Chapter 184: 184. Chapter 184: Execution! Fleeing!

184. Chapter 184: Execution! Fleeing!

Just as Chu Yang had said, Li Ge Xiao revealing his identity at this moment would only harden Magistrate Xu's resolve to kill them.

Impersonating a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a capital offense, and impersonating a Prince was an even greater crime that would implicate one's entire clan. Magistrate Xu killing them would be an act of merit; conversely, if Chu Yang truly were a Prince, offending him would lead to the same end—death either way.

A blade to the head or a blade to the neck, Magistrate Xu had no other choice.

The yamen runners formed a formation and closed in, doing their utmost to compress the space the group had to maneuver. Li Ge Xiao naturally saw through their intent and launched a preemptive strike to prevent them from successfully encircling the group.

His self-created blade technique, "Heaven and Earth Unjust," was exceptionally suited for group combat, and with the added reinforcement of the Great Expansion Sword Art from Yan Nantian, every strike unleashed sword Qi. Between the flashing blades and swords, he actually managed to carve out a bloody path.

Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou stood on his left and right, struggling to maintain the space Li Ge Xiao had opened up.

However, whether it was Lu Xiaofeng's Spirit Rhinoceros Finger or Hua Manlou's Floating Cloud Sleeve, neither martial art was known for its lethality. They might have been brilliant in one-on-one duels, but they were stretched thin in the midst of a battle formation.

As time dragged on, facing fierce attacks from all sides, the two were already exerting all their strength just to protect themselves.

Chu Yang stood guard over the unconscious soldier, watching the runners who sought to take their lives with cold indifference; his desire to kill surged.

"Your Highness, if you kill them all, there will be no one left to defend the city later."

"When the Demon Race army attacks, it is not something one person can defend against alone. No matter how high your cultivation, you are nothing before a cavalry charge."

"Besides, not all these runners are evildoers. Many were surely coerced by Magistrate Xu into this."

"Give them a way out, Your Highness!"

As a blind man, Hua Manlou's perception was extremely keen. Sensing Chu Yang's rising killing intent, he quietly retreated to his side and pleaded softly.

That Chu Yang was a supreme expert was something he had known since the Blissful Tower.

Lu Xiaofeng hadn't seen Chu Yang defeat the Red-Powder Skeleton with his own eyes, but Hua Manlou had "heard" the entire process; he simply hadn't spoken of it until now.

Chu Yang shook his head. "If we keep fighting like this, you three will be the first to collapse. Don't gamble with your lives."

Hua Manlou still couldn't bear to see so many innocent lives lost and implored, "I only ask that Your Highness delay your strike and give them a chance."

"If Your Highness strikes, how many of these runners will survive? When the demons attack, who will we rely on to defend the city?"

The Jinling City yamen had thousands of runners; that meant they would have to inflict hundreds of casualties. How could that be easy?

"Do not miss the opportunity to defend the city."

Chu Yang didn't believe they could hold out that long, but since Hua Manlou insisted, he was willing to provide backup. To him, it was merely a flick of the wrist.

Seeing Chu Yang agree, Hua Manlou breathed a sigh of relief and dived back into the crowd to fight alongside Lu Xiaofeng and Li Ge Xiao.

A Floating Cloud Sleeve repelled the dozen men surrounding Lu Xiaofeng, and Hua Manlou landed behind him, significantly easing the pressure on the struggling Lu Xiaofeng.

"What did you say to Young Master Chu... to His Highness?"

"I asked him to delay his strike and kill fewer people."

"I think there's something wrong with your brain. The situation is so dangerous, and you're asking him not to strike?"

"If His Highness strikes, how many of these runners will survive? When the demons attack, who will we rely on to defend the city?"

"You're right, but I think you're overthinking it. I've known him for years; he isn't a cold-blooded killer!"

"Young Master Chu is Young Master Chu, and the Sage Prince is the Sage Prince. If you can't distinguish between the two, you'll suffer more misery later!"

"Stop scolding me! I already regret it enough!"

"Perhaps even His Highness hasn't realized it himself, but when he acts in the capacity of the Sage Prince, he inadvertently becomes overbearing. He already possesses the awareness of a ruler."

"Stop talking! I dare not listen to what you're saying next."

Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou fell silent simultaneously, suppressing their chaotic thoughts to focus on the enemies before them.

Li Ge Xiao fought with abandon, striking at anyone who came near.

The portion of the Wedding Dress Divine Art Yan Nantian had left in his body had not been fully digested. Part of the power remained hidden in his acupoints, and under the intensity of the current battle, it was triggered, transforming into a continuous stream of true essence that filled his dantian.

His internal energy was fully restored to its peak and continued to rise, reaching the pinnacle of the martial path! The terrifying blade momentum terrified the runners and sent Magistrate Xu into a panic. If this continued, he was finished!

"Don't panic, Magistrate! I am here!"

