Heavenly King Descending: Volume 6

By Du AiQingTian

In the vast expanse of the Azure Sky Prairie, the sky was covered in a haze. The biting cold gale swept through the entire prairie, causing layers of grass to turn over, causing people to be unable to open their eyes.

Dark clouds also accumulated in the sky, and the clouds intersected and overlapped with each other. A thunderstorm that covered the entire prairie was about to arrive. Such weather was extremely rare in this famously sunny prairie.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Funstory
• Release date: Jun 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781649559074

Book preview

CITY

CHAPTER 501 - CIRCUMVENTION AND COUNTER-ENCIRCLEMENT(1)

Since he had anticipated the imminent danger, Yan Hui then made a series of targeted preparations. Tang Yong and the shopkeeper had lost their direction a long time ago. They could only nod and wait for Yan Hui's arrangements.

The night passed quickly.

When the first light of dawn illuminated the earth, the Gilt Gold City began to awaken. The people who had just woken up pushed open their windows. Then, they heard orderly footsteps coming from afar.

In a short moment, large groups of soldiers swarmed over from all directions, surrounding the Gubei Merchant Firm and Gilt Gold City rankings so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak out. The citizens had yet to wake up from the great battle yesterday, and seeing the scene today, they could not help but think of the actions of the new emperor. However, their target was actually one of the four great trading companies, and the high level of Gubei Merchant Firm in their mouths was far beyond their expectations.

In groups of twos and threes, they whispered amongst each other. The crowd grew larger and larger. As for Gubei Merchant Firm, it seemed to not know that its semicolon had been surrounded, and its door was still tightly shut, without the slightest of reaction.

When morning arrived, another thousand-man squad appeared from the direction of the imperial city. There were four people leading the way. They were riding four big horses and had a complacent look on their faces.

One of them was a scholar while the other one was a fighter. Both of them had the demeanor of a saint and the demeanor of a hero. They were indeed, Zhuge Ming and Gao Haomiao. The two of them were also running with one man and one warrior at their side. Liu Shiyuan and Xu Feng were one horse behind them and two rows of people behind them were running with their Royal Knights at full speed.

When they heard that they were going to capture the main culprit, everyone became agitated. Ten Little Team Leader took the lead and requested to participate in the battle to take revenge for Sun Yicheng. Tang Lee felt that they were sincere and allowed them to ask for permission. That was why he had made his move today.

At the same time, within the imperial city of Gilt Gold Dynasty, after Tang Lee personally saw them off, two figures, one gray and one white, rose into the air, transformed into two rays of light and shot towards the main city's Extreme North City in the extreme north of the world.

Zhuge Ming led the large group and turned in front of the North Consolidating Equipment Division. The surrounding garrison naturally opened up a path, exposing the entrance of the trading company to the four people.

Lifting his head and looking at the position of the sun, he estimated that it was about time. Zhuge Ming glanced at the still tightly shut door of the store and waved his right hand.

The five thousand people moved at the same time. Moreover, they didn't intentionally hide it. The sound of their footsteps alone was deafening. However, there were still no movements from the trading firm. Not even a single manservant showed up.

Zhuge Ming squinted his eyes. Even a fool could tell that something was wrong, let alone these scheming people. After making a brief judgement, Zhuge Ming made a decision on the spot, and signaled for the two teams of Knights behind him to charge towards the main entrance. At the same time, Xu Feng, who was standing by the side, used one of his palms to support the horse's back and flew into the air, flying toward the trading firm.

Whiz!

A long black arrow was the first to pierce through the door of the trading firm. Bang! The door was smashed into wood splinters, revealing the interior of the shop. When had the onlookers ever seen such a powerful bow technique? They were all stunned by this arrow.

Xiao Qi, amazing! In the forward team, one of the team members gave the other team member a thumbs up, praising him. The other team member was holding a completely black longbow in her hands. The bowstring was still slightly vibrating; it was obvious that the arrow had come from her hand.

It turned out that of the ten people in this group, other than three of them who were true Knights s, the other seven were all pretending to be the Golden Commando s. After following Liu Qi and Zhuge Ming to participate in Ascension Ceremony, they thought that there would be a great battle waiting for them. However, when they were fighting, they were told by Liu Qi to follow Heaven Sword Sect and hide in the secret passage of the Imperial City, missing out on the intense battle in the plaza. It was not easy for them to hold it in until it appeared, and then, with Liu Qi's crazy mind and Heaven Sword Sect in addition to his sword techniques, the enemy would either fall or kneel before them, which was none of their business. One could imagine how depressed the Golden Commando was.

Fortunately, there was still a big show to be had today, and their boss Liu Qi had taken the initiative to request to go to the Extreme North City, so no one could stop them. As a result, when the Royal Knights personnel were not in order, he quietly snuck in and pretended to be a member. Even Zhuge Ming, who was the commander, was kept in the dark.

