Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 352

Beneath the molten lava waves, only a few experts were able to completely avoid it. Others, who had barely recovered, also managed to survive. The majority of those who were not strong enough were burned and pulverized into mangled, dried-up corpses, dying before they could even scream.

Chapter 815 Let's go, let's bury our heads in the sand and go to Guangdong.

Liu Chongyu made a mistake: the people he thought were rushing towards him were not actually the ones. The experts just wanted to pass by him and get to the altar, while others just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity created by the experts sweeping the surrounding area to make a quick escape.

He completely misunderstood.

But at this moment, Liu Chongyu, who had already made his move, had no intention of stopping. Looking at these people who could reach high positions because of their cultivation and birth, his resentment and anger still overflowed. Seeing that his mother was still unwilling to leave this dangerous place, he was even more anxious. The combination of these two emotions made him even more violent.

Faced with Liu Chongyu's attack, they had already dodged several experts and had no intention of getting entangled with him. Instead, they simply dispersed and prepared to respond to the call of Zhang and Yang to go to the front to defend the emperor.

Those with slightly lower cultivation levels who were closer to the wall chose to run away without hesitation. They knew that they couldn't be of any use if they stayed, and their lives were in danger.

However, Liu Chongyu, whose murderous intent had already been ignited, had no intention of letting go of those who, in his eyes, had attacked him first.

He launched another attack.

However, those who practice the Seris cultivation method all possess magical abilities. These abilities may not have any direct power, but they are mostly very strange powers. Liu Menglong is one of them. He can teleport and switch places with his clone. It was with this move that he escaped a deadly attack.

But this time, Liu Menglong was a step slower. It wasn't that he was slow to react, but rather that the wind-up for his move was quite long.

The electric current surge that radiated outwards struck Liu Menglong directly.

Almost simultaneously, Lu Jianling punched Liu Chongyu in the face, deforming Liu Chongyu's face like dough, and sending him flying off the ground.

It flew several meters before crashing into a group of berserk Imperial Guard soldiers before finally stopping.

Liu Chongyu stood up in an instant. His current strength had surpassed that of his mother by a level. For him, a punch that didn't even carry any power was just a scratch.

However, after taking that punch, Liu Chongyu calmed down again, and a wave of remorse washed over him. He couldn't believe he had just killed people, and a whole bunch of them at that. He, who always prided himself on his composure, had just been completely dominated by his emotions.

Lu Jianling glanced at Liu Menglong beside her; he and the other two who had been infected were already unconscious.

She was only nodding acquaintances with Liu Menglong, and had no connection with the other two, but at this moment she looked over and stared intently, because all of this was done by her good son.

Feeling extremely frustrated, Liu Chongyu noticed his mother's gaze and, taking advantage of her momentary distraction, cast the spell again.

In an instant, dozens of giant vines, thicker than a person's waist, burst from the ground, like whips lashing out and striking the group of people opposite. At the same time, these vines grew even thicker and sprouted countless branches, forming living branches and leaves. In the blink of an eye, they resembled a forest, rushing directly towards the crowd.

Lu Jianling, her second son Liu Chongsi, Liu Menglong who was seriously injured and unconscious, some of the dead, and the Imperial Guards who were still alive but going berserk were all swept away by the attack.

In the blink of an eye, the sea of ​​trees and waves expanded and accelerated further, breaking through everything and finally shattering the walls. It surged for several hundred meters until it brought all the people it had carried away to a place far from the battle zone before finally stopping.

After finishing the spell, Liu Chongyu gasped for breath, feeling as light as if he were hollow. He hadn't fully adapted to the power he had suddenly gained, and the spell he had just cast was not exactly a matter of fine control; it was a complete release that had taken a huge toll.

However, his expression was very relaxed, as if he had been relieved, because now he would not see his mother, and his mother would not see him like this.

He was like someone burying their head in the sand, as if nothing existed if they weren't seen.

On the other side, a fierce battle had already begun. The three seventh-level experts who had arrived, along with a group of civil and military officials and representatives from all walks of life, were engaged in a chaotic battle with a group of "people" led by "Ronan," the second brother. Liu Menglong's master, Yu Daoheng, was also among them. Even he himself did not know why the purple-haired youth had approached him from the very beginning, and he was unable to get away to rescue his disciple, Liu Menglong.

Far out at the edge, Lu Jianling broke free of the vines binding her, first pulling her son out, and then began clearing the vines from the others.

“Mother, we have to go,” Liu Chongsi said.

As he spoke, the strange people who had come from the heavens to the mortal world through the giant red pillar had already surrounded the area. Those who had crossed the wall and come outside earlier were engaged in fierce battle with them. Meanwhile, those who had been trapped by the Imperial Guards had not yet recovered. They were no longer helpers, but rather obstacles that would attack them without explanation.

