Chapter 66: The Blue Heaven is Dead, This Poor Daoist Shall Act on Behalf of Heaven; Thunder, Come!

"There is no need for this."

Zhang Jiao held the Nine-Section Staff, his black hair dancing wildly, his Daoist robe fluttering without a breeze.

He stood above the firmament, watching the three men who were surrounding and attacking him.

His expression was neither sad nor happy, and his voice resounded between heaven and earth.

"I ask the world's righteous path, when will you return peace to the world?"

Zhang Jiao stepped forward, holding the Nine-Section Staff.

"Since the Blue Heaven is dead, I shall act on behalf of Heaven. Thunder, come!"

Zhang Jiao held the Nine-Section Staff high, and the staff was covered in purple thunder.

He attacked toward Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun.

An endless sea of thunder submerged Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun.

Expressions of unprecedented shock appeared on the faces of Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun.

How could this Demon Daoist, Zhang Jiao, be so powerful?

Unprecedented worry arose in the hearts of Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun; with such a powerful Zhang Jiao,

who else in this Great Han could stop him?

Yet, even knowing that Zhang Jiao's strength was formidable, Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun had no choice but to bite the bullet and face the enemy.

Only by killing Zhang Jiao would there be hope for victory in this war.

If they could not kill Zhang Jiao, then at least they had to stop him.

Lu Zhi shouted angrily, "Rebellious subject and traitor, cease your arrogance."

Lu Zhi made a desperate, all-or-nothing decision to fight with all his might.

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun did the same.

Zhang Jiao was too powerful; under that world-destroying thunder, they felt as though they were merely ants.

Zhang Jiao shook his head and said, "You call me a thief, but what is it that I, this poor Daoist, have stolen?"

Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and Lu Zhi were all pillars of the nation, famous throughout the Great Han.

Facing such existences, Zhang Jiao also felt great respect in his heart.

Zhang Jiao could not bear to eradicate such admirable people.

He closed his eyes directly and said indifferently, "I use my body as medicine to heal the world's ailments. What I desire is not wealth, not immortality, but only peace for the world."

As for those on this path who block me, they must all die!

For the sake of peace in the world, why regret this body?

Therefore, no matter how much Zhang Jiao respected Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun, these three heroes of the Great Han, he would not show the slightest mercy.

These three were admirable, yet they were destined not to be his, Zhang Jiao's, comrades; they were destined only to stand on the opposite side of him.

Thus, the only respect Zhang Jiao could give them was to use his full strength to kill them.

Under the nine heavens of thunder, Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun were all struck until they had no vitality left.

No matter how powerful their strength was, they could no longer withstand a single blow from Zhang Jiao.

This disparity was too great, so great that it was despairing.

The moment Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun attacked, they knew they would surely die.

In reality, that was exactly the case.

The combined efforts of Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun did not stop Zhang Jiao; they were not even a match for a single move from him.

Under Zhang Jiao's single blow, Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun were all gasping their last breaths, their vitality clearly at its end.

At this final moment of life, Lu Zhi laughed at himself and said, "I truly... never expected that I would... would die here..."

He was a great Confucian scholar of the world, a master of literature, and a pure follower of Confucianism.

Loyal and patriotic, he cultivated himself and managed his family.

He never thought he would fall here.

At the final moment of his life, Lu Zhi looked at the Daoist in the Daoist robe before him.

A sense of unprecedented desolation arose in his heart.

Could it be that the Great Han, the National Fortune of the Great Han, had truly reached its end?

With such a powerful enemy standing on the opposite side of the Han Empire, could the Great Han stop him?

Lu Zhi did not know; this great Confucian master closed his eyes.

At the final moment of his life, in a trance, he saw the four-hundred-year-old Han Empire collapse with a roar.

He saw the mighty tide of the people submerge the Great Emperor's empire.

The Blue Heaven era is dead; the Yellow Heaven Prosperous Age has arrived.

Does the Great Han still have a future?

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun used the last of their strength to turn and kneel in the direction of the Imperial Capital.

Holding their weapons, they struggled to kneel upright.

"Cough, cough! In the end... in the end, I cannot... continue to serve the Great Han with loyalty..."

"Born a Han subject... die a Han ghost. Your Majesty, this subject has done his best."

These two generals of the Great Han, facing the direction of Luoyang City, left their final words.

In that Luoyang City, there was the monarch they served and the empire they wanted to protect.

Born a Han subject, die a Han ghost.

It is a pity that there are no ghosts in this world; if there were ghosts,

even if they turned into ghosts, they would still return to continue protecting the Great Han.

Inside Luoyang City, Liu Hong asked Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang, who were attending to him, "How is the situation on the battlefield now? Has that Huangfu Song suppressed that group of Yellow Turban rioters?"

Liu Hong trusted eunuchs, with the Ten Attendants at the head; these ten eunuchs now relied on Liu Hong's loyalty to act recklessly, selling offices and trading titles.

And among these Ten Attendants, Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong were the most prominent.

Liu Hong once remarked, "Attendant Zhang is my father, Attendant Zhao is my mother."

The meaning was that the eunuch Zhang Rang was his father, and Zhao Zhong was his mother.

From this, one can see the favor and trust Liu Hong had for Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong.

Of course, by this act, Liu Hong also trampled the dignity belonging to the Emperor and imperial power under his own feet.

Which of the great aristocratic families would look up to a group of eunuchs, a group of castrates?

Even though the Ten Attendants were powerful now, and they had to bow their heads under the threats of these eunuchs, the Ten Attendants.

But deep down, who did not despise this group of castrates?

If the Emperor himself acknowledged castrates as his parents, would the ministers still respect him?

Yet Liu Hong was unconcerned, regarding the Ten Attendants as his confidants and allowing these eunuchs to act as accomplices to evil.

"Your Majesty, with General Huangfu taking action, those Yellow Turban rioters can be wiped out with a snap of the fingers."

Zhang Rang said with a smile, "For now, Your Majesty only needs to wait for good news."

Liu Hong also nodded in agreement and said, "Quite right. A bunch of peasants, the only reason they have lasted until now is because I was lenient. Now that the Great Han's heavenly army has descended, these rebels can be destroyed in an instant."

Zhao Zhong then said with an ambiguous tone, "Your Majesty, if General Huangfu Song quells that Yellow Turban rebellion, he must be rewarded handsomely. This is a monumental achievement!"

"A monumental achievement?"

Hearing this, Liu Hong narrowed his eyes, paused for a few seconds, and said, "He should indeed be rewarded handsomely."

Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang exchanged a glance; upon hearing Liu Hong's words, they understood instantly.

It seemed this Emperor harbored wariness in his heart toward generals like Huangfu Song.

A monumental achievement is the easiest way for a subject's merit to overshadow the sovereign.

And the Emperor currently on the throne was, obviously, not a wise monarch.

Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, these eunuchs, did not have so many thoughts, nor were they trying to harm Huangfu Song.

They simply did not want Huangfu Song to threaten their status.

Now that they heard the Emperor speak this way, the eunuchs of the Ten Attendants finally set their minds at ease.

(End of this chapter)