Translator: AnubisTL
Following Zong Shixuan for about half an hour, Gu Feng spotted a dense mass of black-armored soldiers on a distant mountaintop, encircling a group of differently dressed cultivators.
Activating his Immortal Eye. Void Break, Gu Feng identified the cultivators under siege. Some wore Flower Sect robes, others exotic attire, while others were impossible to identify but were undoubtedly from the Great Chu Dynasty.
What shocked him most was the presence of numerous elderly and young children among the cultivators, protected in the center of the group.
"Are these elderly and children also from the Black Myanmar Region?" Gu Feng asked, stunned.
"Those are probably the families of the Flower Sect disciples who were married off," Duan Yansheng replied uncertainly, as if he wasn't entirely sure himself.
Hearing this, Gu Feng fell silent. He couldn't believe that the Flower Sect, which had been slaughtered in a bloodbath, would have thought of those distant disciples and even brought their families along, only to make the mistake of betraying crucial intelligence about the Great Chu Dynasty.
There must be a shocking hidden truth behind this, but Hua Xiaoshuang and Wen Zhongyun didn't mention it last night. Did they genuinely not know, or were they holding back?
Gu Feng didn't understand, nor did he have time to figure it out.
Because he spotted Hua Wenyue in the crowd. The woman standing beside her, who bore a striking resemblance—about seven parts similar—was her older sister, the former Crown Princess Hua Qinxin.
At that moment, the two women, leading thousands of cultivators, were trapped within a massive array, locked in a desperate struggle for survival.
Gu Feng could easily see that if they truly wanted to leave, the black-armored soldiers surrounding them wouldn't be able to stop them.
However, ahead of them, bound to two thick pillars, were Wen Zhongyun and Hua Xiaoshuang, preventing them from escaping.
"Gu Feng, don't act rashly. We'll show mercy to Hua Wenyue, but the rest must be killed!" Zong Shixuan warned him urgently, fearing he might do something reckless.
"This situation is far more complex than it seems. The world blames the Flower Sect for betraying Great Chu's critical intelligence during the previous two Great Chu Kingdom wars. The tide has turned against us!" Wu Sheng frowned deeply.
"That's a bit far-fetched, but the Chu Kingdom Royal Family and many high-ranking members of the Great Sects all agree on this point!" Duan Yansheng shook his head.
"Our Grand Harmony Academy has cultivated many Flower Sect disciples and has already faced considerable criticism. If we're caught with any more evidence during this encirclement, we'll likely be disbanded immediately!"
"..."
Gu Feng listened numbly to Zong Shixuan and the others' instructions, stunned by the events of the past six months. He felt completely lost.
"Are you Grand Harmony Academy trying to collude with the Flower Sect and the bandits of the Black Myanmar Region? Why are you so late?!"
As the group reached the battlefield, they were immediately berated by the Vice Commander of the Imperial City Guard.
Zong Shixuan and the others trembled with rage but remained silent. With a wave of his hand, he charged into the fray.
Only Gu Feng stood rooted to the spot, his brow furrowed.
"What? Can't bring yourself to strike?" The Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard strode over, towering over Gu Feng.
Seeing Gu Feng's eyes narrow in silence, he waved his hand dismissively. "Guards! This man is a traitor to the Great Chu Dynasty! Drag him away and execute him!"
Thump, thump, thump—
Two Golden-Armored Guards in the Sea Condensation Realm charged forward, their footsteps echoing. One grabbed Gu Feng's arm, intending to drag him back for beheading.
"Get lost!"
The word "get lost" unleashed a surge of overwhelming aura, sending the two Golden-Armored Guards flying hundreds of meters away, tumbling head over heels.
The Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard, sensing an aura no weaker than his own, narrowed his eyes in shock.
His gaze flickered, and he instantly recognized the man before him as Gu Feng, the Peerless Prodigy from Grand Harmony Academy who had stolen the spotlight during the Two Nations' Prodigy Battle. He possessed the Myriad Tribulations Physique.
He also had another identity: Hua Wenyue's man!
"Ah, so it's you, Gu Feng. Your true colors have finally been revealed! Prefect Chu had been so adamant in protecting you. What do you have to say for yourself now?
Men, kill him on the spot!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
More than thirty Soul Core Realm Golden-Armored Guards rushed forward at lightning speed, surrounding Gu Feng in a tight formation.
Zong Shixuan and the others, who had been standing idly in the distance, sensed the commotion and immediately rushed over.
"Master, Gu Feng just arrived from the capital and hasn't even had a chance to rest," Zong Shixuan pleaded.
