The highest authorities of the Artful Life Alliance were surprised to find that no further attacks were made upon the Shou Clan. The Clan defending array was left unmolested for the rest of the day, and then the next and the next after that. The group of Nascent Souls wondered whether their foe had already left, but the expenditure to keep the defensive array running for three days straight was not small. Yet, the Shou Clan was not small and poor. A massive defensive array like this was set up to protect them in the face of a calamity. The Shou Clan, like most other groups, had a large stock of Spirit Stones specifically reserved to protect themselves in the case of a siege. Of course, maintaining such defenses for a long period of time was extremely expensive, and without an immediate threat they wouldn’t be so wasteful.

The defensive formation was deactivated and the leaders of the Artful Life Alliance discussed their next step. Had Lang Sheng simply made an attempt upon their lives and then fled their retribution?

Their question was answered the next day when there was a second attempt upon their lives. They were more cautious of an attack, so this time none of them were hit, but they were all shaken. The defensive formation was again activated, but no further attacks followed. They sent lower level cultivators out of the city to gather information, but none of them returned.

Over the next few weeks, they found themselves in a terrifying situation. Within the city, only the highest leaders of the Artful Life Alliance had become targets. If they showed themselves in public it wouldn’t be long before streaks of light would flash in from outside the city, aiming to take their lives. For everyone else in the city, they were perfectly safe unless they tried to leave. Anyone that attempted to leave the city disappeared without a trace.

The five leaders of the Artful Life Alliance were once again within the Shou Clan’s true Ancestral Hall. They had been in here for the last few days, discussing their options and arguing about what they should do.

“We’ve already sent messages for assistance, but no one has replied!”

“Do you think Lang Sheng has a way to intercept flying messages?”

The Shou Clan Leader was a bit anxious, while the Yincha Sect Leader was pondering the reasons. Then the stoop backed old man raised a hand, “I have already contacted the outside with a Messaging Jade. That punk has already released news that anyone who attempts to assist us will be treated as his enemy.”

The woman covered in facial piercings still sounded quite upset as she spoke, “Since when was Lang Sheng that influential?”

Lady Diyin had healed quite a bit from the wound she’d taken and now her face only looked a bit pale. She brought out a handful of identical Memory Spheres and they floated out of her hands and into those of the other leaders. She explained quickly, “This is from a few days ago.”

When they sunk their consciousness into the sphere, they were able to review the memories that were stored within. They saw through the eyes of another, and after a moment realized they were just outside the city and hidden among the upper branches of a tall tree. They felt the fear and anxiousness of the scout who turned their gaze into the distance to spot a cloud of approaching dust. Then, the person who’s memories they were viewing used some sort of technique to magnify their vision and hearing.

The dust cloud was caused by the movement of a large group of people riding on the backs of large shaggy beasts. As they got closer, the identity of the beasts as well as their riders became recognizable. The beasts had flat backs, twenty feet tall, and they stretched thirty feet in length. The head, shoulders and back of these monsters were all at the same height, its prodigious bulk held up by eight trunk-like legs. These eight legs each had a large hoof upon the bottom of them, but the large ears, long tusks, and flexible trunk were the real identifying features. The Eight Hooved Green Mammoth. It was much like a mammoth, but with eight hooved legs and thick green fur that looked like moss.

Upon the backs of each of these beasts was a small building, along with a set of balconies hanging down on either side of their bodies. Behind the rails of these walkways were cultivators of various shapes and sizes carrying weapons and wearing matching green outfits. On the peaks of the roofs of these buildings, there were flagpoles carrying simple banners that read ‘Mammoth Club’.

A hundred of these huge beasts were moving as a herd and kicking up a large dust cloud. Yet, improbably, a single person in a dark cloak appeared in front of them and forced them all to come to a sudden stop. Various calls were yelled back and forth, both the shouts of men and the trumpeting of the beasts, calling those at the rear to a stop first so the whole herd didn’t crash into each other. The buildings on the beast's backs swayed and the leather of their harnesses creaked loudly. The rumbling sound of so many immense footsteps was abruptly stopped.

In front of them, the reason for their stop was a thick cloud of purple miasma, released by that lone figure and giving off an aura deadly enough to cause the whole herd to come to a complete stop. Upon the largest and most impressive mammoth at the front of the herd, an equally large and impressive man stepped forward. He glared at this dark cloaked figure and the mammoth he was on swiped its immense tusks back and forth. These tusks were equipped with spiked bands, greatly increasing their lethality. The trunk moved to the side of its body where a man attached a chain. The chain paid out and then revealed a large spiked ball, which the mammoth brandished, swinging it up into the air and then smashing it down towards the man who stopped them.

The dark robed figure leapt backwards, avoiding the incoming attack that landed with a boom. A crater with the depth of a man’s height formed on the ground, blasting dirt and rock debris into the air from its immense force. The long chain of this weapon was in the purple miasma, but with just a few movements, this enemy had moved out of its range.

Seeing this, the large and burly fellow on the head of this lead mammoth frowned. The mammoth beneath him pulled back its weapon and released an angry trumpeting roar. When it stopped, silence fell upon the herd just long enough for the figure in black to speak, “This city is currently under lockdown for the next few months. Anyone who passes this point will be considered to be an ally of the Artful Life Alliance and dealt with accordingly. Please forgive the inconvenience.”

The person’s voice was low and gravelly, yet it had enough volume to project to all of those in the Mammoth Club. It was the hallmark of a certain common technique used to disguise one’s voice, which fit with the dark robes that obscured their identity. The large man did not seem deterred, “Who dares to stop the Mammoth Club? You alone want to stand up against a top ranking Mercenary Guild? Do you realize what you’re up against? Since we’re in a hurry to fulfill a protection contract first we’ll give you an out. Dispel this miasma and step aside and we’ll forgive you for disturbing us.”

A slim man stepped out behind the leader and looked at the black cloaked figure like he’d just won a prize, “You’re very lucky, to be forgiven by the Leader of the Mammoth Club so easily. You should cherish this chance and quickly step aside.”

The person in the dark cloak didn’t go anywhere, merely shaking their head, “You have been warned. Do not approach any closer, or suffer the consequences.”