Chapter 97: The Perilous Circumstances of the Eastern Clan
Eastern Lu’s hair turned white in one night. All the territory in the world belonged to the king, but as the ruler of a nation, he could only hunker down within his palace walls right now and make the final struggles like that of a caged beast.
It was said that a rout is like a landslide.
If the Tiandu army and city guards hadn’t been divided and remained as a thick slab of steel, Eastern Lu would have absolutely been equal in influence and power to Long Zhaofeng within the capital.
The pity was, Long Zhaofeng had set his plans into motion many years ago, and successfully infiltrated even the Tiandu army and city guards.
In this way, the original impasse had turned into a one-sided rout.
Eastern Lu felt bitter in his heart. He knew more clearly than anyone that he was trapped within the palace, that he could only make the struggles of a caged beast and that he wouldn’t last much longer.
Unless the elder grandfather emerged from closed-door cultivation early and turned the tides.
“Gouyu.” Eastern Lu’s eyes were red. “I was wrong, ridiculously wrong. I regret not listening to you. I know that I didn’t lose to Long Zhaofeng, but rather lost to myself, losing the heart of the people.”
Men speak kindly in the presence of death.
At this moment, as he reached his end, Eastern Lu had suddenly comprehended that Gouyu had always been right.
Except, there was no medicine he could take to cure the regrets he had in this world.
Gouyu had fought for three, four days in a row and was weary beyond belief. Even as an eleven meridians true qi master, fighting for so many successive days still took a huge toll.
Princess Gouyu’s reaction was remote and aloof upon hearing Eastern Lu’s “heartfelt words”.
It was too late to speak of this.
“Gouyu, I know that you also look down upon me in your heart. There’s no use in saying these words now that the situation has developed thus. No matter what, you and I are still brother and sister. The blood of the Eastern clan flows through our veins.” It was rare for Eastern Lu to openly reveal his emotions.
“You’re right, that is why I am fighting bitterly here for the Eastern clan.” Princess Gouyu’s tone was cold.
“Ai! Gouyu you can hate me, I deserve it. Let it be this way then. Gouyu, since the situation is thus, I ask only one thing from you. Take Ruo’er and Lin’er with you, and flee as far as you can. As long as the bloodline of my Eastern clan exists, after the elder grandfather emerges from his closed-door training, there will be a day in which these lands will be ours again. This is my last request. Dear sister, you cannot refuse this request.”
Eastern Zhiruo and Eastern Lin, they were Eastern Lu’s most beloved daughter and son.
“Escape? There is an invisible net preventing all escape, how can we escape?” Princess Gouyu’s mouth was full of a bitter taste. Jiang Chen had extended an olive branch, but Eastern Lu had rejected him in an addlepated decision.
Now that the great army was already here and the palace had been surrounded so that not even a drop of water could be leaked out, how was she to get in touch with Jiang Chen?
In fact, where was Jiang Chen now? Princess Gouyu had no idea.
“Gouyu, chin up. Although I’ve been outmaneuvered by Long Zhaofeng, how could our Eastern clan be out of trump cards? I still have one last ace up my sleeve. Although it’s not enough to turn the tide and emerge victorious, there’s still a forty, fifty percent assurance of cleaving out a bloody path and covering your escape.”
Eastern Lu’s words expressed his death wish.
Eastern Lu’s gaze rather cleared up after these words, suffused with a clarity of thoroughly understanding things.
“Gouyu, you don’t need to persuade me. These are sins that I have committed, and so I will use my life to bear the consequences. In the future, tell Ruo’er and Lin’er that although their father was a self indulgent and useless ruler, he was at least a man who took responsibility!”
Eastern Lu’s voice became a bit choked up when he spoke of this.
“Royal brother…” Although Princess Gouyu was vexed with Eastern Lu’s obstinance and adherence to his own judgment, and wished dearly that he’d listened to her so that the situation of today never came to be, but they were blood siblings after all. Princess Gouyu’s heart also ached slightly upon seeing Eastern Lu like this.
