For many reasons, Chen Changsheng had to kill Zhou Tong. One of the most important reasons was that the coup of the Mausoleum of Books had begun with his killing of Zhou Tong.
When he had walked into this courtyard, it had been the beginning of the change in history, the source of all life and death. Now the Tianhai Divine Empress was dead, many people were dead, and the river of history had taken a great turn. Yet Zhou Tong was still alive and well, perhaps even living better than before. No matter how he thought about it, he felt that he should finish this matter.
Even now, he still did not know where Zhou Tong was.
At this moment, Xiao De and he simultaneously lowered their heads to look at the snow on the ground of the courtyard.
The snow was currently moving extremely faintly, as if an extremely weak tremor was coming from the depths of the earth.
Several officials of the Department for Purging Officials glanced at each other, their faces filled with shock and doubt. Their eyes quickly became determined as they tightly gripped their swords and looked at Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng did not look at them, only stared at the snow on the ground.
Suddenly, ten-some sword glows illuminated the courtyard and slashed at the ground.
The snow madly danced and the sword intents were swift and fierce. The gray stone floor was instantly shattered and black dirt flew into the air. In just a few moments, a hole half a foot deep had been dug into the ground of the courtyard.
The officials of the Department for Purging Officials bellowed in shock and fury, one after another using their most powerful sword techniques in an attempt to force Chen Changsheng to stop his actions.
Xiao De vaguely guessed at something, and a vicious light exploded in his eyes. His two fists were like mountains as they smashed at the several hundred swords in the air.
… …
… …
There had once been a crabapple tree in this courtyard, but it had been destroyed by Chen Changsheng. Later on, a new crabapple tree had been moved in, almost exactly the same as the original. Even the cold-blooded and emotionless officials of the Department for Purging Officials who had no interest in beautiful things found this rather strange. Of course, this crabapple tree had also been destroyed, similarly by Chen Changsheng.
In order to find this exact same crabapple tree, the yamen of the Department for Purging Officials had expended a great deal of effort. After waiting for some time, the pit dug in the ground near the courtyard wall had been empty for a very long time. On a certain autumn night, it had even transformed into a small pond. However, before dawn, the water had sunk into the earth and vanished without a trace.
The office of the Department for Purging Officials was located in the alley of the Northern Military Department, which was also known as Zhou Prison. However, very few people knew that the true Zhou Prison was actually seventy zhang below the tree pit in the gloomy underground. It was formed from five prison cells, its walls made of stone surrounded by compacted earth and countless jagged fragments of stone. It was also protected by countless arrays.
This place was deep underground, and there were layers upon layers of formations concealing it. It was extremely secretive, and no outsiders had ever entered before. This place was very sturdy. Whether it was Chen Changsheng's first charge into Zhou Prison, the ten thousand swords like a rainbow, the fierce blade intent, or the sword intents crisscrossing the ground, none of them had any effect on this place, not even the slightest ripple.
In the deepest prison cell, the dim light was very stable, shining on the small table in the room.
On the table were a plate of peanuts, two pots of wine, and two pairs of chopsticks.
The middle-aged man sitting on the east side had a tall and sturdy figure. Although his prison uniform was covered in blackened bloodstains, his hair was disheveled, and he had a missing arm, it was still impossible to conceal his heroic and valiant aura. It was precisely the Divine General Xue He who had been brought back to the capital a few days ago. The middle-aged man sitting across from him was not wearing official robes, but an ordinary cloth gown. His figure was thin, his cheeks sunken, his face pale, and his eyes deep and serene. He looked just like a ghost.
Many people had died in Zhou Prison, but it was unknown if there were any ghosts. Even if there really were, they had probably been tortured beyond words by this person and had long since reincarnated.
He was the master of Zhou Prison. In this place, even ghosts feared him.
That breathtaking sword strike from before had only pierced through his red official's robe. From that moment on, everyone, whether it was Chen Changsheng or anyone else, was guessing where he was hiding. Many people believed that he was hiding in the Imperial Palace, while others even believed that he had been scared out of his wits and fled the capital.
No one expected that he would still remain here, remaining in this courtyard, just that he was deep underground.
To put it another way, there had always been a distance of seventeen zhang between him and Chen Changsheng.
He cared nothing about this, calmly eating peanuts and drinking wine. It seemed like no matter how fierce the rain of swords on the ground was, it had nothing to do with him.
"You're afraid," Xue He said as he looked into his eyes.
He was a very famous Divine General of the Great Zhou because he was Xue Xingchuan's younger brother, but this did not mean that he was incapable. On the battlefield of the north, he had led the soldiers against the wolf cavalry of the demon race in a war that had lasted for decades. He had a very deep understanding of life and death and fear.
When people were at their most fearful, they would often insist on staying in the place they were most familiar with, even if this choice was not the wisest. Zhou Tong had not gone to the Imperial Palace, but had stayed here. Afterwards, some people might sigh in admiration at his composure and intelligence, but in Xue He's view, this could only mean that he was afraid.
The Zhou Prison deep underground was the place Zhou Tong was most familiar with. In this place, he had killed far too many people, demons, and demons, tortured far too many people, demons, and demons.
Zhou Tong did not go to the Imperial Palace because of the warning in the depths of his heart and his distrust of that Saint. However, he would not explain this to Xue He — Xue He was his prisoner and did not have the right for him to explain. Moreover, he did not want anyone to know that his loyalty to that Saint was not as firm as others imagined.
The prison cells deep underground were too damp and dark. It was impossible for people to feel comfortable, even for Zhou Tong himself. The cell Xue He was in was relatively the driest one. Only after a very long time would a single drop of water fall from the stone wall above, and it would not land on the table or the bed covered with straw.
This was naturally preferential treatment, even though the golden thorns on Xue He's body that were used to restrict his cultivation had been personally pierced by Zhou Tong.
"Don't try to anger me," Zhou Tong calmly said. "I won't kill you. After all, he said that we are also brothers."
Zhou Tong and Xue Xingchuan were brothers, and Xue Xingchuan and Xue He were also brothers.
Only the three brothers and Madam Xue knew of this matter.
In the past few years, Xue Xingchuan had always hoped that Xue He and Zhou Tong could also become true brothers.
Xue He did not like Zhou Tong, but he had never expressed it.
When he learned that his big brother had been personally poisoned to death by Zhou Tong, he was filled with extreme grief and indignation, but he remained calm. This was because he had never treated Zhou Tong as his brother, and he also knew that Zhou Tong was this sort of person. Upon hearing these words, he finally lost control of his emotions and spat out a mouthful of phlegm, tinged with blood.
Zhou Tong turned to dodge, but he did not turn back.
He maintained this posture, gazing at a stone wall in the southwest corner of the prison cell.
He could sense that deep within that stone wall, there was a very light but distinct vibration.
Someone had touched the array.
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