When Zhuge Ming saw Xia Qi's Falling Crow Divine Arrow attack, he was stunned and almost rolled off the horse with his eyes wide open. It was already too late to recall them back, so they could only let them be the vanguards. They rushed into the trading company first and only added a few orders, allowing the other two squads to follow closely in order to prevent any mishaps. If an accident were to happen while Liu Qi was unaware of it, even Zhuge Ming would not be able to withstand Liu Qi's rage.

Lu Yuan, with a flushed face and an inexplicable excitement, was the first to rush into the shop. His short sword moved crazily in his hands in response to the possible attack from the enemy.

However, when Cai Yifeng and the others entered the store, not a single soul could be seen in the entire area. After instructing the last Knights user to go back and report the news, Lu Yuan led the two teams to the back of the trading firm to search.

The Gubei Merchant Firm Gold Coin sub-number was a typical courtyard house, with shops on the front and houses on the other three sides. After turning around the corner, they arrived at the central courtyard. Lu Yuan raised his head and looked at the sky. There, a figure with a majestic aura was quietly floating.

With Xu Feng leading the charge, Zhuge Ming was a little worried. He blamed Lu Yuan for going too far, but he didn't stop him either. After all, searching before advancing was also a process of capture. If it was an ordinary Knights member, they would also have to complete it.

He leaned to the left and whispered into Liu Shiyuan's ear. Liu Shiyuan nodded and led the ten-man team towards the trading firm.

When they got closer, they didn't enter. Instead, they spread out. Every ten meters or so, one person was created to complete another encirclement around the trading firm.

The ten of them moved in unison as they simultaneously removed a tubular item from their shoulders. It was a finely worked copper receiver with a large end at one end and a hollow middle at the other. He placed his large head close to the ground and placed his small head close to his ear. This way, he could listen for any unusual movements within ten meters of the ground. In addition, it was made of brass.

Zhuge Ming's idea was very simple. Didn't Yan Hui have an earth escape technique? Just Yan Hui alone, this method of monitoring is likely to lose its effectiveness, but with Tang Yong, the situation is different.

Tang Yong didn't know any earth escape techniques. If he wanted to take Tang Yong with him to escape, he would have to use some kind of secret escape tool. That way, he would be able to cover an area of 10 meters. Generally speaking, secret tunnels would take into account the difficulty and permeability of the excavation. If not necessary, the excavation would not be too deep. The time it took for Gubei Merchant Firm to be established was not too long, and digging such a tunnel that could extend out of the city for many years, to be completed without anyone knowing, would take even longer, and even more time would be required to dig deeper in. It would also take at least ten years, which was clearly not in accordance with the facts.

That's why Zhuge Ming chose to listen to the method of monitoring possible underground escapes. Right now, whether it was underground, on the ground, or even in the air, there were traps set up by Zhuge Ming.

CHAPTER 502 - CIRCUMVENTION AND COUNTER-ENCIRCLEMENT(2)

Under Xu Feng's protection, Lu Yuan was the first to cross the courtyard and run towards the house in the backyard.

The entire courtyard was as quiet as the shop in front of them. All the wooden doors of the houses were tightly shut, and not a single person could be seen. It was obvious that the Gubei Merchant Firm had sensed something.

Xu Feng didn't have time to think about what the problem was. He carefully checked the trading companies below, especially the team that entered the interior. Based on his understanding of Royal Knights, the young man who had released that black arrow just now was definitely not a member of Knights. In addition to the aura released from the arrow, the identity of this young man was obvious.

Although he was happy that the Golden Commando was participating in the battle, Xu Feng could also feel the pressure on his shoulders increasing. Everyone knew the relationship between Liu Qi and these young people. If something bad happened to Tang Lee, no one would be able to take responsibility for it.

In just a moment, Lu Yuan had arrived at the most luxurious house in the rear and was about to push open the door. Xu Feng, who was monitoring the situation from above, suddenly had an ominous premonition. He shouted in shock, Wait a moment, make a move!

On the ground, Lu Yuan stopped in front of his body and turned his head to look at the sky in confusion. But in the next second, just as everyone was caught off guard, the wooden door in front of them suddenly burst open, and the shockwave from the explosion hit Lu Yuan and the rest of the Golden Team Member behind them.

Lu Yuan, who flew backwards and withstood half of the attack, directly fainted. His body still crashed into the wall due to inertia, creating a two-meter hole and fell onto the street outside the store.

Lu Yuan!

Zhuge Ming, who was on the horse, was shocked. It happened so suddenly that even Xu Feng did not react, let alone Zhuge Ming, who was in command.

He quickly dismounted, and ran forward under the protection of the Knights members. He only saw Lu Yuan clenching his teeth and breathing slowly. The anger in his heart couldn't be any more.