“Remember, carve a way out in the chaos that will ensue also! I’ll also have Wei Tiandu help hew out the way for you. Remember, don’t be irresolute and hesitant, seize the right moment, you must escape!”
Eastern Lu clapped his hands slightly a few times when he finished speaking, and eight people clad in black walked out of the darkness.
“Your Majesty.”
“Everyone,now that things have gotten to this stage, I can only ask you to fight together with me..”
“We are willing to die for Your Majesty!”
These eight people were all true qi masters, true qi masters that even Princess Gouyu hadn’t seen before!
“Gouyu, these eight death guards have been by my side since I was eight. Apart from me, no one else knows they exist.”
Eastern Lu took out a jade bottle and poured out ten pills. “This is the ‘Great Dao Berserk Pill’. After taking it, it will enable a true qi master to double his strength for a short amount of time, or even more.”
The eight death guards said nothing as they all walked up and swallowed a pill.
Eastern Lu’s gaze was deep as he looked at this pill for a while, then threw his head back and swallowed it.
“The last one is for Wei Tiandu.” Eastern Lu sighed lightly. “Are all of you ready?”
“We are willing to die for the king!”
The eight of them spoke in unison, their words carrying resolute determination.
“Good, I will personally join the battlefield in a while and draw their attention. You will aid me in delaying them for as long as possible, and attracting as many experts as possible.”
“Come in, Tiandu.”
Wei Tiandu walked in from outside and swallowed the last pill without hesitation.
“Tiandu, I will be taking the battlefield myself and will undoubtedly attract many of the other side’s experts. You will be in charge of the front. No matter what you do, hew out a path of blood, and protect Princess Gouyu and the others as they retreat!”
Wei Tiandu bowed as he accepted his orders, “As long as there remains one breath of life within Tiandu, Tiandu will be sure to cover the escape of Your Majesty’s bloodline!”
Eastern Lu nodded, “Make your preparations, someone send for Lin’er and Ruo’er!”
After one hour, the sky had started to slowly darken as another cycle of night was about to arrive.
Eastern Lu slowly moved his gaze across the faces of all those who assembled.
“Are you willing to die in battle with me?”
“We are willing to die for Your Majesty!” The eight death guards, Tiandu army, and a thousand royal experts all responded in unison.
“Good, then let me personally exchange a few moves with Long Zhaofeng!”
Eastern Lu’s body moved, and he took the lead in flying out as soon as he’d finished speaking.
“Long Zhaofeng, you have committed high treason and have risen in rebellion to usurp the throne. Dare you meet Us in battle?” Eastern Lu was the ruler of a nation and lived off the fat of the land. Very few people knew that he was an eleven meridians true qi master himself!
Long Zhaofeng’s army had already surrounded the palace so that not even a drop of water could leak out. It could be said that victory was already within his grasp.
Long Zhaofeng’s underlings were already planning on how they would coronate Long Zhaofeng, how they would celebrate and drape the royal yellow robes over him.
“Mm? Eastern Lu?” A vicious killing intent flashed through Long Zhaofeng’s eyes.
“Duke Long, this Eastern Lu is at the end of his days. He is struggling in his death throes by inviting you to battle. We now hold the glorious victory in our hands, why bother with some fiddly single combat with him?”
Long Zhaofeng nodded slightly. His being was now priceless. Although he didn’t fear a fight to the death with Eastern Lu, he felt that there was no need with the current situation.
It would be incredibly unworth it if something happened to him.
“Eastern Lu, don’t be naive. Recognize the situation and surrender with dignity. You’re the ruler of the nation after all. I, Long Zhaofeng, can give you a dignified death. If you persist in stubborn defiance, when the great army rolls forward, any one person can stomp you to death!”
Long Zhaofeng was in high spirits as he tried to undermine Eastern Lu’s fighting spirit.
“Hahaha, Long Zhaofeng, are you a coward who avoids battle? If you don’t even have the courage to fight, how will you command the obedience of the dukes? How will those beneath the heavens submit to you?”
