The Scourge Citadel Heist

Fire Phoenix “hmmph”ed in surprise, then grumbled, “You servant are loyal indeed! But you’re too foolish! Philip is the root of the Undead Scourge, he’s killed millions of humans! Do you think a human Supreme One would let you save such a great Demon Lord just for some information? Unless Francis has gone mad!” Her words left Brockman lifeless, a self-deprecating bitter smile constantly on his face.

Du Chen touched his nose, then suddenly smiled faintly, “Tell me the Fiendkind’s main military deployments, Fire Phoenix. And please, trouble you to personally plant a Deed of Ownership on him, the kind Beibei usually uses!”

Fire Phoenix eyed Du Chen askance, puzzled, “Are you truly mad?”

Brockman abruptly looked up at Du Chen, “You, you truly mean to let me save Lord Philip?”

*Does Francis have reason to help Lord Philip?* Brockman thought to himself. *Yes, Lord Philip, though he killed countless Red-Bloods, his undead technology is a double-edged sword. If Francis could gain Lord Philip, he would seize the initiative in countering the Fiendkind Undead legion... Francis is considering this from the perspective of a Divine Emperor, for the greater good of humanity, setting aside old grievances and looking only at future gains and losses!*

Brockman affirmed his thoughts, gritted his teeth, and said resolutely, “Very well! Your Majesty, Lord Philip is not the murderer of your adoptive father, and his intellect can be used by you. After I die, I beg Your Majesty to grant Lord Philip a chance at life!”

Brockman tore off a piece of his clothing, bit his fingertip, and immediately began sketching the Fiendkind’s military deployments and a large amount of top-secret intelligence onto the fabric. During this time, Du Chen strolled towards the unconscious Rebellious Dragon, first pulling aside its clothing, glancing at the shackle plunged into Constantine’s heart. He frowned. He had the ability to unlock it, but he wasn’t a vet and had no way to deal with such a mechanism hidden deep within the heart. After thinking, Du Chen still put the Rebellious Dragon into the Precious Lotus Scripture, irradiating it with Holy Light, essentially saving Constantine’s life.

Just then, Fire Phoenix said, “Francis, Brockman’s map is ready. I need to teach Beibei how to unleash the highest-grade Golden Bloodline Deed of Ownership. You should excuse yourself for now!”

Anya and Andy followed Du Chen to a distance, their backs to the mother and daughter using the Secret Technique. Andy, bewildered, asked, “Master, are you letting Brockman save Philip because you want to recruit them for your own use?”

Du Chen glanced sideways at Andy, “If I were to recruit Philip for my own use, how could I account for the millions of commoners who died?! If I were to recruit Brockman for my own use, what face would I have left to meet Aliza, the Son of The Blade of Heaven!?” (And there was an unsaid thought: *If these two escaped death at his hands, how many fewer lotuses would bloom!*) “I never intended to let them off. I’m just letting them die a day later!”

Andy became even more confused, “Since they’re going to die eventually, what’s the difference between dying a day earlier or a day later?”

Du Chen patted Andy and laughed, “The difference is huge! If I killed Brockman now, then soon after, Philip would die defenseless at Bonis’s hands! But if I let Brockman go back now...”

Du Chen glanced back at the spellcasting Fire Phoenix, “Fire Phoenix just said that although many of Brockman’s retainers have been eliminated, he is still the leader of the Outsiders among the Fiendkind. He can rally considerable strength to protect Philip. This way, when Brockman goes back, he can at least create some trouble for Bonis, causing chaos in the Scourge Citadel... Let me tell you a thief’s ultimate maxim—it’s easier to fish in troubled waters! The more chaotic the Scourge Citadel, the greater my chances of stealing the Tear Source!”

Andy’s eyes lit up, “I, Chris Andy, favored by the Moon Goddess, have a dream, hehe. Master, it seems you’re very confident about getting the Tear Source, so shouldn’t we... celebrate with a big meal first!?”

