C17 It Was as Easy as Turning over His Hand

"Ah? Vicious Thunder Grandma needs Qian Xiaoruo's body? This old lady... certainly has unique tastes."

The members of the Blazing Fire Sect exchanged puzzled looks, yet a sense of relief simultaneously washed over them. Thankfully, Vicious Thunder Grandma wasn't here to confront their sect.

However, Qian Ji found himself in a difficult position. Activating the City Protecting Magic Array to seal off the entire city was far from simple.

Qian Ji hastened to explain, "Senior, perhaps you're not aware, but the City Protecting Magic Array of Multicolored City is a joint creation of several sects. Our sect merely handles its routine maintenance and control. Major decisions, like activating the array, are not within our purview."

Vicious Thunder Grandma didn't even glance at Qian Ji. She pointed at Lee Zuocheng standing behind him and inquired with her eerie, dry voice, "And what are you?"

Lee Zuocheng's face twitched with anger as he silently cursed, "You wretched old hag, thinking your strength allows you to treat us like dirt? Damn you."

Yet, he didn't dare to be disrespectful and quickly replied, "I am Lee Zuocheng, the Vice Sect Master of the Blazing Fire Sect."

"Good."

Vicious Thunder Grandma's reply was as if she were muttering to herself. She raised her right hand slowly, palm up, as a trace of lightning flickered within it. With a low rumble of thunder in the background, a palm-sized lightning emblem shot forth, hitting Lee Zuocheng directly on the chest.

Lee Zuocheng's face drained of color as he began to tremble slightly.

"Since the Blazing Fire Sect is in charge of the daily maintenance and control of the City Protecting Magic Array, surely activating it should be a trivial matter for you," she stated in her dry voice, measured and unhurried. Vicious Thunder Grandma closed her eyes slightly, seemingly disinterested in anyone in the Conference Hall.

Qian Ji felt as if he were being watched by a wild beast, and even with the beast's eyes closed, there was no escape. He replied with a sense of helplessness, "Activating it is possible, but..."

With a crackling pop like a peanut bursting in the heat of a frying pan, the lightning tattoo on Lee Zuocheng's chest exploded, scattering his flesh and blood in all directions.

"I don't want to hear 'but'," Vicious Thunder Grandma said tersely.

Silence descended upon the thirty or so individuals in the Conference Hall.

Qian Ji felt an icy dread wash over him, as if death itself were closing in, ready to strike at any moment. However, it was imperative to convey certain facts. Despite the Blazing Fire Sect's standing as the preeminent sect in Multicolored City, they were, in truth, quite weak.

Multicolored City was exceedingly isolated, tucked away deep in the Crystal Shattering Mountain Range.

The city was so small that the major sects of Appropriate Prosperity City considered it beneath their notice.

Multicolored City was essentially a cluster of inns, each supported by a different faction. Most of these factions were beyond the Blazing Fire Sect's ability to challenge. Ousted from Appropriate Prosperity City by the Thousand Thunder Sect, the Blazing Fire Sect had no alternative but to settle here.

The City Protecting Magic Array had been constructed as a safeguard against beast tides, but it had yet to face such a challenge. As time passed, the sects' diligence naturally diminished.

The daily maintenance and control of the Magic Array were both tedious and unprofitable, so the sects grew negligent. As a result, the task fell to the weakest among them, the Blazing Fire Sect.

The real problem was the Spirit Stones, which were meant to be supplied regularly for the maintenance of the City Protecting Magic Array, were often not delivered by the sects, who showed little interest in meeting their obligations.

Thus, Qian Ji felt compelled to explain, "Elder, please calm your wrath. Be assured that we will fulfill your directives..." He almost uttered "but" once more but quickly stopped himself, taking a brief pause before continuing, "The issue is we're facing a Spirit Stone deficit. Operating the City Protecting Magic Array for just a single day requires roughly one million Spirit Stones. Currently, our reserves for the Magic Array are below 500,000. The sects that initially promised a regular supply of Spirit Stones only contributed a portion at the beginning and have since failed to live up to their promises..."

