Chapter 98: Jiang Chen Makes His Move
Although they fell down bravely, tragically, and despite every person killing at least more than ten times their worth of enemies, the great army continued to surge forward like the tidewaters.
However, Wei Tiandu finally carved out a break thanks to his tremendous destructive power.
His long spear wavered as he continuously drew out rings of true qi, sweeping away as many of the enemy as he could within a space of twenty or thirty meters.
“Princess, go!”
The only moment had finally appeared.
Wei Tiandu had already suffered from multiple hits from blades and swords. Fresh blood splurted out endlessly as many large and small cuts turned him into a bloody figure.
Except, a tragic yet content smile was on Wei Tiandu’s face at the moment.
“Come, come at me!” Wei Tiandu roared crazily. “I want all of you to die!”
The stance of an eleven meridians true qi master putting his life down on the line was indeed astounding. The break widened even further.
Princess Gouyu grabbed one child in each hand and circulated her true qi, yelling lowly, “Let’s go!”
With Eastern Lin and Eastern Zhiruo, her feet pushed off the ground and her body flew through the air, bounding out of the ring of battle, and dashing quickly for the outside streets.
Wei Tiandu and his spear stood sideways on the great avenue, crashing and thrusting out to his left and right, stabbing more than ten elites of the Soaring Dragon side who ran up in pursuit to death.
At this moment, a shadow wavered in the air as if a light breeze was blowing.
A light fragrance wafted out as green sleeves danced. A sword like a poisonous snake pierced into Wei Tiandu’s right ribs in a slanted direction.
The person behind the ambush was Long Juxue, here on orders.
“Wei Tiandu, die!” Long Juxue’s gaze was remote as her slender arms raised and the light from a sword’s blade drew an arc in the air. It slashed across Wei Tiandu’s chest, bringing his organs trailing out after.
Wei Tiandu’s mouth was full of blood as both eyes glared at Long Juxue. He laughed ghastly, “So you’re the evil scourge? That so-called azure phoenix constitution? I will go down with you!”
Wei Tiandu was quite brave and fierce. His organs were trailing outside of him as he threw his spear away, stubbornly reaching out with both hands towards Long Juxue, attempting to latch onto her.
“Huh. Struggling in your death throes.” Long Juxue’s body moved as she slashed out with her sword twice, relieving Wei Tiandu’s arms from his body.
Wei Tiandu roared like a tiger, but still refused to give up. He leapt forward like a tiger, opening his mouth wide in an attempt to bite Long Juxue.
Except, being so heavily injured, how could he do anything to a young genius like Long Juxue?
A sword aura flashed past Wei Tiandu’s neck like frost as a head shot up towards the skies.
Long Juxue said coldly, “Put the head away, display it to the public tomorrow.”
Long Er and some other true qi masters ran off in pursuit towards the direction of Princess Gouyu’s escape.
If Princess Gouyu hadn’t had two people with her, she could absolutely escape from the ring of battle with her cultivation as an eleven meridians true qi master.
Whether it was Long Er or Long Juxue, or any of the other true qi masters, none of them would be able to hold her down.
But, the two children together weighed two hundred pounds. This greatly decreased her speed. Long Er and the others caught up with them before she’d even made it down one street. There was less than two hundred meters between the two parties.
“Gouyu, I respect you as a dignified person. Stop and I’ll leave you a complete corpse in death.” Long Er called out.
“Blasphemy.” Long Juxue had caught up from behind and hectored. “Long Er, who gave you the authority to make such promises lightly? My lord father has named this woman as someone he wants, how can we let her die easily and swiftly?”
“Gouyu, you considered yourself a world above others when you were in charge of the Hidden Dragon Trials. Did you ever think that there would be a day like this?” Long Juxue laughed coldly. “I will take both you and your niece, tear off all the clothes on your bodies and let all the men in the kingdom look upon your naked bodies. Then, I will find one hundred of the dirtiest men in the kingdom and have them service you one by one.”
Long Juxue’s words were suffused with a cruelty and ruthlessness that was at odds with her age.
“Auntie, put us down, hurry up and escape. Avenge us in the future!” Eastern Lin called out.
