Misty Rain of the Old Times

Jiang Yuan and his men, along with three thousand elite soldiers, stormed up the mountain where the palace was located, advancing with unstoppable momentum and encountering no significant resistance whatsoever.

Soon we arrived at the majestic palace gate. If we turned around here, we could overlook the entire capital city.

This is the center of power in the entire Jing Kingdom, and the most sacred and inviolable place. Yet today, Jiang Yuan and his group have set foot here under the guise of "purging the court of corrupt officials" to commit treason.

If it weren't for the loud slogans that barely covered up the shame, such an action alone would have earned him universal condemnation and eternal infamy.

Gazing at the palace gates he had entered and exited countless times, King Jiang's eyes burned with even greater fervor. Soon, he would become the ruler of this place, sitting atop the nine-layered palace, commanding hundreds of millions of living beings with a single word!
This was the day he had dreamed of for so long; he would soon achieve his ultimate goal in this life.

Before the palace gates, along with the imperial guards who had retreated in fear along the way, there were already several hundred people standing guard. A third of them were eunuchs who had come temporarily to show their loyalty and fill in the numbers. More people were rushing over from all directions.

Faced with the menacing Jiang Yuan and his men, they were all terrified and ready to die. In front of Jiang Yuan and his elite troops, they were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Intimidated by their momentum, they dared not take the initiative to attack and could only retreat little by little until they retreated into the open square inside the palace gate.

Without pausing for a moment, Jiang Yuan led his men, pressing forward step by step to the palace gate. Pointing his halberd forward, he coldly declared, "Those who surrender will not be killed, otherwise they will die!"

At this point, they had no way out. It was a matter of success or death. If they did not quickly control the violent regime in the palace and change the regime, and things went wrong in time, all their plans would be in vain.

"Traitor, cease your arrogance! Dismount now, surrender and atone for your sins with your lives!" The Imperial Guard commander shouted coldly, sword in hand. With nowhere to retreat, duty called, and this was the only way to bolster his courage. If Jiang Yuan and his men wanted to trample the palace, they would have to go over their corpses.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan's gaze turned cold. He had actually been labeled a traitor. If he failed today, the best outcome would be the execution of his entire family.

Just as he was about to order the removal of these last obstacles controlling the palace, he suddenly sensed something, turned around and looked at the distant horizon, and was startled.

'What terrifying sword intent! Elusive and traceless, invisible and formless, impossible to find yet seemingly omnipresent. If it's aimed at me, I'm afraid it's impossible to defend against and I'll have to withstand it head-on. Could it be Chen Xuan?'

Thinking of this, he was both terrified and somewhat fearful. Fortunately, he sided with King Jiang instead of choosing to eliminate him and follow the original plan. Otherwise, with his swordsmanship skills, the consequences would have been unimaginable if he had fought to the death.

At the same time, Jiang Yuan was even more glad that he had the foresight to arrange for someone to stop him beforehand; if he had intervened, things would have definitely gone wrong!

That person only offered him benefits; he wouldn't go all out to stop Chen Xuan, and in fact, he couldn't stop him at all, at most slightly delaying his progress.

In a flash of thought, Jiang Yuan knew he couldn't delay any longer; he had to settle things as soon as possible, or else he would be doomed.

He quickly withdrew his gaze, just as he was about to make a move, when he suddenly looked up at the sky and saw a huge golden pillar of light descending from the heavens, as if it came from the ninth heaven, vast and mighty, as if the power of heaven was unpredictable.

Beneath that golden pillar of light, Jiang Yuan even felt insignificant, and his resolve wavered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Is this His Majesty's last resort? He's activated the capital's grand formation, but it's not a killing tactic specifically aimed at me. As I suspected, His Majesty wouldn't use such power to perish along with the palace."

With this thought flashing through his mind, Jiang Yuan felt a little relieved.

In the next instant, a massive pillar of light descended from the sky and enveloped the entire palace. All the palace floors were covered with a golden halo, and complex patterns and runes intertwined and shimmered on the surface. Upon seeing this, the words "impregnable" flashed through Jiang Yuan's mind.

'What does Your Majesty mean by this? There must be a backup plan; this is probably to prevent too much damage to the palace.'

Having reached the Grandmaster realm for many years, Jiang Yuan possessed a wealth of experience. At this moment, he could tell at a glance that under the protection of the formation, even if he exerted his full strength, he would not be able to cause much damage to the palace, unless his strength had exceeded the formation's limit.

