Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 1593: Chapter 1265: Pyrrhic Victory

As soon as the words were spoken, he breathed his last, lying peacefully on the bed, motionless.

”The Emperor has passed away!” Fu Hai, who had been standing by the bedside, suppressed his tears and shouted loudly.

The senior eunuch who accompanied Zhou Honggu for decades wished he could follow him in death, but he had to personally oversee the burial, ensuring that no negligence occurred throughout the process.

Dong dong dong—

The funeral bells, long prepared, were struck forcefully, sending their deep tones far and wide.

Soon, the bells resounded throughout the capital, clearly heard by all the citizens.

”This is...”

”The Emperor has passed away!”

Many commoners, upon realizing, showed a hint of sorrow in their expressions, some even wailed loudly.

This proves that Emperor Zhou Honggu was quite successful, at least among the people, gaining considerable prestige and reputation.

However, his two sons showed no signs of sorrow at all; instead, they felt excitement, tension, and a bit of fear.

Excitement because they could finally act to vie for the throne of the Venerable Emperor; tension due to Zhou Maochang’s presence, adding hurdles to their path.

Fear stemmed from pondering the aftermath of failure, which would likely be dire for them. After all, they had a significant connection to Zhou Honggu’s death in some sense.

And Zhou Maochang, inheriting his will, would certainly seek revenge.

”Follow me to slaughter through the Imperial Palace; whether we gain wealth and power in the future depends on this battle today!” The First Prince roared, hoisting his sword.

”Kill!” The Fourth Prince remained relatively indifferent but emitted a fierce killing aura, making it hard for anyone to approach.

Tens of thousands of troops moved in unison, causing quite a commotion in the capital. Citizens hurried back to their homes, nervously awaiting the end of the battle.

Li Zhirui stood on the pavilion, gazing at the marching armies, and after a moment, shook his head involuntarily.

”Are you not optimistic about their actions?” Bai Liang asked curiously beside him.

”Judging by their marching, one can see a thing or two. They shouldn’t have undergone much training, nor have they personally been on a battlefield before. With such new recruits, what do they have to contend against the city’s elite guards?”

It’s known that the guards of the capital are annually drafted from the borders and trained daily to maintain formidable combat strength, ready to suppress unforeseen disturbances.

”These two princes are no ordinary men; if they dare act like this, they must have their own trump cards.”

Li Zhirui nodded in agreement. Indeed, if they saw no hope at all, wouldn’t it just be a death march?

”However, what kinds of methods do they possess to sway your thoughts?”

Bai Liang smiled slightly, uttering two words, ”Internal allies!”

”Have you not informed Zhou Maochang?”

Bai Liang merely smiled without speaking.

Li Zhirui immediately realized that Great Zhou Mountain Cult intended to use the hands of these two princes to weaken Zhou Honggu’s remaining forces, so that Zhou Maochang would be more reliant on them in the future.

As for risks like information leaks, he did not mention them aloud.

After all, it didn’t concern him. Li Zhirui only wanted to obtain Earth Immortal Level Spiritual Items; why seek trouble?

”Sir, do you wish to watch this great battle?”

”If Fellow Daoist could project the battlefield here, I would certainly welcome it.”

But asking him to personally observe near the battlefield, Li Zhirui would not join in such excitement, for he was suppressed by the Human Dao Law Net and lacked sufficient strength.

”The battlefield is fraught with crises; I too do not wish to venture into danger.”

Saying so, Bai Liang’s hand shimmered with Spirit Light, and a huge Water Mirror appeared before the two of them.

Meanwhile, the combined forces of the First Prince and Fourth Prince had already reached the outer walls of the Imperial Palace.

”Halt! Those who violate shall be directly slain!”

The voice, like rolling thunder, boomed out. It was spoken by the black-armored general standing on the wall, whose stature was as mighty as a bear, holding two golden melon hammers, exuding an aura of savage menace.

