Following Qian Wu’s command, a few people in black quickly blocked the Dragon Protection Squad’s advance. And at the same time, since the Southern Region Army suddenly charged towards King Xieluo, the Palace Guards could finally have enough space to breathe, and began drawing their longbows again.
Lin Xinjue’s eyes lit up. The Southern Region Army’s interference has sent the Palace Guards into a chaotic frenzy again. He couldn’t possibly let this opportunity slip.
“Adopt the Two-Headed Formation, shields in front and bows behind!” Lin Xinjue yelled to the Palace Guards just as the Southern Region Army charged out.
“Yes!” The Palace Guards immediately executed the order, and in an instant, the originally defensive formation immediately transformed into both an offensive and defensive formation.
“Fire!”
Another command sounded.
The Palace Guards fired their arrows into the air but not in the same manner as they previously did. This time, besides aiming for Lin Mubai, they aimed for the Southern Region Army behind them.
“Kill them!”
“Kill them!”
The Dragon Protection Squad and Royal Guards swiftly clashed with the Palace Guards again, startling the Southern Region Army.
“Line up!”
“Charge!”
A few great Settlement Chiefs from the Southern Region Army yelled their orders, as they continued resisting the Palace Guards’ assault while continuing to charge towards them.
The battlefield descended into chaos once again.
Yan Xiu and Shan Yu were evidently astonished when they saw King Xieluo disappear. Now, they were charging at him once again without a single ounce of hesitation.
But … the distance was much further this time.
“Get up, you shameless scoundrel, quickly …” Ping Yang was pinned down by Fang Zhengzhi’s motionless body. She looked up at King Xieluo, her crystal-clear eyes reflecting unparalleled anxiety.
She wanted to push Fang Zhengzhi away, but she realized that his body was incredibly heavy. His eyes were tightly shut, as though he had passed out. And furthermore … his face was extremely pale without a single hint of pink, and his body was completely soaked in sweat.
Sh*t!
He was indeed touting when he said he could protect himself!
“He’s this weak?” King Xieluo gazed upon the motionless Fang Zhengzhi in surprise, but he quickly lifted his right hand, causing a strange ball of dark green light to glow under the night sky. “Then die!”
“Die?! No!” Although Ping Yang felt cheated, she still instinctively flipped over and pushed Fang Zhengzhi’s body beneath her when she noticed King Xieluo raising his hand.
She didn’t know why she did this either.
Fang Zhengzhi was already unconscious, so logically speaking, fleeing was her best option. And most importantly, King Xieluo’s target was not her.
But … she still held onto Fang Zhengzhi only because she vaguely felt that Fang Zhengzhi was their sole key to end this war.
“Eh? Looks like I really do have to kill another person!” King Xieluo looked at Ping Yang shielding Fang Zhengzhi with her body and was slightly taken aback, but then cracked a cold smirk.
And with that, the light radiating from his hand grew brighter and brighter.
“Don’t hurt my Ping Yang!” Lin Mubai couldn’t take it any longer, and immediately charged out from the Dragon Protection Squad’s defensive circle. At the same time, a dense golden light surged from his body and morphed into a bounding golden dragon in the air. Two mystifying red spots of light flickered in the golden dragon’s eyes.
The Green Dragon Eye.
Then, just as Lin Mubai’s Green Dragon Eye appeared …
Chen Feihua acted, churning up a cloud of dense gold mist under the dark night sky which instantly shrouded the entire area above her head.
“Run, Ping Yang!” Chen Feihua screamed anxiously as her body melded into the golden mist.
Making a move before Lin Mubai meant that her actions had become instinctive, triggered subconsciously by an innate instinct deep within her heart. However, King Xieluo ignored the golden mist that appeared on her head.
In fact, he had no intentions of bothering about anyone else, because he only needed to do one thing – to kill Fang Zhengzhi, and anyone else who impeded his mission.