Zhuge Ming ordered the guards to carefully move Lu Yuan to the back of the main group, where he was treated by the doctor who accompanied him. Zhuge Ming forcefully suppressed his anger and rushed into the store.

In the courtyard, it was a complete mess. There were buildings damaged by the shockwaves from the explosion everywhere. The decorative rockery, flowers, trees, etc., were all displaced. What made Zhuge Ming even more shocked was that the other six Golden Team Member s did not escape, and one by one, they laid on the ground moaning in pain. Xu Feng, on the other hand, was standing next to Cai Yifeng, who was relatively injured.

Pitiful! Too miserable!

This was the most serious blow to the Golden Assault Team since it was set up. Usually, with Liu Qi, the captain, he would protect his teammates and prevent them from getting into danger. But this time, Liu Qi was no longer around. Without the protection God, the Golden Team Member exposed his lack of vigilance and experience in dealing with danger, and was completely annihilated by the enemy.

Fortunately, although Xu Feng did not manage to react, there were still some instinctual actions of a Martial God Ranker. Only by subconsciously striking out with his palm to cancel out a third of the force of the explosion was he able to save the rest of the Golden Team Member. However, Lu Yuan and Cai Yifeng, who were at the forefront, were unable to avoid the attack due to the distance. Cai Yifeng was heavily injured and Lu Yuan's life or death was unknown.

How is it? Zhuge Ming asked worriedly.

Seeing Zhuge Ming and the large group of Knights members rush into the courtyard, Xu Feng's face did not look good. A moment of carelessness had caused the Golden Team Member to experience a tragedy, and his Martial God was a heavy burden.

Slightly shaking his head, Xu Feng said bitterly, The situation is not good. Yan Hui, this scoundrel, was really ruthless. The timing of the sneak attack was also grasped very cleverly, it's all my fault for being careless, aiya!

As the commander, Zhuge Ming knew that now was not the time to investigate the responsibility. He waved his hand to interrupt Xu Feng's self-reproach, and ordered the Knights personnel to carry Cai Yifeng and the others out for treatment.

The medical examiner obviously knew the importance of this task. He hurriedly agreed and ran out of the courtyard with his team members. Due to the special circumstances of Lu Yuan and the others, the doctor didn't dare to be negligent and directly transferred everyone to the Imperial City for treatment by the imperial physician.

After dealing with the patient, Zhuge Ming was slightly relieved, but his face was still as calm as before. Looking at the broken wooden door, the room behind the door was still as usual. After the sneak attack, Yan Hui didn't continue to fight and ran away.

Go inside and search! There must be a secret passage inside. Zhuge Ming shouted.

I'll go! Xu Feng, who was in a hurry to make up for his mistake, rushed into the room without waiting for Zhuge Ming's command.

Just then, a soldier rushed into the store and reported in a hurry, Reporting! I heard that there was movement underground."

Zhuge Ming frowned and asked: In what direction?

This … The sergeant's face suddenly turned awkward, and he stuttered as if he could not speak.

Tell me the truth!

Zhuge Ming shouted, waking the soldier up. He stammered, All around!

What? Zhuge Ming paused for a moment. He gently pushed aside the soldier and ran out of the store. He snatched the receiver from the nearest listener's hand and put it close to his ear.

A rumbling sound could be heard. Experience had taught him that it came from someone walking through the ground.

Returning the receiver to the listener, Zhuge Ming's eyes lit up as he quickly ran towards the second listener. With another rumbling sound, the joy in Zhuge Ming's eyes faded a little.

He moved to the third person, the same voice. The joy in his heart vanished, replaced by doubt. It was only after running through the locations of all ten eavesdroppers that he received the same information.

The strangeness of the matter caused Zhuge Ming's anger from the fact that all his Golden Assault Team were severely injured to subside, and he once again returned to that wise and meticulous person.

Zhuge Ming shivered as he wiped off the sweat on his forehead. As the commander of the encirclement, his performance just now had been very amateur. If he had maintained his anger and was unable to think calmly, he would undoubtedly have been the most fatal to the commander.

Fortunately, the report woke him up in time and prevented the incompetent soldiers from killing the three armies.

Wisdom flashed in Zhuge Ming's eyes and a virtual map of the secret underground appeared in his mind. In this map, one could see more than ten secret passages spread out from the underground entrance of the house where the surprise attack had taken place. Every secret passageway was a certain distance away, forming a perfect circle. In the secret passageway, people were shuttling back and forth. The sound of rustling footsteps echoed into the receiver above them. The radiation from this entire map was quite widespread, and the destination of every secret passage could possibly lead outside of the Gilt Gold City.

