Chapter 854: No End Until One Side Dies

The moment the envoys of the various states saw one another, they all had the same thought.

A trap!

This was absolutely a trap laid by Niu Youdao!

What none of them could understand was why he would want to kill them. Had his head filled with water—or shit? Killing them brought him no benefit whatsoever and would only bury him beneath endless trouble. Was he tired of living?

"Fuck! Bastard! Always picking on envoys!" someone cursed, though no one knew exactly whom he was cursing.

Whoosh!

A signal arrow shot into the sky.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One signal arrow after another followed.

Seeing the sheer number of assassins and the danger of the situation, every state sent up calls for rescue.

A state's diplomatic mission was never made up of only a few people. An embassy in another state had countless affairs to handle. How could a handful of men possibly manage all of that? Each was an entire diplomatic corps.

Their protective strength was no joke either. Otherwise, hostile powers with ulterior motives would have harassed them to death long ago.

Although every side had wanted to find Niu Youdao, and although they had followed his request to bring only a few people and come secretly to meet him, that did not mean they had made no preparations.

Precautions against accidents were indispensable.

Once the rescue signals went up, there might not have been armies of thousands upon thousands arriving, but several hundred people came in moments. Upon seeing the signals, they threw caution aside and leapt through the air toward the residence.

The besieged compound instantly descended into complete chaos.

The rescuers fought desperately through the encirclement to extract the envoys of their own states.

The assassins were killing without restraint.

The diplomatic missions of the various states were likewise killing without restraint.

No one could care that this was Yanjing, capital of the State of Yan. If assassins were trying to murder them, were they supposed to refrain from fighting back?

So long as they survived, they could justify themselves anywhere afterward.

With so many cultivators involved and fighting on such a scale, commoners outside fled in panic. The chaos gradually began spreading through the capital.

Inside the besieged residence, the missions of the six states began joining together to resist. Curses aimed at Niu Youdao rang out without pause.

Hum!

A brilliant aurora suddenly flared on a nearby rooftop, visible to the Dharma Eye.

"Heavenly Sword Talisman!" someone among the six missions cried out in shock.

A cultivator immediately shook out a Heavenly Sword Talisman of his own and activated it in emergency response.

A gigantic sword-shaped blast of force came thundering from the rooftop.

A matching sword-shaped blast erupted from the ground to meet it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A succession of explosions shook the area as both sides released twelve massive sword-force attacks one after another and smashed them head-on.

Violent energy erupted in every direction. Fierce winds swept outward, while earth and stone shattered and flew.

The envoys themselves were nearly blown away. Their guards had to use spiritual power to pin and shield them.

The explosions had barely stopped when another burst of brilliant light appeared.

The assassins had another Heavenly Sword Talisman!

The six diplomatic missions were not helpless either.

Zhao's talisman had been exhausted, so Han immediately produced another Heavenly Sword Talisman to resist.

Both sides smashed Heavenly Sword Talismans against one another.

One side bombarded wildly.

The other fought desperately to defend.

Once those talismans were exhausted, another aurora flared among the assassins.

They still had more Heavenly Sword Talismans!

On Wei's side, light erupted in answer.

Another Heavenly Sword Talisman was activated to resist.

The two sides had practically gone mad.

Heavenly Sword Talismans seemed inexhaustible, crashing into one another again and again.

After several talismans had been spent, even the leader of the assassins was stunned.

To assassinate Niu Youdao, the person behind the operation had truly spared no expense.

They knew Niu Youdao might possess Heavenly Sword Talismans.

They also knew that Wu Zhaoxing, the expert ranked sixth on the Golden Core Ranking, was protecting him.

The mastermind had been determined to succeed at any cost and had directly handed the assassin leader ten Heavenly Sword Talismans.

Even ordinary great sects would find it difficult to produce so many Heavenly Sword Talismans at once.

Yet the person behind the operation had mobilized ten in a single stroke.

The breadth of that person's power could easily be imagined.

There was only one objective.

No matter the cost, Niu Youdao had to die.

Otherwise, he would threaten the mastermind's entire family and fortune!

This time, the person behind the attack had truly been driven desperate.

