Chapter 192 - 189: Siege

Chapter 192: Chapter 189: SiegeGreat Xia Kingdom, Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace of today, though still as majestic as before, was now engulfed in the flames of war, a stark contrast to its former bustling peace. On the city walls of the palace, dense rows of soldiers stood armed, their expressions tense. Around the palace, large troops had surrounded them, their war cries shaking the heavens. The guards defending the capital, under the fierce attack of the rebels, had mostly disintegrated. Now, this palace had become the Xia family’s last line of defense. If the palace were to fall, it would mean the destruction of the Royal Family that had ruled over the Great Xia Kingdom for centuries, and the entire Xia family would be doomed. Those who were still defending the palace, apart from the part of the guard fiercely loyal to the Royal Family, were those closely connected with the Xia family, deeply aware that if the Xia family perished here, they would certainly not be spared. The entire Imperial Palace was enveloped in the smoke of war, and the atmosphere inside the palace had solidified. At this moment, within a deep courtyard of the palace, the atmosphere in one of the halls was also extremely tense. Inside the hall, there were quite a few people, and seated in the center, exuding a slight royal presence, was a middle-aged man. Looking closely, it was indeed Xia Tianyou, the Monarch of the Great Xia Kingdom. He, compared to a few years ago, had a more piercing gaze and more gray hairs, yet between his brows, there lingered an indelible anxious expression. Standing beside Xia Tianyou were two figures, one a burly young man, equally familiar – Xia Tianyou’s most outstanding son, Xia Xingyun. The other was a very beautiful woman, none other than Xia Xun, who once had a betrothal agreement with Ye Xuan. The atmosphere in the hall was exceedingly tense. Facing Xia Tianyou and the other two were Ye Tianxiong and other members of the Ye family. The fate of the Ye family was now tied to the Xia family; if the palace could not be held, the Ye family would suffer the same fate as the Xia family. "Family Head Ye, now that the rebels have surrounded the palace, do we have any strategies?" Xia Tianyou sighed softly, this turn of events having indeed caught them off guard. The Jun family, which had been almost motionless, suddenly erupted with formidable strength, and within merely two days, had brought the capital under their control. The strength the Jun family displayed was impossible to achieve in such a short time based on their capabilities. During this dormant period, unknown shocking changes had occurred within the Jun family, and their number of masters far surpassed that of the Xia family, even making the Xie family their vassals, utterly incomparable. Facing the abruptly increased power of the Jun family, the situation for the Xia family was perilously unstable. Opposite Xia Tianyou, Ye Tianxiong, with somewhat grizzled hair, also sighed and sadly shook his head. The Ye family could barely protect themselves; what more could they do? "This Jun family, I don’t know how their strength increased so drastically. Even the forces sent by Green Leaf Valley were defeated by them. I’m afraid we have no reinforcements coming, and we can only defend the palace to the end in a battle of life and death against the Jun family," Xia Tianyou said with a bitter smile, then his eyes hardened, determined that annihilating the Xia family wouldn’t be an easy task. "Father, didn’t we already request reinforcements from Heavenly Martial Hall? Perhaps the troops from Heavenly Martial Hall might arrive in time," Xia Xingyun spoke amidst the silence. However, hearing this, Xia Tianyou shook his head, "Not to mention that the Heavenly Martial Hall is quite far from our Great Xia Kingdom, and it can’t provide assistance in a day or two. Moreover, with Ye Xuan no longer present, even if the Heavenly Martial Hall wants to help, they likely won’t make it in time. By the time their reinforcements arrive, it might be too late." Mentioning Ye Xuan, everyone, including Ye Tianxiong, felt their spirits dampen. Just half a month ago, Heavenly Martial Hall had sent news that Ye Xuan was trapped in Wanxiang Mountain, a situation fraught with peril, most likely with little chance of survival. Regrettably, with Ye Xuan’s talent, had he practiced for a few more years, he would certainly have been a True Disciple of the Heavenly Martial Hall. They had not expected such an incident to occur midway, truly a case of a bright life being envied by the heavens. The members of the Xia family merely lamented, but for the Ye family, this news was a complete disaster. The Ye family had still been hoping that Ye Xuan would return to the Great Xia Kingdom and revive the Ye family. Now, it seemed all hope was fading. "Ye Xuan, that kid is no ordinary person. Although he is temporarily trapped, I believe he definitely won’t perish so easily." In another part of the hall, a gray-robed elder suddenly spoke up, familiar to everyone present—he was the strongest in the Royal Family, the Third Elder Xia Yanzeng. Yet at this moment, this Third Elder of the Xia family also appeared somewhat despondent. "Ah." Ye Tianxiong sighed as well, hoping that the lad could have favorable heavenly influences. If so, even if the Ye family were destroyed, with Ye Xuan’s potential, there might still be a chance for revenge in the future. Boom! As a somber mood filled the hall, a sudden