Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 190 The Nine-Headed Insect's Blessing in the Purple Star Imperial City!
Yang Qing lowered his head as he heard footsteps approaching.

Guo Wenyi and Zhao Congwen arrived, carrying the stench of blood. Zhao, the Vice Minister, held a knife. Xiang Siren had just been beheaded, and now the knife tip was pointing downwards, dripping blood like tears.

Yang Qing's heart was in his throat.

Guo Lao Er reached out, seemingly to pull his hair, while Zhao Shilang also reached out, seemingly to wipe the back of his neck.

"Master, I know my sins are grave. I kneel and beg to serve you as my henchman. I will give my life without hesitation!"

He hunched over slightly, his voice hurried and trembling.

Guo Lao Er and Zhao Congwen, one on each side, reached under his armpits and helped him up.

"General Yang, there is no need to panic. Now that you have come to your senses, the Celestial Master will naturally give you a chance."

Guo Wenyi's tone was quite friendly: "However, you are a criminal, so please hand over your troops to Chief Steward Dugu."

Yang Qing dared not object: "Yes!"

Dugu Feng exchanged a glance with Zhou Yi, and immediately led his men toward Yang Qing and Xiang Siren's army formation.

Although he was not a general skilled in leading troops, he had the advantage of being familiar to the people he met.

Yang Qing surrendered voluntarily, and with Dugu Feng's prestige as the commander of the Imperial Guard and the clan leader, no trouble arose in the army. Dugu Feng replaced all of Yang Qing's junior officers with his own and Qi Gui's men.

He then brought the other two armies of the General of the Cavalry under his command.

The losses from this battle were not only wiped out, but also increased by thousands of men.

Such unexpected success was something Dugu Feng could hardly have predicted beforehand.

Yang Qing cooperated readily, and Guo Wenyi and Zhao Congwen released him.

Zhou Yi glanced around; the situation at the Rong residence was largely settled.

The various factions indeed had a lot of manpower, but unfortunately, they were already divided, and with the loss of their leader, once Yang Qing's main force surrendered, they hurriedly fled in all directions.

Li Mi's remaining forces were being pursued by Liu Heita, while Liu Wuzhou and Liang Shidu's men fled together. Ba Feng Han finally found an easy target and began to kill them with great gusto.

Zhou Yi took a step closer to Yang Qing and asked, "Is Wang Shichong in the Ziwei Palace?"

What he said earlier was just polite talk; Yang Qing dared not speak recklessly now.

"Yes, but I don't know if that is the real one."

At this point, regardless of whether he is the real person or not, he can be used as the real person in public.

Zhou Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, and Yang Qing, who was standing next to him, noticed his aloof expression and quickly lowered his head.

Wang Shichong, Wang Shichong, why did you have to provoke the Celestial Master?

The Celestial Master had just hosted a birthday banquet for Boss Rong.

Now, your good fortune is about to arrive.

What else did he tell you?

Yang Qing was startled, but still told the truth: "Wang Shichong ordered me and Xiang Siren to get rid of you."

Guo Lao Er, who was standing nearby, overheard this and almost burst out laughing.

Yang Qing continued:
"He said that the Celestial Master has many enemies, and someone will take action. We will be responsible for surrounding and killing them, cutting off their retreat. Once we succeed, after you fight each other to the death, we will take the opportunity to wipe out the hostile forces in this area related to Li Mi, the Dugu family, and the Seven Nobles."

"Wang Shichong will lead a large army to reinforce the palace after he captures it."

"This is also to deal with Li Mi."

"The two of them had long been colluding to deal with the Celestial Master, yet they also plotted against each other."

"Li Mi has been sending people into Luoyang and stationing troops in Yanshi. Once Luoyang is in chaos, he will definitely launch a coordinated attack from within and without to enter the city. Wang Shichong will turn the tables on him and then strike Li Mi with overwhelming force, and take the opportunity to counterattack Xingyang, capture Hulao Pass, and reclaim the granary."

"Wang Shichong not only wanted to occupy Luoyang alone, but also wanted to eliminate Li Mi and become the hegemon of the Central Plains."

"only"

Yang Qing looked at the corpses in the Rong Mansion: "Wang Shichong still greatly underestimated the Celestial Master's methods. What happened in the Rong Mansion was beyond his imagination."

Upon hearing his words, Zhou Yi suddenly became wary.

The situation today is quite strange.

Why are none of the people from the Great Ming Sect making a move?
I stormed Wang Shichong's residence several times, but the Great Lord did not make a move then, perhaps waiting for the perfect opportunity to kill me.

