Misty Rain of the Old Times

In his youth, Jiang Jue was also a fierce general in the army. Looking back, he asked himself if he could not compare with Jiang Li's brilliant resume. He believed that he was able to be enfeoffed as the Marquis of Weiyuan because he chose the right side decades ago and supported Emperor Shangxuan's ascension to the throne, thus gaining merit for his role in the rise of the new emperor.

At this moment, Jiang Jue couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the quick wit and decisiveness that Jiang Li displayed. He realized that talented people always emerge in every generation, and that if he put himself in Jiang Li's shoes, he would probably be far inferior.

I'm getting old after all.

The older generation is gradually passing away, and the future belongs to the younger generation.

Jiang Li's current performance already deserves the title of "brilliant talent." Given time, he would surely become a general who protects the country and its people. Unfortunately, he took the wrong path and ruined his future.

Seeing Jiang Li and his men charging forward without hesitation, even though he valued their talent, they were still on the opposite side. He decisively ordered, "Where are the soldiers? Seize these traitors! Except for Jiang Li, kill anyone who resists!"

It wasn't out of love that he was going to give Jiang Li a break; after all, Jiang Li was one of the masterminds and held the title of Marquis. Jiang Jue didn't have the authority to deal with him yet; he had to be escorted to Emperor Shangxuan for punishment.

As he gave the order, he sneered inwardly. They thought it was too naive to try to delay them from entering the palace to rescue the emperor. Their plan was good, but they had encountered His Majesty, and everything was under his control. They were destined to fail at the last minute!
"Received the order"

A loud shout echoed around, and three thousand armored soldiers suddenly appeared, surrounding Jiang Li and his group and launching an attack.

Jiang Li and his men had initially thought they had been caught off guard when they stormed into the central command tent without any real resistance. But now, it was clear that the situation was a trap set on the outside but a trap on the inside.

Seeing this, Jiang Li's gaze sharpened. There was no turning back now. To prevent the morale of the troops from wavering, he said in a deep voice, "Follow me and take Commander Jiang directly. Once we capture him, the overall situation will be settled!"

"Kill!" The elite generals he brought were full of vigor and their fighting spirit was boiling. They had not suffered many defeats while following Jiang Li and the others. Moreover, there was no way out now. They could only go all the way. Success would bring them wealth and honor, while failure would mean total defeat.

Jiang Li was granted a marquisate at a young age, so he naturally had real skills. He was not afraid of the thousands of armored soldiers who formed a battle formation to surround him. He put down his armor and his eyes were filled with cold killing intent. The battle sword in his hand spit out dark golden light. With a swing, the sword light was like a dark golden wave that swept out and tore dozens of soldiers in front of him to shreds along with their armor. Blood and limbs flew everywhere, stirring up a bloody storm.

Led by him, with two innate masters on his left and right providing cover, the group was like a sharp knife pointing directly at Jiang Jue. For a moment, no one could stop them, and they could only use human lives to fill the gaps. However, the armor worn by the soldiers was as thin as paper in front of them.

However, surrounded by more than ten times their number of soldiers, even the most skilled among them were slowed down. Especially as they got closer to Jiang Jue, the resistance ahead became greater. The soldiers fought desperately to block them, and casualties had already appeared behind them.

A violent coup is destined to be accompanied by bloodshed and many deaths; the saying "one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand" is not just a saying.

Deeply entrenched in enemy territory is a major taboo in warfare. Therefore, despite Jiang Li's exceptional bravery, he did not attempt to break away from his generals and leap over the encirclement to capture Jiang Jue alone. The enemy would not give him that opportunity; doing so would likely play right into their hands. Thus, the only option was to steadily advance and completely seize control of the central command tent.

Jiang Jue, who sat firmly in the central command tent, watched Jiang Li, who seemed to be in an empty field amidst the chaotic battle, and thought to himself, "What a fierce general! No wonder he was able to be ennobled on his own. It's a pity he's taken the wrong path; he shouldn't have pointed his sword at his own people."

With a quick glance, he realized that it was probably unrealistic for three thousand soldiers to take down Jiang Li and his men. After all, they were the capital army and didn't have much practical combat experience, while Jiang Li and his men were elite soldiers who often fought against other countries on the border. Their combat strength was not on the same level. They could only slightly slow down their advance by virtue of their numbers.