Du Chen rolled his eyes and fiercely smacked Andy’s forehead, “Can’t you think of anything else besides eating!? Let me give you a heads-up first, I just captured Constantine. The mysterious space within the Precious Lotus Scripture should be able to block the threat of that Deed of Ownership shackle to him, temporarily preserving his life! And once the Tear Source is in hand, I intend to use Constantine and Sophia’s connections to negotiate with that woman. By then... you prepare yourself, lest your gluttony expose us!”

Andy hung his head in dejection and agreed. Soon, the Snow Wolf thought of something else, curious, “Master, why didn’t you ask who Beibei’s biological father is? And why didn’t Fire Phoenix bring it up either?”

Du Chen rolled his eyes at Andy again, “Can such a question even be asked? Andy, do you remember what Snoopy said when talking about the Imperial Divine Beasts? The more powerful the Aberrant Beast, the harder it is to bear offspring. That’s why the Imperial Divine Beasts constantly tried to mate with other races for species propagation—Snoopy’s great-grandmother was a Phantom Demon Rabbit forcibly ‘taken’ by Hobig! Sigh, Fire Phoenix didn’t mention it, probably because... even she herself doesn’t know who Beibei’s biological father is, or which race he belongs to!”

Andy gasped, “Then Fire Phoenix could be... hehe, can’t say, truly can’t ask that! I, Chris Andy, praise the Moon Goddess, good thing you blessed me with a manhood!”

Just then, Fire Phoenix completed the Deed of Ownership, holding her daughter with one hand and waving at Brockman with the other, “You may scram, but I warn you, Bonis and I agreed that tomorrow at sunrise will be Philip’s day of demise. You must hurry to reach the Scourge Citadel!”

“Wait!” Du Chen called out to Brockman, “Where’s Susanna?” After Brockman pointed out a corpse, Du Chen waved him away and walked over to the body himself. He glanced at it; the vixen had been burned to a crisp, her skin charred. If not for half a fox tail still intact, Brockman likely wouldn’t have recognized her! This grave-robbing fox spirit died beyond recognition, her most cherished beauty ruined into a horrifying visage, ensuring she would find no peace even in death!

Du Chen waved his hand, severing Susanna’s head, and handed it to Fire Phoenix, laughing, “This vixen desecrated Orbach. The beastmen of the Great Plains would love to see her ground to dust. If it’s convenient for you, Fire Phoenix, could you help me deliver her to the human allied forces in the Western Plains?”

Fire Phoenix frowned unhappily at Du Chen, “I’m to deliver a head, what will you do? Are you going to follow Brockman to the Scourge Citadel?” When Du Chen nodded with a smile, Fire Phoenix snorted, “You’re truly bold. Be careful. Bonis’s ‘Devour’ is unpredictable. Don’t think that because you ambushed and captured me, you can defeat Bonis, who is my equal. The Demon Lord’s Secret Technique is far from as simple as you imagine!”

Du Chen smiled faintly, thinking, *I’m going to steal something, not duel Bonis. When it comes to stealing, Bonis is no match!*

Originally, Du Chen had planned to take Beibei with him to steal. With Beibei’s Spiritual Power, combined with Dus’s “Thermal Vision” and Andy’s nose, virtually no one could approach Du Chen without being detected. However, Fire Phoenix had just reunited with her daughter, her heart warm with maternal affection, and Du Chen couldn’t bring himself to separate them. Even less could he say, “Hey, let your daughter accompany me on an adventure to the Scourge Citadel to steal the Demon Lord’s things!” So, Du Chen simply entrusted Anya to Fire Phoenix as well, letting his son learn more about Ruilong from Fire Phoenix, while he himself trailed Brockman, infiltrating the Scourge Citadel!

***

The Skylands was already mountainous, and the southern part occupied by the Purple Blood Confederacy was even more rugged and complex with mountains. Coupled with the dense, ghastly green undead mist, the Scourge Citadel could only be faintly seen as a silhouette in the mountains... The structure of this ancient castle was entirely built from reinforced bones, appearing eerie and terrifying at first glance. The grand gate, piled high with skulls, made people shiver with dread!

