"Swish..."
The Great Zhou flag on the city tower unfurled with the wind, trembling slightly. Several flaming arrows grazed the fabric and flew by, leaving behind a few sparks.
Beneath the city tower, a young man in white hemp robes cautiously evaded the soldiers' patrols with a big and a small companion.
"Phew..."
The cool night breeze blew away some of the alcohol scent from Chen Kuang, clearing the stuffiness from being locked in the cell and refreshing his spirit.
He curiously looked around.
For both his past self and him, this was the first time Chen Kuang saw the true face of this world.
The first breath of free air was not as beautiful as imagined.
It was mixed with smoke, blood, decay, dust...
Except for being less damp and sticky, it was almost no different from inside the cell.
But thinking about it, it made sense. The Imperial City had fallen for a full eight days, and the Black Armor Army was still fighting the remaining forces of the Liang Kingdom, so it was normal to have no time to deal with the corpses.
The entire Imperial City was full of corpses and had started to smell.
For this High Martial World, plagues were not something very fearful.
But only for cultivators.
If a plague were to spread to the surrounding villages, the people of Zhou would most probably not handle it in a short time.
Even if they did, they would probably just pit all the sick and let the rest fend for themselves in quarantine.
They would not have any good disposition for the remnants of the Liang Kingdom.
Since Ji Chengtian took the throne of Great Zhou, within ten short years, the territory of Zhou had doubled, annexing three countries, with Liang Kingdom being the fourth.
Lessons from the past were clear. To the annexed countries, the people of Zhou would directly execute all high-level officials and send their own Civilization Officials to take over.
These Civilization Officials did not teach the common folk but lower-level officials and scholars.
Then these local officials would educate the people, making them submit, and have the scholars rewrite historical documents, spreading Zhou poetry and customs, and honoring them as advanced.
Any signs of rebellion would be instantly quashed, even if it meant killing hundreds of thousands of ordinary people.
In contrast, anyone who praised and extolled them well would be immediately promoted to local officials.
Ji Chengtian's saying was, "If they speak about literature, it must be Zhou, if they speak, it must praise achievements, after forty years, there shall be divine crows and festivals for me."
His ambition was blatant.
He did not care how many lives of ordinary people were lost.
Once the Liang Kingdom's war is completely over, this will also be applied to the Liang Kingdom, and then there will be another bloodbath.
"Shh—"
Chen Kuang stopped Chu Wen Ruo, letting her hide at the side first: "Someone's coming."
Chu Wen Ruo quickly covered her mouth and nodded, skillfully holding the little princess and hiding to the side, finding a corner to squat down.
Fortunately, the little princess did not cry or make a fuss, seeming to think she was playing a game of hide and seek and also cutely covering her mouth.
As there was still a hint of chicken leg grease smell on her hands, she reluctantly licked her palms.
Chen Kuang's expression turned solemn, although he had just avoided several patrols of soldiers.
But this time was different; a Black Armor Guard was coming.
And this road was the only way out of the city; there was no way to avoid it.
The Black Armor Guard had obviously received news of the Celestial Prison out of control, his aura austere, eyes filled with murderous intent. Upon seeing a few prisoners, he did not even pause, decapitating them with a single stroke.
If it were just himself, he might consider going over the rooftops, but he was with Chu Wen Ruo and her daughter.
Chen Kuang sighed.
Ideally, he had planned to fool Huo Hengxuan with a few irrelevant promises and sneak out with them.
Who would have thought, now Huo Hengxuan was unreliable, forcing this novice to take the lead?
If he abandoned this mother and daughter now and burst out alone, he would have a few more chances of success...
Chen Kuang glanced back; Lady Liang had already found a big bamboo basket, covering her upper body.
Unfortunately, her feet under the dress shuffled nervously, like an oversized hermit crab, rustling.
He couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.
Then he let out a slow breath.
Such thoughts could not be entertained. If he was to die, let it be with courage intact.
Even though it was just words to deceive that old one, there was a hint of sincerity in them.
Black Armor Guard, Innate Realm.
Can kill.
Chen Kuang lowered his gaze, his fingers pressing the strings of the zither, his whole body relaxed, and the fine dust around him was instantly pushed away by an invisible force — Doushuai Descends into the Sky, First Level of Triple Force.
Because his body's Spiritual Qi was like boiling water, needing just a touch of force to break the balance, the First Aspect caused his Qi and blood to surge, becoming a bit of assistance.
The Spiritual Qi surging through his meridians was like clouds and waves; this support further fueled the momentum.
The barrier of the fifth acupoint was instantly shattered by the overwhelming Spiritual Qi.
True Spiritual Qi replaced the fake Spiritual Qi.
The Spiritual Qi transformed from Carefree Wine had further space, and Chen Kuang's cultivation advanced by a layer!
The once endlessly flowing Spiritual Qi in his meridians gradually solidified, from a scattered gaseous state to a sleek liquid state.
Innate Primordial Qi.
The mark of entering the Innate Realm!
This intense fluctuation of Spiritual Qi naturally drew the attention of the Black Armor Guard.
"Who?!"
The Black Armor Guard's signature scarlet eyes immediately shot out a cold light, looking in Chen Kuang's direction, his long sword pointed forward, ready to attack.
"It's me."
Chen Kuang stepped sideways, boldly stepping out.
"You are..."
The Black Armor Guard saw his composed demeanor, the Spiritual Qi seeming to condense into a tangible mist, exaggeratedly majestic, and a hint of grandmaster-like presence, causing him to hesitate momentarily.
Could it be... the general invited another Immortal Master to aid?
Just this brief moment of hesitation made him not immediately draw his sword.
The next moment.
Chen Kuang's fingers moved slightly on the zither strings, striding forward with large steps while casually plucking and strumming the zither strings.
He played the first piece the musician taught him, which he practiced often, as simple as eating or drinking for him.
Because of his familiarity, he played it effortlessly.
This piece, created by that musician, is called... "Setting the Wind."
However, the intent in the piece played by Chen Kuang held none of the serene freedom of "Setting the Wind," only an outburst of intense, fierce killing intent.
One step forward, and the zither's sound resounded.
This killing intent was extremely sharp, like demonic music in the ears, stirring the brain, piercing the body with knives and swords, pricking and stabbing, like suddenly falling from a high place, displacing the internal organs, making one feel like their liver and gallbladder were torn apart!
Celestial Demon Law!
The Black Armor Guard was instantly enveloped by fear, feeling as if he had fallen into the Eternal Purgatory, drenched in cold sweat, unable to control his trembling.
But this influence lasted only a moment.
He immediately regained consciousness, aware.
Bad!
However, it was too late!
By the time he came to his senses, Chen Kuang had taken three big strides, step upon step, toppling clouds, riding the waves.
The flower-sign on the young man's brow solidified, his eyes like electricity, aura soaring, releasing the playing hand, and suddenly pushing forth a palm.
Unmatched force roared forth, the Black Armor Guard's complexion changed drastically, yet he had no way to dodge.
"Bang—!!!"
First Aspect, Triple Force, White Lotus Birth!
A palm strike down with a muffled sound, the frenzied outpouring of Spiritual Qi like a flood, the Black Armor Guard instantly exploded from within.
Watching this pile of flesh collapse, Chen Kuang exhaled deeply, smiling lightly, "I came to kill you, but not just to kill your person."