CHAPTER 495: CHAPTER 495. AN UNKNOWN PARTY

"Zheenggg...!" Ni Lulu cried when she saw her cousin’s demise. She couldn’t provide any help. An Guan was not an easy opponent and was not alone. Many battle puppets pestered her incessantly. Thanks to her gigantic body, the battle puppets could attack her all at once.

The distraction from Ni Zheng’s death allowed An Guan to land a strong hit. His glaive pierced into her protective wooden skin and caused a bleeding wound.

She was not the only one in such a predicament. The kingdom force that ambushed this place outnumbered the rebels ten to one. The sudden ambush also caught the rebels unprepared. Many perished at the initial clash, causing the number disadvantage to swell even further.

The kingdom force was also dominated by the battle puppets, which didn’t possess fear. They were the perfect meat shield to hinder the opponents while the ex-Royal Academy tutors with high-level cultivation provided the main firepower. The rest of the kingdom soldiers served as support and stopped any rebels who tried to flee.

Many indeed tried to flee. The longer the battle lasted, the clearer the outcome became to everyone. More and more rebels removed themselves from combat, leaving their comrades behind, and ran away. They ran toward the multiple exits of this great hall, even toward the giant hole in the ceiling where the kingdom force entered from.

Yet, they were sealed in. No matter where they ran to, a barricade awaited them. The kingdom force entered not only from the hole in the ceiling. They came also from the multiple entrances of this hideout. A simultaneous infiltration was conducted when the main force blew up the ceiling of the great hall.

In short, they were getting systematically slaughtered.

With more rebels slain, more kingdom forces concentrated on the stronger leaders. Despite their high cultivation, they also couldn’t withstand the never-ending assaults.

Ni Lulu was forced to deactivate her Gigas Blood because her transformation provided too much surface for her enemies to target. However, even after turning smaller, her predicament didn’t end.

Luan Xuan was in a similar situation. He was fighting against Ha Gild and Yong Baili. Though the two had lower cultivation levels than him, they had the support of a seemingly unlimited supply of battle puppets. As time went on, more kingdom soldiers with high cultivation joined in the fight, tipping the scale even further. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by around a hundred opponents.

Pan Lohuan didn’t fare better. An hour after the kingdom force broke in, he was full of wounds. The worst thing was that he found himself almost alone.

He looked around and found that most of the rebel leaders were slain or apprehended after giving up. Their subordinates were all slain. The kingdom force didn’t bother capturing these subordinates even when they surrendered.

Luan Xuan was ganged up by multiple opponents and pressed onto the floor. A kingdom soldier was tying him up using engraved chains.

Ni Lulu was still fighting fiercely. But judging from the bloody wounds all over her body, she wouldn’t hold out for long.

"You didn’t look as confident as before," Lao Zen said. "I guess you finally accept the fact that this time, the kingdom is eradicating you all for real."

Pan Lohuan was scowling. He indeed saw no way out of this. However, he still responded to the mocking, "Don’t you think the kingdom has won. The rebels have many arms and legs. Even if you exterminate us here, there will be another taking our place. The rebellion will never die...!"

This statement was more for his assurance than to convince his opponent. However, this assurance slightly faltered when he saw Lao Zen’s smile.

"Do you think this is the only place we hit?" Lao Zen asked.

"Wha... What do you mean...?" A clear sign of faltering could be heard from Pan Lohuan’s voice.

"Currently, a full-scale operation is conducted all over the country. We are simultaneously hitting all your hideouts."

"Impossible! You cannot know all of them!" Pan Lohuan exclaimed.

"I can’t say for sure we know all or not, but we know all your major hideouts, including this one. We have known it for some time. The matter about how we know this is the hideout you held Colonel Amon. Well, I will have to ask the colonel later. Anyway, as long as we get all your major bases, we can say we wipe out ninety percent of you. With all the leaders here slain or arrested, the remaining ones will only be small players. They won’t have enough force or the will to reignite the rebellion. In short, the rebellion is by today finished!"

Pan Lohuan couldn’t articulate a response to Lao Zen’s claim. If what Lao Zen said was true, then it is as the ex-head tutor said. It was unlikely the rebels could come back from this. He wished that wasn’t true. He wished Lao Zen was only bluffing, but what was the point for Lao Zen to do that? To break his spirit? He had no personal vendetta against Lao Zen, so there was no reason for Lao Zen to make up a lie just to be cruel to him.

Under his broken spirit, his reaction became slow. He failed to dodge one of the battle puppet’s punches.

Even though the punch didn’t harm him thanks to the wide gap of power, it still unbalanced him enough that Lao Zen’s water snakes landed on him. Getting hit by Lao Zen’s attack was a different matter. The first water snake smashed into his arm. The second one blew it right off. The third one punched into his gut, causing him to vomit blood.

He waved his book-whip using his one remaining arm. The book-whip swirled in a wide circle, destroying the battle puppets encircling him and forcing Lao Zen to back off.

When the book-whip lost its momentum, a new batch of battle puppets came. They grabbed the book-whip. They held it so Pan Lohuan couldn’t pull it back. While the book was extended, Amon came riding the Sun Hawk. He slashed his ceremonial dagger at the steel wire holding the book together. Pan Lohuan was exhausted. He couldn’t channel enough energy to reinforce his weapon. Amon’s ceremonial dagger cut through the wire, and the book-whip was unraveled. Its metal pages fell to the ground.

"You... You are the one... who tricked us into this...," Pan Lohuan uttered when he saw Amon. He was panting out of fatigue and injuries.

"Accept your fate," Amon responded.

"Hehe... Hehehe...," Pan Lohuan started laughing. It sounded more like a maniacal laugh than a genuine one. "I will at least take you with me!"

Pan Lohuan charged at Amon.

"You are dreaming if you can touch our colonel again!" An Guan came in between Pan Lohuan and Amon. His glaive created a net of golden blades that stopped Pan Lohuan from advancing. From behind, water darts and water snakes assailed Pan Lohuan.

Pan Lohuan suffered more wounds but seemed determined to get to Amon. At this stage, he was no longer concerned about survival. That was until he heard a voice, "Master Pan Lohuan. We are here to save you. Come to us!"

Several small balls flew down from above. These small balls exploded into bright lights, deafening sounds, and dispersed thick smoke.

Pan Lohuan couldn’t see, hear, or sense due to the explosions, but he thought fast and flew in the direction of the voice he heard earlier. His blindness and loss of sense were only temporary. When he could see again, he noticed he was out of the great hall. The kingdom soldiers who formed the barricade were slain. Down there, a score of black-colored battle puppets equipped with flight units was hindering the kingdom forces.

"Master Pan Lohuan, follow us! We must get out of here!"

Pan Lohuan noticed then that around him were seven people covered in dark suits. They were riding Swift Spirit Swallows.

"Who are you?" Pan Lohuan asked. These people also had their faces covered.

"There is no time for a chat. Follow us if you wish to live!" One of them answered. They turned and started flying away.

Pan Lohuan decided to follow them, but before he left, he noticed that down there was an eighth member in a black suit. The person was activating talismans set around the big hole. These talismans erected a barrier formation that stopped people from exiting. This prevented the people inside the great hall from chasing him.

One person escaped being sealed in by this barrier, though. That person was Amon riding his Sun Hawk. Pan Lohuan had the thought to head over and kill the colonel, but the state of his mind was different from before. Before, he had no chance of survival. This time, he had. He was not going to risk it by killing Amon. The barrier won’t hold for long.

So, he ignored Amon and flew away, following the seven people in black suits.