You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

The next day.

Troop movements became more frequent, and the major aristocratic families kept their doors tightly shut.

The entire capital was filled with a somber, oppressive, and tense atmosphere.

Even ordinary people sensed something was wrong and stopped going out unless absolutely necessary.

The once bustling streets were now much quieter, as if Jiankang City had lost half its population overnight.

That afternoon, just after the surveillance team left the area near Ren Zhong's residence, a vegetable vendor came to the back gate.

Not long after, the vegetable vendor returned home, changed into a set of gleaming armor worn only by the Imperial Guards, and went to the Right Guard Camp of the Palace.

.......

Night fell like a tide, slowly creeping up from the horizon.

The outline of the palace gradually became solemn, and the flying eaves and brackets sank into the pale ink of the night.

The guards at Jiangyun Palace remained tight, showing no sign of slackening, but the atmosphere was even more tense than yesterday.

Torches were lit on the city wall of Xuancheng Gate, and the imperial guards stood in neat rows, their armor gleaming coldly in the firelight.

"Commander Lin?"

"It's not your turn to exchange your value yet, is it?"

Inside the city gate, a middle-aged man with a full beard and wearing bright armor, a specially made long sword for the Imperial Guards hanging at his waist, looked at a group of Imperial Guards walking towards him with a hint of doubt on his face.

The leader of that imperial guard was a young man who was nine feet tall, with regular features, and looked to be only in his early twenties.

He smiled, stepped forward, and whispered mysteriously, "Captain Wang, Lord Shi asked me to come and tell you something."

"What is it?"

Tsk!

A short knife suddenly thrust out and pierced the throat of the bearded man!

Bang!

Immediately, Captain Lin kicked the corpse away, drew his long sword from his waist with a clang, and charged towards the nearest gate guard who was still in a daze!

"quick!"

"Send the signal!"

"Open the city gates!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the long sword in his hand whistled through the air and sliced ​​through the armor of the imperial guard with a sharp, bloody gash!

Blood gushed out, like a fountain.

The guards at the gate widened their eyes, made a "hoarse" sound in their throats, and fell backward with a thud to the ground.

at the same time!

The Imperial Guards brought by Commandant Lin drew their long swords from their waists, creating a series of clanging sounds and flashing cold light!

"Kill them all!"

The crowd, like wolves and tigers, pounced on the imperial guards at the gate.

Only one person took out a bamboo tube from his bosom, pointed it at the dark night sky, and lit the fuse with a torch.

Whoosh... Bang!

A fiery meteor shot into the sky, exploding into a dazzling display in the night.

"Kill them all!"

"The Shen family of Wuxing are here to enter the palace on His Majesty's secret decree; anyone who obstructs them shall be executed!"

Outside the palace, a sudden battle cry arose, and a large number of warriors with white headscarves and weapons appeared from the shadows.

"Enemy attack!"

"Enemy attack!"

"Quickly! Sound the alarm!"

On the city wall, a man dressed as a captain shouted loudly as he ran towards the alarm bell.

Pfft!

He had only run a few steps when a member of the Imperial Guard next to him pierced his back with a sharp blade, which then protruded through his chest.

The captain stared wide-eyed, slowly turned around, and looked at his good brother who had been through thick and thin with him for many years with a look of astonishment.

"you……"

The imperial guard gave a cold laugh: "My name is not Lin Feng, my name is Shen Feng."

He forcefully pulled out his long sword, drawing a spray of blood, and then stomped his feet on the ground, charging towards another Imperial Guard!

Thump!

The captain's body crashed heavily onto the city wall tiles.

His consciousness gradually faded and his vision blurred, but he could still see that the city wall was in chaos!

Most of the Imperial Guards tied white headscarves around their necks, brandished long swords, and charged at their comrades.

The scene was filled with the clash of metal, the flashing of swords, and the sounds of fighting, roaring, and screaming.

The moment the fireball exploded, Captain Lin had already cut down several people and swept like a whirlwind to the city gate.