But he knew he didn't have that kind of strength. After all, the formation connected the vast capital city into a whole. To destroy the palace protected by the formation was tantamount to attacking the entire capital city. Not to mention him, even if several grandmasters joined forces, they couldn't do it!
Actually, this is for the best. He didn't want to damage the palace. Under the protection of the formation, he could act freely. Eunuch Rong had already stated that he would not interfere, and Chen Xuan was blocked and had no time to intervene. Even if His Majesty had a backup plan, he was confident that he could succeed on his own!

"His Majesty has decreed that the bandits have wreaked havoc on the palace. You shall all return to your posts and not move without authorization. Wait for the unrest to subside and for the order to be lifted. During this time, you shall not spread rumors, incite trouble, or cause chaos. Otherwise, you shall be executed without mercy!"

As if they had been waiting for Jiang Yuan and his group to arrive, as soon as they stepped into the palace area, under the protection of the array, before they could take any further action, an imperial edict resounded throughout every corner of the palace.

Upon hearing this, the imperial guards and eunuchs who were ready to fight to the death were stunned. At such a critical moment, His Majesty would actually issue such an edict.
"General, look around, the fog is getting thicker and thicker," said Jiang Wang, who was standing next to Jiang Yuan, his eyes scanning the surroundings with suspicion after hearing the imperial edict.

Jiang Yuan naturally noticed this situation. He saw the boundless thick fog surging in like a tide, quickly engulfing everything. Seeing this, his heart sank.

The moment they stepped into the palace grounds, the capital's grand formation protected the palace, followed by an endless fog, as if everything had been prepared in advance and was waiting for them.

This gave Jiang Yuan and the others a sense of unease, but having come this far, there was no turning back.

Jiang Yuan decisively ordered: "Right Vice General, listen to my command, lead a thousand men to guard all entrances and exits of the palace to prevent traitors from supporting the attack. Left Vice General, lead a thousand men to control all parts of the palace. Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy. The rest of you, follow me to the Emperor, eliminate the traitors, and clear the court of the emperor's innermost thoughts!"

"Yes, sir!"

At his command, the three thousand fierce warriors immediately split up and set out. From beginning to end, they all used the slogan of "cleansing the court of corrupt officials" as their motto. This righteous cause could not be abandoned, otherwise their cause would be illegitimate and their actions would be meaningless.

Jiang Yuan had already located the old emperor's location, which was just a few miles away at the Fengtian Hall. Once he controlled the old emperor, everything would be settled.

The fog that surged in from all directions was too fast. Just as he finished giving the order to everyone to move, the boundless fog engulfed the entire palace, and everyone was plunged into a thick fog where they could hardly see their own hands!
When he was engulfed in the thick fog, even Jiang Yuan, who had been a Grandmaster for many years, was startled. What kind of technique was this?
He found that in the thick fog, his senses were almost infinitely weakened. Not to mention the aura of Emperor Shangxuan several miles away, he couldn't even see things five or six feet away, and he couldn't even hear any sounds!
For someone at his level, what difference is there between being blind and deaf? If he himself is like this, what about others? How can he possibly command and coordinate under such circumstances?
How could this be? This dense fog must be caused by an array I don't know about. Does Emperor Shangxuan have such a backup plan? Could it be that the capital's grand array has this kind of effect that I don't know about?
Regardless, Jiang Yuan understood that being trapped in the thick fog had put them at a disadvantage.

Knowing that something terrible had happened, he immediately said, "There are treacherous people who are bewitching the emperor and causing chaos in the court. They are even using secret methods to harm us who uphold justice. Everyone, listen to my command, protect His Highness Prince Jiang, and follow me to the emperor to eliminate the traitors and cleanse the court of evil!"

He immediately retracted his previous order, realizing that it was not advisable to disperse in the thick fog, so he decided to take a gamble and head directly to Emperor Shangxuan to take control of the overall situation.

However, to his surprise, few responded to his command. Within a range of five or six zhang, fewer than ten people answered him. The rest looked terrified and bewildered. His voice seemed to have vanished into thin air!
Even though those people were right around him, and he had been shouting loudly enough, they just couldn't hear or see him. In their panic, they became chaotic, and some even started attacking each other.

This was still within Jiang Yuan's sensory field of vision. But what about the others in the thick fog, whom he couldn't see or hear?