Just as the situation was becoming one-sided, the Assistant Magistrate, who should have been guarding the city gates, suddenly appeared, having brought all the city guards with him.

With reinforcements, the battle returned to its initial state.

"You're here, but what about the city gates?" Magistrate Xu cursed in a panic.

"Magistrate, forget about guarding the city! Can we even hold Jinling with this many people?" The Assistant Magistrate looked at Magistrate Xu like he was an idiot. "The Qi Family Army is trapped. The South is bound to fall. If we don't run now, are we staying here to die?"

Magistrate Xu's eyes went blank. He had been an official for years and had never considered abandoning a city, because with the Qi Family Army present, he had never had to worry about such things.

Now, the situation seemed to leave him no other choice.

But if he left, what would happen to the common people? "Magistrate, have you never seen how the demons eat people?"

"It's just like how you eat lychees—peel the skin, take a suck, and the flesh is gone!"

Magistrate Xu's last shred of conscience was scared away by the Assistant Magistrate. He grabbed the Assistant Magistrate tightly, trembling, "I've treated you well all these years; you can't leave me behind."

The Assistant Magistrate chuckled. "I'm here to pick you up, aren't I? Don't worry. As long as we kill these few people, we'll find a place to hide. Once the demons leave, we'll come back to Jinling to clean up the mess. As long as we kill anyone who dares to talk, no one will ever know what happened here."

Magistrate Xu closed his eyes in agony.

"Men, escort the Magistrate out of here!"

At the Assistant Magistrate's command, several runners helped Magistrate Xu away.

Hua Manlou, who heard their conversation, trembled with rage, a surge of uncontrollable sorrow rising in his heart. With such "parents of the people," what were the common folk to do?

A hand patted his shoulder.

"You always hold unrealistic hopes for things, so it is only natural that you reap disappointment."

"For your sake, I have already given them a chance."

"Rest assured, I will not kill too many."

"Li Ge Xiao, return!"

With just a simple "return," Li Ge Xiao immediately halted his killing intent and leaped to Chu Yang's side. Without a word, he naturally took the unconscious soldier from Chu Yang's arms.

Chu Yang took a step forward, and a divine shrine rose from the ground. He stood atop it, looking down at the crowd.

At this moment.

Monstrous killing intent, accompanied by an aura like a torrential flood, poured out! All the runners were submerged by an indescribable power, their spirits suffering a massive impact in an instant.

They didn't faint immediately; instead, they stared in terror at Chu Yang, who looked like a god, their bodies frozen in place.

Magistrate Xu and the Assistant Magistrate were the same.

Chu Yang formed a hand seal and shouted coldly: "Execute!"

A terrifying strike erupted, acting like a meat grinder, turning everything in front of him into dust.

The encirclement formed by thousands of runners was crushed by the storm of strikes, leaving a gap. Flesh and blood paved the ground; from afar, it looked as if a giant had been violently stripped of a layer of skin and flesh, dripping with blood.

The Assistant Magistrate and his lackeys had been turned into mincemeat, merging with the bluestone slabs beneath their feet.

Magistrate Xu's lower body had vanished, and he lay on the ground with a blank stare, in so much pain he didn't even have the strength to wail, left only to feel death approaching.

How he survived this, Chu Yang didn't know—whether it was good luck or bad.

Those runners who had acted as accomplices were either missing limbs or feet; the unlucky ones had their heads sliced in two.

Having promised Hua Manlou to show restraint, Chu Yang naturally didn't kill them all. Not many died; most were maimed. Later, when defending the city, they would be the first wave of cannon fodder. If they survived, their past sins could be forgiven.

Extreme pain triggers adrenaline, creating an illusion that it doesn't hurt quite as much. It would take a while before they felt the true, agonizing pain.

The remaining uninjured runners, looking at the hell of flesh and blood before them, were already scared witless until the delayed screams brought them back to reality.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!"

"My legs, my arms!"

"My eyes! I can't see anything!"

Under the dense barrage of strikes, everyone had lost some organs—some their eyes or noses, others their hands or feet. They lay on the ground like broken dolls, struggling miserably.

The more the injured runners screamed, the more terrified the others became.

Clang!

Someone was the first to drop their staff, and within seconds, the sound of heavy objects hitting the ground was incessant.

The runners, who had been so aggressive a moment ago, were now all kneeling on the ground, trembling, hoping Chu Yang would spare their lives.

It wasn't just them who were afraid; even Li Ge Xiao, who had pledged his loyalty to Chu Yang, was terrified. The moment the strikes erupted, he couldn't sense any humanity in Chu Yang, as if the other had become a cold, heartless demon god.

Having traveled the length and breadth of the land and priding himself on having seen countless scenes, Lu Xiaofeng vomited. Looking at the meat paste covering the ground, he nearly threw up his gallbladder.

