Starting from the imperial palace guards, his clones spread all over the world.

Chapter 670 Liang Jin is dead
The three ghostly black figures suddenly appeared, launched a fierce attack, and vanished without a trace after succeeding...

The whole process was like a flash of lightning!

It happened so fast that all the witnesses present were thrown into an extreme state of dazedness, as if time had frozen!
Even the terrifying being whose divine sense shrouded the ruins and was hidden deep beneath the underground palace, with its cold, clinging perception, clearly conveyed a strong sense of... astonishment and stagnation!

Unpredictable!

Unable to respond!

Unable to understand!

How could anyone in this world so easily slaughter those He was protecting right under His nose?!

The three men in black robes pulled out the internal organs with brutal precision.

As the grayish-white, withered, and emaciated ghostly claws, clutching the still slightly throbbing entrails stained with thick blood and bits of flesh, retracted into the tattered black sleeves—

Zhao Hongyi's body, contorted to the extreme by excruciating pain and horror, was like a puppet whose strings had been removed...

With a loud crash, it fell to the ground!
That dull thud! It felt like a blow to everyone's taut nerves!
It shattered the deathly silence of this infernal realm!
It also woke everyone up!

"Hongyi!!! My son!!!"

A heart-wrenching roar, filled with immense despair and rage, suddenly ripped through the oppressive air!
Zhao Yu's fat and huge body collapsed onto the cold rubble like a wounded beast!
He crawled desperately toward the lifeless body of his blood relative! His fat fingers dug deep into the hard mud beneath him, leaving streaks of blood.
Wang Jin's face instantly turned ashen! His calm and composed facade was completely shattered, and an indescribable horror burned deep within his cloudy old eyes!

First Guardian and Yan Tingfeng were utterly shocked! They were the most outstanding martial artists of their time! Their spiritual senses were incredibly sharp, yet they couldn't detect even the slightest trace of those dark figures! They couldn't comprehend how they appeared and disappeared!

This unpredictable and mysterious slaughter, this indiscriminate killing that disregarded space, sent chills down their spines as they recalled another scene—

Previously, in the Taihe Hall square, Liang Jin had also defied common sense by making that ice coffin... vanish into thin air!
A deep-seated fear of an unknown underlying power began to grow wildly in their hearts!

Kill! One...not enough!
hum!
Just as Zhao Yu collapsed and wailed, and everyone was still in shock!

Another dark figure, like ink dripping onto water, appeared silently behind Emperor Zhao Yu, who had just experienced the pain of losing his son!
The same wide black robes, the same deathly silence!
A withered claw shot out! Accompanied by a dull, piercing whistle that seemed to tear through fabric! Its target was—the Emperor's back of the head!!

Even faster than killing Zhao Hongyi! Even more direct and to the core!

This is the second strike! A direct cut to the dragon's neck!!

"Your Majesty—!!"

Watch out behind you!!!

"Protect the Emperor immediately!!!"

Wang Jin, Di Yishouzheng, and Yan Tingfeng were terrified! They all let out a terrifying roar that shook their very souls!
Their figures transformed into three mad shadows tearing through the void!
Ignoring the excruciating pain in his chest from the combined onslaught of the Heavenly Tribulation and the aftershocks of the Demonic Palm, he urged his nearly depleted inner strength and desperately lunged toward the hand of death that was only inches away from Empress Zhao's heart!
however--

too late!
too suddenly!

The black-robed man appeared so close to Zhao Yu that he was practically standing back to back!

Wang Jin and his two companions were more than ten zhang away from Zhao Yushang!

Even with their extraordinary martial arts skills, they were powerless to stop it at this moment and could only watch helplessly as the deadly claw was about to pierce the emperor's back!
That's too late!

It's absolutely too late!

At this critical moment——

"BOOM!!!!!!"

Deep within the earth! A pure, violent, crushing force, brimming with rage and a sense of utterly violated authority... a force of destruction that ravages all living things!

Like a volcano erupting from the Earth's core!

With pinpoint accuracy, it struck directly beneath the black-robed assassin's footing!
Breaking through the soil!

