"Jubei City will not fall!"

Seeing through Luo Qingxuan's thoughts, Yuan Shouyi calmly continued, "But the Northern Domain cannot have another Judgment Department."

"Su Yuwei died outside of Jubei City, aren't you afraid of the Court's wrath?"

Staring intently at Yuan Shouyi, Luo Qingxuan inquired in a deep voice.

"With a great enemy at hand, my duty is to protect Jubei City. No matter what happens, this remains true!" Yuan Shouyi replied without a care.

As the Great Snow Wolf Riders besiege the city, keeping the gates shut is a sound strategy even if Su Yuwei did indeed die. She was killed by the Deserters, not Yuan Shouyi's doing.

"How are you so sure I'll cooperate with you?"

Coldly gazing at Yuan Shouyi, Luo Qingxuan asked again, "Aren't you afraid I might kill you?"

Though Yuan Shouyi is also a Heaven-Stepping powerhouse, with the array and guards by his side, Luo Qingxuan was confident that if she truly wished to act, she could kill her way through.

"You won't!"

With a smile, Yuan Shouyi assuredly replied, "Because the Profound Moon Sword Sect doesn't want to see another Judgment Department in the Northern Domain. More importantly...if you kill me, Jubei City truly can't be defended anymore!"

"..."

This statement instantly made Luo Qingxuan pause.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, if she killed Yuan Shouyi now, chaos would surely ensue in Jubei City, and Jing Yuan wouldn't miss such an opportunity.

Moreover...thinking deeper, perhaps Jing Yuan chose to attack at this time, counting on this exact possibility.

If she actually took action, it would truly fall right into his trap.

"What if the one who returned wasn't me, but Su Yuwei?"

After a long silence, Luo Qingxuan ultimately gave up the idea of taking action but looked at Yuan Shouyi and asked.

In truth, whether she or Su Yuwei returned just now was perhaps only a matter of one thought.

"If that were the case, I would have no choice but to take a risk and see if I could detain the Commandery Princess."

With a shrug, Yuan Shouyi answered softly.

Yes, the current setup in the City Lord's Mansion was originally not prepared for Luo Qingxuan, but a trap set for Su Yuwei.

...

"Jing Yuan, the subsequent reinforcements are already on their way, less than a hundred miles from Jubei City now!"

Walking slowly to Jing Yuan's side, the Deserters' commander reported solemnly.

Since they decided to assault Jubei City, they naturally wouldn't just bring these three thousand Great Snow Wolf Riders; other Deserters' troops were also on their way. Though not as elite as the Great Snow Wolf Riders, they were still a formidable force not to be underestimated.

"Order them not to rush to Jubei City but to disperse and attack the surrounding towns!"

With a calm face, Jing Yuan instructed lightly, "Remember, focus on raiding, not on wanton killing; just apply the pressure."

"Yes!"

In the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed.

The Great Snow Wolf Riders launched wave after wave of assaults, like an unstoppable tide.

Corpses piled up in front of them were countless, and everyone fought desperately. But as time went on, the unease in everyone's hearts continued to grow.

No reinforcements!

Half an hour felt incredibly long, and if Yuan Shouyi truly intended to send out troops, they would have done so by now. But there was no response, and the only explanation was that Yuan Shouyi refused to deploy the army.

"Commandery Princess, what should we do now... at this rate, everyone won't hold out much longer!"

With a hint of anxiety in his eyes, someone couldn't help but ask.

"My lady, we should retreat!"

Looking toward the direction of Jubei City, Lu Qing said in a deep voice, "We can't possibly overcome the Great Snow Wolf Riders here. Retreating to the surroundings and waiting for support is the only way out!"

In fact, with Su Yuwei's strength, if she truly wanted to leave, these Great Snow Wolf Riders couldn't stop her. Apart from places like relics, trapping a Heaven-Stepping powerhouse was exceedingly difficult. If she disregarded the lives of others, escaping or breaking into Jubei City wouldn't be hard.

But if she truly abandoned these people, what would she use to establish the Northern Domain Judgment Department?

Moreover, while Su Yuwei could ignore others, she couldn't abandon Wang Junze or Lu Qing.

"Let's go!"

Taking a deep breath, Su Yuwei spoke in a deep voice, her hand waving slightly, conjuring a Divine Talisman in the air, which exploded forcefully into a terrifying rain curtain, blocking the Great Snow Wolf Riders' path while leading Wang Junze and the others quickly to the side.

"Send a message to each of your respective sects, fight and retreat. For now, we must save ourselves!"

Lu Qing spoke again.

Despite their small numbers, each of them represented a sect or family. When survival was at stake, each of their backings would go all out to provide assistance.

As long as they could hold out long enough, this battle still had hope.

...

Ignoring those around, Luo Qingxuan sat down leisurely in the garden, took a sip of tea, and said lightly, "My sect's people should already be on their way. Su Yuwei is not so easily killed. On the contrary...if you persist in refusing to aid the other sects and families, can you withstand the backlash after this battle?"

"If everyone's dead, there will be nothing to fear,"

Smiling slightly, Yuan Shouyi softly said, "Since the Deserters have acted, they won't give them a chance to escape, either."

"Probably not just Deserters, right?" With a hint of sarcasm at the corner of her mouth, Luo Qingxuan said with disdain, "You seem so confident; it looks like you've been preparing for this. But I advise you not to be too sure. Whether it's Su Yuwei or Wang Junze, those who fought out of the ruins are stronger than you imagine."

"If they manage to survive, your position as City Lord may not be so secure."

"As long as the Saintess doesn't intervene, others pose no threat to me."

Yuan Shouyi replied unconcernedly, "But that Wang Junze, able to take the inheritance from the Saintess, truly surprises me."

"I'll tell you directly, I don't care about the lives of others, but Wang Junze...I must bring him back to the Profound Moon Sword Sect." Raising her head, looking at Yuan Shouyi, Luo Qingxuan said seriously, "You've trapped me here with the safety of Jubei City, and indeed I can't act against you. But I can only be delayed for two to three more hours; once my sect's powerhouses arrive, I will leave the city."

Currently, to ensure the safety of Jubei City, Luo Qingxuan was forced to confine herself in the City Lord's Mansion. But the moment Jubei City's crisis is lifted, she would certainly go to rescue Wang Junze.

"Then it depends on whether he can survive these next few hours."

Yuan Shouyi replied indifferently, "Moreover, if he's willing to join the Profound Moon Sword Sect, I don't necessarily have to kill him."

Previously, Yuan Shouyi wanted to kill Wang Junze because he suspected that Su Yuwei intended to place Wang Junze in charge of the Northern Domain Judgment Department. As long as that premise was gone, he wasn't particularly concerned about Wang Junze's life or death.

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