In a battle of this scale, unless one is a grandmaster, individual bravery cannot play a decisive role. Although Jiang Li is strong, if he does not have two other innate masters and two hundred elites to cooperate with him, these three thousand people can wear him down to death.

To avoid causing too many casualties, Jiang Jue's gaze turned cold as he gave another order: "Where is the Divine Archer Battalion? Fire!"

"Received the order"

As soon as he finished speaking, another round of cold shouts rang out from the surroundings.

At this moment, Jiang Li, who was fighting fiercely, finally showed a hint of surprise in his eyes. In close combat, he and the people behind him were not afraid even if they faced a hundred times more enemies, but it would be dangerous if they were surrounded by arrow formations. Moreover, he had heard of the reputation of the Beijing Army's Divine Archer Battalion.

He was eager to break through the obstacles and take control of the central command tent, but the relentless attacks from those around him left him no chance.

Amidst that cold shout, a thousand archers appeared from the surrounding high ground, wielding dark gold longbows, their arrows gleaming with a chilling black light.

Upon seeing the Cloud-Shocking Bow and the Armor-Piercing Arrow, Jiang Li's heart tightened once more.

The Jingyun Bow was exclusively used by the Imperial Guard's Archery Battalion. Anyone who dared to secretly hide it was guilty of treason. Even if it were to leak out for various reasons, it was never openly shown to the public. The bow's draw strength was ten stones. Popular legend had it that the bowstring could startle the clouds, hence the name.

The power of the Ten Stone Bow is self-evident; when combined with special archery skills and enhanced by internal energy, its power becomes even more terrifying and astonishing.

Those armor-piercing arrows were also quite formidable. The arrowheads were infused with a trace of precious black gold. When fired from the Cloud-Shocking Bow, five layers of iron armor were as fragile as paper. More importantly, if this thing was combined with internal energy, it would have the effect of breaking through qi. Unless one used a superior protective technique, even innate true qi could not withstand it. In a certain number, even an innate master would be riddled with holes. After all, true qi is not inexhaustible, and relying solely on true qi to resist would cause a huge consumption with each arrow.

The archer battalion appeared, and the archers, with their cold eyes, released their arrows without hesitation. The arrows rained down like a dark cloud, and each arrow could be seen to leave a small sonic boom trail visible to the naked eye, provided one had the eyesight to see it!

The name "Sharpshooter Battalion" is well-deserved; every archer is capable of shooting a mosquito from a thousand paces away, hitting exactly where they point.

In an instant, screams erupted behind Jiang Li. The two hundred elite soldiers he brought began to suffer heavy casualties. Their armor was no match for the terrifying arrows, which were easily pierced like paper. Some of them were even blown apart by the arrows!
Jiang Li cleaved away more than a dozen armor-piercing arrows emitting a dark light with a single slash, but in the next instant, even more came hurtling towards him.

Just then, a bitter, apologetic voice sounded beside him: "Young General, this humble general can no longer follow you."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Li saw that the sword-wielding general to his right had several piercing wounds from arrows. Blood was gushing out as he quickly and laboriously finished speaking his sentence before collapsing to the ground and dying.

Even a master of the Innate Realm is still human. He uses a sword, and his swordplay is light and agile, so he is not wearing armor. Moreover, he is not a particularly powerful being at the Innate Realm. Therefore, under the special attention of the Divine Archer Camp, he barely managed to hold out for a while before being riddled with arrows.

This is not the time to be sad. If this continues, everyone will die at the hands of the Divine Archer Battalion. Jiang Li knew that if Jiang Jue hadn't wanted to capture him alive, he probably wouldn't have lasted long under the overwhelming barrage of arrows and would have died on the spot.

Even the strongest innate talent has its limits. The imperial court has plenty of ways to deal with such individuals; otherwise, how could it suppress the world and prevent those martial arts practitioners from acting recklessly and obeying the law?

Ahead, a fearless army fought relentlessly, while around them lay the deadly threat of the archer battalion. A hundred feet away from Jiang Jue, this distance felt like an insurmountable chasm to Jiang Li.

Now that things had come to this, his gaze turned cold, and he resolutely prepared to take the risk.

Ignoring the armor-piercing arrows aimed at him, he unleashed a wave of dark golden light with his sword, tearing apart dozens of armored soldiers in front of him. After temporarily clearing a section of the area in front of him, he was riddled with more than a dozen armor-piercing arrows. As expected of the armor, it barely managed to block them, leaving him with only minor superficial wounds.

