Chapter 411: Secret and Open Schemes

The streets during the day became noticeably deserted. Dark Moon City, which had only regained its prosperity less than half a month ago, fell back into silence once again. Empty streets, falling leaves, howling cold winds, and dust filling the air created a desolate atmosphere.

The fires outside the city had been extinguished. A night of scorching heat had made the city walls extremely hot. At least, the daylight would not give the pro-war faction a chance to launch a surprise attack, buying everyone more time to prepare.

Beneath its calm surface, the day was turbulent. The atmosphere inside Dark Moon City was gloomy. Unbeknownst to them, in a room within the city lord’s mansion, a small group of people had gathered.

“How is the preparation going?” one middle-aged man asked in a low voice.

“Everything is ready. As soon as the enemy army attacks outside tonight, our side will take action immediately!” replied a hoarse voice that sounded eerie. Even the middle-aged man found such a tone unsettling and frowned.

“Don’t forget the conditions you promised!” a cold voice interrupted him at that moment.

“Don’t worry. The conditions promised by the Third Prince never change. Hehe, after this, Dark Moon City will be entirely yours. And this is the reward for you in advance!” Hearing this cold voice, the middle-aged man wore a flattering smile as he carefully took out a deep purple box from his bosom and slowly opened it, his eyes filled with greed.

Immediately, a pleasant fragrance filled the room. Inside the small box lay a brown pill about the size of a thumb. This seemingly simple pill captured everyone’s attention.

“It’s a Fenxuan Pill!” the owner of the hoarse voice exclaimed in surprise before quickly covering his mouth, as if realizing something.

“As expected, it’s a Fenxuan Pill. Good. That’s the first condition. Just don’t forget the second one!” The owner of the cold voice nodded in satisfaction, putting the Fenxuan Pill away and revealing a cold smile.

“Of course. The Third Prince always keeps his word. This is the last Fenxuan Pill left—even the Third Prince himself is reluctant to use it!” Looking at the pill that was taken away, the middle-aged man’s eyes showed a hint of reluctance and fondness.

“Rod is a big problem. What plans do you have to deal with him?” After the terms were agreed upon, the cold voice came again. There was a hint of concern—Rod was undoubtedly the biggest variable in the current situation, and his presence sent a sense of unease.

“He? Hehe, tonight will be the day Rod dies. Don’t worry; the Third Prince has already taken all necessary measures. He can’t cause any trouble on his own. You can be completely at ease—we’ve arranged people to deal with him! As long as he dares to show up, he won’t escape death!” Saying this, the middle-aged man wore a arrogant smile, full of confidence, as if he could already see Rod dead.

“That’s good. Go back and tell the Third Prince that once the three-sided war starts, the West Gate will be opened. Just have your men get ready! There are only a thousand guards here now, all of them mine!” Hearing that the other party had made arrangements, the cold voice seemed to soften slightly, speaking in satisfaction. A glint of coldness flashed in her eyes, out of place on her face.

“By the way, what about the Wolf Clan? Their combat strength is considerable—we can’t waste them!” added the owner of the hoarse voice.

“Hehe, don’t worry. The six thousand members of the Wolf Clan brought this time are all elite fighters. Even our twenty thousand troops might not be able to withstand their six thousand! Their combat strength is beyond doubt. Remember, we’re all in the same boat—no need to worry about the Wolf Clan! They’ll enter the city through the West Gate!” At the mention of the Wolf Clan, excitement flashed in the middle-aged man’s eyes.

He then lowered his head in thought for a moment before continuing, “How’s control of the City Lord’s Mansion going?”

“The current forces in the city are concentrated at the East Gate, South Gate, and North Gate. There aren’t many guards left at the City Lord’s Mansion. Unless it’s for precaution, the West Gate would be unguarded too.

But now you can be at ease—the thousand men at the West Gate are all mine, and the guards at the City Lord’s Mansion have also been replaced by my men. Once the army enters the city, the City Lord’s Mansion will immediately switch sides, and the troops at the West Gate will join the army. With internal and external cooperation, won’t the other three gates fall easily?” As if envisioning the grand plan after tonight, the owner of the cold voice sneered.

“Good. Then let’s wish each other a successful partnership. Hehe, I’ll take my leave first and pay my respects to the City Lord!” In his excitement, the middle-aged man shamelessly stood up and bowed to the owner of the cold voice, acting obsequiously.

