Chapter 379 Escape

Emperor Li Heming's expression was gloomy.

On the other side, Prince of Zhenbei, Li Shuoting, stood in a standoff with Ji Mucheng, the current Clan Chief of the Hidden Dragon Clan.

His Luck was good enough; he and He Wuzhu had not participated in the final battle for the Heavenly Pillar within Heavenly Pillar Mountain, and they had fortunately survived the cold current released by Yi Xunzhen.

However, after emerging, He Wuzhu departed on his own.

He had already repaid his debt of gratitude to the late Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty, and there were no longer any ties between the two parties.

Aside from them, the vast majority of people at the time were frozen to death; not even one in ten of those who were there truly survived.

Even among those from the Hidden Dragon Clan, only Xiahou Xi managed to save the life of the youngest Disciple under her protection.

But the Hidden Dragon Clan still possessed residual foundations. Seizing this opportunity, they had come to the imperial palace to force Emperor Li Heming to abdicate in favor of someone more worthy.

As for Empress Dowager Yuwen Feng, since her return, she had led the members of the Yuwen Clan to move away from the Central Province and return to their ancestral lands to recuperate, no longer involving themselves in external affairs.

Thus, Emperor Li Heming was now truly a man alone, without any assistance from those outside his clan.

However, his opponents were all powerful. Although the Buddhist Sect had also suffered a great loss of Origin Qi, with thousands of years of foundation, they still had many hidden forces behind them.

If it were only these forces, it would have been fine.

Without reaching the Yuantai Realm, even the Old Man of Tianshan, who had achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, could not last more than a few moves against him.

But the Sword Saint of the East Sea, Xiahou Xi, was here—a figure capable of fighting him to a standstill.

Ignoring her peerless beauty, her swordsmanship was, if not the absolute pinnacle of the world, very close to it.

Furthermore, Xiahou Xi possessed a treasure that allowed her, with her Early Stage Yuantai Realm cultivation, to avoid being targeted by the Will of Heaven and Earth, which was enough to sustain her through a great battle.

"Your Majesty, the Great Jin Dynasty's Luck has run dry. There is no need for a deathbed struggle!"

"Hand over the imperial seal of the realm, and the Li family will remain a thousand-year-old prominent clan. Otherwise, it is hard to say if your Li Bloodline will be allowed to continue!"

The Old Man of Tianshan's face was ashen, but his tone did not lose a bit of its edge.

Inside Heavenly Pillar Mountain, he had also been severely injured and had yet to recover. Moreover, among his four Disciples, only "Red Sun Venerable" Li Zhou and "Charming" Shen Nanzhi had survived.

"Hmph! A pack of rebellious subjects and treacherous sons! You all deserve to die!!"

Emperor Li Heming spoke in a chilling tone, and the faint roar of a dragon emanated from within his body as he let out a roar of indignation.

"Hehe, do you think you are still the Emperor?"

Prince of the North, Ji Mu, sneered with disdain:

"We have already fought our way into the palace. Do you see a single person coming to your aid?"

"If you do not hand over the imperial seal of the realm today, we will leave you without a place to be buried!"

These words made Emperor Li Heming's face turn even gloomier.

What the opponent said was the truth.

It wasn't just because the opponents were powerful and many people didn't dare to make enemies of them; the main reason was that no one favored the Li imperial family anymore, and they were no longer loyal to the Great Jin.

Currently, various parts of the world had actually fallen into a state of self-governance by warlords, and they had long since stopped honoring the Great Jin as the legitimate authority.

Even within the imperial city, people were in a state of panic. All the eunuchs and palace maids were packing up their valuables and fleeing for their lives; the palace defenses were practically non-existent.

"Sword Saint Xiahou, strike!!"

Clang!

Suddenly, at Ji Mucheng's command, Xiahou Xi drew the sword from the scabbard at her waist. Dark golden dragon patterns flashed across the blade, its sharpness piercing straight into the clouds.

