Chapter 451: Charging the Pass

The Forbidden City bled for a whole day; the steaming blood qi floated into the sky, dyeing the setting sun into a piece of crimson, then falling from the sky, pulling out black-red shadows on the street.

Outside the East Prosperity Gate, in two side halls, the floor tiles lifted one after another. Two groups of people with completely different clothing and temperaments crawled out from the secret passage and gathered together outside the East Prosperity Gate under the leadership of two people with completely different appearances but identical expressions and temperaments.

One group was carrying swords and knives, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, speaking vulgarly, the calluses on their tiger mouths were ground out by raw iron, with cracks stained with blood. One group was in purple official robes, arrogant, talking loudly, the calluses on their fingertips were caused by brush handles, and the lines on their fingertips were stained with ink.

People who had never intersected, who had coexisted like parallel lines in the Great Ming for two hundred years, gathered together.

When approaching, the officials raised their heads one after another, responding with disdain or arrogant kindness; while the Ordinary Jianghu people were more direct, some spat with disdain, some were hostile, and some were also disdainful.

Only upon closer inspection could one see that these people's pupils were slightly dilated and bloodshot, and they stumbled slightly while walking, as if their minds had been influenced by some method, leaving them somewhat dazed.

The two Liu Jin clones converged.

"How many Ordinary Jianghu?"

"Three hundred, officials?"

"Seventy-eight. It's just that Tang Lanzhou killed their courage, and they can't be used now."

"Know."

While speaking, a shrill sound of breaking wind approached from far to near, reaching them in an instant. Zheng Zheng Anqi landed from mid-air and walked to Liu Jin's side, saying calmly.

"Li Miao is awake."

The two Liu Jins' faces changed slightly.

"Didn't attack?"

Zheng Zheng Anqi shook his head.

"No, either the state is wrong, or it's bluffing, but I didn't gamble; this person's strangeness is rare in my life, Yingzhou's dozens of generations in a thousand years have no one comparable to him, there are too many strange things... I didn't succeed in possession, which means this person's 'nature' also has problems."

"So before restoring the perfect state and repairing the nature cultivation realm, rashly fighting to the death with him might fall into the situation of last night."

The two Liu Jins were silent for a moment, acknowledging Zheng Zheng Anqi's judgment.

Indeed, whether Li Miao was bluffing or luring the enemy deep, it was a wise move to wait until Zheng Zheng Anqi restored his perfect state before fighting to the death.

A miss is as good as a mile; Zheng Zheng Anqi who restored his perfection was clouds and mud compared to Zheng Zheng Anqi who fought Li Miao at Wang Gongchang. Even if he broke away from the mental image and recovered from his injuries, Li Miao was absolutely no match.

Between thoughts racing, he heard Zheng Zheng Anqi ask.

"You, how many left?"

This was asking how many Liu Jins were left.

"Four."

The clone replied.

"Two here, one in the Divine Machine Camp... one in the palace."

"You are going to die soon."

Zheng Zheng Anqi said.

"You didn't cultivate nature, wanting to cut out nature seeds is absolutely impossible, you can only cut yourself into pieces. The more clones die, the weaker you become. If two more die, you can't even keep your consciousness; if three more die, you only have ten breaths of life left."

The clone said calmly.

"Enough to send you to Li Miao."

Zheng Zheng Anqi nodded, flew to the top of the East Prosperity Gate, and stood with his hands behind his back.

The two clones turned their heads to look at the crowd.

"In that case, everyone, it's time to set off."

"Go to—the Hall of Supreme Harmony."

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the first of the three halls.

Commonly known as the Golden Throne Hall.

————————"It's snowing."

An Ziyang lay on the roof of a great hall, reaching out to catch a snowflake drifting in front of him.

Today is October 17th, the solar term has passed Light Snow.

Snowflakes fell on the pieces of scabbards, armor, mechanisms, bows, and crossbows lying on the roof, slowly melting, and congealing into frost again.

The sunlight had almost disappeared, and the sky was only a piece of gray-white.

An Ziyang turned his head and asked.

"Where have they reached?"

Then, one of the attendants replied in a low voice.

"Having passed the inner street of the East Flowery Gate, it will take about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea to reach this place."

"What about Zheng Zheng Anqi Sheng?"

"He has been escorting those officials and Ordinary Jianghu people from high vantage points within the palace; if he does not change his position, he should pass by on the opposite side."

The attendant reached out and pointed to the roof opposite.

An Ziyang nodded.

"Understood. Go and have the side near the Hall of Literary Brilliance prepared to provide support."

Immediately, he held his breath and focused his gaze on the distant gate.

Li Miao had already explained everything.

The so-called "provisions" were not something just anyone could provide, nor could they be in just any state; otherwise, Zheng Zheng Anqi would never have needed to hold that ritual in Nanjing.

The more robust a person's Qi, blood, and spirit, the more suitable they were as "provisions." Ordinary Jianghu people and officials were the groups in the Great Ming most fitting for these two points. Because Zheng Zheng Anqi Sheng's realm far exceeded Zheng Zheng Anqi's, his requirements for "provisions" were even higher, which was why he had gone to such great lengths to collude with these two groups.

But conversely, if these two groups were wiped out before Zheng Zheng Anqi Sheng recovered... then Zheng Zheng Anqi Sheng would lose.

As for why An Ziyang was certain Zheng Zheng Anqi Sheng would pass through here, it was because when people are in a clear, calm state, they are the most difficult to serve as "provisions," so some rituals were needed to stir their minds, causing them to fluctuate and unify, which would allow Zheng Zheng Anqi Sheng to use them to complete his realm. The ritual in Nanjing, as well as Zheng Zheng Anqi Sheng's insistence on bringing these people to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, followed the same logic.

Entering the palace from the East Flowery Gate and walking to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which symbolized the highest authority in the world, the moment the officials' and Ordinary Jianghu people's emotions were pushed to their peak would be the moment Zheng Zheng Anqi Sheng made his move.

Along this path, there were four checkpoints: the Harmony Gate, the Hall of Literary Brilliance, the Imperial Way, and the Gate of Heavenly Protection. How many people could survive passing through these four checkpoints would determine the outcome of today's battle.

A thin layer of snow had accumulated on the ground, and the "crunching" sound of boots stepping into the snow came from afar.

"He's here."

An Ziyang said softly.

Boom!!!!

The next instant, Zheng Zheng Anqi Sheng descended from the sky, smashing into a side hall! The Imperial Guards and Embroidered Uniform Guards crouching on the roof didn't even have time to let out a scream before they and the side hall turned into a spray of collapsing debris!

That's right, Zheng Zheng Anqi Sheng would not just stand there waiting to be attacked; rather than defending passively, it was better to take the initiative and clear the path ahead!

Before the collapsing building even hit the ground, Zheng Zheng Anqi Sheng charged out again, galloping along the wide road, his protective true energy extending outward like a blade a zhang long, collapsing the buildings along the way as he went.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—

Destroying everything in his path!

At the same time, the crowd led by Liu Jin also crossed into the Left Shun Gate, appearing in An Ziyang's line of sight.

"Fire!!!!!"

The majestic true energy of the Wedding Dress Divine Art amplified An Ziyang's roar.

Arrows, throwing knives, poison needles, and pellets mixed with the drifting snowflakes, showering the crowd from all directions like a black-and-white rain.

The Ordinary Jianghu people in the crowd raised their weapons and flew up to parry.

At the same time, Zheng Zheng Anqi Sheng's gaze locked onto An Ziyang.

The next instant, he charged rapidly toward An Ziyang.

(End of chapter)