for rapid advancement, with the possibility of reaching the Golden Que of Heavenly Dao. Yet they remained outside this path. It seemed like just a single step away, yet an immense distance separated...Jiu Ren Shan had a blank expression, but as the city lord, he didn't need these people to explain. He was acutely aware of any changes in Jiuyang City's Qi. The most obvious change was the noticeable decline in the Qi gathered by his city lord seal. As those Immortal Army generals said, his foundation for ruling Jiuyang City had been shaken.

Though he had no direct evidence, Nine Heavens City's accusations against him were...

Although it's impossible to know for sure, there are signs that someone is behind all this. Of the many suspects, the one who seems most likely is the nameless leader of the Jiuyang Order.

Although last time his resignation was rejected, a rift had already formed between Jiuren Mountain and Wuming. Now that the public outcry in Jiuyang City stemmed from the decision made by Jiuren Mountain, once it reached its peak, it would be very difficult to bridge the gap between Jiuren Mountain and Wuming.

At this time, Wuming was not like his name. In Jiuyang City, he was a nobody, whereas the other party's prestige in Jiuyang City had grown stronger over the past few thousand years.

He has slain countless demons, guarding the city of Jiuyang with no gaps or leaks. He protects one side in peace, his prestige second only to Juren Mountain.

Jiu'yang City is currently at a critical juncture. Without the Lotus avatar stationed in the rear, Jiuren Mountain truly feels uneasy.

...the fact that Lianhua's avatar had publicly resigned because of the ostracism she faced from the celestial general she had brought with her was spreading throughout Jiuyang City like wildfire. Even Jiu Renshan, who wanted to avoid this matter, couldn't escape it...

Jiu Ren Shan did want to ease the relationship between himself and the Lotus avatar. In his view, as long as the Lotus avatar humbled himself and assisted him in maintaining the stability of Jiu Yang City, he would be able to complete the transaction with Tian Xing Palace smoothly. He would naturally give the Lotus avatar a large sum of benefits afterward.

In the exchange with Tiān Xíng Gōng this time, Jiǔ Rèn Shān was indeed driven by personal gain. If he had acted impartially and put the interests of Jiǔ Yāng Chéng first, this wouldn't have happened. However, things have come to this point, and there is no room for him to back down now.

"Lord Mayor,"

"What should be done with this nameless resignation" The leopard-faced celestial general, Pang Chongjing, asked. If it wasn't dealt with, it would seriously damage the city lord's prestige; however, if it was dealt with...

It would also be detrimental to the city lord, Jiuren Shan. The retreat of the lotus avatar is considered a bold move after officially severing ties with Jiuren Shan. Regardless of how it is handled, it will have unfavorable consequences for Jiuren Shan.

>

At this moment, a celestial talisman flew from the distant sky, already far exceeding the speed of even a heavenly immortal.

>

While other immortals were still oblivious, the outside immortal army was in disarray.

"The Scarlet Army Immortal Talisman issued by the Heavenly Execution Palace!" The outside immortal army was already as agitated as a boiling cauldron.

Please note that I've only translated the content within the > tags and left the HTML tags as they are. Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

The Red Army Talisman is never lightly issued except in the most urgent of situations. If they had already captured or killed Lu Xia Tian, the Heavenly Punishment Palace's celestial army should have returned with great fanfare, not issued this Red Army Talisman.

Jiuren Mountain's divine awareness range far surpassed that of celestial immortals. Before the other celestial generals could react, he had already flown out. That red army immortal talisman was already approaching.

With a stretch of his hand, Jiuren Mountain summoned the Scarlet Army Immortal Talismans that were already several thousand miles away in the void. Afterward, Jiuren Mountain's figure flickered and he returned to the flagship where the main commander was.

"Tens of thousands of celestial armies who entered the Luo Yang Prison have been killed or wounded. The celestial army guarding the entrance of the Maha Jingling Brahma Array has been cut off by demons. Please send reinforcements quickly, City Lord Nine, to support our main force returning!"

The contents of the Crimson Army Talisman caused a stir among all the immortal army generals present. Jiuren Mountain's face turned ashen, though he was reluctant to believe it.

