Chapter 839: Mutual Destruction, Perishing Together?

Wu Yong was desperate, feeling for the first time that his intellect and schemes were so utterly useless.

The other side simply didn't play by common sense at all; what about the agreed-upon duel before the battle lines? Jia Rong, you're not following the rules!

Normally speaking, since Hu Sanniang had come out to issue a challenge, you should have sent out one of the Jia Family's Thirteen Taibao to meet her in combat!

Everyone fighting fair and square, a proper head-on clash!

Carrying despair and pain, Wu Yong closed his eyes — don't misunderstand, he wasn't dead yet, just unconscious for the time being.

If the subsequent excavation work could be done properly, he could still be dug out; with good luck, he wouldn't die.

Tang Luo shattered the city wall with a single punch, blasting out a "Heaven-Reaching Great Path".

On the great road behind the ruins, Hu Sanniang stood there together with her warhorse, completely unscathed — body unscathed, but her heart suffered a heavy blow.

She realized that Jia Rong seemed not to be the Grand Master everyone believed him to be; he had most likely reached that legendary realm — the Supreme Master!

At the very least, Hu Sanniang could be certain that a Grand Master absolutely could not have done what Jia Rong just did.

A Grand Master might be able to destroy a gate tower, blast a gap in this thick city wall.

But the gap wouldn't be this large, and it would also take time.

What about Jia Rong? How did he do it?

Standing dozens of meters away, he casually threw a punch with raised hand; while his emitted True Qi enveloped himself, he blasted a huge gap dozens of meters wide, making the heavy seem light.

He accomplished what even Grand Masters cannot. And behind that unattainable destructive power lay a terrifying control that made one's heart tremble with fear.

Hu Sanniang could shatter stubborn rock, but if you had her hold an egg in her hand, without damaging the egg, she might not even be able to break a slightly thick wooden plank.

Reality no longer allowed Hu Sanniang to continue thinking, because black-clothed, crying-face-masked men were already walking toward her.

Empty-handed, carrying no weapons.

But those hands wearing black fist-armor — who knew how much fresh blood they had stained.

True battlefield Grim Reaper.

"The Weeping Grim Reaper Lin Daiyu!" Hu Sanniang recognized this person's identity; according to the original plan, she should have fought a great battle with this person, "no fight, no acquaintance," then betray and defect to the enemy.

"Forget it..." Hu Sanniang shook her head and dismounted; she had never liked Song Jiang and the others' vicious scheme to begin with.

It was just that right now was a moment of life-and-death survival, so she had no choice but to agree.

Now that a problem had arisen, it was good too — at least she could fight a proper, upright battle; even if she died in battle, she would die in the right place.

Hu Sanniang and Lin Daiyu engaged, and the Jia Family Army, braving the crossbow bolts of the soldiers on the not-yet-collapsed city walls, began charging into the Imperial City.

Before long, chaos spread outward; the commoners in the Imperial City reacted quickly.

One part ran straight for the Imperial City's other exits; another part tightly shut doors and windows, huddling at home absolutely refusing to go out.

Those great clans and powerful households arranged their guards and retainers, then hid themselves in basement dark rooms.

Great clans having basement dark rooms is standard operating procedure.

The Jia Family Army's hundred-thousand-plus men and horses came like a dark cloud, killing the defending troops into steady retreat, slowly surging into the Imperial City.

The battle situation gradually turned into street fighting and melee; the battlefield was divided into piece after piece.

The Jia Family Army's numerical advantage was temporarily neutralized, looking not so obvious.

This wasn't anything good; at this time the Jia Family Army's most correct choice should have been to concentrate forces and take the Imperial Palace in one sustained push, not entangle with defending soldiers here.

The reason for this choice probably meant the other side's objective wasn't merely to enter the Imperial City, but to completely occupy it.

That's why they would clear out the enemy soldiers in advance.

If Wu Yong were still awake, he would definitely be able to guess the "Jia Family Army's" thoughts based on the situation.

But now, he had gone from his original severe injuries to gasping his last breath, unable to hold on much longer.

