Chapter 552: Great Battle

As Cao Zhengchun’s voice fell, the Republican Emperor Zhu Houzhao, sitting upon the dragon throne, nodded and said, "What Eunuch Cao says is correct. Imperial Uncle, what do you think?"

Zhu Wushi immediately denied it, saying, "Your Majesty, absolutely not! The mission of the Dragon Protection Villa is to protect Your Majesty. If the entire villa is deployed, how will we respond if the Grandson of the Great Ming sends experts to attack the Imperial Palace?"

"This humble official believes it would be better to issue broad hero recruitment posters throughout the Republic, inviting all manner of heroes to assassinate the Great Ming Grandson."

Zhu Houzhao was quite dissatisfied with Zhu Wushi's words. However, he did not dare show it; after all, Zhu Wushi was the number one expert in the Republic.

Thus, Zhu Houzhao could only grit his teeth and agree.

"In that case, let us proceed according to Imperial Uncle's idea."

After saying this, Zhu Houzhao dismissed the court.

***

A few days later, within the capital of the Song Kingdom.

The monks of the Shaolin Temple had all arrived.

Leading them was the Abbot of Shaolin, Ci Xuan.

Upon the city walls of the capital.

When the Imperial Guard soldiers saw this group of monks approaching the city walls aggressively, clutching their Buddhist staves, they immediately closed the city gates and sent word to the Great Ming Grandson.

Inside the main hall.

Guo Zhen, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, rushed in hurriedly.

At this moment, Zhu Ying was busy handling state affairs.

Guo Zhen spoke in a tense tone, "Reporting to His Highness the Grandson, a group of monks has arrived outside the capital!"

"Furthermore... these monks all seem to be martial arts experts, with realms at least at the Grandmaster stage!"

One must know that Guo Zhen had also undergone martial arts training, so he was naturally able to perceive the True Qi within these Shaolin high monks.

However, upon hearing this, Zhu Ying's face showed no panic at all, as if everything was under his control.

"What is there to panic about?"

"I knew it. These martial arts experts of the Song Kingdom would surely seek revenge against the Great Ming Empire."

After saying this, Zhu Ying slowly rose from the dragon throne and leisurely walked up to Guo Zhen.

"Let the Imperial Guard hold the line for now. I want to see just how much strength these Shaolin high monks possess!"

Seeing Zhu Ying so calm, Guo Zhen's emotions eased significantly. He immediately accepted the command.

"This general obeys!"

***

Meanwhile, at the foot of the capital, Ci Xuan, a martial arts high monk of the Song Kingdom, spoke to his fellow junior brothers and disciples: "Amitabha. Although we practitioners of Buddha never kill, the Song Kingdom has now been destroyed by the Great Ming Empire to the north!"

"To restore our nation, we have no choice but to strike with lethal force!"

As Ci Xuan's voice fell, in the next second, he instantly soared into the high sky.

Following him, the other three monks of the "Ci" generation also followed Ci Xuan's footsteps, ascending into the air!

Immediately, the four enlightened high monks of Shaolin released the True Qi within their bodies. In the next instant, this True Qi acted like sharp swords, instantly slashing toward the city walls!

At that moment, many Imperial Guard soldiers were wounded by the True Qi released by the Great Ming monks.

Following this, Ci Xuan tossed his staff into the air. Clearly, for an expert of Ci Xuan's caliber, a staff was useless and even hindered his performance.

Instead, Ci Xuan simply discarded the staff and unleashed the Shaolin ultimate technique: the Vajra Finger!

*Boom!*

In a flash of lightning, the True Qi released by this Vajra Finger slammed heavily against the city wall.

Instantly, a deaf-deafening vibration erupted.

It was as if an earthquake had occurred!

*Thud!!!*

To be honest, Ci Xuan did not actually want to start a massacre. If he wanted to kill, he could have aimed directly at the soldiers on the wall.

But at this moment, his True Qi merely struck the city wall.

And just like that, the capital's city wall exploded, leaving a massive hole!

It must be said that as a Grandmaster-level expert, Ci Xuan's True Qi was incredibly abundant. Furthermore, since he practiced the orthodox Shaolin arts, the strength of his Vajra Finger was naturally formidable!

At this time, deep within the imperial palace of the capital, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao were also startled by the sound!

"What... what is going on?"