"General, what should we do next?" Jiang Wang asked in surprise, standing two meters away from Jiang Yuan. He was terrified and had lost his composure. This situation was completely unexpected; he had never heard of his father having such methods.

As he spoke, he subconsciously moved closer to Jiang Yuan, as if he only felt safe when he was by Jiang Yuan's side. However, he did not even have innate cultivation. As he moved, under the influence of the array on his senses and thinking, he could not even see Jiang Yuan's figure. Not only that, he could not see or hear anything around him. The whole world was a white expanse, leaving him all alone!

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan looked at Prince Jiang and said, "Your Highness, do not panic. With me here, we will act according to the circumstances. I apologize for any offense, but it would be best if Prince Jiang stayed with me."

As he spoke, Jiang Yuan spurred his horse toward King Jiang. Just a step away, he raised his hand to pull King Jiang onto his own horse.

However, this action left Jiang Wang, trapped in the thick fog, isolated and helpless. On guard, he thought someone wanted to harm him and immediately slashed at him with his sword.

Jiang Yuan knew that the King of Jiang was definitely not able to harm Jiang Yuan in the slightest. Realizing that the King of Jiang was affected by the thick fog, Jiang Yuan pulled him behind him and said, "Your Highness, please wake up! It's me!"

"So it's the Great General! You startled me. I apologize for my rudeness," King Jiang said with a sigh of relief. However, even though they were so close, King Jiang could still only vaguely see Jiang Yuan's figure.

Jiang Yuan knew this wasn't King Jiang's fault; it was all due to the dense fog. Despite his formidable strength, he remained calm and said in a deep voice, "It's alright, Your Highness. Now is not the time to worry about such things. Hold me tight, I'll take you to His Majesty."

"I'll leave everything to the general," Jiang Wang nodded, hugging Jiang Yuan's waist tightly. His clever mind told him that he should just follow Jiang Yuan's arrangements at this time.

Then Jiang Yuan spurred his horse, leading King Jiang and a small number of people around him, and headed towards the location of Emperor Shangxuan, following the direction he remembered.

What made him realize that something was very wrong was that as he made this move, his subordinates around him did not follow at all, and they were no longer in his sight!
Why is this happening? Everything was fine just a moment ago, so where did this thick fog come from? How can I not even see through it?
Jiang Yuan's heart sank to the bottom. He vaguely heard his subordinates screaming from inside the thick fog, but he couldn't be sure if it was just his imagination. The fog was just too strange and eerie.

That day, Chen Xuan and Gao Jingming got drunk and set up a small fog array at the Gao family's residence. Gao Jingyu, who had been at the Innate Realm for many years, was completely lost when he got caught in it. Now, Jiang Yuan and the others were facing a large fog array, the effect of which was incomparable to that of a small fog array. Its power increased exponentially, and even Jiang Yuan, a Grandmaster, was affected.

Once trapped within it, one's thoughts, senses, and vision are all disrupted by the array, leaving one isolated and helpless—a living target like a headless fly!
The fog maze, only those who truly understand it know that the dense fog is merely its appearance; the real terror lies in the word "mystery."

Why did the old emperor issue the decree first, ordering everyone to return to their positions and not to move without permission? Because he knew that Jiang Yuan and his gang of traitors were already trapped in the fog formation, and there was no need to engage them in a direct battle and cause casualties.

Before they reached the palace gates, Elder Rong had given them a final chance to stop their rebellion. Stopping then might have offered them a chance to live. But once they stepped through the palace gates, they had already ruined their future, leaving no room for turning back. With the capital's grand formation protecting the palace, even Jiang Yuan, with his Grandmaster cultivation, couldn't destroy the mist array flags on a large scale, no matter how recklessly he tried!

It can be said that their fate was sealed the moment they ignored all advice and stepped into the palace gates.

Without the need for external assistance or sending Grandmaster-level experts to fight Jiang Yuan, they are too busy taking care of themselves in the mist formation. What kind of waves can a Grandmaster-level expert make?
Outside, countless people looked up towards the direction of the palace, where a massive pillar of light connected heaven and earth. A thick fog filled the sky, surging like a sea, engulfing everything. Jiang Yuan and his group had made a swift and unstoppable advance to the palace and had not been heard from since. No one knew what had happened inside; they could only wait in terror for the outcome.

The Minister of War, dressed in military attire, arrived late to rescue the emperor, but before he could even get close to the foot of the mountain where the palace was located, he was stopped by a eunuch, along with Jiang Jue's men who were escorting Jiang Li.

