"Where is everyone?!"
Qian Qiren controlled his sword to enter the city, heading to the mansion where the White Robe Family members were housed, only to find it completely empty, not a single soul in sight.
He grabbed the guard at the door and questioned, "Where are the Chen Family members?!"
"I... I donât know."
The guard replied, looking bewildered, "I havenât seen them leave."
"Did they run away early?!
"What kind of scheme is Chen Sansi plotting?"
In desperation, Qian Qiren searched around the area several times but still couldnât find the target. Finally, he reluctantly decided to give up and flew toward the city wall, announcing the news of the White Robe Familyâs disappearance.
"Gone?"
Cui Zhichen shouted in anger, "I knew that Chen wasnât trustworthy!"
"What are we waiting for?!"
Shangguan Haichang threw away his notched Yanling Saber, "The situation is urgent, we canât delay any longer. Letâs escort His Majesty out of Kunyang first!"
"Immortal Masters, canât you hold on a little longer?"
The legitimate Emperor Cao Huan looked at the generals who were still fighting fiercely on the city wall, showing an unexpected hesitation about "escaping" at this moment.
The battlefield, itâs the greatest test of oneâs temperament.
During this time, he risked climbing the walls daily for inspections, living and eating alongside the soldiers. This subtly allowed him to understand the meaning of "wearing the same robe."
Pointing at the wall, he informed them, "If we leave like this, what will become of the soldiers inside the city?"
Without the Immortal Masters, the defending soldiers would face a one-sided slaughter.
"We canât worry about that much now."
Cui Zhichen urged, "Even if we stay, we canât hold out for too long!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Shangguan Haichang grabbed the Emperorâs dragon robe, "Victory and defeat are routine events for the military family. Even if all the troops here are depleted, as long as we leave this place, we can still gather other forces. Letâs go, Your Majesty!"
"..."
The legitimate Emperor Cao Huan was pushed away from the tower.
In the chaos, they tried not to attract the attention of the soldiers, making their way to the southeastern corner, before boarding the donkey cart and flying boat.
Despite this, a main general passing by during the change of guards noticed them, couldnât help but ask, "Where are you going, my lords?!"
"Youâre only responsible for defending the city; donât ask questions you shouldnât!"
Shangguan Haichang reprimanded in response.
This Martial Saintâs armour was already tattered, with an arrow embedded in his chest.
He looked at the donkey cart and flying boat behind, realizing what was happening, and his confused expression turned into a tragic anger as he suddenly raised his long knife, shouting loudly, "Shangguan Haichang, are you running away again?!"
"Nonsense!"
Shangguan Haichang argued, "Weâre going out to find a chance to break the enemy."
"Hey!!!"
The main general in the Profound Image Realm roared in fury, pointing at the distant city wall, where corpses occasionally fall from time to time, "Run, run, run! All you know is to run!
"You said you wanted to create a peaceful era and establish unprecedented merits, thatâs why the brothers followed you out to risk their lives!
"But what do you take us for? Do you see our lives as less than a dogâs in your eyes?!
"Cao Huan!"
He directly called out the Emperorâs name, "Stop pretending to be deaf and dumb, Iâm talking to you! Answer my questions!"
"How dare you!"
One eunuch was furious, "Wei Lan, how dare you directly address His Majestyâs name, this is a crime of treason!"
Ignoring him, Wei Lan stared at the dragon robe with bloodshot eyes, his neck veins bulging as he shouted:
"Cao Huan!
"With a great enemy at the gates, as the ruler of a nation, youâve repeatedly tried to escape, youâre even less than a child from the Chen family, what kind of Heavenly Son are you? What kind of Emperor!"
"General Wei..."
Under this questioning, the legitimate Emperor Cao Huan felt extremely ashamed rather than angry and was temporarily at a loss for words.
"Emperor!"
With a voice filled with tears, Wei Lan roared, "You canât leave; the brothers need Your Majesty! You... you just need to stand behind us, everyone can still hold on, maybe Commander Chen will soon come back to save us! If you leave now, everything will be over!"
As he spoke, he threw down his weapon with a clang, then knelt heavily on the ground, begging desperately.
"Your Majesty!
"Please, I beg you!
"Stay here!
"I can guarantee that as long as there is one brother alive, they wonât let them hurt a single strand of Your Majestyâs hair."
"..."
"Kill him."
Impatient, Cui Zhichen coldly commanded.
Immediately, a cultivator behind him manipulated a flying sword, directly targeting Wei Lanâs throat.
But just at that moment, Cao Huan, dressed in a dragon robe, suddenly stood in front.
The cultivator hurriedly redirected his sword, nearly grazing the Heavenly Spirit, almost accidentally killing him.
"Sixth Brother?"
King Yan Cao Zhi exclaimed in surprise.
"Immortal Master Cui!"
The legitimate Emperor, with graying hair, slowly raised his head, his eyes somewhat red, questioning, "What crime has General Wei committed to deserve death?"
Everyone felt bewildered, not understanding what was happening.
"Isnât that obvious?"
With an indifferent expression, Cui Zhichen said, "The situation is urgent, thereâs no time to waste with this person."
"Yes, Sixth Brother."
King Yan Cao Zhi urged, "But if you say not to kill him, we wonât. Donât waste time, letâs leave together."
In the night, dim firelight flickered on the somewhat timid face of the legitimate Emperor, swaying as he looked at King Yan and the many Immortal Masters, seemingly struggling with something internally until he made a certain resolution, his lips trembling as he spoke, "Iâm changing my mind. Iâm not leaving, and you canât leave either. Stay and defend to the death."