The next moment, he dodged through the rain of arrows and rushed alone towards Jiang Jue in the tent.

Jiang Jue watched him charge without expression, then stood up and grabbed a bright silver spear. As the commander of the capital army, he was no ordinary person. He exuded the aura of a mid-to-upper-level innate talent, his armor clanged, and his spear emitted a silvery-white light.

Jiang Li charged into the tent alone, intending to display his might and capture Jiang Jue to deter those around him. However, as soon as he entered the tent, his expression changed, and he staggered, only managing to stay upright by using his sword for support.

"Drunken Spring Breeze, what a fine General Jiang! You put on a show of fighting back, but you were just trying to lure me in. I have no reason to lose," Jiang Li said indifferently, barely managing to stay upright by supporting himself with his knife.

He lost, and that was that. He wouldn't make excuses for himself, much less verbally abuse the other party for using such despicable means. Jiang Li wasn't someone who couldn't accept defeat.

The Drunken Spring Breeze was originally used by Grandmasters to relax their minds and bodies, just like smoking. However, for those below the Grandmaster level, it is a terrible anesthetic. They can still stay conscious, but they can't muster any strength. Anyone at the Innate level will be affected by it after taking a puff, and Jiang Li is no exception.

Jiang Jue withdrew his sharp aura and did not rush forward. He said coldly, "I admit that the young general is capable, but young people have had it too easy, which has made them less vigilant against such despicable tactics. They still need to grow. You traitors and rebels deserve to be executed, but unfortunately, the old lady has no power to decide your fate. I have no choice but to bring you before His Majesty for judgment."

As he spoke, his voice turned cold again: "Where are you? Remove the young general's armor, lock his collarbones, force him to take a qi-suppressing pill, and escort him to the palace to meet the Emperor."

"Yes, sir," and immediately a guard stepped forward to do as instructed.

They are not江湖人士 (jianghu people), they don't care about morality, they only care about the goal, the process is not important, so drugging is nothing out of the ordinary. When two armies fight, they will do anything to win, why would they care about such things?

Despite being subjected to others' actions, Jiang Li, now without armor, stood tall and looked heroic. Even as a prisoner, his composure remained undiminished, and he didn't even flinch at the pain of having his collarbone pierced.

Looking calmly into Jiang Jue's eyes, he said, "Even if I fail on this mission, it will still be within my acceptable range. This operation will definitely succeed."

Forget about begging for mercy; that's just the weakness of the incompetent. Jiang Li's unspoken meaning was that if King Jiang succeeds, they will still serve as generals in the same court. He hoped that Jiang Jue would spare his subordinates outside.

Jiang Jue naturally understood, but he didn't utter any sarcastic remarks. He simply watched indifferently as Jiang Li's men were slaughtered outside, and coldly said, "I am only loyal to His Majesty. Traitors and rebels should all be killed. Is it certain that a rebellion will succeed? It's not up to you, it's not up to King Jiang, and it's not up to the Grand General!"

Jiang Li remained silent, only able to watch helplessly as his subordinates were slaughtered outside. Those who achieve great things are often cold-hearted, but seeing his loyal subordinates being slaughtered was unbearable for him. He could only offer them a proper funeral and compensation after the deed was done.

After all his generals had died, Jiang Jue, dressed in full military attire, said in a deep voice, "Take Jiang Li with you, muster 30,000 troops, and accompany me into the palace to protect the emperor."

"As ordered!"

At a single command, the violent machine of the Beijing Army began to operate.

Leaving the main tent, Jiang Jue paused, gazing at the horizon, and sneered at Jiang Li, "Is this what the young general meant by certain success?"

Their situation occurred almost simultaneously with their attempt to destroy the floating island's base. By then, the situation on the other side had also ended. A huge crack appeared on the little princess's floating island, but it was not destroyed. The two innate masters who had fled had already been killed by the Dark Dragon Guards.

Jiang Li glanced over there, remaining silent but with an unwavering gaze. What did two unexpected events matter? As long as her father successfully controlled the palace, the outcome would remain unchanged.

On the main street, speed is of the essence in war. Jiang Yuan took the lead, leading three thousand fierce soldiers straight to the palace. Anyone who blocked his way was killed without mercy!

Whether it's constables, patrol soldiers, or even ordinary civilians blocking the road, they are all crushed without hesitation. This is not the time to be soft-hearted.

The twenty-odd miles from the Jiang Prince's Mansion to the Imperial Palace were paved with blood, and no one could stop it.