"I know." Lu Jianling replied coldly, then hoisted Liu Menglong onto his back with one hand, knocked down a royal guard who lunged at him with the other, snatched a short-handled warhammer from his hand, and said to his son, "Let's go."

She had mixed feelings, but she hadn't completely lost her composure. Now was definitely not the time to act impulsively.

Liu Chongsi pointed at Liu Menglong, "This person..." He wanted to say that Liu Menglong was a complete burden and probably wouldn't survive.

“I promised her wife that I would make sure her husband returned safely,” Lu Jianling replied.

Lu Jianling was not seriously injured, and her fifth-tier strength might not be much in the battle circle at the center of the altar, but on the periphery, she was a combat force that surpassed the vast majority of people.

The strange figures surrounding the outer perimeter, wearing bone masks and vaguely resembling wild beasts, were not very strong and were no match for her.

Soon, with Lu Jianling as the spearhead, a group of escapees gathered together and broke through the encirclement.

After the breakthrough, he immediately headed north to return to the capital and inform those remaining in the capital and the court about what had happened.

But Lu Jianling did not go.

"Let's head south first to meet up with your older brother, and then we'll go to Guangdong," Lu Jianling said to his son.

"Guangdong?" Liu Chongsi asked, puzzled.

“The other side came prepared. The world is going to be in chaos. Guangdong is a good place. Besides, the only influence your mother has is in Guangxi,” Lu Jianling said.

"This..." Liu Chongsi didn't know what to say for a moment.

"I don't think those who suddenly appear will fail. So, the emperor will either be captured and become a puppet, or he will die. Be prepared, in a few months, all the major provinces and prefectures in the country will support the princes and raise troops to defend the emperor."

As Lu Jianling hurried along, she told her son that she had already seen the future.

"Understood," Liu Chongsi nodded.

Lu Jianling sighed and continued on his way. Actually, there was another reason for going to Guangdong: Ronan and his group. This group definitely knew something all along, and the only way to find out everything was to find them.

Many people have already fled over here.

On the other side, around the center of the altar, the fierce battle continued. Ronan's strength was simply beyond imagination; even those at the seventh rank seemed to be a level below him.

Chapter 816 Retreat, Focus on the Minor and Let the Major Be, Fate Can Change Character

Wearing a white coat, with his hair combed back to medium length and his face completely covered by a white bone mask, "Ronan" possessed strength beyond the seventh rank. He alone could restrain three seventh-rank individuals, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it would take three seventh-rank individuals to restrain him.

The young man with long purple hair, a cloak and armor, wielding a large halberd wildly, and "Liu Chongyu," who was short in stature, had a feminine face, and randomly cast wide-range spells, both possessed sixth-level strength.

These strange people who suddenly appeared are more than just this strong.

Among the high-end combatants are Wu Jiuxiao, who is also at the seventh rank, and another monster called "Boss," who is enormous, covered in a huge skull armor, wielding a giant sword in one hand and a giant axe in the other, exuding an unusual aura, and whose strength is also at the seventh rank.

The remaining ones are two sixth-order and three fifth-order.

This group of ten, in terms of high-end combat capability, is almost on par with the high-end combat capability among the civil and military officials and representatives from all sides present.

But this group can attack without restraint. They can't act freely because they have too many teammates. If they don't hold back, they will definitely kill their teammates before they can even attack the enemy, especially with the Emperor, a top-tier useless teammate.

On the other hand, the enemy also has thousands of miscellaneous soldiers, all of whom are of the highest rank and have higher resistance than others of the same rank. If the 10,000 Imperial Guards were still intact, they could fight against them, but the problem is that the Imperial Guards are now useless. Not only can they not deal with the miscellaneous soldiers, but they can only cause more trouble.

"Everyone, hang in there a little longer. The others are recovering now. Once the Imperial Guards are back to normal, we'll fight and retreat."

Yang Xiu shouted, "We have already suffered heavy losses, while the other side has suffered almost no losses, only some rabble soldiers. If we still hold the idea of ​​annihilating the enemy, we will all perish here."

"Listen to him," Zhang Yuanyi agreed.

He also knew that the only option now was to retreat and preserve his strength.

At the same time, Ronan fought three opponents alone and still held his own, with the energy to shout to the others, "Don't worry about me, focus on the small ones and let the big ones go. High-ranking officials and troublesome ones, don't try to stop them. As for the lower-ranking officials in the court and these imperial guards, capture them alive if you can."

He spoke very loudly, deliberately trying to make sure everyone could hear him.

While others focus on the big picture and let go of the small details, he does the opposite, focusing on the small details and letting go of the big ones? This is somewhat puzzling.

