novelden Chapter 169 Evacuation
Chapter 169 Evacuation
In contrast, Zi Yan, despite being struck by this palm, only turned slightly pale; nothing else happened.
He stood there watching Hua Lingxing fly backward, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
Shanzi and his two companions witnessed Hua Lingxing's defeat in her battle against Ziyan.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shanzi and Xiaolie charged towards Ziyan like arrows released from a bow.
Meanwhile, Afu rushed towards Hua Lingxing with great anxiety, just as Hua Lingxing was about to fall to the ground.
Afu caught her steadily with lightning speed.
"Sister Yang, how are you? Don't scare me!" Afu's voice was full of anxiety and worry.
After he and Hua Lingxing landed on the ground, he hurriedly pulled out a pill from his pocket and said anxiously, "Sister Yang, quickly take this pill."
Just as Hua Lingxing was about to respond to Afu, she suddenly spat out another mouthful of blood, the crimson blood a shocking sight.
Afu was startled by this scene and quickly stuffed the pill into Hua Lingxing's mouth.
Zi Yan stood there and watched them charge in, then engaged in a fierce battle with the two of them.
Their strength was far inferior to Zi Yan's.
After a brief exchange, they were sent flying by Zi Yan's palm and kick.
They fell heavily to the ground, spitting blood, clearly seriously injured.
Afu was shocked when he saw this.
He carried Hua Lingxing on his back and used his lightness skill to float to Shanzi and Xiaolie's side.
He hurriedly asked, "Shanzi, Xiaolie, are you alright?"
"Cough cough...cough cough...I'm not going to die yet."
Xiao Lie responded with difficulty and stood up.
His face was as pale as paper, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth.
"I'm fine." Shanzi also stood up with difficulty.
His injuries were also quite severe, but he still forced himself to stand up despite the pain.
The three of them stared at Zi Yan, their eyes filled with anger and resentment.
They knew they had lost this battle.
But they did not give up hope, because they knew that the soldiers of the Ling Kingdom were still defending the city with great difficulty.
Zi Yan exchanged a glance with them and then left without saying a word.
As he passed near the battleground where the Spirit King and his forces were fighting, Zi Yan suddenly used his lightness skill to launch a sneak attack on the Spirit King.
He moved with incredible speed, appearing behind the Spirit King like a ghost.
Sensing the approaching danger, the Spirit King quickly took cover.
However, Zi Yan's attacks followed closely, like a shadow.
Qing Lei seized the opportunity and unleashed a palm strike towards the Spirit King.
His palm strike was incredibly powerful, seemingly capable of shaking mountains and rivers.
The Spirit King reacted swiftly as well.
He braced himself on the ground with one hand, spun around in the air, and kicked out with his right foot like a whirlwind toward Qing Lei's right palm.
"Bang!" The two collided with a deafening crash.
Using each other's internal force, they retreated, regained their footing, and continued their fierce battle.
Seeing this, Zi Yan knew that her chance had been lost.
He shouted, "Retreat!"
Black Soul and Azure Thunder nodded after hearing this.
They understood that it was no longer wise to fight and that they had to retreat as soon as possible to preserve their strength.
So the three of them stopped fighting and turned to leave.
Before retreating, Qing Lei couldn't resist making a sarcastic remark.
"Liu Lingzhen, even the peak stage of the Great Yuan Realm is nothing special!"
King Ling ignored his sarcasm upon hearing this.
He knew that neither side had achieved a decisive victory in this battle, and that future battles would continue.
He must quickly reorganize the army to meet the challenges to come.
After a day of fierce fighting, both the Ling army and the Qin army were exhausted and suffered heavy casualties.
With their indomitable will and excellent tactics, Lingjun stubbornly defended Nanyang City behind them.
The Qin army, unable to break through the enemy lines after a prolonged siege, and suffering heavy casualties, had no choice but to order a retreat.
After watching the Qin army retreat like a receding tide, Lingjun cheered in celebration of their temporary victory.
But the price of this victory was terrible—the area outside Nanyang was littered with blood and corpses.
Some of the soldiers of the Ling Army embraced each other and wept, while others collapsed due to their severe injuries...
Although this battle is over, the road ahead is still long.
The hatred and grudges between the Ling Army and the Qin Army did not dissipate with the end of this battle.
The empress stood proudly on the battlefield, her robes fluttering in the wind.
Her gaze was intense, fixed intently on the dissipating smoke and dust in the distance.
The Qin army retreated like the receding tide, leaving behind a devastated land.
Just then, three figures staggered over.
The three spirit stars were covered in blood, their armor shattered, and blood gushed from their wounds, staining the bricks beneath their feet red.
