Zhou Zhao narrowly dodged the incoming long blade, eyeing Su Sui, who was fighting a squad of heavy cavalry with a devilish fervor. He swallowed hard.
At this mont, a light bulb went off in his head.
Isn't now the perfect ti to head towards the target point?
While that maniac is losing it, gather the critical information, then find the Four-leaf Phoenix Tree. After that, contact March and shut down the Shrine; with that, Su Sui would perish along with those chaotic data here.
If they could eliminate this troubleso character, their odds of success would double.
Amidst the current chaos, Zhou Zhao quickly got up, changed his attire to blend into the fleeing crowd, and disappeared in no ti.
anwhile, Su Sui continued her fierce battle against the heavy cavalry.
Simultaneously, in the south of the city, inside the Pool Heart Hall.
The soldiers who stord the hall set the place on fire, raped, and murdered. The palace maids and attendants fell victim, with no escape for the royal offspring.
Beneath the gilded plaque inscribed with "Dragon Transformation of the Xi Fish," a row of youths knelt trembling, subjected to the soldiers' mocking, excited gazes. The shaful words were branded on their torsos. The youngest boy, unable to bear the disgrace, stood up, scattering three black cocoons, but before any resistance began, his head was smashed, and he was dragged out of the hall, corpse in tow.
Seeing this terrifying scene, the royal youths, already scared out of their wits, were now utterly spiritless, heads bowed, barely daring to breathe.
A trail of blood stood out starkly; the long-burning fires of murder and rape had driven the soldiers' inner malice to its peak. They laughed maniacally as they poured oil into the Dragon Transformation Pool, setting the entire Clear Pool ablaze. One of the soldiers pointed to the young man kneeling in front:
"The Xi Fish transforms into a dragon, haha! Jump in, let's see how you transform!"
"You... you all are too arrogant!"
Fear made the royal mbers falter in speech, which only prompted the soldiers to laugh louder. One soldier, growing impatient, dragged a hefty royal mber and tossed him into the fiery pool as one might heave up a cauldron.
Watching the man's face disfigure under the flas, his flesh peeling from his bones, the surrounding soldiers cheered even louder. The obese youth's skin curled back, revealing charred flesh. The sizzling fats popped; he barely subrged before being stabbed through with a steel fork, causing a torrent of blood, suffering unbearable pain as he surfaced again only to have water flood into his lungs. Ultimately, he died in throes of tornt.
Witnessing the death of their kin, the kneeling royals turned pale. The older ones muttered continuously:
"How dare you, how dare you... aren't you afraid of retribution?"
"To hell with retribution, this is your retribution!"
The soldiers, with twisted and decadent grins, threw the remaining ones into the Dragon Transformation Pool, taking pleasure in their agonizing deaths.
A hellish scene played out in the Pool Heart Hall.
The soldiers reveled in their sadistic acts. Behind a pillar, a woman from East Asia, hair in a bun, watched it all, shielding a dark-haired girl under her wide skirt. The girl's face was half-covered in ash, eyes afla, clutching the woman's leg, observing silently.
"Your Highness, don't forget everything I taught you."
The East Asian woman's lips bore a dot of crimson, as did her forehead. The stark white makeup led the surrounding soldiers to mistake her for a geisha, sharing wicked smiles as they approached.
As one reached for her, she drew a hairpin from her bun, letting her hair down, and stabbed it into a soldier's neck, piercing it clean through, blood splattering five steps!
"The path from here, wield your sword and cut your way out."
The girl, silent, picked up a weapon from the floor and ran out of the crowd. The soldiers lunged at her, but she ducked past each one. As she darted among them, the chaos increased, yet not a single soldier could catch her. One cried out, lifting his severed wrist that she had cut off.
"Damn, my hand!"
"She's from the royal family, don't let her escape!"
The East Asian woman shouted, drawing all the soldiers' attention. She raised a Great Tachi over her head, slowly unsheathing it. As it ca free, flas engulfed its blade.
She struck the blade and sheath together, raining red flas, then slowly lowered the long blade, drawing a fiery arc in the air. Her stance was graceful, eyes sharp and narrow behind the blade.
A soldier stepped forward, and she let out a low shout, her gaze fierce. With an upward slash, the soldier's head tumbled to the ground, blood dyeing her skirt red.
"Damn, she's tough!"
Seeing their comrade's fate, the soldiers realized she wasn't easy prey, hesitating to advance, instead surrounding her.
"All at once!"
More soldiers charged, and the woman took half a step back, with one slash felled the lead soldier. She shifted footsteps swiftly, another horizontal cut followed, opening a bloody gash in a soldier's chest, his weapon falling.
Single-handedly, she tangled with the encroaching soldiers, weaving through them, her blade rising and falling, with each sound a soldier hit the ground. Once in a while, a fearless soldier would charge, his weapon biting her, yet she remained silent, her deep gaze fixed on the girl escaping.
The brutal skirmish seed endless; the soldiers surrounded her while she fought back desolately, her body now a mass of wounds. Her wooden sandals soaked in blood, hair wild, she stared at the blunted long blade with unwavering resolve. She held the blade to her neck, preserving her final dignity and honor.
In her dying breath, she whispered:
"Your Highness, Qing Gongzi, I did not fail you."
...
The Four-leaf Phoenix Tree staggered into the Pool Heart Hall, his injuries evident of the battle he waged to arrive here.
As daylight passed, the Sun and Moon Mirror in the Pool Heart Hall reflected the descent of the round sun, replaced by a crescent moon. The hall plunged into darkness, obscuring outlines, echoing only the sounds of slaughter.
The Four-leaf Phoenix Tree approached a looting soldier from behind, and the latter spun around apprehensively at the noise:
"Who?"
The Four-leaf Phoenix Tree didn't speak, placing a hand on the soldier's back, bestowing him with Divine Speed Power. A slight push sent him crashing into the wall.
Squatting in front of the dressing table, the Four-leaf Phoenix Tree rummaged through, soon finding what he sought—a carved wooden box with copper edges. Opening it, he discovered an information interface inside.
The key information lay here. All that remained was to find Zhou Zhao and figure a way out; their mission would be complete.
As for that troubleso Su Sui, if they could sohow make March keep her here forever, it would be for the best.
Surely, no one truly believes that collaborating with an enemy once ans all grudges fade, entrusting lives to one another?
A sound of rushing wind ca from behind him.
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