That speed was beyond comprehension! Beyond the reach of light and shadow! The shadow assassin's body, along with the land itself—was instantly crushed by an invisible, gigantic millstone!
The black-robed man who attempted to assassinate the king was instantly swallowed up!
He couldn't even let out a scream!

In the midst of the raging torrent of energy, under the crushing force of this absolute power, it shattered on the spot, like porcelain struck by a heavy hammer!

It turned into countless black fragments and blood mist, scattering everywhere!

Ashes!

This attack was so swift and powerful.

This caused the cracks around the huge hole in the ground to widen and spread again!
Clearly, He was angry!

Due to momentary carelessness and lack of foresight, Prince Zhao Hongyi was killed on the spot.

He will not make the same mistake twice!

He would never allow the object of his protection to be lost again and again!
Even if... it's just an insignificant pawn!

"Hongyi! My son!!"

Having survived the ordeal, Zhao Yu had no time to think about how he had just narrowly escaped death.

He lunged at his son's still-warm body, staring at the empty chest and the blood-soaked ground, and let out a heart-wrenching wail.

He futilely tried to cover the horrific wound on his son's chest with his hands, attempting to stuff the ripped organs back in, appearing as if possessed.

Then, as if grasping at a last straw, he abruptly turned towards the entrance to the deep underground palace, disregarding his imperial dignity, and knelt down, tears streaming down his face, kowtowing until his forehead was instantly cut open and blood flowed freely.

"Emperor Taizu! Your Majesty the Emperor Taizu!"

"Please! Please show your power and save Hongyi! He is your descendant! Please!!"

Wang Jin and the other two landed heavily beside him, panting heavily, but their eyes were icy cold.

Save them? It's hopeless.

Zhao Hongyi's internal organs had been ripped out and torn apart; his life force was gone. Even if a celestial being descended to earth, there would be no way to save him.

Deep within the underground palace, all was still deathly silent, with only a cold, eerie wind constantly emanating from it.

next moment--

Wang Jin, Di Yi Shou Zheng, and Yan Tingfeng almost simultaneously changed their expressions slightly.

Their extraordinary martial arts senses made them notice something amiss, and they all turned their heads sharply to look at the huge palm-shaped pit!
The bottom of the pit... was completely empty!
He was just there! Liang Jin, now only half a body, like a tattered rag doll crushed by a tremendous force...

gone!
Bottom of the pit...

There was only a patch of congealed dark red! And... a few tattered, blood-stained shreds of clothing!

Where did Liang Jin go?
The three men's eyes flashed like lightning as they rapidly scanned their surroundings, their powerful senses spreading out instantly!
found it!
In the distance, a man in black robes was holding Liang Jin's mangled half-body in his arms, with a frenzied, desperate force that seemed to push the limits of his physical body!

Speeding wildly across the desolate wilderness!

That speed! It kicked up a plume of dust!
"Kill him for me!! Tear him to pieces!! Crush his bones and scatter his ashes to feed the wild dogs—!!!!!"

Zhao Yu saw it too!

His scream was filled with the madness of a wild beast! Blood vessels were practically spurting from his bulging eyeballs!

He pointed at the figure that was about to become a small black dot on the horizon and frantically pounded the dirt and gravel around him!
Wang Jin, Di Yishouzheng, and Yan Tingfeng quickly exchanged glances.

Without the slightest hesitation!

"cough……"

Wang Jin forced down the metallic taste in her throat, her voice hoarse yet carrying an undeniable authority:
"Sect Leader Yan! You must stay by His Majesty's side at all times to ensure his safety! Beware of any further unforeseen events!"

"First Commander! Send a signal to mobilize the Imperial Guards, the Six Doors, the Imperial Bodyguards, and other elite troops! Quickly dispatch elite cavalry to block all roads from the south city to the north suburbs! Search for all suspicious persons! Especially these elusive black-robed figures! We must find them alive or dead!"

As for our family—

His cloudy old eyes were fixed on the disappearing black dot in the distance, his voice sharp as a knife:

"I will personally go... to send that traitor on his final journey!"

