But soon, Wang Zhan quickly opened his eyes and slightly raised his hand. Afterward, he looked profoundly at the palm he had just used to touch his nose, only to see it was now completely red! Bright as blood.

The thing he feared most had finally arrived!

Wang Zhan hadn't expected it either. After killing the beast, not only had its death increased Wang Zhan's essence energy by nearly two thousand points, but it had also allowed Wang Zhan to break through his current realm, advancing to a Level 2 Martial General!

Moreover, what made Wang Zhan despair was that the usual way for Martial Generals to increase their mental power was five times their original foundation—ordinarily a great thing! Typically, such an increase wouldn't occur in ordinary realm advancements. But one mustn't forget that the foundation for Wang Zhan's promotion was the result of continuous accumulation, catalyzed by the "General Outline of the Supreme Pure Thunder."

Therefore, for Wang Zhan, this was an utterly terrible development, a bolt from the blue. This directly led to a situation where, even though the robustness of Wang Zhan's body had already reached the defensive level of a Martial King, it still couldn't withstand the impact of over 700,000 points of mental energy. Because for Wang Zhan, this 700,000 was just the tip of the iceberg! In fact, hidden inside Wang Zhan's body was another iceberg, its base far larger and constantly expanding.

Simply put, even if Wang Zhan's advancement speed was fast, his body's defenses hadn't kept up and were constantly on the verge of collapse. The nosebleed was a sign, a prelude!

Therefore, as time passed, the blood flowing from Wang Zhan's nose had already soaked a corner of his clothes red. He looked like a young man whose days were numbered.

Of course, in his mind, the mad man was still roaring. He couldn't possibly know what Wang Zhan was experiencing, or what he was about to experience.

So, after Wang Zhan lightly sensed the changes in his surroundings, he immediately made a decisive decision and called the mad man out from the domain. By this instant, the mad man's limbs had long since become drastically swollen, and his face was twisted, like a tormented balloon. So, when he saw Wang Zhan, he was about to erupt in fury and call Wang Zhan to account for causing all this.

Unexpectedly, when Wang Zhan suddenly raised his head, the sight of his blood-covered face and weakened gaze seemed to paint the mad man's own face red with shock.

"I don't have much time! Listen to me…"

「Outside Ming State City.」

The two generals in charge of mobilizing the army, stationing troops in Ming State City, and surrounding the Ming State Underground City, would never have thought that in the distant Ming State City, the culprit who had masterminded all this chaos seemed to be on the verge of his own demise.

The two generals, Xu Hua and An Xi, were just quietly listening as the returning scouts reported one by one.

"General, the Ming State Underground City has descended into chaos! After those people found out we were coming, they all started desperately trying to flee. They're even killing each other to be the first ones out... More and more people are dying in the Ming State Underground City now..."

Meanwhile, a balding, portly old man, clutching his essential eating tool—a spoon—walked into General An Xi's military tent. General An Xi, who was in the tent listening to his subordinates' reports and mentally constructing battle lines, abruptly stood up.

He saluted respectfully, "Greetings, Senior Cang Ying!"

The scout standing beside An Xi was startled. Who is this person, and how does he warrant the general's solemn treatment? But An Xi didn't explain; he just shooed the scout out. Then, he respectfully greeted Cang Ying, the portly old man.

"Senior Cang Ying, please take a seat!"

The old man glanced at the simple furnishings of the tent and casually nodded. Although he appeared to be a mere cook, the aura he projected suggested that wherever he went, he was in charge. This all stemmed from his inherent strength, which is also the greatest source of confidence for a Martial Artist.

However, he declined General An Xi's invitation.

"Let's not stand on ceremony. Generals may act at their discretion when on campaign. You are the general, and I am just a cook. How could I sit in a place of higher honor than you?"

An Xi chuckled awkwardly.

"Then... Senior Cang Ying, please sit down! Allow me to update you on the current situation in Ming State Underground City."

Cang Ying nodded. "Alright."

An Xi then relayed the situation in detail.

"The Ming State Underground City is currently divided into two factions. One faction is quite peculiar; it's said to include two high-level Martial Kings who were originally fighting within the Underground City!

"However, things have quieted down now, and it seems like one of them has been killed by the other. Our scouts haven't been able to investigate further, so for the moment we don't have any specific news, nor can we confirm anything.

"The other group consists of members from the prominent noble families of the nearby twenty-seven states in the Southwest. They dispatched some of their elites, mostly Grandmasters, totaling over a thousand. Initially, they were just watching the events unfold, but once they learned of our arrival, they fell into disarray. Now, they're down there fighting amongst themselves, looking for a chance to escape..."