”General Xiong, long time no see. Didn’t expect we’d meet again as enemies.”

General Xiong remained silent, his eyes intently fixed on their army’s every movement, ready to unleash a shower of arrows at any signs of action.

”Kill!”

The Fourth Prince, reluctant to waste words, issued a command, prompting countless soldiers to instantly rush forward, heading for the gate.

However, the path leading to the gate was littered with traps, and before touching the walls, they had already suffered considerable casualties.

”Shoot!”

As they entered the range, General Xiong commanded, and countless arrows flew out, piercing the bodies of soldiers one after another.

In just a moment, a layer of corpses was laid before the walls.

”Kill!”

Another cry resounded, no longer from the front, but from within the Imperial Palace!

”Damn!” General Xiong cursed angrily, having no choice but to split his forces to guard the gate, preventing the enemy from capturing it.

However, with the enemy’s superior numbers and strength, coupled with the internal-external assault, it wasn’t long before the gate was broken.

The two princes wasted no time here, swiftly igniting the gate with tung oil and fire, then continued advancing into the depths of the Imperial Palace.

So far, they’ve only breached the first gate. Ahead lie three massive walls and several smaller ones.

Yet, none of these walls compared to the outermost first wall.

After sacrificing numerous soldiers, walls were breached one by one, and the two reached the second-to-last wall.

——

Li Zhirui immediately realized that Great Zhou Mountain Cult intended to use the hands of these two princes to weaken Zhou Honggu’s remaining forces, so that Zhou Maochang would be more reliant on them in the future.

As for risks like information leaks, he did not mention them aloud.

After all, it didn’t concern him. Li Zhirui only wanted to obtain Earth Immortal Level Spiritual Items; why seek trouble?

”Sir, do you wish to watch this great battle?”

”If Fellow Daoist could project the battlefield here, I would certainly welcome it.”

But asking him to personally observe near the battlefield, Li Zhirui would not join in such excitement, for he was suppressed by the Human Dao Law Net and lacked sufficient strength.

”The battlefield is fraught with crises; I too do not wish to venture into danger.”

Saying so, Bai Liang’s hand shimmered with Spirit Light, and a huge Water Mirror appeared before the two of them.

Meanwhile, the combined forces of the First Prince and Fourth Prince had already reached the outer walls of the Imperial Palace.

”Halt! Those who violate shall be directly slain!”

The voice, like rolling thunder, boomed out. It was spoken by the black-armored general standing on the wall, whose stature was as mighty as a bear, holding two golden melon hammers, exuding an aura of savage menace.

”General Xiong, long time no see. Didn’t expect we’d meet again as enemies.”

General Xiong remained silent, his eyes intently fixed on their army’s every movement, ready to unleash a shower of arrows at any signs of action.

”Kill!”

The Fourth Prince, reluctant to waste words, issued a command, prompting countless soldiers to instantly rush forward, heading for the gate.

However, the path leading to the gate was littered with traps, and before touching the walls, they had already suffered considerable casualties.

”Shoot!”

As they entered the range, General Xiong commanded, and countless arrows flew out, piercing the bodies of soldiers one after another.

In just a moment, a layer of corpses was laid before the walls.

”Kill!”

Another cry resounded, no longer from the front, but from within the Imperial Palace!

”Damn!” General Xiong cursed angrily, having no choice but to split his forces to guard the gate, preventing the enemy from capturing it.

However, with the enemy’s superior numbers and strength, coupled with the internal-external assault, it wasn’t long before the gate was broken.

The two princes wasted no time here, swiftly igniting the gate with tung oil and fire, then continued advancing into the depths of the Imperial Palace.

So far, they’ve only breached the first gate. Ahead lie three massive walls and several smaller ones.

Yet, none of these walls compared to the outermost first wall.

After sacrificing numerous soldiers, walls were breached one by one, and the two reached the second-to-last wall.