Thinking of this, Zhuge Ming was covered in cold sweat. This idea seemed absurd, but it was extremely likely that it would turn into reality. With Gubei Merchant Firm's financial resources, wanting to carve out more than ten secret tunnels to the outside of the city at the same time was not impossible. As long as they were careful to carve them out when digging and build good relationships with the officers of City Guard, even if they were discovered by the military, they could use their connections to conceal it. It had to be known that the Gubei Merchant Firm from a few years ago was the food pillar of the Gilt Gold Dynasty. As long as he didn't cause too much trouble and added some benefits, it would be a big deal to create a small disturbance.

CHAPTER 503 - CIRCUMVENTION AND COUNTER-ENCIRCLEMENT(3)

Without Zhuge Ming's help, although Xu Feng was powerful, he still couldn't discover the entrance to the secret passage. Hearing that there was something wrong with the soldier, he immediately ran to Zhuge Ming's side, only to find out that Zhuge Ming had a face full of uncertainty.

Mr. Zhuge, what did you find? Due to Zhuge Ming not having an official position in Gilt Gold Dynasty, Xu Feng and the others all addressed him respectfully as Mister Zhuge.

Yes, things are a little tricky. Zhuge Ming nodded. Xu Feng frowned as he described the situation that he had thought of.

After pondering for a moment, Zhuge Ming decided on the spot: Order the city guards to intensify their ground surveillance and report the moment they discover anything.

Yes sir! The messenger who was waiting at the side for orders left.

Captain Xu!

Here! Xu Feng cupped his hands and said. Zhuge Ming's intelligence had already subdued the high ranking members of the Gilt Gold Dynasty in the making of the Ascension Ceremony Plan. Therefore, when Tang Lee once again handed over the commanding authority for capturing Tang Yong and Zhou Tie to Zhuge Ming, Xu Feng and the others would not object. At this time, hearing Zhuge Ming point out his name, Xu Feng quickly sent out orders.

Haha, Guild Leader Xu, don't be nervous. I want you to accompany me to the secret passage. Maybe things aren't as complicated as we thought. Zhuge Ming saw the solemn expression on Xu Feng's face and said with a faint smile.

Oh? What do you mean? As far as schemes and tricks were concerned, even ten Xu Feng were not Zhuge Ming's match. Of course, they weren't clear on the hidden meaning behind Zhuge Ming's words.

It's like this. Zhuge Ming gestured Xu Feng, Gao Haomu, and Liu Shiyuan to come closer to him, then said softly, Based on the current situation, Yan Hui and Tang Yong already predicted that we would capture them, so Gubei Merchant Firm has formulated a strategy to stop the encirclement overnight. The group of people had already hidden themselves in the secret underground tunnel, leaving Yan Hui to launch a sneak attack on them. It was true that Yan Hui was heavily injured and his strength was greatly reduced. However, a camel was still stronger than a horse after all. Even if he had a few dozen percent of his remaining inner strength, he would still be able to heavily injure Lu Yuan and the rest. However, Yan Hui does not dare to keep fighting because he is afraid of being held up by Guild Leader Xu or Senior Xiang. If that is the case, he would not be able to run away even if he wanted to.

The other three people nodded as they listened. Zhuge Ming's analysis was very reasonable, so they couldn't question it.

After the ambush was successful, Yan Hui immediately hid in the secret passage and ordered the people that were already arranged to move towards the secret passage. This is why we were unable to get any results from our surveillance at first, but now, we are seeing movement everywhere.

That's right. Mr. Zhuge, what should we do if the enemies break through the encirclement? After all, it's not like we can all squeeze into the narrow secret passageway and capture them separately. Gao Haomiao said worriedly.

Not really. Without waiting for Zhuge Ming's reply, Liu Shiyuan interjected and said, Prime Minister Gao's considerations may seem very reasonable on the surface, but what he says is true, but what he says is false. This move of Yan Hui seems to make us unable to make a choice, but it is also because of this that we find out what the problem is.

Gao Haomiao and Xu Feng looked at Liu Shiyuan in confusion. Only Zhuge Ming stood to the side, smiling without saying a word. Liu Shiyuan was truly talented, just by Zhuge Ming's simple description he was able to see through Yan Hui's trick, no wonder Zhou Tie, under his help, was able to bring Martial Alliance up to the throne of the number one sect in one go.

Just when Xu Gao and Liu Shiyuan thought that Liu Shiyuan would continue to explain the whole story, they realized that he just smiled and stepped back, returning the power of speech back to Zhuge Ming.

