Chapter 382: The News Spreads

“Destroy what? In what capacity will you do it! Haven’t I already sent people to observe the situation?” Gu Yi said coldly, frowning at Kani.
“What good is sending just a few dozen people? When the Mi Jiao clan was destroyed, you stayed silent. Now that my Neutral Faction has been wiped out, you still remain silent. Do you think only the Pro-War Faction counts as humans? Don’t forget why our Neutral Faction has lurked for a thousand years—it’s for you. And now you just kick us aside!” Filled with rage, Kani lost some of his sanity and shouted frantically.
Inside the tent, the atmosphere was oppressive. Everyone had dark expressions. Perhaps only a few members of the Mi Jiao clan wore smug faces as they watched this farce. Initially, they had wanted to take revenge but lacked the strength and the Pro-War Faction’s help, leaving them helpless. But today was different. The Neutral Faction still had over a thousand strong fighters—a terrifying force. The Mi Jiao clan saw hope for revenge in them, so they secretly agreed to act together.
“Let’s go together!” In the next moment, several of them stood up and approached Kani.
“Back here, all of you!” Seeing the Mi Jiao clan members adding fuel to the fire, Gu Yi grew furious and shouted.
“Second Prince, what? Is revenge not allowed now? Our Mi Jiao clan is weak now and can’t take revenge, but don’t forget we still have members from several vassal families. Now that the Neutral Faction has been destroyed, it’s fine if you stay silent. But what if our Mi Jiao clan, along with these people and Young Clan Leader Karl, goes to take revenge? It certainly won’t cause you any trouble. What more do you have to object to?” The leader of the Mi Jiao clan sneered at Gu Yi.
“Right! We’ll take revenge on our own. We don’t need your help. Is that acceptable?” Provoked by the Mi Jiao clan members, Kani also became angry. Having his clan destroyed was the most infuriating thing imaginable.

“Go then, but with what strength? Just these thousand or so people? Do you really think the Black Phoenix clan is weak? If they were weak, they wouldn’t have taken over Wuyou City or destroyed the Mi Jiao clan. With the advantage of defending the city now, even if you gave them another thousand people, you still have no chance. Are you going to seek death or revenge? And under what pretext? The pretext of being neutral? Don’t forget—nominally, your clan has already been destroyed. What will others think if you suddenly appear now? Do you want to give up the reputation your neutral faction has built over a thousand years? Or the reputation of my pro-war faction? Once your true identity is exposed, will the people in Wuyou City still trust you?” With a cold snort, Gu Yi roared in anger at these fools’ clamoring. A bunch of brainless idiots really angered him.

“It’s you who’re afraid of damaging your reputation. I don’t want anything else—just destroy the Black Phoenix clan to avenge ourselves! If we don’t have enough people, we can fight harder. Kill one, and it counts as one!” It seemed Kani was determined to die rather than back down and retorted.

Hearing these words, Gu Yi truly felt an urge to kill. How could such an idiot exist in the neutral faction? And yet, he was supposed to be their future leader. If the neutral faction fell into this guy’s hands, the consequences were obvious. Even if they weren’t destroyed by the Black Phoenix clan today, they would surely be ruined by him someday. How could someone without any strategy or intelligence lead a clan to prosperity?

“Enough! No more talking. The neutral faction cannot get involved in this matter. It will be resolved by our pro-war faction. What good will you do if you go? You’ll only realize your mistake when you’re destroyed. We’ve just gained a slight advantage here in Dark Moon City. We’ve wasted so much manpower and resources. We can’t withdraw our army to avenge you, but I can promise you this: once Dark Moon City is taken, it will be handed over to your neutral faction for management. Besides, once Dark Moon City falls, it will be the end of the Black Phoenix clan. How does that sound?” Inside the tent, an old man who had always been on equal footing with Gu Yi now shouted loudly, his face ashen. He usually didn’t speak much, so his words surprised many people.

His pale face made everyone’s hearts tighten. Most of those present were members of the pro-war faction. Who didn’t know who this old man was? He was someone who could stand equal to the clan leader, a cold-blooded man whose hands were stained with blood, possessing immense prestige! His speech now clearly showed his anger.