The first guard immediately took out a specially made signal firework from his pocket, lit it, and aimed it at the sky.

“Swoosh—Bang!!!”

A piercing scream that seemed to cut through the heavens!

A dazzling burst of fire shot into the sky, exploding high above to form a gigantic, grotesque blood-red lotus flower, clearly visible even in daylight, its sound carrying for miles.
Warning! Highest alert!
At the same time, as if they had known each other beforehand, the three of them quickly swallowed the holy-grade pills for healing and meridian consolidation! They suppressed their injuries and forcibly stirred up their remaining internal energy!

Wang Jin swayed slightly, then shot off like an arrow in the direction Liang Jin had fled.

But his speed wasn't particularly fast.

He simply kept his eyes fixed on the back of the black-robed man who was running for his life, and followed him at a leisurely pace.

He only needs to make sure he doesn't lose track of them.

Forcing him to accelerate at this moment will only worsen his internal injuries and cause him unbearable pain.

He is waiting.

Once the medicinal effects of the pill he took have gradually dissipated and his injuries have stabilized somewhat, he will not hesitate to catch up with the man in black robes and kill him without hesitation.

more importantly……

His deep-set eyes gleamed with a cold, greedy light, like that of a venomous snake.

Liang Jin's body...

The corpse was of vital importance to him!
The Netherworld bloodline flowing through that body was an indispensable part of his plan!
That's why he sent First Guardian and Yan Tingfeng away, and came to hunt them down alone.

……

far away.

The wind howled across the wilderness.

The man in black robes pushed his lightness skill to its limit, carrying Liang Jin's mangled body, and ran desperately away from the capital.

Liang Jin's remaining consciousness was like a candle flickering in the wind, struggling in vain in the boundless abyss of darkness.

pain……

It has already surpassed the limits!

The lingering, terrifying sensation of his lower body being completely erased still gnawed at his nerves.

cold……

A chilling cold that emanates from the depths of one's bones! Uncontrollable! Undispellable... a bone-chilling cold!
It felt as if the last drop of blood in my body, carrying its last warmth, had all been drained away!
My vision was already blurred, a gray and distorted mess.

Thoughts are like gears covered with thick rust, each turn producing a harsh, scraping sound.

Only that... unwavering conviction etched deep into the soul...

It's still burning!
"I can't...die...now..."

"Not enough...we need...to go further..."

"Not safe enough..."

He used every last bit of strength he had left to activate the muscles on the tip of his tongue... and bit down hard!
A sweet, fishy liquid spread through my mouth!
That's my own blood!

A sharp, intense pain, like an electric shock, forcibly jolted my consciousness back from its near-complete descent into silence.

once!
Again!
Just so he could die in a safe place!

The wind! whistled in my ears! It stung my cheeks.

His vision was already blurred, and all he could see was a swaying, distorted light and shadow.

All I could hear was the whistling wind.

The wind sounded so cold, as if it pierced through his bones and took away the last bit of warmth from his body.

He knew this was a sign of excessive blood loss and that his life was coming to an end.

The surrounding scenery rushed past him, and he could no longer make out what it was.

But deep within his consciousness, he could still clearly "see" the system interface—the [Thousand-Mile Tracking] map that seemed to be projected directly onto his soul.

The map shows that he has moved far away from the nightmarish mausoleum of Emperor Taizu, and has even fled to another direction from the capital.

This place should be far enough away.

Even the terrifying being deep within the underground palace shouldn't be able to easily reach this place with its senses or power.

Here... he could finally... die in peace.

"Jin-ge!!!"

A scream filled with extreme shock, panic, and a hoarse, broken voice!
It was like a thunderclap exploding on the edge of Liang Jin's hearing, which was about to completely close!

hum!
Liang Jin jolted awake, his remaining consciousness forcibly torn apart by the piercing call!
He then realized with a start that he had almost completely lost consciousness.

With all his might, he struggled to open his blood-covered, dust-laden eyelids, making a tiny crack!
My vision was blurred, like fish glue covered in blood...

But! That figure... rushing towards him like an arrow from the distant horizon, disregarding everything...

