly, with a full beard but a kind smile. The fact that he was leaving the city at this hour made him seem suspicious.
In reality, he was no good man, but a core elder of the Weaving Heaven Pavilion named Di Qiu!
"We are a martial force coming to the Imperial City to attend an auction. Here are our exit permits and the authorization for the treasures on the carriage."
The coachman dismounted and handed a stack of documents to the city guards. The guards checked them and found no issues. After a brief inspection of the goods on the carriage, and finding nothing amiss, the two guards exchanged a look and were about to let them pass.
But at this moment, three black-clothed figures approached.
The two guards noticed their arrival, frowned, and grunted, "If you want to leave the city, go to the back and queue!"
"We are not leaving the city," the middle-aged Royal Black-Clad Envoy's voice was refined yet resonant. He walked with steady strides, and in an instant, the three of them had surrounded the seven carriages.
Yes, surrounded.
On the left and right were the two Fourth Stage elders, behind them was Xu Mu and the carriages, and in the front was the middle-aged man.
The two guards noticed that something was amiss. Looking at the middle-aged man who suddenly appeared beside them, they asked warily, "What are you doing? This is the Imperial Capital, the Son of Heaven's domain!"
"Royal Envoys are on duty, irrelevant individuals, stand down!"
The middle-aged envoy produced a golden circular token with a dragon emblem on its back and roared.
"—RUMBLE!"
The two guards, standing beside the man, did not bear the full brunt of the impact, but they were still sent flying dozens of meters. The entire row of carriages in front of the man was shattered by this terrifying roar. The wooden frames of the carriage tops snapped like willow branches in winter, tearing and flying into the sky.
The horses could not withstand the terrifying force, whinnying and spitting blood, rearing up on their hooves before collapsing powerlessly to the ground. The long line of goods spilled onto the street, and the dozen or so people inside the carriage compartments were all alerted and emerged.
"Weaving Heaven Pavilion fiends, you are surrounded. Surrender quickly!"
Di Qiu and his group gathered together. They looked around, and the fear in their eyes disappeared, replaced by a leisurely smile.
"I thought it was a Fifth Stage Royal Envoy who had arrived. Making such a fuss, and it turns out to be just three Lords."
Di Qiu slowly drew his saber and looked at the middle-aged Royal Envoy in front of him, smiling with murderous intent.
"Including the little one sitting in the carriage, what if I count you as having four Lords?"
"We have a total of seven here!"
"—CRACKLE!"
As Di Qiu spoke, the people behind him simultaneously unleashed their abilities. Six Lords simultaneously expanded their domains, protecting the remaining lower-stage cultivators within.
"What!"
Xu Mu felt the momentum of the group and was shocked. How could there be seven Lords? Wasn't it said there was only one? And the Third Stage cultivators didn't match up either.
"Damn it, we've been deceived!"
Xu Mu rushed out of the carriage, gripping the hilt of his hunting knife, gritting his teeth. Given the situation, the only explanation was that Xian'er Jiu had lied to him, as she was the person in charge here, and the Seventh Prince had personally issued the evacuation order. These people would not disobey.
But Xu Mu couldn't understand, since Xian'er Jiu had made a Heavenly Oath before him, why was she daring to defy it now?
Was she not afraid of death!
"If you know what's good for you, get out of the way!"
Di Qiu took a step forward, his terrifying saber intent impacting the middle-aged man's front, stirring his robes.
The latter's expression was solemn. If it were only Di Qiu, he would be confident of capturing him even if he came alone. But now, the disparity in strength between them was too great.
Even if the three of them could withstand the siege of seven Lords, could Xu Mu handle those dozen or so Third Stage cultivators?
"What do we do, fight or not fight!"
On the left, the old man with the hawk-like eyes asked with a grim expression. The Weaving Heaven Pavilion fiends had been exposed, and a great merit lay ahead, but the disparity in strength was too great. He did not know what to do, so he could only ask for others' opinions.
"Fight! Why shouldn't we fight? This is the Imperial Capital, and we have reinforcements at worst!"
The middle-aged man's expression hardened. He stepped forward, and a rolling wave of sound overturned Di Qiu's saber intent. His expression was ferocious, and he roared, "Let's leave as many behind as possible! We will fight to the death and not retreat! Don't let them break through the city gates!"
"Kill!!!"
...