Chapter 229: Mutiny (Part )

The city walls of the northern frontier, in the blood-red afterglow of the setting sun, glowed dark red like rust, as if they had been repeatedly burned by time and war.

The Huo family army’s heavy black iron armor had long been soaked in blood, showing a deep ochre color, and every piece of armor was condensed with traces of life and death struggles.

General Huo stood as straight as a pine tree, with his sword drawn across his chest, standing under the dilapidated plaque of the Suzaku Gate.

The wound on his shoulder armor that was pierced by an arrow was constantly oozing blood mixed with green sand. It was a poisonous arrow specially made by Xuanmen to penetrate armor, and the poison was corroding his body bit by bit.

He looked outside the city, where the rebels were like a surging tide, a dark mass with no end in sight.

In a trance, he recalled the scene of swearing an oath of blood with the late emperor here thirty years ago.

At that time, the vermilion silk hanging on the city wall fluttered in the wind, bright and dazzling, carrying their lofty ambitions to protect their country.

But now, time has passed and everything has changed.

“General! The west side of the city wall has been breached!” The deputy general’s face was covered in blood, and he fell to his knees in a panic, still tightly clutching a half-broken flag of the enemy’s vanguard in his hand, which was a testimony to the fierce fighting.

General Huo’s knuckles had already been cracked, but he wedged his sword deeper into the cracks in the blue bricks, trying to use it to support his increasingly weak body.

“I’m afraid… we won’t be able to wait for reinforcements.”

He smiled dryly and numbly, raised his hand to adjust his crooked helmet, trying to hide the new frost on his temples.

He had to admit that he was old and he was afraid he could no longer defend this border town.

“Your Majesty, I feel so ashamed of you.”

At midnight, when everything was silent, the first firestar, like a blinding streak of light, streaked across the night sky and fell into the imperial city.

There was a loud bang when the gilded dome of the Temple of Heaven was smashed through.

The Empress Dowager, who was reciting scriptures, suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes full of panic and anxiety.

The Buddhist beads on her wrist broke at this moment, and the sandalwood beads rolled down, making crisp sounds on the ground.

She looked at the sandalwood beads that had fallen to her feet and were blazed blood red by the firelight. She had an ominous premonition in her heart and murmured to herself, “This is an ominous sign…”

At this moment, a cold light flashed past his eyes, and a black shadow was cast on the ground in front of the red door. The windows were clanging due to the cold wind, which was frightening.

The Empress Dowager raised her head suddenly, her eyes went dark, and she lost consciousness the next second.

–

Xu Shanshan calculated that a mutiny had occurred at the border and rushed there immediately. As she stepped on a pile of corpses, the bronze animal heads of the Suzaku Gate happened to roll down from the city wall.

The beast’s head smashed down heavily, and the night-shining pearl in its mouth rolled over the mutilated body of General Huo, leaving a white track in the thick pool of blood, as if it was a elegy for the disappearance of life.

The tragic scene of the bearded general defending the city to the death emerged before my eyes: General Huo was waving his long sword, and the soldiers beside him fell one after another, and their blood dyed the ground beneath their feet red, but they still held on until the last moment of their lives.

After seeing his heroic death, she closed her eyes and remained silent for a long time.

Maomao nuzzled her and asked softly, “Shan, are we late?”

She had hardly had a moment’s rest recently, and her illness was getting worse, so Maomao transformed into his real body and carried her here.

When the three kings learned that Prince Shou was dead, they could no longer hold back. Rather than waiting for Emperor Yue to be prepared and deal with them one by one, they would rather unite and fight to the death.

The first city to be used as cannon fodder was Yuluo City, because it was the only way for troops and food to enter the capital, and it was also an important pass to defend. Once the city was attacked, they could march straight in.

The three kings’ troops have been preparing for a long time, and with the help of the evil master of Xuanmen who counterattacks for revenge in secret, several forces combine to completely overthrow Emperor Yue’s dynasty and change the world again.

“Of course it’s not late. I’ve been waiting for you here.” Xie Yujin walked slowly towards them, stepping on the collapsed bricks and stones of the city gate.