Truly willing to pay any price.

The cultivators from the six diplomatic missions were just as stunned.

Was this really necessary?

To kill them, Niu Youdao was actually willing to use this many Heavenly Sword Talismans?

Had they dug up his ancestral graves or something?

Did Heavenly Sword Talismans cost nothing?

One Heavenly Sword Talisman was worth ten million gold coins!

Fortunately, after the Yan envoy had once been killed and the Song envoy had later suffered an assassination attempt, every great sect had assigned Heavenly Sword Talismans to its diplomatic mission as a precaution.

After all, if a dignified great sect could not even keep its own envoy alive, it would lose too much face.

Of course, everyone knew envoys were unlikely to be assassinated over and over again. The talismans were truly there only as insurance, and no one had expected they would actually need to use them.

Each of the six missions had prepared one Heavenly Sword Talisman.

Who could have imagined that tonight they would all become useful—and not for just one state, but for everyone?

Such extravagant preparation was not unusual.

A diplomatic mission bore heavy responsibilities for an entire state, and its equipment had always been lavish.

The Heavenly Sword Talisman was only one part of it.

If a major emergency arose, they could even urgently mobilize large flying mounts for extraction. Back in Qi, that was precisely how the Jin mission had gotten Shao Pingbo away.

...

Deep underground, Niu Youdao and the others raised their heads.

Sand and gravel were raining down in a steady hiss, shaken loose by the explosions above.

Niu Youdao looked puzzled. "We're hiding this deep and the vibrations are still this strong. Are they using Heavenly Sword Talismans?"

The others looked at one another.

Yun Ji kept one hand pressed to the wall and used her art to stabilize the earth. Otherwise, they risked being buried alive.

The shaking remained violent and persistent.

Wu Zhaoxing finally said, "Heavenly Sword Talismans? How many would they have to be using for this?"

His tone made it clear he doubted the commotion could really come from talismans.

Niu Youdao shared some of that doubt.

What did not require doubt was the intensity of the fighting overhead.

Guan Fangyi listened with her heart pounding. "Looks like whoever wants you dead has truly made up his mind to put you in the grave!"

...

Countless people in the capital were terrified.

Many could do nothing except pretend not to hear, shutting doors and windows tightly and trembling inside their homes.

Households with power and influence strengthened their guards.

A detachment of official troops hurried over and surrounded the Gao residence to protect it.

Fan Zhuan ran into the inner compound and reported to Gao Jiancheng, who stood beneath the eaves.

"Master, the yamen's men have arrived."

Gao Jiancheng, however, was staring toward the direction where the fighting had grown even fiercer.

"Is that where Niu Youdao is staying?"

"Yes. They've already started fighting. With a disturbance this large—the ground feels as though it's about to collapse—Tong Mo is truly sparing no expense!"

Worry appeared on Fan Zhuan's face.

Gao Jiancheng slowly said, "Precisely because the disturbance is this enormous, I'm actually less worried now. Niu Youdao really did come prepared."

Fan Zhuan froze for a moment.

Then he understood.

That was true.

The few people known to be at Niu Youdao's side could never have maintained resistance on this scale for so long.

This could only mean Niu Youdao had made extensive preparations in advance.

Gao Jiancheng said, "The two of them have openly crossed swords in the capital and completely torn away all pretense. From this point on, there will be no end until one side dies."

Fan Zhuan said, "Judging by this, the assassination attempt inside the Secret Realm really did enrage Niu Youdao. He came this time specifically to settle accounts with Tong Mo!"

Gao Jiancheng gave a faint sigh. "One side is a powerful dragon crossing the river, here to stir wind and waves. The other is the local serpent, deep-rooted and immovable through wind and rain."

"As the saying goes, even a strong dragon does not suppress the local serpent. It is still uncertain who will fall."

"If Niu Youdao loses, the supporting pillar of the Nanzhou faction collapses."

"If Tong Mo loses, he too will fall into a place beyond redemption."

Fan Zhuan asked, "The man in the palace must have intervened as well. Otherwise, Tong Mo would never dare create a disturbance this large. If Niu Youdao wins, could this implicate the man in the palace too?"

