Chapter 458: Victory or Defeat

An Ziyang frowned, but he had no intention of listening to Liu Jin continue.

That previous display was merely to stall for time, a cover to let the retainers sneak into striking distance.

There was only one way to deal with Liu Jin.

An Ziyang waved his hand violently.

"Kill!"

In an instant, the several retainers, Imperial Guards, and Embroidered Uniform Guards present surged toward Liu Jin like a tide, their blades a forest of steel.

The cards of the Eastern Depot, Yingzhou, and the imperial court had all been played; they were now at their wit's end, with no possibility of reinforcements. The two surviving Eastern Depot Heaven-Man realm experts were already covered in wounds, and this clone of Liu Jin possessed only second-rate standards. Facing this sea-like offensive, they were certain not to last even the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

Soon, the first Eastern Depot retainer was pierced through the chest and abdomen by Mei Qinghe's "Sword Twenty-Three." Just as he tried to gamble his life to take the weakened Mei Qinghe down with him, Ruan Mei's Emei daggers stabbed into his waist and abdomen.

"Arghhhhh!"

He roared and charged toward An Ziyang's side.

After charging only a few steps, he was hooked by grappling chains that dug into his belly. Then, several Imperial Guards hitched the chains to their saddles and spurred their horses forward.

*Rip—*

His abdomen was laid open, steaming with heat. He lost his strength, collapsed to his knees with a thud, and was decapitated by Cao Hanyan from behind.

The last surviving Eastern Depot Heaven-Man expert was also stretched thin under the siege of several retainers. Liu Jin, behind him, was caught in the shockwaves; his left arm and half his shoulder were shredded, his flesh hanging by a thread against his chest.

Even at this moment, his expression remained unchanged.

An Ziyang's frown deepened.

Just then, a series of footsteps suddenly came from behind him.

An Ziyang was a true disciple of the Godly Thief Sect; just by his hearing, he could tell these were the footsteps of Zhu Zai. But there was another set of footsteps hidden beneath them, stumbling and unsteady.

He turned to look.

He saw two people walking toward them.

One of them was indeed Zhu Zai, his expression anxious, his hair and beard disheveled. One hand gripped the other person's neck, while the other hand held the iron chain bound around that person's body, walking quickly toward them.

The person bound and gripped was Zhu Zai's only son, Zhu Yijing. His expression was dull, his eyes vacant, his head and face covered in blood—it was unclear whose it was—as he was led along by Zhu Zai.

At this very moment, there was also a result on Liu Jin's side.

The last Eastern Depot Heaven-Man expert was pierced by ten thousand arrows. With no guards left, Liu Jin was kicked to the ground from behind by Gao Anyu, and a black ruler whistled through the air, about to crush his skull.

"Wait!"

An Ziyang shouted suddenly, stopping Gao Anyu.

"Bring him over!"

Having said that, he hurriedly stepped forward to meet Zhu Zai.

"Old Guard Commander, did Liu Jin really plant a method on Battalion Commander Zhu that neither His Majesty nor the Guard Commander could discover?"

The matter of Liu Jin lurking by Zhu Yijing's side under the alias Liu Jinyi would naturally not be let go so easily. After Li Miao returned to the capital, he and the Emperor had checked Zhu Yijing's body, and indeed, they had found nothing unusual.

After that day, for the sake of safety, Li Miao had even kept Zhu Yijing in the palace, cutting off all contact with the outside world, with several retainers watching him at all times, ensuring there was no risk of an accident or him being controlled.

Yet now, Zhu Zai had personally brought Zhu Yijing over.

By the looks of it, the matter was not simple.

Hearing An Ziyang's question, Zhu Zai gritted his teeth and said.

"He suddenly lost his sanity just now and used his sword to hack a palace maid to death. His strength was almost equal to that of a Heaven-Man expert. If he hadn't been irrational at the time, and if there hadn't been retainers left on guard, even I couldn't have restrained him."

"That palace maid was acting strangely at the time, her expression cold and stiff; she must also have been a clone of Liu Jin."

While they spoke, Liu Jin was dragged over by Gao Anyu and kicked to his knees. Gao Anyu grabbed his hair, forcing him to lift his face.

An Ziyang turned his head and said with a frown.

"Eunuch Liu, this is no fun; can't you afford to lose?" ===== CHAPTER 459 =====