No one present believed him. Even the Empress Dowager Shang Youlan was skeptical. How could the late Emperor give Old Zhuge the power that even she couldn't enjoy?
Mi Man asked doubtfully, "How could the late Emperor let an old eunuch and you each have half the power to open such a secret?"
Hai Wuji said, "I also find it strange and want to know the reason. But the late Emperor didn't say anything. That's how it was arranged. Whether it's true or not, we'll find out once we find him. I'm here and won't be able to escape even if I fall into your hands. "
Well, there's no harm in trying.
Jiang Wanlou turned around and was about to instruct a disciple to summon the old man Zhuge. Who would have thought that a disciple from the Sunset Villa would run over and report to Jiang Wanlou, "Sect Leader, the Head of the Imperial Palace, Zhuge Chi, is at the entrance of the secret passage, requesting to see you. He said that he has the other half of the secret key to open the treasury. He said that without it, he will not be able to open the treasury."
This really matched up with Hai Wuji's words. Everyone looked at each other.
"Bring him in." Zuo Chengfeng tilted his head and gestured.
"Yes!" The disciple immediately obeyed and left.
Not long after, Zhuge Chi was brought in along with two blind eunuchs.
The passage in the underground palace was dark. Zhuge Chi carried a lantern in his hand. Perhaps it was because the disciple in front had released the Moon Butterfly, but the lantern was dark and unlit.
An old eunuch who looked like he was about to be buried was carrying a lantern and leading two blind eunuchs. The scene looked a little strange.
Outsiders did not know who these two blind eunuchs were, but Shang Youlan and Hai Wuji had seen them before. They knew that these two blind eunuchs were the servants of Zhuge Chi's courtyard who served Zhuge Chi and rarely showed themselves in public. Mother and son did not know why Zhuge Chi brought these two eunuchs here.
With a hunched back, Zhuge Chi staggered down the steps of the underground palace under everyone's gazes. His muddy old eyes looked from one to the other before finally arriving before the mother and son to greet them. "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, are you alright?"
Shang Youlan shook her head. Hai Wuji stared at him, "I still remember the late Emperor's last words. I didn't understand why he made such an arrangement. I asked you before but you wouldn't tell me. Isn't it time to tell me the truth?"
Zhuge Chi said, "The late Emperor ordered me to be present to retrieve the divine artifact."
Hai Wuji: "Why?"
Zhuge Chi did not reply. Instead, he turned around and said to the two blind eunuchs standing at the entrance of the underground palace: "Ah Da, Ah Er, close the door."
The two blind eunuchs accepted the order without uttering a word. They turned left and right and stretched out their hands to touch the thick and heavy copper door of the underground palace, pushing it with a muffled sound.
Zuo Chengfeng was slightly alarmed. "Why did you close the door?"
Zhuge Chi slowly tilted his head to look at him. "To open the treasury, we must first close the door of the underground palace. Otherwise, we won't be able to open the treasury."
Hearing him say this, the people from the three major sects didn't say anything more. Anyway, with their strength, they weren't afraid of what these two or three people could do.
Buzz! The door to the underground palace closed.
Zhuge Chi continued, "Ah Da, Ah Er, come and help."
The two blind eunuchs, who had closed the door to the underground palace, walked down the stairs. The people from the three major sects paid attention to them and noticed that there was something unusual about the two eunuchs. They were clearly blind, but they walked down the stairs in a calm manner, as if they could see.
The two walked to Zhuge Chi's side. Zhuge Chi said, "Protect the Empress Dowager and His Majesty."
The two immediately strode forward, each standing by Shang Youlan and Hai Wuji's side. This action confused the mother and son.
Protect? There was something wrong with these words. Jiang Wanlou said in a low voice, "Old man, I told you to open the treasury. What are you dawdling for?"
Zhuge Chi slowly turned to face them. He sighed. "Since the situation is already hopeless, you should have found a way out. Why bother coming to the palace to make things difficult for us? The things here no longer belong to you. Why are you so greedy? A man's wealth is his own ruin. Aren't you afraid of bringing disaster upon yourself? "
Jiang Wanlou said, "Old man, I told you to open the treasury. Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Hand over the things, and we promise to let you go. "
Zhuge Chi said slowly, "I already said that the situation is already hopeless. Is your promise still useful? The rebel army is about to attack the capital. If we give the things to you and the rebel army demands them back, will they let us live if we can't hand them over? "
Jiang Wanlou said, "What the rebel army will do is not our concern. I will say it one more time. Open the treasury immediately. Otherwise, your lives will not wait for the rebel army to decide. Hai Wuji, my patience is limited! "
Hai Wuji's face tightened. "Zhuge Chi, open it and give it to them."
Zhuge Chi shook his head. "The late Emperor has given his orders. The late Emperor's decree comes first, and His Majesty's decree comes second. This old servant has to obey the late Emperor's decree first."
"You …" Hai Wuji was furious.
"Old man, you really refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. It seems like if I don't let you suffer a little, you won't know fear." Jiang Wanlou laughed coldly. His figure flashed as he reached out and grabbed Zhuge Chi's shoulder, intending to crush his shoulder bones.
Shang Youlan tilted her head to the side. She could not bear to watch. After a "pu" sound, she did not hear anything else. She slowly turned her head to look. What she saw caused her eyes to widen in disbelief.
Jiang Wanlou's hand that was resting on Zhuge Chi's shoulder was twitching, while Zhuge Chi's other hand was placed on Jiang Wanlou's chest. To be more precise, it had pierced through Jiang Wanlou's chest. His bloody hand pierced through Jiang Wanlou's back, and the five bloody claws plucked out the still-beating heart.
