"You're nothing but a beast!" Jiang Jingwei erupted in anger. "How dare you help a corrupt minister who's been harming the nation, and claim the right to be my father? You weren't even my father to begin with!" She didn't recognize this middle-aged man, but from his words, she understood their identity—The Divine Sharp Army! The extra Saint-level figures were the remnants of the Divine Sharp Army. Previously, the remnants of the Divine Sharp Army had attacked Yuan Shiyi and herself at the Hong Xiu Hall. Now it seemed clear that the Divine Sharp Army had fully aligned themselves with Zheng Wenhuan and had become their adversaries. It was a pity that Yuan Shiyi still hoped to bring them into the fold. The views of the Palace Master, Guan Ya, Xiao Yuan, and others were quite the opposite. They believed that with Zhao Kai's death and Yuan Shiyi's failed outreach efforts, the Divine Sharp Army had now become the enemy. The returning Saint-level figures—Xu, the Elder of Qinglong Sect, and Zhou Keqing from Yang's household—felt a deep sense of weight in their hearts. The enemy's Saints were not only in greater numbers but also of higher The plan to strike down Zheng Wenhan within a single hour was certainly doomed. A forced battle would only result in being surrounded on all sides, waiting for the majority of the city's garrison to arrive, and then being completely wiped out by the Zheng family. Zhou Keqing turned to Guan Ya, changing his address and offering a wry smile. "Madam, is there still any point in fighting to the end? You go with your friends. I'll hold the rear." Xu, the senior elder, had also lost his fighting spirit, filled with regret and frustration. He was not afraid of dying, but he didn't want his seven-foot frame to be wasted in the process. Tonight's assassination had failed, and with it, the great southern palace—once on the brink of collapse—was now truly lost. In the past, he might have been deeply regretful, but never truly dissatisfied, since the entire imperial administration had long been in disarray. Now, with the weary monarch finally showing signs of revival, the outcome was so disappointing. Guan Ya exchanged glances with the regent, Xiao Yuan, Xie Lingxi, and the queen. As the queen, a seasoned scout, naturally exuded leadership, she spoke calmly. Guan Ya chose to believe Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun not out of blind romanticism, but based on strategic calculation—within the game of star officials, the principle is to commit nine-tenths and reserve one-tenth. Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun could not reveal his full plans to his teammates, especially to the other high-ranking ministers of the same profession. Therefore, the very role of these pieces on the board was to continue with their assigned missions, rather than to retreat at the last moment. The sages of Zheng's court纷纷 stepped forward—some summoning flying swords to intercept, others raising earth walls to block, some commanding animals like cats, dogs, mice, and snakes to encircle the enemies, while others launched direct assaults. At once, flames erupted, sword energy surged, spirits of resentment roared, and the plague spread. Just then, the sage of the Shenui Army, who had remained steadfast atop the roof, suddenly turned his spear and charged directly at Zheng Wenhan. Zheng Wenhan's father was the first to react, roaring, "Dog scoundrel! Your debt to General Wu and the Shenui Army—now it's time to repay it!" Stands behind the earth wall, Zheng Wenhan paused, then his face turned pale as he cried out, "Save me, everyone!" Ten shi-chang officers were even master-level experts, though only just touching the threshold of the master rank (initial stage of level four). Combined with heavy-duty equipment such as the armor-piercing crossbow, silver mesh, pyro-nails, and thunder-shock projectiles—crafted at great expense—any contender who had only reached halfway toward the master rank would have to retreat in fear. Zheng Wenshi had chosen to keep this formidable force concealed, unwilling to make an early appearance and thus intimidate the enemy. His elder brother, Zheng Wenhan, had received a confidential letter from Tianji Building, revealing that the court's allies would launch a surprise attack on the Zheng family tonight. The Zheng family would therefore adopt a strategy of counter-attack, setting up a comprehensive network of defenses, waiting for the enemy to strike. As long as the court's allies were eliminated, the overall situation would be secured. At that moment, a figure appeared ahead, blocking their path. The man had