Gao Jiancheng shook his head. "Without the man in the palace nodding, something like this would never happen. Tong Mo is merely the death soldier he sent forward with the current."

"Success or death. Whatever the final outcome, the man in the palace will remain untouched."

"No matter how much the three great sects dislike him, they will still protect him. Nanzhou already gives those three sects enough headaches. How could they allow Nanzhou's power to seize control over the whole State of Yan as well?"

Fan Zhuan fell into thought.

Gao Jiancheng looked toward the darkness outside.

"The two of them are now fighting until one side dies. With matters reaching this point, tonight one of them is probably destined to fall..."

"Tonight, I fear no one will sleep."

...

"What is going on?"

Inside the imperial palace, the Elders of the three great sects had already brought a group of people around Shang Jianxiong and the others to protect them.

At first, the fighting nearby had been too loud for anyone to hear the battle elsewhere.

Only when the distant side began using Heavenly Sword Talismans did the abnormal disturbance become obvious enough to notice.

That was why the question had been raised.

What was going on?

At present, no one could answer.

The Elders of the three great sects looked at one another, all startled and uncertain.

The fighting in front of them had not stopped.

No one knew whether the assassins still had another move hidden.

That made them wary and unwilling to divide their strength casually.

If an emperor being protected jointly by the three great sects were somehow killed, it would become an enormous joke.

Within the protective circle, Shang Jianxiong's gaze shifted continuously.

...

At the Tong residence, a Golden Wing swooped into the courtyard.

The receiver quickly removed the message from the tube on its leg and handed it to household steward Tong Ming.

The situation was urgent.

For convenience, the message was written plainly.

The two sides had already torn away all pretense in public. There was no longer any need for secret codes or concealment.

The instant Tong Ming read it, his face changed dramatically.

He rushed into the room in panic, no longer caring where he stepped. He trampled directly over Tong Mo's scattered calligraphy.

"Prime Minister, something terrible has happened!"

"Why are you panicking?" Tong Mo suddenly raised his head and barked.

His beard and loose hair stirred slightly, and the imposing aura of a man long accustomed to power pressed down on the room.

Tong Ming pointed in a certain direction outside. "The envoys of Jin, Wei, Qi, Song, Han, and Zhao are all inside the residence we're attacking! They're helping Niu Youdao resist with everything they have!"

The brush hanging from Tong Mo's hand dropped.

It struck the clean paper below and splashed a black blot across it.

His eyes turned red in an instant.

"Why would the envoys of six states all appear at his residence at the same time?"

Tong Ming was nearly crying from anxiety. "This old slave does not know!"

Tong Mo bared his teeth. "Didn't you guarantee that no one else had entered that residence?"

"I..." Tong Ming's voice trembled. "This old slave cannot understand it either. There was nothing wrong with the residence. No tunnels existed, and there was no way they could have excavated one recently. Digging one would require moving great quantities of earth and stone. It could not possibly have escaped notice."

Tong Mo's cheeks twitched.

His face gradually twisted into something savage.

He said one word at a time, "They've killed people from the three great sects, and now they're killing members of six diplomatic missions."

"Pressure from inside and outside."

"Pressure from both directions at once."

"He leaves the three great sects no road of retreat and leaves the imperial court no road of retreat either."

"What a vicious little thief!"

"This bastard is trying to cut off every path of survival this old man has!"

Tong Ming asked urgently, "Prime Minister, should we order the attackers to withdraw?"

"Bullshit!" Tong Mo roared. "How do we withdraw? Can you guarantee no one from the three great sects or the six diplomatic missions has already died?"

After the outburst, he forced himself to calm down again.

"Are you certain Niu Youdao is still inside that residence?"

"This..." Tong Ming no longer knew how to answer.

After the bizarre appearance of the six diplomatic missions, it was obvious there had to be a hidden passage their side had failed to discover.

He could no longer guarantee anything.

Bang!

Tong Mo slammed a fist onto the desk.

"There is no road back."

"Niu Youdao must die."

"Only if he dies will there be someone to shoulder the blame. Do you understand?"

[End of Chapter 854]