Chapter 418: Chapter 418: The Chaos Inside the Fortress (3)

Li Feng shot through the sky like a streak of starlight, leaving the chaos of the outer city behind him.

The moment he was about to pass over the tall inner city walls—

"Hmm?"

Li Feng suddenly felt a powerful restrictive force pressing down on him.

His body slowed involuntarily as an invisible pressure locked onto him, trying to force him downward.

"It must be the original defensive formation of the fortress..." he muttered.

It seems the inner city’s grand protective array was still partially active.

While the explosions had damaged several sections, the core flight-ban formation remained operational, preventing anyone from flying freely over the most important area.

But Li Feng simply smiled.

After all, he was a Rank 2 Formation Master.

With his powerful strength and sharp spiritual sense, he quickly spotted the weak points in the formation’s structure.

He circulated his Starforge Body and channeled a burst of starlight into a precise point.

WHOOSH!

The restrictive pressure shattered like glass as he broke through the gap he had created.

The moment he flew high enough, the full view of the inner city unfolded beneath him.

Unlike the chaotic and crowded outer city, the inner fortress was far more organized and imposing.

He could see wide, paved streets lined with sturdy stone buildings stretched out in neat rows.

This district was clearly built for the elite... like wealthy merchants, high-ranking officers, and important officials as he could see grand manors with beautiful courtyards, heavily guarded warehouses, and tall military barracks stood proudly.

He could even see massive ballistae and defensive towers positioned at key points, though several of them were now damaged or burning from the earlier explosions.

At the center of it all stood the grand Central Command Tower, a towering structure that served as the heart of the entire border defense.

It was heavily fortified with layers of formations, but right now, thick black smoke and crimson flames were rising from multiple floors, and the protective arrays around it were flickering unstably.

Li Feng’s eyes narrowed.

’This place looks much better defended than the outer city... yet the situation here is deteriorating just as quickly.’

He could sense several powerful auras clashing violently inside and around the Central Command Tower.

These should be the experts tasked with protecting the fortress, yet they appeared to be fighting someone right now.

Without hesitation, Li Feng descended rapidly toward the Central Command Tower, his white envoy robe fluttering behind him like a banner.

But just as he approached, he realized there was another formation sealing off the area.

He frowned.

This one was different from the fortress’s original array... it felt new, as if it had been set up recently.

But to his eyes, it was quite crude, seemingly pieced together from various self-taught knowledge with many obvious flaws.

With a cold sneer, Li Feng raised his hand and smashed down toward the thin, invisible formation.

BAM!!

CRACK!!

The invisible formation shattered like broken glass in the air.

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Meanwhile, inside the Central Command Tower...

The grand hall on the upper floors was filled with the sounds of fierce battle.

Great General Zhang Kuo, a burly old man in heavy black armor with a long scar across his face and a flowing white beard, roared as he swung his massive battle axe.

His Early Stage Golden Core cultivation erupted fully as he fought against the group of assailants responsible for all this chaos.

"Rain Pavilion! You dare to offend the Dynasty?!" he roared angrily.

In front of him stood a group of cloaked individuals, their bodies radiating thick killing intent that could only come from those who had taken many lives.

Their faces were hidden beneath deep hoods, but their eyes glowed with a cold, ruthless light.

They moved with eerie coordination, surrounding the Great General from multiple directions.

Even though most of them were only at Foundation Establishment, their flawless teamwork and strange techniques made it extremely difficult for the Great General Zhang Kuo to counterattack.... especially after he had been affected by one of their damn poisons when he let his guard down earlier.

Seeing the old man still acting tough despite his injuries, one of the cloaked figures let out a low, mocking laugh.

"Great General Zhang, you’ve protected this border for decades and have grown too old. You’ve gone senile to fall for such simple trap. It seems honey trap always works wonders with you high-ranking people...Hahaha!"

The cloaked assassin’s voice turned vicious and taunting.

"How does it taste? The Nine Yin Eroding Fragrance that our beautiful ’Madam Spider’ specially prepared for you? A dignified Great Duke, tricked by a woman’s body and perfume... how pathetic."

General Zhang Kuo’s face twisted with rage at the mention of this humiliation.

His white beard trembled violently as his aura flared.

"You despicable bastards... using such underhanded methods!"

If it weren’t for the poison, he wouldn’t have been so helpless against a group of Foundation Establishment assassins, no matter how skilled they were.

After all, he was not just an ordinary Great General, but one of the current three Great Dukes of the Fen Dynasty, and also one of the oldest.

After the current Emperor ascended the throne, Zhang Kuo had voluntarily abandoned his post in the capital to retreat to this border city.

He originally planned to spend his remaining years here in peace, having grown tired of the endless political struggles.

The Emperor had agreed, as Zhang Kuo had never supported any faction and had chosen to retire.

Yet now, these rats from the Rain Pavilion dared to mock him in his own territory and destroy his hard-earned peace.

Originally, this border with the Azure Moon Sect was the least likely to be attacked, yet he had let his guard down...

Just thinking about what these dogs had done to his fortress made Zhang Kuo’s blood boil.

His eyes burned with fury and deep worry for his subordinates and family members.

His white beard trembled as his aura surged like a raging storm.

"Senile?" he roared, his voice shaking the entire hall. "You pathetic worms who hide in the shadows and rely on poison and plague like cowards dare to call me senile?!"

He swung his massive battle axe in a wide, devastating arc.

The air itself screamed as a crescent-shaped blade of condensed spiritual energy tore forward, forcing three cloaked attackers to retreat hastily.

"Even if I am old, I can still chop all you dogs into pieces!"

But even as he shouted, Zhang Kuo remained highly vigilant.

His sharp eyes were fixed on one particular cloaked figure standing at the back... the one who hadn’t moved at all. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Despite looking like an ordinary cloaked assassin, that person’s presence stood out so much that even the other assassins kept their distance.

...Because there was a faint golden badge glinted at the figure’s waist as that person stood silently beside a pillar.