Chapter 625: Making a Move

Chapter 625: Chapter 625: Making a Move

Xi Zijin’s dagger traced a circle on the man’s chest, slowly and meticulously slicing open his flesh.

"First, I’ll carve a hole in your chest. From there, I’ll be able to see your beating heart..." Xi Zijin said nonchalantly, her dagger never ceasing its movement.

"AAGH... Stop! Stop! I’ll talk! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you anything you want to know!" he screamed incessantly. This was no longer just physical pain. Xi Zijin’s actions were more than his mind could bear; he had completely broken down.

Hearing the man’s pleas for mercy, Xi Zijin stopped what she was doing and slowly stood up, but the dagger remained embedded in his chest. ℴ

Looking at Lin Yun, Xi Zijin revealed a faint smile. "He’s ready. You can ask him now."

At Xi Zijin’s words, Lin Yun glanced at the Monk and Daoist. A chill ran down their spines. This quiet, beautiful woman was terrifyingly ruthless.

Recalling Xi Zijin’s slow, deliberate movements, Lin Yun glanced at the wound on the Divine Palace Warrior’s chest, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.

’In this world, you can afford to offend anyone but a woman. When a woman turns vicious, she’s far more terrifying than any man.’

Looking at the man, Lin Yun asked, "How many Divine Palace Warriors are guarding this city?"

This time, the man had clearly learned his lesson. Though it was a struggle to speak, he slowly answered Lin Yun, "There are... two thousand in total..."

"Is there a Divine Palace Commander here?" Lin Yun asked next.

"There was... but not anymore. He was recalled to Divine Celestial City by the Qing Zhu Commander..."

’The Qing Zhu Commander?’ Lin Yun was puzzled by the title, but as the man continued to answer, he gradually began to understand the situation.

It turned out that the Grand Commander of the Divine Palace was no longer in charge. The entire Divine Palace was now under Qing Zhu’s control.

Of course, the man didn’t know the specifics of how Qing Zhu had accomplished this. He only knew that three days ago, she had withdrawn many elite warriors from every city. Even the Divine Palace Commanders stationed in each city had been recalled to Divine Celestial City.

After hearing the man’s story, a faint smile appeared on Lin Yun’s lips. ’I was right. It’s a good thing we didn’t attack a city directly, or Qing Zhu would have annihilated us.’

Having answered all of Lin Yun’s questions, the man practically begged, "Kill me..."

The wound on his chest caused him immense agony. He also knew that having betrayed the Divine Palace, his fate would be far worse than this if he returned alive. Therefore, his only hope now was for Lin Yun to kill him.

Lin Yun glanced at the man and sighed softly. He then struck the man’s chest over his heart, instantly and painlessly shattering it.

Having granted the man’s wish, Lin Yun turned to Xi Zijin and said with a playful tone, "I never knew you had this side to you."

"Is Eldest Young Master Lin complimenting me? Don’t underestimate women, or you’ll pay dearly for it one day," Xi Zijin replied with a rare smile.

After the lighthearted exchange, Lin Yun and the others began to discuss the details of their operation.

They now knew that only two thousand Divine Palace Warriors were guarding the city. The number seemed small, and there was no Divine Palace Commander stationed there either.

However, Lin Yun took out a map and pointed to a spot at the center of the Divine Palace’s Five Great Cities.

"Qing Zhu controls the entire Divine Palace now. Knowing her usual caution, she must have the Divine Palace’s elite warriors lying in ambush here, waiting for us to make a move. This way, no matter which city we attack, she can quickly send reinforcements and encircle us," Lin Yun explained slowly.

"Then we’ll just feign an attack on this city to draw out the Divine Palace’s elites and have them try to crush us, right?" the Daoist suggested after hearing Lin Yun’s analysis.

"Yes, that’s the idea. But there are two problems. First, we have to hold their attention long enough that the Divine Palace’s elites can’t make it in time to reinforce another location. Second is our escape route," Lin Yun said.

If they were going to feint, they had to wait for the fish to take the bait completely. While more dangerous, this would allow the Demon Palace’s ten commanders to seize one of the Divine Palace’s cities without opposition.

Lin Yun pointed out a path on the map, telling everyone that they would retreat along this route. After all, there were only six of them against two thousand Divine Palace Warriors.

This wasn’t a battle they were meant to win. As long as they could draw out the Divine Palace’s elites, it would be a success.

Lin Yun warned everyone to retreat individually along the designated route when the time came. Pointing to a forest midway along the path, he said, "We’ll rendezvous here."

The battle was bound to be chaotic, and they would surely get separated. That’s why Lin Yun planned for them to find their own opportunities to escape rather than trying to stick together.

This was to prevent the worst-case scenario.

Hearing this, everyone nodded, firmly committing the escape route to memory.

Looking at the sky, Lin Yun estimated it was about an hour until nightfall. He had everyone rest where they were; they would move out in two hours, after darkness had completely fallen.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. When it was time to move, Lin Yun and the others followed the plan. They had Little Ape and the Black-striped Tiger create a huge commotion to make it look like a large army was attacking.

Their goal this time wasn’t a sneak attack but a feint, so they had no intention of hiding. Little Ape transformed into a ten-meter-tall behemoth and kicked up a massive cloud of dust in the forest.

From the city walls, it looked like a massive army was charging toward them. Immediately, the Divine Palace Warriors began to shout, "The Demon Palace is here! Quick, light the signal! Light the signal!"

In this world, there were no Sound Transmission Stones. The Divine Palace Warriors on the city walls quickly lit the signal fires. Seeing the smoke rise from the city, a chain of watchtowers successively lit their own beacons, relaying the message to Qing Zhu in Divine Celestial City that the Demon Palace was attacking.

Seeing the signal fires lit on the walls, Lin Yun nodded to the others, then ordered in a low voice, "Don’t die on me. Charge!"

"You too," Xi Zijin replied.

"We’re still waiting to split the loot," the Monk and Daoist added.

With that, they all drew their Spirit Soldiers and flew swiftly toward the city.