The royal palace of the state of Wu.
King Wu Ji Fa, around thirty years old, in the prime of his life and vigor. After breaking through to the Grandmaster realm, he should have been brimming with vitality, yet his hair was entirely white, his face haggard, and he lay listlessly on the throne, gasping for breath. A blazing flame burned in the King of Wu's pupils.
Boom boom boom!
Violent tremors echoed from outside the capital city gates. The usually prosperous capital was engulfed in thick smoke and gunpowder.
The Jin soldiers suddenly appeared outside the capital, their speed so astonishing, and the news so tightly controlled by Jing Ke's poison fangs, that the entire capital's population of nine hundred thousand was trapped within, plunged into darkness!
Boom boom boom!
The thick city walls shook violently, threatening to crumble!
Ji Fa looked down at the officials kneeling on the ground, trembling, and found it almost laughable and utterly helpless. What sort of beings had the court actually nurtured?
With the enemy at their gates, these officials were powerless, only able to prostrate themselves and weep, devoid of any semblance of courage to defend against the invaders!
Some officials had even launched a rebellion, surrounding the royal palace with their troops!
Outside the hall, densely packed soldiers, clad in uniform armor, were charging at their own comrades.
This vast kingdom, which had been immersed in laughter and celebration just yesterday, reveling in the defeat of the Tianmen rebels, now seemed on the brink of collapse, its fate irreversible!
King Wu Ji Fa glared at the officials in the hall, a cold, mocking smile on his face. "Ever since I was established as the heir by the late king, I have diligently cultivated myself and handled state affairs by lamplight day and night, never daring to slack off!"
"For the sake of this Wu kingdom, I have exhausted my strength, employing every means at my disposal. Ji Hu has fallen, and Zhang Yan is also gone. Whom else do I have to rely on, whom else?"
"Hahahaha! The Jin army is at our gates, having traversed dozens of miles of Bingzhou, yet you are all incompetent, falsely claiming to be loyal and esteemed ministers of Wu!"
"Rebellions are rampant across the land, rebels rising everywhere, with flames of war scorching all nine provinces of the realm. I, tirelessly deliberating and struggling to hold things together day after day, have you ever shared my burdens? Has anyone fought for me across the land? If there were even one, how could the veteran general Ji Hu have met his end, his blood staining Yan Province!"
"One wave after another, and now the Jin army is at our gates. Not a single prefect has raised an army to rescue me. And within this very capital, there are those who rebel, seeking to present my head to the Jin as a token of their favor!"
"All of you, open your eyes and see clearly! Wu, the court, I, have invested so much effort, and what has it brought? Ah! Tell me, what crime have I committed to deserve this? Have I ever wronged this land? Have I ever wronged any of you!!"
His weak voice reverberated through the grand hall. Outside, the sounds of battle raged endlessly, blood flowed, and the entire palace echoed with shouts and cries, littered with corpses!
"Your Majesty~~ Your Majesty~~"
The ministers were filled with trepidation, unsure if it was fear of the King of Wu's authority, fear of the rebel soldiers storming the hall, or fear of the Jin army breaching the capital.
One figure, panicking, crawled before King Wu Ji Fa. "Your Majesty, this is the tide of events; it is not your fault, not your fault!"
Ji Fa lowered his head, laughing maniacally. "Ah ha ha ha, the tide of events! Well said, the tide of events!"
"Since Your Majesty took personal charge of state affairs, you have been diligent and hardworking, never neglecting a single day, not even a single matter of governance. But... but Wu is already terminally ill, its rot too deep to cure. This Tianmen uprising is merely the result of millennia of accumulated grievances!"
"Your Majesty, Marquis Anguo harbors treacherous ambitions. According to the soldiers who fled from the front lines, the Chief Eunuch Zhang Yan was killed by Marquis Anguo Ji Shu, who then devoured his flesh and blood. Even the sect master of the Tiangang Sect was devoured!"
"Your Majesty, that Ji Shu has openly defied the will of our ancestors and successive Kings of Wu, venturing deep into the Wuling Mountains and seizing the inheritance of the Soul Refining Hall."
The Grand Tutor of Wu, head bowed low, roared frantically. The internal chaos and the siege by the Jin army had utterly terrified him, stripping him of all the dignity befitting a Grand Tutor of a nation.
"Hahahaha!"
His laughter was piercingly sharp. "Marquis Anguo! My good uncle, hahahaha. The Ji family's empire is in peril, and you are still plotting against me! You are a sycophant to the Ji family, you have ruined the Ji family's empire of two thousand years, it is you!"
"Ah!!"
Bang bang bang!
Rustle rustle~~
A contingent of soldiers stormed into the hall, instantly surrounding the officials.
A leading general stood before the hall and bowed slightly. "King Wu, your time is up. Offer your head and spare yourself further torment!"
The general let out a cold snort, a chilling aura filling the entire hall. Some officials were so terrified that they lost control of their bowels and bladder.
King Wu Ji Fa, leaning on the throne, straightened his posture and surveyed the rebels within the hall. "Did Wu ever treat you unfairly?"
"No!"
The general replied decisively.
"Did I ever treat you unfairly?"
King Wu Ji Fa continued his questioning.
"No!"
The general answered sternly.
"Then why do you betray me!"
King Wu Ji Fa roared, and a surging wave of energy sent the general staggering back dozens of steps, gouging deep furrows into the polished hall floor.
He was, after all, a Grandmaster; how could a mere Innate realm cultivator resist him?
Boom boom boom!
Just then, the entire hall was blown apart.
Neighing!
Clatter clatter!
Two figures on horseback slowly advanced to the center of the hall. Instantly, two Grandmasterly pressures enveloped the hall, shattering the white jade floor into pieces. The officials all spat blood from the shock.
Clatter clatter!
Dozens of figures suddenly appeared from behind, wielding halberds and spears, their sabers slung at their sides. They swiftly cut down all the soldiers who had been in rebellion.
"Pah! I detest turncoats and those who sell their masters for glory the most."
Swish!
A flash of steel, and the general who had been repelled by King Wu Ji Fa fell to the side, his eyes wide with terror.
As the blade light dissipated, Han Yuefeng revealed his fierce countenance.
Xie Lu Feng San dismounted and slowly walked to within ten paces of Ji Fa, staring intently at the weathered figure.
"King Wu, this general has entered your territory for one item only. As long as you hand over this item, I will immediately lead my troops and withdraw from Wu, interfering in your internal affairs no further!"
Xie Lu Feng San, resting his long saber, squinted at the King of Wu Ji Fa, who had long since lost his ambition.
King Wu Ji Fa trembled as he stood up straight, and for a moment, his regal aura enveloped the hall. He stared intently at Xie Lu Feng San. "What item?"
The Jin army had penetrated Bingzhou and so effectively sealed off information. They weren't here to kill him, but for what object had they invaded Wu? For centuries, the state of Wu had paid tribute to Jin, and to put it bluntly, it was a vassal state.
The Jin army had traveled thousands of miles solely for an item in the royal capital. King Wu Ji Fa suddenly let out a wild, mocking laugh. "Hahaha, Xie Lu Feng San, this is not funny at all!"