"Hmph—, is that so? I suspect you've been secretly colluding with Hua Wenyue and selling out information. You must be temporarily detained to prevent you from disrupting our plans. We'll investigate further later and restore your freedom once the truth is revealed!" The Imperial Guard Vice Commander sneered.
Zong Shixuan and the others tried to speak, but Gu Feng raised a hand to stop them.
"You all go about your business. I'll handle this myself!"
Gu Feng spoke in a low voice, then fixed the Vice Commander with a burning gaze. "I, Gu Feng, have charged in and out of the East Sea Demon Clan's territory. What right do you have to question me?
Send Shu Wentao to see me!"
"You insolent wretch! What's your status compared to Lord Shu's?" The Imperial Guard Commander roared in fury, reaching out to seize Gu Feng.
Just then, a booming voice echoed from behind them.
"Gu Feng is a hero of the Great Chu Dynasty. How could he betray his own people?
Disperse!"
Hearing this, the thirty-odd Golden-Armored Guards in the Soul Core Realm instinctively parted to make way.
A middle-aged man emerged from the passage. He was lean and imposing, with a stern demeanor that faintly resembled Shu Yuheng.
This was none other than Shu Wentao, Commander of the Imperial City Guard!
"Gu Feng, you've arrived just in time. I have a critical mission for you!" Shu Wentao said with a smile, his expression completely neutral. It was as if the man standing before him wasn't the sworn enemy who had killed his son, but a promising junior he valued.
"Heh, very well!" Gu Feng replied with a slight smile, following Shu Wentao's back directly to the pillars where Hua Xiaoshuang and Wen Zhongyun were bound.
"Commander, aren't you worried he'll try to rescue those two bandit leaders?" the Vice Commander asked anxiously, seeing Gu Feng left alone there.
"Even better if he does!" Shu Wentao said without emotion, then turned his gaze away, no longer paying attention to Gu Feng.
Standing between the two pillars, Gu Feng was strikingly conspicuous. He watched Hua Wenyue, who was fighting desperately within the Array Formation not far away.
She saw him too, and their eyes met.
Through the Array Formation and the layers of black-armored soldiers, Gu Feng clearly saw the joy that flashed in Hua Wenyue's eyes the moment she saw him, followed by a silent plea for help.
Gu Feng nodded slightly to Hua Wenyue, offering her a reassuring glance.
Then, he leaped into the air, hovering between Hua Xiaoshuang and Wen Zhongyun.
With a gentle tap on his Storage Ring, two bottles of Spirit Wine flew to them.
"Senior, do you have any other instructions?"
The two of them tilted their heads back, gulping down several mouthfuls of Spirit Wine with smiles on their faces.
"Rest assured, I will take care of Hua Wenyue!"
"You're not the ideal son-in-law, but you're better than nothing," Wen Zhongyun quipped with a chuckle.
"Not bad, at least you're far better than that useless Crown Prince. Pity my unborn grandchild, whether a girl or a boy! I should have killed him back then. I shouldn't have given in to Qinxin's pleas and agreed to this marriage!" Hua Xiaoshuang said with a hint of regret.
Gu Feng remained silent, and seeing that the two had fallen silent, he formed a hand seal with the fingers hidden in his sleeve.
Suddenly, a golden figure flashed into existence, charging toward the pillar that bound the two.
Clang!
A bone blade sliced through the iron chains, freeing them.
In that instant, Shu Wentao's eyes flashed with a sharp glint as he stopped the Vice Commander from intervening.
A slight smile curled at the corner of his lips as he watched the golden figure brazenly rescue Hua Xiaoshuang and Wen Zhongyun.
But in the blink of an eye, his expression froze.
Gu Feng had struck!
Just as the golden figure had dashed a hundred yards away, Gu Feng suddenly unleashed his attack!
Two soul attacks, so powerful they seemed peerless, erupted from his Sea of Consciousness and plunged into the minds of Hua Xiaoshuang and Wen Zhongyun.
Before they could even scream, their souls ascended to the heavens, leaving them utterly silent.
Below, within the Array Formation, Hua Wenyue, who had been beaming with joy just moments before, suddenly froze.
Her eyes widened in horror, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Gu Feng had actually killed her parents.
He had acted with such decisiveness and ruthlessness, without a moment's hesitation.
"Gu Feng!!!! You heartless monster—"
After a long moment, she finally screamed, her killing intent surging into the sky.
Gu Feng remained motionless, his expression impassive, not uttering a word.
"Kill them all!" Hua Wenyue raged like a madwoman, slaughtering the black-armored soldiers around her.
"Let's go, Wenyue! Let's go! Mother and Father are gone!" Hua Qinxin grabbed Hua Wenyue's arm, desperately pulling her out of the Array Formation.
