Even before Zhantai Qiantang finished speaking, several arrows already roared out, shooting towards Qi Qiyun.
One among them screamed like a wailing ghost, the arrow speed shocking. This was the arrow of a cultivator.
Zhantai Qiantang had never enjoyed a natural succession to the throne. He didn’t have any backing or trusted aides in Great Mang’s military.
However, he was the new emperor designated by the late emperor.
In Great Mang, those people loyal to the late emperor have practically all died off, completely purged, but in reality, many of them just went into hiding when they didn’t see much hope. Zhantai Qiantang was precisely the one who carried their loyalty and hopes.
Qi Qiyun drew a full moon curved blade, the blade flying out extremely quickly, landing on those arrows with great precision.
His expression suddenly changed greatly.
It was because at the same time, there was a general next to him, an advisor who previously carried out his orders with incomparable loyalty, who silently drew a long black needle, stabbing towards his back.
This type of assassin that came from one’s own side most easily made one’s heart go cold, making one feel an extreme chill.
Qi Qiyun’s left hand struck out, slapping towards this long black needle’s side. At the same time, his foot already carried true killing intent, fiercely kicking out backwards.
Even though he wasn’t a Sacred Expert, the weakest one among Great Mang’s seven commanders, he was still someone who was extremely close to Sacred Expert level.
Before his left hand made contact with the black long needle, his foot already fiercely kicked into the abdomen of the officer behind him. That official’s body instantly buckled, his backbone snapping, flying outwards.
“Shi Qian[1]… you!”
However, since there were others who initiated an assassination after Zhantai Qiantang’s words, the instant Qi Qiyun’s kick smashed that officer’s backbone, a cultivator arrived from between the gap between two carriages in front of him like a gust of wind, sticking close to the body of a high ranking officer in front of him. This official only felt the pit of his stomach become colder. When he released a shout, the pit of his stomach already had a long and thin short sword sticking out from it.
This official instantly met death.
Shi Qian remained attached to his body, charging towards Qi Qiyun.
The long and thin slightly red sword was pulled out, stabbing diagonally from below at Qi Qiyun’s underbelly.
Qi Qiyun’s complexion was extremely cold. He released a fierce shout. His body curled up. Several arrows passed over his head. At the same time, the short full moon like blade fiercely hacked towards the slightly red slender sword.
The blade radiance landed on the sword.
The small sword was directly chopped down like a dragonfly who couldn’t fly, falling down.
Qi Qiyun’s pupils instantly contracted.
It was because at this time, that officer who died because his heart was instantly torn into countless pieces, suddenly raised his two fists upwards, carrying great power, smashing into his chest.
The dead shouldn’t be able to move.
It was even more impossible for them to release this type of power.
The reason this dead official could move was because at this time, there were some metal dark blue threads embedded in his left hand, moving between him and this official’s corpse.
His sword was only a bluff.
These strange threads in his hands were his true killing moves.
…
Boom! Boom!
There were immediately two great muffled strikes.
The hands of the dead official were badly mangled.
Qi Qiyun’s chest armor caved slightly. He staggered backwards.
“Shi Qian! Don’t!”
Several high ranking Great Mang officers cried out in alarm.
They didn’t expect that this previously seemingly extremely ordinary Great Mang cultivator would actually have this type of terrifying strength.
Right now, all of them could tell that it would already be quite difficult for the seriously wounded Qi Qiyun to resist another strike. In this extremely short instant, they couldn’t make the decision whether they should aim the weapons in their hands towards Shi Qian or towards that corpse in front of Shi Qian to save Qi Qiyun’s life.
Chi… chi… chi…
Several fine streaks of dim light shot out from the chest of the corpse in front of Shi Qian, fiercely entering Qi Qiyun’s extravagant silvery white armor cracks, deeply penetrating Qi Qiyun’s flesh, moreover quickly entering his vertebra.
Qi Qiyun instantly lost control of his body functions. His heart stopped pulsing, his breathing cut off.
These Great Mang high ranking officers were all wrong. Shi Qian’s true strike wasn’t coming from his own body or the corpse he controlled, but rather from several embroidery needle-like fine needles, as well as the dark blue thread in his hands.
The expressions of those Great Mang high ranking officers instantly turned snow-white.
They only reacted now that Qi Qiyun had already died, he had already been assassinated by Shi Qian… The curved blade in Qi Qiyun’s hands already hacked towards them.
Blood scattered out.
These Great Mang officers were all in horror as they clutched their throats, falling down.
The corpse between Shi Qian and Qi Qiyun, due to losing control, already fell downwards.
When his flesh and bones made contract with the dimly shining metal threads, they were instantly cut through… cut to pieces, falling between Shi Qian and Qi Qiyun.