This was clearly an excellent opportunity, yet neither the Great Venerable nor the Good Mother showed up.

This is extremely unusual.

His mind raced, thinking of Wang Shichong and then of Li Mi.

He first instructed Guo Wenyi and others to quickly gather manpower, and then said to Yang Qing, "We're going to Ziwei Palace. You can do something for me."

"Yes!"

Yang Qing agreed without even asking what it was about.

With Yang Qing's cooperation, Dugu Feng and his men were able to reorganize their troops more quickly, and at the same time, they began to arrange for people to handle the aftermath.

After exchanging a few words with Daoist Mu and Daoist Wuya, Zhou Yi took a short breath and prepared to set off.

At this moment, Bai Cong'an, the deputy leader of the Luoyang Gang, took the initiative to come over.

"Heavenly Master."

Bai Cong'an bowed in greeting and then introduced himself.

Zhou Yi sized up the short, stocky man in front of him, who looked to be about forty years old.

"Your gang leader was killed by me, are you here for revenge?"

"Don't dare!"

Bai Cong'an was startled, shook his head and waved his hands, and hurriedly said:
"After the death of the previous gang leader, Shangguan Long, Rong Fengxiang became the leader of our Luoyang Gang. However, his proposal to have the Luoyang Gang jointly attack the Celestial Master was privately rejected by several elders."

"Our gang has always been clear about gratitude and grudges. We have no hatred with the Celestial Master. Besides, no one would dare to provoke someone like you."

He said that nicely, but he shifted all the blame onto Rong Fengxiang.

Zhou Yi didn't investigate further; indeed, none of the people who attacked today were experts from the Luoyang Gang.

"Chief Bai, what do you want to say to me?"

Bai Cong'an cupped his hands again and said, "Our gang is willing to serve the Celestial Master."

When the Luoyang gang arrived, Zhou Yi was just thinking about how he was short-handed, so he said to Bai Cong'an:

"From now on, you will be the leader of the Luoyang Gang."

"Yes!"

"By the way, who killed Shangguan Long?"

Not long after the previous gang leader died, Bai Cong'an had a deep impression of him. When talking about it, his facial muscles tightened slightly.

"We don't know who the killer is, and it's even possible that it wasn't someone else who did it."

"Oh?"

Bai Cong'an frowned deeply: "The body of Gang Leader Shangguan is desiccated, his arms are just skin and bones, and his pupils are filled with blood vessels. It doesn't look like he was murdered, but more like he died from qi deviation during his martial arts practice."

“I remember that some time ago, he would often stay in the mansion for three to five days at a time, practicing his skills behind closed doors. Elder Bang Zhong noticed that he was not in good spirits and even reminded him.”

"After Chief Shangguan died, the maids in the mansion saw a dark shadow flickering in the candlelight at night, and that's when they told the outside world that the chief had been murdered."

Zhou Yi listened with curiosity and wanted to see Shangguan Long's corpse.

Because Shangguan Long's identity is not simple.

On the surface, he is the leader of the Luoyang gang, but in reality, he is a collaborator of the Great Ming Venerable Sect with the Yin Gui Sect.

However, after a long time, Shangguan Long had either been burned to ashes or had already begun to rot.

Zhou Yi summoned Zhao Congwen and gave him instructions, telling him to negotiate with Bai Cong'an and make good use of the Luoyang gang's manpower.

Dugu Feng was ready, and the general's formation was divided into two groups.

The next group, led by Guo Wenyi, consisted entirely of uninjured elite troops. They followed Zhou Yi, Dugu Feng, and Yang Qing to the Ziwei Palace at top speed.

No sooner had they left than Xue Wanche and Feng Li were left bewildered.

Xue Wanche's breathing quickened slightly; he realized something was wrong.

Worried that he might have misread it, he ignored Feng Li and turned to Li Shimin for confirmation.

"Second Young Master, isn't the attitude of the Dugu Clan a bit strange? They don't seem to be fighting Wang Shichong for the sake of Emperor Tai."

Li Shimin sighed softly.

He retorted, "Don't you know the temperament of the Dugu Clan Chief?"

Xue Wanche thought about it carefully.

That's right, how could Dugu Feng be so submissive to someone?
When the Rong family's birthday banquet began, he still put on an act, but once the setting was set, the old man stopped pretending.

On the surface, the army appears to be under his command as the chief steward.

In fact, they were already completely obedient to the Celestial Master's orders.

He had asked a pointless question. Since Dugu Feng was already aligning himself with the Celestial Master and obeying his every command, was there any need to ask about the attitude of the Dugu Clan?

