boyutpedia Chapter 380 Menacing
Chapter 380 Menacing
As night deepened, Di Lin and You Ming dared not linger on the outskirts. After confirming that they could not obtain any more information, they carefully returned the way they came, following Lu Lingxi Yao's instructions.
Inside a brightly lit secret chamber of the Rock Tribe's stronghold, the atmosphere grew even more somber after Di Lin and You Ming reported in detail the information they had gathered.
“It seems our guess was right.” Lu Lingxi Yao (Xiao Qi) said with certainty, “The Soul Abyss is most likely a trap set by Lie Tian. That faint aura was probably bait created by Lie Tian using some means. It looks heavily guarded, but in reality, it’s loose inside. The real core area doesn’t hold any important people. Those puppets are just trying to cover it up.”
Nalan Rongzhi (Nalagu) nodded in agreement, “Lietian’s move is a multi-pronged strategy. It can draw our attention to the Abyss of Broken Souls, take this opportunity to besiege loyal officials, and cover up His Majesty Emperor Hong’s true place of imprisonment. Therefore, we must not fall for it.”
Feng Xiao (Old Feng) also said with a solemn expression, "So, we absolutely cannot go to the Abyss of Broken Souls. What should we do next? Are we just going to let His Majesty be imprisoned?"
Di Lin (A Tu) clenched his fists tightly, his face filled with resentment, but he did not act impulsively as before, but tried to suppress his inner anxiety.
“Your Highness, please don’t be impatient,” Pan Shi Lie said in a deep voice. “I believe that the most important thing now is to gather more information about His Majesty’s place of imprisonment. We cannot just focus on the clue of the Soul-Severing Abyss. Lie Tian went to great lengths to set up the trap, which must be to cover up his true purpose. Perhaps we can find a breakthrough by starting from other aspects.”
Lu Lingxi Yao pondered for a moment, then slowly raised her head, her cold gaze sweeping over everyone. "Clan Chief Pan Shi Lie is right. We cannot be led by the nose by Lie Tian. Next, we need to change our strategy and shift the focus of our intelligence gathering from Duanhun Abyss to Pan Shi City and other possible sources of clues."
She paused, then proposed several new directions for action: "First, strengthen our infiltration of the City Lord's Mansion and see if we can obtain valuable information from Pan Shi Hong; Pan Shi Hong is Lie Tian's confidant and may know some inside information that we don't know. Chief Pan Shi Lie, I wonder if your tribe has anyone serving in the City Lord's Mansion?"
Pan Shi Lie nodded. "Indeed, some clansmen do odd jobs in the city lord's mansion, but they are of low status and have no access to core secrets. However... they might be able to keep an eye out for us."
Lu Lingxi continued, "Secondly, we need to expand our intelligence gathering scope and pay attention to Lietian's troop deployment and resource mobilization in the central region, as well as the movements of other tribes. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. Chief Panshi Lie, who are your tribe's trustworthy allies in the city? Can they provide us with assistance?"
Pan Shi Lie pondered for a moment, then said hesitantly, "This... the relationships between the various tribes are intricate. Most tribes outwardly submit to Lie Tian, but secretly harbor their own agendas. Finding a truly trustworthy ally is not easy. However..."
He remembered something and added, "There is a tribe that we might try to contact, namely the 'Iron Hoof Bull Tribe' located in the east of the city. The tribe leader, Niu Ben, is upright and hates evil. He had a conflict with Lie Tian in his early years and has been suppressed ever since. Although he now outwardly submits to Lie Tian, he often complains and is dissatisfied in private. Perhaps... we can try to contact him and see if we can reach a cooperation agreement."
“Iron Hoof Bull Clan, Niu Ben…” Lu Lingxi Yao silently memorized the name in her heart. She nodded, “Alright, let’s start from these two directions, taking both internal and external approaches, and using multiple methods simultaneously. Feng Xiao, Bai Hu, your tasks will be even more arduous from now on. You need to establish contact with the City Lord’s Mansion’s secret agents as soon as possible, and try to make contact with Niu Ben of the Iron Hoof Bull Clan.”
"Yes!" Feng Xiao and Bai Hu responded in unison.
"In addition, to ensure the safety of our operations, we need to establish more secure outposts and communication channels within Rock City."
Lu Lingxi looked at Pan Shilie, "Chief Pan Shilie, does your tribe have any other hidden places in the city that we can use, or any demons we can trust?"
Pan Shi Lie nodded. “That’s no problem. Although our Pan Shi tribe is weak and powerless, we have lived here for generations and are quite familiar with the situation in the city. We have some trustworthy tribesmen and some abandoned mines and cellars that can serve as temporary strongholds and communication points.”
With everything arranged and everyone preparing to leave, suddenly, a warrior from the Rock Tribe rushed into the stone chamber in a panic. His face was filled with terror, and his voice was trembling uncontrollably.
"Chieftain, something terrible has happened! The city lord's mansion... the people from the city lord's mansion have arrived! They... they've surrounded our tribe's settlement, saying they're going to... to search for traitors!"
Inside the sealed room, a deathly silence fell instantly. Everyone's expression changed, and the atmosphere became so oppressive that it was almost suffocating.
"What?!" Pan Shi Lie suddenly stood up, his burly body trembling slightly with rage. He stared wide-eyed and roared, "That scoundrel Pan Shi Hong, he... he actually dared to lead troops to surround our Pan Shi tribe, what does he want to do?"
"Quick! Go check it out!" Without thinking twice, Pan Shi Lie immediately led everyone out of the cave.
When the group arrived at the settlement of the Rock Tribe, the scene before them enraged them. The already dilapidated slum was now surrounded by hundreds of fully armed Wolf Fang Guard soldiers. These Wolf Fang Guard soldiers were all fierce-looking, holding knives and spears, blocking all the exits, and even setting up several huge crossbows on high places, aiming at the tribe's interior.
The once peaceful settlement was now in chaos. The elderly, women, and children huddled in a corner, trembling with fear. Some of the younger, more spirited members of the tribe tried to resist, but were firmly held back by the elders of the Rock Tribe.
At the forefront of the Wolf Fang Guard soldiers, a pig demon wearing magnificent armor, with an obese body and an ugly face, stood on a luxuriously decorated beast-drawn carriage. A sinister smile was on his face, and his eyes were full of smugness and contempt. This man was none other than the city lord of Rock City—Rock Hong!
"Pan Shi Hong, what do you mean by this?" Pan Shi Lie roared as he charged forward, demanding, "You've led your troops to surround our Pan Shi tribe without any reason. What exactly do you want to do?"
Pan Shi Hong glanced at Pan Shi Lie with disdain, a mocking smile appearing on his fat face. "Pan Shi Lie, don't play dumb with me. Someone reported that your Pan Shi tribe is harboring traitors and plotting something sinister. I, the city lord, have been ordered by His Majesty Lie Tian to come and search. If you know what's good for you, cooperate obediently, otherwise... hmph, kill without mercy!"
"Searching for traitors?" Pan Shi Lie laughed angrily. "If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext. Pan Shi Hong, don't try to fool me with these high-sounding reasons. You're clearly using this as an excuse to suppress our Pan Shi tribe!"