It was very simple … hence, he naturally ignored the golden mist and Lin Mubai. He just slapped her palm down without any reservations on Ping Yang’s back.
“No!” Amidst the golden mist, a voice erupted. Shortly after, a golden silhouette charged out from the golden mist with eyes dyed completely gold as well. And behind her dragged lines of black fissures.
Chen Feihua was admittedly much faster than Lin Mubai, swiftly expanding the range of her golden mist and forcefully boosting her powers to reach King Xieluo.
Watching as King Xieluo was about to strike Ping Yang, Chen Feihua pummeled her fist into King Xieluo’s side, her motion as fluid as water without any interruptions.
“Eh? Overconfident.” King Xieluo’s palm was centimeters away from Ping Yang, and after he noticed her looming fist, he stopped his attack and cracked a cold sneer. At the same time, a dark green light fired out from his eyes and collided with Chen Feihua’s fist.
Chen Feihua was stopped in her tracks. It was as if she was imprisoned in midair. Her body shuddered. The golden mist which populated the air around her quickly dissolved away and then, she flew backwards.
This all happened in the blink of an eye.
From the time Chen Feihua arrived in front of King Xieluo, to the moment she flew backwards, everything happened so unbelievably quick.
“Hm!” King Xieluo grunted, avoiding Chen Feihua and instead focusing his attention on Ping Yang and Fang Zhengzhi, raising his palm once again.
But then, the golden dragon that charged out from Lin Mubai’s body finally reached the airspace above King Xieluo’s head.
“Hua er!” Lin Mubai’s hand reached out to grab Chen Feihua in midair while the airborne golden dragon charged down ferociously towards King Xieluo.
Two strange rays of red light pounced towards King Xieluo like enraged spectres.
“Go and die!” King Xieluo noticed the strange red light and the golden dragon charging down and flexed his palm. As a mighty Demon King, how could he not be angry when his attacks have been interrupted time and time again.
Furthermore … he wasn’t just faced with Lin Mubai. Even Yan Xiu and Shan Yu have rushed over, making it three of them.
One was the current Emperor of the Great Xia Empire, one was the direct descendant of the Yan Family and the chosen heir to inherit the Western Liang throne, and the last one was the current King of the Southern Region.
In other words, all three of them held supreme control over their respective territories. And all three of them have gathered before King Xieluo, combining their forces against him.
The clear blood-red light sliced at the back of King Xieluo’s neck like a sabre, and following that came two waves of chills.
“Scram!”
Just as the golden dragon, blood-red light and the two waves of chills all congregated above King Xieluo, a sinister bellow sounded and shortly after, a pillar of dark green light shot up to the sky and instantly illuminated the entire sky. It was a pillar of light that sprouted from beneath the ground, reaching for the heavens at breakneck speed.
And just as the pillar of light charged out from the ground, the three of them seemed to be restrained by a certain binding spell. Shortly after, their bodies shivered and flew backwards like Chen Feihua.
“Plop!”
“Crash!”
“….”
Lin Mubai rolled on the ground with Chen Feihua in his arms while Yan Xiu and Shan Yu crashed into the Southern Region Army, creating a huge opening among the troops.
“Your Highness! Are you alright?”
“Master Yan!”
“Quick, treat his wounds!”
The Southern Region Army ignored the soldiers crushed to death by Yan Xiu and Shan Yu, and rushed up to heal them. A few Settlement Chiefs took out two elixirs and fed one to each of them.
Not far away, the Dragon Protection Squad were rushing to Lin Mubai’s side and impeded the advance of a few people in black, once again forming a protective circle around Lin Mubai and Chen Feihua.
“Quick, save His Majesty!”
“Yes!”
Waves of anxious voices rippled through the crowd.
Although the Royal Guards were battling the Palace Guards, both sides were slightly petrified after witnessing this scene.
The green pillar of light has yet to dissipate.
King Xieluo’s body was right in the middle of the green pillar of light. His eyes has turned completely green and the two scimitars on his head were radiating with a brilliant golden glow.
