Covering the sky: Starting with the holy body, the immortal Taoist comes to attack

Chapter 154 Mutiny!

Cars rattled and horses rustled.

The young King Zhou, also known as Gu Xuan, dressed in a gleaming suit of armor and fully armed, drove his royal chariot out of the east gate of the palace.

His armor was a secret royal suit, said to have been passed down from the ancient Zhou Dynasty's founding emperor.

of course.

They are identical in appearance, but over the years, many of the armor plates have been replaced, which makes the armor even more protective.

As long as Gu Xuan puts down his helmet, he is practically impervious to arrows.

Unless a powerful general launches a fierce assassination attempt, it would be very difficult to break through the defenses of this armor.

Now, if it were the original King Zhou, even the strongest armor would be useless; he would be overturned in a few moves and captured alive.

But now, it is Gu Xuan who is in it.

With his unparalleled martial prowess, capable of taking on a thousand men, coupled with his impenetrable armor, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he could truly be a match for ten thousand men in this capital city!
Following him was a small team of palace guards and eunuchs, numbering no more than a few hundred.

Most of them were part of the Zhou king's inner circle before he ascended the throne, meaning they shared his fate, whether it was prosperity or ruin.

A small portion consisted of Imperial Guards whom Gu Xuan had recruited through various means in recent days. These guards were all descendants of fallen soldiers and their loyalty was considered reliable.

This temporary force was hardly a fighting force; it relied more on the appeal and loyalty of King Xuan of Zhou to maintain its strength.

Gu Xuan didn't intend to rely on these hundred or so people; all they could do was to make the momentum as grand as possible.

of course.

Even if Gu Xuan were now the king, it would be a pipe dream to call upon these people to follow him to their deaths.

And at this moment.

These hundreds of people were willing to follow him and rush straight to Sima Shang's residence.

On the one hand, it was because many of them, as direct subordinates of the Zhou king, had long suffered oppression from the Sima family and had reached their breaking point.

On the other hand, after gathering these people, Gu Xuan briefly demonstrated the strength of his Great Zhou Divine King Technique after it had reached its peak.

With a casual strike, several stone tablets and stone horses, each weighing several tons, were shattered into pieces, almost turning into dust.

Such terrifying power left everyone present speechless with shock.

No one expected that the king, who originally seemed like a puppet, would actually be so good at hiding his true abilities.

He had somehow managed to cultivate the unparalleled martial arts passed down by His Majesty the Great Ancestor to such a profound level without anyone noticing!

Perhaps, even the great emperor Gaozu was no better than this, or even worse!
After years of lying low, it will surely make a stunning debut!
Gazing upon Gu Xuan, clad in gleaming golden armor, all the imperial guards, eunuchs, and servants felt a profound sense of awe.

At that moment, a strange sense of confidence welled up in their hearts.

The person before us is probably a king no less powerful than His Majesty the Great Ancestor, far from the weak puppet that people used to think he was.

Imagine a king who is nominally of unparalleled status and possesses unparalleled martial prowess. If he suddenly launches an attack, is it really possible for him to overthrow a powerful minister?

Because he is, after all, the legitimate monarch, the greater good is still on his side.

Moreover, many powerful families only had a cooperative relationship with the Sima family, and their ties were not deeply rooted. At worst, they could simply return to the royal family.

Not far from the palace gate, dozens of corpses lay scattered about.

Those were the Sima family's confidants, represented by Cheng Bao, the second-in-command of the royal palace eunuchs. The moment Gu Xuan decided to start the uprising, they were seized by many guards and executed on the spot.

In fact.

For years, these people have relied on the power of the Sima family to bully others within the palace, and have long been the target of public criticism.

Now that they have decided to fight to the death alongside the king, these people have naturally met their inevitable end.

……

Gu Xuan, driving his chariot with imposing momentum, led his men out of the east gate of the palace.

Their goal was to head straight for the General's Mansion in the capital.

This day was the day after the grand court assembly, and also the actual working day for General Sima Shang.

After the court meeting, the officials of the Three Offices and Six Ministries had to go to the General's Mansion to discuss practical matters, and the final decision was made by Sima Shang.

Therefore.

On this day, Sima Shang, the core members of the Sima family, and even many of his confidants will gather at the General's Mansion.

This has been the practice for years, and today is no exception.

Clearly, this was exactly the date Gu Xuan wanted, giving him an opportunity to capture them all at once!

To surround a powerful minister's family with one's own strength is something anyone would think is a pipe dream, utterly absurd.

However, for Gu Xuan, this was perfectly normal.