Initially, Cang Ying listened to the first part of the report without issue. But when he heard about the despicable behavior of those from the noble families, the flesh on his face seemed to tighten, and he grew solemn. He remained silent, sighing inwardly.

These noble families of the Federation, no matter when or where, are always so shortsighted!

Don't they understand that, if they were willing to work together, then even the mighty Federation Military couldn't harm their alliance of thousands of martial artists from various large families, and they could easily escape the Ming State encirclement?

However, at this thought, Cang Ying couldn't help but feel a wave of helplessness.

If they had that level of awareness, the Federation wouldn't be struggling so much on the front lines against the Beast Clan!

These noble families only care about their own survival, even trying to hide their inheritances from beginning to end, simply to maintain their power.

If it wasn't for the establishment of one Martial Arts Academy after another, by now on the Federation's front lines, apart from firearms, there wouldn't be any combat-capable Federation Warriors!

Of course, Cang Ying also knew that Martial Artists from noble families were still Martial Artists, just like Federation Martial Artists. Otherwise, Shangguan wouldn't have requested reinforcements to assist the Special Operations Team, nor would Shangguan have instructed him to remain on standby and not act rashly.

Therefore, after listening to General An Xi's words, Cang Ying frowned and asked, "So, what do you plan to do now?"

General An Xi replied in a firm tone, "Naturally, we'll let them fight amongst themselves until they're significantly weakened. Then, the Federation will step in to clean up the mess! This way, we can diminish their strength and also safeguard the lives of more of our soldiers."

Of course, there was one thing he didn't mention: both Xu Hua and he, An Xi, came from humble beginnings. Therefore, their attitude towards the Martial Artists in the Ming State Underground City was exceptionally clear. While they wouldn't stoop to personally slaughtering their own kind, thus earning a reputation as butchers of their kinsmen, they didn't mind letting these Federation parasites engage in a dog-eat-dog fight. The survivors could then be directly apprehended and imprisoned.

However, after hearing An Xi's plan, the portly old man before him, whom An Xi called Cang Ying, suddenly straightened his posture. He looked at An Xi solemnly and said in a deep voice,

"Have you ever considered why General Chen Yi dispatched me here first, and then sent you? Have you thought that while their deaths might be a relief for the Federation, ridding it of some pests, what about the safety of Ming State City? And what about those pitiable commoners in the Ming State Underground City?"

Instantly, these questions landed like mountains, pressing heavily on An Xi's shoulders. An exceptionally imposing aura filled the military tent—an aura born from a clear conscience questioning one that was guilty.

As a result, An Xi was at a loss for words, wanting to speak yet hesitating. He then immediately understood that his strategic intentions might have been genuinely wrong. The primary objective of this military deployment wasn't to watch a few more or less members of the noble families die here. It was to apprehend all of them and escort them back to Federation prisons. This was to make an example of them for the other Federation nobles, warning them that the Federation operates under its own set of rules!

Therefore, a complex mix of conflict and shame appeared on An Xi's face.

Seeing this, Cang Ying didn't press him further. Instead, he quietly reverted to his usual relaxed demeanor, no longer looking solemn but rather appearing perfectly amicable. He looked good-natured and portly.

He chuckled, looked at An Xi and the setup within An Xi's military tent, and said,

"Alright, I'm just a cook. If your strategic intentions are useful, as members of the Federation military, we must implement them to the end. So, I can only give you some minor suggestions, the final decision still lies in your hands."

Then, this old man, who had concealed his true strength for nearly twenty or thirty years, didn't wait for An Xi's response. He left directly, leaving behind only a single sentence:

"When you need me, just issue the order. I will naturally step forward without hesitation!"

He left behind only the young man who knew his name was Cang Ying—An Xi, currently the second-in-command of the Southwest Internal Affairs Division.

However, as An Xi stood at the entrance of the tent watching him depart, his face... At this moment, he was utterly unsure what he should be feeling, only that it seemed he had indeed made a mistake!

Clearly, the old man's counsel had not been without purpose.

So, that very evening, a military order, like a clap of thunder, spread throughout the entire military camp. It made everyone instantly fall into solemn readiness.

Because it read: "Be ready to strike at any moment!"

This meant that although An Xi and Xu Hua still intended to adhere to their original plan, Cang Ying's arrival had prompted them, whether willingly or not, to incorporate an additional contingency. That is, if the battles in the Underground City were to threaten the surface Federation or a significant number of commoners, the Federation military would intervene directly and without reservation!

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