He recognizes her!

“Zhao…Bao…”

Seeing Zhao Bao, Liang Jin finally felt relieved.

This is... the end.

His mind moved slightly.

The black-robed figure carrying him suddenly stopped! His movements were stiff! As if receiving a silent command, the black-robed figure gently laid the mangled body in his arms onto the ground!
It's as if you're placing fragile glass in the ground!

Immediately! The dark shadow dissolved and faded silently into the cold air of the early winter afternoon, like an ink droplet thrown into water!
Vanished without a trace!

"Brother Jin!!"

Zhao Bao's figure had already rushed over like a whirlwind!

He stumbled and fell heavily to his knees on the muddy, cold ground! His knees slammed into the ground with a dull thud, splashing up filthy mud!

He paid no heed! His vision was instantly overwhelmed by piercing fear and overwhelming grief!

He looked at the pile of bodies on the ground... his brother, who had once sheltered him from the wind and rain like a mountain and supported him through desperate times...

Now all that remains is... a cold, stiff half-body...

The twisted wound...exposed shattered bone fragments and mangled flesh...

Those dark eyes that once shone with all-knowing wisdom...

At this moment... the empty space... reflects the gloomy sky...

There was none of that familiar...glamour!

"Who...who did this?! Who?! Who on earth did it?!"

Zhao Bao's voice was like torn cloth! It trembled so much that he could barely speak!
He had been tricked into going on a field mission, but he quickly realized that the person who had deceived him was not right. He used every means at his disposal, even resorting to torture, to finally learn the devastating news—Xiao Lian had been murdered!
He rushed back, consumed by boundless hatred!

Just to return to Beijing...

Just to find Brother Jin...

Just for the sake of being together...

We must avenge this blood debt!
however……

But fate intervened the moment he stepped onto this cold, barren land on the outskirts of Beijing…

It dealt him such a... devastating blow!
"They lied to me! They used me! They transferred me out of Beijing! By the time I found out... it was all too late! Too late!!!"

He screamed incoherently, his hands convulsively frantically searching every nook and cranny of his body where he could hide something! He pulled out bottle after bottle of medicine of different colors!
Life-extending ginseng pills! Blood-clotting jade marrow! Soul-restoring powders!
These are the things he cherishes like his own life, and they are life-saving items that can save him and others in critical moments!

At this moment, he frantically and desperately tried to take it out and give it to Liang Jin to save his life!

With great difficulty, Liang Jin moved his only remaining arm, which he could still control slightly, and gently pressed his blood-stained hand against Zhao Bao's wrists, which were covered in medicine powder and cold mud!

That force... was so light it was almost imperceptible.

Yet it contains an unparalleled... resolve!
"without……"

Liang Jin's voice was broken and weak, like a mosquito's buzz; each word seemed to scrape against the rust in his throat.
"It's...useless..."

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the metallic taste that welled up inside him.

"listen to me……"

“Zhao Hongyi…I have…killed him…”

"I've avenged Xiaolian..."

Zhao Bao's movements... froze completely!
It felt as if all the blood in my body had been drained and frozen in an instant!
That immense emotion, like a burst dam, instantly overwhelmed him completely!

"Waaah... Brother Jin..."

A mournful cry finally burst forth uncontrollably from the depths of his throat!

Tears, like molten lead, burned his eyes and fell with a crash! Mixed with the mud on his face, they carved deep, desolate lines into his young face, which was already etched with too much vicissitude and sorrow!
His feelings for Su Lian had long surpassed ordinary brotherly and sisterly affection.

When he learned of Su Lian's tragic death, the same hatred and murderous intent filled his chest.

At this moment, hearing that Liang Jin had finally avenged Su Lian by giving his all, even his life, a mixture of the joy of revenge, endless grief, and indescribable guilt almost tore his heart apart!
"Brother Jin...don't worry...I will definitely make sure—"

Zhao Bao raised his bloodshot eyes, gritted his teeth, as if he wanted to swear an oath.

But he hadn't finished speaking—

Liang Jin's five fingers suddenly tightened!
It dug deep... into the flesh of Zhao Bao's wrist!

