Chapter 106: Flame City, a Powder Keg?

In the Hall of Divine Strategy, a vast amount of intelligence flowed in and out, with everyone busily engaged and full of vigor.

“Old Li, when will the envoy from the Celestial Sacred Palace arrive at Flame City?” Hu Mo asked softly, rubbing his slightly aching head.

“Master Hu, the Celestial Sacred Palace’s Supreme Envoy will arrive at Flame City no later than three days from now. At that time, representatives from the Ice Wave Sect, Golden Soul Hall, Fire God Valley, Divine Wood Cult, and Heavenly Earth Sect will all come. They say it concerns two matters: one, the recent invasion by the alien race; the other, the capture of the Four Ice Dragons of the Ice Wave Sect, which is said to be closely related to Fire God Valley,” Old Li replied meticulously, his expression unchanged, the wrinkles on his face subtly shifting, etched by the vicissitudes of time.

Hu Mo sighed deeply, his mood growing heavier. In recent days, he had focused on developing the Hall of Divine Strategy, dispatching large numbers of agents across the Continent of War to gather intelligence. This had increased the flow of information nearly tenfold, accelerating the hall’s growth tremendously.

Yet Hu Mo felt little joy. The unfavorable intelligence was overwhelming, causing him a severe headache. Just the current matter alone had caught him off guard.

In three days, the Celestial Sacred Palace and the five great sects would convene at Flame City. Both the alien invasion and the Four Ice Dragons’ situation were directly tied to Hu Mo. With the entire continent’s powers now mobilizing, it was difficult to prevent suspicion from falling on him. He had been troubled over this for several days.

“Uncle Zhang, how are the major families in Flame City reacting? Any unusual movements lately?” Hu Mo covered his forehead and asked again.

A middle-aged man in a blue robe approached, bowing slightly. “Master Hu, Flame City has been relatively calm recently. But in situations like this, the calmer it is, the more abnormal it seems, especially with the Situ and Xu families. These two were formerly fierce rivals of our Hu family, yet they have both fallen silent in recent days, which is quite suspicious.”

The blue-robed man furrowed his brows, his voice filled with worry and anxiety.

“Situ and Xu families?” Hu Mo suddenly frowned, recalling a scene he had witnessed one night.

These two families had close ties with the enemy nation. Hu Mo was certain the people they received last time were from the Ice Wave Sect and Golden Soul Hall. The Ice Wave Sect had restrained itself somewhat due to the injuries of the Four Ice Dragons, which was understandable. But why had Golden Soul Hall remained inactive since entering Flame City? That was truly abnormal.

“Increase our personnel, mainly to monitor these two families. Uncle Zhang, I asked you before to investigate Situ Feng’s background. Any leads?” Hu Mo’s tension was palpable, giving him an almost paranoid aura.

Uncle Zhang nodded. “Not much intelligence, mainly because the eldest young master of the Situ family has a mysterious past. He was sent out of Flame City when he was only four or five and only returned five years ago. At that time, since he was just a child, the Marshal didn’t pay much attention. But after his return, he made a stunning impression. Unfortunately, it became much harder to track information about him. Currently, we only have records of his major actions over recent years and the gradual changes in his combat strength. Other details are very difficult to find.”

Hu Mo’s brows knitted deeply. In all of Flame City, there were few people he could not see through, and Situ Feng was one of them. He had long wanted to uncover the truth about Situ Feng, to understand why this young man was connected to the Ice Wave Sect.

Noticing Hu Mo’s frown, Old Li smiled faintly and stepped forward, bowing slightly. “Master Hu, although the intelligence is sparse, much has been revealed about Situ Feng. The primary worshipper of the Situ family, Bai Han, is a Water Attribute Battle Emperor, immensely powerful and not to be underestimated. Situ Feng himself trains in water-based combat power and has reached the Battle King level at such a young age. Clearly, they have an ambiguous relationship with the Ice Wave Sect.”

Hu Mo nodded. “I know that and have thought about it. But if that’s the case, surely many would understand. His Majesty the Emperor is so wise; he cannot be unaware. So why do they tolerate Situ Feng’s existence?”

