Chapter 430: Despair and Hope |
The Yongchang Marquis's face turned pale as paper in an instant, drained of all color.
He stared deathly at the letter in Xu Qing's hand, his body trembling violently beyond his control.
This... how could this be?!
These things were all handed to him personally by the black-robed man in that secret underground chamber! Aside from heaven knowing, earth knowing, and the two of them knowing, there could absolutely be no third person aware of this!
Xu Qing... Xu Qing was just a mortal, a powerless civil official. How could he possibly obtain something like this?!
At this moment, countless thoughts flashed frantically through his mind, ultimately converging into a single conclusion that sent bone-deep chills through his entire body.
Behind Xu Qing stood someone!
And it was a terrifying existence far beyond his imagination, one that could easily crush him!
"You..." The Yongchang Marquis raised his head to look at Xu Qing, his gaze indescribably complex—filled with shock, unwillingness, and anger, but above all, the despair of knowing the tide had turned completely against him, "Behind you..."
He simply watched the Yongchang Marquis calmly, watching this mortal enemy who had caused his beloved friend's exile and forced him to endure five years of silence, now completely collapse under his step-by-step assault.
He slowly tucked away the secret letter and bowed deeply toward the dragon throne.
"Your Majesty, your servant's report is complete."
Upon the dragon throne, the Great Xing Emperor slowly rose to his feet.
He looked down from on high at the military commander who had completely lost his composure, and finally, without any attempt to conceal it, a bone-chilling killing intent surfaced on that dignified face.
"Yongchang Marquis Chen Yuan, guilty of treason and betraying the nation, beyond redemption!"
The emperor's voice echoed through the hall like a judgment from the Nine Netherworlds.
"Guards! Strip him of his official robes, remove his court crown, and escort him... to the Imperial Prison! Subject to joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices!"
"As you command!"
Golden-armored guards who had been waiting outside the hall immediately rushed in.
"No! Your Majesty! Your Majesty, have mercy! Your servant is wronged! Wronged!" The Yongchang Marquis finally snapped out of his immense shock, frantically trying to crawl toward the dragon throne, only to be pinned to the ground by two guards.
His official robes were roughly torn open, his court crown rolling to the floor.
Xu Qing stood still, unmoved.
He simply turned slowly to face outside the hall.
There, a crimson sun was bursting forth from the eastern horizon.
Golden sunlight pierced through layer upon layer of palace buildings, spilling over him, stretching his slender figure into an impossibly long shadow.
Five years.
In this morning in the capital, the sky had finally brightened.
...
Night, deep as ink.
The capital, Imperial Prison.
This was the most terrifying place in the Great Xing Dynasty, the nightmare of every prince and noble. Once cast in here, it meant never seeing daylight again.
The deepest part of the Imperial Prison, the Heaven-tier death cell.
Yongchang Marquis Chen Yuan, disheveled and dirty, his once-splendid prison uniform now covered in filth. His limbs were locked by thick iron chains, and his collarbones were pierced through by two icy iron hooks, his martial arts long since crippled.
He sat leaning against the damp, cold corner, his eyes tightly shut, as if he had accepted his fate.
But at that very moment.
At the far end of the jailer's corridor, there came an extremely faint, almost imperceptible "pfft" sound, like something being pierced by a sharp blade.
Chen Yuan's ear twitched slightly.
His tightly closed eyes snapped open in the darkness!
That gaze held no trace of despair or defeat, but was instead terrifyingly calm, even carrying... a cold expectation.
He knew his final chess piece had been activated.
This force was a group of death-men he had secretly trained over ten years, using countless gold, silver, and resources. They belonged to no court, no army—only to him alone. Their sole purpose was to serve as his last-resort trump card in case of "emergency."
The activation mechanism was simple and effective—he didn't need to give the order personally. As long as news of his public conviction and imprisonment in the Imperial Prison spread, this death-man organization lurking beneath the capital, named "Shadow," would automatically initiate the rescue plan according to pre-set procedures.
Inside the Imperial Prison, killing proceeded in utter silence.
Shadows like black ghosts, merging into the darkness like specters, moved through the labyrinthine prison corridors.
Their movements were swift, lethal, and perfectly coordinated.
A jailer holding a long blade had just turned a corner when, before he could even see what lay ahead, a poisoned short blade silently slit his throat from the shadow behind him. He didn't even have time to let out a scream before he clutched his neck and slumped down weakly. The faint but genuine spiritual energy fluctuation within the shadow flashed and vanished in the darkness—this was the result of ten years' painstaking effort by the Yongchang Marquis, using elixirs provided by the black-robed man to nurture them. Though only at Qi Refining, they were already invincible among mortals.
Elsewhere, two jailers on patrol suddenly stiffened as a shadow passed by them, each with a tiny blood hole in the center of their forehead.
Silent slaughter. Efficient advancement.
These death-men seemed intimately familiar with the internal structure of the Imperial Prison, avoiding all areas with potential traps and alarms as they charged straight for the deepest Heaven-tier death cell.
Soon, in front of Chen Yuan's cell, the last two guards fell in pools of blood.
"Click."
With a slight sound of a key turning, the heavy prison door forged from Mystic Iron, weighing a thousand catties, slowly swung open.
A slender black-robed man with a bronze mask entered. He knelt on one knee, his voice hoarse but filled with fanatical loyalty.
"My lord, subordinate Shadow One has arrived late to rescue you."
Chen Yuan slowly stood up, stretching his long-numbed limbs. The excruciating pain from the iron hooks piercing his collarbones seemed to have no effect on him.
"Not late," his voice was cold and calm, "just in time."
Shadow One stepped forward and used a specially crafted tool to quickly sever the chains binding Chen Yuan.
"Withdraw!"
No unnecessary words.
Over a dozen death-men escorted the freed Yongchang Marquis as they withdrew silently, just as they had come.
But just as they were about to burst out of the Imperial Prison and reach the surface, piercing alarm bells finally shattered the night sky!
"Enemy attack! Prison break! Hurry! Seal the city gates!"
The capital was instantly awakened!
Countless torches flared to life, dense footsteps came from every direction. In that moment, the entire capital became a massive, closing cage!
The death-men, guarding Chen Yuan, no longer bothered to hide. They charged directly toward the nearest East Straight Gate at top speed!
Blades flashed, blood and flesh flew!
On the city wall, soldiers of the City Defense Camp stood ready with crossbows and bows. Below the city gate, rows of Imperial Guards with long spears were forming into tight battle formations.
Staring at the massive gate that seemed ready to slam shut at any second, and at the densely packed arrow tips glinting coldly on the wall.
Everyone's heart was in their throat.
Could they... really make it out?