The response shocked everyone; all eyes stared towards the direction of the voice.

“Li Qiye!” Some recognized the speaker. The entire Metropolis clamored afterward.

“The main character is here, this will be fun.” Numerous cultivators paid attention to the development.

“He’s not trying to avoid the storm?” Most found this astonishing, especially the officials and generals of Vajra.

Prior to this, these men believed that this alliance would lead to a monumental change in Vajra.

They didn’t think that Li Qiye played an important role and that he was only being used as an excuse. They cared more about the alliance being able to change the current king or the crown prince.

However, their speculation was interrupted by Li Qiye’s answer.

“Destroy the two clans? That’s a domineering claim.” One expert said.

“Ignorant brat, they’ll exterminate his clan for this.” One official snorted and disagreed.

These two factions represented authority and power in Vajra. If Li Qiye actually tried to attack them, Vajra wouldn’t sit still. The army would naturally get involved.

“Is this a declaration of war towards Vajra?” A young cultivator said: “He must be tired of living, wanting to provoke Vajra.”

Everyone knew that the two clans were a crucial part of Vajra. Who would dare to do this?

“He’s Li Qiye, the son of miracles and the heaven’s favorite. There’s nothing he’s afraid of and remember, he kept his word each time.” An expert said.

“We’ll see.” An older master remained calm.

***

Li Qiye’s provocation seemed to have worked. Both the Li and the Zhang sent out another message: “The burial ceremony will commence in two hours at Black Robe Alley. No mercy to anyone who tries to stop it.” 

They were decisive and resolute. Anyone could feel the bloodthirst from the words. Once again, this spread across Metropolis at a rapid rate.

“Isn’t that too early?” People couldn’t believe it. They thought that this storm would last for a while but the climax was coming in just two hours.

“They would look weak if they didn’t respond to Li Qiye’s aggressive comment right away.” Someone understood right away.

“Killing Li Qiye is of utmost priority. The ones from the Yang are just baits or an excuse.” One official said: “Their real plan is for later. This is to re-establish their prestige and also to test the water.”

“How is Li Qiye going to get through this? His cultivation is just too weak, other means can’t possibly be enough.” An expert wondered.

“Just wait and see, he’s as devilish as can be.” Most just wanted to watch a fun show.

“Come, let’s get there first, there might be a great battle ahead.” Numerous cultivators ran towards Black Robe Alley.

The crowd wasn’t limited to experts from the capital and Metropolis. Even those from the other divisions joined in.

The capital had two parts, a lower city and an upper city. The latter was named Buddha Emperor City, the place for the royal clan and officials.

It was a floating city with bright Buddhist lights. It seemed as if a great Buddha had blessed the city, allowing it to float forever. It was home to the royal clan and some officials.

Rumor has it that during the holy ground’s foundation, Buddha Dao Lord stood in this place to look at the heroes of the world. Dhyana and Vajra Dao Lord also did the same. Today, Vajra was in charge so the dynasty also took roots at the capital.

Beneath was another great city, commonly referred to as the capital. It consisted of citizens and various powers. The majority of officials and generals were here as well.

Outside of that were thousands and thousands of other cities. They were part of Metropolis Division.

Black Robe Alley was a famous place with a high concentration of officials down in the lower city. One would find a first-rank civic official or a general in virtually every ten houses here.

The most important mansions belonged to the Grand Chancellor and Grand Commander. They always had the same owners since the start of Vajra.

These mansions were given to them by the royal court. However, the Zhang and the Li have been there for so long. Therefore, some referred to them as the Li and Zhang residence.

Of course, their ancestral ground wasn’t actually here. Their real home was somewhere else in Metropolis.

Most interestingly, these two mansions were facing each other and looked quite similar in architecture.

Some said that this was done on purpose by the royal clan in order to foster competition and maintain a balance of power. 

A few believed that these mansions were more than that. They could serve as a defensive line once combined together into a formation. When under siege, this formation would be a mighty line of defense to protect the floating city.

Whether true or not, this section of the street was the most prestigious in Black Robe Alley.

By this point, there was a big crowd waiting for the show.

“Creak-” The thick and heavy gate of the Grand Commander’s mansion slowly opened.

Two lines of golden armored troops marched out. Their lights chased away the clouds. Their weapon of choice was the spear.

“The Li’s Golden Regiment.” Some spectators shouted.

The regiment consisted of fifty thousand elites. Its name alone instilled fear into the listeners. It once followed the Grand Commander onto the battlefield and had plenty of notable victories.

Today, the Li was using this famous regiment - a testament to how serious they were.

“Just to deal with Li Qiye?” The officials wondered after seeing this.

The entire regiment had a grand momentum. This seemed like the prelude to a great change in Vajra.