It should be noted that Dugu Feng had a very close relationship with his family patriarch, Li Yuan. How could he betray them without a word?

The old lady also had a relationship with the head of the family.

Even if the Celestial Master cured the old lady's asthma, it would not be possible for the Dugu clan to completely side with him, given the relationship between the two families.

The situation at the Rong family was completely unexpected, and even their good ally, the Dugu family, was in trouble.

Could it be that the eldest young master has been trying to catch the moon's reflection in the water all along?

This ironic fact left the two of them deeply uneasy.

Feng Li said, "Now that Wang Shichong's trusted general Yang Qing has also chosen to surrender, and with the support of Qi Gui, if Wang Shichong is captured..."

He exclaimed in horror:

"Doesn't that mean he's going to take control of the Eastern Capital?!"

As he spoke, a fine layer of sweat appeared on Feng Li's forehead.

With the Jianghuai forces occupying the Eastern Capital and also able to blockade Bashu and Hanzhong, something big is about to happen.

Xue Wanche asked in a panic, "What can we do?"

Although he worked for the eldest son, he was fully aware of the second son's wisdom.

Then he looked at Li Shimin and asked him for advice.

Before Erfeng could speak, Changsun Wugou continued Xue Wanche's words: "It's best not to do anything."

This is not Chang'an.

The Li clan's greatest hope for getting involved lies in the Holy Land and the Dugu family.

Given the current situation, acting recklessly would make it impossible to leave Dongdu alive.

Even the Luoyang gang, whose leader had been beheaded, became the Celestial Master's men. They had a dense network of informants in the Eastern Capital and became the Celestial Master's henchmen.

Looking around, the only person one can rely on is the Holy Land.

However, the two representatives of the Holy Land were killed by the Shadow Assassin. Feng Li and Xue Wanche could never have imagined that they would be met with one cruel truth after another after entering the city to attend the birthday banquet with good mood.

Li Shimin examined the corpses of Lin Chaoan, Huyan Jin, Murong Fuyun, and others.

I've made some plans in mind.

"Let's go and take a look at the Ziwei Palace."

Empress Zhangsun and Yuchi Jingde followed him, while Xue Wanche and Feng Li hesitated for a moment before following.
……

The autumn wind is bleak, ruffling the Luo River in the city.

We crossed the southern part of the outer city wall, passed the Tianjin Bridge, and left Dingding Gate behind.

Ahead lies the main street lined with cherry trees and shops. In spring, the cherry blossoms fall like snow, creating a scene of bustling prosperity.

Or perhaps the autumn wind was too strong, causing the shop owners on both sides to put up their door panels and close their doors.

Those who were timid had already fled far away, while those who loved to watch the excitement squeezed their eyes through the cracks in the doors and windows, seeing one group after another of people rushing towards the south of the Ziwei Palace.

"Dong dong dong~!"

Horse hooves pounded the autumn wind, accompanied by the neighing of horses, as numerous soldiers shouted and advanced.

There were quite a few people there.

It stretched as far as the eye could see, and the sound of footsteps breaking was inaudible.

Those standing by the roadside had already heard everything clearly.

It turned out that there was a treacherous person hiding around the Emperor Tai, and Wang Shichong, the Duke of Zheng, led his army to defend the emperor.

No one would believe this nonsense if it were told, and of course, no one would dare to stand in Wang Shichong's way.

Yang Gongqing, Zhang Zhenzhou, Chen Changlin, Lang Feng, Song Mengqiu, Tian Zan—one general after another, under Wang Shichong's orders, were leading their troops to storm Yingtian Gate.

This battle was quite brutal.

The height of the imperial city was far less than the magnificent outer wall, which was over forty feet high; it was only about five feet high.

For a skilled soldier, it's just a matter of two steps.

However, Yingtian Gate remained unconquered after a prolonged siege.

"Duke, the main force of the Imperial Guards is all here, and there are also reinforcements brought by Huangfu Wuyi, Lu Chu, and Sha Tiannan."

Song Mengqiu, clad in armor, looked solemn as he gazed at the city gate.

The situation was beyond expectations.

The capital city houses the absolute main force of the Dugu clan, and they also have so many helpers.

Logically speaking, these people should have been stationed at Rong Mansion.

Song Mengqiu turned to look at the tall, robust man beside him, who was still wearing a dark brocade robe with a gold ribbon around his waist.

His gaze was now sinister as he coldly stared at the city gate.