The force was so great that it even caused Zhao Bao pain!
It was as if the last embers of its life were a warning!
"No...don't...do...for...me..."

"revenge!"

His remaining body convulsed for a moment!
Forcibly rekindling the last breath of life that was about to be completely extinguished!

"I'm... I can't take it anymore... Wang Jin... is catching up soon..."

"Kill me...cut off my head...and offer it to Wang Jin...only then...can you live!"

The voice grew weaker and weaker, barely a whisper.

But the determination in his eyes was like a brand!
“Wang Jin…he has always coveted your…Youhuan bloodline…he used mine to exchange for your chance to live…”

"Give him my head... and this useless body... to gain his trust... to pledge allegiance to him..."

"Live on... Zhao Bao... Live well... Live on!!!"

boom!
This final will was like a thunderclap ignited by the exhaustion of the soul's fire!
It struck Zhao Bao's already crumbling mental defenses hard!
kill?!
He personally... stormed into the city?!
To take his head?! To use his mutilated body to gain that old eunuch's trust?!
Zhao Bao trembled violently! It felt as if he had been pierced by a thousand ice spikes!
"No!! Impossible!! I can't do it!!!"

He instinctively shook his head frantically! Tears mixed with mud and blood flowed into his mouth, salty, fishy, ​​and bitter!
"quick!!!"

Liang Jin's final scream! Like the last roar of a dying beast!

With an unquestionable, soul-piercing command!

Immediately afterwards——

His blood-stained hand, which was gripping Zhao Bao's wrist tightly...

Like a withered branch that has been stripped of all its support in an instant!

It drooped down softly...
"sooner or later……"

A faint, intermittent breath, like a candle flickering in the wind, was barely squeezed out from his bloodstained lips...

"I can……"

"With...Xiao Lian..."

"Back...to..."

sound……

Completely...sever ties.

Those dark eyes that once saw into people's hearts and held endless complexities and profound emotions... The last glimmer of light!
Like something extinguished in the wind...

The wick of a candle flame.

It's finally over.

Completely returned to...

Eternal silence!

"Uh... ah..."

An immense, soul-wrenching grief gripped Zhao Bao's throat like an invisible giant hand!

All the cries of sorrow were abruptly choked in his throat!

When a person is in the deepest grief, they are so grief-stricken that they can't even cry out!

His body convulsed violently like a frozen shrimp! His eyes were wide open! Bloodshot! Tears streamed down his face silently!
one day!
In just one day!
He lives in this cold and filthy world...

Treating them like blood relatives...

The only two remaining bonds...

My younger sister, with whom I depend on each other for survival...

My brother, with whom I swore to live and die...

All of them...

His soul returned to the earth!

th!
Just then, Wang Jin's figure, with its cruel scrutiny and circling like a vulture, suddenly appeared on the distant horizon!

Just as that terrifying aura, like a leech clinging to a bone, locked onto this... Wasteland of the Dead for the instant!

Zhao Bao...

Raise your head suddenly!
Those eyes, once brimming with endless sorrow, like shattered glass...

Tears! Instantly swept away by a chilling, deathly storm of silence!!

Thoroughly cleanse and wipe away!

He raised his sleeve and wiped away all the tears, snot, and blood from his face.

The movements were rough and swift, carrying a decisiveness akin to scraping the bone to remove poison!
The grime, blood, tears, and mucus on his face, along with that... emotion that belongs to "humanity."
They were all roughly wiped away by this cloth!
There's only one left...

A death mask, carved from frozen iron and stone, devoid of any human emotion!
Zhao Bao suddenly stood up!

The knees made a soft "crack" sound due to the sudden exertion of force!

He spread his five fingers wide on his right palm, his inner strength surging, transforming his palm into a blade!
His hands were trembling slightly, but his eyes were unusually firm.

He gritted his teeth, crushing the last trace of hesitation in his eyes, and with his palm gathering internal energy, he fiercely chopped down towards Liang Jin's neck!
puff!

Warm blood splattered all over his face.

But he seemed completely oblivious.

