Chapter 1807 - 158: The Crisis of Five Mountains Prefecture

Five Mountains Prefecture.

Sky City.

Marquis Mansion Discussion Hall.

Purple Marquis Zhou Sheng sat solemnly at the main seat, his expression grave.

Zhong Yue sat below, the tea cups in front of the two had cooled for quite some time, yet neither had the heart to drink.

"The letter was sent out seven days ago. By rights, we should have received a reply by now, and the Holy Emperor should have made some decision. The power of the Yellow Heaven Sect, how can the Five Mountains Prefecture outside possibly withstand it?" Zhong Yue said, his voice somewhat hoarse.

As he spoke, his expression also showed some pain.

"How’s the injury, is it alright?" Nearby, Purple Marquis Zhou Sheng glanced at Zhong Yue and asked.

"I can still manage!" Zhong Yue nodded, then continued, "The strength of the Heavenly King is indeed terrifying, I truly don’t know how the Yellow Heaven Taoist has cultivated so many Immortal Dao experts. The Twelve Heavenly Kings, each is a Yang God realm expert, even in this era, each of the Twelve Heavenly Kings is much stronger than the usual Second-Grade Grandmaster."

Hearing this, Zhou Sheng’s brow also furrowed deeply.

"The army commanded by the two Heavenly Kings, if we were to face them head-on, I could at most hold off one Heavenly King. The other Heavenly King, along with several Yellow Heaven Sect elders and thousands of followers, with the current strength of my Five Mountains Inspection Mansion, we are simply unable to resist." Zhou Sheng’s voice was low, his fingers gently tapping on the table.

"Marquis, if it really comes to it, I’ll risk my life and go! Delay them for two or three days, and the Royal Capital’s reinforcements should arrive!" Zhong Yue gritted his teeth.

Zhou Sheng shook his head: "You received a wound a few days ago that hasn’t healed yet. The Heavenly Kings of the Yellow Heaven Sect have such strange skills and divine powers that can’t be guarded against. If you force yourself to go, you’re just throwing your life away! Against such strong opponents, only those of equal strength can delay them."

"But..." Zhong Yue wanted to say more, but Zhou Sheng raised his hand to interrupt him.

"If it really can’t be helped, we can only take it one step at a time; the Yellow Heaven Sect hasn’t gone all out yet. They’ve only sent two Heavenly Kings with an army deep into our territory, clearly still testing the waters." Zhou Sheng’s eyes showed thought as he analyzed.

Meanwhile.

A black-and-white rainbow light pierced the sky like a meteor falling silently outside the Marquis Mansion in Sky City.

Jiang Ning dissipated the Tunneling Light and said to Zhong Ling beside him, "We’ve arrived."

Zhong Ling looked at the gate of the Marquis Mansion ahead and couldn’t help but be startled.

"This is..."

"The Marquis Mansion of Purple Marquis Zhou Sheng. Zhong Yue is currently inside the mansion." Jiang Ning explained.

Upon hearing this, complex emotions flickered in Zhong Ling’s eyes.

"Grandpa Xuan." Zhong Ling murmured softly.

Just as Jiang Ning was about to speak, the gate guards recognized them, especially upon seeing Jiang Ning, one of their faces changed dramatically.

"Salute to King Luoshui!"

"Salute to the Prince!"

"..."

The gate guards greeted Jiang Ning with inconsistent salutes in succession.

Jiang Ning nodded.

"Please inform the others inside that Jiang Ning has come to visit."

"No offense, Prince, but please wait a moment. I will go and report this immediately." One of the more authoritative-looking gatekeepers saluted Jiang Ning, then turned and hurried into the mansion.

...

A moment later.

Inside the Marquis Mansion.

"What?!!" Zhou Sheng shot to his feet upon hearing the report from the gatekeeper, "You didn’t make a mistake, the visitor is indeed Dongling Marquis Jiang Ning?"

"Absolutely no mistake!" The gatekeeper confirmed, then asked, "Marquis, should I invite the King Luoshui into the mansion?"

"Hmm! Yes, we should be addressing him as King Luoshui now!" Purple Marquis Zhou Sheng nodded.

"I’ll go right away!" The gatekeeper hastily saluted and took his leave.

He had just taken a step.

"No, wait!" Zhou Sheng’s voice suddenly rang out.

Hearing this, the gatekeeper stopped his steps and looked at his Marquis.

"Why should you notify him? It should be me personally to welcome the guest!" Zhou Sheng quickly rose, then kicked off his boots in haste, walking out in just his socks.

"Zhong Mansion Envoy, care to join me?" He took two steps, then stopped and turned toward Zhong Yue.

Zhong Yue nodded in agreement: "Naturally!"

...

Purple Marquis Mansion.

Hurried footsteps came from inside the mansion.

Jiang Ning looked up, seeing Purple Marquis Zhou Sheng and Zhong Yue stepping out in quick succession.

Zhou Sheng hadn’t even had time to put on his official boots, stepping over the threshold in just white socks, his face openly showing joy and urgency.

Zhong Yue followed closely, though his face was somewhat pale, his breath a bit unsettled, but his gaze turned bright the moment it landed on Zhong Ling.

"Grandpa Xuan!" Zhong Ling’s eyes reddened, her voice choked, as she moved forward.

"Ling’er!" Zhong Yue was equally emotional but hesitated slightly in his steps due to his injury.

Meanwhile, Zhou Sheng’s gaze shifted past Zhong Ling and firmly locked onto Jiang Ning.

He hurried forward, greeting Jiang Ning with a heavy salute in front of the mansion gate, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity: "King Luoshui! Your arrival now is like rain after a long drought! The Five Mountains Prefecture... is saved!"

"The Five Mountains Prefecture is saved, what do you mean by this?" Jiang Ning asked.

His gaze also surveyed Zhou Sheng’s slightly disheveled appearance, then landed on Zhong Yue’s somewhat abnormal body.

He immediately gained some understanding that the Five Mountains Prefecture seems to be in some trouble.

"Prince, this is not the place to talk; shall we return inside the mansion for a more detailed discussion?" Zhou Sheng asked tentatively.

"Alright!" Jiang Ning nodded, agreeing.

Then, the group returned to the discussion hall inside the mansion, where Zhou Sheng dismissed everyone else, leaving only Zhong Yue, Jiang Ning, and Zhong Ling.

The afternoon sunlight poured through the overhead windows, illuminating the entire hall brightly.

Zhou Sheng invited Jiang Ning to the main seat while he and Zhong Yue sat on the lower sides. Taking a deep breath, he began to recount in a steady voice:

"Prince, since you left last time, the fall of Zhi Xuan Mountain has greatly improved the situation in the Five Mountains Prefecture. But last year, the sudden rise of the Yellow Heaven Sect, adjacent to our Five Mountains Prefecture, has become a grave threat. Their Sect Hierarch, the Yellow Heaven Taoist, commands Twelve Heavenly Kings, all possessing Yang God realm cultivation, each stronger than the usual Second-Grade Grandmaster." Zhou Sheng’s tone grew increasingly heavy as he spoke.