Chapter 163: Three Drink Together, the Main Hall Becomes a Shura Field

The next day, as the morning light broke across the earth, the interior and exterior of the imperial palace buzzed with activity.

The Benevolent Emperor awoke early. Today was the day he would visit the Hall of Wild Geese in the Mingtang to pay homage to the founding fathers of the dynasty.

He had slept exceptionally well the previous night. In his dreams, he had fought side by side with the founding generals on the battlefield, together establishing the empire.

All of these were mere dreams.

Yet, within his dream, he had also seen a young man draped in a dragon robe.

The young man was remarkably handsome, gazing at him with a frozen, indifferent expression.

That gaze sent a tremor through his heart.

He had never seen eyes quite like that.

They were eyes filled with slaughter and merciless cruelty.

Those eyes made him afraid to meet them directly.

However, the Benevolent Emperor could not clearly make out the young man's face.

In the dream, the Benevolent Emperor walked into the Hall of Wild Geese and gazed upon the portraits of the founding heroes displayed within the grand hall.

He looked down at the jade tablet clutched tightly in his hand.

After staring at it again and again, he finally tucked the jade tablet into the folds of his robe.

"Your Majesty," an imperial eunuch said, bowing deeply to the Benevolent Emperor.

The Benevolent Emperor gave a faint, detached acknowledgment.

"Let us go," the Benevolent Emperor instructed the eunuch beside him.

The eunuch responded respectfully, "As you command, Your Majesty."

Accompanied by several high ministers, the Benevolent Emperor boarded the imperial sedan. Surrounded by a grand procession, he headed toward the Hall of Wild Geese in the Mingtang. This time, the emperor was paying his respects in person, guarded closely by a trusted personal bodyguard.

...

Inside the Six Fan Directorate.

Zhuge Changqing and the others wore grim, ashen expressions. Tang Yi took the architectural blueprints from Zhuge Changqing's hands and studied them, yet still found himself entirely at a loss.

By the third watch of the night, Qi Jingmo, known as the Star-Chaser, could no longer sit still. In a deep, resolute voice, he demanded, "How about this—let me lead some men and fight our way out?"

Zhuge Changqing spoke in a low, stern tone, "Do not act rashly. Those earth-mines are powerful enough to blast the entire Six Fan Directorate into oblivion."

"This won't do, and that won't do! Are we simply going to sit here and watch His Majesty die at the hands of those scoundrels?"

Qi Jingmo shouted aloud.

Yet, no one answered him.

Suddenly, Song Mo spoke in a deep voice, "Perhaps, I can get you all out."

Xia Yu's eyes lit up. "Right! Your celestial rope!"

...

As the first faint light of dawn appeared on the horizon, a squad of workers from the Ironworks headed toward the Mingtang.

"Halt, who goes there?"

A guard demanded sharply.

"We are here to replace the iron fittings in the Mingtang," Jiang Li replied with a ingratiating smile.

"Go on in, and don't delay your duties," the guard said heavily.

"Yes, yes, yes," Jiang Li hastily acknowledged. With that, they hauled their horse-drawn carriages inside, facing no further interrogation along the way.

"Is everything prepared?" Wang Hu asked in a low voice, lifting the bamboo hat from his head.

"Flawless and foolproof."

...

Towering high above, the Mingtang reached a height of a hundred zhang.

Song Mo leaped onto the roof of the Mingtang first, followed closely by Tang Yi and Xia Yu, and finally by Zhuge Changqing, Hua Banxia, Qi Jingmo, Bai Lingquan, and the other constables of the Six Fan Directorate.

Tang Yi was still staring blankly at the blueprints in his hand, utterly clueless. Song Mo asked, "Will you let me look at those blueprints?"

Tang Yi nodded and handed them over.

Song Mo examined them carefully, and suddenly, a sharp ringing echoed in his mind.

He saw that according to the blueprints, the central structural core of the Mingtang was a massive iron pillar a hundred zhang tall—it was precisely this colossal iron pillar that allowed the Mingtang to stand firm and unshakable.

Song Mo's mind raced at lightning speed!

The Mingtang!

The iron pillar!

Iron ore!

Earth-mines!

