57: Chapter 53 Dark Candle_1 57: Chapter 53 Dark Candle_1 Fenglin City’s northern armory.

To be precise, the location of the armory is in the northwest corner of Fenglin City.

A vast array of military equipment is sealed here, awaiting activation when the army mobilizes.

The defense here is extremely strict; at any given time, there is always a hundred-man squad on rotation.

The squad is divided into ten smaller teams, each headed by a cultivator.

However, this does not mean that the proportion of cultivators in the Fenglin City Guards is particularly high; it’s because the armory is so important that the generals in charge of defense have deliberately increased the proportion of elite forces.

In comparison, there are not many cultivators guarding the City Lord’s mansion itself, because the City Lord Wei Quchibi is the most formidable force of Fenglin City himself.

At the same time, rotating guard duty at the armory is also one of the daily tasks for Dao Institute disciples.

Two disciples from the Dao Institute guard this place every day.

The duty offers very few merits but is stable, and with little to do, it does not interfere with meditation and cultivation.

Actually, many compete for this task; it is a case of the early bird getting the worm.

The armory is divided into an inner and outer section, and such a high-level defense is certainly not just to protect the common armor and weapons piled up like mountains in the outer armory.

From a spatial perspective, the inner armory is very small and occupies just a central room within the entire armory.

But from the walls to the ceiling and even the floor, special formations are engraved to prevent violent intrusions.

If there is an attack that the formations cannot withstand, the self-destruct mechanism of the inner armory will be activated.

Due to these protective measures, the inner armory can only be accessed with a special command token through the main gate.

The two Dao Institute disciples, along with the strongest ten-man squad of the hundred-man team, guard the entrance to the inner armory.

Apart from rotating guard duty, they do not move an inch.

Such defenses are practically foolproof.

Especially today, on the big day of the Tri-City Dao Conference, a large number of the City Guards moved into the city, so no one would foolishly come seeking death.

Therefore, when two people dressed in City Guard Army uniforms approached and the command token was verified without issue, the small team leader didn’t think much of it and gestured to open the large door of the inner armory.

“Wait a moment,” the Dao Institute disciple seated in meditation on the cushion to the right of the door suddenly said.

He didn’t actually suspect these two people; he just felt that for the sake of duty, he also needed to check the command token.

But the two men who had already stepped into the inner armory turned their heads back abruptly.

One’s long hair surged violently, like black spikes piercing the air.

The other opened his mouth wide, spitting out a filthy blood snake!

The Dao Institute disciple who had called for a halt was almost immediately pierced full of holes by the hair and fell to the ground, breathless.

The cultivator who was the leader of the City Guard squad was swept away by the filth-covered blood, instantly reduced to bones!

In just one exchange, only one cultivator with combat capability remained outside the inner armory door, while the other nine members of the City Guards were elite soldiers, yet they possessed only mortal strength.

“I just wanted to slack off…” The sole remaining Dao Institute disciple touched his forehead and, in the next instant, leaped up, flicking his fingers, a golden light arrow shot forth piercing the wind towards the enemy.

A top-grade Dao Technique, Golden Light Arrow.

An instantaneous spell, indicating that this person had at least completed the Small Heavenly Cycle and was Grade-8 or higher in cultivation.

As he launched attacks, he also commanded, “Spread out and send a message, I’ll hold them off here!”

Indeed, he had no confidence in defeating the two assailants who dared to attack Fenglin City’s armory, but at this moment, within Fenglin City, the official forces undoubtedly held absolute dominance.

As long as the news got out, no matter how many opponents came, they would all end up getting exterminated.

Soldiers are accustomed to obeying orders; they certainly wouldn’t delay, and thus the nine soldiers immediately scattered and fled.

At this moment, in Fenglin City, aside from places like the martial arts field where the strong were gathered, chaos erupted almost everywhere.

Some started fires, some suddenly engaged in killings, creating an uproar for a while.

Inside the armory, the two attackers did not hesitate; the one with black hair as a weapon stayed to fight, while the attacker who spat out vile blood rushed straight into the inner armory.

They had a very clear goal!

