The City Lord's mansion occupied an extremely vast area.
There was no grandeur, only ordinariness.
Yes, ordinariness.
The City Lord's mansion was surrounded by towering buildings, opulent mansions one after another.
But the City Lord's mansion itself was made up of row upon row of thatched huts.
And they were all thatched huts.
Yet, these thatched huts exuded a mystical light, with wisps of divine radiance swirling around the straw branches, like the light of ascending immortals.
In front of each thatched hut, a person sat cross-legged.
A narrow, winding path divided the huts, with two rows of thatched huts situated on either side in an irregular pattern.
The path was paved with bluestone, forged from bluestone worth a fortune.
Qingluan led the way, stepping onto the bluestone path.
The group behind her followed suit, only daring to tread on the bluestone. No one dared to step onto the soil on either side.
"Tap."
Someone accidentally touched the soil beside the bluestone.
From the closest thatched hut, the figure sitting cross-legged opened his eyes.
His pupils glowed golden, transforming into swords.
*Puff!*
A sword emerged from the west.
Blood splattered, and a head fell to the ground.
The people nearby suddenly turned, looking at the swordsman, their pupils constricting.
"Top-tier supreme."
As far as the eye could see, hundreds of thatched huts stretched endlessly.
And the one who attacked was merely from the outermost thatched hut.
The outermost position, akin to a gatekeeper.
A mere gatekeeper possessed the power of a top-tier supreme, so… what kind of formidable cultivation lay deeper within?
Then, looking at Qingluan, who was only the seventh disciple, she already had the cultivation of a Great Perfection Supreme.
How powerful were the six before her?
"Everyone, please be careful."
Qingluan, who was leading, did not turn back. She said without looking, "This small area belongs to individuals. Beyond the bluestone path, the soil all belongs to individuals. Everyone, please be careful."
Her simple words sent a chill down their spines.
This meant that, apart from the bluestone path, nothing else belonged to individuals. Without an invitation, one was not permitted to touch anything, not even the soil.
Regaining their composure, they continued to walk forward.
Thatch huts passed by them, one after another. None of the people sitting cross-legged in front of the huts opened their eyes; they remained silent.
They did not seem to notice these invited guests.
As they ventured deeper, the thatched huts, with their divine radiance, became increasingly ordinary.
The value of the thatched huts decreased, gradually turning into common wild grass.
Without the divine radiance, they finally returned to simplicity.
At the center…
Within a radius of one li, it became a common open space, with rural vegetables and wild herbs planted around.
In the very center, there was still a thatched hut, and in front of it, a person sat.
With white hair and a white beard, he looked like an ordinary old man from the countryside. He was… killing a chicken.
"Master."
Qingluan bowed respectfully.
Only now did everyone realize the identity of this old man killing a chicken.
The sixth person in the Immortal Realm, the strongest below the Heavenly Emperor, the City Lord Yifu.
This frail old man before them?
Speechless.
But more than that, their hearts trembled.
Everyone quickly bowed and paid their respects: "Greetings, City Lord."
Even their voices trembled.
Yifu, the sixth person in the world.
Unfortunately, the old man didn't even bother to look up. He continued to meticulously kill the chicken, scald it, and pluck its feathers.
At this moment, from the other three directions, more people arrived.
They were also led by Yifu's disciples, followed by dozens of supreme powerhouses.
A small thatched hut, surrounded by nearly two hundred supreme beings.
No one dared to approach, or even speak. They could only wait cautiously to the side.
They all watched, watching the white-haired old man skillfully build a fire and roast the chicken over it.
Finally, he finished his work.
The old man sat down and beckoned.
"Buzz."
A heavenly crown, suspended in the sky, slowly descended.
It landed on the old man's head and quietly vanished.
The hidden heavenly crown attracted everyone's gaze.
No one was foolish.
Yifu's ability to suppress the City of Freedom meant that the heavenly crown was undoubtedly the most crucial element.
Furthermore, Yifu's rapid rise to power was also due to the heavenly crown.
Among the people of the Immortal Realm, the heavenly crown was perhaps the foremost divine weapon in the Immortal Realm.
A powerful divine weapon that allowed Yifu to contend with the Heavenly Emperor.
…
Among everyone present, only Chen Fan's gaze burned with the most intensity.
Confirmed.
This was the fifth divine weapon.
"Everyone."
Yifu finally spoke proactively: "Before I begin, allow me to handle one matter."
As his voice fell, his gaze fell upon Chen Fan, and he smiled: "Young friend, could you please return my grandson to me?"
*Buzz.*
Chen Fan's disguise faded.
To everyone's stunned gaze, the bird demon on his shoulder immediately transformed into its true form, revealing the appearance of a baby.
The fair-skinned infant was still in a daze, laughing heartily.
The baby's laughter echoed through the sky like pure silver bells.
"Heh heh."
Chen Fan smiled indifferently: "City Lord, you have good methods."
After speaking, he gently handed over the infant: "So this infant is the City Lord's grandson. Now that I have delivered him, my task is complete."
"Thank you, young friend."
The infant floated into the old man's hands and fell into a deep sleep.
With a wave of his hand, a divine source flew out from the thatched hut, sealing the infant within.
That divine source contained immense power.
Nurtured by this power, the infant's physical body would cause an earth-shattering event the moment it was born.
"Everyone."
The old man spoke again: "The first matter is concluded. Now, let us discuss the second matter."
The moment his voice fell, a violent killing intent shook the heavens and earth.
The entire City of Freedom was enveloped by this towering killing intent.
At this moment, countless powerful beings seemed to sense something.
"Boom boom boom."
Figures shot up into the sky.
The shroud of killing intent was torn apart, and they madly fled towards the city's outskirts.
"The Twelve Palaces."
Yifu spoke: "You killed my daughter-in-law and then pursued my grandson. You… where do you place me?"
His voice was icy, echoing through heaven and earth: "All belonging to the Twelve Palaces, kill without mercy."
"Yes."
Instantly, a unified response resounded.
From the area of the thatched huts, nine figures opened their eyes.
"Kill."
These seven individuals directly attacked the crowd, locking onto their targets.
The powerhouses of the Twelve Palaces knew they were exposed.
There was no hiding it.
"Kill."
The colorful Dao of the Seven Emotions spread out.
The Twelve Palaces were most skilled in the Dao of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires.
The moment they attacked, they revealed themselves.
"Rumble rumble rumble."
Nine individuals from the thatched huts engaged nine powerhouses of the Twelve Palaces.
The moment they clashed, it was a battle to the death.
No quarter was given.
One side sought to kill, the other to escape.
At the same time…
Within the City of Freedom, battles erupted everywhere.
Powerhouses of the Twelve Palaces, hidden within the City of Freedom, were found and targeted by the City Lord's mansion's forces, who then attacked and killed them.
*Bang bang bang.*
Powerhouses of the Twelve Palaces died one after another.
At Yifu's command, no one in this city could withstand that killing intent.
"Why?"
A desperate cry echoed through heaven and earth: "City Lord Yifu, we did nothing, why are you killing us?"
"…"
Yifu remained silent.
Does this City Lord need a reason to kill?
With a word, heaven and earth moved; with a word, ghosts and gods were startled.
This was the City Lord of the City of Freedom, whose word decided life and death.
Suddenly…
"City Lord Yifu."
A voice entered the city: "Please show some mercy."
The Palace Master of the Twelve Palaces had appeared.