Brockman, despite his severe injuries, ignored everything and practically ran for his life. He arrived at the Scourge Citadel around three or four in the morning. Gazing at the Scourge Citadel, calm as ever, still emitting dense Spirit Seed toxic smoke, Brockman let out a long sigh, “Good, good, I made it in time!”

As mentioned yesterday, the Tear Source was most likely on Bonis. Therefore, Du Chen’s target was not Philip, and he didn’t need to continue following Brockman. He urged the Precious Lotus Scripture, searching for the Demon Lord’s traces!

Many carriages and horses were parked in front of the Scourge Citadel. The purple blood-drop banners on the carriages indicated that this was Bonis’s Retainer guard! Brockman’s face suddenly changed, and a thought flashed through his mind: *Bonis is already here, so I absolutely cannot enter openly. I can only go secretly to meet Lord Philip!* Thinking this, he gritted his teeth and transformed into a droplet of water, following the pale red liquid flowing out of the Scourge Citadel’s drainage system to enter inside. At the same time, he said, “Homan, my child, help your father monitor the situation throughout the entire Scourge Citadel, especially finding your father’s old subordinates!”

The young Tyran Beast Homan was intentionally left on Brockman by Du Chen, aiming to give Brockman more leverage, so that the waters would be even muddier! Homan probed and said, “Okay, Homan will start searching now, but Papa, Francis was actually following you just now until you entered the Scourge Citadel and then he left!”

Brockman was startled, then smiled bitterly, “He wants to wait for me to rescue Lord Philip, then capture him and take him back to use his undead technology, right? Sigh, never mind him, Francis wouldn’t risk himself for Lord Philip...”

Having said that, Brockman sneaked into his secret chamber within the Scourge Citadel, retrieving the command arrow he usually used to mobilize Outsiders, and some tokens representing authority. Once everything was ready, he urgently asked, “Homan, have you found them?”

The young Tyran Beast said aggrievedly, “No, Papa! The Uncles are not here. They must have been harmed by Bonis!”

“Damn it! Who else is in the Scourge Citadel then?”

“Uncle Philip and Bonis are drinking at the Heaven’s Tears Prime Pool. Uncle Tendon-Severing and Aunt Corpse Dissolution, and about six thousand Outsiders are scattered throughout the Scourge Citadel. And then... Bonis also has three hundred Retainers. Judging by their aura, these people are all six-rank Battle Gods, a secret unit capable of forming the ‘Devouring Kill Array’! And... there are also Undead and Netherbeasts, about a hundred thousand of them within a hundred li radius!”

Brockman slowly closed his eyes, a desperate bitter smile on his face. A hundred thousand Undead and Netherbeasts! The Heaven’s Tears that controlled them had a rule—Bonis and Philip both held leadership, but when their commands conflicted, the one holding the Tear Source had supremacy! Now Bonis intended to kill Lord Philip, so he must be wearing the Tear Source to ensure his absolute command over the Undead and Netherbeasts... This meant that currently, within the Scourge Citadel, Philip only had about six thousand troops, while Bonis commanded a hundred thousand-strong army! And this didn’t even count Bonis’s own five-colored battle qi, which alone could withstand a hundred thousand elite troops!

Six thousand against a hundred thousand, such a vast disparity in strength, how could he possibly rescue Lord Philip!?

A thought stirred in Brockman’s mind: *If I could steal the Tear Source from Bonis, wouldn’t Lord Philip then be able to control the hundred thousand troops and escape danger!?*

Yes! This idea indeed presented an opportunity to rescue his lord, but was it feasible? Leaving aside other issues, how could *he*, a “dead man” in Bonis’s eyes, approach Bonis and reach into his pocket without being detected!?

But even if it seemed impossible, it had to be done; it was the only chance! Brockman hardened his resolve and asked, “Homan, if Papa finds Aunt Corpse Dissolution and has her use the Holy Yessar Church’s secret Art of Disguise to turn me into Uncle Tendon-Severing, and then I find an excuse to approach Bonis... can you help Papa fool Bonis’s eyes so he won’t see through the disguise?”