Zhuge Ming was very clear that this was Liu Shiyuan's respect for him. With a light laugh, he changed the topic and explained: Brother Liu is right. At first, I really thought that Gubei Merchant Firm had opened more than ten secret tunnels at the same time, but after thinking carefully later on, I felt that it was impossible. Even if Gubei Merchant Firm could support the enormous expenditure of digging secret tunnels, they would still consider the practicality and safety of secret tunnels. Everyone, think about it. If the secret passageway extended in all directions, then the direction of the city gate would be alright. However, what about the direction of the imperial city? Could it be that they also dared to dig a secret passageway that led to the Imperial City? This is obviously impossible. Not to mention that the eavesdropping facilities in the Imperial City are more than a hundred times greater than ours, the depth of the eavesdropping also covers a depth of thirty meters. If we were to excavate into the Imperial City, it would be difficult to not be discovered. Back then, when they were excavating this secret passage, Gubei Merchant Firm did not want to fall out with Gilt Gold Dynasty, and would not risk being discovered, extending the secret passage all the way to the Imperial City or even past the Imperial City. Taking a step back, if there really was a secret passageway leading to the Imperial City, then why did the rebel army from Yan Hui and Tang Yong have to go through so much trouble to break in from outside the Imperial City during the battle yesterday? If those black-clothed Martial Saint s were to be arranged in the secret passage beforehand, and then during the critical period of the Ascension Ceremony s, they would suddenly appear and give the two generations of emperors a fatal blow, wouldn't that be even more likely than a forceful attack?

After listening to his analysis, Gao Haomiao and Xu Feng suddenly understood. Gao Haomiao's eyes lit up as he clapped, That is to say, the secret passage to the Imperial City or the surrounding area doesn't exist.

You can say that, but not all! Zhuge Ming nodded with a smile.

Seeing that Prime Minister Gao was still confused, Liu Shiyuan added at the right time, Brother Zhuge's meaning is that the secret passage definitely exists, or else we wouldn't have been able to listen in. But the secret passages in the direction of the Imperial City are all false secret passages that deceive the eyes and ears.

Fake secret passage? Gao Haomiao and Xu Feng questioned at the same time.

Yes. Liu Shiyuan nodded solemnly. Yan Hui thought that he could divert our attention and interfere with our judgement just like that. However, as the saying goes, smart in return is smart. The unique nature of the Imperial City actually reduced the scope of our search. The secret passages leading to the Imperial City would only extend for a certain distance before they would be cut off. In order to confuse us, Yan Hui arranged for some people to walk back and forth in these secret tunnels to create the illusion that a large number of people were passing through, making us unable to tell which secret tunnel they were escaping from.

Oh! Only now did Xu Gao and his brother truly understand the profound mysteries behind this.

Zhuge Ming chuckled and continued, Brother Liu is right. Moreover, I had personally monitored ten locations just now and found out that from the five locations of the Imperial City, the rumbling sound coming from the ground was rather muffled, as if the sound was stuck in a sealed environment and couldn't be spread out. This confirmed the fact that the secret passageway was broken for the past few days. The sound of the secret passages leading to the direction of the city gate was much louder. It indicated that the excavation distance of these passages was quite long. However, the possibility of using the secret passage was not ruled out. After all, there is still a mile to go before the city gates are opened. If the secret tunnel is dug near the city gate and stopped, it will be impossible to determine if it is real or fake based on the echo. "

When Xu Gao and his son heard that Zhuge Ming also couldn't determine the true direction of the culprit's escape, they were somewhat disappointed. However, to be able to negate half of it was a significant development.

Afterwards, Zhuge Ming told Gao Haomiao and Liu Shiyuan to lead the team to the city gate, and to continue monitoring the movements underground from a distance. According to his method, as long as the exact location was confirmed, they would follow the secret path to the ground level, and stop them at the exit. With Liu Shiyuan around, Zhuge Ming was completely at ease.

Leaving two teams of Knights standing guard, to prevent Yan Hui from using roundabout tactics to return to the trading firm, Zhuge Ming and Xu Feng brought a small group of people and ran towards the house at the secret passage entrance.

CHAPTER 504 - CIRCUMVENTION AND COUNTER-ENCIRCLEMENT(4)

At this point, Zhuge Ming had already lost the initiative. Time was undoubtedly the most precious thing. Once Yan Hui and Tang Yong escape from the Gilt Gold City before they can confirm the correct direction, it would be even more difficult to catch them in the field.

Inside the wooden house, the furniture was arranged neatly without any signs of movement. If one wanted to discover the entrance to the secret passage, it would be really difficult to take even a single step without the knowledge of the Mechanical Array Diagram.

However, with Zhuge Ming, things were much simpler. After a thorough search, Zhuge Ming found the entrance to the mechanism. It was the ground between the two chairs. If one wanted to activate the mechanism, one had to simultaneously turn two chairs, and in the direction of one clockwise and one counter-clockwise.

With the help of Xu Feng, the secret passage finally revealed its deep entrance. After learning Lu Yuan's lesson, when the secret passage sounded, Xu Feng immediately released the powerful Internal Strength to protect him and Zhuge Ming, preventing Yan Hui from using the same trick again.