loud crash echoed from afar, causing everyone to change their expressions instantly and stand up abruptly. "They’ve started their fierce attack." Above the walls of the Imperial City, the tension among countless individuals had peaked. Xia Tianyou, Ye Tianxiong, and others had promptly arrived and gravely surveyed the scene ahead. The view before them was teeming with armies gathered below the city walls, a pressing, dark mass. The civilians had long evacuated the city, and outside the palace now reigned a haze of battlefield smoke, led by martial experts of the Jun family and the Xie family in a formidable display. "Ha ha, Xia Tianyou, you probably didn’t expect your Xia family would face such a day. Surrender now, and there’s a chance to save your lives. Otherwise, once the city falls, your Xia family will rest in turmoil!" A figure hovered in the air ahead of the dense soldiers, clearly Jun Zhantian, the Family Head of the Jun family. Astonishingly, he had reached the rank of a Second Grade Martial Sect. Behind him stood several high-ranking martial experts of the Jun family, amounting to five individuals. Among them were three whose aura seemed slightly unstable, evidently having forcibly advanced their cultivation level, making their mastery unsteady. With Xie Guangbo leading, the Xie family’s experts were also present but were significantly weaker compared to the Jun family. Even Xie Guangbo wondered if the Jun family had previously concealed their strength; otherwise, where had all these powerful martial experts suddenly come from? "In fact, your Xia family could have stayed out of this muddy water, but unfortunately, you sought death by protecting the remnants of the Ye family. Now, I have no choice but to eliminate you alongside them. From here on, Great Xia Kingdom will honor my Jun family!" Seeing the situation unfold, Xia Tianyou’s expression darkened, realizing that the sheer scale mobilized by the Jun family indicated today’s battle would likely decide life and death. "Hmph, greedy ambitions, you aim to annihilate my Xia family, but I fear you’ve bitten off more than you can chew!" Xia Tianyou shouted coldly. "Whether I can swallow it or not is not for you to decide." Jun Zhantian sneered, then with a sweep of his sleeve, that stern voice instantly spread throughout the Imperial Palace, "Attack!" Following his command, the vast armies outside the city sprang into action, with the sounds of rushing wind suddenly echoing. A sky filled with arrows and gunpowder bombarded the city walls, instantly causing turmoil throughout the Imperial Palace. Arrows flew thickly, landing within both factions’ ranks, blood splattered, and screams of agony were incessant. "Kill!" Braving the arrow rain, soldiers from both the Jun and Xie families deployed siege equipment and began a fierce assault on the city walls. On Xia’s side, although they were outnumbered, most of the remaining Imperial guards were martial artists; thus, for the forces of both the Jun and Xie families to take down the Royal Palace was no easy task. Fierce combat had begun, with Xia Tianyou and others calmly commanding the defense. They hadn’t intervened yet since Jun Zhantian and his people hadn’t acted either. For now, as just the armies clashed, they could still hold the defense. The key to victory in this battle didn’t lie with the soldiers but with the high-ranking martial artists, especially those first-grade martial sect experts. "Take action!" When the battle between the two armies was reaching its zenith, Jun Zhantian suddenly waved his hand and, leading the seven or eight experts behind him, surged towards the city walls with massive force. "Court death!" Xia Tianyou and Ye Tianxiong also had a flash of madness in their eyes. The situation had become a matter of life and death, and they had no way out! The Xia family had three martial sect experts, plus Ye Tianxiong made four, whereas the combined martial sect experts of both the Jun and Xie families numbered eight—a stark double. This battle wasn’t even from the start. Younger members like Xia Xun and Xia Yanzeng had no choice but to team up against a martial sect expert from the Jun family. However, their combined strength was still somewhat lacking. Under the onslaught of that Jun family expert, they faced extreme peril and imminent danger. Not just them, but Xia Tianyou, Xia Yanzeng, and an elder from the Royal Family were each fighting two opponents, unleashing all their skills in a desperate battle. Ye Tianxiong’s opponent was none other than Jun Zhantian, the head of the Jun family, who had specifically chosen Ye Tianxiong. With Ye Tianxiong’s First Grade Martial Sect strength, he was naturally outmatched. After struggling for twenty moves, Ye Tianxiong was struck by a palm, causing him to spit blood and fly back, his aura rapidly weakening. "Ye Tianxiong, did you expect this? More than a decade ago, your Ye family was nothing but a defeated dog under my foot. Today, the loser is still you. It’s a shame really, waiting for that boy to return and revive the Ye family? I’m afraid you won’t see that day." Jun Zhantian exuded a murderous aura, a chilling, eerie smile on his face as he slowly approached Ye Tianxiong, radiating killing intent. However, just as he was about to end Ye Tianxiong’s life, suddenly, an astonishing sharpness seemed to lock onto him from afar. His gaze shifted, and in his sight, a cyan sword broke through the air with stunning speed, drawing a dazzling streak of lightning and precisely aiming at his face!