ATPnovel Chapter 126: Emerging from the wolf's den, only to enter the tiger's lair!
Chapter 126: Emerging from the wolf's den, only to enter the tiger's lair!
Chapter 126: Emerging from the wolf's den, only to enter the tiger's lair!
Zhu Houzhao's words had a hidden meaning, and Lu Xiaofeng lowered his head, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
It was truly an impulsive act, but it ended up saving his life.
If he hadn't stood up and tried to stop Ye Gucheng, he might already be a corpse.
Like the countless corpses in the palace now, there was nothing special about it.
Lu Xiaofeng looked at Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue beside him, watching their white clothes gradually become covered in blood, and remained silent.
Ximen Chuixue made a bold statement, saying that if he and Ye Gucheng joined forces, who in the world could defeat them?
But now, they are facing an attack from three famous constables, three imperial secret agents, five imperial guards, plus Cao Zhengchun, Yu Huatian, Zhuge Zhengwo and Zhu Wushi, a total of fifteen experts.
Even the most skilled martial artist cannot withstand such a fierce attack.
The two men were exhausted and unable to hold on any longer, revealing too many weaknesses. Cao Zhengchun and his men seized the opportunity and bombarded them with blows of swords, fists, and kicks.
"This whole farce started because of you! You'd all better die!"
Cao Zhengchun pushed the Heavenly Gang Child Skill to its limit, unleashing the "Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Sea" technique, which severely injured the already seriously wounded Ye Gucheng.
Immediately afterwards, Qinglong and the others swarmed forward and entangled Ye Gucheng, trapping him in place.
Didn't Ye Gucheng want to die honorably at the hands of Ximen Chuixue?
Zhu Houzhao, however, did not want Ye Gucheng to do as he wished; he insisted on skinning Ye Gucheng alive, one slice at a time!
Yu Huatian was not idle either. He seized the opportunity and severely injured the overwhelmed Ximen Chuixue, forcing him to retreat repeatedly and fall into the encirclement of Tie Shou and the others.
Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue were completely entangled and unable to break free.
At this moment, Zhu Wushi descended from the sky, his hands outstretched, one hand grabbing the top of a person's head!
With the Absorption Technique activated, Zhu Wushi continuously stripped Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue of their internal energy.
Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue immediately noticed that their internal energy was rapidly depleting.
The two men felt a chill in their hearts and were about to draw their swords to fight back, but people from all directions surrounded them, making it impossible for them to move!
"A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated!"
Ye Gucheng let out a mournful cry, unwilling to let his hard-earned cultivation over the past decades become someone else's prize.
His internal energy suddenly became chaotic, rampaging through his body.
"court death!"
Zhu Wushi struck out with a palm, knocking Ye Gucheng back. The others also realized that Ye Gucheng had been forced into a corner, so they joined forces to launch an attack, sending Ye Gucheng flying.
"boom!"
While flying in mid-air, Ye Gucheng suddenly self-destructed, blasting up pieces of flesh and corpses all over the ground. His powerful internal energy exploded, impacting everyone present equally.
Everyone instinctively stood in front of Zhu Houzhao, using their inner strength to shield him from the impact.
Ye Gucheng, a prodigy of his generation, ultimately met a tragic end by self-destruction. Even the last shred of dignity he sought was denied him by Zhu Houzhao.
Seeing Ye Gucheng forced to self-destruct in front of him, Ximen Chuixue felt a pang of sorrow, a sense of shared fate.
He sighed deeply, turned around and sheathed his sword, channeling all his inner strength into his inner energy.
The first to notice the anomaly was Zhu Wushi, who was using the Absorption Technique.
He snorted coldly, then suddenly leaped up and kicked Ximen Chuixue in the chest.
"At least you have some backbone."
The others who were besieging Ximen Chuixue also launched their own attacks, knocking Ximen Chuixue away before flashing to protect Zhu Houzhao.
"boom!"
Ximen Chuixue, who was flying in mid-air, exploded like Ye Gucheng.
Both Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue, these two prodigies, ultimately met a tragic end, destroying themselves.
With Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng both dying by self-destruction, the battle inside the palace has come to an end.
Zhu Wushi, Cao Zhengchun, Yu Huatian, Zhuge Zhengwo, and others led their skilled men to bow and pay their respects to Zhu Houzhao.
"Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty to protect you and have disturbed you. Please punish me!"
"Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
More than a dozen skilled warriors loyal to the court knelt down before Zhu Houzhao, begging for punishment.
Zhu Houzhao looked around and saw that there was only Lu Xiaofeng in front of him, who had not yet knelt down.
Zhu Houzhao looked calmly at Lu Xiaofeng. Although he didn't say anything, Lu Xiaofeng felt immense pressure pressing down on him.
"His Majesty----"
With his head bowed, Lu Xiaofeng, under immense pressure, still chose to kneel and submit to Zhu Houzhao, which made him less conspicuous in the crowd.
Zhu Houzhao then turned his gaze and said calmly, "You have done well. I hereby grant you clemency."
"The show inside the palace is over, it's time to watch the show outside."
"Gentlemen, please follow me to Chengtian Gate."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Houzhao turned around and looked at the terrified princes behind him: "My imperial uncles, please."
