Ye said to Xu Ran, “The barbarians have three leaders. They’re not listed within the Chronicle of Glory. We cannot let them approach.”

Nodding, Xu Ran said to the man, “Activate the array and meet the enemy.”

Jian bowed and left immediately.

The entire Imperial Capital trembled as the light from the array flowed through the area, intensifying constantly as it did so. Radiance erupted from every household and condensed into the array, contributing to the defense effort against the invading enemies.

This was a manifestation of the will of the capital’s citizenry. Their unadorned wishes over hundreds of years had merged into the array, which actually stopped the Sacred Mountain in its tracks!

The peak of the Sacred Mountain. Qianye was standing at the very front, a trace of darkness faintly visible in his palms. The Spider Queen was standing behind him in her true form, a jade green spider that was almost a hundred meters long. She lifted the Sacred Mountain with her giant limbs and slammed it down on the array repeatedly.

“What is this Sacred Mountain?”

Empress Li said, “Reportedly, the dark races possess two semi-dimensional weapons, and the Sacred Mountain is one of them. It usually watches over the Evernight Council, so I never expected it to appear here.”

“Who would’ve thought mere barbarians would possess some uncanny technology?” Xu Ran seemed a bit more relaxed after confirming that the array could stop the invaders, but soon, he recalled something else entirely. “What about the second semi-dimensional weapon?”

No sooner had he asked than the object came into view—the City of Eimer.

The City of Eimer was surging with demonic energy. Operated by three great dark monarchs, it leaped out of the void and accelerated rapidly toward the array!

A torrential circle of blood energy appeared around the City of Eimer as it approached the array. It was almost as though the city was being bolstered by the River of Blood.

“The barbarian queen!” Ye stepped in front of Xu Ran.

The emissary was shocked. “Tell Jian to come back! The array won’t hold!”

He activated his powers in a hurry but it was too late.

The City of Eimer barreled over at great speed and slammed right into the capital’s array! A loud rumble ensued, and a ten-meter laceration appeared on the Great Qin’s immovable array, stretching almost ten thousand meters in total. Most of the buildings in the capital collapsed and countless residents lost their lives.

The City of Eimer broke down into several rumbling fragments. The three great dark monarchs on it looked withered and exhausted. The Eternal Flame’s cloak of fire was also extinguished for the first time.

Lilith appeared at that moment and left with the three great dark monarchs.

The capital array was flickering unsteadily and seemed like it would shatter any moment.

Jian staggered over with one hand over his chest and half of his sword in the other. He had been badly injured by the charging city.

Xu Ran heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that the man’s aura was relatively stable. He passed over two bottles, saying, “Take the blue one now to heal your injuries. The red one is the immortal ascension pill, use it to maintain your peak strength in battle.”

“Thank you, Emissary.” Jian took the blue medicine and saw his aura gradually rising.

The Sacred Mountain pressed down at this juncture, shattering the array amidst an explosive rumble.

Xu Ran’s expression was harsh as he waited for the Sacred Mountain to land. As for how many people would die in the Imperial Capital, it wasn’t his concern in the slightest.

However, the mountain hovered upward instead of coming down.

The doors to the Divination Pavilion flew as Qianye sauntered in. “So this is the Divination Pavilion that my adoptive father once led.”

His eyes landed on the corpses of the divination experts. He was a bit surprised at first, but he then shook his head, saying, “They’re an annoying bunch, but it seems they gave their lives for the cause.”

Qianye flicked out countless scarlet sparks which, upon contact, burned the corpses away entirely.

Xu Ran remained staring at Qianye the whole time. His hand moved within his sleeves as he secretly performed calculations, but to no avail.

“Who are you?”

Qianye finally glanced at Xu Ran. “You must be the emissary.”

“Indeed I am.”

“You can hand the Chronicle of Glory to me, I’ll relieve you of the burden. You may return to where you came from.”

The emissary was furious. “Insolence! How dare a sinner speak to me so! I can slaughter your nine generations because of your disrespect!”

Qianye replied calmly, “That means you’re not willing?”

“Don’t blame me since you’re seeking death!” A cold gleam flickered in Xu Ran’s eyes. He gestured toward Jian, who immediately pointed a finger at Qianye. A beam of sword energy burst forth like a rainbow and shot through Qianye’s back.

However, the target flickered and vanished from the spot. He was now in the air above the Divination Pavilion, gazing down at the capital. Apparently, he had no intention of paying any attention to the emissary’s group.

Xu Ran was livid. He appeared in front of Qianye all of a sudden and swiped! This was the first time he had launched an attack in person. The world changed colors as his fingers opened; the entire Qin Continent seemed to be resonating with him.

The might of that single swipe was beyond that of a supreme!

A thread of spider silk appeared from the side and latched itself to Xu Ran’s wrist. A wisp of blood energy appeared on the other side and bound itself to the man’s palm. The two forces tightened abruptly, exerting a force that was on par with Xu Ran himself.

The emissary roared angrily. He tried to struggle with all his strength but couldn’t move at all.

At this point, Qianye had produced the Red Spider Lily and fired! Countless spider lilies filled the sky, blooming and wilting rapidly in the process.

Xu Ran’s face turned red and his body shook violently. Both shocked and angry, he erupted in a golden radiance that stretched far into the sky. This energy dissolved the blood energy and spider thread. Qianye also had no choice but to withdraw.

As the light faded away, a piece of white jade in Xu Ran’s palm dispersed into smoke. The man’s expression looked rather pained. He glanced left and right, saying, “Good! You barbarian leaders seem to be struggling even on the verge of death!”

Xu Ran might possess miraculous powers, but he still wasn’t a match for the Spider Queen or Lilith in terms of brute strength, let alone both of them. This led to him being restrained and taking one of Qianye’s attacks. He never imagined Qianye’s unassuming strike would cause so much damage, even destroying one of his life-saving treasures.

Qianye wiped the Red Spider Lily clean before putting it away. “I knew it wouldn’t be so easy to kill you. It’s good that you’re not willing to leave, I didn’t intend to let you live anyway. Now that you’ve attacked first, I won’t be breaking any promises.”

Xu Ran sneered, “Well you’ll need to have that ability first. Where are my guards? Form the Dark Heaven Array!”

He called out thus but there was no reply.

Jian and Ye exchanged glances, not knowing what had just happened.

“Where are the guards?!” Xu Ran shouted.

No one replied.

This time, Ye charged into the palace below and surveyed the surroundings before returning. “They’re all dead.”

“How?!” Xu Ran’s expression was fierce.

“They were poisoned. The poison acted up as soon as the array was activated.”

Xu Ran’s face twitched in hatred. “Ji Jian!!!”