But soon, a group of veteran politicians, represented by Zhang and Yang, understood the intention behind the other side's words. First, the other side did not want to fight to the death with them, because fighting to the death would also come at a price. Second, the other side was trying to establish a separatist pseudo-regime. What they wanted was not high-ranking officials of the court or local officials, but people who could serve as their henchmen.

Upon hearing this, many low-ranking officials in the capital immediately wavered. Most of those appointed as officials were not highly skilled in cultivation, while those with higher cultivation were the so-called representatives of the gentry and celebrities. Therefore, these people were in constant danger of losing their lives. The other party's intention was clearly not to kill them, but to make them traitors.

Why can't we take a look first? What if the other side isn't a villain or a traitor? If they are a villain, then even if we die, it's still possible to remain loyal and righteous.

In just a few words, the situation deteriorated further.

"Thank you for your help, gentlemen. We need to retreat." Zhang Yuanyi called out to the three seventh-tier fighters who were fighting "Ronan".

Although they knew that withdrawing in this way would be in accordance with the other side's wishes, they had no choice but to do so. A large number of people had already wavered and were no longer able to provide cover and support. The other side said that there was no need to desperately block them, not that they should simply let these high-ranking officials go.

If we leave now, we can preserve all our remaining strength.

"Let's go!" Yang Xiuzhi shouted, following closely behind.

As someone who holds military power, he is also a political animal. When things become unfavorable, the best course of action is to retreat.

The enemy came with great force, but ultimately they only had so many men. Even if they had taken a group of officials hostage and then subdued this imperial guard, they could only temporarily establish a separatist regime and were unable to resist for the time being. The world is so vast, and the 200,000 extraordinary beings in Seris, including many top-tier experts, are not just a handful. Sooner or later, they will turn the tide.

Ten minutes later, the high-ranking officials of the court, along with other experts from various factions who had come to participate in the sacrificial ceremony, all left in mostly intact condition. The miscellaneous soldiers on the periphery couldn't stop Lu Jianling and his group, let alone stop them.

After breaking away, a plan was quickly formulated. The forces were divided into three groups. One group returned to the capital to oversee the overall situation. The enemy likely already had arrangements in the capital; if they could stabilize the situation, they would do so; otherwise, they would leave the capital with the remaining officials and their families. The second group dispersed to inform all sides of this important matter, urging them to be cautious and avoid rash actions, and to prevent local warlords from becoming too powerful and establishing their own independent regimes. The final group went to gather the remaining Imperial Guards. This wasn't for actual combat; the enemy needed to concentrate their high-level forces. The purpose of this gathering was to prevent the scattered and unsuspecting Imperial Guards from being ambushed and defeated in the chaos, and then recruited to further strengthen their power.

The high-ranking officials and experts have all left. They also rescued some people with lower cultivation levels, but most of the people with lower cultivation levels and lower official positions stayed behind.

Ronan and his group also completely ceased their offensive and prepared to clean up the mess.

The three thousand Imperial Guards, already turned into zombies, were beyond saving and were all killed.

As for the other Imperial Guards, they were subdued as much as possible, rather than killed.

At this moment, "Ronan" stood on the altar and began to speak, "First of all, the emperor is still the emperor."

"Next, while they are still unable to muster enough power to overwhelm us, we will go to the capital to take your families away and relocate some of the people."

Upon hearing these two sentences, the officials felt much more at ease.

The emperor is still the emperor, so they are not rebels. Taking away their families is good. If they also coerce some people, that's even better. Without ordinary people, who will do the work?

"Henan is a place of constant warfare, not a place to restore the country. The next step is to go to the Northeast."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed.

This group of people, whether they are scholars or warriors, are basically not from Northeast China, nor are they willing to go to Northeast China.

However, at this moment, none of them dared to voice any objections, for fear that if they spoke out, they would be killed immediately to establish their authority.

After those three sentences were spoken, many of the Imperial Guards who were still alive began to regain their senses.

“Alright, now that everyone is sober, let me explain to His Majesty and everyone else what exactly happened.” With that, Ronan glanced at the emperor, who seemed to have lost his soul, before beginning to speak, “Let’s start by introducing myself and my brothers.”

As soon as he finished speaking, "Ronan" removed his mask, revealing his true face. "You may have seen this face before, but I must say, I am not that person. I come from another world..."

He started out exactly like Ronan, but after participating in the suppression of the southern rebellion, he chose to follow the people who appreciated him to the capital. Ten years later, he returned to his hometown to serve as mayor. Dinia also arrived in the south at this time, followed by the Heidil people incident. From here on, he and Ronan went down different paths and could no longer be considered the same person.

Fate can also change one's character.

Chapter 817 No need to stop them, just that confident, future plans

However, just as the story had begun, and the thousands of people gathered inside the walls, filled with shock, anger, fear, confusion, and helplessness, were preparing to listen to this foreign-looking man who spoke fluent Mandarin, "Ronan" suddenly stopped speaking.