"Yes, Your Majesty, please go first."
Cao Zhengchun, Yu Huatian, and others protected Zhu Houzhao and cleared a path for him.
The princes, on the other hand, followed Zhu Houzhao to Chengtian Gate outside the palace.
Along the way, the group saw countless corpses that had died violently on the spot, and the ground was covered with blood and bits of flesh.
What I smelled was the heavy stench of blood filling my nostrils, and what I heard was the incessant, agonizing screams.
The imperial guards and constables within the palace continued their pursuit of the remaining Jianghu forces within the palace.
Their martial arts skills were mediocre at best, and it's a mystery who gave them the courage to come to the Forbidden City to watch the spectacle.
Upon witnessing this scene, the regional lords turned deathly pale, their eyes filled with terror.
Meanwhile, just as Zhu Houzhao was leading his entourage toward Chengtian Gate, a similar massacre was taking place in the capital.
He Taichong and his wife, along with the Xuanming Elders and others, were extremely low-key and cautious.
Although they also came to the palace, ready to watch the final battle between Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng.
However, they never made a public appearance, nor did they ever have any intention of assassinating Zhu Houzhao.
So when the sudden change occurred, and the imperial court launched a campaign to capture and brutally kill those in the martial arts world.
These unassuming martial arts masters successfully evaded the pursuit of the imperial guards and quietly escaped from the palace.
After leaving the palace, they thought they were safe, but when they climbed over the palace walls and entered the capital, they realized how ridiculous their previous thoughts had been.
As they looked around, they saw that the capital city under the cover of night was filled with fighting crowds everywhere.
The Imperial Guard, constables, the Five City Garrison, and the Twenty-Six Imperial Guards —
Officials and soldiers from various departments of the imperial court gathered in the capital, all with one purpose.
That means wiping out all the martial arts practitioners in the capital!
After all, the palace is only so big, and there are so many martial arts practitioners. Not all martial arts practitioners have the ability to go into the palace to watch Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue's duel.
The vast majority of martial arts practitioners who came to join the fun were actually staying in the capital, waiting for the outcome of the duel.
Some people in the martial arts world weren't even there for the duel between the two, but rather they thought they could find other opportunities in this grand martial arts event and wanted to take advantage of the chaos.
But not long ago, seemingly endless soldiers suddenly rushed out from all directions, utterly ruthless, killing and beheading anyone they saw or encountered.
The intention was to exterminate them all, leaving no survivors.
This enraged them, and they were forced to retaliate.
However, there were simply too many government soldiers. Often, a martial arts practitioner would have to deal with two or three government soldiers.
Soon, a large number of martial arts practitioners died on the spot, their blood flowing all over the long bluestone steps of the capital, and the pungent smell of blood permeated the entire city.
"We've fallen into a trap! The city is full of government troops; they want to kill us all!"
"Run! Everyone, run!"
"The city is full of soldiers! Everyone, run out of the city!"
"You despicable court, I will make you pay the price someday!"
"...
""
Terrified by the prospect of death, the martial arts community screamed and fled, eager to escape the turbulent capital city.
At this moment, they finally understood why they had been able to enter the capital so easily back then.
Even the entry checks were just for show.
It turns out that the imperial court wanted to use the pretext of Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue's duel to lure them all into the capital so that they could be captured in one fell swoop!
What a vicious heart, what cruel methods!
Perhaps even Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue are lackeys of the imperial court, which is why they deliberately chose the Forbidden City as the location for the decisive battle.
Thinking of this, the martial arts practitioners who were fleeing in panic in the capital all hated Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue to the core.
It was at this time that He Taichong and his wife, along with the Xuanming Elders and others, escaped from the perilous palace to the treacherous capital city.
"That damned emperor, though old, is so cunning. He's laid a trap even in the capital, leaving us no way out!"
He Taichong, the leader of the Kunlun Sect, held the Kunlun Sword in his hand and looked at the chaotic capital city with a heavy expression.
Everywhere he looked, there were martial arts practitioners fighting to the death, as well as government officials and soldiers.
His wife, Ban Shuxian, had gray hair, fierce eyes, and a menacing aura between her brows.
She grabbed He Taichong's hand and said in a low voice, "Stop talking nonsense and let's go!"
He Taichong nodded timidly and quickly replied, "Yes, Madam."
Just as the two were about to escape, two figures stood in front of them.
"Trying to leave?"
"Hmph! Do you think you can get away with this?!"
He Taichong looked up and saw that it was Pi Xiaotian, the head of the Eastern Depot, and Tiezhao Feiying, the second head of the Eastern Depot, blocking their way.
At the same time, a large number of black-clad archers had surrounded them.
"Blocking our way?"
"1
"You're asking for it!"
Ban Shuxian decided to strike first, sweeping her longsword and unleashing the Kunlun School's Yin-Yang Sword Technique, attacking Pi Xiaotian.
He Taichong followed closely behind and launched an attack together with Ban Shuxian.
The next moment, the black-robed archers and the iron-clawed eagles charged out together, attacking He Taichong and his wife.
Pi Xiaotian grabbed an iron arrow, drew his bow, and released it at He Taichong and his wife!