"His Majesty has decreed that we should remain calm and order Commander Jiang to lead his troops to take control of the Jiang Prince's residence and the General's residence, and await further orders..."

In the thick, swirling fog that made it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face, An Yi, clad in jet-black armor, stood before the palace gates. His gaze, hidden beneath his mask, remained emotionless as he stared ahead. Behind him stood twelve Dark Dragon Guards, dressed in the same attire.

The fog array was controlled by An Yi, and unlike Chen Xuan and the others who had to experience the array's effects firsthand, An Yi was still affected to some extent, but he was a hundred times more relaxed than the others. He could see the whole picture inside with a slightly blurred view, and he could move freely like the wind under the cover of the thick fog.

Despite the lack of any emotional fluctuation in An Yi's eyes, a raging storm was brewing within him.

When Chen Xuan taught him how to use the Fog Array that day, he already understood its effectiveness and took it seriously enough. But after witnessing it firsthand, he realized that he had seriously underestimated it.

Jiang Yuan, the Grand General of Wei, was once the youngest Grandmaster in Jing Kingdom in hundreds of years. When he was trapped in the formation, he was like a headless fly, completely disoriented, like a trapped beast. It was simply unbelievable.

These Dark Dragon Guards weren't here to watch a monkey show. An Yi swept his gaze across them and said coldly, "Rebellious traitors, arrest them all and escort them to the Fengtian Hall to await His Majesty's judgment!"

"Yes, sir!" The remaining twelve Dark Dragon Guards immediately rushed into the thick fog and moved like ghosts.

An Yi controls the overall situation and manipulates the formation to facilitate the actions of the others.

Jiang Yuan's three thousand elite soldiers panicked after being trapped in the thick fog. With their senses, vision, and even their thoughts severely impaired, they dared not trust anyone and began to attack and kill each other indiscriminately.

In this situation, the Dark Dragon Guards could have easily executed them, it would have been an effortless massacre. But they didn't do that. Instead, they opened small bottles, and the fragrance of "Drunken Spring Breeze" spread through the thick fog. The three thousand elite soldiers fell in droves, their cultivation crippled and their tendons severed by the Dark Dragon Guards. They were carried away one after another and thrown into the square in front of the Fengtian Hall, where people were already waiting to cooperate in the disposal.

In less than fifteen minutes, Jiang Yuan's three thousand elite soldiers were wiped out without even seeing a trace of the enemy.

During this process, no one paid attention to Jiang Yuan and Jiang Wang, leaving the two to run around aimlessly and rage like headless flies.

"Reporting to An Yi, all three thousand men led by Jiang Yuan have been captured. Please provide further instructions."

The twelve Dark Dragon Guards returned behind Dark One, reported their findings, and requested instructions for the next course of action.

An Yi coldly stared in Jiang Yuan's direction, wanting to join forces with the other twelve to form an array and unleash their Grandmaster-level combat power to test Jiang Yuan's strength. However, he quickly suppressed this thought. Loyalty to His Majesty and important matters were paramount; this was not the time to act recklessly.

He waved his hand dismissively and said indifferently, "This is none of your business. Go protect His Majesty."

"Yes," the twelve replied without hesitation, disappearing into the thick fog.

After they left, An Yi flipped his hand and a small porcelain bottle the size of a fist appeared in his hand. He looked in the direction of Jiang Yuan, and a trace of emotion flashed in his eyes, which were otherwise devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

'The Great General of Wei, once the youngest Grandmaster in Jing Kingdom's hundreds of years, a pillar of the nation leading thousands of troops, originally had a brilliant future, but one wrong step led to his current predicament. It is truly tragic and lamentable.'

With that thought in mind, An gripped the porcelain bottle in one hand and headed towards Jiang Yuan without hesitation.

What he held in his hand was something specifically designed for Grandmaster-level experts!

Grandmasters are strong, but that only applies to combat power. Grandmasters are not omnipotent. There are too many things that can be countered. If someone is prepared to take advantage of you, it is impossible to defend against them. How can you deal with that?
A nation's foundation is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Without corresponding means, in a martial arts world where power is paramount, heroes would break the law with their martial arts, and chaos would ensue long ago.

Of course, even if you have items that target a Grandmaster, they are only useful if the opponent is hit by them; otherwise, they are just decorations.

However, Jiang Yuan was currently shrouded in mist and unable to defend himself. How could he possibly defend himself?

