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Chapter 1143 A sudden turn of events
"kill!"

Overnight, war broke out across the capital, with major clans launching attacks.

On the surface, this battle appears to be a desperate counterattack by the royal family, launching a major attack on the forces under Lian Feihong's command. In reality, however, it is a scheme orchestrated by the Martial Arts Monument to unite the royal family and the maritime martial arts forces, attempting to eliminate their strongest rival.

The royal family and the maritime warriors were not inherently at odds; they quickly reached an agreement under the guidance of certain individuals.

Lian Feihong's forces, mainly composed of the Xianmin Shijia Group, were caught in a pincer attack from both external enemies and internal traitors, quickly falling into a perilous situation of being surrounded on all sides.

As if things weren't going to go wrong, the eight prefectures of Zhili, which had originally been checking and balancing each other, also fell into turmoil.

The young master encountered a powerful enemy and had to withdraw, and with Governor Zhou Daqian of Qingchu Prefecture having been in seclusion for a long time, the remaining two wavering prefectures were left helpless and chose to surrender.

Thus, the encirclement surrounding the capital was formed once again.

The situation on Lian Feihong's side quickly deteriorated into a precarious state, with fires breaking out everywhere and bloodshed ensuing.

"Zhou Daqian is the only one capable of turning the tide at this critical moment!"

Zhou Daqian did not show up, the Tiannan Divine Sword behind him did not make any move, and even the vast power of Qingchu Prefecture and the Zhou family did not join this life-or-death battle.

Although Lian Feihong had also developed considerable power, without Zhou Daqian, it was as if he had a limp and was missing half an arm.

Faced with the combined attack of the royal family and the sea warriors, he felt as if the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed, as if the end of the world was approaching.

"Your Highness, all of my top assassins, except for Peacock, have perished in battle."

The leader of the Impermanent Assassins, Da Xingchang, spat out a mouthful of black blood, saying, "Such a sacrifice was made in exchange for a very valuable piece of information."

"It was Duke Chongyang who orchestrated the alliance between the royal family and the maritime warriors, promising to treat the former royal family well after he ascended to the throne by promoting the Martial Arts Monument."

"The two hit it off immediately. It turns out that the mastermind behind everything was Chongyang Gong."

"The mysterious and sudden death of Feng Jun, the framing of the aristocratic alliance, and even the previous failure to frame Zhou Daqian were all his schemes, which were thwarted by the intervention of the Tiannan Divine Sword!"

Lian Feihong listened patiently, her face slightly pale in the night's glow of the fireworks. "So what if I know?"

"Who can break the spell set by Lord Chongyang?"

As soon as these words were spoken, silence fell over the surrounding area. This situation was unsolvable; it was a certain death.

Who could have imagined that, when they were riding high and holding a firm advantage, Duke Chongyang would suddenly come up with a brilliant idea: to ally the royal family with the sea warriors and use the ambition of the Martial Arts Stele to betray them?

Now beset by internal and external troubles, both forces are trying to eliminate Lian Feihong's most powerful faction, sparing no effort in their efforts.

"Senior brother, no, there is a grandmaster among the sea warriors who uses a strange technique to shield my Hidden Star Power."

The Pavilion Master Chang retreated quickly, her face full of frustration.

A defeat is like a landslide; although the current situation is not quite that dire, it is not far off.

At this point, who can turn the tide?

"Zhou Daqian!"

The moment the thought popped into Lian Feihong's mind, he felt a headache coming on. Why had he gone into seclusion for so long?

If Zhou Daqian hadn't gone into seclusion, these enemies might not have been so arrogant as to form an alliance to attack him alone.

If Zhou Daqian were still alive, with the backing of the Heavenly Southern Divine Sword, he would probably have already overwhelmed all his competitors and won the position of the next emperor.

"What did the Zhou family's western branch say?"

"No one dares to approve the interruption of the Qingchu Governor's seclusion!" "Where is Zhu Ruoxuan?"

"He refused, and instead led the main force of the Zhou family to guard the house, forbidding outsiders from entering."

