Meanwhile, as Zhang Jian encountered the Black Wind Demon Qi blocking his path.
Inside and outside Fengyang County, a dramatic upheaval was unfolding.
The Yu Family courtyard in Fengyang County.
Yu You, dressed in black casual clothing, stood in the courtyard, surrounded by numerous disciples and death warriors, each with tense expressions on their faces. He gazed at the disciples, confidants, and death warriors in the courtyard, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes.
In a deep voice, he said.
"Ladies and gentlemen, after today, the Commandery City will no longer have four County-Honored Clans, there will be only one County-Honored Clan, and that is the Yu Family!
But there are also risks involved. If we fail, perhaps today none of us will have a burial place. Will you regret this?!!"
Upon hearing this, a leading middle-aged figure bowed and said, "We will never regret it. If we do not succeed, then we will sacrifice ourselves. The three families have bullied us too much; we must strike first to protect everything we have in the Yu Family!"
Yu You nodded slightly upon hearing this.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes, along with some sighs.
He actually knew that even if they won this round, the Yu Family would likely suffer a pyrrhic victory. There would surely be backlash within Fengyang County, and pressure from the Court as well.
Yet, if they did not take action, once the relationship between the Yu Family and Yu Tongguang was exposed, the Yu Family would also end up with no burial place.
Yu You thought to himself that the dealings with Yu Tongguang were absolutely not foolproof; there were quite a few who knew, and not all of them had been eliminated in time. One or two still remained at large, never having shown themselves.
Moreover, it was unknown whether there were any survivors on Yu Tongguang's side.
Even those who have died may not have kept their mouths shut; those extraordinary individuals might have ways to investigate!
It might not be completely foolproof.
The current plan was to strike suddenly while nobody was aware.
This matter was very risky!
After much consideration, Yu You still decided to give it his all.
"It's a fight to the death!"
Yu You sighed inwardly, but his expression turned grim in an instant, signaling everyone to leave through a small gate and head in all directions to control key positions inside and outside the Commandery City, waiting to launch their move.
At the same time, Yu You instructed the beautiful woman next to him to carefully arrange her attire, as he had already sent people to deliver messages to the three other families, under the guise of being the acting Governor of Fengyang County!
Using the pretense that the Court would soon dispatch an Imperial Envoy to investigate the rebellion and treason of the former governor, he specifically invited the Clan Leaders of the other three families to discuss major matters.
As long as the four Clan Leaders were controlled, the task would be halfway to completion; the next step was to seize military power within the Commandery City, mainly targeting Qi Yuansi of the Qi Family. Without him, the Yu Family's trusted aides could smoothly control the County Soldiers, leading them into the city.
By then, with the Court's righteousness backing them and elite soldiers suppressing challenges, the Yu Family would fear no opposition.
With a cold laugh, Yu You then changed into the governor's official robe and headed to the County Governor's Mansion.
This governor's official robe fit him extremely well, far more comfortable than the County Minister's robe, and Yu You had no wish to change out of it lightly.
...
"The Yu Family members are indeed very ambitious, daring to think of controlling the entire county; aren't they afraid of breaking their teeth!"
At this time, Yu You did not know that in the depths of a well within the Yu Family, several figures were swimming by.
There were noisy discussions and debates.
Since the Well Dragon King's failed coup and subsequent devouring by the Bai Shui Dragon Monarch, the netherworld in the well had been under the control of the Bai Shui Dragon Palace.
As Bai Nu, the Bai Shui Dragon Monarch, naturally dispatched people to take over the Well Dragon Palace, gradually recruiting numerous water spirit monsters to serve as patrolling Divine Generals.
High official status, even the spirit monsters from the hills would be tempted.
After all, it was the legitimate Divine Office where lives are protected by the gods, not to be subjected to unjust attacks or slaughter.
Many spirit monsters also coveted the position of the Well Dragon King.
However, the wise spirit monsters knew the position had long been decided to fall upon the princess of the Bai Shui Dragon Palace, just waiting for her to break through and emerge with hopes of being conferred the title.
It was rumored the request for conferral had already been submitted.
Meanwhile, another spirit monster had some gossip, quickly contriving a way to relay the information back to the Bai Shui Dragon Palace.
