Outside the council hall, rain poured down violently.
Bian Cang’s face instantly contorted upon hearing the words, “You are the State Preceptor!? Impossible, the State Preceptor was already killed!”
When Wen Heshen initially approached him, he had appeared to be merely a down-and-out scholar, and quite young at that, which was why Bian Cang never considered the possibility that he might be the State Preceptor. Having never seen the State Preceptor’s true face, he had been deceived for several decades.
“Just a scapegoat,” Wen Heshen laughed. “Bian Daren, your cleverness has backfired. You thought that by controlling Xun Yao you could control me, but the person I was really looking for was Cui Qi Daren. Nevertheless, your elaborate effort to find Xun Yao was somewhat useful—at least it kept those annoying Taoist priests occupied.”
Bian Cang was furious, “Back then, it was you who bewitched Liang Cong to kill my children and wife!”
“I was only searching for my elder brother’s reincarnation, but unfortunately, they weren’t him,” Wen Heshen said with some regret. “So I had to make the most of what I had. Haven’t you all been fighting quite happily these years? Although it’s been delayed for quite some time, I still must thank Bian Daren for his help.”
Upon hearing this, Bian Cang’s face turned deathly pale, and he stumbled backward several steps, promptly supported by Xun Yang.
“Daren?” Xun Yang looked at the soldiers and arrows surrounding them, momentarily panicking.
In the current situation, Bian Cang had completely lost his advantage. Looking at the corpses on the ground and listening to the increasingly deafening explosions outside, Xun Yang inconspicuously released his hand supporting Bian Cang.
This madman Bian Cang simply wanted to drag everyone down with him to die. Although Xun Yang didn’t know what Wen Heshen’s purpose was, it certainly wasn’t to save them. He was still young with great ambitions yet to be fulfilled. He must… he must quickly find an opportunity to escape.
Xun Yang retreated with a pale face, blending into the crowd of panicking officials.
Wen Heshen looked toward Liang Ye on the elevated platform, “Your Majesty doesn’t seem at all curious about my background?”
“As the State Preceptor, you bewitched Emperor Huixian to seek immortality, harmed the wives and children of ministers, and now collude with Bian Cang in rebellion, holding court officials hostage,” Liang Ye said with a cold smile. “Regardless of where you come from or what your purpose is, you now have only one path—death.”
Wen Heshen’s gaze swept across the gradually approaching soldiers, saying contemptuously, “With just you people?”
Liang Ye’s raised hand suddenly dropped, “Kill!”
Countless soldiers swarmed forward, but Wen Heshen’s movements were uncannily swift. Ordinary people couldn’t get near him at all. Even though the disabled Cui Qi in the wheelchair was a burden, it did nothing to impede his forward progress. Severed limbs littered the ground.
Chong Heng led imperial guards charging from all directions, but they merely slowed his wheelchair-pushing steps briefly before being knocked down by his powerful palm strikes. Those with insufficient internal energy spat blood and died instantly, while even skilled fighters sustained serious injuries and couldn’t get up again.
Chong Heng was forced back several steps by his palm strikes and was caught by Chang Ying behind him. Behind Chang Ying were numerous assassins from the Nine Star Pavilion, wielding various strange weapons and forming killing formations. Despite the endless deadly attacks and weapons coming from all directions, they still couldn’t stop Wen Heshen’s advance.
Chong Heng was struck by one of his palms, and could clearly hear the sound of his shoulder bones shattering. He spat out a mouthful of blood. Chang Ying’s chains, caught in Wen Heshen’s hands, were shattered into powder. With a sweep of his long sleeve, he sent the two most skilled fighters crashing heavily into the thick dragon pillars. In the spacious hall, the sound of bones breaking could be heard clearly.
The officials who had been kneeling in the center of the hall had already scattered to both sides. Even with soldiers protecting them in front, they felt no sense of security and could only look anxiously toward Liang Ye in front of the dragon throne.
Neither soldiers, imperial guards, nor assassins could stop him. Wen Heshen’s martial arts far exceeded their imagination. This completely overwhelming defeat instilled no fighting spirit in them; they could only feel fear from the depths of their hearts.
Even if His Majesty’s martial arts were exceptional, he was still just one person and would be no match for this demonic Taoist. This time, they would surely die!
The explosions outside the hall grew increasingly close, and the acrid smell of gunpowder drifted through the heavy curtain of rain into the hall. The fear of imminent death began to spread through their bodies.
Wen Heshen stopped pushing the wheelchair at the jade steps, his right hand never having left the wheelchair. He smiled at Liang Ye, “Your Majesty, I’ll be taking Northern Liang’s fortune and the immortal bone in your body.”
Liang Ye twisted his lips, “Nonsense.”
Wen Heshen’s face slightly cooled. His figure moved extremely quickly to Liang Ye, his five fingers forming a claw about to grasp his neck, but his expression suddenly changed, “You’re not Liang Ye!”
Just a moment’s hesitation was a fatal flaw for him. Yue Jingming and Xiao Chunhe, who had been lying in ambush behind Liang Ye’s dragon pillars, suddenly appeared. Their two whisks tightly entangled his arms, and they leaped down from the jade steps, pulling him away from Liang Ye.
Liang Ye—or rather, Wang Dian disguised as Liang Ye—pulled his sleeves together and looked down at Wen Heshen in the distance. The corner of his mouth curved into a sinister arc as he chuckled, “I’m not Liang Ye, could it be that you are?”