He used his palm as a knife, slashing mechanically and precisely, again and again.

Liang Jin's body is exceptionally tough, making it very difficult to chop!

again and again!
Like cutting down rotten firewood!
Like cutting a rigid clay sculpture!
After a few dull and ear-piercing cracking sounds!
A heart still dripping warm blood...

His eyes still held that trace of relief, or perhaps entrustment...

Head!!!

Already...

It was firmly...in the palm of Zhao Bao's hand!

"The one who killed Liang Jin—is Zhao Bao!!!"

Zhao Bao's voice was as cold and flat as a freezing spring colliding with frozen rocks!
Really impressive!

He raised high the head that had protected him countless times, taught him to survive in the darkness, but was now nothing but a lifeless gray-blue!

They were met with Wang Jin's gaze, which was now clearly visible and descending from the sky, a gaze that held both surprise and scrutiny!

Step out!
Kneel down on one knee!

His knee slammed heavily onto the cold earth, soaked with the blood of his own kin!
His icy, knife-like gaze lifted from his blood-stained, disheveled hair and locked onto Wang Jin's unfathomable old eyes!

With arms outstretched in the most standard gesture of surrendering prisoners!
That head—

Like offering sacrifices...

High above...the henchmen of imperial power!
"The treacherous Liang Jin! He is audacious beyond belief! He has repeatedly offended the Emperor and even plotted to assassinate the Prince! He has shaken the foundation of the nation! His crimes are unforgivable! He deserves to be punished by both Heaven and man!"

Zhao Bao's voice was completely still; each word was like a cold iron nail being etched into the air.

"Your humble servant Zhao Bao!"

"In this desolate wilderness, we pursued the rebel! Fortunately, Heaven smiled upon us! We finally subdued this scoundrel..."

He paused deliberately, as if to ensure the weight of those two words:
"Slayed...below the desolate hill!"

"Now...we will take the head of this treacherous dog!"

"Presented before Your Excellency! We humbly request Your Excellency...to examine the head!!!"

A biting wind, carrying the scent of blood, swept across the distance of less than five steps between the two.
Wang Jin's figure fell to the ground silently, like the most exquisite sculpture.

His murky, deep eyes, as if hiding a thousand-year-old ice cave, were fixed on Zhao Bao's blood-stained yet hardened face, focusing even more on those eyes... eyes devoid of any sorrow, only as still as stagnant water, yet burning with a cold flame in their deepest depths!
At last……

His gaze slowly slid down, settling on the head that was being held high, covered in blood and dirt, with its hair disheveled...

silence!

The air was as heavy as frozen lead!

Dead silence! So oppressive you could almost hear the sound of blood flowing!

moment.

Wang Jin's lips curved upwards in an extremely subtle and slow arc!
It doesn't look like a smile!

It's more like a cold... confirmation!
He stretched out his withered, claw-like hand and casually grabbed Liang Jin's head!

His fingertips even traced traces of blood between the cold, sticky strands of hair! As if admiring a piece of...

Extremely valuable loot!

"Oh?"

He spoke, his voice like fingernails scraping against rotten wood, carrying a strong sense of scrutiny and amusement:

“That little girl named Su Lian, last night…”

He deliberately drew out his voice, observing every subtle reaction from Zhao Bao:

"His neck was broken when someone slipped and fell on the stone steps..."

"died."

"now……"

He held the head, took another half step forward, and could almost see every frozen hair on Zhao Bao's body:
"This one……"

He raised the severed head in his hand:

"Liang Jin! Your good brother! Killed a prince! Forced the emperor to abdicate! Shattered the imperial tombs, inciting the wrath of the world!"

"He's completely dead."

"especially……"

Wang Jin's gaze was like a poisoned hook, piercing deep into the very depths of Zhao Bao's soul!

"The one who killed him... was you!"

He suddenly bent down!
That gaunt face, so thin it looked like a skeleton's face, was almost touching Zhao Bao's lifeless pupils! Each word was deliberate and deliberate.
"These two... people who were supposedly very close to you... are both gone!"

"Could it be..."