At that moment, Vicious Thunder Grandma turned her gaze to a young man in the crowd who bore a striking resemblance to Qian Ji. "Who is he?" she asked.

Vicious Thunder Grandma glanced at Qian Ji, then pointed to a young man in the crowd who bore a striking resemblance to him, with eyes as bulging as a frog's. "What is this one?" she asked.

Qian Ji was stricken with fear. Before, Vicious Thunder Grandma had asked Lee Zuocheng, "What are you?" and then swiftly killed him. Now, she was asking about this young man. What would follow?

"He is my son, Tian Hong. I beg you, Senior, to be merciful. Whatever you ask, our sect will fulfill..."

Before Qian Ji could finish, a blinding flash of lightning and a thunderous roar cut him off. His son, Qian Tian Hong, was reduced to ashes.

"Why..." In an instant, Qian Ji felt a cold weakness wash over him. He collapsed to the ground, barely managing to kneel, his head bowed in a mix of pain, anger, and fear. He tried to suppress a low growl, "Why..."

"Because I detest idle talk," Vicious Thunder Grandma replied, closing her eyes again, too disdainful to give Qian Ji another glance. With a casual wave of her hand, lightning streaked across the room, engulfing the five Deacons and Managers at the far end of the Conference Hall. A thunderous explosion followed, and they were torn apart.

Then that cruel, dry voice spoke again: "You're still wasting words."

Qian Ji turned swiftly to face the trembling members of the Blazing Fire Sect and commanded loudly, "Immediately gather all of our sect's Spirit Stones for the City Protecting Magic Array. Everyone must donate their personal Spirit Stones as well. My family's 110,000 Spirit Stones will also be used for the Magic Array."

"Sect Master, I'm afraid... it still might not be enough," someone reminded him, shivering.

Qian Ji roared, "Then borrow! Borrow from every inn in the city. If they refuse, take by force. Rob them if necessary!"

"One million Spirit Stones will be enough to maintain the City Protecting Magic Array for one day," Vicious Thunder Grandma said indifferently. "The array must be activated within the hour."

"As you command," Qian Ji bowed deeply, his voice a model of respect.

An hour later...

Soong Yuan had already scoured about half of Multicolored City without any success; his Universe Crystal Ball hadn't detected even the slightest trace of Qian Xiaoruo's Universe Compass.

At that moment, however, the streets were in chaos, with all the cultivators looking up: the sky was a tapestry of deep red, pale blue, and dazzling purple, like a massive tri-colored tent enveloping the entire city.

"What's going on?" Soong Yuan wondered aloud, pausing at a street-side pancake stall. He took a bite of the hot pancake he'd just bought and observed the strange colors in the sky before turning to the pancake vendor for some insight.

The vendor was too busy with her pancakes to bother with Soong Yuan.

In contrast, a girl with a flat nose who had also come for pancakes sidled up to Soong Yuan, craning her neck to gaze at the sky. "The City Protecting Magic Array has been activated. Wow, it's quite a spectacle," she commented.

"A beast tide? That can't be right," Soong Yuan muttered to himself, filled with doubt. Normally, there would be signs of a beast tide several days in advance, and the cultivators of Multicolored City would have been aware of it, spreading the news throughout the city. It was unlikely for the City Protecting Magic Array to be activated so suddenly without warning.

"Who cares?" the flat-nosed girl replied with a lively and cheerful attitude. She paid with half a Spirit Stone, took her pancake, and started eating heartily, though her table manners were far from elegant.

"When the City Protecting Magic Array is activated, it also seals off all the Teleportation Magic Arrays within the city, right?"

"That's right."

"Ah."

Soong Yuan's eating became more refined as he turned his attention from the sky to the girl next to him, noting her plain appearance but sensing an underlying malice in her demeanor. She was there with the intent to kill him.

The air grew tense.

The girl with the flat nose and small eyes fixed a sharp gaze on Soong Yuan, letting out a cold snort. In a low voice, she said, "What does it matter if you're at Body Refining Grade One Level Three? To someone like me, at Foundation Stage Level Two, taking your life would be as easy as flipping my hand."