The Tyran Beast’s Innate Racial Power was reconnaissance and concealment. An adult could certainly meet Brockman’s request, but Homan was still young. After a moment of hesitation, he finally said, “Homan can only try, Papa... It’s very dangerous for you to disguise yourself and approach Bonis!”

“Now is not the time to consider my personal life or death! Homan, let’s go, we’ll go contact Tendon-Severing and Corpse Dissolution!” He paused, then gently stroked the small beast on his ear, “Child, remember this: later, you help Papa from a distance. Once Papa approaches Bonis, you immediately escape and find Francis—tell him you are Roxane’s child, and thus qualified for human help and rescue!”

At this moment, Brockman regarded himself as a dead man, never expecting to leave the Scourge Citadel alive!

***

By this time, Du Chen had already surveyed the entire situation within the Scourge Citadel. The entire Scourge Citadel was centered around two water pools, spreading outwards, with layers of jagged bone walls. Bonis and Philip were drinking and chatting by a blue pool in the center, the atmosphere congenial, full of laughter. Between the bone walls, Undead and Netherbeasts were stationed, along with a small number of humans, whether Red-Bloods or Purple Bloods, Du Chen couldn’t tell. Du Chen, certain of his target, arrived by the Blue Heaven’s Tears Prime Pool, touching his nose as he observed Bonis!

According to the intelligence provided by Brockman, the Tear Source should be a thumb-sized, hourglass-shaped silver crystal. Such a small item, where would Bonis hang it?

Du Chen took the opportunity while Bonis was drinking to glance at his chest, but saw no protrusions indicating a hanging ornament—the item wasn’t around his neck! He then looked at Bonis’s sitting posture; his lower body’s chainmail pocket faced Philip. Based on a treasure-hider’s psychology, no one would willingly expose their most precious item directly to an opponent, so it wouldn’t be there either... Using his thief’s experience, Du Chen systematically eliminated possibilities, his gaze finally landing on an embedded pouch behind Bonis’s soft armor!

*This is it!* Du Chen was calculating when suddenly, his old friend Uncle Tendon-Severing, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, walked up to Philip, bowing humbly, “My Lord, there’s a problem with the Number Three Line; you need to personally come and see it!”

Andy’s nose twitched, and his Battle Soul reported, “Master, the scent of this person isn’t Tendon-Severing, it’s Brockman!?”

Du Chen raised an eyebrow, unable to help but praise, “As expected of the greatest thief besides me, Brockman actually thought of this method to save Philip! Andy, pay attention, listen to my Battle Soul’s commands next!”

By the Heaven’s Tears Prime Pool, Philip apologetically glanced at Bonis beside him, displeased, “Useless fellow, creating trouble precisely when the Marshal comes to inspect! Marshal... should I go take a look?”

Bonis held up his wine cup, smiling faintly, thinking, *Sigh, since arriving at the Scourge Citadel last night, I’ve been drinking with Philip for half the morning. This delay has been too long! But there’s no other way. Philip must die, but the Scourge Citadel ideally shouldn’t suffer any damage. After all, the Red-Bloods are pressing hard, and God-General Dud probably won’t give me time to rebuild another ancient castle...*

*To protect the Scourge Citadel, I need to pinpoint and monitor those Outsiders before moving to kill Philip. This requires time, at least until dawn. So, let Philip live a little longer!* Bonis laughed, “Grand Speaker need not worry. Any great Wisdom has moments of error. It’s merely a production line; it doesn’t diminish your extraordinary wisdom... Please, feel free!”

Philip glared at Uncle Tendon-Severing again, still feeling humiliated. He wanted to call Uncle Tendon-Severing over for a reprimand, but Uncle Tendon-Severing whispered, “My Lord, the Marshal is most honorable; we shouldn’t neglect him. You go attend to your matters, your subordinate will stay here to serve the Marshal with wine!”

