Countless people swarmed into the Royal Palace, but they couldn't do anything while looking at the palace hall engulfed by the flames. It was useless even if a rainstorm came down from the sky.
The eunuchs and the palace servant girls stood around in a daze. Some of them had already cried bitterly, and a few eunuchs looked bewildered, thinking that they were good at washing the blood left by the Emperor in this palace hall. Now that the palace hall had been burned down and the Emperor had passed away, what else could they do?
The fire was so big that it was impossible to put it out. It didn't die down until three days and three nights later. The soldiers rushed into the ruins to search for the Emperor, but they found that the gold and silver inlaid on the beams had all been melted into solidified lava; it was impossible to find the corpse of the Chu Emperor.
Overnight, many residential houses were hung up with white banners, and the whole capital looked like it was covered with a snowfall.
After the White Emperor learned of the matter, he ordered the emperor to be buried with the honours of a king.
The Grand Scholar Zhou was seriously ill. He resigned as soon as he recovered, and his whereabouts were unknown.
The Chief of Taichang Temple had already brought the entire clan of the former Grand Scholar Manor back to their hometown.
Nobody had the heart to criticize the Emperor for his incompetence and cowardice anymore.
The king had died for the state; what more could they ask of him?
Many populace had gradually recalled the situation when the Emperor and the Grand Secretary Zhang were in power, and they felt nostalgic about it.
How many emperors could be like the Emperor who never went out of the palace and never caused trouble?
Nostalgia for the past often meant dissatisfaction with the present.
Nobody was willing to accept the brutal and forceful rule of the Qin Kingdom.
Many scholars changed the direction of their writing and wrote many sad poems to mourn the passing of the Emperor in the fire. Many populace insisted that the Emperor didn't die in the first place, and that he had escaped by taking advantage of the fire. He was living in seclusion in some place, either as a monk, or plotting how to recover the former state.
…
…
The palace halls in Xianyang City were all black. Set off by Aoyama in the distance, the palace looked quite desolate.
It was soundless around the grand hall. Those soldiers in black armor holding the long spears seemed to be not breathing, which made the people feel intimidated.
There was a patch of white in the grand hall, which was the most powerful man in the world, the White Emperor.
Bai Zao came to the palace hall. Naturally, there were many colors, because she was also wearing a white dress.
"You know he's not dead, so why did you come back?" Bai Qianjun stared into her eyes and asked.
Bai Zao looked back at him calmly and said, "Are you questioning me?"
Bai Qianjun put his hand on his forehead and said, "My apologies, I am a little tired from managing the affairs of the state."
A few years ago, he had said that he wanted to forget some things.
Bai Zao remembered. His eyelids drooped slightly, but his long eyelashes did not tremble.
Bai Qianjun said, "We can't let him slip away like this. We must find his whereabouts and confirm whether he's dead or alive. Capture all the eunuchs and palace maids in the Imperial Palace of the Chu Kingdom, as well as those high-ranking officials. We will definitely get something by torturing them. We don't believe that he didn't leave any traces behind. "
"This is inappropriate," Bai Zao said. "Since the general situation has been decided, there is no need to care about these minor details, which will only cause more trouble."
Bai Qianjun said, "Even though Yun Qi's reputation is high, it's useless to talk like a scholar, so we don't need to pay attention to him. Eunuch He is indeed difficult to deal with, but he is still a eunuch. When Zhao Huang grows up, Zhao will definitely run into trouble. All we need to do is wait. As for the Chu Emperor, you have said many times that we should pay attention to him; why is it that he is not considered the general situation now?"
Bai Zao said, "An emperor without a state is like a duckweed without roots. No matter how strong the wind is, it can only go with the flow. How can one person shake the world?"
After a moment of silence, Bai Qian said, "What you said makes sense."
"I'm going to rest now."
Bai Zao walked toward the outside of the palace hall.
Outside the palace hall, Eunuch Gao saw her and hurriedly knelt down to pay his respect.
She didn't even glance at him, nor did she pay any attention to those stern and powerful soldiers outside the palace hall.
Arriving before the stone steps, she suddenly halted her steps, as if she had thought of something. She didn't turn around, but continued walking down the steps.
…
…
Eunuch Gao came to the deep end of the Black Hall and knelt before the Emperor, holding up a list of names with both hands.
Bai Qianjun took the list and skimmed through it. His face darkened slightly; it was obvious that he was dissatisfied.
