461: Assault

The afterglow of the setting sun, dappled through the gaps of the towering ancient trees in the Imperial Forest, cast a chilling and eerie light upon the solemn funeral procession, adding to the somber atmosphere of this royal burial.

The interment ceremony for the cenotaph proceeded according to ancestral rites, tedious and oppressive.

Feng Changge followed the crowd in bowing and kowtowing, but his thoughts had long since drifted back to Wind Capital, back to the core of the Immortal Formation that would decide the outcome.

His peripheral vision occasionally glanced at Feng Ziyi, who appeared sorrowful and behaved properly, showing no abnormalities. Instead, it was the third brother, Feng Chengtian, and the Fourth Imperial Prince, Feng Yuzhuo, whose eyes flickered, occasionally exchanging brief glances with Feng Ziyi.

“An illusion?” Feng Changge suppressed the unease in his heart, telling himself that once he returned to Wind Capital and activated the Immortal Formation, everything would be decided.

The state funeral ceremony concluded, but the heavy atmosphere did not dissipate. Instead, deeper undercurrents brewed within the returning retinues.

According to custom, the imperial relatives, civil and military officials who had come to the funeral no longer traveled on foot. They all summoned their Flying Magic Treasures, transforming into various streaks of light, preparing to return to Wind Capital.

Feng Changge boarded his magnificent Dragon carriage, pulled by nine Dragon phantoms. The carriage soared into the sky. Zhao Tingzhi stood guard beside him, his expression vigilant, with several trusted guards following closely behind.

The carriage had barely flown a few miles out of the Imperial Forest when, from the vast mountains below, four terrifying, almost corporeal, pressures erupted without warning, like four invisible mountains, instantly suppressing this entire world!

“Roar—!”

The nine Dragons wailed in sorrow, their Dragon phantoms shattering inch by inch under the terrifying pressure. The massive carriage abruptly stalled, forcibly pushed down from the sky towards the ground!

“Changge!” Zhao Tingzhi reacted extremely quickly, his Quasi-Immortal cultivation fully erupting. Azure-purple lightning burst from his body, forming a lightning shield to protect Feng Changge, while he roared, “Enemy attack! Form up!”

The accompanying guards were all elites; though startled, they did not panic, instantly forming a battle Formation, their precious lights connecting into a single expanse.

However, the attackers were simply too strong!

Four figures stepped out from the Void Realm, their robes fluttering, their Immortal might vast. They were indeed four Quasi-Immortals!

One of them, holding a bronze battle-halberd, was Marquis Wuwei of the Imperial Dynasty. Another was the Great Feng Emperor's shadow, clad in a black robe and wielding a black lacquered short sword—a gaunt middle-aged man. These two were trump cards left by the late Great Feng Emperor for Feng Ziyi, two Quasi-Immortals!

The other two had distinct styles.

One wore a Ghost Soul Daoist robe, surrounded by faint, mournful soul shadows, and was the Ancestor of the Ghost Soul Pavilion, who supported the Fourth Imperial Prince, Feng Yuzhuo. The other's Sword Qi soared to the heavens, his entire being like a drawn ancient sword, and was the Grand Elder of the Ancient Sword Pavilion, backing the third Imperial Prince, Feng Chengtian!

Four Quasi-Immortals, without concealment, launched a powerful assault!

“Feng Ziyi! Feng Chengtian! Feng Yuzhuo! How dare you disregard ancestral rites and attack an Imperial Prince during a national mourning period!!” Feng Changge was both shocked and enraged, his voice, even under the Quasi-Immortal pressure, still carried the dignity of an Imperial Prince, echoing across the four wilds.

At this moment, other ministerial retinues were still flying out of the Imperial Forest from behind. Seeing this scene, they were all horrified and changed color.

An old censor, with white hair and beard, seeing the situation, trembled with rage. He steered his Flying Sword forward and angrily rebuked, “Your Highnesses! Such actions are no different from treason! If you do not stop at once! This old man will report it to the Immortal Envoy!”

However, before he finished speaking, Marquis Wuwei, who held the bronze battle-halberd, did not even glance at him, but swept his halberd back!

A chilling halberd-light tore through the sky, and the old censor, along with his Flying Sword, was instantly cut in two, blood splattering across the sky!

“Noisy.” Marquis Wuwei's tone was cold, as if he had merely swatted a fly.