He was wearing silver armor, which glowed coldly in the light of the fire, like a Shura from hell.

In his arms, the Empress Dowager was soaked in blood, and the bright red bloodstains were shocking to the eye.

As he formed seals with his fingertips, the twelve soul-sealing nails slowly sank into the major acupoints on the old man’s body.

The mantra of rebirth on the nail was glowing with a faint green light.

“Master, how are you?” His voice was still as clear as jade, but it was filled with a bit of crazy laughter: “The first lesson you taught me was ‘There is no permanent teacher’. How is your disciple learning now?”

Xu Shanshan’s dark pupils clearly reflected the madness in his eyes.

Once upon a time, this young man who always loved to pick plum blossoms in the imperial garden was so pure and innocent. When she was reviewing memorials, he would quietly put a branch of white plum blossoms on the desk, with curved eyebrows and a smile, saying: “Master, when I finish my studies, I will definitely protect Jingguo for you.”

At that time, she looked at him calmly and said, “People’s hearts are fickle, and the country has its own people to protect it. You just need to keep your original heart.”

She placed the white plum blossoms in the celadon vase on the desk. The clear water in the vase reflected the darkness and depth in her eyes. She knew then that one day he would become an excellent chess piece for her to deal with political chaos and the mysterious sect.

And everything went as she expected.

“If you let her go, I will spare your life.” Xu Shanshan always had the opportunity to kill him, but she never did, simply because everything he did was what she was happy to see, and everything was within her expectations.

But now he is not important.

“You lied to me.”

Xie Yujin’s sword was pressed against the Grand Empress Dowager’s neck, but her voice was so gentle that it sounded like she was telling a love story: “We agreed that as long as I behave myself and complete the selection for you, you would let me stand by your side. But all this is just a delaying tactic, just to lure Xuanmen out.”

His eyes were filled with pain and resentment: “Who am I? To you, my life and death are insignificant, right?”

He suddenly opened his shirt, revealing a hideous scar on his chest. The scar was twisted and terrifying, as if it was a wound that would never heal. “This is the scar from that day in the Nightmare Tomb Flower. If I hadn’t escaped by chance, I would have died in your big plan.”

“But now that I have come to my senses, I will no longer wait for that little bit of pity from you.”

He raised his eyes and looked at her dimly: “Either you seal your own magic, or watch the Empress Dowager’s soul fly away.”

Just as Xu Shanshan was about to move, Xie Yujin shouted, “Just try and see whether your magic can save her faster or my knife can cut off her head faster!”

In order to prevent Xu Shanshan from getting close, Xie Yujin condensed a faint green light on his fingertips. It was the mind-controlling Gu he learned from his master An Ran’s relics.

He activated the mind-controlling insect, and the people gathered at the foot of the imperial city came like puppets, linking hands and building a wall of flesh and blood.

Their eyes were empty, their steps were mechanical, they made unconscious calls, and their faces were filled with fear and confusion.

“If you persist in your delusion, you will never have another chance.” Xu Shanshan slowly raised her arms, and the golden light reflected her cold eyes, which contained powerful power.

“I know that you, Imperial Master, are never merciful. Kill them, kill all of them.” Xie Yujin laughed wildly, his voice echoing in the night sky, full of provocation and madness.

“don’t want–“

The Grand Empress Dowager suddenly grabbed Xie Yujin’s hand. She didn’t know when she woke up. There was determination in her cloudy eyes: “Shen’er, don’t listen to him. Those are innocent people. My life is not more noble than theirs. You once taught me that at the end of the game, you always have to sacrifice the rook to save the king.”

She tore off the string of pearls from her neck that had accompanied her for half her life, and then crushed the one in the middle that contained the poison.

Xu Shanshan listened to the words of the Empress Dowager and suddenly realized what she was going to do. Before she could even stop her, she saw the old woman using her last bit of strength to crash into Xie Yujin’s sword.

At the same time, the venom splashed onto his right hand, which was holding a seal. In an instant, a shrill scream rang out, and his right arm decayed into bones at a speed visible to the naked eye. The air was filled with a disgusting stench.