363: Destroyed Capital

“This must be the Great Zhou capital, right?”

Looking at the tightly shut city gates, the towering city walls, and the bottomless moat, Lin Ang had never seen anything like it in his life.

“Replying to Alliance Leader, it is!” a Zhengqi Alliance Member replied.

Lin Ang nodded, then ignored the rain of arrows shooting from the city walls.

He leaped from his horse, crossed the moat, and arrived at the foot of the city wall.

The soldiers on the city gate all turned their arrows and aimed at Lin Ang alone.

The drawbridge over the moat had already been cut down and thrown into the river, clearly indicating they were prepared for a desperate struggle.

But this move might work against ordinary people; it was meaningless against a Zhengqi Alliance Member and Lu Xin.

Before the arrows could even touch Lin Ang, they were repelled by a strange force.

Then they returned along their original path, shooting back at the soldiers who had fired them.

Pfft, pfft, pfft... After a series of sounds of arrows piercing through armor and flesh, the city wall instantly fell silent.

Lin Ang slowly walked to the city gate and pushed it with force.

Immediately, one of the city gates was forcibly torn off by Lin Ang, revealing the terrified defenders inside.

Clearly, they had long heard of the methods of Lin Ang and his group.

Under Lu Xin's command, the Zhengqi Alliance Members had already crossed the river and gathered around him.

Lin Ang then tore off the other gate, handed it to a Zhengqi Alliance Member to be processed, and fashioned it into a simple bridge for crossing the river.

Looking at the defending soldiers inside, Lin Ang truly couldn't bear to kill, so he declared, “Surrender and live!”

As just mentioned, the defending generals and soldiers had long heard of Lin Ang and his group's methods.

At this point, asking them to surrender was no different from standing there waiting to die.

So when Lin Ang spoke these words, not a single person paid him any attention.

Seeing this, Lin Ang's expression showed displeasure; he was being benevolent, yet these people showed no appreciation at all.

Good, very loyal!

Preferring death over surrender, is that it?

Seeing this, Lin Ang also lost his patience, casually waving his hand and saying, “Kill them.”

“Understood.”

Upon hearing this, the Zhengqi Alliance Members swarmed forward, rushing towards the city gate.

As soon as the two sides clashed, the defending generals and soldiers scattered like sand.

After one charge, about seventy to eighty percent of them were dead.

The vast difference between mortals and cultivators was vividly demonstrated in this war.

“Help...”

“Help...”

“I’m willing to surrender, I’m willing to surrender...”

In a pool of blood, a defending soldier with only half a body was not yet fully dead, still crying out loudly for help.

But his voice, in this bloody and chaotic battlefield, seemed so insignificant.

A Zhengqi Alliance Member noticed him, and just as the soldier thought he was about to be rescued...

The member savagely struck him with a blade, not stopping until he was completely dead.

In a short while, the battle at the city gate was resolved.

Lin Ang rode his horse and proceeded into the imperial city.

From the city gate behind him, countless Zhengqi Alliance Members and rebel soldiers poured in.

The advancing army avoided Lin Ang, dispersing in various directions as soon as they entered the city.

Lu Xin, on the other hand, continued towards the city center, where every house had its door tightly shut, and hardly any people were visible on the streets.

Would this once prosperous and lively Great Zhou capital one day become like this?

Lin Ang could sense that in many of the houses with tightly closed doors and windows, people were hiding behind them, secretly watching him through the cracks.

He paid no attention to these gazes, simply walking by himself, absorbed in his thoughts.

Soon, a portion of the rebel army had already reached this area.

They casually kicked open one of the doors, sending the people behind it tumbling over.

Then a group of people rushed into the house and killed the man behind the door with a single strike.

Soon, the screams of women and the cries of children followed.

“This family is good, the women in the capital are truly extraordinary; even a random household has such beautiful ones.”

“What about the children?”

“Chop them to death with one strike!”

“Shouldn’t we ask first?”

“So many questions. Fine, you ask!”

“Are you a good person?” he asked extremely quickly.

Immediately, there was a 'pfft' sound.

“He hesitated, he must be trying to deceive us.”

“Alright, hurry up and have fun, there are still so many households; if we don’t complete the mission, we’ll just wait to die.”

As Lin Ang walked, he unknowingly arrived at the imperial city gate tower.

In the very center of the imperial city's main entrance, an old eunuch stood there.

“Why don’t you leave?” Lin Ang asked.

“Why should I leave?” the old eunuch retorted.

“You can live,” Lin Ang replied earnestly.

The old eunuch scoffed upon hearing this, “If not for you rebellious traitors, why would Great Zhou be in such a state?”

A deathly resolve began to appear in his eyes, “The Imperial Advisor said Great Zhou still had three hundred years of national fortune. This statement harmed His Majesty, and it also harmed Great Zhou.”

“I heard that even the Nine Revolutions Imperial Advisor died by your hand.”

“Let me see, how many moves will it take you to kill me?”

Then, like a madman, the old eunuch burst out of his clothes and actively attacked Lin Ang.

His aura was so formidable that he was an Eight Revolutions expert!

This old eunuch had served two emperors, each of whom trusted and heavily relied on him.

He did not want, nor was he willing, to accept that the once incredibly prosperous Great Zhou would simply perish like this.

Lin Ang sighed helplessly at the sight; he truly wanted to spare the old eunuch's life.

Just like those defending soldiers of the capital, if they had surrendered at that time, Lin Ang would definitely have let them go.

Unfortunately, they were all stubborn fools!

Just as the old eunuch was about to reach Lin Ang, a giant, dark golden tiger claw suddenly appeared out of thin air.

It was connected to the void behind Lin Ang, leading to an unknown place.

The old eunuch tried to dodge, but it was already too late.

The tiger claw grabbed the rapidly charging old eunuch in its palm.

The old eunuch stopped abruptly like a high-speed train, shaking him disoriented.

But the tiger claw held him steadily, not moving an inch.

Lin Ang's arm also made a grasping motion, synchronizing with the tiger claw.

The old eunuch hadn't expected to lose so miserably, so completely, and struggled violently within the tiger claw.

Finally, he stopped his movements as if resigned to his fate.

Seeing that the old eunuch was determined to seek death, Lin Ang granted his wish.

His right hand suddenly retracted, and the tiger claw also exerted force.

Immense pressure came from all directions, crushing the old eunuch into a pulp.

He opened his hand and poured the remains into the imperial city's moat.

After the old eunuch died, the imperial city gates opened.

Inside were countless fully armed, ready-to-go Imperial City Guards.

At this point, anyone could see that Great Zhou had fallen.

These people showed no panic on their faces, looking composed as if going to their deaths.

The Imperial Guard Commander drew the sword at his waist and pointed it at Lin Ang, saying, “We are deeply indebted to His Majesty’s grace. Today is our time to show loyalty, brothers, charge!”

“Charge!”

With roars, an endless stream of Imperial Guards poured out from within the imperial city.

Lin Ang watched them calmly...