“Demon King!”
“Is this the true strength of a Demon King?”
“He’s too powerful, we have no chance of winning!”
The Royal Guards gazed at King Xieluo standing in the middle of the green pillar of light, and chills went down their spines. This was undoubtedly a battle of a different level.
The difference was simply too stark!
His speed and strength were both completely different realms compared to theirs.
Both the Dao of Asura and Shan Yu’s close combat techniques, or even Lin Mubai’s Green Dragon Eye, were no match for King Xieluo. How could they win?
“Scram, don’t bother with me. Quickly save Ping Yang!” Lin Mubai pushed the Dragon Protection Squad soldiers beside him away and stood up again.
But just he stood up, his body swayed. His already pale face began turning purple. And then …
“Blurt!” A mouthful of fresh blood spilled out from his mouth.
“Your Majesty!”
“Quickly, take His Majesty and Lady Hua Fei away!”
“Quickly!”
The Dragon Protection Squad looked at the swaying Lin Mubai and the motionless Chen Feihua, and quickly surrounded them again. They helped them up and prepared to retreat.
“Did you think you could escape?” Qian Wu cracked an unbelievably sinister smirk when he saw Lin Mubai and Chen Feihua injured again.
His deal with King Xieluo was for the latter to kill Fang Zhengzhi. But now?
Not only did he fulfil their original condition, he added Ping Yang in as a bonus, forced the Southern Region Army back to save Shan Yu, and even injured Lin Mubai, Chen Feihua, Yan Xiu and Shan Yu.
He killed four birds with one stone!
Success was right within reach. How could he possibly let Lin Mubai escape? As long as he killed Lin Mubai, victory would be his.
The Great Xia Empire … the empire bearing thousands of years of history, was finally falling into the hands of the Northern Barbarian Empire?
Qian Wu’s eyes flickered with excitement. He charged towards Lin Mubai and Chen Feihua without any reservations.
The six-colored talisman in his hand lit up.
At the same time, the two remaining beasts let out thunderous wild roars as though being beckoned by Qian Wu, and bounded for Lin Mubai and Chen Feihua at top speed.
King Xieluo then raised his hand up again.
No one could possibly interrupt him as he stood in the centre of the green pillar of light. He had no intentions of wasting any more time either. Everything would end once he beat his palm down again.
“Die …” Before he could finish his last word, King Xieluo’s hand was suspended in mid-air. His sinister expression now turned into one of disbelief.
Because … the motionless Fang Zhengzhi sprawled on the ground had disappeared, and so has Ping Yang. Both of them had vanished into thin air.
Of course, they did leave a few marks behind. For instance, there was a tiny flask sitting on the ground at Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang’s original spot. It was a white jade flask without any stains.
They’ve escaped?!
King Xieluo’s expression was completely stiff for three whole seconds before loosening up. He has been interrupted three times as a proud Demon King, but now …
The ‘prey’ he secured just slipped away under his nose?
How could he not be enraged?
King Xieluo clenched his fist and scanned his surroundings. At the same time, a faint green light spread out in all directions swiftly, creating a mist-like glow.
“Run? Where could you run …” King Xieluo’s face was evidently scribbled with anger, but strangely, he did not finish his sentence again. And not only that, his furious expression dulled and his body jerked backwards violently, as though sensing a grave danger.
Then … a ray of light appeared from King Xieluo’s original spot. It was a ray of light originating from the green pillar of light, and shortly after, that ray of light arched down onto the ground.
“Crash!” A thunderous collision.
At this moment, the surface of the ground, and even the entire Imperial Palace, began quaking. The brilliant moonlight in the night sky seemed to have been completely engulfed by darkness.
A terrifying aura soared freely through the air, kicking up countless gravel and creating a spreading dust storm.
And suddenly … an enormous pit appeared in the ground. No one could tell the exact depth of this pitch-black pit, like an abyss that extended deep into the ground.