Hua Manlou, who couldn't see the bloody scene, vomited even more violently than Lu Xiaofeng. His hearing and sense of smell were several times sharper than a normal person's; the smell of the blood and flesh covering the entire street was enough to scramble his brain.

Li Ge Xiao, carrying the unconscious soldier, saw them surrender and shouted: "Magistrate Xu colluded with the Assistant Magistrate to abandon the city and has now been executed. The ringleaders are dead. You lot will follow His Highness to defend Jinling City, which will count as an act of merit. Otherwise, even if you survive today, you will be dragged to the vegetable market for execution later!"

The runners trembled in fear, all pledging to follow Chu Yang's lead.

"I don't understand military strategy. You handle the arrangements; I'll go sit on the city wall for a while."

Chu Yang handed over command to Li Ge Xiao, who, as a former Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander, was more than capable of handling such matters.

"Very well, Your Highness, go ahead. I will have everything arranged and join you shortly."

With the situation critical, Li Ge Xiao didn't stand on ceremony, nor did he spout nonsense about "Your Highness, step back, let us take the lead."

Whether Jinling City could be held depended entirely on Chu Yang. Just as the Assistant Magistrate had said, how could a few thousand runners hold off the Demon Race army?

After Chu Yang left, Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou approached Li Ge Xiao to ask what he planned to do.

"I am well-acquainted with General Qi and know his temperament. Since he dared to lead the Qi Family Army out of Jinling, there must be something in the city that can help defend it."

"For example, the demon-slaying heavy crossbows specially made by the Qi Family Army. A single bolt is enough to shoot and kill a Spirit Demon, and the power is terrifying. Even a Great Demon would not dare to face it head-on."

"I need to stay behind to coordinate these runners. I'll have to trouble you two to go to the General's Mansion and see if you can find the demon-slaying crossbows."

Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou nodded and left together. Li Ge Xiao watched their retreating figures, silently praying they would find the crossbows.

With the death of Magistrate Xu, the news of the Great Demon's siege spread throughout the city in an instant. The wealthy and powerful in Jinling City began packing their luggage, preparing to flee the town that was about to be baptized by war.

The carriages of the rich rushed toward the city gates in the chaos, while servants and maids followed behind, crying and carrying large and small bags, terrified of being left behind.

The city guards wanted to stop them, but were knocked aside by the carriages. Everyone was injured, as those horses were hybrids bred with demon beasts and possessed far more strength than ordinary martial artists; the guards couldn't stop them at all! "Let them go!"

Chu Yang stood on the city wall, looking down at these people with indifference. They were merely seeking to survive; there was nothing wrong with leaving, even if they had chosen the stupidest way to do it.

With the situation critical, Chu Yang couldn't be bothered to persuade them. They had chosen their own path, so they would have to bear the consequences.

"As you command!"

The runners replied respectfully and stood like statues on both sides of the city gate, no longer obstructing the wealthy merchants from leaving.

Among those leaving the city, besides those in carriages, there were even people in sedan chairs, surrounded by a large group of servants, with a display of pomp that was terrifying.

Chu Yang asked: "Who is in that sedan chair?"

A runner scrambled up the city wall and whispered: "Reporting to Your Highness, that is the son of the Cabinet Senior Grand Secretary, Lord Yan. He came to Jinling for a visit a few days ago, and I heard he brought many sons of other officials with him."

Chu Yang smiled playfully: "That would be the legendary 'Little Grand Secretary,' Yan Shifan, right?"

The runner chuckled twice, not daring to answer.

The reason he was called the Little Grand Secretary was not only because his father, Yan Song, was the head of the Cabinet and held immense power, but also because Yan Song handed most of the Cabinet's official business to Yan Shifan, always saying, "I will decide after consulting with my little Donglou."

Not quite a Grand Secretary, but better than a Grand Secretary—hence the title.

"If Yan Shifan dies, Li Ge Xiao should be able to find some solace in his heart, even if it's just collecting a little interest in advance."

Chu Yang's mouth curled upward, looking at Yan Shifan, who was still putting on airs while fleeing, as if he were looking at a dead man.

"Go tell Li Ge Xiao what is happening here. Tell him if he wants to take revenge with his own hands, he can leave the city now. I can defend Jinling City alone."

The runner broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this and scrambled down the city wall, disappearing into the street.

The city gate was bustling with traffic, with people constantly leaving. The wealthy and powerful went first, followed by shopkeepers and owners who stood at the gate, hesitating.

Inns, restaurants, cosmetics, silks and satins, transport businesses, blacksmiths, butchers.

Compared to the wealthy merchants sitting on mountains of gold and silver, these people were abandoning their livelihoods. If their lives weren't in danger, how could they bear to give them up? "No one else is allowed to leave!"

Just as they gritted their teeth and prepared to leave, Chu Yang waved his hand, and a gust of wind appeared out of thin air, blowing people over and slamming the massive city gates shut!