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The Shrek Five Monsters traveled intermittently, constantly gathering intelligence about the continent.
Although the two empires were still exercising restraint, the situation had changed drastically since they left.
Once a full-scale war broke out, there would be no struggle for the crown prince position in the Star Luo Empire's court—this was unfavorable for Dai Mubai.
If Dai Weisi achieved repeated military successes during the war, Dai Mubai would completely lose his chance to inherit the throne.
But how could Tang San's group, with their current strength and status, influence the situation on the continent?
For now, the only thing they could do was quickly recruit the Long She Family to bolster the reputation of the Tang Sect and complete the fifth trial of the Sea God.
If the situation worsened in the future, they would have no choice but to wait until he completed all nine trials and inherited the position of the Sea God!
The Balak Kingdom was currently under the control of the Spirit Hall, and the Shrek Five Monsters' carriage couldn't pass through the regular roads into the kingdom.
But this posed no challenge to the clever Tang San.
Under the cover of night, the Shrek Five Monsters relied on Tang San's flight ability to enter the Balak Kingdom one by one.
A few days later, they arrived at Balak City.
Balak City's defenses were impenetrable, and strict controls were imposed on outsiders. For the time being, the Shrek Five Monsters couldn't find a way into the city and had to set up camp outside the walls to observe any vulnerabilities in the city's patrols.
Bai He, who had been following them from behind, received a message from Ning Fengzhi and decided to stop tracking them.
First, he could no longer extract useful information from the Shrek Five Monsters. Second, a mere family like the Long She Family wasn't enough to change the situation on the continent, and neither the Tianjian Sect nor the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had much interest in them.
Even if the Tang Sect absorbed the Long She Family, it would at most grow into a medium-sized sect—far from reaching the level of upper-tier sects like the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect or the Tianjian Sect.
Moreover, the Tang Sect was located within the Star Luo Empire, far from their sphere of influence, so there was no need to fight them directly.
As Ning Fengzhi had said, the Tang Sect might even become a vanguard force (or cannon fodder) against the Spirit Hall in the future. They didn't need to suppress them and could even offer some assistance.
Outside Balak City.
After several days without a suitable opportunity to infiltrate, Dai Mubai grew increasingly impatient.
"What's going on with the Balak Kingdom? There's hardly any fighting at the border, yet they've imposed martial law!"
Balak City was located deep within the kingdom, and the Balak Kingdom's army was among the strongest on the continent. Why would they impose martial law on their capital?
Of course, with their limited intelligence, they were unaware that the Spirit Hall had already taken control of the Balak Kingdom.
They simply thought the king of Balak was losing his mind.
A nation's capital was tied to its dignity. Imposing such high-level restrictions would only drive merchants away.
Tang San frowned, equally perplexed.
"The situation has already unfolded. Complaining won't help. Mubai, at night, try to get as close to the city walls as possible and look for weak points."
"With such strict martial law inside the city, there must be gaps near the walls for nobles and merchants to enter and exit."
"The only safe way for us to enter is to find these weak points."
It wasn't that Tang San didn't want to fly into the city at night—it was just that the curfew was too strict.
During the day, things were relatively relaxed, but at night, soldiers patrolled the streets, and soul-guided searchlights continuously scanned the skies. If discovered, the consequences would be dire.
By comparison, entering during the day was easier. But in broad daylight, someone descending from the sky wouldn't go unnoticed by the townsfolk, and they'd immediately report it to the authorities.
Yu Tianxin said gravely, "At night, there are also a few patrol teams outside the city. Getting close to the walls won't be easy."
After a pause, he added uncertainly, "In this situation, is it possible that the Long She Family has already left Balak City?"
Tang San had the same suspicion, but they had no other options.
The intelligence capabilities of the Tang Sect were extremely limited. Gathering intelligence within the Star Luo Empire was already difficult, let alone within the Balak Kingdom.
Moreover, when they left the Tang Sect two years ago, they hadn't been tasked with investigating the Long She Family.
If they returned now and started from scratch, who knew how long it would take.
Since they had come this far, they might as well investigate themselves. Even if the Long She Family wasn't in Balak City, once inside, they could inquire about their whereabouts.
"No matter what, we must enter the city."
"Everyone, listen to me…"
…
At sea.
The Manta Ray sailed at great speed.