When Jiang Yuan led Jiang Wang straight to the location of Emperor Shangxuan in the direction he remembered, he lost contact with his subordinates during the operation. He immediately knew that something bad had happened. Even if he controlled Emperor Shangxuan, without his subordinates to control the palace, his great undertaking would be difficult to accomplish.

However, they had no way out.

What terrified Jiang Yuan even more was that he had lost his way. Even though he remembered the layout of the palace, he wandered around in the thick fog and couldn't tell where he was.

Forcing himself to calm down, he swung his halberd, not indiscriminately, but with a surge of true energy, intending to stir up a gale to disperse the thick fog.

However, such efforts were in vain. The thick fog seemed to have a sticky quality, and it was impossible to shake it off. After all, it was not natural fog, and it remained even as it churned. His methods were like throwing a mud ox into the sea.

After several attempts yielded the same result, realizing that things were hopeless, he immediately changed his strategy. He took Jiang Wang, abandoned their horse, and soared into the sky, attempting to escape the dense fog from the high altitude. However, contrary to his wishes, he still failed to escape the fog.

What he perceived as a straight upward surge was, in reality, due to the interference of the array's mental framework, merely circling within a certain range.

Having never experienced anything like this before, he was already somewhat flustered inside, but he maintained a calm demeanor on the surface.

In this situation, he couldn't care less about anything else and simply attacked indiscriminately in all directions, attempting to break everything.

At the Grandmaster level, his unbridled attacks were terrifying. His halberd, like a dragon, seemed to overturn and crush the world, imbued with the power of a thousand galloping horses. With each swing, the dark red blade swept in all directions, and the entire mountain where the palace was located trembled slightly.

Even with his efforts, he still failed to tear apart the thick fog. Even under the protection of the capital's grand formation, he was unable to cause any significant damage to the palace buildings. The violent energy was dispersed throughout the vast capital city as the formation operated, and only a few unlucky people in the palace were not caught in the blast and crushed.

Feeling utterly powerless, Jiang Yuan felt a pang of regret, but what good would regret do?
After a series of reckless attacks yielded no results, Jiang Yuan stopped and quickly pondered. Jiang Wang, who was with him, was no fool. Realizing that the situation was likely hopeless, he said with a sense of dread, "General, things are beyond saving. Let's give in."

"Shut up!" Jiang Yuan turned around and shouted, his eyes blazing with fury.

King Jiang immediately shut his mouth and dared not say another word. Jiang Yuan had never treated him like this before. Even though he couldn't see Jiang Yuan's expression clearly, King Jiang knew that his eyes seemed to want to devour people and that he was on the verge of madness. At this moment, his status was a joke, so how could he dare to offend him?

It's not that Jiang Yuan disregarded his status and acted insubordination; given his current situation, King Jiang's words undoubtedly added fuel to the fire.

Zhou Hong bowed to the emperor, and his father-son relationship might save him from death, but what about Jiang Yuan?
Oh, right, King Jiang!
At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck Jiang Yuan. He planted his halberd firmly on the ground, took a deep breath, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I know my mistake. Please forgive me for the sake of Prince Jiang and for my many years of service to the country. I will make amends for my transgressions afterward... cough cough..."

As he spoke, Jiang Yuan's face turned pale, and excruciating pain shot through his internal organs, causing his face to contort and him to cough up blood.

Unaware that Jiang Yuan was using his life as leverage, Zhou Hong, instead of showing concern, asked, "General, what's wrong with you...?"

Before Zhou Hong could finish speaking, or even react, he was suddenly pulled away from the place by a dark figure that emerged from the thick fog.

Jiang Yuan stood alone in place, feeling as if his internal organs were being torn apart by a thousand knives. He couldn't even breathe deeply, let alone circulate his internal energy. With a soft sigh, he realized that the situation was hopeless. His straight, spear-like body bent, the spirit between his brows disappeared, and his figure appeared desolate and forlorn.

The surrounding fog began to dissipate rapidly, and through the palace gates ahead, he could vaguely see Emperor Shangxuan sitting high on the dragon throne, coldly watching him, as if he had been watching for a long time, as if he had been watching a clown jumping around all along.

As the fog dissipated quickly, he saw that the square outside the palace was filled with kneeling people. They were all his former generals, including Jiang Wang Zhou Hong, who had been with him earlier!

He's the only one missing... (End of Chapter)