“Auntie, hurry up and run. Go find Jiang Chen!” Eastern Zhiruo still hadn’t forgotten Jiang Chen at this moment. She felt that in this world, only Jiang Chen could save her and save her auntie.
“Escape? Where to?”
Long Juxue made a hand motion. Long Er and the other six or seven true qi masters increased their speed and dashed forward.
A hundred meters… fifty meters… thirty meters.
They were coming closer and closer into attack range.
At this moment, that piercing and familiar bird call once again broke through the firmament of the heavens.
Once, twice…
It seemed to coalesce into countless sounds after a while, concentrating into a sea of bird calls.
Gold light streaked through the skies, bringing with it an awe-inspiring presence.
Whoosh.
Whoosh, whoosh.
The arrows that streaked through the sky were like death reaping runes as they shot towards the pursuing crowd.
Bam, bam.
Two true qi masters were caught off guard and flipped over themselves when these arrows with strong momentum connected.
Princess Gouyu had already closed her eyes and was prepared to die, her heart was completely in despair.
When she heard the familiar bird calls, a warmth rose up in her heart. It was like when a drowning person suddenly clutched onto a straw. She knew that she was safe.
Their savior was here.
“Throw them up here.” Jiang Chen called down to Gouyu from his lofty vantage point.
Princess Gouyu hastily threw Eastern Lin and Eastern Zhiruo one after another into the air. Jiang Chen made a gesture and the two Goldwing Swordbirds flew sideways in the sky, catching them firmly.
Another one dashed towards Princess Gouyu. Gouyu raised her feet and mounted as well.
When she was astride the back of the Goldwing Swordbird, a heavily hovering stone in Princess Gouyu’s heart was finally placed down.
“Jiang Chen!” Long Juxue had slashed her way through with a sword and violent beams of hate shot out from her eyes when she saw Jiang Chen’s sudden appearance.
“It’s me.” Jiang Chen raised his bow and arrow and shot another arrow at Long Juxue.
This woman was even more ruthless than Long Yinye, she had to be eliminated.
However, Long Juxue was obviously prepared for his arrow as her body immediately flashed behind a large tree. She grit her teeth, “Jiang Chen, are you trying to push the clock back and stubbornly resist my Long family to the end?”
“Long Juxue, the moment that your Long family sent assassins to kill my father, our families were destined to a fate of not resting until one side was dead. Within the Boundless Catacombs, even the members of the ‘Hidden Hand’ whom you had colluded with were unable to kill me. You have missed your only chance. From today on forth, your Long family can only await my endless vengeance!”
Jiang Chen whistled sharply after he’d finished talking and called out to the Goldwing Swordbirds, preparing to leave.
Eastern Zhiruo sobbed as she pled, “Brother Jiang Chen, please save my royal father.”
Jiang Chen’s gaze was remote as he looked in the direction of the palace. He sighed lightly, “It’s too late.”
It was indeed too late, because the Duke of Soaring Dragon was already surging in this direction with the army. It was obvious that the outcome over at the palace was a foregone conclusion.
Looking at the great army that advanced in a black mess like the tidewaters, Jiang Chen said, “Gouyu, let’s go.”
It was as if knives churned in Princess Gouyu’s heart, she too knew that her royal brother must have fallen. She grimly bore up beneath the tragic in her heart and led Eastern Zhiruo and Eastern Lin away.
“Jiang Chen.” Long Zhaofeng’s army had finally arrived.
“This is my Long family’s grievance with the Eastern clan. Didn’t you announce that you had broken off all relations with the Eastern clan? Why do you intervene now?”
Long Zhaofeng was the representative character of his time alright. He could actually suppress his hatred in losing a son and still speak to Jiang Chen thus in this moment.
“Do I need a lecture from you when I, Jiang Chen, choose to do something?” Jiang Chen laughed coldly.
Although the great army formed a dark sea of humanity below like the surging tidewaters, what reason did Jiang Chen have to fear?
“Huh. And I thought you had a backbone, but you’re still only one of the Eastern clan’s lackeys in the end. Except, is the Eastern clan worthy of your loyalty?”
