Martial Arts World Assassin

Chapter 397 Bloodstained Tang Palace

Since Ning Daoqi took the initiative to mention Li Tang, he was obviously willing to accompany Huang Sixi to break into the palace and deal with the Tang Emperor Li Yuan.

This is actually the reason why Huang Sixi showed mercy to Ning Daoqi.

Huang Sixi went to Luoyang alone this time and urgently needed a master of Ning Daoqi's level to help capture Li Yuan and stabilize the situation in Luoyang.

Huang Sixi asked Ning Daoqi, "Does anyone know where Li Yuan lives?"

Ning Daoqi stroked his long beard and nodded: "After he captured Luoyang, he has been staying in the palace. He was worried about being assassinated, so he never told anyone where he rested every night. But tonight is a little special!"

Huang Sixi asked again: "What is so special about it?"

Ning Daoqi smiled and explained, "He is going to host a banquet for the Western Turkic envoys in Qianyang Palace tonight. All the high-ranking officials of the Li Tang Dynasty are present. The heads of the major clans are also invited to watch the ceremony. He also invited Shang Xiufang, the world's number one zither artist, to perform in the palace. He originally sent an invitation to me, but I am a monk and have no interest in singing and dancing, so I declined to go!"

After Shang Xiufang returned to China from Liaodong, she continued to accept invitations from various dignitaries and resumed her old career of performing. Since she often went in and out of the houses of the rich and powerful, her whereabouts were not difficult to find out, and she was easily found by Li Tang.

However, the reason why Shang Xiufang accepted Li Tang's invitation was not because she was coerced by imperial power, but because Shang Xiufang's mother Mingyue had a close personal relationship with Li Yuan and they had once had an affair in their early years.

Mingyue's adoptive father is Yue Shan, the 'Ba Dao', who has been feared by the world for decades and has only been defeated once by Song Que, the 'Heavenly Dao'. He is a master of the older generation! In fact, Shang Xiufang is a descendant of a famous martial arts family!
When Li Yuan was young, he became sworn brothers with Yue Shan, the "Tyrant Blade", and they were as close as brothers. It was because of this relationship that Shang Xiufang was able to avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble and harassment when she performed in various places in China.

There were many gossipers in the world who suspected that Shang Xiufang was most likely Li Yuan's illegitimate daughter. Of course, this was groundless and could not be trusted, but it was undeniable that Shang Xiufang and Li Yuan had a long-standing friendship.

Huang Sixi's focus was not on Shang Xiufang: "Who is the envoy from Western Turkic?"

Ning Daoqi replied, "National Master Yun Shuai! It is said that he is a master of the Western Turkic Empire. His martial arts skills are slightly better than Tiele Qu'ao, but weaker than Martial Master Bi Xuan! Fellow Daoist Jianglong can easily stab Bi Xuan to death, so it is expected that killing Yun Shuai will be a piece of cake!"

At this time, Shi Feixuan had already taken care of hundreds of unconscious Tang soldiers nearby, pressing their acupoints one by one, and moved over.

When she heard Ning Daoqi's words, she added casually, "In addition to this Western Turkic national teacher, Li Yuan also has a group of top guards around him, both good and evil. I know of no less than six masters!"

After that, she bowed to Ning Daoqi and said, "Fei Xuan greets Sanren!"

Ning Daoqi had known her for a long time, and responded with a smile: "Last year, your master convened a hero meeting in Luoyang and invited me to rush to Dali City to resist the Turks. At that time, I was being lobbied by the Li family, so I rejected your master's invitation! Now it seems that your master's vision is more unique, and he saw where the world belongs to him early on!"

Shi Feixuan replied calmly: "My master is compassionate and only cares about the peace of the people. It just so happens that Jianglong Langjun always puts the people first when doing things. Regardless of whether Jianglong Langjun fights for the world, my master is willing to spare no effort to help Jianglong Langjun solve his problems. This is also Feixuan's code of conduct!"

She used to respect Ning Daoqi very much.

But after listening to the agreement reached between Ning Daoqi and Huang Sixi, she had a new opinion of Ning Daoqi. Ning Daoqi did not have the same broad mind as her master Fan Qinghui.

