The light in the horizon faded in the muggy temperature.

The long night was approaching, and the sky as far as the eye could see was full of oppressive blackness.

In the alternations of day and night, there was no pale-yellow setting sun in the far sky of Huating, only dark clouds.

The dark clouds sank lower and lower. Standing at the top of the Sky Academy and looked up, one would feel that the dark clouds all over the sky seemed within reach. If one took a deeper gaze, he could even vaguely see the blue lightning brewing inside the dark clouds.

In a cla.s.sroom on the top floor of the No. 3 teaching building in the Sky Academy, Zhuang Huayang looked through the window at the lower and lower clouds above him. He sighed in a low voice with worry, his face complicated. “It’s raining tonight.”

“It’s normal for the weather to change. You have gone through ups and downs. Besides, we have an umbrella. Why should you worry, Headmaster Zhuang?”

Ye Dongsheng, who was known as the G.o.d of Army in Zhongzhou State, slowly came to Zhuang Huayang and said with a gentle smile.

The G.o.d of Army of Zhongzhou State, who was from the Southeast Group and was deeply valued by all parties currently, was rather plain-looking. However, dressed in military uniform now, he acted with ineffable virility; not the arrogance and fierceness of the warriors but the deep, refined sagacity and calmness. Simple as he was, he gave the impression that everything was under control.

“The older I get, the timider I become.”

Zhuang Huayang wore a self-mocking smile. He turned to look at Ye Dongsheng and said smilingly, “I am not as confident as you, Marshal Ye. Tonight, the wind is blowing hard, and the rain is pouring down, but our umbrella is a little small. I’m afraid the wind and rain will break our umbrella.”

Ye Dongsheng smiled. As his narrowed eyes were fixed on the figure standing in front of the other window, he said with a smile, “Old Gu, did you hear that? The princ.i.p.al didn’t think your umbrella is big enough. If you can’t protect the Sky Academy tonight and p.i.s.s the princ.i.p.al off, don’t blame me for not reminding you.”

“That can’t be helped.”

Gu Xingyun, who looked out the window gravely, said placidly, “Every elite of Kunlun City is here. Tonight, I will do my best and die without regret. What can the storm do to us even if it’s ten times fiercer tonight if it weren’t for someone trying to preserve his strength?”

Ye Dongsheng said gently, his face unchanged, “Your Highness, you are too serious. Now, everyone is trying their best. How come you said so?”

There was a sneer of contempt on Gu Xingyun’s refined, almost gentle face. Instead of looking back, he just asked sharply, “Try their best? The w.a.n.g family of Beihai?”

The smile faded from Ye Dongsheng’s face, and his tone gradually became rigid, as if he were making an official statement with no substance. “His Majesty the Sword Emperor has taken the Human Emperor to the southwestern border. With only one gun and one person, the w.a.n.g family of Beihai’s output is no less than that of Kunlun City. Moreover, Beihai Province has a vast territory and is close to East Island. How can His Majesty reveal any flaw? As a result, some elites would naturally stay in Beihai Province and garrison it. All the high-level officials tacitly approved this. What can Your Highness’s sarcasm change at this point? Are you afraid?”

“Afraid?! ”

Gu Xingyun jerked his head around and looked at Ye Dongsheng. His voice was soft, but his eyes were cold.

“Hey, don’t wander from the subject.”

Zhuang Huayang stood aside, smiling, and pointed out of the window. He gently sighed with emotion with a strange gleam in his deep eyes. “The rainstorm is coming.”

A dull, sudden thunderbolt rolled across the sky, and the pale blue lightning tore the night apart. The gla.s.s trembled in the thunder. The pouring rain swept through Huating without warning.

Gu Xingyun and Ye Dongsheng no longer spoke. The two turned at the same time and looked gravely at a screen in the room.

They were now in the largest cla.s.sroom in the No. 3 teaching building, covering an area of nearly 2,000 square meters. One of its walls with a width of 100 meters was made into a huge screen. At this time, the screen lit up, and the scene looked stunning.

