Chapter 433: The General Arrives

The General Arrives

A faint smile appeared.

"Haha, does this old man want to give me farewell money?"

The thought surfaced naturally in his mind.

Leon did not say it aloud.

He simply looked at James with that faint, almost amused smile.

There was no fear in his eyes.

No urgency.

Not even irritation.

Instead, there was curiosity.

He genuinely wanted to see what James intended to do.

After all, if someone was determined to hand him money, there was no reason to refuse.

Selena stood quietly beside him.

Her long silver-white hair flowed down her back, catching the pale light of the sky. Her blue eyes remained fixed on James, calm but alert.

The snow-white robe around her slender figure moved softly in the breeze, while one hand slowly settled near the hilt of the Amethyst Mist Sword.

She did not draw it.

Not yet.

But she was ready.

Leon had not given an order.

That was enough for her to wait.

James stared at Leon for several breaths.

The more relaxed Leon looked, the more unbearable James found it.

"Kid, I don’t care who you are. But you can forget about going anywhere since you offended me today."

James snorted coldly.

His voice carried across the street.

He raised one hand.

With a sharp motion, he waved it toward the surrounding guards.

Dozens of figures immediately moved.

Their boots struck the stone pavement in unison.

Clang.

Clang.

Clang.

The sound echoed through the street.

In the blink of an eye, Leon and his two students were surrounded.

Weapons were drawn.

Mana surged.

The air seemed to tighten around them.

James looked around at the familiar streets of Ashford City, and the confidence he had lost inside the auction seemed to return to him.

"This is Ashford City. How can you overturn the heavens in my territory?"

His voice was full of arrogance.

This was his territory.

Here, he had power.

Here, he had people.

Here, he was no longer an ordinary bidder sitting inside a private room, forced to endure humiliation from a mysterious stranger.

He was Lord James.

And he had the authority to mobilize the forces of the city.

Unfortunately, anger had already clouded his judgment.

He had suffered too many losses because of Leon.

The ten million coins he had wasted earlier.

The humiliation of being repeatedly toyed with.

The laughter and whispers from the auction guests.

Everything had accumulated inside his chest.

He wanted to vent.

He wanted Leon to pay.

He wanted to prove that he had not been made a fool of.

So, at that moment, James did not care about consequences.

He directly transferred a large number of guards from Ashford City.

Even the general from the Grand General’s residence had been summoned.

Soon, the sound of marching feet rolled through the distant streets.

A dense army slowly moved toward them.

The orderly formation stretched down the road like a dark river.

Armor reflected the evening light.

Flags fluttered above the soldiers.

Horses and spirit beasts stamped their feet against the stone, their breaths turning into faint white mist beneath the cool air.

The peaceful street instantly became chaotic.

People hurried out of the way.

Shopkeepers pulled their doors shut.

Children were dragged behind their parents.

Those who had been watching the auction from a distance now stared in disbelief at the enormous force gathering outside the Treasure Pavilion.

Someone swallowed nervously.

"Isn’t this the Grand General’s army? What happened? Why are they all mobilized?"

The question spread quickly.

No one understood what had happened.

A moment ago, the city had been peaceful.

Now an entire army had appeared.

The citizens looked at one another uneasily.

Some whispered.

Others simply fled.

Nobody wanted to become involved in a confrontation between powerful cultivators.

The name of the Grand General’s army alone was enough to make ordinary people tremble.

Yet in front of the auction house, Leon remained completely still.

His midnight robes shifted gently in the evening wind.

Thin amethyst embroidery traced across the fabric, catching the fading light whenever he moved.

He stood there with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the approaching army.

There was something almost strange about his calmness.

It was not the calm of someone pretending to be fearless.

It was genuine.

As though the enormous army marching toward him was nothing more than an interesting sight along the road.

Selena noticed it too.

She quietly stepped half a pace forward.

Her fingers wrapped around the hilt of the Amethyst Mist Sword.

The sword remained sheathed.

But the faint pressure of her Mana began to spread.

It was subtle.

So subtle that ordinary people could not sense it.

But the surrounding cultivators felt the change.

The temperature seemed to drop.

The wind passing through the street became strangely sharp.

Selena’s blue eyes narrowed slightly.

If they wanted to fight—

She would fight.

She did not care how many people stood before them.

She only cared about one thing.

Leon was here.

That was enough.

The army finally stopped.

A heavy silence descended over the street.

Then—

From within the formation came the sound of hooves.

A burly man slowly rode forward.

He wore heavy armor that covered his body from shoulder to waist. The metal was dark and battle-worn, bearing the marks of countless clashes.

A large unicorn walked beneath him.

Its hooves struck the ground with a deep, steady rhythm.

Step.

Step.

Step.

The man sat straight-backed upon the beast, his presence carrying the weight of someone accustomed to commanding armies.

The surrounding soldiers immediately gave way.

He slowly approached James.

Even before he spoke, his aura spread across the street.

It was powerful.

Heavy.

Restrained, yet unmistakable.

The pressure of his cultivation made several nearby cultivators instinctively step backward.

Leon glanced at him.

His purple eyes remained calm.

So this was the general James had summoned.

The burly man stopped in front of James.

He looked at the prince for a moment before cupping his hands respectfully.

"I am General of Ashford City. Greetings, Your Highness..."

His voice was deep and steady.

The moment the words fell, his aura suddenly expanded.

Mana surged through the surrounding space.

The pressure rolled outward like a wave.

In an instant, the aura of the King Realm was revealed.