Wang Shichong was guarded by hundreds of personal guards with long, drawn-out breaths; they were all top-notch soldiers in the army.

Wang Shichong remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

"The Duke, the Duke."

Song Mengqiu called out twice more, but Wang Shichong still did not respond.

Lang Feng, who had just finished fighting, couldn't stand it any longer and hurriedly suggested, "Duke, please give the order immediately. We should have the experts from the Wuwei Battalion charge the city walls. We cannot delay here."

"Yes!"

"That scoundrel Li Mi could attack at any moment; we must seize the imperial city as soon as possible."

These generals had reminded him more than once or twice, but Wang Shichong seemed to be confused and ignored their plans.

In terms of numbers, even with reinforcements from the Dugu faction, they still outnumber the defending forces several times over.

However, no matter how many people attack the city walls, they cannot spread out their forces.

If there's no rush, it's fine to take your time.

At this moment, we absolutely cannot afford to be indecisive.

Otherwise, let alone dealing a heavy blow to Li Mi, they would probably suffer from both sides.

With Wang Shichong's cunning, how could he not understand such a simple principle?
"Don't panic."

Wang Shichong finally spoke, giving his reason: "Dugu Feng went to the Rong Mansion for a banquet. The Imperial Guards are all here. He only has a small group of men. Yang Qing and Xiang Siren will definitely be able to capture him."

"At that time, I will use Dugu Feng to coerce them into opening the gates, and I can take over the imperial city with minimal losses and take control of the Imperial Guards."

The generals were anxious when they heard his thoughts, but they had no choice but to obey.

The two sides fought several more rounds of attacks and defenses.

Wang Shichong was very strange; his attention seemed to be elsewhere than on the city wall. He kept looking around as if searching for something.

Unfortunately, he never succeeded.

Another incense stick passed, and Generals Yang Gongqing and Zhang Zhenzhou attacked the city together, but were defeated by Huangfu Wuyi and Lu Chu.

They had a clear advantage by attacking from a high position.

Unlike Wang Shichong, the elite of the Imperial Guards were always kept in the open.

"What exactly is the Duke thinking?"

Yang Gongqing pulled an arrow out of his shoulder, already quite dissatisfied.

Like Zhang Zhenzhou beside him, he was capable but not trustworthy.

Zhang Zhenzhou patted him on the shoulder, signaling him not to ask any more questions.

After the two of them withdrew, Tian Zan led his men to attack the city tower, leaving Yang Gongqing and Zhang Zhenzhou speechless.

Wang Shichong seemed to have fallen ill.

If the fighting continues like this, what pressure can the defending troops possibly face?
Finally, someone couldn't stand it anymore.

A middle-aged man, not yet forty, emerged from Wang Shichong's personal guard camp. He was dressed in black, tall, with a slightly long nose, and a constant smile on his lips.

The Grand Master approached and asked with a smile, "What are your plans, Duke?"

Wang Shichong treated him with great courtesy and recounted his plan in detail.

When the Rong family was mentioned, besides his usual cunning and ruthless expression, there was also a hint of expectation on his face.

It seemed that as long as Dugu Feng was captured, everything would be resolved.

"Duke, there is no reason to wait passively for others."

After the Great Venerable One, the plump and benevolent Mother stepped out of the crowd, her brief words carrying a spiritual magic that entered Wang Shichong's ears.

Behind her was a young woman, quite beautiful, but the cold glint in her eyes was even more intense than the longsword in her hand.

While Shanmu was speaking, Xinnaya watched Wang Shichong's expression.

The three experts from the Great Ming Sect had already sensed that something was wrong.

But there were too many eyes watching.

They can only keep some things to themselves.

Facing the gazes of the three men, Wang Shichong's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, and his tongue unconsciously licked his chapped lower lip.

Tension and fear filled his heart.

Killing him would be an easy task for these three men.

But Xiang Siren and Yang Qing were not present at the moment. If he were to die in front of everyone, the surrounding soldiers would surely be thrown into chaos.

This is absolutely not what the people of the Great Ming Zunjiao want to see.

Wang Shichong glanced again in the direction of the Rong residence, his toes curling inside his shoes as he suppressed his nervousness and forced a smile, saying, "Don't be impatient, the Rong residence will definitely produce results faster than here."

He looked behind Sinaya and saw two more people walk out.

They are Zhu Faming and a man wearing a ghost mask.

The masked man attracted his attention even more; the moment he saw him, the muscles in his face began to twitch.

The five men were surrounded only by their personal guards; there was no one else around them.