Eastern Lu tried to goad Long Zhaofeng into action.
“Eastern Lu, you’re just a homeless, stray dog. With Duke Long’s noble, precious body, do you think you even have the qualifications to fight Duke Long in single combat?”
The duke of Yanmen, Yan Jizhuang, was one of Long Zhaofeng’s loyal supporters. He was the first one to jump out and start yelling.
“Treacherous ministers and usurpers!” Eastern Lu decisively picked up a bow and arrow and sent an arrow whistling towards Yan Jizhuang.
“Who is willing to slaughter enemies with Us?”
The aura of Eastern Lu’s eleven meridians true qi spurted out impressively, as countless arrows flew through the air towards Duke Long’s side after that initial shot.
He picked up a large blade afterwards with a wave of his hand, leaping up into the air and dazzling the eyes with the blade’s light. It was as if a dragon was leaping over the abyss as an eye-catching splendor sparkled out. It came crashing down onto Duke Long with a huge motion.
“We will follow Your Majesty in slaughtering traitors!”
The eight death guards split up on both sides and started charging along with Eastern Lu like wolves and tigers.
Afterwards, large numbers of royal experts also rushed into the fray, unafraid of death.
Although the amount of these people rushing towards the Soaring Dragon army was as if a stone sinking into the ocean, the instantaneous explosion of power and lethality was still quite awe inspiring from all these true qi masters.
Lights flashed and shadows of the blade danced. Blood and flesh flew everywhere.
In the span of a breath, dozens of Duke Long’s personal guard were hewn to death.
“Kill them!” Duke Long’s eyes glared as he gave the order in a loud voice. “Whoever kills Eastern Lu will be made lord of ten thousand households!”
At this moment, a tragic scene was depicted.
On the royal family side, the royal experts and royal personal guards all bore the demeanor of fearlessly and vigorously undertaking this matter for their liege. They crashed endlessly into the Duke of Soaring Dragon’s camp like the tidewaters.
In that moment, bloodthirsty yells shook the sky.
Wei Tiandu brought with him three hundred elite troops as he gave a long yell, “Kill the traitors, kill!”
His long spear danced as he also charged for the world outside the palace.
Wei Tiandu was an eleven meridians true qi master to begin with. After taking the “Great Dao Berserk Pill”, his battle strength increased swiftly.
One long spear thrust out like a dragon leaping out of the seas, and a fierce tiger coming down from the mountains.
Beams of light shot from the spear and sent a great patch of enemies flying.
Princess Gouyu wielded a short sword as she brought along Eastern Lin and Eastern Zhiruo in her wake, following behind the three hundred Tiandu elites.
She only had one thought in this moment, take her royal brother’s children to safety!
She gave no thought to the consequences and threw herself into the fray.
Once these three hundred Tiandu elites put forth their all, the battle strength that exploded out of them enabled each person to hold off ten others alone.
Not to mention the addition of a berserk eleven meridians true qi master Wei Tiandu. This made their powers of destruction even more frightening.
A small opening was created not too long after.
“Princess, hurry up and take their Highnesses and leave!” Wei Tiandu urgently called out as his long spear danced like a mad demon, sweeping away the enemies that surged like tidewaters next to him and stabbing them to death.
“Oh no, someone wants to escape!”
On Long Zhaofeng’s side, someone immediately detected Princess Gouyu’s intention to break through the siege.
Long Zheofeng yelled out, “Long Er, Xue’er, take a pack of experts with you and stop them. Not a single one can be allowed to escape!”
“Understood!” Long Er and Long Juxue accepted their orders.
Wei Tiandu was truly putting his life on the line. None of his moves were defensive in nature. All of them were fierce, violent attacks that brought with them an incredible destructiveness.
His every attack and move sought to create an opening.
They only needed to create one crack to enable Princess Gouyu and the others to escape in the chaos!
The streets of the outside world were only around ten meters away now.