Hundreds of computers lined up vertically in the cla.s.sroom. As the pouring rain fell, at least two military elites were busy working on every computer in front of them. The crackling clatter of the keys and the sound of the rain mixed. The images on the big screen were also constantly changing in the bustle of the military elites.

Gu Xingyun, Ye Dongsheng, and Zhuang Huayang were all staring at the screen, watching attentively.

However, the big screen had been divided into countless windows at this time, and the pictures on each window switched like water. Even though the three had amazing eyesight, their eyes were instinctively uncomfortable after watching the screen for a while.

On the whole big screen, the real-time images of every corner of the entire Huating were switching. The images of every street, every intersection, and every highway were continually changing at a speed so fast that they felt dazzling.

The large cla.s.sroom was quiet for a while.

The three looked closely at the screen in front of them, for fear of missing any details.

The fifth night.

It was the most crucial time.

At this time, Huating, from the urban area to the Sky Academy, had become one of the most heavily guarded places in the whole Zhongzhou State.

In particular, the Sky Academy was a combustible and explosive powder keg. The experts from the five forces who came to the Sky Academy to watch the fighting were all trapped here; Tianhai Wuji, the Master of Wuji Palace, Liusheng Cangquan, the Master of Jifeng Sword-reining School, Jiang Qiannian, the second in command of the Jiang family of South America, Chaos, the Commander of Knights Templars, and Huan Kong, the Lord of Fantasy World…

There were five Invincible Realm masters, not to mention the Thunder-shocking Realm masters they brought here.

The Sky Academy had not been idle during all this time. These were people of extraordinary status and dignity. Thus, they could not be killed randomly. Not to mention whether it would bring shame and dishonor on Zhongzhou State as a superpower if it did so, even if Zhongzhou State didn’t care about it, it was hard for it to bear the consequences of killing them. They came to Zhongzhou State just to watch the fighting. If they really died in Huating, perhaps the Special Warfare System of Zhongzhou State would have a hard time moving within their sphere of influence in the future. After all, all the dark forces had complicated inside stories behind them. Trapping them was already not virtuous and sincere. If they were killed when they were here to watch the fighting, Zhongzhou State would make many enemies at once.

However, although they could not be killed, Zhuang Huayang didn’t make them feel any better. He invited one of the Li family’s previous sacred guards, Yu Donglai, to the Sky Academy, and asked him to play a trick almost daily while cooking their meals.

Yu Donglai was known as a Poison Physician and was famous throughout the Dark World back then. When it came to poison, he was absolutely a grandmaster. Nevertheless, to poison five Invincible Realm masters and tens of Thunder-shocking Realm experts without killing them or letting them be aware of that was quite tricky. Even Yu Donglai did his best to make up the poison, carefully controlling the dose.

The poison that Yu Donglai made up would do little harm to their bodies and reduce their physical strength, but the primary toxicity was aimed at eroding their spirit. The spirit determined the will, and the will was as important as the strength in Martial Arts. If the will was not focused enough, the maximum power couldn’t be exerted, and the battle strength was destined to be greatly reduced. The best thing about this kind of poison was that it was hard to be perceived, but the downside was that it took effect very slowly. For days, those special prisoners had taken the poisonous meals every day, but the poison was not that effective.

The battle strength of the five Invincible Realm masters and those Thunder-shocking Realm experts may decline, but not much. At least the five Invincible Realm masters possessed the combat strength above the Half-step Invincible Realm, even if they lost their power in their heyday. That was the maximum toxicity that Yu Donglai’s poison could exert.

Now w.a.n.g Tianzong had already gone to the border of Zhongzhou State, and the Master of Samsara Palace was said to have left the Sky Academy to heal her wounds secretly. The only one Invincible Realm master, Gu Xingyun, was left in the entire Sky Academy. When the Sky Academy lacked defense, the five Invincible Realm masters were like five bloodcurdling monsters to Zhongzhou State, even if they were not at their peak. If they took advantage of the chaos to break out of the encirclement, it would be a disaster for the whole Huating.

