Chapter 272: You go first—I

Chu Danqing couldn’t help but twitch his eyelid as the others formed a shield around him.

He never imagined he, a summoner’s disciple, would one day become the tallest among dwarves.

Among the allies present, apart from Tang Ziwei, Chu Danqing had the highest attributes and strongest strength.

Only Tang Ziwei, Yun Shan, and a few male retainers from the Yun household could join the fight.

As for the women, though they did possess spirit beasts, having a spirit beast didn’t mean they could fight.

Not all spirit beasts possessed combat ability; the vast majority were used to assist daily life and production, not for killing.

An Yongchao wasn’t some dark forest—how could everyone possibly want to use spirit beasts for combat and slaughter?

If that were true, order would have collapsed long ago.

Without sufficient production, how could a vast imperial system be sustained?

Tan Jin also noticed Chu Danqing’s actions and immediately tried to recall his Dragon Blood Tiger to resume attacking Sun Dashou.

But for now, the Dragon Blood Tiger couldn’t break free from Da Bao.

Moreover, the Pure Yang Celestial General and the Yin Yin Mystic Lady were extremely powerful; combined with the Vajra Warriors, they turned their disadvantage into an advantage.

“Prince Ning will arrive within half an hour—when his hundred thousand troops arrive, you will be reduced to ashes.”

“Why die alongside this false emperor?”

“Just hand over the false emperor, and I’ll pretend I never saw any of you. How about that?” Tan Jin decided to try a different approach.

Otherwise, if this continued, he’d truly be killed by them.

The Pure Yang Celestial General and the Yin Yin Mystic Lady were too strong—so strong it sent chills down Tan Jin’s spine.

He couldn’t understand how a nameless nobody could possess such powerful divine spirit beasts, let alone two at once.

He himself had achieved such strength only through a special purple mansion and abundant resources, which allowed his Dragon Blood Tiger to reach this power.

Even if the other had a special purple mansion, how could someone so young possibly surpass him?

But none of that mattered—what mattered was achieving his goal.

Yet Chu Danqing remained silent, simply urging Da Gu to chant the Lamenting Wind.

Tan Jin sensed this too—he didn’t know the power of the Lamenting Wind, but he could vaguely feel the threat.

“Break through together—first destroy the bone-book spirit beast in their hands,” Tan Jin decided instantly.

But the next moment, a spell from the Yin Yin Mystic Lady struck straight for his face.

A soft white light flared across his body, forming a shield—but it shattered instantly, hurling him backward.

He scrambled to his feet, and a precious life-saving spirit treasure on his person cracked apart.

Had it not been for this precious spirit treasure, that spell would have killed him outright.

Even with the spirit treasure protecting him, he felt as if his insides were burning.

The spell was blocked, but the shockwave had still injured him.

The pain made Tan Jin’s eyes bulge with rage.

Since becoming the Crown Prince’s attendant, through to now as one of the Eight Tiger Eunuchs, he had never endured such treatment.

Though he served others, he never did dirty or exhausting work—he’d lived in comfort all his life.

“Damn it! A nameless nobody dares hurt me!” Tan Jin screamed in pain, losing all composure.

“From a status standpoint, you—a regicide traitor—are worse than this nameless nobody,” Chu Danqing retorted.

A nameless nobody still had a legitimate identity; a regicide traitor couldn’t even compare.

Unless Prince Ning won—but even if he did, it wouldn’t matter to Tan Jin.

Prince Ning might not even dare take the blame for regicide; Tan Jin could still be kept alive as a bargaining chip, but if he truly killed Sun Dashou, he’d be made the scapegoat.

Chu Danqing’s insult snapped Tan Jin back to his senses.

His status and privileges came from imperial authority—and unfortunately, he was now on the opposite side of that authority.

Even Emperor An Yong was being protected behind them.

Fortunately, his face was thick enough—only the long-unfelt physical pain had made him lose composure.

“Never mind, why am I even talking to you?” Chu Danqing realized he’d spoken unnecessarily.

But the reason he spoke was because Da Gu had finished chanting the Lamenting Wind.

Da Bao, with the most experience, was the first to sense the Lamenting Wind.

Mostly because he knew Da Gu well—he understood Da Gu would always prioritize eliminating enemies threatening him.

Without hesitation, he broke off his struggle with the Dragon Blood Tiger and sprinted back as fast as he could.

None of the others had seen the Lamenting Wind’s power, so they were puzzled by Da Bao’s sudden retreat.

Immediately after came the Pure Yang Celestial General, the Yin Yin Mystic Lady, and the Vajra Warriors—they, having confirmed the Lamenting Wind’s target, precisely calculated its range.

Everyone within the affected area retreated; Tang Ziwei, the Yun household retainers, and others were forcibly dragged out of the danger zone.

No one wanted to test what would happen if the Lamenting Wind struck them.

Even the Pure Yang Celestial General was no exception.

Seeing this, everyone present realized what was coming.

Until the Lamenting Wind struck the Dragon Blood Tiger—once a ferocious beast, it vanished before their eyes into a mist of blood.

But this was only the beginning—the area-of-effect damage exploded instantly; among those caught, only the Tiger-type spirit beasts of the Eight Tiger Eunuchs withstood the damage, while the rest of the rebels and their spirit beasts couldn’t resist the dual effects and quadruple damage.