"We can basically confirm that the Emperor of Chu didn't escape with the diplomatic group; but there are many things that we can't ask in detail …"
Eunuch Gao lowered his head as he spoke, his voice trembling slightly.
As the Chief Supervisor of the Royal Palace of Xianyang, he was one of the few people who knew the real status of the Princess in the Qin Kingdom and her influence on the Emperor.
Eunuch Gao didn't dare offend the Princess, so it was inconvenient for him to use tricks on the members of the diplomatic group.
Bai Qianjun said in a slightly cold voice, "Bring all the members of the diplomatic group to the side hall. I want to see you interrogate them in person."
…
…
The side hall was also completely black, and there was less light in it, making it appear even more gloomy.
The officials and caretakers of the diplomatic group were escorted into the hall in turn to be interrogated by Eunuch Gao; they didn't notice the Emperor sitting in the deep end of the hall.
After the interrogation of those officials and caretakers, they still didn't find any problems. Next, it was the turn of the few managers of the trading companies.
The diplomatic group of the Qin Kingdom had secretly entered the Chu capital in the name of a trading company, so they had recruited a few managers to assist them.
A manager of the trading company came into the side hall and walked up to Eunuch Gao. He bowed slightly, seemingly preparing to salute.
In the deep end of the hall, Bai Qianjun, who was pretending to be asleep in the shadows, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at that person.
The manager of the trading company looked somewhat thin, but the sound of his footsteps landing on the floor indicated that he was heavier than he looked.
Bai Qianjun didn't have time to think about it, yelling, "Stop him!"
Eunuch Gao's expression changed abruptly, blocking in front of the manager of the trading company without hesitation.
The manager of the trading company bowed slightly. He wasn't preparing to salute, but rather was gathering his strength, like a stiff bow that was gradually being pulled back.
His feet stomped heavily on the floor, creating several cracks on the floor. His whole body shot out like an arrow released from a bow.
Eunuch Gao was a highly skilled swordsman in the Xianyang Royal Palace, but before the thunderous power of the other party, he had no way to fight back. His face showed a look of terror.
With a ripping sound, his body disappeared, turning into blood, flesh, and pieces of clothing that flew in the air!
A flying sword pierced through the rain of blood, instantly arriving in front of Bai Qianjun.
Bai Qianjun let out a shrill cry, his arms crossed together, the ritual implement on his wrist emitting a murderous aura, blocking the flying sword.
The sharp blade of the sword and the ritual implement clashed, creating countless sparks.
On the other side of the sparks, a figure could be faintly seen, pouncing over like a fierce tiger.
Bai Qianjun fell to the ground.
An extremely thick iron plate fell from the top of the hall, smashing heavily on the ground, sending up countless clouds of dust and making a loud noise. The iron plate had turned into an impassable iron door.
A dozen highly skilled swordsmen of the Qin army had already arrived in front of Bai Qianjun, raising their iron shields, protecting him impenetrably.
The two powerful layers of defense finally put Bai Qianjun at ease, his face showing an expression of anger and humiliation.
Suddenly, his expression changed again, because the assassin who had controlled the sword to kill had already arrived in front of the iron door. The iron door was over two inches thick, and even a siege crossbow could not penetrate it. Logically speaking, he should not be worried, but for some reason, he still felt uneasy, and subconsciously took two steps back.
A loud bang resounded!
It was as if a thunderbolt that should have been high up in the sky had exploded in the hall, or as if two iron hammers weighing tens of thousands of pounds had collided head-on.
Air billowed and spewed in the side hall, and smoke and dust rose.
The highly skilled swordsmen of the Qin army with their iron shields were all knocked to the ground, blood spurting wildly. More than half of them had died.
Bai Qianjun was protected very tightly, but he was still affected. Covered in blood, he was supported by the swordsmen of the Qin army who had once again arrived, and retreated to the back.
Dozens of highly skilled swordsmen of the Qin army had set up layer after layer of shield formations in front of him, and countless arrows were aimed at the smoke and dust.
As the smoke and dust settled, the scene in the hall gradually became clearer.
Only then did people realize that a large hole had been blasted through the iron gate!
There was a person standing on the other side of the smoke and dust. His head was lowered and he looked weak.
His left sleeve had already been completely shredded, revealing a severely deformed iron arm. His messy hair danced in the wind, and a few strands of white hair could be vaguely seen.
It was Zhuo Rusui.