This was the ancestral divine sword of the Ji Clan, forged in imitation of the first human emperor sword. Even if its power did not rival the original, it was still one of the top divine swords in the world.

To deal with Emperor Li Heming, who possessed the imperial seal of the realm, they had specifically invited this sword out from the Ji Clan's ancestral hall.

Roar!

A thousand-zhang golden dragon burst from Emperor Li Heming's body, flashing with brilliant golden light in the dark night. It bared its fangs and claws as it met the Sword Qi slashed out by Xiahou Xi.

The two top experts of the Yuantai Realm shot into the depths of the sky like rockets, clashing in battle.

"Imperial Father..."

Outside the imperial city, Princess Yunshu had tears in her eyes as she looked at those few terrifying figures confronting each other high in the sky. She couldn't see their true forms at all, only hazy light and shadows swirling around them.

The once-mighty Li imperial family might truly reach its end today.

"Princess, let us leave quickly!"

Behind her, an old nanny with profound martial arts skills urgently advised:

"His Majesty's martial arts are unparalleled; these rebels are certainly no match for him. We shall return to the palace once everything is safe!"

Currently, the members of the imperial family within the capital were being evacuated by pre-arranged guards. Most of them had actually already left the Central Province and hidden in safe places.

The members of the Li clan had long anticipated this day.

Even before Emperor Li Heming entered Heavenly Pillar Mountain, arrangements had already been made.

After all, he never expected the Imperial Dynasty to last forever.

Princess Yunshu took one last look at the palace and finally turned around, following the nanny who had cared for her since childhood as they fled toward the capital's city gates.

In the capital today, cries of battle could be heard everywhere.

However, these were not from the people brought by the Buddhist Sect or the Ji Clan, but others fishing in troubled waters. They hadn't brought any great army to besiege the city; the current court was just an empty shell. As long as Emperor Li Heming, the strongest among them, was killed, everything would naturally settle down.

Above the imperial city, Ji Mucheng scanned the city below with cold eyes and said chillingly:

"Fellow Daoist Tianshan, join forces with me to deal with Li Shuoting. The others, go hunt down the members of the imperial family. Make sure not to let a single one escape!"

Since they had already made their move, both sides were in a life-and-death situation. Even if Emperor Li Heming handed over the imperial seal of the realm, they had no intention of letting him go.

On the Buddhist side, several Devas from the Hanging Temple and Xue Bai's group looked at the Old Man of Tianshan. Seeing him nod, they immediately dispersed and flew toward the various city gates of the capital.

"Kill!!"

At the north gate of the capital, the sounds of slaughter spread for miles. Everywhere were scenes of clashing swords and splashing blood. The capital was now completely out of control, and it was impossible to tell who was fighting whom.

"Get out of this old woman's way!"

Just then, a black-clad figure swept through like the wind. The crowd fighting at the city gate felt their heads buzzing, falling into a blank state.

Immediately after, an old woman leaped over the city gate with Princess Yunshu, escaping into the night.

Suddenly, a terrifying aura appeared like a tide, instantly radiating for dozens of miles. The fleeing old woman's body stiffened as a chill rose from her back and surged through her entire body.

She was like a mosquito trapped in amber, frozen mid-air, her body unable to move another inch.

At this point, she was only a few hundred zhang away from the city gate.

"Heavenly... Heavenly King Xue..."

The old woman trembled all over as she looked at the middle-aged man slowly descending from the sky. It was none other than Xue Bai, who had once stirred up endless storms across the world.

Although he had now faded into the crowd, he was still not someone she could handle.

Moreover, after secluding himself in the blessed land of the Hanging Temple for a long time, Xue Bai's cultivation had already broken through to the Dual Divine Treasury stage. He no longer had the superficial cultivation forcibly elevated by the power of Luck, but was a true Divine Treasury Realm Deva.

"Nanny..."

Princess Yunshu was dressed in plain clothes, but even with her nervous expression, her breathtaking beauty was hard to hide. In this night, she was even more eye-catching than the moonlight in the sky.