They surveyed the underwater netherworld not just for patrolling purposes, to demonstrate their master's divine might, but also following the Bai Shui Dragon Monarch's orders to monitor Fengyang County and simultaneously seek the remnants of County Minister Yu Tongguang.
...
In the Bai Shui Dragon Palace, when the little demon transmitted the news via the Bai Shui Divine Department, using the conch to pass it back, Bai Nu was sitting on the Dragon Monarch's throne, a hint of loneliness showing in his eyes.
"It was inevitably going to happen!"
At the moment, he gazed deep above; a sense of helplessness was apparent in his eyes.
After becoming a True God of the Divine Dao, although he received a long life span, he had to adhere to the Divine Dao's strict rules.
The Divine Dao was stringent, three hundred years for a minor tribulation, a thousand years for a major tribulation, struck alternately by the three calamities: wind, fire, and thunder.
If one cannot overcome them, they must retreat from their divine body, falling into the Netherworld.
The Divine Dao is either progressing or regressing.
Over nine hundred years ago, the Bai Shui Dragon Monarch had barely overcome the thousand-year tribulation, and amidst his weakness, was backstabbed by Prince Mian, losing the Dragon Pearl and trapped deep in the Water Eye.
Now, as the second millennium approaches once more, his body is already depleted of essence blood, his vitality weak, his magical power showing no signs of progress. On the contrary, many were worn down during the millennial captivity. Bai Shui Dragon Monarch was weighing his options, without any certainty.
This was also the reason he disregarded all costs to forcibly break Yu Tongguang's life plate with a spell.
It was an act of intimidation and an exhibition of his Divine Power to deter external foes.
Whether he was genuinely strong or it was a desperate fight, appearing fierce but weak internally, others would not trouble him for the time being. After all, nobody wanted to battle with a maddened Flood Dragon in a life-for-life struggle.
Upon receiving the transmission from the dark realm's little demon, Bai Nu frowned slightly. He glanced deep into Bai Shui Water Eye, his gaze flickered.
"Forget it!"
He gestured lightly, and immediately a Divine General from the depths of the water came forward, leaving hastily after a moment.
...
Outside Fengyang County City, Qi Yuansi was training soldiers in the barracks. Training soldiers was a tough task, especially with the recent influx of new recruits due to the army's expansion. This kept him extremely busy.
Just as he was about to leave the tent, a personal guard hurriedly approached with a letter in hand.
"General, this is a message sent from Fengyang County earlier today, meant to be personally handed over to you!"
Qi Yuansi glanced at the guard, eyes narrowed, and immediately received the letter. After confirming there was no deception, he opened it directly. As his eyes swept over the contents, his expression slightly changed.
"There's a change in the Commandery City, be careful!"
Qi Yuansi's eyes narrowed, his gaze directed toward the depths of the Commandery City.
Subtle changes flickered in his eyes.
...
At this time, on Changling Street, before the gates of the Qi Family mansion
It was high noon, the surrounding marketplace bustling with activity. Many soldiers patrolling around the Qi Family were drawn to the lively market, but suddenly, people carrying burdens, hawking, selling fabrics, street vendors, camel riders, and hunters all suddenly erupted, attacking the surrounding patrolling Qi Family soldiers, even the government office soldiers, clutching their throats before brutally killing them.
The bloody scenes instantaneously plunged the surrounding marketplace into chaos, with numerous merchants and civilians scattering in fear.
The assassins paid no mind to these defenseless civilians, quickly gathering together with faces serene yet eyes displaying murderous intent.
Leading the group was a tall, muscular Body Refining Martial Artist in a green robe, his form robust and powerful, a thick cloak of vital energy surrounding him, his eyes sharp, flashing brilliance.
This was Yu Fan, the Yu Family's sole Body Refining Martial Artist at the Innate Stage, his vitality nearing that of a Grandmaster.
His gaze swept over the Qi Family mansion from which cries of alarm continued to emerge, a vicious grin flickering in his eyes as he shouted to the others.
"No one from Qi Family's rear mansion can escape, especially Qi Yuansi's wife and daughter, the rest can be killed without mercy!"
The killer's eyes were filled with murderous intent, responding loudly. Simultaneously, many household soldiers, private troops, and sentries deep in the Qi Mansion noticed the anomalies, responding proactively to the numerous assassins storming in.