“Yes, as the eldest said, let’s leave the Black Phoenix clan to us to deal with—it’s not the right time now!” Hearing the old man’s words, Gu Yi quickly agreed.
Kani seemed to know this person as well; upon hearing him speak, he frowned slightly, showing a hint of reluctance, but he didn’t say anything further and remained silent.
“I advise those of the Mi Jiao clan not to be too bold. Don’t forget, now that your clan has been destroyed, only a few of you are left. Be obedient, and I promise to restore your clan to its former glory once this is done. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Seeing that Kani remained silent, the old man nodded in satisfaction, then turned and spoke in a cold tone to those of the Mi Jiao clan.
His words made their faces turn pale as they changed expressions repeatedly, unable to say a word. As the saying goes, when under someone’s roof, one must bow one’s head—this was exactly the situation. They had nothing to say and didn’t know what to say either. Provoking this man now would definitely be foolish.
“What if the Black Phoenix clan escapes?” Kani still seemed unwilling and asked discontentedly.
“With my Water Curtain City in front and my hundred-thousand-strong army behind them, where can they go? They can’t go to Water Curtain City—it’s a dead end. Once they head there, and we capture Wuyou City, they’ll be trapped between us and surely die. The best option for them is to return and assist Dark Moon City. If they refuse to return, at least it might buy them some more time. But if they dare to come back, that will be their death sentence. Of course, they might also try to help the Dragon clan. How’s things with the Wolf clan?”
Speaking about the Black Phoenix clan’s possible paths, Gu Yi spoke confidently and eloquently. Indeed, what he said made the most sense, and everyone agreed. Anyone with a bit of sense would make such a choice—after all, the Black Phoenix clan wasn’t made up of fools.
At this point, everyone was more concerned about the situation of the Dragon clan. They had thought the Wolf clan would finish the battle first, but now it seemed stuck in a stalemate, which disappointed everyone and filled them with dissatisfaction toward the Wolf clan.
“No, the Dragon clan is trapped inside Dragon Valley and can’t come out. As you know, we can’t get in there either!” The Wolf clan members were also very frustrated.

Dragon Valley is the most mysterious place within the Source of Darkness, akin to the Netherworld. No one can enter unless it is deliberately opened; only those with dragon blood can come and go freely. Outsiders have no chance of entering Dragon Valley, and attempting to force their way in leads only to death! A thick layer of mist surrounds Dragon Valley, resulting in extremely low visibility. More importantly, this mist contains components of dragon orchid, which have a hallucinatory effect. Once inside, one enters an illusionary realm, where they face slaughter at the hands of enemies.

“Damn those dragons! What exactly do they want?” Hearing this news, Gu Yi couldn’t help but curse in anger. Time was urgent, yet they ran into problems here: “Weren’t we given the Xuan Dan to you? Could it be that the dragons weren’t successfully bribed?”

“They were bribed, but a few elders don’t hold much influence and can’t decide on major clan matters!” The wolves were even more frustrated at this point, feeling as if they had lost more than they gained.

The atmosphere in the camp was gloomy; no one knew what to say. Dragon Valley, a place they hated deeply, might just cause huge changes to their plans.

“Hurry up! We can’t wait any longer! The Black Phoenix clan is currently in Wuyou City, and we don’t know what they’ll do next. They’re the biggest threat!” Frowning, Gu Yi murmured. Without the Black Phoenix clan, they wouldn’t have worried, but now they clearly became troublemakers, which demanded attention.

The Scorpion King clan was also a major threat. Even now, they were still undecided and hadn’t taken a stance. If they were to be swayed by the Black Phoenix clan at this time, it would be even more troublesome.

Everything seemed to be turning in a bad direction! The situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for the pro-war faction. The longer the battle dragged on, the more troublesome it became. What they urgently needed now was a victory—a huge victory, such as capturing Dark Moon City or Dragon Valley.

“Send people from Water Screen City to delay the people in Wuyou City! At least prevent them from taking any action in the short term. That would be better for us!” At this moment, the Grand Elder spoke. With his high prestige, his subordinates naturally obeyed without hesitation.

Before long, a message was sent at full speed toward Water Curtain City. It is believed that if they had known the Black Phoenix clan’s next target was Water Curtain City, they would never have taken such actions—they would surely have gone mad. Unfortunately, that’s often how things are; one wrong move can lead to total failure! A single mistake can also bring about catastrophic disaster.

Naturally, for Rod and the others, this news could not be better—there’s no doubt about it. Water Curtain City already had very little strength left. If more troops were sent there, it’s easy to imagine that the city would essentially become an empty fortress. Could it withstand the fierce attacks from the Black Phoenix clan and the Scorpion King clan at that point?

This battle seemed to undergo a dramatic change in an instant, thanks to a single statement from the chief elder of the pro-war faction, turning it into a major turning point in the war situation.