Evening was approaching.
Though Chang'an had been restless these past few days.
For the common folk, life still had to go on.
Street-side eateries still puffed with steam, and the cries of peddlers rose and fell one after another.
At the end of the long street.
A strange wind suddenly kicked up.
Following it was a muffled thudding, like the beating of drums.
In a street-side tea stall, the hand of a Man holding a large bowl of tea trembled.
Scalding tea spilled onto his lap, but he didn't bother to wipe it.
His eyes widened as he looked toward the street corner.
At the end of the long street, a black tide surged forth.
Were they horses?
Yet they were no ordinary horses.
Their bodies were jet-black and glossy, without a single stray hair, and they stood half a head taller than common horses.
Wind whipped around their four hooves, and sparks flew as they struck the bluestone pavement.
Most terrifying were the horses' eyes, like two glowing red lanterns, flickering with bloodthirsty malice.
The riders were all dressed in black with red patterns.
Chains were wrapped around their waists, clattering as the horses rose and fell.
To ordinary ears, the sound was like the Soul-Hooking Chains of the Black and White Impermanence, making their hearts tremble.
"The Demon Suppression Division is handling a case! All bystanders, clear the way!"
As this shout rang out, the long street that had just quieted down instantly erupted into chaos.
When had the commoners ever seen such a spectacle?
Those who had wanted to watch the commotion now wished they had two extra legs, scrambling and crawling into the side alleys.
They didn't even bother to pack their stalls; vegetable leaves and shattered porcelain bowls were scattered everywhere.
In just a few breaths.
The long street that had been bustling with voices was now empty, with only the wind swirling fallen leaves.
The dozens of black horses paid no heed to the fleeing commoners.
Instead, like black arrows, they charged straight toward an inn in the middle of the street.
This area wasn't considered the best in Chang'an, but it was quiet.
On ordinary days, it was mostly frequented by traveling merchants from all directions.
At this moment.
Dozens of black-clad riders instantly surrounded the inn, sealing it off completely.
The commoners hid behind door cracks, not daring to breathe loudly.
They only dared to peer through the gaps, trembling as they watched these Jinxes.
Someone recognized the leader's attire.
"Is that... a Deputy General of the Demon Suppression Division?!"
For the commoners.
A Demon Suppression Deputy General was already a high-ranking court official rarely seen in daily life.
When such a figure took action.
It must be a matter of life and death!
But where were the demons in Chang'an?
Could it be... Recalling the strange faces that had suddenly flooded the city recently... a thought gradually surfaced in everyone's minds.
Was the court... finally going to take action against these unscrupulous outsider Cultivators?
...On the second floor of the inn.
At a table by the window.
A pot of cloudy wine and two small side dishes.
Sat an elder and a youth.
The elder's expression was calm, as if he didn't care about the commotion below, continuing to sip his wine.
The Young Man sitting opposite him, however, lacked such composure.
Although the two wore similar robes, the Young Man's handsome face was now filled with anxiety, and he frequently poked his head out to look down.
Outside the window, the sound of hooves ceased, replaced by the cold rattle of iron chains.
The Young Man finally couldn't hold back and whispered a reminder, "Master... they're people from the Great Tang court."
"..."
Seeing no reaction from the elder, the Young Man's gaze instinctively flicked outside the window again before jerking back as if struck by lightning. "This... what's going on? We haven't caused any trouble these past few days, nor have we committed violence in the streets like those others, so why..."
Why was the spearhead pointed at them first?
Their lineage was called the Wuxiang Lineage.
Although they were at the bottom of the five luminaries' Twenty-Five Orthodox Lineages, they were still one of the twenty-five Dao Lineages.
They also had some renown in the Eastern Region.
They usually acted with great discretion, and their visit to Chang'an was merely to fish in troubled waters and see if they could get lucky.
To their surprise, before they could catch any fish, the net had already been cast.
Hearing this, the elder drained the remaining wine in his bowl.
"Ha—"
Exhaling a breath of wine-laden air, the elder finally set down his bowl, curled his lip, and said indifferently, "What else could it be?"
"Most likely, that person is planning to make an example of us..."
Hearing this, the Young Man's body jolted.
Although the elder hadn't named anyone... he instantly understood who was being referred to.
Not long ago.
Atop the imperial city, a blood moon hung in the sky.
Three Denglou Realm experts had all fallen within a single breath.
The Young Man had seen that scene quite clearly.
What overbearing methods!
What unreasonable slaughter!
Previously, he had thought that the Great Tang was a mundane land.
That they would be like immortals upon arriving.
But looking at it now, how was this a mundane land?
It was more like a Dragon's pool or a tiger's den... The more the Young Man thought about it, the more afraid he became, feeling as if the stool beneath him was covered in nails, making it impossible to sit comfortably.
The Wuxiang Lineage had treacherous methods and was skilled in hiding their tracks.
But he was only at the Denglou Realm... could he really escape?
"Master..."
The Young Man could no longer sit still and abruptly stood up. "Let's... leave?"
"If we leave before they take action, they might not necessarily hunt us down to the end..."
They couldn't be so overbearing as to hunt them across the entire Eastern Region just because they had stayed in Chang'an for a while, right?
The elder curled his lip and sneered, "Leave? Why leave?"
"Huh?"
The Young Man was stunned and looked at the elder in confusion.
No... where... does your confidence come from?
The elder did not answer.
He only looked down indifferently at the bustling black figures below.
In truth, for the Wuxiang Lineage, the so-called imperial position and Dao Lineage were far less practical than keeping their seat among the Twenty-Five Orthodox Lineages.
They were already at the bottom and had long since lost the ambition to compete for supremacy.
They only sought to peacefully guard their own small plot of land.
The reason they hadn't left yet was simply because they saw that the other Dao Lineages hadn't moved; if they were the first to run, it would be too humiliating.
Besides.
A Dao Lineage must have the dignity of a Dao Lineage.
Even if they were to leave, they had to do so with honor.
Whether it was the mundane Emperor himself arriving or that woman coming to their door.
Someone of status and position had to come and politely invite them to leave the city.
If they were just driven out like this... though the Wuxiang Lineage was weak, they were still one of the Twenty-Five Orthodox Lineages.
They absolutely could not endure such an insult.
Thinking this.
The elder indifferently raised his hand.
Whoosh—
Thousands of water streams suddenly surged from within his sleeves.
In an instant, they transformed into a ferocious, clawing beast in mid-air.
The might of Ascending the Tower was unleashed without reservation!
Yet the beast only circled in the air, held back and not launched.
At most, he just wanted the mundane people outside to know what kind of figure was sitting upstairs.
So that someone who could actually speak for them would come.
It wasn't that he truly wanted to fight the Great Tang to the death.
Just as he was about to say something.
Boom—
Five Flying Swords came whistling fiercely from the distance.
Earth-yellow Qi, cold and piercing.
In the blink of an eye, they had nailed into the floorboards, instantly surrounding the two and their table and chairs.
The elder's expression changed, and he was about to withdraw the water to protect himself.
In the next moment.
The two felt their bodies suddenly grow heavy, and along with the table and chairs beneath them, they instantly crushed through the second-floor floorboards.
With a loud crash.
They were slammed into the floor tiles of the first floor!