Battle at the Royal Capital

Battle at the Royal Capital

"What? The intruders were relying on a Mechanical Puppet and heading straight for the main gate of my Grand General's Manor? Anyone who tried to stop them was reduced to dust?"

The middle-aged scholar in the courtyard suddenly slammed his palm onto the stone table. The thick, sturdy tabletop instantly cracked in half.

"Where is Captain Zhao? Why has he not come to see me?"

"Reporting to you, sir, Captain Zhao... led from the front and was killed by the intruders at the battle line!"

The one reporting the battle was Captain Zhao's deputy. He stood trembling in the courtyard, his hands hanging stiffly at his sides as cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

"So you did not even see the intruders' faces before being beaten so badly that you could not fight back, and could only come running home like stray dogs to report it?"

The middle-aged scholar's gaze was like a venomous snake, making the reporter's scalp tingle before he even had time to beg for mercy.

A savage ghostly hand shot out from the former's wide sleeve, flying forward and seizing the deputy by the face.

Accompanied by greedy sucking sounds, the deputy's strong body turned into a shriveled corpse. With a crack, it fell to the ground.

The ghostly hand then crawled down from the corpse like a venomous python before swiftly burrowing back into the middle-aged scholar's broad sleeve.

A strange flush appeared on his face, as though he had consumed some great restorative.

"Though the Ironclad Guards were useless, they at least proved that those three suspected cultivators are not easy opponents. Who knows where they came from? My Grand General's Manor has only ever dealt with the martial world and the imperial court. We have never made enemies of cultivators."

"To be safe, I must first seek the prince's instructions this time."

"That spirit artifact has kept the prince refining it for months. He cannot leave, otherwise rumors would not have spread that he fears the intruders, nor would he have allowed them to come knocking at our door."

"Let this not ruin the great matter!"

"Hm, on the other hand, this may not be an opportunity for me personally. Perhaps I can gain some benefits..."

With countless thoughts racing through his mind, the middle-aged scholar rose to his feet and hurried out of the courtyard, passing through the manor's winding corridors.

The rules within the manor were exceptionally strict. The maids and servants he encountered along the way all knelt and kowtowed, yet the middle-aged scholar gave these mortals not the slightest response.

He continued toward the deepest part of the general's manor. Only after he had gone far away did those kneeling on the ground dare to cautiously rise.

In the secluded residence at the very depths of the Grand General's Manor, there was not even a single servant watching over it.

The verdant bamboo planted outside the screen wall had clearly been transplanted and planted only within the last few days, judging from the traces in the soil.

Yet for some unknown reason, more than half of it had already withered yellow.

Bone-piercing gusts of yin wind poured from the residence, accompanied faintly by strange, shrill howls that made one's blood run cold.

The middle-aged scholar stood outside the courtyard, his lips moving slightly as he explained the situation inside.

A moment later, a tall man in splendid robes emerged from the darkness. The wide eaves cast a vast shadow that obscured his upper body, making his face impossible to see.

"That treasure will be refined today. A few insignificant clowns have arrived at just the right time. Unfortunately, they will soon become the first souls to be sacrificed in blood to my spirit artifact!"

"In that case, this little brother can rest easy."

"In recent years, my cultivation has displeased the emperor, so no Yan Kingdom royal worshippers will act this time..."

"Go. Hold them back. I have not forgotten the benefits I promised you..."

"What are you saying, elder brother? If you had not discovered that I possessed a Spirit Root, granted me the path of immortality, and lowered yourself to become sworn brothers with me, I would likely still be risking my life in the martial world!"

"Besides, if I break through to Late Qi Refining, would that not elevate the strength of our Grand General's Manor as well?"

"Since the King of Yan has cast aside all brotherly affection this time, elder brother must have made up his mind as well. That throne of the King of Yan... hehehe, sooner or later, it will be yours."

The middle-aged scholar humbly flattered him, yet a strange light flickered in his eyes. Thinking of that Essence-Absorption Technique, he had coveted it for a long time.

With it, Late Qi Refining would no longer be a bottleneck, and he would gain even more terrifying and powerful strength.

He would rise another step above those mortals as insignificant as dust.

Yan Wuxu showed no reaction to the middle-aged scholar's rather tempting proposal, nor did he rebuke him for such treasonous words. He merely curled his lips faintly and silently withdrew into the depths of the darkness.

Outside the manor, the unstoppable super tank carried Xiao Liang and the other two onward, while the forces blocking their path grew weaker and weaker.

Soon, the tank rounded a street corner and arrived on an exceptionally wide avenue. At the end of the street stood the imposing and magnificent Grand General's Manor.

"So that is the residence of that dog Yan Wuxu. It truly is extravagantly luxurious, but his good days end today."

Qin Long stepped out of the tank, standing atop the turret with one hand on her sword as she looked into the distance.

The tank's main cannon adjusted its angle slightly. Once the loader had finished loading, Pandora pressed the firing button, and a shell carrying the sound of wind and thunder crashed down upon the manor gates.

Without any surprise, the place was instantly reduced to ruins, just like everything they had encountered along the way.

As the tank came to a stop before the gates of the Grand General's Manor.

Xiao Liang and Pandora also stepped out of the tank, standing shoulder to shoulder with Qin Long.

In a mortal kingdom within a cultivation world, not everyone could experience the unique thrill of slaughtering enemies with a modern tank.

However, that cumbersome tank would probably not be so useful in the coming battle.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Sure enough, amid the smoke and dust of the ruined manor, a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar approached slowly, clapping his hands with an ambiguous smile on his face.

A glint of red immediately appeared in Pandora's eyes. She spread her wings and was about to charge forward, but Xiao Liang stopped her.

"It seems there is more than one cultivator in this general's manor. Before we kill the main course, they thoughtfully prepared an appetizer for us. It is making my hands itch."

The corner of Xiao Liang's mouth lifted as he smiled at Qin Long. Thinking of a new magic artifact he had just refined, a trace of fighting spirit rose within him.

After all, he did not want to become a mere summoner whose combat skills steadily deteriorated. That would be dangerous.

Only by tempering his combat skills from time to time could he go farther on the path of cultivation.

"Fellow Daoists, your methods are extraordinary. But why have you come to attack my Grand General's Manor with such fanfare?"

The middle-aged scholar did not rush to attack. Instead, he began making conversation.

He focused on the massive tank, and a trace of confusion appeared in his eyes. Was this the thing that had driven back the Ironclad Guards?

Yet he could not sense the slightest spiritual energy fluctuation from it. It was completely an ordinary object.

How strange indeed!

"Hehehe, do I need to give you a reason to kill Yan Wuxu?"

"If I must give one, then it is because he deserves to die!"

After laughing, Xiao Liang himself found it rather odd.

Especially when Qin Long looked at him, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

Ever since I took in that old ghost, the Hundred Tribulations Daoist, I've picked up some bad habits—like the laugh and manner of speaking passed down by villainous characters.

That old ghost had even tried to argue that all experts from the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern were like this.

The middle-aged scholar, however, became even more solemn upon hearing Xiao Liang's eerie, bloodthirsty tone and did not dare underestimate him.

Ever since Heavenly Sun Mountain's defeat four hundred years ago, the demonic path had flourished throughout Yan Kingdom.

Anyone who dared speak like that was probably no ordinary character.

(End of Chapter)