ordinary features, average height, wore black martial attire, carried a heavy bundle, and held a torch. Zheng Wenshi's eyes narrowed sharply, and he commanded firmly, "Who is ahead? Any violator of the curfew shall be shot on the spot!" He didn’t bother to waste words—he simply removed the sturdy bow hung on his horse, nocked an arrow, drew back, and with a sharp *crack*, launched it, piercing the man through the chest. The roadblocker’s heart shattered; he stumbled and fell to his knees. Zheng Wensheng spurred his horse into a wild gallop, drawing his long sword from his waist, ready to decapitate the man. Suddenly, the black-clad man raised his head, shouting with all his might, “I am Li Ao of Qinglong Clan! Dog thief Zheng—die!” He shoved his torch back, igniting the fuse; a steady stream of smoke hissed upward. Zheng Wensheng felt a sudden chill. As a trained swordsman, his keen sense of intuition detected the threat—immediately dismounting, he spun like a top and soared skyward. *Boom!* A deafening explosion erupted, accompanied by blinding flames. The horse was instantly shattered, and the shockwave lifted dust and roof tiles from buildings several meters away. Even at the peak of his mastery as a minor master, Zheng Wensheng was thrown off balance by the force of "General..." The officer approached on his horse, his heart pounding with apprehension, "What in the world is this?" Compared to the thunderbolts produced by the Ministry of Works, this device was nothing more than a mere firecracker. Zheng Wenshi's expression remained grim: "This is a master-level artifact—yet to use it to assassinate me is nothing short of delusional." With that, he leapt onto the officer's horse and took his subordinates toward Zheng's residence. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the rooftops on both sides of the street. Turning toward the sound, they saw a group of fifteen men in black martial attire, each carrying torches and bearing heavy bundles. All the armored elite, including Zheng Wenshi, were stunned. These men spoke not a word, their eyes resolute. They lit the fuse with their torches and leapt down, like devout martyrs. Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions followed one after another, their expanding flames illuminating the night sky. The buildings on both sides of the main street crumbled under the force of the shockwaves. The tremor was clearly felt hundreds of meters away. Zheng Wenshi staggered out from the flames, his armor shattered, his body covered in black and red burns, his helmet lost, revealing a bare head. His face and beard were completely gone, his flesh as if scalded by boiling water, oozing black and red blood. Beyond the striking external injuries, his internal wounds were even more severe—massive bleeding throughout his organs, with heat toxicity attacking his heart. Had it not been for the unyielding resolve of a swordsman, he would have been unconscious by now. Even at the peak of a junior master’s level, he could not escape this widespread, large-scale explosion through sheer speed; he had instead endured it with the strength of his cultivation. Besides Zheng Wenshi, three other shizhang survived—one had practiced the art of taming beasts, the other two had cultivated earth-based spiritual energy. All three were severely wounded and near death, yet they had managed to persevere through sheer willpower. For them, as long as they could breathe and circulate their spiritual energy, even the most severe injuries could heal. Zheng Wenshi staggered, turned around, and looked at the blackened meat chunks and bloodstains scattered all over the ground. A wave of rich, sweet crimson surged to his heart. The elite troops raised and nurtured by his family's silver coinage—now all gone. This burst of fireworks was brilliant and dazzling. …… At the Tianji Building, Zhang Yuqing stood on the observation platform, watching the brilliant display of firelight rise and then fade. Like a lamp extinguished when a person dies! "Truly beautiful!" he murmured. "Sacrificing oneself for ideals and aspirations is the most beautiful thing in human life, and it is the destiny of a hero. This quest is excellent—it surpasses any I've encountered before." Zhang Yuqing turned his head and said, "Master, how do you see my move?" At his side, the Master's face had grown fierce and rugged, no longer serene or transcendent. "How did you convince the Shenrui Army?" the Master asked, his gaze shadowed. "Actually, whether it was the surprise attack on Zheng's estate or Zheng's strategy of luring us in—both were moves we had known all along. The key to