It seemed like Yan Hui was really anxious to get out of this place. After the entrance appeared, there was no movement for half a minute. Only then did Zhuge Ming signal Xu Feng to retract his inner force and the two of them climbed into the secret passage.

After walking down more than 20 steps, the surrounding light became much dimmer. Zhuge Ming estimated that they were less than ten meters below ground level. He looked around and observed his surroundings.

Just as Zhuge Ming guessed, a total of twelve secret passages were spread out from where they were standing. Each passage was like a ferocious beast crawling on the ground with its mouth wide open, waiting for food to fall into the net.

With the help of the torches on the walls of the secret passage, Zhuge Ming squatted down and carefully identified the footprints at each entrance, confirming his judgment once again.

The six secret tunnels leading to the imperial city were in a mess. Not only was there an inbound direction, there were also outsides. This meant that there were people entering and exiting these secret passages. However, during a critical moment like this, who would foolishly run into the secret passageway and out again? The only explanation was that these secret passages were all decapitated. The people who entered and went back were implementing Yan Hui's befuddling tactic.

Zhuge Ming smiled and no longer paid attention to the six fake secret passages. He turned to look at the other six tunnels. But then the question arose. Although the number of tunnels had been reduced by half, it was easier said than done to accurately choose Yan Hui's and Tang Yong's escape routes from the six tunnels.

Beside the guard, Xu Feng, who had been concentrating and not daring to be careless, also saw the problem. He whispered, Mr. Zhuge, which one should we take?

Zhuge Ming shook his head, laid down on the ground, and listened attentively to every movement in every tunnel. However, due to the passage of time, there was no sound coming from any of the secret tunnels. It was obvious that Yan Hui and the rest had penetrated quite a distance in and even left the secret tunnels.

This discovery slightly discouraged Zhuge Ming's self-confidence. Fortunately, after experiencing countless tests, he was able to stabilize his state of mind, and signaled Xu Feng to take two steps back. Icy-blue inner force overflowed from Xu Feng's body. The crystalline icy-blue light illuminated an area of ten meters. Even with Xu Feng's experience, he couldn't recognize the cultivation technique Zhuge Ming used.

Woo woo!

In the next second, as a few Blue Beam s flew out from Zhuge Ming's fingertips and hid in the ground, a series of cries came from the secret passage. A total of six yellow-brown Earth Spirit crawled out of the ground and knelt in front of Zhuge Ming, their red eyes full of admiration.

In a situation where he had no other choice, Zhuge Ming thought of the Ape Summoning Arts. Earth Spirit were formed by the essence of earth, they could easily dig out the secret passage's information and give it back to Zhuge Ming. With such a good scout, Zhuge Ming would definitely not abandon him. The only drawback was that the Earth Spirit's range of detection was not limitless, so Zhuge Ming could only explore a certain area nearby.

However, it was better than nothing. Zhuge Ming's mind raced, and the Earth Spirit disappeared into the ground at the same time after receiving the order.

Xu Feng's eyes flashed as he watched the six Earth Spirit disappear into the distance. Have you never seen a pig run before? With Xu Feng's age of over forty, of course, he didn't have the chance to personally see the world-shaking Earth Master's elegance fifty years ago, nor had he personally experienced the profound mysteries of the Ape Summoning Arts. However, as long as it was a strong Ranker or a powerful Secret Technique, it would be widely spread throughout the Martial Cultivator.

It was all Zhuge Ming's fault. He had never fought in the war yesterday, so he thought Zhuge Ming was a wise man. He was a pure strategist. However, that move just now completely overturned Zhuge Ming's image in his heart. Who didn't know of Earth Master's reputation? In this kind of environment, even though Xu Feng could tell that the six Earth Spirit were merely at the Heaven Martial Cultivator level, but do not forget, where there is dirt, Zhuge Ming can summon other Earth Spirit anytime. If he wanted to escape from the group of Earth Spirit, Xu Feng would have to go through a lot of trouble. In other words, in the secret passage, Zhuge Ming already had the ability to contend with this Martial God expert.

Zhuge Ming, of course, did not know about Xu Feng's mental activities. Right now, he was fully immersed in controlling the Earth Spirit to search for Yan Hui and Tang Yong. It wasn't that Zhuge Ming didn't want to take part in yesterday's battle. Firstly, as the commander, he had to consider the bigger picture. Just like the tyrannical Liu Qi, he had to take action at a crucial moment. Secondly, using the Ape Scryer Summoning Arts was not as easy as Xu Feng had thought. With Zhuge Ming's current abilities, summoning six Heaven Martial Cultivator s in one go was already his limit. In yesterday's chaotic battle, adding six more Heaven Martial Cultivator s would not be of much use at all, and it would be better to just control the overall situation peacefully.