They were too fast. Minister of War Xiao Yang ordered all sides to block them, and the mobilization had just begun when they had already reached the foot of the mountain where the palace was located. There was no time to form a proper barrier.

During the process, Jiang Yuan and Zhou Hong also witnessed the failure to destroy the capital's array base, and they did not receive any signal of Jiang Li's success. They understood that it was probably a failure, but since things had come to this point, they had no way out.

At the foot of the mountain, hundreds of imperial guards had already assembled to protect the palace. Faced with the powerful attack of Jiang Yuan and his men, they were all terrified. However, it was their duty to retreat even a fraction, and they could only face the enemy with a death-defying spirit.

"Those who surrender will not be killed, otherwise they will die!" Jiang Yuan said coldly to the Imperial Guards blocking his way. They would not stop, but if they could avoid killing them, they would. After all, the palace would need someone to guard it after the mission was accomplished.

The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards had sweaty palms. Hearing those murderous words, he took a deep breath and thought to himself that his ancestors and descendants were unfilial and that he would have to repay the emperor's kindness with his own life.

His gaze sharpened, and he pointed his spear forward, coldly declaring, "Traitors and rebels, kill them!"

"Kill!" With a loud shout, the Imperial Guards charged towards Jiang Yuan and his men, whose strength was on a completely different level.

Seeing this, Jiang Yuan, with his icy gaze, swung his halberd, unleashing a terrifying, dark red aura that swept outwards. The hundreds of imperial guards were instantly crushed like ants under a burst dam, leaving not a single intact corpse behind.

A master's strike is so powerful that few people in the world could survive it if they weren't at that level.

They've already staged a coup, and only success is allowed; failure is not an option. Under these circumstances, why bother with grandmasters bullying the weak?
Clearing the way ahead, Jiang Yuan led the charge up the mountain.

As he stepped onto the mountain path leading to the palace, King Jiang's eyes burned with fervor. It was so close; once he stormed in and took control of the palace, he would be the one to rule the country.

He wouldn't dare to kill his father or the emperor, but he had plenty of ways to make his father abdicate. With absolute power, he could write an edict, affix the imperial seal, and with the support of those in the court and his imperial bloodline, he would be the rightful emperor!

When they reached the halfway point of the mountain, Jiang Yuan's gaze sharpened, and he waved to signal the people behind him to stop. Even King Jiang felt a chill in his heart.

They saw Elder Rong standing in front of the palace gate, holding a whisk in his hand, his gaze calmly fixed on them halfway up the mountain.

"Eunuch Rong, are you going to stop us?" Jiang Yuan spoke first, his aura rising steadily. The biggest obstacle on this trip was this reclusive old eunuch. Apart from that, he was not afraid of even the great formations of the capital.

Even though the capital's grand formation is said to have the power to suppress and kill grandmasters, it's unrealistic to unleash such power now that we're in front of the imperial palace and within the capital. Even if Emperor Shangxuan were to unleash it without hesitation, he's confident he can withstand it.

It is said to be able to kill grandmasters, but the fact is that there is no precedent for it. Who knows if it is true or not?

King Jiang then spoke up, his voice cold: "Greetings, Elder Rong. I respect you, but this is a family matter. I hope you will step aside. Otherwise, swords have no eyes, and if Elder Rong is injured, it will be my fault as a junior."

To put it bluntly, Rong Lao was just a eunuch, merely a royal servant, and indeed had no right to interfere in his master's affairs. However, Prince Jiang was not a brainless person; how could he utter such idiotic words? His attitude was quite upright, and it would be best if he could persuade him to back down with words. There was no need for them to actually fight.

A battle between two grandmasters would be a huge loss, regardless of the outcome.

With a calm expression, Rong Lao bowed and said, "General, Your Highness Prince Jiang, this old minister is not here to obstruct you. This is a matter of the imperial family, and this old minister has no right to interfere. I am only here to convey a message from His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, King Jiang felt relieved; this was for the best.

Jiang Yuan's gaze sharpened, and he said, "Please speak, Eunuch Rong."

After bowing again, Elder Rong smiled and said, "His Majesty has instructed me to inform you that it is still not too late to repent and apologize. You have already been given the opportunity. That's all I have to say. Take care of yourselves."

After saying this, he bowed slightly, nodded, took a few steps back, and then turned and disappeared through the palace gate without hesitation.