The kind mother smiled and said, "The Duke is very farsighted, but we can't just stand by and watch, so let's lend a hand."

Wang Shichong was startled, thinking they were about to make a move.

These men were highly skilled in martial arts, but each one was cunning and cautious, and they would never do anything risky.

Are they willing to charge into the enemy lines?
Just then, a fierce battle suddenly broke out on the Yingtian Gate tower.

Wang Shichong turned his head and saw that more than twenty experts suddenly rushed out from the army of his general Tian Zan.

Judging from the domineering aura they displayed when they made their move, they were far beyond the reach of ordinary military experts.

Using soldiers from Tian Zan's army as human shields, these men successfully stormed the city walls and then launched a sudden attack. Their targets were clear: Lu Chu and Huangfu Wuyi.

Although the two temporary generals playing the roles of the city's defenders knew a little martial arts, they were not skilled enough to be considered experts.

Zhu Faming and the Great Venerable's men rushed forward.

They first fought and killed the people on the city wall, losing several men in the process, before being stabbed to death by a hail of spears coming from all directions.

However, several experts still managed to break through the blockade and reach Huangfu Wuyi's side.

The garrison commander of the Eastern Capital raised his sword to parry, but someone nearby was faster than him.

A folding fan whistled past his ear, deflecting the halberd and two swords in front of him. Huangfu Wuyi lowered his body, his steel saber emerging from the water, and thrust it forward.

After Hou Xibai practiced the Undying Seal Technique, the power of the Hundred Flower Folding Techniques greatly increased.

As if plucking a flower branch, he flicked the fan backward, bringing the three closer. The expert wielding a halberd in the middle was stabbed to death by Huangfu Wuyi with a single blow.

He wielded his fan with incredible speed, attacking the two swords faster and faster. The fan was as swift as his own arm, using the technique of using minimal force to deflect a great weight, knocking the two swords away, striking their vital points with the fan, and kicking them off the city wall, crashing them into Tian Zan's army.

Not far from Huangfu Wuyi, the sword light was dazzling.

Dugu Feng appeared amidst the mortal world, unleashing a sword strike that seemed to echo like spilled water, causing three Venerable Sect experts to cough up blood and fall to the ground.

When the sect remained neutral, two fearless individuals were dispatched to deal with Dugu Feng.

The rest of the men rushed toward Lu Chu.

Lu Neishi remained calm in the face of the fierce enemy before him. An old woman with a full head of white hair walked out, leaning on a jade bamboo cane.

Every wrinkle on her face seemed to radiate a pinkish glow, and her eyes, half-covered by her eyelids, shot out sharp, arrow-like light, making her appearance extremely bizarre.

Suddenly, You Chuhong's hunched body straightened up almost miraculously.

With a swift movement of his feet, he pushed the Dugu family's footwork to its peak, arriving at Lu Chu's side with lightning speed, like a ghost.

His speed was so fast that it would leave any young, strong, and agile boy speechless.

She remained still until she waved her jade bamboo staff, instantly unleashing nearly a century's worth of internal energy through her twelve meridians!
Her cloak and staff technique was completely fearless in group battles; with her extremely high skill, she could defeat as many people as she could defeat one.

It is not a matter of shifting or neutralizing force, but rather an extremely powerful burst of true energy that emerges when speed suddenly explodes, enough to pierce through all the energy in the body, and with a touch of the tip of the staff, it breaks through one side.

Can someone with nearly a century of skill withstand this?
The dense array of emerald green staff shadows appeared in the air for only a moment.

You Chuhong leaned on her cane again, her body hunched over, giving Lu Chu the feeling that he wanted to go forward and help her.

But screams erupted all around.

Eight skilled fighters were struck in the chest by bamboo staffs, their vests exploded, and they flew in all directions.

The old lady of the Dugu family had been famous for decades, but the people who saw her take action the most were her three sons, Dugu Feng, Dugu Sheng, and Dugu Ba.

Aside from them experiencing their mother's powerful influence, the rest of the people rarely get to see it.

Lu Chu felt an itch to see Chief Steward Dugu being struck by such a staff technique, wondering what it would feel like to be struck.

Those great masters and experts under Zhu Faming had a very good experience.

Wherever you fall, you'll sleep soundly there.

Lu Chu noticed another detail and was suddenly startled.

After circulating her internal energy, You Chuhong was not out of breath.

You're cured?!

Yes, what's so special about a celestial master communicating with the yin and yang and curing the illnesses of the living?

Lu Chu was surprised by You Chuhong's physical condition, and even thought that people in the Imperial Hospital might lose their jobs in the future.