They dragged their heavy steps, each step seeming to require all their strength.
Despite their efforts, they managed to reach the Empress, kneel on one knee, and shout in unison.
"Attend to the Spirit King!"
Three weary voices echoed across the battlefield.
When the Empress saw the arrival of the three spirit stars, her tense nerves snapped, and a metallic taste rose in her throat.
She could no longer hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood with a "pfft..." sound.
The crimson blood was particularly striking in the sunlight, dripping onto the ground.
Although she was a female emperor and the King of Spirit.
Faced with the brutal battle and the serious injuries of her subordinates, she was heartbroken. The blood seemed to be an expression of her grief and resentment.
When the three spirit stars saw the Empress Spirit King spit out a mouthful of blood, they quickly got up and helped her up.
The Qin Dynasty, the imperial palace.
Sunlight slanted across the golden glazed tiles, reflecting a dazzling light, but it could not illuminate Emperor Zhao Ying's gloomy mood at this moment.
He sat on the dragon throne, his eyes blazing as he stared intently at the kneeling soldiers below, his voice low and filled with anger.
"What? General Sima is seriously injured? What have you been doing?"
The soldiers in the palace trembled, and beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads like broken beads.
He dared not look up at the emperor's rage, and could only respond in a low, trembling voice.
"Your Majesty, we...we have done our best. But King Lingzhen of the Ling Kingdom is simply too powerful. We...we are no match for him."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ying's face grew even more gloomy.
He slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne and stood up, glaring angrily at the soldiers below.
"You've done your best? Is this your answer? My generals are fighting valiantly on the battlefield, and you tell me you've done your best? What I want is victory, not just doing your best!"
The soldiers were so frightened that they kowtowed repeatedly, their voices trembling with sobs.
"Your Majesty, spare your life, Your Majesty, spare your life!"
At that moment, a steady voice rang out from inside the hall.
The eldest prince, Zhao Hai, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, slowly stepped out of the ranks, knelt before the emperor, and spoke with a firm and powerful voice.
"Your Majesty, I am also shocked to hear of this matter. But please calm your anger and hear what I have to say."
Zhao Ying looked at Zhao Hai, a hint of anticipation flashing in her eyes.
He knew that his eldest son was intelligent and wise, and often brought him unexpected surprises.
He nodded slightly, signaling Zhao Hai to continue.
Zhao Hai took a deep breath and continued, "Your subject heard from Qing Lei in the shadows that General Sima was seriously injured in battle against Ling King Liu Lingzhen of the Ling Kingdom."
Even with the combined strength of the three Great Yuan Realm experts, Qing Lei, Zi Yan, and Hei Hun, the Shadow Sect couldn't defeat Liu Lingzhen, which is enough to prove how powerful they are.
Moreover, according to Qing Lei, Liu Lingzhen has already broken through to the peak of the Great Yuan Realm, and her strength has increased by leaps and bounds.
Dark Soul, the Heavenly Demon, was also severely injured in his battle with him.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ying frowned. He knew all too well what the strength of the peak of the Great Yuan Realm meant; it was practically standing at the top of this world.
He looked at Zhao Hai and asked, "Then, in your opinion, how should we deal with this?"
Zhao Hai pondered for a moment, then said, "Father, I believe that what we need to do first is to find out Liu Lingzhen's true intentions."
As the King of the Spirit Kingdom, his personal involvement in the battle against our general must have a deeper political agenda behind it.
Only by understanding his true intentions can we formulate appropriate countermeasures.
Zhao Ying nodded in agreement, but then frowned.
"But how can we find out his true intentions? Should we send an envoy to the Kingdom of Souls to question him?"
Zhao Hai smiled slightly and said, "Father, I think we can start from the martial arts world."
Although Liu Lingzhen is the Spirit King of the Spirit Kingdom, he is also quite famous in the martial arts world.
We can send some martial arts experts to investigate his whereabouts and movements.
At the same time, we can also use the intelligence network in the martial arts world to gather information about him.
This way we might be able to find some clues.
Zhao Ying's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he looked at Zhao Hai and nodded in satisfaction.
"Hmm, that's a good idea. Go and make arrangements immediately. Make sure you find out Liu Lingzhen's true intentions as soon as possible."
Zhao Hai accepted the order, stood up, and prepared to leave.
But then he remembered something and turned to Zhao Ying, saying, "Father, there is one more thing. I have heard that Liu Lingzhen has made many friends in the martial arts world, including some powerful masters."
If we want to deal with him, we'll probably need to proceed with caution to avoid alerting him.
(For example: Hong Pijing, and Si Chao Qinglan Pavilion, etc.)