“Where is the immortal bone in your body!?” Wen Heshen stared fixedly at Wang Dian.
“What immortal bone? We in Great Liang don’t engage in feudal superstitions,” Wang Dian said with a smiling face.
What good was superior martial arts? What good was far exceeding ordinary human limits? Even if he wasn’t “human,” as long as he was alive and here, there would be ways to kill him.
All vague fears stemmed from the unknown, but once Wen Heshen appeared, he became less frightening. No matter how capable he was, he still used human schemes and plots, which meant he definitely had weaknesses.
Wang Dian looked down at the hall full of living people and corpses. It was just a bloody chess game where he only needed to protect the king, even if it meant using himself.
“You two stinking Taoist priests again!” Wen Heshen looked at Yue Jingming and Xiao Chunhe. “You’re seeking death!”
“Wen Heshen, those who do evil will come to a bad end. You’re now at the end of your rope, why struggle?” Xiao Chunhe’s whisk suddenly tightened. “Neither human nor ghost, how dare you try to shake the national fortune and immortal bone!”
“All things in the world have their own laws of operation. Your forceful interference has already suffered tremendous backlash,” Yue Jingming said coldly. “It’s not too late to stop now.”
“Foolish mortals!” Wen Heshen sneered with contempt. “It was clearly your own internal strife that caused the decline of national fortune. I merely added some instigation. Human hearts are evil, yet you insist on placing the blame on me!”
“Stubborn fool.” Yue Jingming drew his sword and shouted loudly, “Chunhe!”
Xiao Chunhe leaped up, throwing his whisk to him and taking the long sword that had been split in two. The two moved so quickly that their movements left afterimages. Several bloody gashes immediately appeared on Wen Heshen’s face, and annoyance flickered in his eyes.
However, at that moment, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Wang Dian approaching Cui Qi. Disregarding everything, he broke free from the whisks entangling his arms and, amid the flying white strands, leaped up and rushed straight toward Wang Dian.
Wang Dian grabbed the wheelchair and pulled it back sharply. Chang Ying and Chong Heng caught Wen Heshen’s ankles from both sides. Wen Heshen became furious and was about to slam his palms onto their skulls when Yue Jingming and Xiao Chunhe blocked him, their two swords cutting off both his escape routes.
“Presumptuous!” Wen Heshen shouted angrily, his gray cloak fluttering up to reveal what was beneath. Wang Dian suddenly narrowed his eyes.
Half of this person’s body was actually cold white bone. No wonder Xiao Chunhe said he was neither human nor ghost.
His speed suddenly increased. Yue Jingming and Xiao Chunhe were kicked in succession and fell heavily to the ground from mid-air. Chang Ying and Chong Heng had also exhausted their strength, spitting fresh blood and unable to rise again. In a flash, a long whip broke through the air, wrapping around Wen Heshen’s lower leg and pulling him back firmly.
Xiang Meng wrapped the whip around a dragon pillar and shouted to Wang Dian, “Kill Cui Qi!”
“I’d like to see who dares!” Wen Heshen’s eyes turned red. Disregarding the flesh being torn from his leg by the tightly wound whip, he charged toward Cui Qi. Behind him, Xiang Meng was slammed into the hall wall by the tremendous force, creating a terrifying deep crater. The entire council hall began to sway precariously.
Wang Dian spun around and handed the wheelchair to the nearest minister, shouting sternly, “Everyone leave here!”
Chu Geng grabbed the wheelchair in bewilderment. Beside him, Liu Binbai also grabbed the wheelchair, “That evil Taoist is after Cui Daren. If we don’t flee now, when will we?”
“Those who want to live, run!” Zeng Jie, who had been cowering in fear, suddenly had a moment of clarity and raised his voice in a roar.
Chu Geng swore that it was the most exciting and absurd escape of his life.
All the ministers in the hall, even though they had been scheming and plotting against each other before, and even though they still hadn’t fully grasped what was happening, had their survival instincts overcome all fears in that moment.
Whether old or young, they all rushed toward the exit of the council hall, desperately running through the continuously collapsing walls and falling bricks, charging into the pouring rain.
Wen Heshen roared in anger, trying to locate Cui Qi, but the strong and dazzling deep purple official aura surrounded everyone. Cui Qi was mixed among them and couldn’t be accurately located. Striking rashly would only harm others.
He angrily struck a palm toward Wang Dian. Yue Jingming appeared in time, grabbed Wang Dian, and threw him outside the hall.
Wang Dian stumbled a few steps to dissipate the force, then ran forward without any hesitation.
Wen Heshen leaped to chase after him, but Yue Jingming, Xiao Chunhe, and others pursued relentlessly, greatly interfering with his speed. Even though they were exhausted, they were determined to block his path.
The vermilion palace walls took on a thick, misty heaviness in the downpour. Wang Dian ran until his windpipe burned with pain. He couldn’t see the palace path clearly, but it was as if he had run it thousands of times. Countless chaotic, jumbled fragments of memory flashed through his mind. The intense pain at the back of his neck seemed to be carved into the depths of his soul. Familiar fear and strong resentment and unwillingness surged in his heart again.
Couldn’t stop. Stopping meant death.
He couldn’t stop.
He needed to find—Liang Ye!