About four zhang to his right, Qiu Qianbo, who had killed four people in a row with his unreasonable palm technique, was quite fascinated by the old lady's staff technique.

If the occasion weren't inappropriate, he would love to ask for advice.

Several experts mobilized together and quickly dismantled the offensive.

"Fire the arrow! Fire the arrow!"

Huangfu Wuyi shouted, and the next batch of archers drew their arrows and fired, repelling General Tian Zan's offensive once again.

But they were puzzled.

What exactly is Wang Shichong planning?

Huangfu Wuyi also had a group of men lying in wait, waiting for Wang Shichong to attack.

The other party, however, seemed completely unconcerned.

Dugu Feng came to You Chuhong's side. Having been with her for many years, she knew that her grandmother was in good condition at the moment, so she was not worried.

Turning his head, he looked towards Jinshi Street again.

You Chuhong's gaze pierced through the military formation and locked onto the Great Venerable beside Wang Shichong.

Xu Kaishan also looked up at the city wall and spotted You Chuhong and her group.

Good Mother frowned; she already sensed the urgency of the situation.

The enemy also had experts, so the difficulty and danger of breaking into the army and killing generals were no longer within her consideration.

The Great Venerable Mother looked at Wang Shichong one after the other.

The kind mother was about to speak.

The Great Venerable One reached out to stop her.

"My lord, attack the city quickly."

The Great Venerable's pupils sunken like quicksand, giving off a deep and terrifying feeling.

His voice wasn't loud, but it resonated in Wang Shichong's mind.

Wang Shichong, clutching his head, mumbled, "Yes."

But the next moment, his head felt like it was filled with a lot of things, causing him to throb with pain. He clutched his head with both hands, and the scene flashed before his eyes.

The scene shifts to the Dugu residence.

A young man in white was staring intently at him and exclaimed, "Wang Shichong!"

Wang Shichong regained his senses and found himself again.

The Great Venerable saw that his gaze was clear and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He then looked at the faceless man wearing a mask.

The faceless man remained expressionless: "Don't look at me, it has nothing to do with me."

The Grand Duke turned his head and spoke again: "Duke, attack the city immediately."

Wang Shichong repeated his previous reaction.

He regained consciousness once again.

However, when Cinnaia reached her limit, she slowly drew her longsword in front of him.

Given this woman's coldness, she was definitely not putting on an act.

Wang Shichong glanced at the several experts on the city wall, but had no other choice but to obey orders.

"Dong dong dong~!"

In an instant, the army formed its battle formation.

The elite troops of Wuwei Camp assembled, and Song Mengqiu, Lang Feng, Yang Gongqing, and Zhang Zhenzhou all received orders to attack the city.

"coming!"

Lu Chu and Huangfu Wuyi held their breath slightly, watching the densely packed soldiers gather, knowing that an even more brutal battle was about to begin.

Even You Chuhong and Qiu Qianbo showed signs of caution.

On the city tower of Ziwei Palace, numerous archers drew their bows and prepared to shoot.

at this time
Suddenly, a deep, angry voice boomed from the west side of the main street.

"Stop! Stop it!"

The person who was shouting gathered all his inner energy and carried his voice far and wide.

Tens of thousands of people on and off the city wall heard it clearly.

A large group of footsteps approached from the flank.

Is it Yang Qing?!

Upon hearing this voice, Wang Shichong was greatly alarmed and even felt a sense of shattered hope.

Did Xiang Siren and Yang Qing succeed?
How can this be? !
Generals Zhang Zhenzhou, Yang Gongqing, and Song Mengqiu all turned around.

It really is Yang Qing!
Upon closer inspection, Dugu Feng was also standing next to him.

Did everyone misunderstand Duke Zheng, and was his strategy correct?
As soon as Yang Qingcai approached, he roared, "The Duke of Zheng is dead! This Wang Shichong is an imposter! Don't be fooled by him!"

Everyone knows that Yang Qing, the governor of Guanzhou, is a confidant of Wang Shichong.

His shout effectively halted the siege army.

"Nonsense!"

Wang Shichong roared, "Yang Qing, are you insane?!"

Everyone looked at Wang Shichong, then at Yang Qing, and saw Dugu Feng take out a package and take out the collection he had just taken from Lu Chu's house.

Yang Qing held the collectible in both hands, raised it above his head, and cried out in grief, "You fake! This is the real Duke of Zheng!"

Many people who were unaware of the truth were astonished when they saw the head, as it looked exactly like Wang Shichong's.