Buried under the ruins, Wu Yong's luck hadn't been bad originally; a support point had formed a triangular space, so he wouldn't be directly crushed by stones.

The problem was, when the soldiers charged in, they trampled the ruin stones solidly tight.

Now Wu Yong could be said to be truly buried on the spot; when the time comes, just erect a tombstone and call it a grave.

On the great road leading to the Imperial City, a formation of nearly a hundred people kept retreating continuously, weapons aimed at the enemy, yet not a single person dared step forward.

Occasionally looking at each other, they could see the fear in each other's eyes.

Before them was a carriage with an added canopy, four sides without "walls", the very drafty kind.

Several horses pulled the carriage toward the Imperial Palace.

Atop sat the "Jia Rong" who shattered the city with one punch, beside him his two personal guards — one was Jia Huan who defeated Gongsun Sheng.

The other an old man; at first no one knew who he was.

Later after investigation, they found out this man had once followed Jia Yan, the Duke of Ningguo of the Jia Family, barely counting as his personal guard.

Named Jiao Da.

Some speculated that Jia Rong's sudden powerful rise was due to this Jiao Da's merit.

Now, no one would think that anymore. Because Jia Rong's strength had long since surpassed Jia Yan.

The carriage entered, these soldiers retreating again and again, retreating step by step all the way to the Imperial Palace, merging with the thousand-plus "Imperial Forest Army" guarding the palace.

"Hiss—"

A sharp whistling sound, a sharp black arrow tore through the long sky at extreme speed, shooting toward Tang Luo on the carriage.

Zhu Bajie stepped forward, flicked the arrow away easily with his hand, freezing Hua Rong's bow-drawing and arrow-shooting motion on the palace gate tower.

This aged Jiao Da actually still possesses this level of strength?

Hua Rong himself isn't a Master-level martial artist, but his archery has reached the realm of transformation; within a certain range, even Masters dare not slight him.

Jiao Da could catch his arrow, then...

The Jiao Da beside Jia Rong is actually a Master expert? How is this battle to be fought?

But not fighting isn't an option either, a battle with one's back to the water!

"Those who retreat, beheaded!"

Qin Ming's furious voice rang out; he charged ahead, rushing toward the imperial carriage like a moth throwing itself into fire, with a tragic and resolute air.

The soldiers behind him followed in droves.

"Follow me, loose!"

Hua Rong shouted sternly; the bowstring, which had relaxed slightly, tensed again, and Hua Rong once more took aim and released at Tang Luo.

The hundred archers beside him likewise loosed; over a hundred arrows, dense as a swarm, arrived before Tang Luo and his companions a step ahead of Qin Ming.

Ao Yulie waved a hand; a gale swept in, first blowing away a portion of the arrows.

The rest were blocked by Zhu Bajie.

Just as the arrows were rendered completely useless, a black streak of light arrived in an instant. Under the immense pressure, Hua Rong, at the cost of his arm being injured and his longbow destroyed, fired his final arrow.

This arrow surpassed all his previous arrows — earth-shattering, capable of killing a Grandmaster!

Tang Luo reached out and caught the black arrow in his hand.

As simple as plucking a leaf, picking a flower.

"Heaven destroys me..." Hua Rong's throat sweetened; he spat a large mouthful of fresh blood and slowly collapsed.

Tang Luo tossed the black feathered arrow from his hand; it shot toward Qin Ming, who had already charged over.

Qin Ming raised the wolf-tooth club in his hand, but it did not come down.

The arrow tore through the armor on his body, pierced his chest, and left a bloody "passage" behind him.

The formation of those soldiers who had followed Qin Ming's charge was "shattered" by this one arrow, leaving only some remnant defeated troops.

Even so, the arrow's speed did not diminish; it slammed straight into the palace's main gate, and both shattered simultaneously.

The palace gate, its thickness even exceeding that of the city gate, was shattered by the tiny arrow.

"Aaaah!"

Terror and despair spread; the soldiers originally guarding the city routed and fled.

The imperial carriage entered through the main gate, driving into the palace.

Moments later, thick smoke rose from all over the palace, firelight flickering.