Zhu Yuanzhang set down the memorial in his hand and said in a heavy voice, "What is all that commotion outside? Such a huge disturbance!"

Hearing this, Zhu Biao hurriedly said, "Father, according to what Guo Zhen said, there is a group of Shaolin monks beneath the city walls!"

To be honest, after Zhu Biao finished speaking, a look of doubt appeared on Zhu Yuanzhang's face.

"Monks?"

"Hmph, for a group of monks to cause such a commotion, they are clearly no ordinary monks."

"Come, let us go and ask Xiong Ying what exactly is happening!"

Having said that, the highly curious Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao went together to Zhu Ying's hall.

"Imperial Grandfather, Father, why have you both come together?" Zhu Ying asked curiously.

Zhu Biao quickly inquired, "Xiong Ying, what is happening outside the city? Why is there such a fierce commotion?"

Zhu Ying straightened up, his expression calm: "To answer Imperial Grandfather and Father, the remaining Shaolin high monks of the Song Kingdom have come for revenge. They are currently clashing with the Imperial Guard outside the city."

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression darkened, but he did not panic, only asking, "Nothing major has happened, has it?"

"Rest assured, Imperial Grandfather, I was prepared long ago. There is no major issue at the moment."

Zhu Ying's tone was tranquil, showing he didn't take those Shaolin monks seriously at all.

Just then, Guo Zhen, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, rushed in again, looking even more panicked than before.

Guo Zhen shouted to Zhu Ying, "Reporting to His Highness the Grandson, Your Majesty, and the Crown Prince—it is bad!!"

"Those four Shaolin high monks outside are too powerful! Hundreds of the Imperial Guard have already been heavily wounded. If this continues, the city walls may not hold!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao clearly panicked. He immediately said to Zhu Ying, "Xiong Ying, this is no small matter. With hundreds of Imperial Guards heavily wounded, the losses will be too great if this stalemate continues."

Zhu Ying curled his lip and let out a cold laugh: "Father, do not worry. With just a few Shaolin monks, they cannot stir up any great waves."

"Since they are so ungrateful, I shall go and meet them personally!"

With that, Zhu Ying turned and walked out of the hall. Clearly, he had never held these high monks in high regard.

After all, Zhu Ying knew very well that unless it was Patriarch Bodhidharma or the Sweeping Monk himself, he might take them seriously.

But as for just Ci Xuan and the others, Zhu Ying had no fear!

Seeing Zhu Ying's confidence, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said to Zhu Biao with great excitement, "Come, let us go see as well, and see just how much ability my Great Ming Grandson truly possesses!"

Zhu Biao hurriedly complied, following Zhu Yuanzhang toward the city walls.

A moment later, the three of them ascended the city walls.

At this time, the walls were still in chaos, with heavily wounded Imperial Guards lying on the ground.

Outside the city, the four Shaolin high monks were hovering in the high sky.

Their eyes stared coldly at the city walls, their bodies tightly wrapped in True Qi!

Zhu Ying walked to the edge of the wall, standing with his hands behind his back. He glanced at the four monks in the sky and shouted loudly, "Who are you? To dare act wildly in the capital of my Great Ming and even wound my Imperial Guard!"

"You are simply seeking death!"

At the same time, Zhu Ying noticed that many holes had appeared in the city wall, which undoubtedly made him even more furious!

Ci Xuan looked down and saw Zhu Ying's magnificent attire and extraordinary temperament. He knew this must be the Great Ming Grandson, Zhu Ying, and immediately said in a heavy voice, "Amitabha. This old monk is the Abbot of Shaolin, Ci Xuan. These three beside me are my junior brothers: Ci Neng, Ci Hui, and Ci Ming."

"You must be the Great Ming Grandson!"

As Ci Xuan finished speaking, Zhu Ying lightly leaped, appearing directly in front of Ci Xuan.

"I am indeed the Great Ming Grandson. Speak! You caused such a massive disturbance to lure me out—what is it that you want!"

Zhu Ying did not immediately attack Ci Xuan. After all, he knew well that if Ci Xuan wanted to start a massacre, the Imperial Guard on the wall would have been killed long ago.

Since Ci Xuan had not done so, Zhu Ying naturally did not want to resort to physical combat immediately.

Both sides were giving each other face.