Everything Fan Qinghui did was based on saving the world and the people.

Ning Daoqi gave priority to the prosperity of Taoism.

However, after Huang Sixi defeats Li Tang and unifies China, if he fully respects Taoism and rejects Buddhism, will Shi Feixuan stick to his original intention of saving the world and the people and give up the Buddhist incense inheritance of Cihang Jingzhai for the sake of peace and stability for all people?

This is what Shi Feixuan is worried about.

She really wanted to ask Huang Sixi how he would treat Buddhism in the future.

Ning Daoqi did not give her a chance to ask, and said with a smile: "Junior Brother Feixuan knows a lot about the guards around Li Yuan. It seems that you have collected a lot of information about the Li family during your stay in Luoyang!"

Then he turned to look at Huang Sixi and introduced them one by one: "There are two demon sect masters around Li Yuan. One is Wei Lao Mo from the Yin Kui Sect. He was originally the senior brother of Yin Queen Zhu Yuyan. His martial arts skills are unfathomable and he has the strength of a master. But he lurked in the Sui court palace a long time ago and became the head eunuch. He first served Yang Jian and then followed Yang Guang. After Yang Guang was killed at the beginning of the year, this eunuch Wei surrendered to Li Yuan again and is currently the number one confidant guard around Li Yuan!"

"Who is the other demon sect master?"

"His name is Yin Zuwen, a disciple of the Way of Destroying Love, and also a fellow disciple of the Heavenly Monarch Xi Ying! He married his own daughter to Li Yuan, who favored her and named her Yin Defei by Li Yuan. He currently has the status of a royal relative of the emperor's father-in-law!"

"Li Yuan has such a deep relationship with the Demon Sect, isn't he afraid of being used by the Demon Sect?"

"The person Li Yuan fears the most right now is you, Daoist Jianglong. As long as we can stop you from entering the palace to assassinate, even if the evil king Shi Zhixuan pretends to surrender, Li Yuan will dare to employ him!"

"Since Li Yuan knew that I had the ability to kill him, why did he insist on attacking the Song clan? He was heading for the tiger mountain even though he knew there was a tiger there!"

Huang Sixi said here.

Shi Feixuan interrupted, "The reason why Li Yuan rebelled was actually because he was held hostage by his second son, Li Shimin. Last year, Li Shimin instigated Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling to steal the account book of smuggled military equipment from the Dongming Sect. This account book contained evidence of Li Yuan's private purchase of military equipment. Li Yuan was worried that the account book would be circulated and Yang Guang would find out and punish him, so he had to start a rebellion!"

Since you have already raised an army and become one of the princes of the world, you must stick to it to the end. If you give up halfway, the end result will be the destruction of your entire clan.

Shi Feixuan looked at Huang Sixi and said, "The Li Clan's capture of the Eastern Capital Luoyang was also planned by Li Shimin! Including the surprise attack on Wagang and Tongguan, and the expulsion of Li Mi and the Song Clan, all of these were the result of Li Shimin's lobbying of Li Yuan. If it weren't for Li Shimin's advice, Li Yuan would never have sent troops so decisively!"

Huang Sixi bowed his head slightly: "According to what Master Fairy said, the most powerful person in the Li family is Li Shimin?"

Shi Feixuan admired Li Shimin very much. If Huang Sixi's title of True Dragon Khan had not been too dazzling and crushed all the powerful princes in Middle-earth, Shi Feixuan would definitely persuade her master Fan Qinghui to support Li Shimin in conquering the world.

Shi Feixuan did not hide her admiration for Li Shimin: "Even if you, Lord Jiang Long, capture Li Yuan and occupy the eastern capital Luoyang, Li Shimin will not surrender. Instead, he will attack Chang'an at all costs in order to continue the confrontation with Lord Jiang Long. This is a rare talent, and he will definitely fight you to the end!"

Huang Sixi thought to himself that Li Shimin was not a rare hero who only appears once in a century. Even if a thousand years passed, Li Shimin would still occupy a place. He was a figure who would shine through the ages.

But in the world of The Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty, no matter how intelligent or strategic one is, one is doomed to be unable to make any waves under the sweep of absolute force.