Discussions immediately arose from all directions.

The Great Venerable stared at Yang Qing in silence. The Good Mother was about to make a move, but she stopped abruptly.

It was all because a figure in white stepped out from Yang Qing's army formation.

Upon closer inspection, he appeared to be completely unharmed!

When Wang Shichong saw Zhou Yi, his expression changed once again.

The kind mother's melodious voice carried far: "Yang Qing has already betrayed the Duke of Zheng. How can his words be trusted? Celestial Master, do not resort to such treacherous schemes."

"Playing tricks?"

Zhou Yi said coldly, "Then come and take a look, is this Wang Shichong's head?"

“Ridiculous, what’s so interesting about this? You just found someone who looks like the Duke of Zheng, cut off his head and brought it here.”

The kind mother shook the jade pendant in her hand: "Do you think we're all fools?"

Zhou Yi was not angry at all.

At this moment, he looked at Wang Shichong.

Suddenly he said:

"Wang Shichong, do you want to identify it yourself?"

It was hard for outsiders to understand why Zhou Yi spoke like that, even Yang Qing, who was holding his head, was completely baffled.

However, what no one expected was...
Wang Shichong, standing in front of Xinnaya, responded loudly: "Fine, what's wrong with identifying them?"

He pushed aside his guards with one hand and strode out with his head held high.

Xinnaya drew her sword to strike, but Shanmu quickly stopped her.

The living Wang Shichong went to identify a head to see if it was his own.
Everyone found it utterly unbelievable.

At the same time, it is unknown where Wang Shichong got the courage to actually approach the Celestial Master.

The next moment, something even more astonishing happened.

Just as Wang Shichong approached the Celestial Master, he suddenly quickened his pace, lunged forward, and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Master, save me!!"

Generals Yang Gongqing and Song Mengqiu were all dumbfounded.

Lu Chu, Huangfu Wuyi, and even the old lady on the city wall all showed expressions of shock.

Yang Qing's expression changed, and he held his head up, unsure of what to do.

A strange look flashed across Zhou Yi's face, then his cold expression vanished, replaced by a smile as he approached Wang Shichong.

"Celestial Master, the evil cult of the Northern Desert is attempting to seize the Eastern Capital. They are threatening my life to force me to attack the city, and I, Wang, dare not invade the Imperial City. Therefore, they have repeatedly ordered me to attack the Imperial City quickly, but I have been trying to delay them. This time, I have finally been able to welcome the Celestial Master!"

Wang Shichong's complaints were quite numerous.

Those bewildered generals, those who had grievances against him, suddenly realized what was going on.

It turned out to be such a thing!

In an instant, many of Wang Shichong's subordinates looked at the Great Venerable Mother with wary eyes.

"Oh?"

Zhou Yi asked in confusion, pointing at the head: "Duke Zheng, how do you explain this head?"

Wang Shichong pointed at Shanmu: "The evil cult in the northern deserts intended to have someone impersonate me. Fortunately, the Celestial Master killed this fiend, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

"I see."

"Duke Zheng has suffered, General Yang, you can put his head away."

Yang Qing said "yes" and put the collection back into the package. Dugu Feng was very disgusted, but still carried "Wang Shichong" on his back.

Wang Shichong let out a long breath, looked at Zhou Yi with a strong will to survive, and bowed deeply:

"Celestial Master, please do justice for me!"

Zhou Yi took a step forward, ready to slap his head off at any moment, but instead only patted his shoulder.

"Now that I am here, I will naturally keep you safe and sound."

Wang Shichong opened his eyes wide with excitement and roared at his tens of thousands of troops: "All generals, listen to my command! Obey the Heavenly Master's orders and annihilate the evil cultists from the northern deserts who are causing chaos in the Central Plains!"

The soldiers in the army were dazed and confused. Although they did not attack immediately, they moved away from the Great Venerable Mother.

"Wait a minute!!!"

At this moment, a voice exactly like Wang Shichong's suddenly rang out.

Zhou Yi immediately looked towards the personal guard camp!
Okay, okay!!

As soon as he came into view, a man of similar build to Wang Shichong strode out and swept his gaze around with a sinister look.

He then pointed at Wang Shichong, who was standing next to Zhou Yi:
"He's an imposter, I'm the real Wang Shichong!"

Then, he tore off the human skin mask from his face.

The crowd exclaimed in surprise, "This person looks exactly like Wang Shichong!"
"You fart!"

Wang Shichong, standing next to Zhou Yi, shouted angrily, "You're the fake one, I'm the real one!"

"Hmph, I really mean it!"

