Clang!
The sword, aimed with deadly precision, stopped just three inches away from Xu Xingzhi's forehead. This sudden turn of events caused the black-clad swordsman's pupils to dilate in shock.
"Shadow Assassin Yang Xuyan."
Seeing the black-clad figure with only his eyes exposed, Xu Xingzhi immediately guessed his identity. He quickly retreated while shouting, "Assassin! There's an assassin!"
"Die!"
Yang Xuyan, momentarily stunned, had no time to ponder what had just happened. He immediately lunged forward, his left hand turning pitch black and exuding a sinister aura as he struck at the golden light surrounding Xu Xingzhi.
Boom!
The blackened left hand shattered the golden light, but as it continued toward Xu Xingzhi, another golden barrier emerged. This time, the black hand failed to break through, only dimming the light slightly.
This result caused Yang Xuyan's eyes to turn icy cold. He shot a murderous glare at Xu Xingzhi before swiftly retreating, narrowly avoiding four crossbow bolts aimed at his vitals.
"Protect the lord!"
As Yang Xuyan retreated, he suddenly heard a gust of wind above him. Looking up, he saw a burly man descending with an unstoppable momentum.
"Hmph."
Facing the newcomer, Yang Xuyan snorted coldly. His black sword transformed into a flurry of sword lights, but the next moment, his expression changed. His sword strikes felt as though they were hitting steel, producing a series of clang sounds. The attack only left a few dents in the man's clothing, failing to cause any real harm.
In contrast, the man's palm strike on the black sword caused Yang Xuyan's right arm to tremble. He immediately retreated into the room and then leaped out through a window.
"My lord, hurry and leave!"
Eight guards surrounded Xu Xingzhi, escorting him to safety while the rest charged at Yang Xuyan. Despite Yang Xuyan's elusive movements, the hidden crossbowmen in the estate disrupted his escape, trapping him in a tight encirclement.
Xu Xingzhi, however, didn't pay attention to the trapped Yang Xuyan. He quickly left the dangerous area with his guards. As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a wall that might collapse. Without confirming whether Yang Xuyan was the only assassin, staying put was too risky.
After all, Xu Xingzhi wasn't like Daniel or the Twin Dragons. Despite his considerable strength, his combat experience was limited. As a civil official, he rarely needed to fight.
Strictly speaking, Xu Xingzhi's current strength was impressive—a solid grandmaster-level expert. However, this was achieved through Daniel's use of elixirs.
As the chief administrator of the Tang forces, Daniel naturally didn't want Xu Xingzhi to suffer any losses. After Xu Xingzhi joined, Daniel quickly boosted his strength using the True Pill and Gathering Immortal Pill. Xu Xingzhi consumed ten True Pills and two Gathering Immortal Pills.
Normally, one of each pill would suffice, and taking more would be wasteful. However, Daniel had the resources to spare, and given Xu Xingzhi's importance, he didn't hesitate. While this didn't enhance Xu Xingzhi's combat skills, it significantly improved his physical condition, allowing him to perform better in his duties.
For his safety, Daniel equipped Xu Xingzhi with several protective artifacts. Yang Xuyan's failed assassination attempt was due to these artifacts.
In addition to the artifacts, Daniel assigned Xu Xingzhi a personal guard trained in hard-body techniques like the Golden Bell Cover and Armor Skill, specifically for taking hits in critical moments.
With such measures in place, even if Yang Xuyan or one of the three grandmasters attacked, killing Xu Xingzhi would be no easy task.
In the struggle for supremacy, all means were justified. Daniel refrained from such tactics out of disdain, as the overall situation favored him. However, others weren't so principled.
As it turned out, Daniel's precautions were justified. Without them, Yang Xuyan's assassination attempt might have succeeded, causing significant trouble for Daniel. Losing such a capable subordinate would be a severe blow. Of course, if such an event occurred, Daniel's enemies would face even greater consequences. Retaliation was a given.
"He escaped? I see."
After relocating to a safe place, Xu Xingzhi wasn't surprised to hear that Yang Xuyan had escaped. After all, Yang Xuyan was known as the number one assassin in the world, having successfully assassinated numerous warlords and martial arts experts.