Huang Sixi ignored Li Shimin and continued to talk about Li Yuan: "Besides that eunuch Wei and Yin Zuwen, who else are the masters around Li Yuan?"

Ning Daoqi said: "One is 'Huangshan Hermit' Ouyang Xiyi, and the other is 'Demon Spear' Yan Pingzhao. They are both around ninety years old. They are of the same generation as me. Even though their martial arts level is not that of a grandmaster, with their internal strength of more than 40 years, they can fight on equal terms with a grandmaster when they join forces!"
Li Yuan has a couple of bodyguards beside him, known as the "immortal couple" in the martial arts world. The man is called Chu Junming and the woman is called Hua Ying. The husband uses a shield and the wife uses a sword. They are good at combined attacks and their actual combat capabilities are stronger than Ouyang Xiyi and Yan Pingzhao!"

These six people are the personal guards that Li Yuan carefully selected.

Ning Daoqi added: "In addition to these six masters, Li Yuan also has a guard team with 500 people. They are all top-notch fighters recruited from the Tang army and major martial arts sects. These people have been bribed by Li Yuan. They are all death warriors who always follow Li Yuan. If you don't eliminate these death warriors, you can't catch Li Yuan!"

Shi Feixuan knew that Huang Sixi was about to break into the Tang Palace.

She also did her best to provide information to Huang Sixi: "After Li Yuan conquered Luoyang, the two major clans surrendered to him one after another. Yuwen Shang, the head of the Yuwen clan, and Dugu Feng, the head of the Dugu clan, have both moved to Luoyang City. Together with Li Shentong, the top master trained by the Li clan, they will definitely attend the state banquet tonight to entertain the Western Turkic national teacher in Qianyang Hall!" The three major clans, Li, Dugu, and Yuwen, have stood in Guanlong for hundreds of years. They have an extremely deep foundation, and the elite death warriors raised in the clans are all among the best in the world.

Anyway, in Shi Feixuan's opinion, if she broke into Qianyang Palace where many experts gathered, it would be tantamount to seeking death.

Even a great master like Ning Daoqi was not sure of escaping unscathed, let alone the confidence to grasp Li Yuan!

Huang Sixi said calmly: "The Dugu clan and the Yuwen clan will never die for the Li clan. If I go to assassinate Li Yuan, they will just watch coldly. So the masters of these two clans can be ignored. As long as I can capture Li Yuan and offer them generous conditions, they will abandon the Li clan and change their allegiance at any time!"

Ning Daoqi can be persuaded and recruited by Huang Sixi, and the same can be done by the Dugu and Yuwen clans.

At this point, Huang Sixi gestured, "Please ask Sanren and Master Fairy to lead the way and take me to Qianyang Palace!"

He looked at Ning Daoqi and Shi Feixuan, "I am enough to capture Li Yuan this time, and I don't need your help. But when we arrive at Qianyang Palace, I hope you two will stay outside the palace and intercept those who try to escape, to prevent the news from leaking out and causing chaos in Luoyang City!"

Ning Daoqi and Shi Feixuan looked at each other and both felt that the danger was not great. If Huang Sixi could kill everyone in the Qianyang Palace and successfully capture Li Yuan, the overall situation of the world would be determined accordingly.

Even if Huang Sixi failed to capture Li Yuan, Ning Daoqi and Shi Feixuan were outside the palace and could escape at any time.

"Can!"

Ning Daoqi and Shi Feixuan responded in unison.

Afterwards, the three of them left Hanjia Granary together, and under the cover of night, they climbed over the eaves and walls and sneaked into the palace.

The palace is full of interconnected palaces and towers. Many buildings are surrounded by high walls on all sides, which are nearly ten feet high. However, for masters of the level of Huang Sixi, Ning Daoqi, and Shi Feixuan, climbing over such a height is a piece of cake.

After the three men sneaked into the inner palace, they passed through the three gates and two halls on the central axis one by one.

The gates are Yongtai Gate, Qianyang Gate and Daye Gate, and the halls are Qianyang Hall and Daye Hall.