Philip huffed a nod and turned to leave. But as soon as he reached the enclosed Number Three Netherbeast production line, he suddenly saw *another* Uncle Tendon-Severing!

This *real* Uncle Tendon-Severing urgently said, “My Lord, there’s no time for details! One sentence—Bonis is here to kill you today! Lord Brockman fought to return and warn us, and he’s currently outside impersonating me to steal the Tear Source!”

Philip’s first reaction to this news wasn’t shock or anger, but confusion. His huge shoulders and eyes blinked, “The Marshal wants to kill me? Why?!”

Aunt Corpse Dissolution beside him urged, “My Lord, now is not the time to explain why! Listen to my plan first—we’ll go to the Number Three secret passage entrance. If Lord Brockman succeeds later, he’ll throw the Tear Source there. Then you immediately use the Tear Source to command the Undead legion to counterattack Bonis! If Brockman fails, Bonis will at least be momentarily stunned. In that instant, we’ll protect you and help you escape through the Number Three secret passage!”

Uncle Tendon-Severing added, “Additionally, most of our Outsiders are under pinpoint surveillance and dare not act rashly for now! However, once the situation changes, regardless of whether Lord Brockman succeeds, they will activate the mechanisms on the inner bone walls to flood the Heaven’s Tears Prime Pool, creating chaos to cover your escape...”

“What?” Philip’s massive right palm violently pushed Uncle Tendon-Severing away, “You want to flood the Heaven’s Tears Prime Pool? No, absolutely not! That is my life’s work!”

Uncle Tendon-Severing and Aunt Corpse Dissolution both froze, then urgently cried out in unison, “My Lord, your life is more important than mere Heaven’s Tears!”

Philip shook his head repeatedly, his massive undead eyes blinking as he firmly waved a hand, “No, I can die, but my life’s work cannot be destroyed...”

Uncle Tendon-Severing and Aunt Corpse Dissolution were almost in tears. *Damn it, how could we forget how much the Lord values his experiments? Back in the Auerbach Grand Canyon, when the Composite Aberrant Beasts were stolen, the Lord was so furious he spat blood on the spot! That was just a branch project, but today it’s the Lord’s life’s work... It seems reasoning with him in a short time is impossible!* The two exchanged glances, understanding each other implicitly, “My Lord, forgive us!” They flanked Philip, one on each side, and rushed him towards the designated Number Three secret passage entrance!

Inside, Philip hesitated, unwilling to part with his life’s work. Outside, Brockman was also slowly offering toasts and apologies.

Like Du Chen, Brockman initially couldn’t pinpoint where the Tear Source was located. However, he also possessed a thief’s keen eye. After three rounds of drinks, Brockman’s gaze landed on the embedded pouch in Bonis’s soft armor!

Brockman was overjoyed, *Ha, this is it! And I successfully fooled Bonis; everything is proceeding smoothly! Judging the time, Uncle Tendon-Severing and Aunt Corpse Dissolution should have already taken Lord Philip to the secret passage entrance. All I need to do is steal the Tear Source, then throw it in that direction, and everything will be accomplished!*

Thinking this, Brockman slowly took a breath, raised his cup, and approached Bonis to pour wine—on the side closer to the embedded pouch. His smile became even more genuine, “Marshal, please sample this wine again; it’s called...”

Suddenly, Brockman moved like lightning. His left hand smashed the wine pot towards Bonis’s forehead, while his right hand, following the momentum of a dropped shoulder, traced a graceful arc by Bonis’s side. The blade clamped between his fingers severed the chain of the embedded pouch. With a flick of his finger, the embedded pouch shot towards a pipe opening by the Prime Pool, and the other end of that pipe was where Uncle Tendon-Severing and Aunt Corpse Dissolution were waiting!

The sudden change occurred swiftly, but Bonis had experienced countless battles, and his combat reaction was far beyond ordinary. First, his heart lurched in alarm, *Not good, the Tear Source has been stolen!* But immediately after, Bonis sneered, parted his lips slightly, and calmly uttered a single word, “Devour!”