Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

All the shadow guards silently adjusted their grip on their swords, their bodies slightly lowering.

That was a starting move that would result in mutual destruction.

Looking at the scene before her, Bai Zhi felt her heart sink into an abyss.

It’s over.

Lin Mo's plan... failed.

He may have... also met with misfortune.

And I am destined to die here today.

She is not afraid of death.

But she didn't want to die in such a humiliating way.

Bai Zhi's hand slowly reached for the small knife hidden in her sleeve.

That was the only thing her sister left her.

It was also her last vestige of dignity.

The coolness of the knife hilt spread from her fingertips, strangely calming her chaotic heartbeat.

Rather than falling into Zhang Cheng's hands and being publicly humiliated, it's better to... use it to end everything.

A tide of soldiers had already surged to the foot of the platform.

"Bang!"

"Bang! Bang!"

The first rank of soldiers stacked themselves like a human pyramid, using their comrades' shoulders as stepping stones.

Dirty hands had already gripped the edge of the platform and were frantically climbing upwards.

The archers are also in position.

Around the square, countless arrows gleaming with cold light were aimed at the dozen or so figures on the stage who had nowhere to hide.

A deadly net has been cast, now airtight.

Zhang Cheng, riding his tall horse, watched with great enjoyment this scene of catching a turtle in a jar.

His facial muscles twitched slightly with extreme excitement, revealing a savage smile of absolute certainty.

The beauty is almost mine.

He had even begun to imagine how he should "cherish" this high and mighty "fairy" later on.

First, he used a thin whip with barbs to pluck blood-red roses from her snow-white skin.

Or should we let her mount that specially made wooden horse and listen to her utter the most moving cries amidst extreme pain and pleasure?

or……

Light the candle made with mermaid oil, and watch the scalding candle wax drip onto her perfect body...

hey-hey……

He had to try everything.

Nothing less.

Hahahahaha...

Zhang Cheng let out a pig-like laugh in his heart, and a certain part of his body had already shamefully reacted.

However, just as he was indulging in his sordid fantasies...

boom--

A deafeningly loud bang came from the east of the city without warning.

The sound was muffled and deep.

Like a muffled thunderclap, yet with an unparalleled penetrating force, it struck directly at everyone's heart.

The entire earth suddenly shook!

The enormous banyan tree in the center of the square had countless leaves shaken off by the force, like a green downpour.

The soldiers who were climbing upwards slipped and tumbled down the human ladder with screams, instantly knocking down a group of them.

Zhang Cheng, who was riding on horseback, was also shaken by the sudden jolt and almost fell off his horse.

Everyone stopped what they were doing.

The entire square was filled with thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians, along with Bai Zhi and the shadow guards on the platform.

At that moment, they all seemed to be frozen in place, turning their heads in unison to look towards the east of the city.

silence.

A deathly silence.

Only the frightened warhorse's anxious neighing and heavy breathing remained in the square.

Followed by.

boom--!!!

boom--!!!

boom--!!!

boom--!!!

boom--!!!

A series of explosions, even louder and more frequent than the previous one, resounded continuously from the east of the city, like the drums of heaven!

Each explosion was accompanied by a violent tremor of the earth.

Each loud bang made everyone's eardrums buzz and their hearts pound.

If the first explosion was merely a warning, then these successive explosions were a declaration of destruction.

"Ah—! The sky has collapsed! The gods are angry!"

The people kneeling on the ground completely broke down.

They thought they had offended a fairy and were being punished by the gods. They were so frightened that they ran away in terror.

"Don't kill me! Fairy, spare my life! I'll never do it again!"

"May the Bodhisattva protect us! May the Jade Emperor protect us!"

Cries, screams, and prayers mingled together.

The chaos that had been forcibly suppressed by the officers and soldiers erupted in a more thorough and frenzied manner.

The thousands of officers and soldiers were also stunned by this unprecedented commotion.

Although they were soldiers, they had never seen such a scene as if the sky were falling and the earth was splitting apart.

"What's going on?!"

"Is it an earthworm turning over?!"

"Enemy attack! It's an enemy attack! The city walls have been breached!"

The soldiers' formation instantly crumbled, and countless men instinctively dropped their weapons and turned to run.

But they were blocked by the people behind them, and they pushed and trampled each other, creating complete chaos.

Zhang Cheng finally managed to rein in the runaway horse and regain his balance.

He stared at the scene that had spiraled out of control, his face, which had been flushed from his fantasies, now turning purple with rage.

"Stop the fucking right there!"

"Stop causing chaos! Anyone who dares to run away will be killed without mercy!"

He drew his sword and roared at the top of his lungs, trying to regain control of the situation.

But his voice was as insignificant as a mosquito amidst the deafening explosions and the screams of tens of thousands of people.

Nobody listens to him.

On the high platform.

Bai Zhi was also shaken so badly by the earth-shattering noise that her legs went weak.

But her reaction was different from everyone else's.

She felt no fear, no panic.

When that first familiar muffled thud sounded, the small knife she was about to stab into her heart suddenly stopped.

That sound...

It's him!

It's Lin Mo!

He's alright! He succeeded!

A surge of immense joy, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly washed away all the despair and coldness in her heart.

Tears welled up uncontrollably in my eyes.

But this time, it wasn't the cold resolve to die, but the burning passion of surviving a catastrophe.

She gazed towards the east of the city.

There were already towering flames there, illuminating half the night sky in an eerie orange-red hue.

That bastard...

That rascal who always liked to tease her and talked nonsense...

He didn't break his word.

He really...did it.

Just as chaos erupted in the square, Zhang Cheng was so angry he was about to vomit blood.

"Get out of my way! All of you, get the hell out of my way!"

A piercing shout burst forth from the periphery of the chaotic crowd.

Everyone turned to look and saw a messenger on a fast horse scrambling through the crowd and charging madly toward Zhang Cheng.

The soldier was covered in soot, his face scorched by smoke and fire.

Even his helmet had flown away, and he looked extremely disheveled.

His warhorse was clearly exhausted; when it reached Zhang Cheng, it let out a mournful cry and collapsed to the ground.

The messenger was thrown out and rolled several times on the ground.

Ignoring his injuries, he crawled on all fours to Zhang Cheng's horse.

He grabbed the horse's leg, his voice distorted with extreme fear.

"General...General! No...something terrible has happened!"

Zhang Cheng finally found someone to vent his anger on.

He kicked the messenger away and roared down at him.

"What the hell are you panicking for! Explain yourself! What the hell is going on?!"

The messenger was kicked until he spat blood, but he dared not delay for even a moment.

He scrambled to his knees again, pointed towards the east of the city, and shouted with all his might.

"East of the city...the armory in the east of the city..."

"It's blown up...it's all blown up!!"