But things still developed in a way he least wanted to accept,

is also the most embarrassing extent.

It wasn't just the Heavenly Execution Palace that suffered heavy losses,

His reputation was ruined, and he had been pushed to an extremely awkward position. Previously, his lotus avatar had resigned from the Jiuyang Order as a retreat, which only made Nine-Ren Shan somewhat embarrassed. But the news brought by this Crimson Army Immortal Seal was so unacceptable that it left him in a difficult position.

>

The celestial armies summoned by the Heavenly Punishment Palace, both before and after, already numbered nearly four hundred thousand. Among them were the elite forces directly under the Heavenly Punishment Palace, totaling nearly sixty thousand. Even if Jiuyang City emptied its coffers, it couldn't put together such a formidable army of celestial soldiers. This time, with the cooperation between Jiuren Mountain and the Heavenly Punishment Palace, the celestial armies that died directly in battle or were trapped within the Buddhist formation to barely survive totaled over twenty tens of thousands. And there were nearly twenty-five thousand celestial soldiers captured by several demon armies.

If these celestial troops were to be consumed by the demonic and ghost army now, when Heaven Execution Palace investigated later, Jiuyang City would be in deep trouble. However, the celestial troops dispatched by Heaven Execution Palace are clearly already at a disadvantage. At this time, if Jiuyang City's reinforcements went deep into Luoyang Prison, it would definitely not be a good outcome. It was absolutely necessary to leave enough celestial troops to guard the exit. Otherwise, once the demonic and ghost army cut off their retreat and captured the most crucial exit, the other narrow exits would be fraught with danger. Even if some celestial troops could escape, it wouldn't be many. In the end, Jiuyang City's troops would also suffer a near annihilation. This outcome is clearly something that Jiuyang City cannot afford.

At this time, even if they sent some Immortal Army to the rescue while keeping a considerable number behind to guard, it was only a portion of the Immortal Army going to support the Celestial Punishment Palace Immortal Army who were intercepted. The force he dispatched wasn't particularly strong. If they failed to rescue them, at least hundreds of thousands of Immortal Army from Jiuyang City would likely be lost. Even if they succeeded in rescuing them, the best-case scenario still involved losses. After all, under the interception of the demon army, it was impossible for them to rescue the Celestial Punishment Palace's Immortal Army without any casualties.

Regardless of the outcome of the rescue, after suffering such a heavy loss this time, cooperation with Tiān Xíng Gōng would inevitably be criticized by Jiǔ Yāng Chéng. Although he held the City Lord's Seal, which could mobilize the Qi Yun of the entire city to help him overcome the Heavenly Human Five Decay Tribulation and greatly benefit his cultivation, the Heavenly Court's Qi Yun within the City Lord's Seal was not constant.

As for the governance of this city domain, whether the immortal people under his rule are loyal and content also relates to the quality of the City Lord's Seal. Once it deteriorates to a certain extent, it means he wants to stay in Jiuyang City, and the Honghao Heavenly Court will also select another capable individual to replace him. After all, Jiuyang City is also part of the Honghao Heavenly Court, and the heavenly court would not allow a city domain under its jurisdiction to fall into disrepair.

“Shao Qing, you go back to Jiuyang City and meet Wu Ming in person. Tell him the stakes and make sure he continues his position as Lord of Jiuyang. Tell him that as long as I am here at Jiu Ren Mountain, his position as Lord of Jiuyang will be unshakeable. As for who he chooses to work with, that is up to him. After I lead the immortal army to meet up, Jue Ming, you will stay behind with the army and make sure to guard the retreat route for the immortal army.”

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated!

Jiu Ren Shan was also someone who had gone through storms and trials. He made his decision immediately. The exit of Luo Yang Yu was relatively easy to defend. After leaving a certain amount of force, it would be difficult for the Ghost Demon army to capture it hastily. However, rescuing the celestial army sent by Tian Xing Gong was much more difficult. He didn't trust anyone else to go to Jiu Ren Shan.

Please: m.lstxt.ccn the Dragon Tomb. They massacred a large number of elite soldiers from the Seeking Dragon Division, even killing three Golden Immortal-level experts from the Seeking Dragon Division. These experts co...