The Ways of the World
Chen Mo smiled. "I know you've been stalling for time. The army has already entered the palace and is almost at this hall. But remember, no one can save you today.
"So I'll be merciful and tell you, so you don't die a muddleheaded ghost.
"Remember this: we come from Haier City!"
When Xue Ye heard Chen Mo say they came from Haier City, his pupils contracted. He had probably guessed the reason.
Xue Ye cursed inwardly. Damn Ge Long! It was bad enough that he failed to get the job done, but he even let me fall into danger. What a useless fool.
Also, hearing Chen Mo say the army was nearly there gave Xue Ye a little more confidence.
But he had not openly turned against them yet. He had to hear the news from his own people. Once all the reinforcements arrived, he would turn on them completely and kill the four of them.
Xue Ye did not have to wait long before good news began pouring in.
"The Second Imperial Guard Legion has come to rescue Your Majesty..."
"The Third Heaven Dou Legion has come to protect Your Majesty..."
"The Seventh City Defense Legion has reached Zhengyang Gate..."
"The Heaven Dou Twenty-First Legion has reached the palace's main gate..."
As the troops arrived one after another, the way Xue Ye looked at Chen Mo and the other three gradually changed.
His formerly gentle, benevolent gaze turned venomous and disdainful. Victory was now firmly in his grasp.
Three hundred thousand against four-with a flying dragon riding on their faces, could he still lose?
Meanwhile, Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was bringing Gu Rong and the sect's disciples as reinforcements.
As staunch supporters of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would naturally come to lend a hand when the Heaven Dou Imperial Family was in trouble.
But the corpses and blood covering the palace grounds along the way made Ning Fengzhi shrink back.
He could come to lend a hand in a fight, but he had to think carefully about risking his life. At least ten thousand soldiers had died here.
Among them was the Glory Imperial Guard Legion, trained by the Imperial Family itself. It had only three thousand members, all Soul Masters of at least the Soul Elder level. Its captains were at least Soul Kings, while its ten commanders had reached the Soul Saint level.
Ning Fengzhi himself had helped train them, so he knew how strong those three thousand Soul Masters were. Even a Titled Douluo would have to avoid their sharp edge.
Ning Fengzhi looked at Gu Rong.
Gu Rong shook his head. "It can't be done. Neither I nor that sword man could do it. Both the three thousand imperial guards and the ten thousand-plus elite soldiers have the power to threaten a Titled Douluo.
"Even if that sword man and I joined forces and managed it, we would probably be like lamps drained of oil, with our Soul Power and stamina exhausted. We wouldn't be in any condition to keep fighting."
Ning Fengzhi fell silent for a moment, his expression grave.
As far as he knew, those four had fought their way straight in through the main gate, slaughtering anyone who dared stand in their way. They had not stopped for a single step.
To be honest, faced with such powerful opponents, Ning Fengzhi wanted to back down.
Every Soul Master in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was precious. They were not like the Heaven Dou Empire's soldiers, who could be cut down like leeks and grow right back.
But if they simply left like this, how could the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect face the Heaven Dou Empire in the future?
If the attackers were from Spirit Hall, Ning Fengzhi would have stood against them without a second thought. He understood that when the lips were gone, the teeth would be cold.
But the attackers were Chen Mo and the other three, so Ning Fengzhi hesitated. He knew some things about Lin Yaodong, Chen Mo and Xiao Wu.
Lin Yaodong was famous in Great Soul Arenas around the world. He had started out as a Soul Scholar, defeating quite a few Soul Ancestors.
When he reappeared after vanishing for a time, he was already a three-ring Soul Elder. He had crushed several veteran Soul Emperors, showing strength no weaker than that of an ordinary Soul Saint.
His first three rings were all Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings. Many major powers were interested in him, but wary of his strength and the mysterious power behind him, none had dared make a move against him yet.
As for Chen Mo and Xiao Wu, Ning Fengzhi knew only that the two of them were close to Dugu Yan and got along very well with her. The powers they used were strange and unlike those of Soul Masters, but both were extremely strong, no weaker than ordinary Soul Saints.
Anyone who dared set their sights on the two of them would receive a warning from Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.
As for Chen Mo, Ning Fengzhi knew little about him. He knew only that Chen Mo was the brains of the four, that the other three followed his lead, and that he was Chen Mo's older brother.
He was also leading this assault on the palace, and the number of Soul Saints and stronger experts who had died at his hands was now approaching triple digits.
According to the scouts, he had killed more than eighty or ninety percent of the three thousand imperial guards on his own.
He controlled two circular blades, reaping heads at will. No one could escape those two flying blades. Once he set his sights on someone, they were bound to die.
Even Soul Douluo-level experts were no exception.
That gave Ning Fengzhi something of a chill. Those were Soul Saints and Soul Douluos! With his support, Uncle Jian could easily kill anyone below the Soul Saint level in an instant, but that no longer held true for Soul Saints. Even if he managed to kill one in an instant by luck, he could not maintain that state for long.
Chen Mo was different. He had been fighting for so long, yet his Soul Power seemed not to have diminished at all. Moreover, he killed more than one at a time-several, or even a dozen or more. Even with Ning Fengzhi's support, Uncle Jian could never do that.
Soul Saints were already among the upper ranks of fighting strength in the Douluo World. In any faction, they were honored guests to be courted, not just any random cats and dogs.
Yet now they were being slaughtered like chicks. To be honest, Ning Fengzhi was somewhat afraid. He feared that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples he had brought would likewise be cut down like leeks, dying crop after crop.
Just as Ning Fengzhi was caught between two choices, Xue Qinghe sent someone to solve the problem for him.
A guard walked over and said to Ning Fengzhi,
"Sect Master Ning, His Highness the Crown Prince requests your presence."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes lit up when he heard the guard. He really is my good student!
Ning Fengzhi said, "Where is the Crown Prince now?"
The guard answered truthfully, "He is at the Stargazing Tower, directing the troops and overseeing the whole situation."
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Mm, sorry to trouble you, but please lead the way."
Ning Fengzhi then spoke to one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's stewards. "Seventh Brother, go and support Xue Ye first. The Crown Prince and I will follow shortly."
Ning Fengyuan naturally understood the look Ning Fengzhi gave him. Since the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had come, they certainly had to go to Xue Ye's side.
But they were only going to show their support. They would avoid fighting if they could, and even if a fight did break out, their priority would be to preserve themselves. They would help if they could, and leave it at that if they could not.
Even if they were called to account afterward, Ning Fengzhi would have an explanation ready, and the two sides would not fall out over the matter.
Meanwhile, there was Crown Prince Xue Qinghe-or, more precisely, Qian Renxue disguised as Xue Qinghe.
"Young Master, why invite the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect here? Wouldn't it be better to let them fight those four to the death?"
Qian Renxue said flatly, "If even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect went to support Father Emperor, how could I, as the Crown Prince, sit by and watch him fall into danger?"
"I see. I understand."
The jianghu was not all fighting and killing. It was the ways of the world...