CHAPTER 1154: CHAPTER 1154: THE ENEMY ATTACKS

"Subordinate Fang Mo greets the Hall Master!" the coachman immediately conveyed a message, and in the next moment, he was about to kneel and bow.

Xu Nian waved his hand, a surge of power emerged, directly supporting Fang Mo, preventing him from bowing.

"You disguised yourself here, surely for your own purpose, don’t reveal yourself because of me," Xu Nian transmitted the message.

Fang Mo nodded in response.

"Hall Master, didn’t you say you had already left the Tianhen Continent? How come you are here?" Fang Mo asked in surprise via message.

"I came back for some matters. How is the Divine River Palace now?" Xu Nian pondered before asking.

At first, when he left the Divine River Palace, he directly relinquished his position as Hall Master.

As for who became the Hall Master later, he did not inquire.

"Hall Master, you may not know, the Divine River Palace has now gone into hiding, turning covert. The headquarters in the Imperial City no longer exists, and its members have scattered across the country," Fang Mo sighed in response.

Xu Nian nodded, not showing the slightest surprise.

With the Imperial City being occupied by that Emperor Xing, it is of course impossible to tolerate the Divine River Palace existing under his nose.

It is already a blessing that the Divine River Palace managed to survive.

"Who is the current Hall Master of the Divine River Palace?" Xu Nian asked.

"The current Hall Master of the Divine River Palace, you actually know him, he is your disciple Wu Dong," Fang Mo replied.

"Wu Dong?" Xu Nian was taken aback.

Only then did he recall that he had once accepted a young man named Wu Dong in a remote village.

Wu Dong was born with the physique of the Vajra Realm, known as the Vajra Dominant Body.

Xu Nian had also taught him the Divine Demon Refining Body Technique, and now several years have passed.

By logic, with his Vajra physique, he should have reached the Vajra Realm.

Originally, Xu Nian thought he had entered the Cultivation World, but unexpectedly he stayed on the Tianhen Continent and even became the Hall Master of the Divine River Palace.

"Were you hiding here under Wu Dong’s orders?" Xu Nian thought for a moment and continued to ask.

"Yes, I was acting on the new Hall Master’s orders. He instructed me to secretly protect this caravan to safely enter the Imperial City," Fang Mo replied.

"Safely enter the Imperial City?" Xu Nian was a bit surprised.

If Wu Dong already knew the importance of this cargo, he should, by logic, find a way to intercept it.

Why would he have Fang Mo secretly escort it?

But if he didn’t know, then why would he take this cargo seriously and have someone secretly protect it?

Moreover, if this cargo enters the Imperial City, it would undeniably be under Emperor Xing’s nose, effectively delivering the treasures to him.

"Although I don’t know what is in the cargo, I know this cargo is extremely valuable. I also know that if it enters the Imperial City, it very likely could fall into Emperor Xing’s hands. But the Hall Master instructed that this cargo must be safely delivered into the city, and I’m simply obeying orders," Fang Mo said.

Xu Nian nodded, knowing that Fang Mo, with his limited cultivation, didn’t know much.

For the Battle Emperors and Saint Levels, even a single drop of this Ice Jade Marrow is immensely beneficial, only they don’t know it.

"How are the Four Great Families of the Imperial City nowadays?" Xu Nian asked again.

"Of the current Four Great Families, only the Fang Family and Ye Family remain; the others, the Leng Family and Xu Family, have already left the Imperial City and chosen reclusion," Fang Mo said.

Xu Nian nodded.

Back when Xu Xin left the Imperial City, she passed the throne to an outstanding young man from the Xu Family, Xu Hong.

But unexpectedly, before Xu Hong held power for a few years, he was suddenly killed by the emerging Emperor Xing, who seized the throne.

The Xu Family was gravely injured, forced to flee the Imperial City and choose reclusion.

As for the Leng Family, due to Leng Yanran, they also chose to avoid the world.

The Fang Family and Ye Family continued to exist in the Imperial City because they chose to side with Emperor Xing.

Therefore, of the original Four Great Families, now only two families remain.

"By the way, have you ever seen the Starry Sky Fragment?" Xu Nian thought of a crucial question and quickly asked.

"Starry Sky Fragment? No, I’ve never seen it, but I’ve heard someone mention that an auction item at an auction in East Field County was indeed the Starry Sky Fragment. Later, I heard it was bought by someone, but who specifically acquired it, I don’t know," Fang Mo replied.

Xu Nian was slightly disappointed.

It turns out that Fang Mo had only heard of this Starry Sky Fragment, and it wasn’t in his possession.

Who holds that Starry Sky Fragment?

Could it be the wealthy merchant?

Thinking of this, Xu Nian couldn’t help but feel somewhat troubled.

In his view, the most unlikely person to possess the fragment would be a wealthy merchant.

But now both Li Qingxian and Fang Mo said they’ve never seen the Starry Sky Fragment, which makes the wealthy merchant the primary suspect.

"Looks like I’ll have to talk with that wealthy merchant," Xu Nian thought silently.

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he quickly turned to look north, a hint of surprise showing on his face.

"It seems they’re really coming for this direction," Xu Nian murmured to himself.

Just moments ago, his Spiritual Sense detected that a large group of martial artists was approaching this way.

Shockingly, there were thirty martial artists, eighteen of whom were Marquis Level, nine were Saints, and three were Battle Emperors, including two One-star Battle Emperors and one Nine-star Battle Emperor.

With Fang Mo’s Three-star Battle Emperor cultivation, he could handle those twenty-nine strong attackers, but he couldn’t deal with the Nine-star Battle Emperor.

As for the Star River Mercenary Corps leader, he was certainly no match for these people.

Of course, if Xu Nian were to take action, no number of Nine-star Battle Emperors would be a match for him.

Fang Mo also sensed the threat, his expression growing solemn.

"Enemy attack, everyone protect the cargo!"

At this moment, Li Qingxian shouted.

Instantly, the members of the Mercenary Corps leaped to the nearby carriages, vigilantly observing the surroundings.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

A succession of sounds slicing through the air followed.

In the next moment, thirty strong individuals appeared above Xu Nian’s caravan, surrounding them from above in mid-air.

The Star River Mercenary Corps members were immediately alarmed at this sight.

These thirty people were all capable of flying, meaning they were at least Marquis Level in strength, weren’t they?

Li Qingxian’s expression also turned serious because he observed there were actually nine individuals at the Saint Level among them, and most critically, there were also three experts at the Battle Emperor level.

This meant he was completely incapable of resisting this group.

The face of the wealthy merchant also changed to one of fear and despair.

He couldn’t comprehend how this cargo, which he had hidden so carefully, could have its information leaked.

"Who are you, and why are you blocking our path?" Star River Mercenary Corps leader Li Qingxian asked aloud.

"We are none of your concern. If you hand over all the goods, we may spare your lives," a man replied.

He was one of the nine Saints, and the only Nine-star Battle Saint among them.

Upon hearing this, Li Qingxian frowned. Their target was indeed the cargo.

Yet he couldn’t understand why Ice Jade Stone, although precious, would have such immense allure.