"You really...aren't you sad at all?"

Zhao Bao's body was like a stone sculpture! Only his chest rose and fell slightly with his violently suppressed breathing!
On that young face covered in wind, frost, and blood, the muscles were taut as if cast in molten iron!
He suddenly looked up!
Look directly into Wang Jin's captivating old eyes!

There was no fear in his eyes! No hesitation! Not even the slightest crack of grief!

There is only one kind... the ultimate coldness and... blind loyalty forged from a frozen soul!
"Woman? Brother?"

A short, sharp sneer, filled with undisguised contempt! Like frozen stone shattering!

"Grand plans for the factory! Lofty ambitions reaching the heavens!!"

Zhao Bao's voice suddenly rose! It was filled with a fanatical, unquestionable sense of sacrifice!
"Compared to the immense responsibility the Grand Eunuch bears for the nation, what are these petty personal feelings worth?!"

Every single word! It was as if it carried the clanging sound of iron filings!
It slammed to the ground! It made a sound like metal or stone!

"especially--"

His eyes suddenly sharpened like knives, piercing towards the head in Wang Jin's hand! They were filled with a deep, genuine hatred!

"This vile man! He is utterly depraved! Instead of repaying the Emperor's kindness, he harbors wolfish ambitions, wreaking havoc in the palace, and harming imperial heirs! He deserves to die a thousand deaths!"

"Today! To die by my hand! Truly..."

"It is just and fair!"

"How delightful! This is truly gratifying!!"

Click... click click click...

A strange, hoarse laugh, like rotten wood rubbing against each other in the night wind, finally burst out from the depths of Wang Jin's withered chest!
"Hehe...hoho...giggle giggle..."

His entire emaciated and hunched body trembled at that chilling laughter!

Amidst laughter...

There's no temperature!

Only a chilling cruelty that sees into the deepest recesses of the human heart, and a hint of...

Extremely satisfied... Confirmed!
This is so cold!

Such ruthlessness!

This kind of person is willing to use any means necessary to climb up the social ladder, trampling everything underfoot...

Absolutely!

This is the kind of understanding that Wang Jin can grasp!
And...the person who needs them most!!

Such people are capable of using any means necessary to gain power and rise to the top; betraying their brothers and abandoning women is perfectly normal for them.

Wang Jin himself was that kind of person, so he understood Zhao Bao.

The only thing he couldn't understand was Liang Jin, that kind of oddball.

Despite possessing unparalleled martial arts skills, he was content with an ordinary life, working as a lowly soldier for so many years.

Having finally achieved fame and fortune, he would ruin his future for a lowly palace maid, even risking his life...

How foolish!
It's not worth it at all!
Wang Jin will never understand Liang Jin, and will never become Liang Jin.

The laughter stopped suddenly!

Like swallowing a knife and severing a thread!

Wang Jin's cloudy old eyes flashed with a sharp light!

"very good!"

He caressed the cold head in his hands as if stroking a rare and beautiful jade:
"Zhao Bao! We'll accept this 'generous gift'!"

"Carry this scoundrel's head..."

He paused, his tone carrying an air of absolute control:
"This is a perfect opportunity to go to His Majesty... and quell the wrath of Heaven caused by today's disturbance at the Imperial Mausoleum!"

His gaze immediately sharpened like a hawk's, turning towards what was behind Zhao Bao...

It lay on the cold earth! Only half of it remained! The remains of Liang Jin, cruelly decapitated!
"As for the remains of that traitor..."

Wang Jin's tone suddenly became extremely stern! It carried an unquestionable, taboo tone!

"You... immediately! Secretly take him back to you!"

"Remember this!!"

His withered finger suddenly pointed at Zhao Bao! His fingertip carried an invisible, icy pressure:
"This is top secret!"

"Not a single word of this is to be leaked!"

"The corpse...no one may touch, examine, or defile it!"

"Later..."

His hoarse voice was like a judgment from the underworld:
"I will personally come to handle this matter!"

Zhao Bao kowtowed violently:

"Your subordinate! I will obey Your Excellency's orders!!!"