"What does this mean?" Tang Luo and the other two got down from the carriage; the others set the fire themselves?

Outside the palace hall, Song Jiang stood on the steps, looking down at the three from a height, his face ferocious, shouting sternly: "Heaven wants to destroy me! Heaven wants to destroy me!"

He had already witnessed "Jia Rong's" strength.

Not a Grandmaster, not a Great Grandmaster, but the legendary Supreme Grandmaster who can take an enemy general's head amidst a hundred thousand troops as easily as reaching into a pocket!

A monster that human power simply cannot contend against.

His defeat, the 108 Stars' defeat this time, is not a crime of war — it is Heaven's will!

"What does that have to do with you setting the fire?" Tang Luo asked as he walked upward.

"Hmph!" Song Jiang sneered, "I won't leave you a single thing!"

After the news of the city's fall arrived, he had already ordered men to pour oil in various places throughout the palace.

These preparations, Song Jiang and the others had made two days ago; the self-inflicted suffering was to win.

The fire preparations were to deny the enemy victory.

When the palace main gate was breached, Song Jiang ordered the fire lit; the thick smoke seen now means the flames have begun spreading everywhere.

What Jia Rong and the others will get is only a charred palace after a great fire burns through.

Not only that, Song Jiang secretly ordered fires set in various places in the imperial city; amid the chaos of war.

The flames cannot be stopped; the entire imperial city will be put to the torch, thoroughly becoming a ruin.

Man lives, city lives; man dies, city dies.

As Song Jiang said, he will leave nothing for Tang Luo — only ruins devoured by flames.

As for Jia Huan's wind-and-rain-summoning art, the heavy rain it can bring down.

Song Jiang had already factored that in; Gongsun Sheng had tested it long ago — once the fire takes shape, it is not so easily extinguished by rain.

"Losing and then burning the place — not very nice, is it?" Ao Yulie said, "You just can't stand to lose."

"Hmph!"

Song Jiang merely sneered coldly, not answering at all.

Besides burning the imperial city to ashes and leaving nothing for the enemy, the arson was also to let more people escape.

Though he would die, the 108 Stars have not been completely wiped out.

Lin Chong and Wu Song have already forcibly broken through and left, to preserve a spark for the 108 Stars, to avenge him.

Giving Tang Luo a deep look, Song Jiang turned and walked into the great hall behind him where civil and military officials hold court.

He sat on the dragon throne; this position, he had originally wanted to sit in for fifty more years, yet now he had sat only a few months.

Picking up the precious sword leaning beside him, Song Jiang drew it, first pointing it at the entering Tang Luo trio, then pressing it horizontally against his own neck: "I'll wait for you down below."

"Boom!"

An explosion that shook the heavens; in this incomparably grand palace, the dark corners were actually piled full of fire.

Song Jiang's final sentence was the signal; the death warriors ignited the gunpowder.

The sudden explosion turned the palace into ruins in an instant.

He not only wanted to burn the imperial city to the ground, but also to perish together with "Jia Rong" and the others!

As for subsequent revenge, naturally it would be against the entire Great Qian.

Intense pain spread through his whole body; Song Jiang felt his body float up lightly.

Truly floating up.

Then, his eyes instantly widened; he saw, amidst the still-crumbling palace, three figures still standing.

Unscathed — not a hair harmed!

Falling heavily from the sky, the shattered body crashed into the ruined palace, the last of its life force surging as Song Jiang snarled like a demon: "Why! Why won't you die!"

"I thought you would surrender, I didn't expect you to be so ruthless," Tang Luo said.

He is somewhat different from the Song Jiang I imagined.

Ao Yulie raised his hand and pointed, and a violent rainstorm came, pouring down from the heavens.

The firelight was quickly suppressed, and in just a few breaths, the flames in the imperial palace were completely extinguished, leaving only a great deal of residual smoke rising.

The fact that Gongsun Sheng could not extinguish the fire does not mean that Ao Yulie cannot extinguish it.

Both sides suffer losses, perish together, leaving only a ruined city?

All of this has existed only in Song Jiang's imagination from the beginning.