This seemed to delight the owner of that cold voice, who paid no attention at all to the playful glint in the middle-aged man’s eyes as he lowered his head.
…
“How is everything prepared inside the city?” Not long after, in the headquarters of the pro-war faction outside the city, the third prince asked the middle-aged man before him.
If anyone were here, they would surely realize that this middle-aged man was the same one who had appeared in the city lord’s mansion in Dark Moon City earlier. The fact that he could come and go freely despite the city being under lockdown was truly astonishing.
“Everything is ready. West Gate has been taken over by us, and we can launch an attack at any time! The city lord’s mansion is also under control—everything is going smoothly!” the middle-aged man replied proudly.
“What’s her reaction?” Seeming to think of something else, Gu Jian continued to ask.
“After getting the Fenxuan Dan, she fully trusts us now. Hehe, she’s just waiting for us to enter the city!” The middle-aged man’s reply carried a hint of mockery and sarcasm. Remembering the look on that guy’s face when he obtained the Fenxuan Dan, he found it amusing. Clearly not even at the threshold of the divine realm, yet he still dreamed of reaching the Yinhuang level. Didn’t he realize that even if she took the Fenxuan Dan, it wouldn’t help her at all?
“Hmph, long hair, short wisdom. Hehe, who would have thought that among Dark Moon City’s two beautiful princesses, one would turn out to be a failure? Opponents, it seems your fate is truly sealed. Even your own princess is starting to betray you—what more can you do?
Hehe, as for Eileen, instead of staying as a proper opposition princess, she’s ambitiously trying to cooperate with us. Does she really think that without her, our pro-war army of hundreds of thousands can’t invade Dark Moon City? We asked her for help just to minimize losses. Does she really think we can’t function without her? The Fenxuan Dan and the city lord—what arrogance! Does she really think we’ll give them that? It’s nothing but delusion. Compared to her sister, she’s far inferior. No wonder no one wants her! Big breasts, no brains!” Gazing into the distance, Gu Jian smirked mockingly, muttering to himself with murderous intent in his eyes.
The world is often like this—whether it’s a tyrant or a great king, their achievements are often ruined by a woman, and misfortunes also often stem from women.
“The beauty brings disaster”—this old saying truly holds true. Have Rod or those guys in Dark Moon City ever thought that the downfall of their great opposition faction was caused by such a foolish woman? And yet, she’s their princess.

Surely they never imagined that the person they trusted the most would betray them.
“Third Prince, what do you think we should do now…” Everything was planned out; all that remained was to take action. The Grand Elder, sitting beside Gu Jian, asked in a low voice. The situation was now clear—all Gu Jian needed to decide was the timing of the attack.
“Are the members of the Wolf Clan ready?” Gu Jian turned his gaze to the two men beside the Grand Elder—the two Wolf Clan kings.
“Ready to fight at any moment!” The Wolf Kings’ reply was simple, but it gave Gu Jian peace of mind.
“Good, haha, excellent! Then let’s do it this way. You’ll start your action at dusk. With six thousand members of the Wolf Clan, plus thirty thousand elite troops from my faction, that should be enough! Hide outside the West Gate. When night falls, we’ll lead our army to attack the three city gates. Once you see the agreed signal, you can prepare to enter the city—the guards at the West Gate will assist you!” No further complicated arrangements were needed. A coordinated attack using the simplest tactics would suffice. Overly complex plans would only make what was already simple more complicated, and complexity led to problems and gaps—something Gu Jian understood well.
After making these simple arrangements, the meeting dispersed. Gu Jian sat in his seat with a cold smile.
“Third Prince, do you think there will be problems inside the city?” the Grand Elder asked anxiously.
“Don’t worry, there won’t be any problems. Eileen, that foolish woman with big breasts—what could she possibly plan? I bet she’s already imagining herself as the city lord. She still doesn’t realize her doom. The Fenxuan Dan can be left with her for now; we can retrieve it tomorrow!”
“As for Rod, we need to be careful. Grand Elder, you should go in person and discuss strategies with the Wolf Kings to deal with Rod. Nothing must go wrong. As long as Rod isn’t eliminated, he’ll remain our greatest threat!” His voice dropped suddenly as he gave orders coldly, his gaze icy.
“Don’t worry about that. Next year on this night is Rod’s sacrificial day. With six warriors at the Yinhuang level, plus the Divine Annihilation Formation we’ve practiced these past days, even if Rod tries to fly, he won’t be able to escape our encirclement!” Speaking of Rod, the Grand Elder became confident, his mood instantly relieved. It was time for the final battle.

Gazing into the distance, toward the direction of Water Screen City, a murderous intent flashed in the eldest elder’s eyes. It was time to deal with those two reckless princes properly. Glancing at the third prince beside him, he nodded slightly, revealing a hint of satisfaction.