His forehead slammed heavily onto the ground! It made a dull thud!

Posture... submissive! Loyal!

Impeccable! As always!

"Ah."

Wang Jin never looked back!

He held the head, which was still slowly dripping dark red blood, and his body swayed slightly!
Like a whirlwind carrying a chilling aura!

They quickly disappeared into the even more gloomy sandstorm at the edge of the wilderness!

Dead silence...

It has once again enveloped this blood-stained frozen land.

Zhao Bao...

Extremely slowly... I crawled up from the cold ground!
Like a crippled soldier whose spine has been removed!
His movements were no longer upright!

He simply dragged his heavy steps silently toward that body...

Cold! Broken! Headless!

Yet it remains the last thing he cherishes in his heart...

Hands and feet mutilated.

Just as he bent down, preparing to heavily carry the headless half of the body on his back!

On his shoulder!

Suddenly, something grayish-white, covered in deep wrinkles, appeared out of nowhere, as if it had been dug out of a thousand-year-old tomb...

A hideous old man's face!
The withered scalp clung tightly to Zhao Bao's skin and flesh, as if they were one!
His wrinkled features were squeezed together! A tiny, eerie, phosphorescent green light flickered in his deep-set eyes...
A sickeningly painful sound, like scraping away rotten bone, was squeezed out from those dry, withered lips:
"Hate... Resentment soars to the heavens! Hatred seeps into my bones! I've tasted it all!!"

A grotesque, mocking smile twisted on his withered face! Like a vengeful ghost mimicking a human expression:
"Zhao Bao!"

"Your 'Brother Jin,' he was killed by that old, damned emperor Zhao Wuji!"

"I could smell the lingering aura of death in this mangled corpse from a mile away! There's no mistake! It's that old dog Zhao Wuji's doing!"

Almost at the same time!

On his right shoulder, beneath the robe in the same spot, emerged another head—an old woman's head—with a face twisted in hatred and malice!

The old woman's face was even more resentful and vicious! Her triangular eyes blazed with a molten crimson fury!

The moment she appeared! A sharp, piercing sound, like the shrieking of a thousand vengeful ghosts, pierced directly into Zhao Bao's mind:
"Zhao Bao!! Wake up!!"

"Look at your pathetic, worthless skills!! You'd be too disgusting to even lick that old castrated dog's shoe soles!!"

"You think you can take revenge on that monster Zhao Wuji with your current pathetic skills?!"

"Keep dreaming!!"

Her withered mouth opened like a fissure in an abyss, revealing a dark, toothless void within:

"Promise us!!! Accept us!!! Return to Kuiyuan!!!"

"Let us..."

"Unite as one!!!"

The voice carried a sharp, seductive magic and an absolute urgency! It was filled with a mad, all-consuming will!

"Only in this way..."

The old woman's voice, layered with the old man's mocking whispers, rose in escalation! Like the whispers of the deepest depths of hell, it clung to Zhao Bao's last vestiges of conscious will:

"Only then can..."

"To crush that dog emperor Zhao Wuji..."

"Supreme power!!!"

"otherwise!……"

The old man's voice was like venom:

"Wait until Zhao Wuji is successfully reborn and returns to the world!"

"You will forever lose... your revenge—"

Two pairs of eyes, filled with endless despair and resentment, were fixed on Zhao Bao's blankly turned face, and they spoke in unison:

"Chance!!!!"

Zhao Bao...

They stood frozen on that land soaked with the blood and sweat of their own flesh and blood.

The severed head and half-body he carried on his back...

It was like Mount Tai pressing down on him! It crushed his soul!

The cold wind is like a knife!

It scraped across his blood-stained, stone-cold cheek.

His gaze pierced through the desolate, withered trees and twilight clouds before him, as if frozen in the direction of the mausoleum of the founding emperor.

That was also the direction Wang Jin would take back to claim credit for the heads he had taken.

His fists were clenched tightly inside his sleeves, his nails digging deep into his palms, and blood silently trickled down between his fingers.

He knew what decision he would make.

A decision made by someone who had long been driven to the brink by fate and hatred.

(End of this chapter)