this game lies in calculating the pieces. If you can fully account for all my pieces, you will win. Otherwise, I will." Zhang Yuanqing said calmly, "When it comes to allies, Zheng Wenhan holds supreme power—his city defense forces and Imperial City Office are staffed with top-tier officers, and no matter how hard I try, I can't stand a chance against him. I must therefore devise a way to make him willing to join me in 'performing' a show. To make him take this risk, I need to create urgency—urgency for both him and the Grand Abbot. Thus, I have been steadily building my reputation and winning the hearts of the people. You and Zheng Wenhan both resist my gradual encroachment, so when I began reaching out to various parties with the intention of launching a surprise night attack on his estate, you promptly decided to play along, setting a trap to lure us in. For this very reason, you even hesitated to deploy too many elite officers at Zheng's estate, fearing that if the situation looked unfavorable, I might choose to retreat. After all, the top officers of the city defense and Imperial City Office are under constant surveillance by Yang's and the royal family's forces. However, without a decisive numerical advantage, it's difficult to completely net us. Your move to engage the Shen Rui Army has been precisely Zhang Yuanqing's face bore neither pride nor joy; he still gazed toward the distant spot where the flames rose, and spoke slowly: "Zhao Kai was merely a pawn of mine—my purpose was to distract you. I deliberately brought your female disciple, Chu Beauty, into contact with Zhao Kai, so that he would enter your field of vision and allow you to perceive my strategy. When you curse Zhao Kai's demise, you will naturally believe that I have lost the opportunity to win over the Shen Rui Army." The State Preceptor said solemnly: "Is that not precisely the case?" "By no means," Zhang Yuanqing replied with confidence. "To uncover the history of the Shen Rui Army's downfall, one does not necessarily have to seek witnesses from the Southern Dynasty—military figures from the Northern Dynasty can also serve as such witnesses." He continued smoothly: "Tuoba Guanghe arrived in the capital too late. When Zheng Wenhan was dominating the Southern Dynasty, Tuoba Guanghe was still just a commoner in the realm of the martial world. Despite their lack of direct interaction, they managed to reach an agreement—this must have been facilitated by someone of considerable influence, acting as a bridge between them." "Zheng Wenhan was the one who originally coordinated with the northern court's military forces. I concluded that among the northern forces launching the assault on Linxia, there must have been someone who had previously liaised with Zheng Wenhan. Thus, a few days ago, I secretly visited Linxia, constantly inquiring through the night-wandering deity within the garrison's ranks, and eventually pinpointed a specific individual..." Zhang Yuanqing turned to the state-preceptor and said: "Then I captured that northern general, severed his limbs, and brought him before the remnants of the Shenrui Army. For the Shenrui Army, though I myself shall surely perish, Zheng Wenhan is one of the two principal perpetrators—his priority naturally surpasses mine." The entire plan rested on the assumption that the state-preceptor could not anticipate the Emperor's involvement. The Emperor's dragon-energy aura inherently provided concealment, and concealment itself was particularly effective against the state-preceptor's celestial observation techniques. The state-preceptor stared at him with a dark, brooding expression—filled with both resentment and murderous intent—remaining silent for a long while before finally dissolving into shimmering light particles. At the same time, Zhang Yuan 【Ping! Side quest activated: Defeat the Grand Sage of State.】 Guan Ya and her companions have accomplished it. As the side quest is completed, a nebula seal appears on their foreheads, which then transforms into a blazing sun seal. The seal is lifted! A vast and pure stream of divine solar energy flows into their body, radiating golden light that illuminates the surrounding area. They finally return to the realm of supremacy, and all items in their inventory are now unsealed. At this very moment, the entire Tianji Building begins to tremble violently, as if experiencing an earthquake, with a thunderous roar emanating from within. Zhang Yuan’s hair stands on end, a strong sense of urgency rising within him. He shouts toward the distance: "Boss is awakening! The Crown Princess and the Jade Princess, come and rescue us!"