Whoosh...
The flags of Great Zhou unfurled atop the city tower, fluttering violently in the wind. Several flaming arrows streaked past the fabric, leaving behind embers that sizzled on the cloth.
Beneath the tower, a young man in plain hemp robes carefully led a woman and a child, cautiously weaving between patrolling soldiers.
Whew...
A cool night breeze blew across Chen Kuang's face, dispersing the scent of wine clinging to his body and, along with it, the stifling haze of imprisonment. He felt his spirits lift.
He looked around curiously.
For both his original self and his current one, this was the first time Chen Kuang had truly seen the outside world.
The first breath of freedom wasn't as refreshing as one might imagine.
It was filled with smoke, blood, rot, and dust...
Aside from being less humid and cloying, it was no different from the prison air.
But thinking it over, it made sense. The imperial city had been under siege for eight full days. The Black Armored Army was still busy battling Liang's remaining forces, with no time to deal with the corpses.
Bodies littered the capital. The stench of death had begun to rise.
In this high-martial world, plague wasn't much of a threat, but only to cultivators.
If an outbreak spread to the nearby villages, the Zhou people likely wouldn't intervene quickly.
And if they did, they'd probably just bury the infected alive. The rest would be quarantined, left to live or die on their own.
There would be no mercy for the remnants of Liang.
Since Ji Chengtian ascended to the Zhou throne, he had doubled Zhou's territory in ten years, annexing three countries, Liang being the fourth.
In every conquest, the same brutal methods were employed: kill all the high officials and replace them with their own "enlightenment officers."
These officers didn't teach the people, they taught the lower-level bureaucrats and scholars.
Those locals would then be tasked with educating the populace, converting them, rewriting history, spreading Zhou poetry and customs, presented as "advanced civilization."
Any sign of rebellion, no matter how small, was crushed immediately, sometimes at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives.
By contrast, anyone who loudly praised Zhou would be immediately promoted to township official.
Ji Chengtian's motto was:
"If all their words praise Zhou and every sentence extols our glory, then in forty years, they will beat drums and burn incense to worship me."
His ambition was clear as day.
The lives of common people? He couldn't care less.
Once Liang's resistance was fully extinguished, this same approach would be used here. And when that time came, it would be another blood-soaked storm.
"Shh-"
Chen Kuang halted Chu Wenruo, motioning for her to hide.
"Someone's coming."
Chu Wenruo quickly covered her mouth and nodded, expertly clutching the little princess as she ducked into a corner to hide.
Fortunately, the child didn't cry. She seemed to think it was some sort of game of hide and seek, and quietly covered her mouth too.
Still licking the faint scent of chicken leg grease from her hand, she looked quite content.
Chen Kuang's expression grew serious.
They had already avoided several patrols. But this time was different, it was a Black Armored Guard.
And worse, this was the only road that led out of the city. There was no avoiding him.
Clearly, the guard had received word about the prison breach. His aura was sharp, his gaze murderous. Every prisoner he spotted on the way, he decapitated without hesitation.
If Chen Kuang had been alone, he might've tried escaping over the rooftops. But with Chu Wenruo and the princess in tow, that wasn't an option.
He sighed.
Originally, he'd planned to just bluff Huo Hengxuan, offer a few harmless promises, and coast out of here with their support.
But now, Huo Hengxuan had left everything to him, the rookie.
If he abandoned the mother and daughter now, his odds of survival would rise significantly...
Chen Kuang glanced back.
The noble lady of Liang had stuffed her upper body inside a large bamboo basket. Only her skirt and feet were still visible, nervously shuffling about, like an oversized hermit crab.
He couldn't help but smirk.
Then he exhaled slowly.
That kind of thought... he couldn't allow it.
"To die is one thing, but to lose your courage is another."
He'd said that to bluff the old man, but he'd meant it at least thirty percent.
Black Armored Guard. Innate Realm.
He could kill it.
Chen Kuang lowered his gaze. Fingers touched zither strings. His whole body relaxed.
The dust around him was suddenly swept away by an unseen force.
Descent from Tusita Heaven, Three-Fold Force, First Layer.
Inside him, Spiritual Energy surged like boiling water. All it needed was a trigger.
This first stance stirred his blood and gave just the right push.
The raging tides of energy inside his meridians exploded.
BOOM!
The barrier at his fifth acupoint shattered, broken apart by a deluge of true Spiritual Energy.
The false Spiritual Energy created by the Carefree Wine was replaced by the real thing.
The wine's energy surged even further, and Chen Kuang's cultivation jumped yet again.
What had been scattered gas in his meridians now condensed into liquid, flowing like a stream.
Innate Primordial Qi.
He had reached the Innate Realm!
The surge in Spiritual Energy immediately drew the Black Armored Guard's attention.
"Who's there?!"
Those signature blood-red eyes flashed coldly. He locked eyes on Chen Kuang, long sword raised.
"I am."
Chen Kuang stepped out boldly and openly.
"You..."
The guard paused. Seeing how composed Chen Kuang looked, with Spiritual Energy rolling off him in visible waves, it was hard not to hesitate.
Was this... another cultivator sent by the general?
That brief moment of doubt cost him dearly.
Because in the next instant, Chen Kuang's fingers moved on the zither as he walked forward, plucking strings without breaking stride.
He played the first piece the old musician had ever taught him, a tune he'd practiced endlessly.
It was simple as breathing to him now.
The song was called: "Calming the Winds and Waves."
But what Chen Kuang played now held no tranquility, only a cold, surging murderous intent.
With a single step, the music burst outward.
That murderous aura was razor-sharp, like demonic music piercing the ears. It tore through the mind, stabbed like needles and blades, crushed the guts and rattled the bones.
Heavenly Demon Law.
The Black Armor Guard was instantly engulfed in terror. It was as if he had fallen into hell.
Cold sweat poured down his back. He trembled uncontrollably.
But the effect lasted only a second.
He snapped out of it, alarmed.
Too late!
By the time he realized, Chen Kuang had already closed the distance in three steps, each heavier and sharper than the last.
With a flash of light from the lotus mark on his brow, Chen Kuang's eyes gleamed. He released the zither and thrust his palm forward.
BOOM!!
First Stance, Three-Fold Force, White Lotus Rebirth!
With a thunderous impact, his immense energy flooded forth like a tidal wave.
The Black Armored Guard's expression changed drastically, but there was no time to dodge.
His body exploded from within, reduced to bloody pulp in an instant.
Chen Kuang exhaled slowly.
Smiling faintly, he said:
"I came to kill you, and not just you."