Of course, if it was the Earth Martial Cultivator or even lower leveled Demon Spirit, Zhuge Ming could summon a lot more of them, but as his strength decreased, the Demon Spirit's intelligence would also decrease. Investigating this kind of thing was a meticulous task, Zhuge Ming didn't want to use a bunch of idiots to find the scheming Yan Hui. If Yan Hui discovered that someone was following him, he would immediately realize that his bewitching tactic had failed and change his strategy, which would create a lot of trouble.

After waiting for five minutes, another Earth Spirit rose up from the left side of the tunnel. The Earth Spirit's eyes flashed, and strands of information went into Zhuge Ming's mind.

A smile gradually appeared on Zhuge Ming's face. He ordered Xu Feng to return to the ground and arrange for the soldiers to report to the city gate that Prime Minister Gao's army had set up an encirclement. The two of them followed the Earth Spirit into the secret passage, followed by the two squads of Knights s guarding the passage. In order not to startle the snake by hitting the grass, his chasing speed was not very fast. He tried to restrain his footsteps as he moved stealthily.

The secret passageway was two hundred meters away from the exit. Yan Hui led his entourage and quickly walked forward, followed by the First Prince Tang Yong and the manager of the trading firm.

The group's expressions were solemn. In yesterday's battle, Yan Hui had lost all his Martial Saint, so most of the people following him were unconventional characters. With his heavily injured Martial God, he couldn't rest easy before escaping to a safe zone.

CHAPTER 505 - CIRCUMVENTION AND COUNTER-ENCIRCLEMENT(5)

How far is it? Yan Hui turned around and asked the store manager.

Not far, we're almost there. Two hundred meters at most. As the creator of the secret passageway, the shopkeeper was naturally the clearest.

Alright! Yan Hui didn't say anything else and led everyone towards the exit.

Their speed wasn't too fast. If a large group of people were to run wildly, it would inevitably cause the ground to shake. Wasn't that clearly telling Zhuge Ming that 'we are here'?

At the city gate, the city gate which was supposed to be closed for three days was opened wide. Liu Tie and Liu Shiyuan rode on their horses and led a large group of Knights out of the city like a tornado. When Zhuge Ming directed the area, they found that it was already two miles outside the city, in the wilderness.

Observing the surrounding terrain, Prime Minister Gao decisively gave the order for everyone to hide. The orders he received from the messenger were that they must rush to the designated location and receive a surprise head-on attack before Zhuge Mingson and the others arrived. Considering Zhuge Mingson's strength, Prime Minister Gao might not be able to handle it alone. Zhuge Ming agreed to call for reinforcements when Prime Minister Gao was in a bad situation. However, the most recent reinforcements were Heaven Sword Sect experts five kilometers away from the Gilt Gold City. It would still be quite some time before Gao Haomiao could last until the reinforcements arrived. As for Gilt Gold City, they shut their doors tightly again after Prime Minister Gao had led his men out, preventing Zhuge Mingson from rushing back into the city in a hurry. Moreover, the Gubei Merchant Firm of the city was also surrounded by the two thousand Knights soldiers and five thousand garrison soldiers who were guarding the Imperial City. They had used their superior numbers to cut off Zhuge Mingson's retreat.

In the secret passage, Zhuge Ming, Xu Feng and the rest were led in by the Earth Spirit. The dark environment couldn't stop the Earth Spirit's footsteps at all. Every time it turned a corner, the Earth Spirit would even wave at Zhuge Ming, who was behind them, to be careful. This was the advantage of a Heaven Martial Cultivator. With its intelligence, it was able to make the care about its master, and at the same time, quicken its pace.

A faint light appeared in front of them, making Yan Hui and the others, who were unaware of their situation, feel a sense of joy. Not caring about hiding anymore, he ran a few steps and climbed up the stairs.

After all, Yan Hui was experienced, so he didn't rush out of the secret passage immediately. Instead, he carefully removed the decorations that covered the secret passage's entrance, exposing a pair of eyes that were observing the situation outside through the gap.

Half a minute later, after confirming that the outside world was safe, Yan Hui lifted the camouflage over his head and rushed out of the secret tunnel. He floated in mid-air. Tang Yong and the others also rushed to climb out from the ground.

However, just as Yan Hui turned his head to look at the high Gilt Gold City city wall two miles away and was about to laugh out loud after successfully escaping, a shocking thirty meter long blade radiance descended from the sky.

Yan Hui was shocked and the black Internal Strength surged. He raised his hand and punched, but used the counterforce from the fist power to descend straight to the ground.

Boom! *

The saber light and the fist force collided in midair, and the shock wave from the collision poured down onto the secret passage, scaring the followers away. Those who had come out hurriedly sought cover, lest they be caught in the crossfire.

Fortunately, there were a lot of rocks and trees here and only two of Yan Hui's lackeys were hit by the shock wave and turned into corpses. With their cultivation at Martial Knight Level, even if they were scattered Sword Light or Internal Strength s, they wouldn't be able to endure it.