His back pressed against the city gate, his arms bulging with muscles, blood gushing from the gash between his thumb and forefinger, he held the heavy bolt firmly, shouting, "Send some men!"

Before the roar subsided, several blood-soaked Imperial Guards charged forward, their bulging bones digging into the cold ironwood, and low growls like trapped beasts bursting from their throats.

The horizontal bolt trembled as it slowly rose, rubbing against the iron latch with a sharp, teeth-grinding sound.

"rise!"

The crowd roared in unison, channeling all their strength into their arms, their neck veins bulging like angry dragons, forcefully lifting the enormous object away from the latch!

Boom!

The horizontal bolt struck like a meteorite, and the moment it hit the ground, the bluestone bricks shattered, and the fragments of stone shot out in all directions like rain arrows.

clack clack...

Immediately, everyone worked together to push open the palace gates.

Almost at the same time, the martial artists outside rushed into the palace gate like a flood.

"The Emperor is in Jiangyun Palace!"

"Southeast!"

"Follow me!"

Commander Lin brandished his sword and roared, leading the way straight for Jiangyun Palace.

Tap, tap, tap...

At that moment, footsteps, like thunder, surged from another imperial road!

A large number of Imperial Guards clad in gleaming armor surged in like an iron torrent!

The lead general's eyes flashed like lightning as he swept over the carnage and wrecked bodies scattered on the ground. He suddenly raised his command flag and his voice shook the surrounding area: "By order of the Emperor!"

"The Shen family of Wuxing has committed treason and rebellion; their crimes are unforgivable!"

"kill!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The newly arrived reinforcements erupted in a thunderous roar, raising their swords and spears like a forest and sweeping towards the city gate.

The next moment!

Two torrents of blood and flesh collided head-on in the not-so-wide square in front of the palace gate!

Boom!

The shield shattered, and the armor plates flew off!

The soldiers in the front row were crushed and deformed almost instantly upon contact, and blood gushed from their mouths, noses, and the gaps in their armor!

The two sides locked in a fierce struggle, like a grinding wheel of flesh, relentlessly tearing each other apart.

At this moment, several hundred more martial artists rushed into the city gate, led by none other than Shen Junli, the current father-in-law of the emperor and the empress's biological father.

His longsword was stained with blood, his robes were torn, his eyes were bloodshot, and his gaze was as cold as a knife.

These are the elite of the Shen family of Wuxing!

They had just arrived at the scene because they had been blocked by the Black-Clad Guards.

"Mr. Zhuge, Mr. Li, please clear a path for us."

"good!"

Behind him, a middle-aged man dressed in a simple blue shirt nodded slightly.

His face was like jade, and his three-foot-long beard hung down to his chest. His demeanor was usually refined and calm, but at this moment, a sharp glint like a cold star flashed in his eyes.

In the next instant, he soared into the sky like a cloud!

His robes fluttered, and his body suddenly spun rapidly in mid-air, like a dragon, carrying an overwhelming force, crashing into the Imperial Guard formation in front!

Wherever his figure passed, a fierce wind raged, bursting forth with a piercing shriek. His invisible yet powerful energy was as solid as a physical substance. Within seven feet of him, the Imperial Guards' fine iron armor shattered instantly, and their swords and spears were reduced to dust.

The man was sent flying backward, spitting out blood, tracing a tragic arc in the air before crashing heavily to the ground and falling silent.

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunderclap shook the earth!

A majestic figure, as large as a small mountain, crashed down from mid-air with the sound of wind and thunder, landing precisely where the Imperial Guards were most concentrated!

Where he landed, the ground collapsed with a roar, creating a crater several feet deep!

The floor tiles shattered inch by inch, and countless fragments of stone were propelled by the violent distance, shooting out like powerful crossbows with a whooshing sound!

Bang bang bang...

The dense rubble rained down, sweeping across the surrounding soldiers with immense force. Even the steel armor was as fragile as paper, instantly torn apart and pierced, spurting out countless streams of crimson blood!

With a whoosh, the man landed, clearing a space around him, and at least dozens of Imperial Guards lay dead in pools of blood.