"You're fake!"

"I am the real one!"

"..."

The two started arguing, leaving everyone confused and unsure of whose orders to follow.

Zhou Yi couldn't help but laugh.

Nine-headed worm, you've finally met your match.

He looked at Wang Shichong beside the Grand Master and said sarcastically, "Wang Shichong, how can you prove that you are Wang Shichong?"

Wang Shichong then looked at his general, Song Mengqiu.

“Meng Qiu, you have the best ears and have worked with me for many years. You should be able to hear the subtle differences in how I speak to this fake.”

Song Mengqiu looked at the heretical cult leader, then at the Taoist master.

He shook his head helplessly: "I can't tell."

Wang Shichong frowned and said to his general Lang Feng, "Lang Feng, you have practiced the Eagle Eye Spear Technique and have sharp eyes. You can naturally tell the difference between me and that fake."

When Lang Feng looked at Wang Shichong in front of him, he couldn't be more convincing.

Moreover, that familiar and natural feeling was something that other Wang Shichongs could not imitate.

However, the situation was too dangerous at the moment, and he could feel the Taoist master's gaze, which was even sharper than that of an eagle.

General Lang Feng shook his head: "I can't tell."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shichong revealed a look of rage, as if he wanted to devour someone.

Yang Qing, who was some distance away, then said, "You fake, hurry up and die with the cultists!"

"Goodness is goodness."

Zhu Faming chanted a Buddhist mantra and activated the Ten Abodes Mahayana Technique, illuminating Wang Shichong with Buddhist light, making him radiate a sense of holiness.

"His primordial spirit was pure, and he was Wang Shichong himself."

The faceless man said, "People have a face and a heart. The heart shapes the face. The one beside the Celestial Master is merely imitating someone else's heart and using that heart to shape someone else's face. Therefore, he is fake."

"No!"

The voice came from the city wall.

Everyone looked and saw a young man dressed in a yellow robe, wearing a golden crown, with a serious expression.

It was none other than Emperor Tai, Yang Tong.

He looked down at Wang Shichong beside the faceless man and said, "You colluded with the evil cult of the Northern Desert, rebelled against your superiors, and were disloyal and immoral. How could it be true that you attacked the Ziwei Palace?!"

Emperor Tai looked at the soldiers:
“You are all subjects of the Great Sui Dynasty. Although we live in a chaotic world and each serves his own master, you should not associate with foreign tribes and heretical sects that covet the Nine Provinces. If your ancestors knew this, wouldn't they feel ashamed?”

"Your Majesty~~!"

Many people lowered their heads, and some threw down their weapons.

Yang Tong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The Celestial Master is currently quelling the chaos in the Eastern Capital and also saved me. You should listen to him and work together to eliminate the heretical monks and protect this region."

When Zhang Zhenzhou and Yang Gongqing paid their respects to Emperor Tai, the atmosphere in the military formation changed dramatically.

The trend is over!

The Great Venerable Mother rushed out immediately, followed closely by the Faceless Man, Zhu Faming, and Xinnaya. Zhou Yi's speed was even faster than the limit. With a flash of white light, he rushed straight towards Wang Shichong!

Influenced by the Grand Master, the guards blocked Zhou Yi's path, but he struck with a palm, faintly producing a thunderous sound.

The four people blocking the way exploded on the spot.

Wang Shichong's eyes widened. He leaped into the air, but Zhou Yi's feet didn't touch the ground. He used a spinning motion to ascend into the air, arriving first despite being behind. He grabbed Wang Shichong's shoulder and pulled him down from the air.

Wang Shichong stared in horror at the white-clad man within three feet of him.

An overwhelming sense of fear spread through his heart.

He tried to exert his strength, but an icy force surged into his body through his shoulder, freezing his true energy.

Wang Shichong used his profound internal strength to counteract the chilling power of the frost.

Unfortunately, the ice condensed faster than it could dissolve.

In an instant, his eyebrows and eyes were covered in frost, and his lips trembled.

"I am Wang Shichong, I am the real Wang Shichong!"

He roared, filled with a sense of collapse.

"Nine-headed worm has a brain disease, I'll treat you. This time, I guarantee a complete cure, with no risk of relapse."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shichong was filled with deep regret.

But a sharp sword cry resonated in his ears, and the fiery sword light instantly melted the frost off his face.

This alternating hot and cold treatment cured Wang Shichong of all his brain ailments. He then received the final treatment, his head was moved and flown into the sky, leaving him free and no longer troubled by headaches.
……

(End of this chapter)