Just as everyone thought it was over, the chain effect activated.

This time, the target was locked onto the Dragon Blood Tiger’s master—the barely alive Tan Jin, who had just escaped death.

He was no fool—he’d earned Emperor An Yong’s trust; even the purple mansion backlash from his spirit beast’s death and the Lamenting Wind’s area damage hadn’t killed him.

As for the other seven eunuchs, their condition was slightly better—they hadn’t lost their spirit beasts, so they escaped the purple mansion backlash.

But their wealth was inferior to Tan Jin’s, so their protective spirit treasures were weaker.

“No!!!” Tan Jin weakly lifted his head, saw the Lamenting Wind hurtling toward him, and roared in despair.

Everything he’d done was to survive—but now, all his efforts had turned to foam, and it had been punctured.

The Lamenting Wind struck him—agony flooded every limb and bone.

Fortunately, the pain lasted only an instant—he died.

Then the area damage swallowed the remaining surviving rebels.

【Mission Complete. You have received: Paradise Points ×10000, Attribute Points +4】

The Eight Tiger Eunuchs are dead. Trial mission complete.

But the matter wasn’t over—new trial and side missions were simultaneously released.

——

【Trial Mission: Protect Yang Qianyuan and Li Wanwu from capture by Prince Ning’s army within 24 hours】

【Trial Difficulty: S-Rank (Nightmare）】

【Trial Reward: Paradise Points ×20000, Attribute Points +5】

【Trial Failure: Paradise Points -40000, Random Attribute -2, Forced Return】

——

【Side Mission: Kill the False Emperor Yang Zhenhao within 24 hours】

【Trial Difficulty: S-Rank (Nightmare）】

【Trial Reward: Paradise Points ×20000, Attribute Points +5】

【Trial Failure: Paradise Points -40000, Random Attribute -2】

——

“Big Brother Chu, war is a dire omen—Prince Ning’s army…” Yang Qianyuan’s expression changed sharply as dark clouds gathered in the distant sky.

Those clouds weren’t clouds at all—they were Prince Ning’s flying spirit beasts.

Not just in the air, but on the ground too, a vast tide of troops was approaching.

It must have been the Eight Tiger Eunuchs who’d relayed intelligence about Emperor An Yong’s connection to them to Prince Ning, combined with the importance of Li Wanwu from Mei Long Town, a woman born under Yin Hour.

Prince Ning had immediately led his army straight toward them.

Seeing this, Chu Danqing’s expression grew grim.

“I’ll have the Celestial General, Mystic Lady, and Vajra Warriors escort you away—I’ll hold the rear with Da Bao,” Chu Danqing said, instantly transforming the Eight Steeds Dragon Chariot from talisman form into its carriage form.

Eight dragon-horses, their hooves trampling clouds and wind, appeared before them, pulling the carriage.

“No time—get on quickly,” Chu Danqing said at once.

“No, Big Brother Chu—if you go, we all go,” Yang Qianyuan said without hesitation: “General Xiong’s troops can’t possibly hold back a hundred thousand soldiers.”

Yang Qianyuan and Li Wanwu looked at Chu Danqing with deep concern.

In hardship, true loyalty showed—Chu Danqing holding the rear meant his bond with them was heavier than ever.

“Don’t worry—I have full confidence. This time, I’m not calling on General Xiong,” Chu Danqing said, grabbing Yang Qianyuan and tossing him onto the carriage: “I never fight without certainty.”

He then tossed Yang Qianyuan and Li Wanwu onto the carriage and told Tang Ziwei: “Watch over them.”

Tang Ziwei nodded firmly, replying only, “Understood.”

Seeing this, the Yun household members quietly boarded the carriage.

The former charioteer Vajra Warrior took the front seat; the other two, former archer and halberdier Vajra Warriors, flanked the carriage.

The dragon-horses, treading clouds and wind, lifted the carriage into the sky—the Pure Yang Celestial General stood at the front, the Yin Yin Mystic Lady stood atop the canopy, and the remaining Vajra Warriors rose with them, guarding the carriage as it departed.

Chu Danqing chose to send them away because triggering two S-rank missions at once demanded extreme caution.

Especially the trial mission—it wasn’t just about preventing capture, but ensuring their lives as well.

Chu Danqing had no confidence he could protect both of them against a hundred thousand troops.

Although capturing the enemy leader first would be ideal, he didn’t want to risk 40,000 Park Points, two attribute points, and an Excellent-grade Spirit Beast Tome.

“Da Bao, are you afraid?” Chu Danqing asked Da Bao.

Da Bao shook his head and said, “Not afraid. Xiao Chu is here.”

“That’s right. I’m here. Don’t be afraid.” Chu Danqing smiled and immediately activated the Mountain River Pact, summoning Guo Ming onto the battlefield.

【You summoned Alliance Partner #1. This invocation consumed 1,580 Park Points.】

【Alliance Partner has responded.】

【Alliance Partner’s summoning cognition normalization completed.】

Chu Danqing immediately said, “Brother Guo, this is a tough fight. We’ve got to hold firm against a hundred thousand troops—you’ll have to cut down their general right from the heart of their army.”

Guo Ming gazed at the massive army, his hand gripping the Su Nu Sword, four flying swords circling him, and said, “Trivial. It’s as easy as reaching into a pocket.”

(End of Chapter)