The cultivators around them fought and retreated, quickly breaking through the Array Formation's encirclement.
"Gu Feng!!! What are you doing?!" Shu Wentao roared, his beard and eyebrows bristling with fury.
"Commander Shu, the bandit leaders were rescued. Did I do anything wrong by killing them?" Gu Feng replied calmly.
"You—" This retort left Shu Wentao speechless. Gu Feng was responsible for failing to prevent the escape of the two bandit leaders, but he had also acted to rectify the situation by killing them.
The merits and demerits balanced out, leaving no grounds for punishment.
Watching the large group of cultivators rush into the mist-shrouded mountains, Shu Wentao was so enraged that he crushed the chair beneath him to powder.
"Don't pursue them!!!"
The Black Myanmar Region was crisscrossed with mountains and riddled with countless traps. It had plagued generations without ever being completely eradicated. Shu Wentao didn't believe their forces could succeed and decisively ordered a retreat.
"Let's go!" The Imperial City Guard didn't even return to their camp, instead flying directly toward the capital.
"Gu Feng, are you alright?" After the Northwest Army left, Zong Shixuan and the others approached.
"I'm fine," Gu Feng replied, shaking his head with a grim expression.
"I thought you'd step in to save them. But no, sigh..." Duan Yansheng was genuinely surprised by Gu Feng's decisive strike. In his place, he could never have acted so decisively.
"Wenyue will understand. Those two elders had their meridians shattered, their Soul Cores crushed, and their Souls severely damaged. There was no way to save them. Prolonging their suffering would have been torture..." Dugu Ao walked over and patted Gu Feng's shoulder. Having grown up in the military, he was well-versed in the intrigues and strategies of the battlefield.
If their situations were reversed, he would have made the same choice.
This was the only way to force Hua Wenyue and the others to retreat without putting himself at risk.
The Black Myanmar Region had suffered a devastating blow, leaving no immediate threat of invasion. The Western Army was more than enough to deter any further aggression.
Gu Feng, Zong Shixuan, and the other disciples of the Sunset Glow Sect pressed on without rest, heading to the Northern Border to participate in the Two Nations' Prodigy Battle.
Along the way, Gu Feng learned some details about the events that had transpired in the Imperial City from Wu Sheng and the others.
"So, the Late Emperor's sudden death was likely connected to the Crown Prince?" Gu Feng asked, his face filled with surprise. The Crown Prince was the legal heir to the Great Chu Dynasty. The Late Emperor's health had been failing, and everyone had expected him to live no more than a year or two.
"As you suspected, we were just as astonished at first. Rumors suggest the Crown Prince's reckless actions might be linked to a shift in his status."
"I heard the Late Emperor wanted to depose the Crown Prince and have the Third Prince, who's currently held hostage in Great Wei, succeed him. But that seems unlikely."
"Everyone knows the Third Prince's situation. He's unfit for cultivation. A powerless emperor, even with the protection of the Great Chu Royal Family's Ancestor, couldn't intimidate the realm."
"..."
Gu Feng felt his head spinning, unable to make sense of it all. "Does this Imperial City upheaval have anything to do with the Flower Sect?"
"It shouldn't, but there's a theory that the Crown Princess discovered the Crown Prince's ulterior motives and inadvertently revealed them to the Flower Sect Leader... Upon learning this, the Crown Prince purged the sect..." Zong Shixuan frowned as he spoke.
Without hesitation, Dugu Ao dismissed this explanation. "The Flower Sect is the Crown Prince's maternal family. His succession would benefit them. There's no reason for them to expose him."
"It might not have been exposure or threats," Wu Sheng analyzed. "Perhaps the Crown Prince demanded resources beyond reason, they fell out, and he struck first."
"How many women does the Crown Prince have?" Gu Feng asked, his heart stirring at the thought.
"Only Hua Qinxin. Rumor has it they have a good relationship."
"Only one?" Gu Feng murmured, his mind racing. Even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs. The Crown Princess is already pregnant. Why would the Crown Prince want to eliminate her too?
Never mind. I'll take a trip to the Black Myanmar Region later and ask Hua Qinxin myself. That might give me the answer.
The memory of Hua Wenyue's hateful gaze at the end made Gu Feng's head ache.
"Wait until she's calmed down before going to see her," Wu Sheng advised.
Without realizing it, they had returned to the familiar Northern Border.
But this Northern Border was no longer the place Gu Feng remembered. Spiritual Radiance shimmered day and night, and the air was filled with the thunderous sounds of battle—clashing swords, angry shouts, and bestial roars.
A nauseating stench of blood permeated the air, and the sky hung heavy and oppressive.
Every moment, countless corpses were being carried away from the battlefield.
(End of the Chapter)
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