Qi Qiyun was already dead.
However, he was still standing, held together by Shi Qian like a marionette.
The inside and outside of the city were both deathly still.
Shi Qian raised his head slightly, his expression incomparably complicated as he looked towards Zhantai Qiantang.
He was one of the cultivators who previously entered South Tomb Province to kill Lin Xi.
His identity on the surface was the attendant of a Great Mang local official, but his true identity was one of Thousand Devil Nest’s core disciples, under Li Ku’s lineage. He was one of the core disciples who obtained some of Thousand Devil Nest’s true powerful inheritances.
When Purgatory Mountain carried out a purge against Thousand Devil Nest, during Thousand Devil Nest’s final resistance, they burned down some of Thousand Devil Nest’s most important secret caves, also erasing his secret from this world.
No one in Great Mang thus knew that he was one of the inheritors of Thousand Devil Nest, that he was one of Thousand Devil Nest’s ‘remnant evil’.
Zhantai Qiantang didn’t know Shi Qian’s identity either.
It was to the extent where he didn’t even know that someone like Shi Qian existed. When he walked into Central Continent City, he was already frustrated and perplexed, not knowing how he would possibly return to his country.
However, at this time, just from seeing Shi Qian take action, just from seeing the Thousand Devil Rune Threads in Shi Qian’s hands, he already understood Shi Qian’s identity.
When he looked at Shi Qian from the distance, he also felt warmth and hope.
“Qi Qiyun has already been executed! What are all of you waiting for!”
“Listen to my orders, leave with me! I will do my best to let all of you live.”
He put away his sword and chains, landing on the solid ground. He slowly walked towards the Great Mang army ahead, transmitting his voice towards this great army up ahead.
At this time, many Great Mang soldiers who were originally still stimulated and in despair felt incomparable wearines.
For some reason, this person who came from Meteor City’s lakeside made them think about Great Mang behind Thousand Devil Nest. This person also made them think about their own families.
The weapons in their hands hung. Some people began to sob, starting to withdraw towards Zhantai Qiantang.
Some officers began to shout out.
However, these officials’ shouting was quickly cut short by the furious shouts and weapon brandishing sounds in the surroundings.
These high ranking officers who wanted to control the army’s retreat and wanted to prevent the army from surrendering to Zhantai Qiantang were quickly hacked into bloody flesh, falling down.
Most of these Great Mang soldiers only wished to return home now.
The few officers couldn’t stop the will of the great army at all.
A flood-like Great Mang army began to retreat.
…
“This is precisely a miracle.” On Meteor City’s walls, the white hair fluttering Gu Yunjing revealed a slight smile and said this.
The brows of the dark red metal masked stern officer next to him furrowed, looking at the densely packed army gathering toward Zhantai Qiantang and saying with a sunken voice, “General, what should we do now?”
“What should we do?” Gu Yunjing looked at this retreating Great Mang army, saying with a smile, “We don’t need to do anything at all.”
The stern high ranking officer understood Gu Yunjing’s intentions, but he still couldn’t help but turn to Gu Yunjing and say, “This is a great army of over fifty thousand. Even if you feel like they can become a helping hand for Zhantai Qiantang, these fifty thousand men need to eat… Moreover, Great Mang won’t allow Zhantai Qiantang to return to Great Mang. If this army of fifty thousand looks for a place to stay in our Yunqin… this will always be a great variable.”
“As for how he is going to let this ruined army survive, that is something Zhantai Qiantang needs to consider, and not what we need to think about.” Gu Yunjing said with a gentle voice, “This ruined army is now a source of hope that has suddenly appeared for Zhantai Qiantang to seize back the imperial position. He will definitely understand that if he doesn’t wish for this hope to disappear, he cannot take on enemies from all sides. The only thing he can do is stand by our side. We naturally cannot form an alliance with him on the surface… but this is a matter of tacit agreement. Moreover, the attitude he has displayed today here has already made me feel like we can reach a type of agreement with him.”
After a slight pause, Gu Yunjing said with a bit of mockery, “Could it be that we are going to keep fighting this battle? FIght until Yunqin dies or Great Mang dies? At a suitable time, I will have his majesty and Zhantai Qiantang carry out peace talks. This way, he will have even more bargaining chips to seize Great Mang’s imperial position and get rid of Wenren Cangyue.”
“Central Continent Imperial City’s matters, who can say clearly.” The stern high ranking officer shook his head coldly.
“How the emperor thinks is his business.” Gu Yunjing laughed and said, “I am only doing things beneficial for Yunqin. As for playing two-faced tactics, that is something for you to study.”
The dark masked stern high ranking officer remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.
1. Core Disciple of Thousand Devil Nest who is loyal to Li Ku B12C3