During this time, Ning Tianchen digested his insights into the Asura God's power, and his spirit power level successfully broke through to Level 89.
Level 90 was the greatest barrier for soul masters to overcome. To cross this threshold, it would take at least a year.
Rather than rushing to break through, Ning Tianchen had a new idea.
The sea was home to countless ten-thousand, and hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, among which the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was the most powerful.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's cultivation was nearly a million years, just a step away from becoming a Divine Beast.
However, due to the rules of the God Realm, he could never take that final step. Even if he attempted to ascend to godhood, the resulting Heavenly Tribulation would only lead to his death.
For Ning Tianchen at Level 89, if a soul beast offered itself as a sacrifice, he could directly break through to become a Title Douluo.
And the soul beast he wanted to approach for this sacrifice was none other than the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
A hundred-thousand-year soul ring attached to the Seven Kill Sword would make the ninth soul skill utterly devastating.
Moreover, convincing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King would be much easier compared to other soul beasts.
He wasn't the inheritor of the Sea God, and the Asura God had no grievances with the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. On the other hand, the Sea God's actions had been dirty, creating significant enmity between him and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
This gave Ning Tianchen a chance to persuade the whale king.
With a plan in mind, Ning Tianchen discussed the next leg of the journey with Chen Haobai.
"Honored guest, are you sure you want to head to the Demon Whale Sea?" Hearing this, Chen Haobai furrowed his brow.
The Manta Ray's route didn't pass through the Demon Whale Sea.
For every sailor, the Demon Whale Sea was an absolute no-go zone. Unless absolutely necessary, no one would dare traverse it.
Of course, if the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was in hibernation and the ship navigated through the area where he was blind, it would be relatively safe.
But who would gamble on whether the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was in hibernation?
Dancing on the edge of a blade would eventually lead to being cut!
Ning Tianchen added, "The Manta Ray doesn't need to enter the Demon Whale Sea. Just drop me off near the area. I'll handle the rest myself."
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King possessed nearly a hundred thousand years of cultivation, equivalent to the peak quasi-god level in human soul masters.
Faced with such a terrifying existence, Ning Tianchen naturally wouldn't risk bringing others along.
"This…" Chen Haobai hesitated.
After a moment of thought, he continued, "Honored guest, I must tell you—the Deep Sea Demon Whale King beneath the Demon Whale Sea is the most terrifying presence on the ocean. Any human soul master or soul beast that attempts to confront him meets the same fate: death."
"Your strength is undoubtedly impressive, but facing such an existence…"
Ning Tianchen suddenly smiled. "Relax, I'm not going to challenge him, nor will I fight him. You don't need to know anything else. Just take me there."
Chen Haobai sighed deeply and ultimately agreed.
However, he had one condition: Ning Rongrong and the others had to approve of this plan.
He hoped to use this opportunity to have Ning Rongrong and the others dissuade Ning Tianchen from taking such a risk.
But once Ning Tianchen made a decision, how could Ning Rongrong and the others stop him? Moreover, Ning Tianchen had already calculated the success rate in his mind—he wouldn't undertake something without a chance of victory.
…
After nearly half a month of reconnaissance, the Shrek Five Monsters finally found a way into Balak City.
Balak City was not like Suotuo City—it didn't produce grain. With such strict martial law in place, how could grain merchants dare to come here?
If food supplies were cut off before the war reached the city, chaos and unrest would inevitably follow.
In order to maintain order within the city, Balak City had established a dedicated grain transport route, and every few days, supply wagons would enter the city.
After figuring out the pattern, Tang San and his group immediately came up with a plan.
Tang San said, "The next grain convoy will arrive this evening. Following the grain convoy is our only chance to enter the city."
Dai Mubai made a throat-slitting gesture. "We'll find the grain convoy along the way and sneak into it."
Tang San shook his head. "Mubai, there's no need for such an unnecessary move."
Balak City was, after all, the capital of a kingdom, and many merchants and nobles had businesses and families inside the city.
Merchants and nobles were wealthy, and since they couldn't enter the city themselves, they would surely use these grain convoys to facilitate their entry and exit.
Therefore, they didn't need to kill anyone; bribing the convoy leader with money would allow them to enter the city smoothly.