He wanted to achieve the effect of overwhelming force: first eliminate the powerful ministers who were harming the country, then consolidate military strength and wipe out the foreign tribes that were burning, killing, raping and looting!
Rumble!
When the royal chariot, followed by hundreds of people, roared through the wide streets of the capital.

It was morning, in broad daylight.

No one expected that His Majesty King Zhou, who seemed weak and dejected, would take such a resolute action!

Moreover, as the supreme ruler, he still chose to personally charge into battle, standing alone at the very front of the formation, clad in armor.

For a moment, all the citizens, patrolling soldiers, and even the soldiers who arrived at the scene were stunned and almost petrified.

How could this possibly work?

Everyone knows that the current King Zhou is powerless and intimidated by the power of the Sima clan, and is like a lamb to the slaughter, just waiting for the day he will be forced to abdicate. If he is lucky, he may be able to die peacefully.

Relying solely on youthful vigor, it's unlikely he'll meet a peaceful end.

Given such a large commotion, the Sima family's response was certainly not slow.

In the General's mansion, Sima Shang, sitting high up, looked extremely majestic, with the gaze of an eagle and the demeanor of a wolf, exuding the air of a peerless hero.

He was listening to the reports from his ministers, his eyes slightly narrowed, seemingly deep in thought.

When the news arrived, all the officials present were shocked and stunned. Some even lost their composure on the spot, so frightened that they fell backward.

how so? !

King Zhou... he doesn't play by the rules at all!

Why make things so complicated instead of patiently waiting for a dignified end in the future?
This was the first thought that flashed through the minds of many officials.

Of course, some people, while shocked, also felt admiration for King Zhou, and at the same time, sadness.

These people either didn't get along with the Sima clan, or they were originally inclined to support the royal family, but were forced to do so by the prevailing circumstances.

Suddenly, the entire General's Mansion became somewhat chaotic and noisy, far from its usual solemnity.

Sima Shang, sitting on the throne, showed no sign of panic. His subordinates sternly rebuked the officials, demanding that they remain silent.

Sima Shang himself, however, had a cold and sinister gaze as he scanned the ministers, observing their expressions and reactions, like a bloodthirsty and ruthless tiger king!

“The king is young and inexperienced; there must be treacherous people around him who are trying to seduce him.”

"Qingzhong, lead your men over there and handle this."

Clearly, even in this situation, Sima Shang did not feel the need to personally handle it.

In his view, this generation of Zhou kings was too weak, and even such a violent attack was no different from a child throwing a tantrum. The so-called Qingzhong was naturally his third brother, Sima Gu, a decisive and ruthless character with a strong murderous aura.

……

But this was long before Sima Gu led his men there.

One of Sima's confidants, the commander of the Western Garden Imperial Guard, had already led his men to intercept Gu Xuan's war chariot in the street.

They are the fastest, which is completely understandable.

Because the Western Garden Imperial Guards were closest to the palace, they were the first to discover the commotion.

This was something Gu Xuan had already anticipated.

Faced with this sudden obstruction, Gu Xuan did not attack. Instead, he took the lead, standing at the very front of the group, raising his sword and shouting angrily, "I am the sovereign, who dares to stop me!"

The Great Zhou Dynasty has existed for thousands of years. Although the royal family has declined somewhat, it is still the nominal sovereign.

Moreover, not all members of the Imperial Guard were die-hard loyalists of the Sima family; many were simply soldiers receiving pay.

What's more, this happened in broad daylight, in the middle of a public street, with so many citizens watching.

Therefore.

Without specific orders from above, no one dared to actually do anything to Gu Xuan.

finally.

The soldiers of the Western Garden Imperial Guards were so frightened that they dared not attack and retreated in disarray.

This scene was exactly what Gu Xuan had anticipated.

But the next moment, just as Gu Xuan and his hundreds of men were about to break through the blockade and advance toward the General's mansion, another reinforcement from the Sima clan finally arrived in time.

The central imperial guards, led by Sima Gu, the third brother of General Sima Shang, arrived and intercepted Gu Xuan's troops.

The Central Imperial Guards have a special status, unlike the Western Garden Imperial Guards. They are the core of the Sima family, the most trusted confidants.

Their armor was the best, and their combat power was the strongest. Many of their mid-level officers were former loyalists of the Sima family.

Undoubtedly, the Sima clan has deployed its elite forces this time in an effort to stop Gu Xuan.

The leader was a burly man with a menacing aura; he was none other than Sima Gu, the third son of the Sima family, who now held the position of General of the Central Guard, commanding the central imperial guards.

