The news of Yunyang City's fall and the Lofty Cloud Pavilion's occupation spread throughout the Cloud Empire in just two days.
The citizens of the Cloud Empire were all shocked.
Especially when they heard that the enemy had a Dou Ancestor powerhouse.
Several cities near Yunyang surrendered without a fight, all occupied by the Lofty Cloud Pavilion.
The National Preceptor, who came to support, retreated to Wu Ling after less than half a day of stalemate with the Lofty Cloud Pavilion.
A large amount of gold, silver, treasures, elixirs, and divine weapons were gathered into Yunyang.
After being poured out from the storage rings, they filled the entire courtyard of the city lord's mansion in Yunyang.
Every time the Lofty Cloud Pavilion occupied a city, they first plundered the city lord's mansion, then confiscated the properties of the major families in the city.
Some said Chen Mo was going too far, but Chen Mo didn't care.
War is like this, not child's play. Who would fight a war without benefits?
Moreover, Chen Mo had his limits; he did not target ordinary citizens and forbade his subordinates from using the Lofty Cloud Pavilion's banner to burn, kill, or loot.
City Lord's Mansion.
Main Hall.
"Grand Pavilion Master, great news! Old Clan Leader Nalan Jie and Princess Yao Ye, Miteer Clan Leader and Commander Qing Shan, Sect Leader Yun and Miss Yanran have successively captured Yuling, Shigan, and Chengjing. The eastern and western defense lines of Wu Ling are now indefensible, and it won't be long before we occupy Wu Ling."
Sha Luo, who had received the frontline report, walked in excitedly and said.
Hearing this, Chen Mo stood up from his chair and walked to the table in front.
On the table was a large map of the Cloud Empire, with many locations marked with the three black characters "Lofty Cloud Pavilion."
Chen Mo took out a brush from his storage ring and wrote "Lofty Cloud Pavilion" on the two cities Sha Luo mentioned.
Starting from Zhenggui Pass, moving from north to south.
So far, in less than half a month, the Lofty Cloud Pavilion had occupied dozens of cities, large and small, in the Cloud Empire, with the Lofty Cloud Pavilion's flags planted in all the cities east and west of Wu Ling.
In other words, if Chen Mo wished, his army could attack Wu Ling from the east and west at any time.
"Send them another surrender summons. If they still refuse, we will attack Wu Ling immediately!"
Although Chen Mo had Yun Yun, Queen Medusa, and others on his side, giving him an overwhelming advantage, there were still casualties, with nearly ten percent of the army lost.
As the war entered its final stage, it was likely that all the remaining powerhouses of the Cloud Empire had gathered in Wu Ling. To minimize losses, it was best to avoid fighting if possible.
"Yes, I will have someone draft the surrender summons immediately." Sha Luo was not a man of letters; this task required a professional.
After Sha Luo left, the vast hall was left with only Chen Mo.
Chen Mo stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Come out!"
"I am very puzzled. No matter how I look at it, you are only a one-star Dou Grand Master. How did you discover me?"
In a corner of the hall, as the air rippled, a voluptuous and curvaceous figure appeared in Chen Mo's sight.
It was Queen Medusa!
She wore a red, gold-trimmed bustier mini dress, a crown on her head, and her long, silky black hair cascaded down her shoulders, exuding a subtle allure. Her exposed fair neck and slender waist inexplicably made one's entire body feel a bit feverish.
"Or perhaps, there is also a powerful Soul Entity hidden within your body." These days, some memories of the Seven-Colored Tiny Snake gradually surfaced in Queen Medusa's mind, leading her to suspect that Chen Mo might also harbor a powerful Soul Entity.
Otherwise, everything that had happened before would be completely inexplicable.
"If that's what you think, then so be it!" Chen Mo saw no need to explain himself to her. He pretended to casually glance at Queen Medusa, and when she noticed, his gaze shifted slightly as he asked, "Where did you get that crown from?"
Noticing Chen Mo's evasive look, Queen Medusa smiled knowingly and swayed her hips as she approached him. Chen Mo could even catch a whiff of her unique, exotic fragrance.
Queen Medusa chuckled, "I found it in the treasury. It feels quite nice, doesn't it? Is it pretty?"
After saying this, Queen Medusa deliberately leaned in closer, seductively blinking at Chen Mo.
Without Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran around, Chen Mo's boldness knew no bounds.
He wrapped his arm around Queen Medusa's slender waist, his lips almost grazing her earlobe as he sneered, "It is pretty, but if you keep tempting me like this, be careful—I might just devour you."
With that, he shamelessly groped Queen Medusa before letting her go.
"You—" The touch on her sensitive spot instantly brought a blush to Queen Medusa's face, despite her usual boldness. A flash of killing intent flickered in her narrow eyes.
"What? Want to try again? Next time won't be so simple!" Chen Mo licked his lips and grinned.
"Pervert." Seeing that her seduction had backfired and she had instead been taken advantage of, Queen Medusa snorted coldly and turned to leave.
"By the way, has that Prince Qi agreed to surrender?" Chen Mo called out to her before she could leave.
Queen Medusa didn't give him a pleasant look. "That coward has a soft heart but a hard backbone. I suggest you deal with him sooner rather than later."
"Is there really someone in this world who isn't afraid of death?" Chen Mo found it hard to believe.
But Queen Medusa had already stopped paying attention to him. The air rippled as she stepped into it and disappeared.
"Oh, by the way, what's your real name?" Chen Mo didn't remember every detail from the original story, such as Medusa's name.
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"Whoosh!"
Queen Medusa's figure dissipated, and just as Chen Mo was beginning to feel disappointed, a cold voice echoed from the void:
"You may call me Qing Mo."
"Qing Mo? Which 'Qing' and which 'Mo'?"
...
In a dark underground location in Yunyang City.
As the most heavily guarded prison in Yunyang City, it housed only the most notorious criminals who had committed major crimes. Their cultivation had been abolished, and they were soon to be executed.
These past two days, the prison had been unusually noisy.
"Who would have thought that the mighty Prince Qi, the renowned Dou Emperor of the Cloud Empire, would end up imprisoned in the very dungeon he built? Karma is a bitch!"
"Haha, what goes around comes around! Su Shounian, did you ever imagine you'd end up like this?"
""
The prison echoed with the mocking laughter of the inmates.
Deep within the dungeon.
An old man dressed in white prison garb, shackled hand and foot, with his cultivation completely sealed, was imprisoned here.
If it had been the day he was first imprisoned, the old man would have been furious upon hearing the jeers of the prisoners. But after two days, he had grown accustomed to it, tuning out the incessant barking from outside.
"Clang!"
The heavy door of the dungeon creaked open, and a beam of sunlight pierced through the darkness, bringing a faint glimmer of light to the otherwise pitch-black cell.
The prisoners fell silent, not daring to make any more noise. In the dungeon,
the guards were what they feared the most.
Four guards led the way, and under the sunlight, a thin figure stepped into the dungeon.