Seeing the perplexity on Hu Mo’s face, Old Li shook his head. “Master Hu, you don’t know. Although the Heavenly Fire Empire and the Cold Water Empire have long been enemies, there have never been restrictions on warrior cultivation. Just like our Fire Nation has many warriors of metal, earth, and wood attributes, all five great nations embrace diversity in this regard. Even if you join a sect in another country, as long as you don’t harm your own homeland, it’s permitted. This is a decree from the Celestial Sacred Palace, and no one on the continent may violate it.”

“I see...” Hu Mo breathed out in sudden understanding, then casually asked, “Then, if Situ Feng were to aid the Ice Wave Sect against our Heavenly Fire Empire, what would be the consequence?”

“Treason, punishable by extermination of nine generations!” Old Li’s expression turned cold, his voice stern and unyielding.

“But that’s just speculation. The Situ family wouldn’t be foolish enough to do such a thing. The Cold Water Empire is our greatest enemy, and the Situ family is one of our most important clans. Old fox Situ Aoyun wouldn’t be so impulsive as to rebel.” Uncle Zhang looked puzzled. According to his reasoning, there was no chance of such a thing.

Hu Mo smiled faintly, shaking his head, then recounted the previous incident to them. Upon hearing it, everyone immediately stood from their seats, their faces filled with disbelief.

“How can this be! It might be plausible for the Situ family to have ties with the Ice Wave Sect, but how could the Xu family be involved with Golden Soul Hall? They are ultimately loyal to the royal house. If even they harbor rebellious thoughts, then the situation in Flame City...” Uncle Zhang suddenly broke into a cold sweat. The news was truly shocking!

Hu Mo sighed softly. “I saw it with my own eyes. If my master hadn’t dragged me there, I wouldn’t have believed it either. I’ve thought about this for a long time without finding clarity, which is why I wanted to discuss it with you all. Flame City has become a massive powder keg. Whichever side makes the first move, our Hu family will be the first to bear the brunt. If the Cold Water Empire seizes this opportunity to attack us from both inside and out, how can the Heavenly Fire Empire possibly withstand it?”

Hu Mo’s words plunged everyone’s spirits into a deep valley. This was a matter of national fate, and every heart was tightened, bearing immense pressure.

“Master Hu, this is not something we can resolve with a few words,” Old Li sighed deeply, shaking his head in frustration.

“Indeed. Unless our Hu family can unite all the forces in Flame City except the Situ and Xu families and reach an agreement with the royal house, perhaps we can withstand their rebellion. But currently, our Hu family is at a disadvantage, and the Xu family openly supports the royal house. His Majesty will not trust us,” Uncle Zhang sighed as well, falling silent.

Seeing this scene, Hu Mo’s already heavy heart grew even heavier. If it were merely a cultivation bottleneck, at least he could fight through it with sheer will. But this was far more complicated—layer upon layer of tangled relationships. Solve one issue, and the next remains. Gradually, he felt himself running out of options.

“Have you given up, my dear grandson?” A light laugh came from nearby. The group, deep in thought over solutions, hadn’t noticed Hu Yihu’s arrival.

“Your subordinate salutes the Marshal!” Soon, more than a dozen people kneeled, instantly easing the tense atmosphere.

“Grandfather, you’re here. Haha, please have a seat. Xiao Hong, quickly pour some tea!” Hu Mo hurriedly greeted him, his previously tense mood relaxing greatly.

“Haha, everyone, stand up! There’s no Marshal here—only your young master. I’m just an old fellow dropping by as a rare guest, here to mooch some tea, haha...” Hu Yihu laughed heartily, his large eyes crescent-shaped with mirth.

Everyone relaxed and laughed aloud. Hu Mo couldn’t help but admire Hu Yihu; his old-fashioned style had once made the atmosphere unbearable, and he silently thanked himself for learning a new trick.

Soon, the tea arrived. Hu Yihu made himself comfortable in a beast-skin chair and sipped contentedly, as if savoring a pleasant afternoon.

Hu Mo’s mood relaxed briefly before tightening again. This was no time for leisure; so many matters pressed upon him, suffocating him.

“Grandfather, how do you have the time to visit us? You should be playing chess at this hour,” Hu Mo said with a smile, subtly hinting it was time to leave.

“Chess? No mood for that! Flame City is about to explode soon; who’d have time for chess? Haha, little one, do you think this old man is useless, just getting in your way? Well then, I won’t share my ideas! Some little rascals just want to figure things out on their own! Hahaha...” Hu Yihu suddenly stood, dusted off his clothes, and swept out with a flourish.

Apologies for being twenty minutes late.