Chapter 548: Xun Wei’s Plan
Chapter 548: Xun Wei’s Plan
Outside the city, Xiao Fang and Li Lian’s clones arrived just close enough to take in the full scope of the city.
The city was completely surrounded.
From their vantage point, it was clear—the area was swarming with soldiers, their formations layered and dense, sealing every entrance and exit. The scale alone was overwhelming.
Nearly an army within an army.
Sensing a familiar presence nearby, Xiao Fang shifted his attention and approached first.
A small group emerged from concealment, their bodies stained with blood, their auras suppressed but unstable from prolonged battle.
"Captain!" one of them said immediately upon seeing him.
"Miss Lian," another added, noticing her just behind him.
Xiao Fang didn’t waste a second.
"Give me an update."
The soldier stepped forward, his voice tense but controlled.
"Captain Wei and Xiao Hei are still inside the city. We can’t see what’s happening, but based on the troop movement and density, we estimate there are close to twenty thousand soldiers surrounding them."
His jaw tightened.
"And it gets worse..."
Xiao Fang remained silent, waiting.
"The commander leading the reinforcement army is General Song Guozhan," the soldier continued. "And his second-in-command..."
He hesitated briefly.
"...is the Song Clan Patriarch’s eldest son."
The air grew heavier.
Li Lian didn’t react to the names.
General Song Sen. The Patriarch’s eldest son. None of it mattered.
Her gaze remained fixed on the city walls, sharp and unwavering, as if she could already see through the layers of soldiers and formations standing between her and Xun Wei.
"Positions don’t matter," she said calmly. "Strength doesn’t matter. We just need an opening."
The soldiers exchanged glances, the tension in their expressions easing slightly at her words. To them, this wasn’t about strategy anymore. It was about loyalty.
One of Xun Wei’s team members stepped forward, his grip tightening around his weapon.
"Let us go with you," he said firmly. "We know the terrain inside the city. We can help create an opening."
Another stepped up beside him.
"We won’t slow you down."
More followed, their resolve clear despite their injuries, their eyes carrying the same determination.
"We’re going."
It wasn’t a request.
Li Lian’s gaze shifted toward them, her expression unreadable as she took in their condition—the blood, the exhaustion, the strain they could barely conceal. They were in no state for another direct engagement, yet none of them hesitated.
For a brief moment, she said nothing.
Then she stepped forward.
But before she could speak—
"Wait."
Xiao Fang’s voice cut through the tension. Calm. Certain.
Li Lian paused, her gaze shifting slightly toward him.
The others followed, confusion flickering across their faces.
Xiao Fang stood still, his blindfold shifting faintly in the wind, yet there was a subtle change in his posture. He wasn’t looking at them.
He was listening.
Beyond the walls, beyond the layers of soldiers and formations, he could feel it. The rhythm of movement. The flow of intent. The subtle shifts that others would miss entirely.
Xun Wei and Xiao Hei... They weren’t just running, they were positioning.
His brow furrowed slightly. He didn’t understand it, but there was one thing he was sure of
"They’re planning something."
Li Lian’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Planning?" she repeated.
Xiao Fang gave a faint nod.
"Xiao Hei’s movements... they’re too deliberate. She’s not just trying to escape. She’s guiding the flow."
He turned slightly toward the city.
"If we rush in now, we’ll disrupt it."
The group fell silent.
The soldiers looked at one another, uncertainty creeping into their expressions. Everything in them told them to act, to charge in, to do something—but Xiao Fang’s words carried weight.
He wasn’t guessing. He was certain.
"Then what do we do?" one of them asked.
Xiao Fang didn’t hesitate.
"Move to the south gate," he said. "Hold position there."
Their eyes widened slightly.
"The south gate?" one of them repeated.
"That’s where they’re heading," Xiao Fang replied calmly. "We’ll support her from the outside."
Li Lian studied him for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"...Understood."
The soldiers straightened immediately, their hesitation gone as they accepted the order.
Xiao Fang’s voice remained steady.
"And trust her."
A brief silence followed.
Then he added,
"Xun Wei will find a way out."
Doubt lingered in all of them.
The situation felt impossible—overwhelming odds, an entire army encircling the city, and Xun Wei trapped at its center. Yet despite the uncertainty weighing on their minds, none of them dared to question Xiao Fang’s orders.
In the next moment, they moved.
Their figures blurred as they repositioned, arriving outside the South Gate in near perfect unison. The area was heavily fortified, far more than any other exit, with dense formations layered upon one another and soldiers standing in tight ranks, their vigilance at its peak.
"What is Captain Fang thinking?" one of Xun Wei’s teammates whispered under his breath. "This gate is guarded the heaviest."
"Quiet," another replied sharply, his gaze fixed ahead.
Li Lian could feel the unease spreading through the group, the quiet tension beneath their discipline. Yet even she couldn’t deny the same thought lingering in her mind.
She didn’t understand it either.
Xun Wei was the weakest among the three of them, only at the Core Realm. Against an army of this scale, it made no logical sense for her to survive let alone break through, even with Xiao Hei’s help.
Although Xiao Fang used to be blind, his faith was not.
Their real bodies were too far to see the city, but even before his clone could arrive outside of the Song City, Xiao Fang’s real body could feel a familiar power coming from that direction.
What Li Lian hadn’t noticed was that Xiao Fang’s eyes weren’t violet now, they were golden.
[ Soul Search ]
He still couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Even from this great distance, he could still see it. Xun Wei’s soul power. It was as large as a behemoth, and burning like a raging forest fire.
Before Xun Wei had left for this mission, Xiao Fang had given her the Soul Devourer method to practice after her mission was completed. He assumed with her special body and being around so many lingering souls would make it easier for her to learn. But he had never expected her soul power to rise so dramatically. What he saw now was so far beyond his wildest expectations, it was nearly impossible to believe.