The Qianyang Hall that Huang Sixi was going to visit this time was the main hall of the Luoyang Imperial Palace. It was also the place where grand ceremonies were held and foreign envoys were received.

The three of them used their lightness skills to land on the palace wall outside the Qianyang Palace. From a distance of several dozen feet, they could overlook the palace gate.

I saw that outside this majestic palace was filled with heavily armored guards, and the security was extremely strict. The palace was brightly lit, and there were dozens of VIP seats arranged in two rows. Everyone was watching with great interest a stunning beauty playing the guqin at the table.

Huang Sixi recognized at a glance that the beautiful woman playing the piano was Shang Xiufang.

At this moment, Shang Xiufang was facing the main seat, where sat a middle-aged man with a graceful demeanor and wearing a luxurious dragon robe.

Ning Daoqi then transmitted a message: "The person in charge is Li Yuan!"

Huang Sixi scanned the environment inside and outside the hall, and said to Ning Daoqi and Shi Feixuan on his left and right: "You two wait here, I will enter the hall and capture Li Yuan!"

After he said that, he jumped high and rushed to the door of the hall.

As his body moved sideways in the air, he pinched his fingers and shot out streams of energy toward the dark sky, making a rustling sound.

When Huang Sixi crossed dozens of feet of the night sky and jumped to a place several feet away from the palace gate, a green dragon shadow also descended from the sky and hovered beside Huang Sixi.

Before the little dragon landed on the ground, its cheeks were already puffed up, and it was spraying out poison with a "whoosh!"

In the blink of an eye, the space of dozens of feet outside the palace was filled with thick poisonous fog.

Ning Daoqi saw this scene from afar and asked hurriedly, "Is that long shadow the real dragon in the legend?"

Shi Feixuan smiled and said, "It is the Azure Dragon auspicious beast raised by Lord Jianglong! When Lord Jianglong was in the outer frontier, he tamed a group of falcons and brought them to the Middle-earth. They hovered in the sky all day long. The Azure Dragon auspicious beast likes to fly high on the back of an eagle. Unless Lord Jianglong summons it, it will not land!"

Shi Feixuan had seen the little dragon many times while accompanying Huang Sixi from Shanhaiguan to Luoyang.

Ning Daoqi couldn't help but sigh: "The dragon mist spewed out by this real dragon can actually poison the elite warriors outside the Qianyang Palace in an instant. I'm afraid no one will be able to escape from the Qianyang Palace tonight!"

He had originally promised Huang Sixi to help intercept the escaped person.

However, the little magic dragon guarding outside the palace, constantly spewing poisonous fog, has completely blocked the entire Qianyang Palace. Even if he and Shi Feixuan do not take action, Huang Sixi, the little magic dragon, and the group of eagles circling low in the sky can firmly control the situation and prevent anyone from escaping.

In this way, Ning Daoqi and Shi Feixuan hid on the palace wall, waiting for Huang Sixi's results of the battle in Qianyang Palace.

After half an hour, the shouting and screaming in the hall gradually subsided and became calm.

The poisonous fog outside the palace gradually dissipated, revealing the original environment.

Ning Daoqi and Shi Feixuan took a closer look and saw the bodies of the dead soldiers lying all over the outside of the hall. Most of them died from the poison, and the rest were killed by the little dragon.

Looking inside the hall, there were dozens of bloody corpses lying there, and the atmosphere was filled with a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

At this moment, Huang Sixi was standing next to the main seat, and Li Yuan was half paralyzed at his feet, looking hopeless and decadent.

When Ning Daoqi and Shi Feixuan saw this, they heard a "whoosh!" and a figure rushed out of the hall.

The two men immediately jumped off the palace wall, rushed over from the left and right, captured the figure in their hands, and then took a closer look and saw that the man was none other than Li Shentong, a master of the Li family.

Just now, Huang Sixi fought a bloody battle in the hall and cut off one of Li Shentong's arms. Li Shentong's fighting power was already greatly weakened, and he was easily captured by Ning Daoqi and Shi Feixuan.

The two men took Li Shentong into the hall.

After a quick glance, he found that only the masters of the Dugu and Yuwen clans were still safe and sound, which was obviously due to Huang Sixi showing mercy.

(End of this chapter)