Long Zhaofeng’s arm rose with a head clutched in his hand. It appeared exceedingly sinister in the dark of the night. “This is Eastern Lu’s head. This is the fate that has befallen the one you serve.”
“You have taken his head today, there will naturally be someone who takes yours, just like your son.” Jiang Chen snorted in laughter.
Long Zhaofeng’s body wavered, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. This Jiang Chen was impenetrable and impossible to goad into action.
“Royal brother!”
“Royal father!”
Princess Gouyu and Eastern Zhiruo were overwhelmed by grief when they saw this scene.
Jiang Chen called out coldly. “Hurry up and leave. If you don’t, then you too will be unable to leave.”
Long Zhaofeng yelled out, “Archers, whoever shoots down Jiang Chen will also be made lord of ten thousand households!” The depths of Long Zhaofeng’s hatred for Jiang Chen was not something that could be summed up with a few short words.
Except, how would Jiang Chen give him this opportunity? The Goldwing Swordbird easily swept away the arrows that shot into the sky, streaking through the sky with a dashing figure and vanishing in the distance.
“After them!” Long Zhaofeng was unable to contain his anger.
The sweet joy he’d had in killing Eastern Lu had mostly disappeared after Jiang Chen’s act.
If he couldn’t kill Jiang Chen, so what if he wore the royal robes of yellow? So what if he held the position of king?
As long as he hadn’t exacted revenge for his son’s death, he would have never fully vented his spleen.
“Long Zhaofeng, wash your head well. I will come for it sooner or later.” In the great expanse of the sky, Jiang Chen’s remote voice seemed to emit from the air. Intangible and ethereal, mysterious and difficult to locate.
What did it mean to feel aggrieved? Long Zhaofeng’s current feelings were aggrieved.
He, Long Zhaofeng, had been domineering and tyrannical all his life, the hero of his generation and now even the territory of the Eastern clan was within his hands.
But, he could not devise a suitable plan against a mere youth.
Shame. This was practically the epitome of shame.
“Convey my order! Gather the troops of the various dukes, I want to personally conquer the Jiang Han territory. I want the Jiang family to disappear from the landscape of the kingdom, and the Jiang bloodline to disappear from this world!”
Long Zhaofeng was thoroughly infuriated.
“Your Majesty.”
All the people around him knelt down.
The Duke of Yanmen was the first to speak. “Your Majesty, the traitor Jiang Chen must be killed, and the Jiang family clan must be exterminated. But Your Majesty has just consolidated your grasp on the nation and must first ascend to your throne, and consolidate the heavens and earth. Only in this way will the public’s hearts be assuaged and the lands united as one. Afterwards, those matters of conquering a territory will certainly be achieved irresistibly like sweeping up dead leaves.”
“Please ascend to the dragon throne first Your Majesty.”
“Please ascend to the dragon throne first Your Majesty.”
The voices sounded out in unison and filled every corner of the capital.
Long Zhaofeng ascended to the throne and changed the name of the kingdom to Zhao, the Great Zhao Kingdom.
This news made its way into every corner of the capital over the course of one night, traveling to every household.
Some rejoiced and others sorrowed in that moment.
Those who supported the Eastern clan were all privately disappointed and exceedingly pessimistic.
Those who supported Long Zhaofeng proclaimed the news from the rooftops and congratulated each other on the prospect of getting good appointments.
Within the Hall of Healing, they too had received swift intelligence and the executive levels had gathered together at the fastest speed.
“I said long ago that it wasn’t a good thing to walk too closely with the Jiang family.” That Elder Blue was the first to step out and jeer mockingly.
“Your networking strategy was obviously wrong, number three.” The second hallmaster Yue Qun also stood out in admonishment.
“Absolutely wrong, our Hall of Healing is in great trouble this time. We thoroughly offended the Duke of Soaring Dragon in that fight with the Pill King Garden. No, he’s not the Duke of Soaring Dragon now, he’s now His Majesty.” Another elder spoke up.
In the span of a moment, fully one half of the senior executives of the Hall started admonishing Qiao Baishi.
Even the lord hallmaster Song Tianxing hadn’t anticipated on such a large backlash. One had to know that when the Hall of Healing benefitted previously, these people had praised Qiao Baishi up to the heavens.