He had killed the highly achieved swordsmen of the royal court of the Qin Kingdom with one sword strike, punched through an iron plate with one fist strike, killed a dozen swordsmen of the Qin army, and wounded the Qin Emperor severely. Such combat prowess was indeed formidable. Of course, he had paid a great price for it. His chest was covered with blood stains, and he looked weak not because he was tired, but because he was exhausted.
More masters of the Qin Kingdom rushed over. They directly tore down a corner of the side hall and erected countless iron shields, but no one dared to step forward.
Bai Qianjun was helped up. He looked at Zhuo Rusui through the shield formation and thought with a pale face that Zhuo Rusui was indeed a little monster of the Aoyama Sect. He was so powerful even in the Dreamland. It took him less than forty years to reach the State of Free Travel!
It was well known that the Free Travel or the initial Yuanying were the upper limit of the Cultivation states in the Illusionary Realm of the Green Sky Mirror.
"Even if you are powerful, so what?"
He said to Zhuo Rusui, "You will still die today."
Zhuo Rusui lifted his head slowly and stared into his eyes, saying, "Don't talk nonsense. Let's fight one-on-one if you dare."
Bai Qianjun said in a mocking tone, "This is a fight for the hegemony of the world. It's not a fight of bravery and ruthlessness. It's the behavior of a fool to try to fight against an entire state alone."
Zhuo Rusui said, "You are the representative of the Center State, but you have been forced by the disciples of the Aoyama Sect to hide in a turtle shell for the rest of your life. Aren't you afraid of losing face?"
Bai Qianjun sneered, "You are a fool, but do you think I am one as well?"
No sooner had he said this than the arrows shot out like a rainstorm.
Hundreds of highly achieved swordsmen of the Qin army leaped forward fearlessly, drowning Zhuo Rusui like the tide.
The tide looked terrifying, but it was very difficult for it to swallow the reef in an instant.
Zhuo Rusui was like a reef. The tide slapped on his body and turned into bloody bubbles. Occasionally, he would disappear, but he would reappear in the end.
This bloody and cruel siege lasted for half a day.
The hall was filled with corpses and broken crossbow arrows.
The Qin Kingdom paid the price of more than a hundred highly achieved swordsmen, and Zhuo Rusui was finally unable to hold on.
"It's not that I can't hold on, I'm just a little tired. I haven't slept well these days."
Zhuo Rusui sat on the ground, coughing as he spoke.
With every cough, some of the blood on his body would splash out, making him look very bloody.
Bai Qianjun looked at him and said mockingly, "You really think of yourself as an assassin. Even if you still remember what happened outside, you still lost your way."
Zhuo Rusui said, "What I did is not a big deal. But since you really think of yourself as an emperor, you are destined to have no future."
Bai Qianjun said sternly, "The Cultivation of the Aoyama Sect only depends on the individual, but our Zhongzhou School is willing to lead the human race forward. This is the true leader. History will prove which is the true path, both here and in the outside world."
Zhuo Rusui said, "If the Green Sky Mirror hadn't limited the upper limit of the Cultivation state, I would have killed you a long time ago. Are you going to lead the Underworld forward?"
Bai Qianjun sneered, "Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you have a higher Cultivation state? Do you think you can command the swordsmen? "
"If we were in the outside world, I would be able to kill whoever I want after I reached the upper state of the Heavenly Arrival State. Otherwise, why didn't the leader of your Zhongzhou School go and kill Jian Xilai?"
Zhuo Rusui spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva in front of him, and asked tiredly, "Are you an idiot to ask such a question?"
The expression on Bai Qianjun's face changed slightly, but he suppressed his anger and asked, "Tell me, where is Jing Jiu?"
Zhuo Rusui felt even more baffled, as he exclaimed, "Are you really an idiot to ask me this question?"
Having said that, he slapped his palm down on his head, and died.
Then, he opened his eyes by the Green Sky Mirror and woke up.
It was dusk. The bright red rays of the setting sun shone on the slowly rotating Green Sky Mirror, making the rivers look like blood.
The gazes of a dozen participants in the Dao Competition fell on him, showing a hint of awe and hatred.
In that world, Zhuo Rusui had killed the most people, and his prowess was the most formidable, and he died the most valiantly.
Zhuo Rusui didn't pay any attention to these gazes. He remained silent for a while while looking at the bloody rivers and the red mountain in the Green Sky Mirror, reflecting on something.
He didn't express any of his feelings in the end, perhaps because he was reluctant to part with them, or regretful.
He stood up and walked toward the outside of the cave while holding his waist, complaining incessantly.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
