Start from Wusheng

Chapter 1183 Like Fire Immersing the Body
Buried a city on the border between Jingzhou and Qingchuzhou!
This place is a major transportation route connecting the eight prefectures of Zhili to the outside world, and it is usually bustling with people.

But today, a fierce battle has taken place, filled with blood, fire, smoke, and murderous intent. No beasts roam the ground, and birds fly in fright in the sky.

The defending side consisted of the Zhou clan's western branch that had migrated to the north, while the attacking side's origins were much more complex.

There were remnants of the old forces who had "revolted" overnight in various places, envoys sent by the capital, and powerful local forces who traveled thousands of miles to the capital to "serve the emperor."

Zhou Daqian, once a trusted right-hand man of the feudal lord, was branded a traitor, and the capital called upon heroes from all over the land to punish him.

As the saying goes, when a wall falls, everyone pushes it down. The once prosperous and flourishing state of the Zhou family's western branch collapsed instantly, like flowers in full bloom and oil on a hot fire.

Zhu Ruoxuan led Zhou Xin and several other illegitimate sons in one group, retreating to the north, while Zhu Qinghua, with the assistance of an elderly grandmaster, led her legitimate son Zhou Ding to retreat to Lihuo Prefecture in the south.

According to Zhou You's decision, from now on, the Western Branch of the Zhou Clan of the Left Prefecture of Dijing will cease to exist. Instead, it will be divided into two branches: one will seek refuge in the North, becoming the Zhou Family of the Northern Xuan Prefecture, while the other will seek refuge with Zhou Nanwang of Lihuo Prefecture, continuing the ancient lineage of the Zhou Clan.

Originally, the plan was for Zhou You to go to the sacrificial palace for a banquet to attract attention, while Zhu Ruoxuan, Zhu Qinghua and the others secretly carried out their plan.

Qingchu Prefecture and Maijing Prefecture, which are still under our control, are the gateways to the eight prefectures of Zhili. We can escape by speeding up our journey through our own territory.

But the plans couldn't keep up with the changes.

The sacrificial palace acted too quickly, almost one after the other. Zhou You had just left when messengers announced to all directions that they would launch a campaign against the Western Zhou clan.

Fortunately, they acted quickly and had already left the capital; otherwise, they would have suffered heavy losses.

The lord's appeal was undeniably evident at this moment.

The Zhou family's once vast western branch of the clan was wiped out in an instant, with more than 90% of its territory, property, and population lost.

Those retainers, servants, and even the affiliated families secretly left because they knew that there was no chance of winning against a feudal lord who possessed the wealth of the entire land. Moreover, the Western Zhou clan had lost the territory of the Left Palace and was about to lose the two directly governed prefectures, so they could no longer support such a large population.

After leaving the capital, a headcount revealed that of the million-strong family, less than 30,000 remained.

As the matriarch, Zhu Qinghua stepped forward to calm people's hearts, and she and Zhu Ruoxuan split into two groups according to the plan.

On the way north, they left at the border of Qingchu Prefecture and Maijing Prefecture, while Zhu Qinghua and the old master, along with their eldest son Zhou Ding, crossed the still unrecovered Feiyun Prefecture to Lihuo Prefecture, which was now directly under the jurisdiction of the Eight Prefectures. As an important checkpoint for leaving the capital, it had now become fraught with danger.

Ironically, while the other governors were persuaded by Zhou Daqian to switch sides to Lian Feihong, now that Lian Feihong has turned against them with a single order, they show no hesitation and promptly send men to hunt them down.

Despite his best efforts, Zhu Ruoxuan was eventually surrounded by pursuers in a small border town.

"Boom!"

The city walls built by the Earth Sect were attacked by various powerful martial artists and grandmasters. The thick base rippled wildly, and the city gate was squeezed so hard that the wood grain fibers burst and the iron nails flew out.

Despite being a grandmaster, Zhu Ruoxuan was alone and helpless, as there were more than two grandmasters among his enemies outside.