With careful planning, only a few top-tier experts like the three grandmasters, Shi Zhixuan, and the Twin Dragons could evade Yang Xuyan's assassinations.
"The Unparalleled Shadow Technique."
As one of Daniel's key ministers, Xu Xingzhi had access to much confidential information, including Yang Xuyan's identity and the martial arts he practiced.
It seemed Shi Zhixuan's luck was poor. Both of his disciples had betrayed him. Hou Xuan betrayed him for Shi Feixuan, while Yang Xuyan's betrayal was inevitable due to his identity.
Yang Xuyan was the son of Yang Yong, the crown prince of Emperor Wen of Sui. After Yang Guang killed Yang Yong, Shi Zhixuan saved Yang Xuyan's life.
However, this didn't change Yang Xuyan's attitude toward Shi Zhixuan. After all, Shi Zhixuan had supported Yang Guang, making him complicit in Yang Xuyan's father's death.
If Yang Yong had succeeded Emperor Wen, Yang Xuyan would have been the next crown prince. As a member of the Yang family, Yang Xuyan naturally didn't want the Sui dynasty to fall into the hands of others. To him, anyone aspiring to the throne was an enemy.
Under such circumstances, Yang Xuyan couldn't possibly follow Shi Zhixuan's orders to assist the Tang forces. From the moment he became Shi Zhixuan's disciple, Yang Xuyan had been biding his time, secretly plotting to break free from Shi Zhixuan's control. The Great Ming Cult was an excellent choice for this purpose.
The blackened left hand Yang Xuyan used earlier was the Black Hand Demon Skill he had learned from the Great Ming Cult's martial arts. Even Xu Ziling had suffered a setback from this technique.
"It seems they're getting desperate."
Upon hearing about the assassination attempts on Xu Xingzhi and Shen Luoyan, Daniel couldn't help but smile. He didn't need to investigate to know that the masterminds were likely Fan Qinghui, Li Shimin, or someone from the Li Clan.
With the appearance of the Mohist mechanical beasts, the Li Clan couldn't afford to remain idle. Li Shimin's renewed importance was largely due to Daniel's influence.
"Such stubbornness. Power truly changes people."
Watching Dou Jiande's forces clash head-on with the mechanical beasts, Daniel chuckled. Dou Jiande was an interesting character. According to intelligence reports, he had initially risen to power for the sake of peace. However, after gaining authority, his personality changed drastically, becoming paranoid and arrogant.
Daniel had no fondness for such individuals. Since he wasn't close to Dou Jiande, he showed no mercy. A dozen Mechanical White Tigers were deployed, sending Dou Jiande fleeing in disarray.
Under the watchful eyes of the Mechanical Vermilion Birds, Tang forces' experts swiftly executed Dou Jiande, denying him any chance to surrender.
"Li Shimin has finally launched his campaign against Liu Wuzhou. Unfortunately, the Song Clan's army has arrived as well."
Unlike the original story, where Song Que personally led a hundred thousand troops to support Kou Zhong, this time the Song Clan dispatched its forces in batches. The first batch consisted of thirty thousand soldiers.
In the original story, Song Que had personally led the troops during the first snowfall, using the weather to prevent the Li Clan from launching a winter campaign. At that time, Kou Zhong was too weak. If he hadn't held out against Li Shimin's attacks, the Song Clan would likely have retreated to the south, continuing as the Duke of the South.
Song Que had hoped to use the winter to consolidate control over the south, creating a north-south standoff. However, the Tang forces were now far stronger than Kou Zhong's former forces, making such tactics unnecessary. The unification of the south could proceed much faster.
Originally, the Song Clan's army was meant to deal with Du Fuwei's Jianghuai Army. However, with Du Fuwei's surrender, the Jianghuai Army became an ally, eliminating the need for conflict. Instead, they collaborated to attack Li Zitong, who had seized Yangzhou.
As Du Fuwei and the Song Clan's forces jointly attacked Yangzhou, Daniel began his campaign against Yuwen Huaji. Perhaps due to his despair, Yuwen Huaji's territory was in chaos, with many civilians fleeing. His reputation was now on par with the Jianghuai Army.
