The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 458 Victory or Loss
An Ziyang frowned, but showed no intention of listening to Liu Jin continue.

That act just now was merely a delaying tactic, a cover to allow the retainers to sneak up close enough to assassinate him.

There is only one way to deal with Liu Jin.

An Ziyang suddenly waved his hand.

"kill!"

In an instant, the numerous officials, imperial guards, and embroidered guards present, with their swords drawn like a forest, surged toward Liu Jin.

The Eastern Depot, Yingzhou, and the Imperial Court have all played their cards; they are now at their wits' end and there is no possibility of any reinforcements arriving. The two surviving members of the Eastern Depot were already badly wounded, and Liu Jin's clone was only of second-rate strength. Faced with this overwhelming offensive, they were certain they wouldn't last more than a short time.

Soon, the first Eastern Depot official was pierced through the chest and abdomen by Mei Qinghe's "Sword Twenty-Three". Just as he was about to fight to the death to replace the weakened Mei Qinghe, he was stabbed into the waist and abdomen by Ruan Mei's Emei Dagger.

"Uhhhhhh!"

He roared and charged toward An Ziyang.

Fang Chong took a few steps before the hook and chain were pulled into his belly. Then, several imperial guards attached the hook and chain to the saddle, clamped the horse's belly, and propelled it forward.

scoff-

His belly was exposed, steam rising from it. He lost his strength and collapsed to his knees with a thud, whereupon Cao Hanyan beheaded him from behind.

The last surviving member of the Eastern Depot was also overwhelmed by the attack of several retainers. Liu Jin, who was behind him, was caught in the aftermath, and his left arm and half of his shoulder were ripped apart, with the flesh stuck together and hanging in front of his chest.

Even now, his gaze remained unchanged.

An Ziyang's brows furrowed even more.

Just then, he heard footsteps behind him.

An Ziyang was a true disciple of the Divine Thief Sect; he could tell from his keen hearing that it was Zhu Zai's footsteps. However, there was another set of footsteps hidden beneath them, a staggering sound.

He looked back.

Two people were walking towards them.

One of them was Zhu Zai, who looked anxious and had disheveled hair and beard. He was holding another man by the neck with one hand and pulling on the iron chain binding the man with the other, and was walking quickly toward them.

The person who was bound and strangled was Zhu Zai's only son, Zhu Yijing. His expression was blank and his eyes were lifeless. His head and face were covered in blood, and it was unclear whose blood it was. He was being led over by Zhu Zai.

Just then, Liu Jin also received his results.

The last member of the Eastern Depot was pierced by a thousand arrows. Liu Jin, now without his guards, was kicked to the ground from behind by Gao Anyu, and a black ruler whistled through the air, about to smash his head.

"Wait a minute!"

An Ziyang suddenly shouted, stopping Gao Anyu.

"bring it here!"

After saying that, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet Zhu Zai.

"Old Commander, did Liu Jin really plant a method in Commander Zhu that neither His Majesty nor the Commander could detect?"

The fact that Liu Jin, under the alias Liu Jinyi, had infiltrated Zhu Yijing's inner circle would naturally not be let off so easily. After Li Miao returned to the capital, he and the emperor both examined Zhu Yijing's body and indeed found nothing abnormal.

After that day, to be on the safe side, Li Miao could keep Zhu Yijing in the palace, cutting off all contact with the outside world. Several servants were always by his side to watch over him, ensuring that he would never be at risk of accidents or being controlled.

But right now, it was Zhu Zai who personally brought Zhu Yijing over.

Judging from the situation, things are not so simple.

Upon hearing An Ziyang's question, Zhu Zai gritted his teeth and replied.

“He suddenly lost his mind and killed a palace maid with his sword. His strength was almost equal to that of a celestial being. If he hadn’t been so irrational at the time, and if there hadn’t been a servant guarding the place, I wouldn’t have been able to subdue him.”

"That palace maid was acting strangely; her expression was cold and hard. She was probably Liu Jin's alter ego."

As they were talking, Liu Jin was pulled over by Gao Anyu and kicked to his knees. Gao Anyu grabbed his hair and forced him to tilt his head back.

An Ziyang turned his head and said with a frown.

"Liu Daban, this is so boring. Can't you accept defeat?" Liu Jin was being pulled by the hair, but his tone remained flat.

"What does Commander An mean?"

An Ziyang stepped forward, raised his hand and slapped him across the face, then grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up.

“We have to accept the outcome, win or lose. I originally thought that although you used despicable methods, you wouldn’t resort to childish tactics that harm others without benefiting yourself… Now you’re taking revenge on innocent bystanders. Do you really think that by taking Commander Zhu hostage, you can force us to stop?”

An Ziyang's slap was extremely hard, causing Liu Jin's head to tilt to the side and spit out a mouthful of blood. He mumbled a few words, picking out a few broken teeth and half a tongue from his mouth, before speaking in a muffled and calm voice.

"Of course not."

"If I had really resorted to such methods to vent my anger, how could Lord Li and His Majesty not have detected it?"

He turned to look at Zhu Yijing.

"I just gave him a gift."

"Of course, whether or not to accept it is up to him."

--------

Within the ruins of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a deep pit, ten zhang in diameter, has been formed.

Loud noises were coming from inside.

Fire, vibration, and sonic booms are continuously expanding and deepening the crater.

Li Miao was fighting An Qisheng.

For the two combatants, a distance of ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) is no different from close-quarters combat. Techniques can traverse this distance in an instant, leaving no time to react.

Every breath, every blink, is a life-or-death struggle.

Clang clang clang clang! —

A series of sparks flew as Li Miao unleashed dozens of punches in an instant, smashing away the incoming true energy weapons. Then he flashed forward and blocked with a punch!
Bang!
An Qisheng was blasted several feet into the pit wall. Fortunately, his protective aura was not broken, but his vision was obstructed, which made him realize that something was wrong.

Sure enough, the next instant, Li Miao's hand landed on his head.

Creak, creak—

The protective aura surrounding An Qisheng's head let out a mournful cry as it was gradually tightened by Li Miao's extraordinary brute force, pressing towards An Qisheng's head.

An Qisheng raised his hand to try to push Li Miao's arm away, but before he could get halfway, Li Miao punched him away.

The blood flowed through the protective aura to An Qisheng's face.

That wasn't his blood; it was Li Miao's blood. The skin on the hand gripping An Qisheng's head was torn apart inch by inch, revealing the scarlet muscle beneath, but Li Miao seemed oblivious, continuing to exert force.

It was probably only three breaths before An Qisheng's head was crushed.

An Qisheng didn't understand.

If the previous Li Miao was merely exceptionally fierce, his skill level and martial arts were still within his grasp, then the current Li Miao far exceeded his comprehension, making it impossible for him to discern his true strength.

It's clearly just a combination of four paths.

He is still at the same level as when he fought Wang Gongchang!
Yet, his life force, accumulated over a thousand years, was almost powerless to resist!
Where does this inexplicable brute force come from?

Even Zhang Sanfeng wasn't this special back then!

Although he continued to attack Li Miao desperately, he was unable to break free from Li Miao's grasp. An Qisheng understood that he would likely not be able to escape today; his thousand years of survival would ultimately be in vain.

Li Miao's palms continued to tighten, and it was clear that he was about to forcefully press his protective true energy onto An Qisheng's skin and flesh.

Just then, An Qisheng suddenly paused.

His gaze suddenly shifted, looking to one side.

(End of this chapter)