Hai Wuji was dumbfounded. Everything had happened so quickly that he could not see what had happened.
Zuo Chengfeng and the others also thought that they had seen wrongly. They blinked hard, only to see Zhuge Chi's claw clench and blood spurt out of the heart.
Jiang Wanlou's eyes widened as he stared at the senile Zhuge Chi. His face was filled with shock and disbelief. A gurgling sound came from his throat.
Shua! His hand was pulled out of Jiang Wanlou's chest. Jiang Wanlou's legs gave way and he fell to the ground.
"Sect Leader!" The disciples of the Gui Yuan Sect cried out in alarm and rushed over.
"Old thing!" Zuo Chengfeng and Mi Man were both shocked and angry as they rushed over to help.
Zhuge Chi flicked the blood on his hand. A few Moon Butterflies fluttered their wings and fell to the ground.
The light on the wings of the Moon Butterflies did not immediately disappear. Instead, it slowly faded away.
Borrowing the remaining light from the Moon Butterflies, Shang Youlan and Hai Wuji saw Zhuge Chi's figure suddenly move like a ghost. He was so fast that they could only see a series of afterimages.
The moment the afterimage appeared, "Pa!" The mother and son saw with their own eyes Zhuge Chi's figure float in the air. He threw the lantern with one hand and crushed Zuo Chengfeng's head with the other.
Wherever the ghostly figure went, the disciples of the three major sects could not react in time and fell to the ground.
The shock that the mother and son felt was hard to describe. Even though they had seen it with their own eyes, they could not believe that this ghostly figure was the old Zhuge Chi who could not even walk properly.
Seeing Zuo Chengfeng die in one move, the shocked Mi Man flicked her sleeve and produced a Heavenly Sword Talisman. Then, she saw Zhuge Chi's figure appear in front of her.
The last thing they saw on the jade archive was Zhuge Chi grabbing Mi Man's wrist. With a crack, he broke it.
As for what happened after that, the mother and son could no longer see it. The underground palace quickly quieted down. The smell of blood permeated the air.
Then, Zhuge Chi's voice rang out again. "Ah Da, open half the door. Invite the Grand Supreme Elders of the three major sects at the entrance. Tell them that the Sect Leaders have invited them."
Then, the muffled sound of half the bronze door being pushed open could be heard. Someone dashed out.
Not long after, footsteps could be heard coming from the stairs outside the underground palace.
The blind eunuch who had gone out and returned immediately returned to Shang Youlan's side. The dark environment seemed to pose no obstacle to him.
"The smell of blood?" Someone outside the underground palace asked suspiciously. Following that, a Moon Butterfly flashed and a Moon Butterfly flew in.
Soon, the six Grand Supreme Elders of the three major sects rushed in. They saw the ground littered with corpses. Even the Sect Leaders of the three major sects had died in a pool of blood.
"What happened?" One of the Grand Supreme Elders shouted angrily.
Shang Youlan and Hai Wuji stared at Zhuge Chi as if they had seen a ghost.
"There was a surprise attack just now." Holding a white lantern in his hand, Zhuge Chi replied slowly. Suddenly, the lantern in his hand moved despite the absence of any wind. A strong gust of wind swept out and the bronze door at the entrance of the underground palace closed on its own.
When the six Grand Supreme Elders turned their heads to look, a series of popping sounds could be heard. Three Moon Butterflies exploded in the air, as if they had been torn apart by an invisible force.
In an instant, the underground palace was plunged into darkness. Then, a series of messy noises could be heard. The sound of objects falling to the ground could be heard.
The underground palace was filled with strong winds. The mother and son could feel the blind eunuch beside them casting his arts to protect them.
When the strong winds subsided … Whoosh! The lantern in Zhuge Chi's hand suddenly lit up. The light illuminated Zhuge Chi's old face and the blood dripping from his fingertips. It was a frightening sight.
The blood on his hand slowly dissipated, turning into a bloody mist that drifted away from Zhuge Chi's hand. Under the light, the wisps of bloody mist drifted away, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
On the ground, the Grand Supreme Elders of the three major sects who had just entered were all dead. All of them were lying in a pool of blood. Their brains had either burst open, their necks had been torn open, or there was a bloody hole in their chests where their hearts should have been. Some of them were still twitching.
"Only six. There are still a few more outside. If we encounter them later, Empress Dowager and His Majesty, tell them that the people on the ground have already obtained the item and left. I will light the lantern and escort Empress Dowager and His Majesty back first. I will handle the rest carefully. " Zhuge Chi instructed and turned around to lead the way with the lantern. "Empress Dowager, His Majesty, be careful. The ground is dirty. Don't step on any blood, lest it arouse suspicion."
Both mother and son had a look of terror on their faces, unable to move their feet for a long time.
Holding the lantern, Zhuge Chi turned to look at the mother and son. He sighed and said, "Empress Dowager, His Majesty, this is not a place to linger. Let's go."
Shang Youlan swallowed hard. "Old Zhuge, did you kill all of them?" Even though she knew, she still couldn't help but ask. She found it hard to believe.
Zhuge Chi said, "I didn't want to kill them. They shouldn't have come here. I had no choice."
Hai Wuji said, "Before the late Emperor died, he told me to treat you well. He said that you could protect me, and he gave you half of the secret key to the treasury. You could protect me? I didn't understand at first. I asked you later, but you refused to tell me. Now, I think I understand. "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