The reason we can hold on now is because the enemy's Earth Sect hasn't arrived yet. Once an Earth Sect member who has mastered the Earth Sect's city-building techniques appears, they can easily breach the city walls.

When the city is no longer fortified and they are outnumbered, Zhou Xin and his family will all perish.

"Ruoxuan, I saw a commotion outside the city. These bastards actually invited the descendants of the Zhucheng Dizong sect, the fallen Zhong family. Don't you remember the Zhong family that moved from the Left Mansion to the Right Mansion, and then from the Right Mansion to the eight prefectures of Zhili?"

Gong Jinhuan said fiercely, "Even the stray dogs on the roadside know what they're discussing."

"We can't wait any longer. Let me take some men to assassinate the Zhong family's grandmaster. We must prevent them from using any underhanded tactics to damage the city walls."

Zhu Ruoxuan quickly made up her mind, "Go and come back quickly, I will be waiting for you on the wall with my spear!"

A moment later... Zhu Ruoxuan led Mao Lang and the other two back covered in blood. A hundred times their number of pursuers were chasing them. A grandmaster took to the air and was about to slam them down outside the city wall with the force of a hawk.

Suddenly, Zhu Ruoxuan made his move. He brandished his bronze halberd, and an orange light struck the grandmaster.

The Grandmaster seemed somewhat wary upon seeing that it was Zhenbei Ge's style, but then several more Grandmasters rushed out from behind and to both sides of him. Now that they had the upper hand, they were no longer afraid.

Seeing that Tong Ge could not be forced back, Zhu Ruoxuan roared and formed a secret hand seal.

In an instant, the entire city wall emitted a yellow light, sweeping across all directions like a broom, repelling the several grandmasters who rushed towards it.

"Fulfill the mission!"

Gong Jinhuan rushed into the city, then collapsed to the ground, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood. "The city walls are temporarily unharmed!"

However, the city wall remained intact, which infuriated the pursuing soldiers. They tried to scale the wall, and now they were forced into close combat.

Because the Zhou family had so few members, even Zhou Xin had to personally join the fight.

"Pfft!"

Zhou Xin swung his sword and killed a retainer of a powerful family. The man's ferocious appearance before death disgusted him, so he kicked his head away.

The blood-stained flying sword smeared his face and body, and as was his usual habit, he would have liked to take it off on the spot and change into something clean.

However, the current situation is critical, and there is no time to make changes.

Zhou Xin subconsciously touched his chest. The raw ore was still there. No matter how fierce the battle, even though his sleeves were torn, the ore hanging on his chest was never lost.

Suddenly he felt something was strange; the area on his chest was the cleanest, without a trace of blood.

Where the eye could not see, the bloodstains on the palms and fingertips were completely absorbed the moment they touched the ore.

In the midst of the battle, devastating news suddenly came from behind: "The residents of the city have rebelled and secretly opened a secret passage to let outsiders into the city. It's all over!"

It turned out that Zhou and his party had hurriedly moved into the city, where there were still original inhabitants.

Zhu Ruoxuan originally intended to expel everyone, but opposition came from within. After all, he was only a personal guard and could not overcome the objections. He had no choice but to keep the residents in the city and strictly forbid them from going out.

At the critical moment, these city residents, led by the 'righteous men,' rose up in rebellion, delivering the most fatal blow.

"Quickly, hurry up, each of you carry one young master away."

"Things are hopeless. You and I are both Zhou You's trusted guards. Let's repay him with our lives!"

Zhu Ruoxuan was so angry that she almost ground her teeth to powder. She heard shouts of battle rising behind her, and the city wall's defenses began to waver. Under the attack from both inside and outside, collapse was imminent.

"As expected, under the overwhelming force of the situation, no matter how much you struggle, it's all in vain!"

He pulled Zhou Xin up, saying, "Let's go!"

Zhou Xin looked at the rest of the group and asked him, "What will happen to them if I leave?"

"Save as many as you can. Go to the North to continue the Lord's bloodline. Don't forget the hatred!"

(End of this chapter)