Lie Rou listened to the words of the people, feeling both bitter and relieved in her heart.
These few really have the mentality of children; their roundabout attack completely disrupted her plan.
Originally, Lie Rou was prepared to trade one life for the safety of her children and loyal servant, but now, due to their obstinacy, all her efforts were in vain.
Even so, a warmth still spread in Lie Rou’s eyes as she muttered: "Silly children, truly a bunch of silly children."
"Summon the people! All those of Lie Family Mansion involved in colluding with assassins and attempting to kill the Emperor and Empress Dowager shall be executed without mercy. Acting on the imminent crisis, I now assume the position of the King of Shang. I hereby appoint Qin Gang as the Foreign Prince, and Lady Yao as the Chief Imperial Alchemist. Commander Xie, please step aside; leave the matters of Shang to me," Fa Xiaoyi declared with vigor in his voice, his gaze sharp, treating himself as the Monarch of Shang.
Upon hearing Fa Xiaoyi’s proclamation, Lady Yao and Qin Gang immediately blushed with excitement; aiding Fa Xiaoyi was for this very moment.
With Yue Jinghua’s whereabouts unknown and Fa Xiaoyun dead, Fa Xiaoyi would not let off anyone who knew the truth.
Even though he recognized at a glance that Yue Chen and the other two were skilled, Fa Xiaoyi had little concern. With Qin Gang supporting him, why would he take a few teenagers at most in the Dark Earth Realm seriously?
While Fa Xiaoyi spoke, numerous Crossbow Archers suddenly appeared atop the walls of Lie Family Mansion, each armed with a Heavy Crossbow, their sharp blades aimed at Lie Rou and the others, ready to turn them into human targets at the slightest movement.
Hisss, countless arrows flew towards them like swarms of locusts.
It was at this moment, Lie Changshun bellowed, spreading his arms like a great roc, his High-level Dark Earth power surging out like a tidal wave, "Lie Rou, take them and leave."
Having been wailing on the ground, Lie Chang’an cried out in shock: "Second brother!"
"After today, there may no longer be a Lie Family Mansion in this world. Flee with every person you can," Lie Changshun, who had been observing for a while, knew that since Fa Xiaoyun was assassinated at Lie Family Mansion, Fa Xiaoyi would certainly not spare anyone here.
Whether it was because he was influenced by the united hatred of all those from Jingxin Courtyard or his conscience kicked in, Lie Changshun couldn’t help but recall the days when the three brothers of the Lie Family first established the Mansion. The memory of his elder brother’s madness and departure was vivid in his mind.
The once prosperous Lie Family Mansion was now littered with corpses; unable to restrain himself any longer, Lie Changshun roared and charged into the barrage of arrows.
"Fire--" Crossbow arrows rained down like a locust plague, one wave after another, ceaselessly.
The gleam of the arrows flashed with black, ripping through Lie Changshun’s protective Dark Energy.
The arrows were poisoned, and Lie Changshun took one straight to the chest, his complexion turning dark.
"Bang," Qin Gang’s palm pierced through Lie Changshun’s chest. He glared viciously at Lie Chang’an, who shrank his neck and didn’t dare make a sound.
"Thunder Snake, Five Elements Colored Spider," Shalman seized the moment, summoning his Snake Pet to lift Lie Rou and Yue Chen, while the Five Elements Colored Spider momentarily held off the assault; Red Jade Bow leading the way, they carved a path out of the Lie Family Mansion.
"Escape? Easier said than done," Lady Yao sneered sinisterly. At the entrance of Lie Family Mansion, a burst of white smoke rose, acting like an invisible barrier; plants instantly withered, and even the gray bricks turned black.
Such a potent poison cloud made Hongling and the others’ scalp tingle, realizing it would be difficult to break through this poisonous barrier.
As the pursuers closed in from behind, Shalman bit his lip, chanting an obscure snake incantation.
A puff of pink mist emerged, swiftly enveloping the figures of the four within the smoke.
At this moment outside the Lie Family Mansion, two clusters of pink and white fog mingled together, resembling two evenly matched armies in a standoff, neither yielding to the other.
Lady Yao and Fa Xiaoyi, leading a group of soldiers, stepped into the pink mist, only to perceive the scenery around them change instantly.
The Lie Family Mansion and the ground covered with corpses were gone; in front of them stretched a lush, dense forest, with wild grass beneath their feet growing so thick that each blade stood over half a person tall.
"It’s already winter, all plants should be withered, where did this forest come from?" Fa Xiaoyi was struck by a sudden thought, recalling that during the last courtyard contest in the Sha Family, a young girl won by using an Illusion Technique.
With a heightened alertness in his heart, he warned, "Be careful, this is an illusion."
Fa Xiaoyi had heard that some Dark Practitioners, with moderate cultivations of Dark Power, could cultivate a unique Illusion Technique through the practice of spiritual power, creating an illusionary realm.
An illusionary realm could envelop anything from a small area to an entire nation.
Shalman’s cultivation was mediocre, and the scope of the illusionary realm was not vast, indicating that he had only recently begun to practice the technique.
Just as Fa Xiaoyi called out a warning, Lady Yao, unaware of the situation, continued walking forward.
In an instant, the wild grass rustled, and the green leaves transformed into numerous green serpents the size of thumbs. Each serpent bared its fangs, and like bullets loaded into a chamber, they shot through Lady Yao’s chest.
Upon Lady Yao’s death, the dense poison fog dispersed immediately.
From within the pink fog, a giant snake and four figures burst out.
"Run," Shalman’s voice abruptly stopped.
Outside the illusion, Qin Gang and Fa Xiaoyi blocked the way.
"Sha Family’s young girl, I know you are at the end of your strength, unable to hold on much longer. Leave the person behind, and I can spare your life. Otherwise, the Sha Family will be executed without mercy," Fa Xiaoyi threatened loudly.
Shalman frowned slightly; indeed, using the Dark Beast and the illusionary realm one after another had severely depleted her spiritual power, and the pink fog behind her dissipated.
Red Jade and she stood back to back, with Red Jade’s Jade Arm Bow quivering slightly. In the previous retreat, she guarded against the pursuers from behind, her Jade Arm Bow firing countless Dark Power Arrows, severely depleting her own Dark Energy as well.
If it weren’t for the Elixir Pills that Yue Jinghua had given them earlier, the two would have likely already perished from exhaustion.
The situation was extremely urgent; not far behind them, Commander Xie and his men were watching coldly.
Determination settled on the young face of Yue Chen as his hand reached for the Jade Tube in his sleeve; had it really come to this? It seemed he had no choice but to make his move.
On Yue Chen’s forehead, the red birthmark shone bright as blood. Under the light of the birthmark, even the whites of his eyes turned red.
Just as Yue Chen’s fingers swiftly covered several holes on the Jade Flute, from above the Lie Family Mansion, an old and withered laughter echoed.
"Hehehe... Old man me is late, my dear apprentice predicted correctly. In her absence, indeed, a bunch of blind fools intend to bully her kinsfolk and friends," as Lie Rou and the others faced an unclear path ahead and a difficult retreat behind them.
The voice was hollow, like an echo emitted by someone facing a valley, leaving it impossible to discern where exactly the source of the voice came from?