Seeing Gu Xuan and the others approaching, Sima Gu's eyes were extremely cold, flashing with an inexplicable fierce light.

At this moment, he felt an extreme anger towards Gu Xuan.

"If it weren't for our Sima family supporting you to become the King of Zhou, you would still be an insignificant member of the royal family."

"These past few days, instead of focusing on being a good puppet, you've been trying to win people's hearts, and you even have the audacity to charge into battle?!"

These were a few thoughts that flashed through Sima Gu's mind, and he really wanted to angrily rebuke Gu Xuan.

But in the midst of this public, open street market, he managed to hold back and refrain from launching such a verbal attack.

Obviously.

He was a ruthless character in the Sima family, second only to Sima Shang in decisiveness and forbearance.

Moreover, Sima Gu was also highly skilled in martial arts, a formidable general who had participated in the campaigns against the Quanrong tribe and earned merits.

However, at this moment, he was more of a commander.

The real fierce generals were the two incredibly strong imperial guards generals beside Sima Gu, the brothers Jie Da and Jie Er.

Both men were over two meters tall, with dark faces and bushy beards. Their cheeks were scarred like centipedes, and they wore iron armor. They carried giant axes or halberds, and their bodies were filled with a strong killing aura. They were obviously fierce and ruthless generals who would kill without blinking an eye.

Their appearance caused countless citizens who had gathered on both sides of the wide street to hold their breath, clearly feeling a sense of fear.

There was no other reason than that these two were renowned assassins and fierce generals within the Sima family.

In the past, during the suppression of an uprising against the Sima clan in the capital, it was the Xie brothers, wearing double layers of heavy armor, who led the charge and cleaved hundreds of people in two literal terms.

Having gained fame in one battle, the Xie brothers became known throughout the capital for their ferocity, capable of silencing even the most nagging children.

Without a doubt, such a figure is one of the reasons why the Sima family is able to suppress everything today.

despite this,

However, as a trump card, the Xie brothers did not fight on the front lines at first, but instead allowed their soldiers to block Gu Xuan and the others.

There's nothing to hesitate about.

A seemingly unequal battle broke out in the southern streets of the capital, with Gu Xuan wielding the royal ancestral sword and personally charging into battle against the enemy.

Even though the Imperial Guards were the core confidants of the Sima family, no one had ever imagined that they would one day have to clash with the King. This was clearly beyond everyone's expectations, and no one dared to truly injure him.

Therefore.

Gu Xuan's sword struck with such force that the army was forced into a series of retreats, and victory seemed within reach.

Gu Xuan did not reveal his true strength. Until this moment, he was still relying solely on the prestige of the royal family to charge forward and tear open any gaps, because he knew that the real battle was yet to come.

For a time, Gu Xuan, with a force of over a hundred men, gained the upper hand and continued to advance towards the General's mansion.

Moreover, even the Central Imperial Guards began to waver.

This scene naturally enraged Sima Gu, whose eyes were already cold and gloomy, to the point of near-extreme fury.

He could hardly believe that even with his family's immense power, it was still difficult to diminish the prestige of the royal family.

Finally, the critical point had been reached. He turned to the Xie brothers, the generals beside him, and coldly issued the order to resolve the matter.

To be fair, even at such a moment, Sima Gu did not intend to kill the king in public, as the consequences would be far too severe.

His order was to subdue the king.

However, given the intensity of the battle, it would be difficult for the Xie brothers to show mercy while ensuring their own safety.

Therefore.

The next moment, something horrifying happened to all the soldiers and citizens on both sides of the street.

Suddenly, the Xie brothers rode up on horseback, and with a single charge, the incredibly sharp tip of their halberd pierced into Gu Xuan's elbow.

Judging from the situation, it seemed as if the needle had been pierced directly into his heart.

Your Majesty, you were just killed in the street like that?!

Without a doubt, this was something that terrified everyone; nothing like it had ever happened before in history!
Even Xie Da, the perpetrator, and Sima Gu, who was giving orders from behind, were stunned.

The crime of regicide is an unforgivable crime in any era, let alone in broad daylight and under the watchful eyes of so many people.

The once noisy and cacophony of the street battlefield fell completely silent, and even the two sides that were fighting stopped.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the Zhou King's body, which was now impaled on the tip of Jie Da's halberd.

"Kings……"

Behind Gu Xuan, several guards, led by Huang Jing, looked ashen-faced and wept bitterly.

however.

The next moment, a fierce aura erupted from Gu Xuan's body, which had been closed and appeared to be seriously injured and dying.

(End of this chapter)