This thought flashed through the mind of the last Dao Institute disciple present.

He flicked his fingers in succession, sharp and relentless, bringing forth the effect of a golden light arrow rain across the sky!

The Golden Light Arrow contested with the Black Hair Arrow, one sharp and piercing, the other eerie and unpredictable.

Amidst the standoff, suddenly a long blade whooshed through the air, and the attacker with black hair slammed to the ground, his body split in two.

Wei Yan gripped the long blade, striding into the armory.

A foul-blooded serpent lunged at him, but he neither dodged nor evaded, wielding his blade in a vertical slash, splitting the serpent in half.

He surged forward between the severed halves, nearly face-to-face with the attacker who spewed foul blood, and drove his blade straight into the man’s heart!

However, the attacker eerily smiled, with a hoarse voice, delighting in his last bit of strength, he said, “The Dark Candle has already been sent away!!”

Behind Wei Yan, the two halves of the foul-blooded serpent suddenly writhed, one half hurling towards the disciple who launched the golden light arrows, hindering his actions, while the other half, serpent-like, twisted and slithered away!

Without a doubt, the treasured item known as the Dark Candle was within that half of the serpent.

“You can have the Dark Candle,” said Wei Yan, pulling the long blade out of the man’s chest, his voice cold as frost, “but today, everyone who came here, I will kill to the last one!”

At the same time, within Fenglin City, long-hidden masters made their move.

An attacker had just set a fire when the next moment, he was turned into a pincushion of arrows, and the flames were extinguished instantly.

Elsewhere, as bloody Dao Techniques were about to engulf bystanders, waves churned and logs thundered…

A series of Dao Techniques blasted the attacker to smithereens.

The defenders of Fenglin City were well-prepared; nearly all the masters had sprung into action, quickly suppressing the disaster.

…

“What’s happening?” Hearing several distant cries, Jiang Wang immediately picked up Jiang Anan.

The hunchbacked old man with the Gu surname instantly grabbed Qingzhi’s hand as well.

“There’s no need for alarm.” Wei Quji pressed his hand down from the viewing platform, “The competition continues!”

Outside the martial arts arena, apart from the soldiers maintaining order, squads of Fenglin City Guards spread out.

The common folk watching the contest weren’t scared; if even Wei Quji and Dong Ah were present and something could happen to them, then nowhere was safe.

Moreover, it was clear that the City Guard Army was conducting military responsibilities; they dared not leave to cause a disturbance.

…

Inside the armory, Wei Yan stormed out, practically roaring, “Shen Nanqi, why didn’t you stop that section of the blood serpent just now?

Don’t tell me you couldn’t do it!”

The blood serpent, with the Dark Candle in tow, needed only a few passes before such a delicate small object could vanish without a trace.

This meant that the “bait” Wei Quji had put forth had been taken.

They had to kill all the “fish.”

Shen Nanqi, a disciple of the City Dao Institute, roared back just as loudly, “How was I supposed to know what the Dark Candle is?

Who ever told me about it?

If you had a plan and were prepared all along, why not share a word with us?

My fellow disciple died, right before my eyes!”

His hands shimmered with a faint golden light, and if it weren’t for such a moment, he might have scarcely been able to resist throwing the golden light arrows right into Wei Yan’s face.

“More of our City Guards’ brothers have died.” Wei Yan’s face was as dark as water.

He may not have wanted to explain, but before turning to leave, he still added, “We didn’t know the hiding places of those people, if we hadn’t kept it secret, they wouldn’t have shown up.”

Who are ‘those people’?

Shen Nanqi wanted to ask, but he never voiced the question.

He knew he wouldn’t get an answer.

Even then, he realized that his chance to slack off here today might also have been arranged by Wei Yan.

Among the City Dao Institute disciples who hadn’t competed and just so “happened to be free,” and could also handle an opponent of such caliber, Shen Nanqi couldn’t have been more suitable.

Fenglin City’s fifth-ranking Dao Honor, Shen Nanqi.

The person he liked the most wasn’t around, the person he hated most was Wei Yan.

Regrettably, though both excelled in metal-type Dao Techniques, he was no match for Wei Yan.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep