Chapter 308: Rebel inside response, chaos and speculation, Longshan changes hands

Great Xia Year 2, at the intersection of midnight

The wind and snow are like knives, and the cold erodes the earth.

Longshan base, at this moment, is roaring to the sky.

"Rebel army killed their way into the main building!"

"Longshan does not retreat, brothers, die and drag the Xia army!"

"Can't let them break in, the leader's reinforcements will be back immediately."

"Longshan is defeated, surrender and don't kill!"

"Xia army is disturbing the military heart, brothers, block them."

On the outer perimeter of the east side of the Longshan base, there are hundreds of five-cornered iron piles with a side length of eight meters.

These iron piles all extend from underground. Just the part exposed to the ground is fifteen meters high. Inside each iron pile, there is also a

Hundreds of iron piles extended from the north and south points of the mountain, aligning toward the east and finally connecting at the far eastern perimeter. Overall, they formed a fan-shaped iron-pile wall with a total length of about twelve kilometers, firmly guarding the Longshan base within.

It was a pity that, at this moment, on the north side near the mountain, two iron piles had failed to extend from the ground; to the left of these two, another iron pile only protruded halfway, and that protruding part was even bent sharply inward.

These pentagonal iron piles were eight meters long on each side. With three piles not standing above ground, it was equivalent to leaving a twenty-meter-wide gap in the otherwise airtight wall.

Around the gap in the iron piles, the ground was covered in corpses. The thick, bloody stench had nearly condensed into a tangible blood mist in mid-air, and the snowflakes drifting from the sky were stained red, adding an extra layer of bone-chilling cold to this world.

Clearly, this gap had just dealt a devastating blow to Longshan.

A surging tide of people had long since charged through the gap.

The entire Longshan base was filled with the sounds of slaughter and roars.

Tens of thousands of Earth-Digging Realm cultivators in casual clothes, wielding sharp weapons, were frantically charging toward the main core building of the base, while the thousands of Longshan defenders blocking their path were constantly retreating.

Although more and more Woodcutting Realm cultivators and even ordinary people were rushing out from around the main building to fight to the death, they still could not stop the retreat of the Longshan side. The besieging force was getting closer and closer to the main building, soon leaving only a distance of less than five hundred meters.

Moreover, the besieging side kept shouting, "Surrender and you shall live!" The morale of the Longshan defenders was decaying at a speed visible to the naked eye. Many ordinary people began to flee into the houses within the base. Once this sign of collapse appeared, it quickly began to spread among the crowd, and the speed was getting faster and faster.

Compared to the sky-shaking shouts of slaughter inside the base, the outer perimeter appeared unusually quiet. Near a tall building closest to the iron-pile wall, a large group of soldiers clad in pale gold armor was currently entrenched; at a rough glance, there were hundreds of them.

It was just that these people clearly did not look to be in good condition at the moment. The armor on the vast majority of them was already broken and misshapen, a small half of them were carrying injuries, and there were even dozens lying on the ground just gasping for air, clearly in a state of severe injury and exhaustion.

Yet even so, the expressions on their faces were one more spirited than the next. They would occasionally turn their heads to look toward the Longshan main building, and occasionally look up at the top floor of the tall building beside them, their expressions excited, their pupils filled with exhilaration.

"It really was breached; we actually really... breached Longshan!"

"Leader, it's because the leader is too strong. The inside help originally couldn't succeed; it was the leader who directly bent that iron pile, which allowed us to enter smoothly and help the inside help loosen the other two iron piles, otherwise the main army outside wouldn't have been able to get in."

"Indeed, the leader fought against many alone and was still able to sever one of Li Tiancheng's arms, kill Li Xuankong, and severely injure three Frigid-level experts. If it weren't for the leader holding back these Longshan experts, how could Deputy Si Zheng Director Yu Wen and the others have focused on leading us to attack the city?"

"Longshan had inside help, I guessed that. A while ago, Han Qiong saved so many people from Longshan and Zhaoyang, but how could the Earth-Digging Realm cultivators of the three families—Changning, Songyuan, and Yucheng—turn against their own and betray Longshan?"

"I just heard, during the Longyou Alliance in April, the leaders of these three families were all killed by Longshan. They were forcibly annexed by Longshan, and some of their die-hard loyalists were locked in the Longshan dungeons. They were already resentful in their hearts. Our inside help secretly went to the dungeon to release them. After being persuaded by these people, the remaining three thousand-plus Earth-Digging Realm cultivators who had already surrendered to the other three families quickly defected and turned to us."

"That was a huge contribution; who is this inside help? They are too strong!"

"Four days ago, among the five thousand-plus people who came from Zhaoyang to Longshan, more than three hundred were arranged in advance by Lord Hou Jing, and it seems there was even a Frigid-level expert mixed in."

"It's not just this group; Longshan also had two, named Yang Zhong and Li Hu respectively. These two seem very important. That Li Hu was captured by Li Tiancheng, and Yang Zhong is upstairs right now; the leader just summoned him."

"This contribution is too great; the leader will probably reward him heavily."

"With Longshan crushed, won't the entire Longyou become ours, the Great Xia's, from now on?"

"Hahahaha, Longshan, it's mainly Longshan; the three resource lands of the entire Longyou will all belong to our Great Xia family from now on!"

……………………

Unlike the jubilation of the Cloud Dragon Army downstairs.

On the top floor, Liu Yuan and Peng Bo were guarding the door of a room. Although the two were also very excited, they were clearly restraining their emotions, remaining quiet throughout, only occasionally looking into the room.

Behind the two was Yang Zhong, whose face was filled with extreme anxiety.

"Huzi was captured by Li Tiancheng; only the leader can save him. I must ask the leader to take action to save him. We finally managed to get ahead; I cannot let Huzi die!"

At this moment, Yang Zhong kept repeating this sentence in his mind.

Just as the Cloud Dragon Army soldiers below were discussing, the role he and Li Hu played in Great Xia's ability to crush Longshan this time was almost irreplaceable.

Four days ago, on the night of June 22nd, among the five thousand-plus people who came from Zhaoyang, there was a Frigid-level expert named Liu Ying who sought out him and Li Hu, explaining to them Great Xia's plan to attack Longshan.

Yang Zhong's mood at the time was extremely apprehensive. Thanks to Li Hu's boldness, he realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and quickly seized it.

With the cooperation of Liu Ying's three hundred-plus people, they first infiltrated the dungeon, met with the die-hard prisoners of the Changning, Songyuan, and Yucheng families, and successfully communicated with this group in advance. Then, waiting until the first half of tonight, when Great Xia began the frontal assault on the east side, they took advantage of the camp's chaos to directly release the people in the dungeon.

After these people successfully incited most of the Earth-Digging Realm cultivators of the three families to rebel, Li Hu led them directly to the north side, and according to the originally formulated plan, opened the north iron-pile wall to let the Xia Army in.

The Xia Army's frontal direction tonight was a feint; the elite Cloud Dragon Army had been squatting on the northern perimeter all along. Seeing the unusual movement inside, they immediately charged over.

Of course, things didn't go that smoothly. As soon as their large group of people moved, they hadn't even lowered the two iron piles on the north side by a few meters before they were discovered by Li Tiancheng.

Fortunately, Xia Hong took action in time!

Even though more than an hour had passed, as Yang Zhong recalled it now, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva at the kick Xia Hong used to force the pentagonal iron pile to bend, his pupils filled with shock and worship.

Right now, the only thing he was worried about was Li Hu, who had been captured by Li Tiancheng when they were opening the gate for the Xia Army.

They had made such a great contribution and finally managed to get ahead; seeing that they were about to go to Great Xia to live a good life, he absolutely could not let anything happen to Li Hu.

"The leader summoned me; he must be rewarding me with something. I don't want anything; I only ask him to save Li Hu. The leader will definitely agree to me!"

He had originally been on the battlefield with the seven Earth-Digging Realm cultivators, but received notice from Peng Bo that Xia Hong wanted to summon him, which was why he was waiting here.

Just now, Xia Hong severed one of Li Tiancheng's arms and repelled a group of Longshan Frigid-level experts, allowing the four armies of Zhaoyang, Bai Yuan, Xiling, and Dongkang outside to charge into the base and join forces with the three rebel armies. He then entered this tall building and hadn't come out since.

The Cloud Dragon Army should be resting below at this moment, while also acting as guards for Xia Hong's cultivation. After all, they had exerted the most effort in breaching the Longyou iron wall just now, and their casualties were not light.

At present, the ten thousand-strong army on the battlefield was commanded by Hou Jing, Chen Yingyuan, and a group of other Frigid-level experts. Although the great battle had not ended, the result had basically been determined.

Although he was very worried about Li Hu's safety, Yang Zhong didn't even dare to breathe loudly at this moment, because he could feel that Xia Hong inside the room was likely in closed-door cultivation, and it was probably at some critical moment.

Hu... hu... hu... hu...

Even through the wall, he could perceive Xia Hong's incomparably powerful aura from his increasingly distant and long breathing. And as the breathing became longer, that aura was constantly rising and expanding.

"Too strong. I have already broken through the thirty-thousand-jin limit, but in front of this aura, I am still like a child. What exactly is the leader's strength..."

Hu!

The breathing in the room suddenly became quieter. Yang Zhong looked up abruptly, only to find that Liu Yuan and Peng Bo in front had already looked up and were staring into the room a step ahead of him.

The leader must have finished his cultivation!

"Yang Zhong, right! You and Li Hu did well this time. When we return to Xia City, I will reward you both heavily."

Hearing Xia Hong's voice from the room, Yang Zhong immediately bowed and knelt, saying with a face full of worry: "Yang Zhong doesn't want any rewards; I only ask the leader to save my brother Li Hu. I won't hide it from the leader: releasing everyone in the dungeon and inciting the three Yucheng families to rebel was all Li Hu's idea. I was just assisting him on the side."

Hu...

Just as a gust of air brushed against his face, Yang Zhong, who was lying on the ground with his head lowered, discovered that a pair of pitch-black animal-hide boots had already appeared before him. Realizing that Xia Hong was standing in front of him, he immediately lowered his head even further.

Xia Hong, who had just walked out of the room, still had the excitement on his face. He slightly calmed his mood before looking down at Yang Zhong, who was lying on the ground. After a trace of appreciation appeared in his eyes, he gently raised his hand and signaled:

"Get up! Rest assured, Li Tiancheng will not kill him! You are both great heroes. When we return to Xia City, I will reward you both for your contributions together!"

Although Yang Zhong was a bit puzzled, he still obeyed the order and raised his head. When he saw Xia Hong at close range, the reverence and fanaticism in his heart almost overflowed from his eyes. He couldn't help but lower his head again and bow respectfully to Xia Hong: "This subordinate thanks the leader!"

Anyone who had witnessed Xia Hong's strength with their own eyes found it difficult not to show an expression like Yang Zhong's. Just like Liu Yuan, who was already incomparably familiar with Xia Hong, even the elderly Peng Bo could not hide the fanaticism on his face at this moment.

Xia Hong was in no mood to look at the expressions on the faces of Liu Yuan and the other two at this moment. Seeing through the window that the army on the west side had already fought to the bottom of the main building, his mood, which had just calmed down, couldn't help but start to get excited again.

To think they actually really breached Longshan!

Xia Hong had never thought about breaching Longshan in one go from beginning to end when he headed north this time.

His only goal was to force Li Ying Xuan Ling to withdraw his troops by besieging Longshan.

Letting Hou Jing mix more than three hundred inside agents into the five thousand-plus people from Zhaoyang was originally intended only to cause some small problems for Longshan's city defense. Who would have thought that Li Hu and Yang Zhong were so smart that they could incite so many Earth-Digging Realm cultivators from the Yucheng, Changning, and Songyuan families to rebel by releasing the dungeon prisoners.

The situation of the people's hearts turning against Longshan was truly too terrifying.

The role that more than three thousand rebel soldiers could play was simply worlds apart compared to three hundred inside agents.

Xia Hong had originally planned to attack Longshan on the night of the 5th. After learning that there might be three thousand rebel soldiers, he changed his mind and bought another day for Li and Yang.

To think it actually really succeeded.

Longshan was directly wiped out!

"I originally thought I would have to fight with Longshan for a few more years. Plans really can't keep up with changes. Since the people's hearts have turned against Longshan and it has collapsed so quickly, then next, I must change my approach!"

After Xia Hong pondered for a moment, he turned his head and asked Liu Yuan: "How long has Director Yu Wen Tao been gone?"

"A little over an hour. At his speed, he should have reached the Hive long ago. He took all the severed arms and heads with him. If nothing unexpected happens, Li Ying Xuan Ling should have already withdrawn her troops. I just don't know if the casualties on the side of the Chief of Staff are heavy."

Hearing Liu Yuan's answer, Xia Hong's expression tightened slightly.

He knew very well the difficulty of nine thousand five hundred Earth-Digging Realm cultivators guarding against three thousand Longyou troops.

It would be fine if the iron wall of the Hive wasn't broken, but once it was broken and they lost their barrier, the result would be hard to say. Moreover, Li Xuantian was still on the scene. Although he had left the Cold Ruins Tripod for Xia Chuan, Xia Hong actually had no bottom line in his heart.

"Although the Cold Ruins Tripod can eliminate ghosts, its attraction to cold beasts is too great. There are ten wooden human piles in total, and currently, they can only exert the strength of mid-level cold beasts. Once ignited at the Hive, it will be hard to clean up..."

Xia Hong took a slight breath, looked up toward the west side, and his brows sank.

The battle in the direction of the main building on the west side was still continuing. Hou Jing and a group of Frigid-level experts were indeed about to kill their way to the main building, but that ten-thousand-strong Earth-Digging Realm army was still stopped at a position more than four hundred meters away on the perimeter, clearly blocked by the Longshan defenders.

Moreover, as more and more people from Longshan rushed to the bottom of the main building, the army even showed signs of retreating backward.

Liu Yuan looked along Xia Hong's gaze and immediately knew why he was frowning. He said softly: "Leader, there are too many people in Longshan. Even excluding the three families that have already rebelled, they still have more than seventy thousand people. These can all be considered Longshan's die-hard loyalists. And there are quite a few Earth-Digging Realm cultivators inside; it is estimated that there are still more than eight thousand now."

Longshan is Longshan, after all; it really is a big family with a big business!

Xia Hong shook his head and sighed slightly. After breaching the iron wall earlier, they had killed at least three or four thousand Earth-Digging Realm cultivators, yet Longshan could still have more than eight thousand left.

That is to say, if there hadn't been those three thousand-plus rebel soldiers, the Earth-Digging Realm cultivators originally guarding Longshan would have been over fifteen thousand.

This Earth-Digging Realm population was truly enviable.

Even Great Xia might not have that many now.

"Leader, my Cloud Dragon Army still has more than six hundred soldiers capable of fighting. Let me lead them up to cooperate with Hou Jing's ten thousand people to pierce through the main building; it shouldn't be difficult."

Seeing that the battle situation on the west side had no progress, Liu Yuan couldn't help it anymore and directly bowed to request battle.

However, Xia Hong refused him without even thinking, waving his hand: "Longshan has already lost; there's no need for you all. With Bai Yuan, Xiling, and tonight's siege battle, the Cloud Dragon Army has already lost more than three hundred people in total. This little bit of foundation can't withstand the tossing. You continue to lead them to rest here; Peng Bo can just go with me. By the way, also you..."

Although Liu Yuan was a bit disappointed, he also knew that Xia Hong was right. He could only nod and watch Xia Hong, Peng Bo, and the last-named Yang Zhong leave.

"Leader!"

"Greetings, Leader."

"Greetings, Leader..."

………………

As soon as Xia Hong walked downstairs and saw many Cloud Dragon Army soldiers nursing their injuries, they stood up one after another to salute him. He immediately waved his hand and smiled: "Everyone, lie down and recover well; no need to stand up. This time, the Cloud Dragon Army should be credited with the first merit for taking down Longshan. Everyone, wait to return to Xia City to be rewarded for your contributions!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Cloud Dragon Army soldiers suddenly became excited.

This time, taking down Longshan, the Cloud Dragon Army should be credited with the first merit.

Xia Hong said this himself, so the gold content was very high.

Contribution points, Martial Arts Hall, medicinal pills, weapons, supplies, cultivation resources...

The soldiers were all suddenly lost in reverie.

Xia Hong didn't continue to disturb everyone and continued to rush toward the west battlefield. On the way, noticing that Yang Zhong behind him was always in a worried state, he immediately smiled and said: "What, I said Li Tiancheng won't kill Li Hu; you don't believe me?"

Yang Zhong was stunned. After hesitating for a moment, he still nodded and revealed a look of confusion: "I dare not disbelieve the leader's words, it's just..."

"Those three thousand Longyou troops of Li Ying Xuan Ling also won't be able to make any waves. The Longshan Li clan will soon become history. Li Tiancheng will not let the Li clan have no descendants!"

Won't let the Li clan have no descendants?

Yang Zhong lowered his head and pondered for a moment. After figuring it out, his body trembled slightly.

……………………

"Where is the leader's army? Why haven't they returned to reinforce us?"

"There are only three hundred meters left to the main building; the Xia Army is about to kill their way over."

"There is hope; our tens of thousands of people have all come. Hou Jing can't break in."

"What kind of bullshit hope? That golden-armored army of Great Xia hasn't moved yet. They have been resting and watching from the back. Once they attack, we are finished."

"Go notify the leader and let the leader hurry to bring the army back to reinforce the base."

"Traitors, traitors, traitors! Those damned traitors of the three Yucheng families should have been wiped out long ago; they should have been killed long ago."

"I told the leader back then that these three families could not be trusted. What's the use of only locking up those high-level people? Once those people in the dungeon came out and persuaded them, these people all rebelled, all rebelled. More than three thousand people, more than three thousand people all stood on Great Xia's side. It's over, it's over..."

"Li Hu, Li Hu, you wicked beast, flowing with the blood of my Li clan, doing the business of colluding with outsiders. Now you have caused so many people to die. I will kill you, I want to kill you, ah..."

"It was Li Hu who led people to the dungeon to release the high-level officials of the three families; it was him."

"I said, how could the Xia Army be so familiar with the environment of my Longshan base? As soon as they broke in from the north, they charged along the mountain toward the main building. The dangerous defenders arranged in the building area didn't play any role at all. Traitors, it was these two traitors, Li Hu and Yang Zhong, who told the Xia Army about the situation in the base."

"I want to peel your skin off, Li Hu, you beast, beast!"

……………………

On the top floor of the main building, in the Longshan deliberation hall, hundreds of people were gathered in a surging crowd.

Unlike the grand scene of the past, at this moment, the faces of the hundreds of people in the hall were either terrified or bleak, no longer having the demeanor of the Longyou overlord of the past.

After bursts of desperate and terrified roars, several Longshan disciples raised their broadswords and charged toward Li Hu, who was tied to a pillar.

Li Hu's upper body was dyed red with blood at this moment. Although he was injured, there was no trace of pain on his face. Instead, looking at the group of people clamoring to kill him, he let out an incomparably hearty laugh.

"All of you, shut up!"

The entire hall was in a mess. Accompanied by the sounds of slaughter outside the main building, it was noisy to the extreme, until Li Tiancheng, with a pale face, gave a furious rebuke. Those Li clan disciples who were clamoring to charge forward also stood still. The entire hall finally quieted down.

It was just that the quieter it was, the clearer the sounds of the battlefield on the east side of the main building could be heard. The terror on the faces of many people grew thicker, and some of the female family members and those who were timid or young even began to tremble.

Li Tiancheng's left arm was already gone. He swung his empty sleeve, lowered his head to stare at Li Hu tied to the pillar, and asked in a low voice:

"The ambush at Changbaigou—it was you who sent the message to the Xia Army, right?"

"Of course it was me. The new army formed in June, 800 sets of hundred-forged armor, the destination was Bai Yuan, to be given to Zhaoyang—I told the Xia Army all of it!"

Li Hu met Li Tiancheng's gaze directly, without avoiding it at all.

Li Tiancheng closed his eyes, and his expression suddenly became painful to the extreme.

"You are also a Longshan disciple; the blood flowing in your body is Li clan blood..."

"Shut up, old thing. I have never been a Longshan Li clan disciple. I follow my mother Li Yuning's surname. What flows in my body is the blood of the Zhaoyuan Li clan. With you, the Longshan Li clan, there is only the hatred of killing my mother; there is no connection at all."

Before Li Tiancheng could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Li Hu.

Seeing the bone-deep hatred in Li Hu's eyes, Li Tiancheng's already aged face instantly added many wrinkles, and his whole person withered quite a bit.

There were only so many people in Longshan in total. Li Tiancheng actually knew about the background of his nephew-grandson Li Hu and the unfair treatment he had suffered long ago.

But there were too many Li clan disciples, and Li Hu's talent among them was not outstanding. Plus, his stepmother Zhu Rou was the daughter of the outsider Frigid-level expert Zhu Xing, so even if he knew, it was not easy for him to intervene.

His original thought was that Li Hu had suffered these hardships and would be easier to become a talent in the future than other Li clan disciples who lived in luxury.

Now it seems he did indeed become a talent, but he became a talent for Great Xia!

While Li Tiancheng was closing his eyes and pondering, another woman holding a sword came out from behind and charged directly toward Li Hu:

"Little beast, little beast, I said long ago that this white-eyed wolf couldn't be tamed. I should have listened to myself and killed him back then. Now, not only did he cause my son to be captured by Great Xia, but he also caused such a great disaster. Let me kill him, kill him!"

The woman who charged out was exactly Li Hu's stepmother, Zhu Rou.

In the battle where Changbaigou was ambushed, Li Yuanqing was captured by Great Xia. Zhu Rou had been thinking about it all along. Now that she suddenly learned that her son was harmed by Li Hu, the anger in her heart could be imagined. She charged out directly to kill Li Hu.

Li Tiancheng first looked at Zhu Rou, then noticed that the hatred in Li Hu's eyes when he looked at Zhu Rou had penetrated to the bone. He sighed slightly, his gaze suddenly became sharp, and he picked up a short sword from the table and threw it fiercely at Zhu Rou.

Keng...

The short sword was knocked down by a broadsword.

It was a middle-aged man whose face was somewhat similar to Zhu Rou's.

"Uncle Tiancheng, why attack my daughter for no reason?"

The tiger's mouth of Zhu Xing had already split open. Clearly, knocking down Li Tiancheng's short sword was not easy for him. He looked at Li Tiancheng and said in a low voice, with a very obvious questioning tone.

Everything happened too fast. The people in the hall were all confused, clearly unable to react.

Why did Li Tiancheng suddenly want to kill Zhu Rou?

How did Zhu Xing dare to take action to block Li Tiancheng's short sword?

In the whole hall, only Li Hu, tied to the pillar, turned his head to look at Li Tiancheng, his expression slightly stagnant, as if he had figured out something, and a trace of complexity appeared in his eyes.

"Every debt has its debtor. Zhu Xing, today Longshan is defeated and destroyed. Your daughter cannot escape the blame. So many people died in the camp; she must pay with her life!"

Zhu Xing's face sank. He seemed to have no intention of continuing to cover up and directly pointed at Li Hu and sneered: "If I remember correctly, the other traitor named Yang Zhong is your own grandson, right? Your Li clan family is unfortunate to have raised two such little beasts who invited wolves into the house. You don't manage them, but instead want to kill my daughter, and talk about 'every debt has its debtor'.

Li Tiancheng, do you really think we outsiders are the dogs of your Li family?"

At the last question, Zhu Xing roared it out directly.

"Zhu Xing, you are bold!"

"Dare to speak to Grandpa like that?"

"Zhu Xing, what do you want to do?"

………………

The Li clan disciples in the hall all spoke out to denounce him one after another.

It was just that their momentum was clearly not that great.

In the hall, except for a small number of Li clan disciples who stood on Li Tiancheng's side, more than half of the people actually stood directly behind Zhu Xing, and many others remained silent, not saying a word.

Li Tiancheng did not seem surprised by the subtle scene before him. He looked up and stared directly at Zhu Xing, asking with a light smile:

"Zhu Xing, it seems you have your own plans?"

Earlier, when the iron-pile wall was breached, Hou Hu immediately took people and ran away. Of the five Longshan Frigid-level experts, one was killed by Xia Hong, three were severely injured, and only Zhu Xing remained.

He himself had been severed of an arm, and now he was about to take action to kill Zhu Rou. It was understandable that Zhu Xing had plans long ago.

Zhu Xing's thoughts were exposed, but there was no embarrassment on his face. He looked at Li Tiancheng with a normal expression: "Uncle Tiancheng, the defeat and destruction of the Li clan is a foregone conclusion. For us outsiders, it's just changing masters; naturally, we won't die with your Li clan!"

Hearing Zhu Xing's heart-piercing words, the Li clan disciples denounced him angrily one after another:

"Zhu Xing, you beast!"

"Wicked beast, Zhu Xing, when the leader leads the army back to reinforce us, he will definitely kill you."

"Zhu Rou, to think you are still the woman of the Second Young Master, you betrayed Longshan..."

………………

"What a lively scene, everyone!"

It was just that their denunciations were quickly interrupted by a light laugh.

Hearing this light laugh, the expressions of everyone in the hall suddenly froze, including Li Tiancheng at the head, and many Li clan disciples in front of him as well.

They were all too familiar with this voice.

At the beginning of the siege last night, less than three breaths after this voice sounded, one of the iron piles on the north side was forcibly bent by someone from the outside.

Ta ta ta...

A sound of footsteps came from the entrance of the main hall behind. Everyone turned their heads to look, and seeing that black figure standing at the entrance, they all trembled in unison.

At the entrance of the main hall, Xia Hong in black walked over slowly. He had two thin blades of equal length hanging from his waist. Clearly, he was smiling lightly and hadn't done anything, yet he made the hundreds of people in the hall not even dare to breathe loudly.

Those who were blocking Xia Hong's path all retreated to the sides one after another, clearing a path for him that led directly to the back of the main hall.

Isn't there still fighting outside? The main building hasn't been breached yet!

How did Xia Hong get in?

This confusion popped up in everyone's minds.

Xia Hong walked to the back of the main hall as if no one else was there, looked up at Li Tiancheng above, bowed slightly, and was just about to speak when he was interrupted by Zhu Xing beside him.

Pa...

"Greetings, Leader Xia. Zhu Xing is willing to take his family and friends to abandon darkness for light and join Great Xia. I hope Leader Xia will not hesitate to take us in."

Zhu Xing knelt down directly. Zhu Rou beside him, and the more than one hundred people behind him, all knelt down toward Xia Hong.

Seeing this scene, the Li clan disciples were full of anger. A few who couldn't help it clearly wanted to speak out and rebuke, but were pulled back by the people beside them.

Li Tiancheng on the high platform did not speak, just watched quietly.

It was Li Hu, tied to the pillar, who clenched his fists at this moment, closed his eyes silently, and a trace of pain clearly flashed across his face.

Zhu Xing also joined Great Xia; then how could he kill Zhu Rou to take revenge?

A Frigid-level expert was worth more than the value of him and Yang Zhong combined.

There was no need to even think about how Xia Hong would choose.

Zhu Rou, kneeling on the ground, clearly realized this point as well and was looking up at Li Hu with a face full of complacency.

Xiu...

It was just that the complacent expression on her face, accompanied by the sound of a blade and a hot current brushing against her face, froze instantly.

It was her father Zhu Xing, who was kneeling beside her, whose head was directly severed by Xia Hong.

A one-meter-high blood column sprayed directly from his neck and sprinkled onto her face; this was also the source of that hot current.

"Ah... Dad..."

Everyone's expressions were confused; no one had reacted to the fact that Xia Hong had suddenly killed Zhu Xing, who had surrendered to him.

The whole hall suddenly fell into a deathly silence, with only Zhu Rou's miserable wails and cries.

"I don't like people who act like dogs. And a six-mane Frigid-level expert is no different from an ordinary person in my eyes. Thinking of relying on cultivation to save your life is too naive!"

Xia Hong spoke lightly, then directly cut the rope tying Li Hu, and handed the Long Que Dao in his hand, which had been severed by Li Ying Xuan Ling earlier, to him.

"Go take your revenge!"

As early as the moment Xia Hong killed Zhu Xing, Li Hu's expression was full of emotion. At this moment, hearing Xia Hong's words and receiving the Long Que Dao he gave, his body trembled uncontrollably. He really couldn't suppress the emotions in his heart and knelt down directly toward Xia Hong, his voice trembling:

"The leader's great kindness and virtue, this subordinate has no way to repay. From now on, Li Hu is a person of Great Xia in life and a ghost of Great Xia in death. Even if I have to climb a mountain of blades or go into a sea of fire, even if the leader tells me to die now, Li Hu will never frown!"

This seemed to be a one-way promise. After finishing, Li Hu didn't even wait for Xia Hong's response, kowtowed three times directly, and then stood up and charged toward Zhu Rou.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

"I am your mother, Li Hu, I am your mother."

"You cannot kill me, don't..."

Zhu Rou didn't just beg for mercy; she even had the intention to retreat and escape.

It was a pity that, without needing Xia Hong to speak, a few people behind her who had intended to follow Zhu Xing to surrender ran out with sharp eyes and controlled her.

Push...

Li Hu didn't show the slightest mercy. With a raise of his hand and a fall of his blade, he directly severed Zhu Rou's head.

Sitting and waiting for the farce to end, Xia Hong then cast his gaze back to Li Tiancheng above, bowed again, and smiled: "Senior Li, Longshan has already lost. Don't let those people outside make any more meaningless sacrifices, how about it?"

Li Tiancheng didn't speak for a long time. It was a Li clan disciple in front of him who gathered his courage, walked forward, and pointed at Xia Hong, speaking angrily:

"You want us to surrender? Don't even think about it. My Longshan still has three thousand Longyou troops. Just wait for the leader to lead the army back to reinforce us, and you will all die here. I serve..."

Push!

It just so happened that there was a short sword by his feet. Xia Hong kicked it directly, and the short sword flew up suddenly and inserted itself directly into the center of that person's eyebrows, interrupting his words.

Peng...

The corpse hit the ground and made a sound, making everyone in the hall tremble in unison.

"Senior Li, how about it?"

Xia Hong didn't look at that person from beginning to end, just kept staring at Li Tiancheng behind the high platform and asked again.

Li Tiancheng's gaze had been fixed on Li Hu just now. At this moment, it seemed he had finally come back to his senses. He looked at Xia Hong and sighed heavily:

"Defeated by your hand, Longshan has no grievances..."

But there was clearly still deep unwillingness on his face. After pausing for a moment, he asked back with a slightly struggling tone: "My Longshan still has more than fifty Frigid-level experts and three thousand Longyou troops outside. Xia Hong, do you really think you have the victory in your grasp?"

"They won't come back!"

Xia Hong answered directly. Seeing that Li Tiancheng still had confusion on his face, he smiled and continued to add: "Those three thousand Longyou troops, regardless of whether they win or lose at the Hive, they won't be able to come back!"

"On what grounds?"

Li Tiancheng still asked unwillingly.

Xia Hong didn't answer directly, but took his Long Que Dao back from Li Hu's hand beside him, and then threw it fiercely at Li Tiancheng on the high platform.

Xiu!

After the Long Que Dao flew out of Xia Hong's hand, it almost turned into a silver light, suddenly brushing past Li Tiancheng's ear and penetrating the wall behind directly.

Peng...

After the Long Que Dao passed through the wall, it took a full two or three breaths before it finally hit something, making a loud noise.

The others were still a bit confused, but only Li Tiancheng's expression changed suddenly.

"Why do you think I only severed one of your arms just now?"

Li Tiancheng's eyes trembled violently. Others didn't understand, but he knew.

The distance between the main building and the mountain behind was about one kilometer. Xia Hong's light throw just now flew over in less than three breaths, and it could make such a huge sound even from so far away.

Strength!

Xia Hong's strength was far above his own.

"Why do you think I only severed one of your arms just now?"

Combined with Xia Hong's question, how could Li Tiancheng not react? Xia Hong had the opportunity to kill him when he was attacking the city just now.

Why did he deliberately only sever one of his arms?

Of course, it was to let people take the severed arm to show the Longyou troops, and then force Li Ying Xuan Ling to lead the army back to reinforce them. Xia Hong let Director Yu Wen Tao take the severed arm and Li Xuankong's head away in front of everyone just now; Li Tiancheng also heard it.

"Impossible. Even if Ying Xuan Ling leads three thousand troops back to reinforce us, you have no means to deal with her. Your Great Xia simply doesn't have this strength!"

Seeing Li Tiancheng still putting on an unwilling posture, Xia Hong continued to smile lightly: "Seeing your severed arm and Li Xuankong's head, even if she knows that returning to reinforce is wrong, she won't be able to resist the three thousand soldiers and those fifty-plus Frigid-level experts. Calculating the time, when Director Yu Wen Tao arrives at the Hive with the severed arm and head, there should only be four-plus hours left..."

A feeling of the world spinning surged into his mind, and Li Tiancheng withered instantly.

Four-plus hours—wanting to rush back to Longshan from the Hive, normal marching is impossible!

In order to accelerate, Li Ying Xuan Ling can only lead the army through the Great Xia tunnel.

Xia Hong's meaning couldn't be more obvious: in the tunnel, Great Xia had tampered with things.

"I don't believe it. Ying Xuan Ling's wisdom is unparalleled; how could she not see through your little tricks? She won't lead the army through the tunnel."

"No matter how smart she is, she can't resist the hearts of the people. Alright..."

Xia Hong had no intention of continuing to talk to Li and directly waved his hand to interrupt him, reaching out and pointing to the east side of the main building: "What the outcome of the three thousand Longyou troops will be, we will just wait and see the follow-up. It's just that right now, Senior Li, don't let Longshan increase casualties in vain. Please!"

Li Tiancheng closed his eyes, stood up directly, and followed Xia Hong toward the outer corridor on the east side of the main building.

Hou Jing's ten thousand people were still about three hundred meters away from the main building. The progress was indeed not great, but the problem was that behind them, a golden-armored army of about six hundred people was already standing there.

Watching the casualties of the Longshan side below increasing rapidly, a trace of unbearable feeling flashed in Li Tiancheng's eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he finally opened his mouth and shouted loudly to the bottom of the main building:

"Surrender! Don't make any more meaningless resistance."

Li Tiancheng's voice was clearly very recognizable in Longshan. The first to realize it below were basically the defenders with Earth-Digging Realm cultivation. They turned their heads to see Li Tiancheng above the main building, their faces both lonely and carrying a trace of unwillingness, but in the end, they slowly put down the weapons in their hands.

Pa...

There were already quite a few people who had put down their weapons and surrendered. Li Tiancheng's sentence was like a catalyst. A large number of Earth-Digging Realm cultivators were the first to throw away the weapons in their hands, followed by more and more, and more and more.

The resistance of the Woodcutting Realm cultivators and ordinary people was even smaller. In less than ten breaths, they all threw down their weapons and surrendered.

Although there was still small-scale resistance, it only lasted less than a hundred breaths before it was extinguished by the army led by Hou Jing.

Xia Hong turned his head to look at the huge mountain behind the west side of the main building, a trace of excitement appearing on his face, and his fists clenched slightly.

Longshan has changed hands from now on!

"Hou Jing, you and Dong Zhong, lead the five thousand people from Zhaoyang and Dongkang to collect all the weapons of the surrendered soldiers and clean up all the rebel soldiers hiding in the base;

Chen Yingba, you and Yu Bin, Wu Ningyuan, lead the two thousand-plus Earth-Digging Realm cultivators from Xiling and Bai Yuan to quickly repair the gap in the north city wall;

Wu Tianxing, you lead the three thousand-plus Earth-Digging Realm cultivators from the Changning, Songyuan, and Yucheng families to set up defenses and patrol everywhere in the base. If any trouble arises, you will be the only one held responsible;

Liu Yuan, you allocate three hundred Cloud Dragon Army soldiers to Peng Bo, and you yourself lead the remaining Cloud Dragon Army to patrol the city wall. From now on, not a single person is allowed to leak out of the base, and don't let anyone mix in;

Peng Bo, the three hundred Cloud Dragon Army soldiers are handed over to you. In addition, the three Frigid-level experts Hou Xing, Zhang Ying, and Kong Fan are also under your command. Screen all the high-level officials and Li clan disciples of the entire Longshan one by one for me and lock them in the dungeon."

"This subordinate obeys!"

Hou Jing and the other eleven Frigid-level experts bowed to Xia Hong in unison and quickly took people to attend to their respective matters.

(End of chapter)