They may not know the situation inside the Sky Academy, but there was something in the wind in Huating right now.

After all, as Tianhai Wuji and Liusheng Cangquan entered Zhongzhou State, a considerable part of the special warfare elites in East Island were lurking in Huating. During this period, Kunlun City issued a search warrant, and the whole Special Warfare System was searching them in Huating. Although many people were found, some escaped elites remained hidden in the dark. They were both in Huating. Facing an excellent opportunity, even if some were in the Sky Academy, the two sides could still find a way to make contact with each other.

Now it was the fifth night of the seven-day time limit.

The five dark forces seemed to have a tacit understanding with East Island in the dark. During this delicate period, the five forces joined hands with Annan State to invade the Zhongzhou border. As w.a.n.g Tianzong left, the Sky Academy and Huating suddenly lost a strand of power of shock and awe. If the hostile force trapped in Huating and the Sky Academy could break out of the encirclement tonight, they were still able to reach Changdao during this period. The final battle of Changdao may have come to a head by then. The masters who broke out of the encirclement were enough to become a force to change the outcome of the final battle of Changdao.

Zhongzhou State was not blind to the change happening on the border. But in any case, it had never occurred to it that the change of the border turned out to be the joint effort of the five dark forces. This was something that had not happened in the past few decades. Moreover, the ability of the five forces to abandon grudges between them and go together spoke volumes about their determination and ambition. Probably, a certain Invincible Realm master, who was very highly ranked on the Divine List, would appear in the battle of the border. w.a.n.g Tianzong, who initially a.s.sumed personal command in Huating, could only rush to the southwestern border to help others to cope with the emergency.

As soon as he left, Huating suddenly became empty.

In the past few days, the elites of Asura Path, Great Soaring Temple, Shadow Sect, Kunlun City and other inst.i.tutions could only rush to Huating in a hurry to supplement the power of Huating.

This group of people, as planned, was the third batch of elites that was supposed to go to East Island. At this point, however, they were used to defend Huating. The elites in East Island suddenly lacked support.

The game involved many parties and was full of variables, after all. A slight move in one part may affect the situation as a whole. Zhongzhou State initially had a clear head start. With the five forces invading the border, however, its strength in Huating and East Island suddenly appeared insufficient. Its original advantage was erased. What was worse, if they failed to hold Huating tonight, by the time the hostile elites reached East Island, the situation would be turned upside down and hung by a thread.

If the worst were to happen, not to mention what would happen to East Island, Zhongzhou State would undoubtedly be significantly weakened. Not to mention the outward expansion, even to defend the homeland would become a problem. By then, the five forces would take advantage of this opportunity to invade Zhongzhou State. Perhaps the battle of Changdao would be put on the stage again in Zhongzhou State.

If that was the case, then as the prime promoter of the conspiracy against East Island, Gu Xingyun was bound to be blamed, and the good situation would come to naught.

Maybe that was what some people wanted.

Staring at the screen in front of him, Gu Xingyun looked calm and refined, but his eyes were cold.

This situation was not irreversible, but there was not much he could do.

The w.a.n.g family of Beihai had become the key to breaking the ice.

As the behind-the-scenes boss of the Zhongzhou Southeast Group, the w.a.n.g family of Beihai, which had a hint of being an independent country in Zhongzhou State, had been flourishing for more than 500 years, and its history and culture were rich enough to make everyone’s blood freeze.

w.a.n.g Tianzong took the Human Emperor to the southwestern border.

Firmament, the Enchantress, Black Pupil, and w.a.n.g Shengxiao all entered East Island.

The input of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai was quite big, but it was far from their full strength. If a mult.i.tude of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai’s elites had joined the battle, Zhongzhou State would not have been trapped in a corner.

In recent days, more than one Zhongzhou high official had requested w.a.n.g Tianzong to increase his input of strength in East Island. However, the att.i.tude of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai was extremely determined. They had made it clear that they wanted to keep their strength to defend Beihai Province in this sensitive situation. Moreover, they did input a lot. Even if everyone knew that they were preserving their power, they had nothing to say.