At this moment, Jiang Wang's heart sank. At this point, his father actually sent Rong Lao to say these words. Could it be that he still has something to rely on?
But it was right in front of him, how could he possibly back down? If he backed down, regardless of the consequences, he would have no hope of getting that position in his lifetime, so his gaze became firm again.

Jiang Yuan gazed at the majestic palace above. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, pointed his halberd, and shouted, "Follow me into the palace, eliminate the traitors, set the record straight, and cleanse the court of corrupt officials!"

"This humble general swears to follow you to the death!"

So the fierce and powerful army continued its march, rapidly approaching the palace gates.

However, at this moment, King Jiang looked around in confusion and frowned, saying, "Strange, it's the middle of the day, the sun is shining brightly, why is there fog?"

Jiang Yuan also noticed this, but before he could investigate what was going on, a buzzing sound came from all directions of the capital. As the earth-shaking buzzing sound rang out, the entire capital shook slightly.

With a sudden thought, Jiang Yuan glanced around and saw that the seven floating islands suspended in all directions of the capital city had moved and were even glowing.

Is His Majesty going to unleash a massive attack to kill us all? Aren't you afraid of destroying the entire palace and taking us all with you?

Even if Emperor Shangxuan were resolute, he could not possibly perish together with his opponent. So why was the formation activated?

At Chen Xuan's residence, the little princess cried out in surprise, her eyes filled with shock and worry.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Xuan glanced towards the floating island. There, the Dark Dragon Guards had intervened to stop the island's destruction. He quietly withdrew his finger pointing in that direction, thinking to himself that Old Deng really wasn't joking. Sure enough, it had nothing to do with him.

Turning back, Chen Xuan held the little princess's hand and smiled, "Qian Ning, don't panic. Everything is under your father's control. Nothing will happen."

However, the little princess wouldn't listen to such comforting words. She said anxiously, "Brother Xuan, that's a rebellion! It's clearly been planned for a long time. I'm worried about Father's safety."

Chen Xuan might not care about others, but he couldn't ignore the little princess's feelings. Without hesitation, he smiled and said, "Since Qian Ning is worried, let's go take a look. Don't worry, with me here, nothing will happen. Besides, no matter what kind of riot they cause, they wouldn't dare to harm a hair on your father's head."

“Yes, let’s go see Father,” the little princess nodded, feeling inexplicably at ease. Chen Xuan’s words seemed to have a magical power to calm her down.

However, at that moment, a polite voice spoke up: "Young Master Chen, please wait. No offense intended. Since this is a family matter, why not just be a bystander?"

Chen Xuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a masked man in black standing on his roof, as if he had appeared out of thin air. The man made no attempt to conceal his Grandmaster-level cultivation.

Thinking to himself that this was interesting, Chen Xuan laughed and said, "You came to my house and stood on the roof. Isn't that a bit impolite?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Xuan noticed the little princess's anxious expression, clearly worried about Old Deng. So, before the other party could say anything, Chen Xuan quickly added, "Forget it, no matter who you are, no matter if you're King Jiang or Jiang Yuan invited you from somewhere, before I get angry, move aside, don't block the way."

"Young Master Chen, why bother with other people's business? Wouldn't it be better to just be a spectator? If you insist on interfering, I'm here on someone's behalf and can only try to stop you," the other party said politely, cupping his hands in greeting.

When did I say I was going to get involved? My wife was worried about her father-in-law, and I, as the son-in-law, was just going with her to check on things.

Too lazy to waste words with him, Chen Xuan waved his hand casually and said, "You came to my house uninvited, and I can't be bothered to argue with you. Go back to where you came from. I'll pretend I never saw you. As for what I do and where I go, it's none of your business."

"It was indeed inappropriate of you to come here so abruptly, and I will certainly apologize afterwards. However, for now, I would like to ask that you stay at home, Young Master Chen," the other party said, bowing with his hands clasped. His tone and demeanor were very humble, making it clear that he wanted to keep Chen Xuan here.

Chen Xuan laughed immediately, shook his head and said, "You're giving me face, aren't you? Can't you understand? Either get lost, or die!"

The man's gaze sharpened beneath the mask, and he slowly spoke, "Young Master Chen, why are you so angry? I did not come here to be your enemy..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Xuan's figure vanished in a flash of green.

Immediately afterward, Chen Xuan's mocking voice came from behind him: "I've been polite to you, and you're getting cocky. Since you won't listen to good advice, then you might as well die!"

...(End of chapter)