Granny Sue’s face twisted into a deep frown. She immediately gave orders in a harsh voice: “Lock down the entire city! Hunt down that demonic troublemaker! Drive every resident and merchant into the central plaza—I want to see who dares stir up trouble right under my nose!”
The City Lord’s manor cultivators received her command and sprang into action, driving everyone in the city—including traveling merchants—toward the central plaza.
General Quentin Shaw also frowned deeply. Failing to catch the troublemaker left him uneasy.
“No need to worry, General Quentin,” Granny Sue said, her voice cheerful. “This city belongs to me, Felix Fu. No demon or ghost can cause chaos here!”
Wearing Felix Fu’s skin, Granny Sue smiled. “With everyone herded together, even if that demonic artist is skilled at hiding, they won’t escape my grasp! Go ahead and summon the Imperial Preceptor’s forces—there are plenty of lawless folk in the Great Ruins who need discipline! By the way, I’ve long heard of the Imperial Preceptor’s reputation and admire him greatly. I wish I could meet him and learn from his wisdom!”
General Quentin pressed down his unease and smiled. “Rest assured, City Lord. The Imperial Preceptor is always fair and just. You’ve done great service for the Everpeace Empire—you’ll be promoted and enjoy prosperity soon. No need to keep guarding this desolate outpost.”
Granny Sue burst out laughing, brimming with pride. Suddenly, her tone turned vicious: “The troublemaker doesn’t know what’s good for them! Once caught, they’ll be executed by slow slicing, and their head hung on the city gate as a warning! Oh, and General Quentin, please put in a good word for me with the Imperial Preceptor. That demonic artist wasn’t me, Felix Fu—just to be clear…”
General Quentin understood and smiled. “Don’t worry, City Lord. I’ll be sure to recommend you to the Imperial Preceptor.”
Granny Sue let out a breath, her eyes glinting as she lowered her voice. “To be honest, I’ve run things here for years and collected some truly extraordinary treasures. Once the Imperial Preceptor enters the city, why not come with me and have a look? If you fancy anything, General Quentin, it’s yours…”
General Quentin was tempted—the Great Ruins was full of treasures, some dating back before the darkness. Felix Fu had operated here for years and surely amassed countless rare artifacts. If he could choose a few from the city lord’s vault, he’d make a fortune!
Atop the dragon pillar, Quinn Shepherd watched Deaf paint, wielding his brush as divine ability. The scene left him dazzled and full of admiration. Though he had studied painting and calligraphy with Deaf since childhood, he had never seen Deaf display such power before.
To delay over a hundred thousand Everpeace troops single-handedly—such skill was truly astonishing!
If no Everpeace expert could break Deaf’s divine ability, these hundred thousand troops might all perish under his art.
"Is that you up there, Quinn?"
Suddenly, Butcher’s voice came from below. Quinn leaned out to look, only to see Butcher swinging his pig‑butchering knife at the dragon pillar, though not a single blow actually landed. Quinn was puzzled.
Butcher kept swinging his knife, slowly rising until he landed atop the dragon pillar.
"What are you doing, Grandpa Butcher?" Quinn asked curiously.
"Burying a divine ability, to destroy the dragon pillar."
Butcher sheathed his knife, planted his hands on the dragon’s head, and looked out at the army advancing outside the city. He said: “Once the Everpeace troops enter the city, at midnight my divine ability will erupt, and this dragon pillar will shatter into pieces, destroyed by my saber light.”
Everpeace’s vanguard had been struck by Deaf’s attack, suffering countless casualties. At this moment, a second army was marching from the border fortress to join them, heading for Dragoncrest City.