As the saying went, every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost.

The general trend was turbulent, and the situation was changing. Who could free himself from selfishness?

As the Zhongzhou G.o.d of War, Gu Xingyun himself didn’t think he could do it all wholeheartedly for Zhongzhou State. How could he require the Beihai Province, which had delicate relations with Zhongzhou State, to do so?

Perhaps only the Li family could do this.

Unfortunately, Kunlun City and the Li family were not destined to coexist in Zhongzhou State.

A bolt of glaring blue lightning flashed across the big screen that was spinning fast.

The lightning rushed to the sky and blew up the surging river.

Gu Xingyun’s pupils contracted suddenly, and he shouted automatically, “Window No. 27, play back!”

There was no need to play back at all. A deep, crazy voice sounded through the downpour and directly echoed in the night sky of the Sky Academy.

“Gu Xingyun, come out to fight me!”

The loud sound vibrated in the night sky. And the image replayed by window No. 27 was precisely the front door of the Sky Academy.

A figure stood high above the river and was covered in dazzling lightning.

This was not a sign of seeking a battle.

It was an obvious signal.

Meanwhile, on the screen that continued to scroll, countless windows appeared chaotic almost at the same time.

Multiple streets of Huating were attacked by unknown masters at the same time. Flashes of lightning and fire appeared at every intersection. Accompanied by violent explosions, cars and pedestrians were all crowded together. The traffic in the whole city suddenly turned chaotic.

The elites from East Island hiding in the downtown of Huating began to break out of the encirclement in the rainy night.

Zhuang Huayang quietly looked at the screen in front of him and said insipidly, “It’s raining hard. I don’t know how many small fish and shrimps can swim back to Changdao overnight after this rain… Hehe, they’ll be big fish when they get back to Changdao.”

At this moment, perhaps only Ye Dongsheng, the Zhongzhou G.o.d of Army, could laugh out loud. He chuckled and shook his head, saying slowly, “Princ.i.p.al, Huating is not far from Changdao. The two places are only separated by a sea area. It should be raining in Changdao now… The rain in Huating can’t drown them, but that’s not necessarily the case in Changdao.”

Zhuang Huayang was stunned.

Gu Xingyun, however, had turned around.

He stared at Ye Dongsheng’s indifferent face for a long while and then said coldly, “You are indeed good schemers.”

Ye Dongsheng smiled lightly and said nothing.

However, in such a changing situation, Gu Xingyun was sure that the w.a.n.g family of Beihai were not guarding Beihai Province at all, though they left the main force there instead of supporting Huating or the border.

This was an unrestrained gamble.

The main force of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai perhaps had already secretly entered Changdao!

They went deep in the enemy’s rear in a dangerous situation. The decision-maker was indeed an ambitious person full of daring.

If the w.a.n.g family of Beihai won the final battle of Changdao, even if Huating suffered heavy losses, and even if the border failed in the battle, it would be a win for Zhongzhou State.

A bitter victory was also a victory.

However, Gu Xingyun had to bear the consequences of losing the battle in Huating alone.

They were indeed good schemers!

There was a flash of killing intent in Gu Xingyun’s eyes.

In this battle, the five Invincible Realm masters were not at their peak.

He was seriously injured on the spot after fighting with the Governor of Samsara.

Although he spent a precious potion that was regarded as the treasure of Kunlun City healing his injuries, he was now not at his peak, either.

In the rainy night, he was destined to have a hard time tonight.

“Gu Xingyun! Come out for a fight!”

In front of the Sky Academy, the seemingly reckless challenge of the opponent sounded again, as the thunder.

“Boom!”

Before Gu Xingyun could act, a six-story residential building in the residential area of the Sky Academy was instantly shattered by the tremendous force.

The five Invincible Realm masters trapped in the Sky Academy slowly moved forward in the ruins.

The entire Sky Academy was filled with raging killing intent in a flash!