Song Mo understood. Everything became crystal clear to him.

The massive iron pillar mentioned by Jiang Li of the Ironworks was right here. The reason Tang Yi could find no trace of it in the Ministry of Works logs was because the iron ore was never meant for any new construction project; rather, it was intended to replace the decaying, rusted giant iron pillar.

Only the Ironworks possessed the authority to replace it, and the giant iron pillar could only be accessed and opened during such a replacement process.

If earth-mines were packed inside it beforehand, and on this exact day, the Emperor of Great Zhou arrived accompanied by all his civil and military officials to offer sacrifices—

With a deafening roar, the entire Mingtang would collapse, burying everything within it.

Without a moment to spare, Song Mo hurriedly recounted his deductions to the others.

Everyone turned pale with fright, their hearts pounding in terror.

"There is no time left. We will split into two paths. Smoke-Guest and I will go notify His Majesty, while the rest of you descend to stop the Taiping Army," Zhuge Changqing, the Divine Marquis, said in a grave voice.

The others acknowledged the command. Zhuge Changqing and Smoke-Guest unleashed their movement techniques, darting swiftly toward the Mengyang Palace.

...

Song Mo, Tang Yi, Xia Yu, Qi Jingmo the Star-Chaser, and Bai Lingquan the Blood-Drinking Sword quickly breached the interior of the Mingtang from its rooftop.

Sure enough, they discovered hundreds of figures dressed in black lurking stealthily within the structure.

"Kill them!"

Anticipating that someone might attempt to intervene, this faction of black-robed assassins instantly drew their weapons and charged directly toward Song Mo and his companions.

"We'll carve a path for you!"

Qi Jingmo let out a roar, charging alongside Bai Lingquan straight into the horde of hundreds of assassins.

Song Mo, Tang Yi, and Xia Yu simultaneously plunged into the fray, striking from both flanks with overwhelmingly ferocious momentum. A murderous aura instantly engulfed the entire Mingtang, suppressing the hundreds of assassins under their sheer might.

"Hahaha! Die!"

Laughing wildly, Qi Jingmo surged to the forefront. Moving with lightning speed, he flashed beside an assassin in the blink of an eye and drove his longsword straight into the man's chest. Crimson blood spurted forth, splattering across Qi Jingmo's face.

"Ah!"

Seeing his comrade cut down, another assassin screamed and lunged at Qi Jingmo with his weapon raised. Qi Jingmo twisted his body to evade the fatal blow, but still took a heavy strike to his torso.

With a heavy thud, Qi Jingmo was sent flying backward, crashing hard against a distant wall as a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"Hurry and go! Don't worry about me!"

Qi Jingmo spat out a mouthful of blood-stained saliva and roared at the top of his lungs.

Hearing this, Tang Yi and Xia Yu glanced at Qi Jingmo, then at Song Mo and Bai Lingquan. Gritting their teeth, they lunged back into the horde of assassins, fighting side by side with Song Mo.

"Go stop them!"

Qi Jingmo screamed as he watched Tang Yi, Xia Yu, and the others engaged in desperate combat.

These assassins were no less formidable than Song Mo and his peers. Once bogged down by this mob, escaping would become nearly impossible, sealing their doom.

The leader of the assassins was a man draped in long black robes. Hearing Qi Jingmo's shouts, he immediately ordered the remaining assassins to reinforce the line and crush them.

Though Song Mo and the others wished to help Qi Jingmo, they were outnumbered, and having just fought off an encirclement, most of their inner energy had already been depleted.

Presently, they were struggling to hold their ground against the overwhelming enemy force.

Just as Tang Yi and Xia Yu were on the verge of being completely overwhelmed and annihilated by the assassins—

"Ah!"

A miserable scream rang out. Turning their heads, they saw an assassin cut down by Tang Yi's blade. Seizing the moment, Tang Yi and Xia Yu pulled back their swords and sprinted toward Song Mo's group.

Seeing Tang Yi and Xia Yu dispatch an assassin, the others felt a surge of hope and rushed to join them.

"Kill!"