Tang Yong was the second to walk out of the secret passageway and was also the earliest to see an opportunity. At this moment, he was trembling while hiding under a huge rock. When he was dodging just now, he inadvertently glanced over and saw the tall and sturdy figure of Yan Hui who was waving the long blade above his head. Isn't that the right side of Gilt Gold Dynasty, Gao Haomiao?

Gao Haomiao, who looked like a majestic war god, chased closely with a long blade in his hand. He didn't give Yan Hui any opportunity to catch his breath at all. The nine-ring great saber clanged, and streaks of blade-light cut through the air, enveloping Wu Tie's head.

Yan Hui was like a toothless tiger after losing his giant scythe, and his fighting strength was significantly weaker. In addition to his severe injuries, he could not even use 10% of his internal energy. Facing Gao Haomiao's biting cold attack, he could only dodge and didn't dare to easily touch it.

With this, Gao Haomiao's morale increased. The broadsword brandished the light shadows to attack with all its might, each slash was an attack to save the enemy. If not for the fact that Yan Hui was still in his realm, his prediction ability would have been extraordinary and he would have been beheaded in the wave of attacks.

Gao Haomiao! Don't force me! Yan Hui once again flashed his blade as he roared with all his might. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a large group of Knights s come out from their hiding place, and quickly finish their encirclement. The situation was already very grim for him, and he could not afford to think about it any longer.

Humph! You are an unruly man, yet you still dare to act so arrogantly even in the face of death. Use all of your abilities! Gao Haomiao showed his iron-blooded attitude perfectly. He was not afraid of Yan Hui's threat at all. The long sword in his hand flew up and down as he increased his attack.

The pressure suddenly increased. Yan Hui clenched his teeth so hard that a trace of blood flowed out. Repeatedly dodging had affected his injuries from yesterday. If he didn't have a backup, just the recurrence of his old wounds would have taken his life.

Ruthlessness flashed across his eyes. After taking a slash from Gao Haomiao, he suddenly dodged and retreated, temporarily escaping his predicament. The black Internal Strength on his body shot upwards, forming a thick pillar of light that shot into the sky. It was like a bridge that connected the heavens and the earth.

At the same time, some of the followers in the secret passage also let out miserable shrieks. Under the overwhelming attacks of the Heaven Martial Cultivator Earth Spirit, these low level Martial Cultivator s were completely unable to withstand a single blow. Only a few of their followers near the secret passage were able to escape, and they rushed towards the Knights members without thinking.

After removing the obstruction in the secret passage, Zhuge Ming and Xu Feng followed the Earth Spirit and rushed out. Before he could clearly see the situation outside, he felt an extremely terrifying aura enveloping the area within a few hundred meters.

After the black pillar of light appeared, Gao Haomiao stopped attacking. When he saw Zhuge Ming and Xu Feng running towards him under the protection of some unknown creature, he quickly went up to them.

How is it? Zhuge Ming asked in fear as he looked at the pillar of light that shot into the sky.

Mr. Zhuge, it looks like Yan Hui is going to go all out. What should we do? Gao Haomiao also knew that this was a big deal. Just from Yan Hui's posture, this move was bound to be earth-shattering.

Have the troops retreat two hundred meters, there's only you and me and Guild Leader Xu here. Zhuge Ming made a prompt decision.

What about me? Liu Shiyuan, who was on the other side, was unconvinced. He finally got a place to fight alongside him, if he were to hide in the back at a critical moment, how could he manage in the Gilt Gold Dynasty in the future?

Zhuge Ming looked at Liu Shiyuan and saw the determination in his eyes. When the majority of the troops received the order to retreat quickly, other than Zhuge Ming and the other four people at the side of the secret passageway, only Tang Yong and his men were left.

It was not that Tang Yong did not want to run, although the encirclement retreated two hundred meters, the encirclement was still there. With his strength, as long as one Little Team Leader got in his way, the others would definitely catch him alive. Rather than being captured, Tang Yong would rather wait for Yan Hui to defeat the pursuers and escape with him.

However, he, who lacked experience against enemies, could not feel the strength of Yan Hui's attack at all. The haze of death silently enveloped every single person in the encirclement.

CHAPTER 506 - CIRCUMVENTION AND COUNTER-ENCIRCLEMENT(6)

Under the black light, Yan Hui's eyes were shining. The cruelty on his face had turned into piety, and he was mumbling something.

As his chanting got louder and louder, ripples began to appear in the middle of the light pillar. From the perspective of Zhuge Ming and the others, the pillar of light seemed to have expanded in the middle.

The energy waves rippled faster and faster. After half a minute, a crack suddenly appeared in the core. An energy field that was even more terrifying than a pillar of light gushed