The Great Star Elder explained, "Seclusion is no small matter; if one is caught in a collision, the consequences can be severe, resulting in death or serious injury."

This statement means that Zhou Daqian won't be able to get out anytime soon; it's a case of too much trouble to help someone in a difficult situation.

Lian Feihong gritted his teeth, then heard his subordinates report that several of his uncles and more than a dozen of his clan brothers with names had died in battle, and several more of the clan's grandmasters had perished.

For a moment, it swayed and wobbled, and I felt as if the building was about to collapse and I was about to face annihilation.

At this moment, a voice from the Martial Arts Monument came from the opposite side, urging surrender: "Brother Lian, the victor is king and the loser is villain. The outcome is already decided. This is a gentleman's contest between us. Let's not hurt our feelings. Surrender as soon as possible and give those around you a way to live!"

His tone sounded gentle and sincere, but in reality, it concealed malicious intent. He was clearly saying that if Lian Feihong continued to resist, he would only drag his subordinates down with him. This was a deliberate attempt to sow discord within the organization.

In the midst of the chaotic battlefield, his ability to deliver a calm voice clearly indicated that he had begun to grasp the situation.

For a time, the morale of Lian Feihong's camp was low, and they began to waver.

Looking at the Wulin Stele, he was now full of pride, yet he bowed respectfully to Duke Chongyang, saying, "On the day I ascend the throne, I will surely reward Duke Chongyang for his merits. Your dukedom is too lowly; how about elevating you to the rank of a king of a different surname?"

Upon hearing this, several masters of maritime martial arts nearby objected, saying, "This is against etiquette."

It has been an ironclad rule since ancient times that those of different surnames cannot be granted the title of king.

Wu Linbei waved his hand generously, saying, "If I want to reform this prosperous era, I must surpass the rules of the ancients. Meritorious officials like Chongyang Gong, who turned the tide, deserve to be granted the title of king and have already been rewarded!"

Duke Chongyang remained calm and bowed, saying, "There is no need for a title of king. I would like to ask that on the day you ascend the throne, you appoint me as the chief officiant of the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven. Then I can die in peace."

Upon hearing this, Wu Linbei frowned. This request wasn't excessive; on the contrary, it was too lenient.

The coronation ceremony is a grand event of boundless glory, but serving as the chief priest brings no benefit whatsoever, only an added honor.

It's hard to imagine that the Duke of Chongyang would push him to the throne for this very reason.

The martial arts monument is no longer what it used to be; it is now extremely shrewd. He chuckled and said, "Once my great undertaking is accomplished, Lord Chongyang will surely have his wish fulfilled."

Upon seeing this, the surrounding masters all spoke highly of him, including the king's uncle and several gentlemen.

Given the current state of affairs, the royal family has no power to reverse the situation. They would be content with a dignified exit. Although the gentlemen are unwilling, they know that they cannot defeat the power of the entire world.

The condition for this alliance was that after Wulinbei became a feudal lord, he would grant them overseas territories to form their own independent kingdom.

If one can escape unscathed and take with them the wealth amassed over the years, one can live a comfortable life even overseas.

However, these royal families clearly underestimated the appetite of the Martial Arts Stele and overestimated its reputation, thus destined to lose both their wealth and their reputation.

"Gentlemen, it is not time to celebrate yet. Lian Feihong has been building up his strength for a long time. He is currently in disarray but not completely defeated. He is fighting with great resilience."

"Let's put in more effort and break through his main force..."

At this point, Wu Linbei asked those around him, "How is the surveillance of Jingzhou and Qingchuzhou going?"

"Also, regarding the Western Branch of the Zhou Clan, is there any sign that Zhou You will emerge from seclusion?"

Despite having victory in his grasp, Wu Linbei remained uneasy, all because of one name... Zhou Daqian.

Even as the battle raged on, he still spared no effort to monitor Zhou Daqian's two strongholds, fearing that the other side might cause further trouble.

(End of this chapter)