Elated, Qi Jingmo launched a fierce counterattack against the assassins. Chaos erupted within the Mingtang, but the breathing room bought precious time for Song Mo and his companions, pulling them back from the brink of death.

Watching Tang Yi and Xia Yu besieged once more, Qi Jingmo shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hurry and leave! We cannot hold them off much longer!"

"You go first! I will catch up!" Tang Yi and Xia Yu shouted back, refusing to abandon the fight.

"Are you fools?! With so many assassins, you'll die if you stay! Go now, or they'll slaughter everyone!" Qi Jingmo urged frantically.

"Get out of here!" Song Mo and Bai Lingquan roared at the top of their lungs as well.

"Leave us! Do not worry about me!"

Tang Yi shook her head. She knew that given Song Mo and Bai Lingquan's depleted state, they could not withstand the assassins much longer. They deserved to live—only by surviving could they exact revenge. They had to make it out alive.

"Very well, we go first! The rest is in your hands!" Qi Jingmo nodded grimly, shouting to Tang Yi before leading the others in a rapid retreat toward the distance.

"Pursue them! Do not let a single one escape!"

Seeing Song Mo's group retreating, the masked leader barked his orders, and the remaining assassins surged forward in hot pursuit.

"This is bad! At this rate, we'll be overtaken!" Bai Lingquan shouted.

"You guys keep going! I'll stay and cover the rear!" Xia Yu declared resolutely.

"Xia Yu, how can we just leave you behind?" Song Mo shook his head, rejecting the idea instantly.

"Go! I can handle them!"

"But—"

"No buts! Move, move!"

Xia Yu glared fiercely at Song Mo and the others, roaring at the top of his lungs.

"Take care of yourself!"

"Mn!"

"We're leaving—they'll kill you!" Bai Lingquan stammered, unsure of what else to say.

"They won't! Rest assured!" Xia Yu shook his head and added, "If I am to die today, let me die fighting to my heart's content. Go now, or it will be too late!"

"Understood, take care, brother!"

Song Mo looked at Xia Yu and finally nodded in agreement.

Bai Lingquan followed suit, offering a solemn nod.

"Move, hurry!" Qi Jingmo urged.

"Right!"

"Go!"

Tang Yi and Song Mo nodded, turning to sprint toward the exit.

Seeing this, the assassins immediately gave chase.

"You think you can just leave? Not so easily!"

With a wave of the leader's hand, the pack of assassins lunged toward Xia Yu and the others.

"Kill!"

Xia Yu let out a thunderous roar, charging straight into the swarm of enemies.

"Kill them all!"

The assassins shrieked, clashing with Xia Yu in a ferocious melee.

This engagement was far more intense than the last. Xia Yu fought without a moment to rest, pouring every ounce of his focus into the combat. When an assassin attempted to thrust a blade through his chest, Xia Yu kicked the man away and, seizing the opening, violently snapped his neck.

"Bang!"

Knocking the corpse aside, Xia Yu delivered a devastating punch straight to another assassin's skull, stunning him instantly.

"Thud, thud..."

In an instant, the man's head shattered like an overripe melon.

Terrified by the brutal display, the surrounding assassins hesitated, momentarily backing away.

"Trying to run? In your dreams!"

Xia Yu laughed heartily, charging aggressively back into the crowd.

"Die!" The assassins shrieked, swarming him from all sides.

"Bang! Bang, bang!"

Striking with blinding speed, Xia Yu hurled his fists, sending his attackers flying one by one.

However, the sheer volume of assassins soon overwhelmed both Xia Yu and Qi Jingmo.

"Go! We cannot let them die in vain!"

Bai Lingquan roared fiercely, his blood-drinking sword vibrating with a shrill hum as it sprayed gouts of murderous intent.

Without wasting another breath, Song Mo seized Tang Yi and rushed toward the giant iron pillar!

"Qi Jingmo, I've never much liked you, but if we both survive this, I'm buying you a drink!" Bai Lingquan laughed aloud.

"It's a deal!"

Qi Jingmo blasted the surrounding assassins away with a powerful sweep, laughing heartily.

"Count me in!"

Xia Yu drop-kicked an incoming attacker, joining the laughter with a booming voice!

Though thousands block my path, still I shall press onward!