The face of another imperial prince who tried to offer advice turned ashen, and the words that had reached his lips were swallowed back. He fearfully led his men to retreat rapidly.

The other ministers who witnessed this scene were all terrified to their core, and they hastily steered their Magic Treasures away from this dangerous place, no one daring to speak again.

The struggle for succession was so cruel, now completely undisguised. If they did not want to be crushed, they could only protect themselves.

“Ninth brother, if you must blame someone, blame yourself for touching what you shouldn't have.” Feng Ziyi's voice came from afar; he did not appear in person, but his cold voice clearly reached the scene, “Today, I ask you to rest here forever, and accompany Imperial Father!”

“Kill!” Feng Chengtian and Feng Yuzhuo's voices also rang out simultaneously, filled with murderous intent.

The four Quasi-Immortals no longer delayed, attacking at the same time!

There was no Formation to conceal them, but the might of the Quasi-Immortals had already stirred the wind and clouds. Their attacks were simple and direct, yet contained destructive power!

Marquis Wuwei's battle-halberd swept across the sky, its myriad shadows piercing through the Void Realm;

The shadow Quasi-Immortal's short sword ripped through the air, unleashing countless streaks of inky blackness;

The Ancestor of the Ghost Soul Pavilion cackled eerily, shaking the myriad soul banner, and countless ferocious soul shadows transformed into a monstrous black tide, devouring Divine Souls;

The Grand Elder of the Ancient Sword Pavilion pointed his fingers like a sword, and a Sword Qi of ultimate purity, striking later but arriving first, aimed directly at Feng Changge's Dantian and Purple Mansion!

“Grandfather!” Feng Changge's pupils contracted sharply, and he roared, instantly summoning his twin moon wheel, which transformed into two intertwined, dazzling silver lights, protecting him as he fully met the sharpest Sword Qi!

Zhao Tingzhi's hair stood on end, his lightning Dao cultivated to its peak. He roared as he met the overwhelming tide of souls and a portion of the halberd shadows, easing the pressure on Feng Changge.

Rumble—!

A deafening explosion instantly erupted!

The collision of Immortal Rank power caused an energy storm to sweep through, instantly pulverizing the mountains and forests below, and carving deep ravines into the earth.

“Pfft—!”

Although Zhao Tingzhi was strong, facing the combined attack of three Quasi-Immortals, which included a soul Dao attack specifically designed to counter Divine Souls, his lightning shield was instantly shattered by the black streaks. The myriad souls devouring his body were scattered by the heavenly lightning he summoned with his Immortal power, but then he had no time to dodge and was pierced through the shoulder by a halberd shadow. He felt as if struck by lightning, spitting blood wildly, with blood oozing from every pore. He crashed heavily to the ground, severely wounded by the combined attack of the three!

As for Feng Changge, although his twin moon wheel was extraordinary and extinguished the Sword Qi from the Grand Elder of the Ancient Sword Pavilion, he himself was so violently shaken by the terrifying impact that his internal organs shifted.

Before he could catch his breath, the shadow Quasi-Immortal appeared before him like a ghost, delivering a strike.

“Suppress!”

Before the short sword arrived, the terrifying pressure had already almost solidified the space around Feng Changge!

He struggled to activate the moon wheel to block.

Clang—!

A deafening crash of metal on metal!

The twin moon wheel's radiance suddenly dimmed, and it flew back with a mournful cry.

Feng Changge was struck as if by a primordial beast. His protective Magic Treasures shattered one after another, his silver-patterned python robe turned into flying threads, and blood gushed from his mouth like a spring. His chest bone collapsed, and he was violently flung away like a meteor!

Boom!

His body uncontrollably slammed into the cliff face of a nearby mountain, creating a bottomless human-shaped crater. Rocks rolled down, instantly burying him.

His aura was like a flickering candle in the wind, rapidly weakening, almost imperceptible.

The mountain wind howled, carrying the scent of blood.

The four Quasi-Immortals stood in the air, coldly observing the ravaged battlefield and the collapsed mountain wall.

In the distance, the fleeing ministers, witnessing this scene from afar, felt an endless chill in their hearts.

And Xiao Zhuo, far away in Wind Capital, also sensed it.

There was his mark within the twin moon wheel.

Even if Feng Changge couldn't activate it in time, he could activate it himself.