Outside the City Lord's Mansion, Lü Yuan's brow was furrowed. His men had not managed to capture Yan Yan, leaving them without leverage over Yan Yu. The City Lord's Mansion remained shut, and they dared not charge in rashly, unsure of what traps lay within. Even though the old City Lord was gravely injured, his cautious nature would never allow him to rush in.
"Lü Yuan, what's wrong? Are you afraid to storm a mere City Lord's Mansion?" Elder Xu leaned back in his chair, weakened by poison, his qi unable to circulate. He could only be at Lü Yuan's mercy, yet his face showed no sign of submission.
Lü Yuan glanced at him but paid no heed.
"Elder Lü, the Zhang family has arrived."
Lü Yuan looked at the hurried approach of the Zhang family patriarch, a flicker of displeasure crossing his eyes. "Why are they only arriving now?"
"Replying to the Elder, there was a slight unexpected incident, hence the delay." The Zhang family patriarch wiped sweat from his brow, trembling slightly. He had not yet informed Lü Yuan that the old City Lord's cultivation had recovered. Fortunately, Lü Yuan had always been cautious; even knowing the old City Lord was poisoned, he hadn't rashly attacked.
"Elder Liu, accompany the Zhang family patriarch inside and have a good talk with City Lord Yan. We do not wish to harm anyone within the City Lord's Mansion. We merely hope City Lord Yan will see the situation clearly and willingly open the barrier of the Land of the Inaccessible. This would be beneficial for everyone." Lü Yuan looked at the Zhang family patriarch. "Don't you agree, Patriarch Zhang?"
The Zhang family patriarch swallowed subtly. He did not wish to go in, but he understood he had no choice. His life was in Lü Yuan's hands, and his two children were in the secret realm. With a single command from Lü Yuan, his children could perish on the spot. Even if not for himself, he had to yield for his children.
"This subordinate understands."
"Very well, go and knock on the door." Lü Yuan's tone was remarkably gentle, as if discussing a pleasant day for an outing with the Zhang family patriarch.
The Zhang family patriarch steadied his nerves and stepped forward to knock. "City Lord Yan, I am Zhang Quansheng. Could you please open the door and let me in?"
Liu Han stood beside the Zhang family patriarch, his gaze fixed coldly upon him. The Zhang family patriarch deeply regretted his decision to scheme with a tiger. With the Five Poisons Sect's cruel methods, he was unlikely to gain control of Wuji City and might even lose his entire family.
But now, he was trapped. It was easy to board a pirate ship, but far more difficult to disembark.
There was no response from within the mansion. Liu Han immediately signaled him to continue knocking.
"City Lord Yan, as the saying goes, a wise man adapts to circumstances. The City Lord's Mansion is now surrounded, and the elders of the seven sects have been captured. You should cease your futile resistance and surrender." The Zhang family patriarch hardened his resolve. He could no longer worry about the future; his priority now was survival.
Still no reply from within. Just as the Zhang family patriarch began to feel anxious, the door suddenly opened, and a pill emitting green smoke was thrown out, rolling directly into the crowd.
The Zhang family patriarch stared at the pill emitting green smoke, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. Lü Yuan quickly retreated. He was habitually cautious. Liu Han, however, stepped forward, picked up the smoking pill from the ground, sneered, crushed it, and tossed it aside.
"A petty trick, showing off in front of a master."
Just then, a figure shot out from the City Lord's Mansion and fled swiftly. Seeing this, Liu Han immediately gave chase. Lü Yuan remained still, his gaze fixed on the Zhang family patriarch.
"Did you see clearly who went out?"
"It seemed to be the old City Lord."
Lü Yuan's brow furrowed. The old City Lord? From his appearance, he did not look like someone on the verge of death, but rather full of life. Had the old City Lord not been poisoned?
"How many Golden Core stage cultivators does the City Lord have?"
"Replying to Elder Lü, the City Lord's Mansion only has the old City Lord as a Golden Core stage cultivator." The Zhang family patriarch quickly said, "This is common knowledge."
"No one else?"
"No, Yan Yu is currently only at the late Foundation Establishment stage and has not yet reached the Golden Core stage." The Zhang family patriarch spoke with extreme caution. Heaven knew his heart was pounding out of his chest. The moment he realized the old City Lord was not injured, he knew he had fallen into a trap. Yet, he dared not inform Lü Yuan and the others, for fear that Lü Yuan would kill him.
"In that case, prepare to take the City Lord's Mansion." Lü Yuan raised his hand and signaled for his men to storm the mansion. To his surprise, his men began to collapse to the ground.
"What is happening?" Lü Yuan's expression turned to shock. He looked at the Zhang family patriarch, who also slumped powerlessly to the ground, his internal qi vanishing. Lü Yuan stepped forward to feel the Zhang family patriarch's pulse, but could find no issues.
"Haha, Lü Yuan, it seems your preparations were not thorough enough." Zhai Ge laughed heartily. He was already a late Foundation Establishment stage cultivator and had avoided Lü Yuan's poison. Now, even he was incapacitated. But it didn't matter; if he was down, those with lower cultivation levels wouldn't escape either. No matter how powerful Lü Yuan was, without usable subordinates, he wouldn't be able to capture the City Lord's Mansion!
Lü Yuan instantly understood. It was the smoking pill from earlier; it was poison. But why was he unaffected?
At this moment, the gate of the City Lord's Mansion slowly opened. An old man appeared at the entrance, his back hunched as if a gust of wind could blow him over, poking his head out shakily.
"Elder Lü, our City Lord requests your presence."
Lü Yuan looked at the men behind him, all of whom had fallen, and then turned his gaze to the opened gate of the City Lord's Mansion. The gate appeared like a monstrous beast with a gaping maw, ready to devour him whole the moment he stepped inside!
"What did you do?" Lü Yuan asked calmly. He needed to stall for time, waiting for reinforcements from the city. Fortunately, they had made preparations and had many people ambushed in the city; otherwise, in such a situation, he wouldn't know what to do.
"Elder Lü, are you waiting for reinforcements?" Old Xia asked with a smile. To everyone's eyes, he was just an unremarkable old man, yet it was this seemingly harmless old man who made Lü Yuan feel a chill down his spine.
"Where is City Lord Yan?"
"The City Lord is in the mansion, brewing tea and awaiting your arrival. Elder Lü has been standing outside for quite some time; you must be thirsty. Please, come in." Old Xia spoke unhurriedly, exuding no pressure whatsoever. However, the calmer Old Xia appeared, the more uneasy Lü Yuan felt. This operation could only succeed, not fail. If it failed, they could not bear the consequences!
"Why have my men collapsed?"
"Elder Lü, why ask us how your men collapsed? It's the same way we don't know why the elders of the seven sects are in their current state." Old Xia offered a fawning smile. "Perhaps Elder Lü was too careless when using poison and knocked out his own men?"