"Everyone, we've been here since early morning, without eating or drinking, and haven't even had time to use the restroom. Let's disperse for now. Go to the restroom, get some water, and eat something. I'll continue later." After saying that, Ronan looked at a tall, thin man next to him, with long arms and legs, shaped like a stick insect, wearing a string of skull and bone beads around his neck, and holding a giant crescent shovel. "Sixth Brother, tell everyone to move aside. Don't follow them."

Old Six was startled and stood there motionless for a moment, as if he hadn't heard anything.

The rest of their group were equally stunned.

They were stunned, and the civil and military officials and thousands of imperial guards present were also dumbfounded.

This altar is located in the wild. To eat, drink, and relieve themselves, they would have to go to the camp, which is several kilometers away. With so many people, why aren't they sending anyone to follow and monitor them? If they split up and run away, although it's impossible for them all to escape, a considerable number of them will definitely be able to escape.

The purple-haired youth was completely bewildered. "Second brother, this..."

The Imperial Guards, with their meager cultivation levels, would be courting death if they tried to run. But among the high-ranking officials present, some of them could actually escape if they scattered. Their plan wasn't just to capture the emperor, but more importantly, to capture these officials. Without these officials, they simply couldn't govern the region.

You should know that although the celestial demons under their command have the cultivation level of the rank ...

"Do as he says." At this moment, the giant skeleton spoke, its voice sinister and deep.

Soon, the encirclement was lifted, some people dispersed, others went over to open the gate, and then cleared the way.

Facing the open gate and the empty space outside, thousands of people just stood there watching. The Imperial Guards had been affected by the sudden change from the start, and so far, they still didn't quite understand what had happened, so they were all stunned. The officials knew what was going on, but it was precisely because they knew that they dared not leave, fearing that this was a test of obedience and that once they went out, they would be used as tools to establish authority.

“There’s nothing to worry about, everyone. Even if you want to leave, we won’t stop you,” Ronan, with his half-long hair combed back, spoke again. “Especially you members of the Imperial Guard, I know you won’t want to go with us.”

These elite Imperial Guards were naturally unwilling to follow Ronan and his men. After all, they were superhumans, and ordinary people couldn't do anything to them without firearms. They didn't join the army just to earn a living or get paid; they joined the army so that they could become the sole legal owners of a piece of land and other properties within the village, becoming small landowners.

Even if they joined forces with "Ronan," let alone left with him, they would lose all their "assets."

As for family members, that's secondary. As the saying goes, a great man has no shortage of wives, and they are all still young.

Several minutes passed before someone finally took a tentative step.

I arrived here early in the morning, and it's almost noon now. Then I encountered this strange event, and I'm extremely flustered. I really can't hold it in any longer; if I don't, I'm going to wet my pants.

Once one thing leads to another, and once two things lead to three, there's no stopping them once they see each other. Soon, a group of people rushed out in a hurry. Not everyone needed to urinate, and in this state of extreme excitement, few people were in the mood to eat. They ran so fast because they wanted to escape this suffocating place.

The imperial guards vanished in the blink of an eye, and after a moment's hesitation, the officials also chose to leave.

"Are you that confident?" Wu Jiuxiao asked Ronan.

“It doesn’t matter if all the Imperial Guards run away; they weren’t what we needed to begin with. As for the officials, believe me, most of them will come back. Even if they do run away, only a small portion will escape, so it won’t have a significant impact,” Ronan, with his medium-length hair, replied confidently.

Most of the officials present were of low rank and low cultivation level, many of whom were at the same level as these elite imperial guards, not even at the highest rank. Meanwhile, the miscellaneous demon spirits on their side were also at the first-tier highest level, numbering over a thousand, which was enough to ensure that most of the officials would not escape.

As for those individuals with higher cultivation levels, whose own magic makes them particularly adept at escaping, and who are determined to run away, there's nothing that can be done about it.

Seeing that the other side had all left, the seventh brother, the purple-haired youth, leaned over to "Ronan" and said, "Second brother, if you ask me, why don't we just kill those Imperial Guards? They're not equipped with those long-range weapons that can unleash magic cluster bullets, they only have some melee weapons, they pose no threat to our experts. Although Seris is large, there are only a few hundred thousand superhumans. This would eliminate a fraction of them, wouldn't that be a huge advantage?"

Ronan, with his medium-length hair, didn't seem to care and simply smiled. "Killing is a poor strategy. Our current base only consists of about a hundred people and a little over a thousand demon spirits. For a considerable period of time to come, we will need more people to join us. It's not worth it to eliminate such a small group and incur the hatred of everyone. Am I right, Your Majesty?"