For Tang San, if something could be resolved by killing, he wouldn't waste money unnecessarily, as they weren't exactly wealthy. However, they knew nothing about the grain convoy, and killing the wrong person might cause trouble, making it harder to enter the city afterward.
Yu Tianheng agreed, "Tang San is right. In this situation, spending money is indeed more appropriate than killing."
"Follow me," Tang San called to the others.
After observing the area for some time, he had discovered the route the grain convoys took when arriving.
Arriving at the official road twenty miles outside the city, Tang San keenly noticed that almost all the inns around the road were full of people.
These people were either planning to hijack the grain convoy or had the same idea as them.
Of course, hijacking the grain convoy was clearly unrealistic. Even if they managed to seize one wagon, the food on it wouldn't last ten people for half a month. And seizing the entire convoy? Unless the robbers had lost their minds.
The convoy stretched for several kilometers, and transporting the stolen grain would inevitably lead to discovery sooner or later. Being so close to Balak City, the guards would quickly come to assist.
Unless they were starving bandits, no one would target the grain convoy.
Sure enough, when the Shrek Five Monsters entered an inn to rest, they noticed the situation inside.
Most of the guests were dressed as merchants, clearly not dangerous criminals.
With the possibility of a grain convoy hijacking ruled out, their intentions must have been the same as theirs.
Yu Tianxin looked frustrated. "We were in such a rush when we arrived that we ended up waiting for half a month unnecessarily."
Tang San whispered, "Shh, the situation is unclear. Don't reveal our purpose to avoid being deceived!"
Yu Tianxin immediately fell silent.
However, his earlier words had caught the attention of a middle-aged man at a nearby table.
This merchant-like man casually sat at the Shrek Five Monsters' table and smiled, "Gentlemen, are you perhaps heading the same way?"
Tang San frowned slightly and said gravely, "Sir, we don't know each other. How can we be traveling the same path?"
The man bowed to the Shrek Five Monsters and introduced himself, "My name is Hilton, president of the Hilton Chamber of Commerce."
The Hilton Chamber of Commerce was a highly influential business association within Balak City.
However, Tang San and his group hadn't lived in Balak City before, so they weren't familiar with this chamber.
Hilton continued, "To be honest, our chamber is involved in this grain convoy. If you're interested, you can pay to enter the city with me."
Hilton simply wanted to bring in more customers, as the Hilton Chamber had spent quite a bit of money securing this grain transport task. Bringing more people into the city meant more profit.
Of course, they weren't just transporting grain. The profit margin on grain alone wasn't worth the effort. Under the guise of transporting grain, they naturally transported other goods as well.
Unsure of the situation, Tang San asked in a low tone, "How can I trust you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a man walked into the inn and approached Hilton with a bow. "President Hilton, I want to get in. Name your price."
Hilton enthusiastically replied, "One hundred gold spirit coins per person, and you must change into a guard's uniform."
The man paid without hesitation, and Hilton handed him a note, which served as proof of entry into the convoy.
Seeing that things were going well, Tang San asked, "How much for the five of us?"
He wasn't worried about being scammed. With his strength, anyone who dared to cheat him was practically asking for death.
Hilton feigned regret and said, "If someone introduces you or you're a returning customer, it's one hundred gold spirit coins per person. Without an introduction, it's one hundred fifty."
Tang San sneered and said, "We're entering the city to complete a task assigned by Lord Ning. Is Lord Ning's reputation not well-known enough?"
Hilton was shocked and hurriedly confirmed, "Which Lord Ning?"
Tang San countered, "Is there another Lord Ning in this world?"
Ning Fengzhi's reputation was extremely prominent on the continent, and Tang San hadn't expected that using his name would have such a good effect.
Hilton's business already had connections with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, so he naturally wanted to oblige Ning Fengzhi.
Moreover, in his mind, no one dared to falsely claim the name of the leader of an upper-tier sect, so he instinctively chose to believe Tang San.
Without charging a single coin, when the grain convoy arrived near the inn, Hilton even personally escorted the Shrek Five Monsters into the convoy.
When the grain convoy reached the grain transport route of Balak City, the guards only symbolically checked the first few wagons, confirmed they contained grain, and waved them through.
As for the "guards" in the convoy who were overweight and pot-bellied, the guards ignored them entirely, not bothering to check their identities.
Just like that, the Shrek Five Monsters easily entered the city.
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