"Finally, it's here."
Upon learning of the campaign against Yuwen Huaji, the Twin Dragons were ecstatic. Despite having just annihilated the Donghai Alliance and the Luoma Gang, they immediately requested to lead the troops. Daniel agreed without hesitation.
"Who would have thought Yuwen Huaji would still be so arrogant even in his final moments?"
As the Twin Dragons led their troops toward Yuwen Huaji, Hou Xuan accompanied them. Despite the tension between Hou Xuan and Daniel over the shaving of Shi Feixuan's head, Hou Xuan and Xu Ziling had surprisingly developed a good relationship.
"This Lady Zhen is his true love. Perhaps he plans to be buried with her."
Hou Xuan sighed as he spoke. The Romantic Prince Hou Xuan was known in the martial world not for his martial arts but for his words. This was also how he made a living.
Traveling the martial world required money, especially for someone like Hou Xuan, who frequented brothels. Without sufficient funds, such a lifestyle was unsustainable.
It was worth noting that every time Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling entered a brothel, something inevitably went wrong. This was likely because they were usually penniless. When trouble arose, they didn't have to pay.
"I won't accompany you further. I need to finish my painting."
Hou Xuan's greatest wish was to meet all the beauties of the world and paint a "Hundred Beauties" scroll. He was even willing to break into the Li Clan's palace for a masterpiece.
To ensure his painting was completed before the Twin Dragons killed Yuwen Huaji, Hou Xuan reluctantly used his lightness skill to hurry.
The attack on Yuwen Huaji's capital, Xu City, proceeded smoothly—so smoothly that Kou Zhong found it hard to believe. Many of Yuwen Huaji's soldiers surrendered at the first sight of the Tang forces.
It wasn't until they reached Yuwen Huaji's palace that they encountered fierce resistance.
"Yuwen Huaji, come out and face us!"
In the palace square, the Tang forces faced Yuwen Huaji's imperial guards. Kou Zhong, gripping his Moon in the Well, roared at the palace hall, his voice filled with emotion.
"It's you two brats. I should have killed you back then."
In response to Kou Zhong's roar, Yuwen Huaji emerged, dressed in imperial robes. The once confident and imposing Yuwen Huaji now looked drastically different, causing the Twin Dragons to pause momentarily.
"Enough talk. No one can save you today." Kou Zhong glanced at the imperial guards and continued, "You know you've lost. Tell them to surrender and avoid further bloodshed."
Even Kou Zhong preferred to avoid unnecessary killing when possible.
"I have lost, but not to you." After a moment of hesitation, Yuwen Huaji ordered his guards to lay down their weapons. As Kou Zhong had said, there was no way out for him now.
After Li Mi's defeat, Yuwen Huaji's fate was sealed. He had already sent his brothers and clansmen away. With the end inevitable, there was no need for others to die with him.
"Come at me. Both of you." After his guards surrendered, Yuwen Huaji stepped forward to the center of the square.
"We don't need your permission. Today, no one can save you."
With their current strength, even one-on-one, Yuwen Huaji was no match for the Twin Dragons. However, this was about avenging Fu Junyu. Neither Kou Zhong nor Xu Ziling would back down, so they attacked together.
As he spoke, Kou Zhong flashed forward, appearing in front of Yuwen Huaji in an instant. The Moon in the Well traced an arc through the air, striking at Yuwen Huaji with an enigmatic trajectory.
Boom!
Facing Kou Zhong's strike, Yuwen Huaji snorted coldly, making no attempt to dodge. Instead, he punched directly at the Moon in the Well with his right fist. As fist met blade, a powerful chill spread across the square, covering the ground in ice crystals.
In the next moment, Yuwen Huaji was forced back five steps, his right fist now covered in frost. Despite both using cold-based true energy, Yuwen Huaji's Ice Profound Energy was no match for Kou Zhong's.
As Yuwen Huaji struggled to neutralize Kou Zhong's spiral true energy, Xu Ziling struck. His punch filled the air with scorching heat.
(End of Chapter)
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