At this time, Ci Xuan took a deep breath and said to Zhu Ying, "Your Great Ming Empire mobilized troops without reason, destroying our Song Kingdom and killing our people!"

"Today, we Shaolin disciples have come to avenge the Song Kingdom, to take your dog's life, and to restore justice to our nation!"

Ci Xuan's words were filled with rage. Simultaneously, the True Qi surrounding him grew more violent, as did that of the three Shaolin high monks behind him!

But Zhu Ying did not care at all; instead, the cold smirk on his lips deepened.

Zhu Ying said coldly, "Justice? In my eyes, the one with the harder fist defines justice!"

"If I want to attack the Song Kingdom, I attack. If I want to destroy it, I destroy it. How dare a few small Shaolin monks interfere in my business?"

"Since you have come today, do not think you can leave. I want to see just how much capability these so-called Shaolin high monks actually have!"

Undoubtedly, Zhu Ying's words were incredibly arrogant, infuriating the four of them!

Finally!

Ci Xuan completely lost his composure.

He roared at Zhu Ying, "Arrogant brat, you know nothing of the heavens or the earth! Today, this old monk shall act on behalf of Heaven to cripple you, you insolent Grandson!"

Before he even finished speaking, Ci Xuan moved first. The staff in his hand expanded several yards, and his True Qi gathered at the tip, transforming into a golden staff shadow several yards long, smashing fiercely toward Zhu Ying!

At the same time, Ci Neng, Ci Hui, and Ci Ming all attacked together. The Great Compassion Palm, the Flower Picking Finger, and the Veda Pestle were unleashed simultaneously. Three powerful attacks surged toward Zhu Ying, sealing off all directions so that he had nowhere to hide.

On the city walls, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao grew anxious seeing this!

Zhu Yuanzhang even instinctively wanted to step forward, but was stopped by Zhu Biao's hand.

"Father, do not worry. I believe Xiong Ying can handle this!"

Clearly, Zhu Biao had considerable confidence in Zhu Ying's strength!

At this moment, high in the sky, Zhu Ying still stood in place with his hands behind his back, unmoved.

Just as before, there was no expression on his face.

The True Qi released by these people had absolutely no lethality to Zhu Ying!

Just as the four attacks were about to hit Zhu Ying, a layer of pale golden True Qi suddenly rose around his body. This True Qi shield was crystal clear yet incredibly hard, protecting him completely.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Four loud explosions rang out in succession. The attacks of the four men slammed heavily against the True Qi shield. The golden shield only produced a few ripples without a single scratch, instead reflecting all four attacks back at them.

The four of them felt a heaviness in their chests as a powerful recoil struck them. They couldn't help but retreat several steps, blood seeping from the corners of their mouths, their faces filled with disbelief.

"This... this is impossible!"

Ci Xuan's eyes widened as he stared fixedly at Zhu Ying.

"You are just a young man, how can you possess such powerful True Qi? To manifest a True Qi shield like this, one must be at least at the peak of the Grandmaster realm!"

The other three Shaolin high monks also turned pale with fear, their eyes filled with terror.

Clearly, they never expected that this seemingly young Great Ming Grandson possessed such terrifying strength.

Seeing this scene, a flash of approval crossed Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes. He laughed loudly, "Good! Good! Good! As expected of my fine Grandson, your strength is indeed formidable!"

Zhu Ying continued to cast a cold gaze upon the four in the sky, saying indifferently, "Now, do you still feel you have the qualification to seek revenge against me?"

The four were indeed terrified, but thinking of the destruction of the Song Kingdom, they gritted their teeth and charged toward Zhu Ying!

Clearly, for these Shaolin high monks, even if they couldn't win, they had to push forward today!

Ci Xuan wiped the blood from his mouth and roared, "Arrogant child, even if your strength is great, we will never retreat! Today, we shall fight you to the death!"

With that, Ci Xuan was the first to charge again!

Following him, Ci Neng, Ci Hui, and Ci Ming also gritted their teeth and followed, launching a full-force assault on Zhu Ying.

Watching them charge, Zhu Ying's face remained expressionless. He merely raised his hand casually and gave a light wave.

In the next second, six invisible streaks of True Qi shot out from Zhu Ying's fingertips like sharp swords!

The Six Meridian Divine Sword!

Because the speed of the Six Meridian Divine Sword was too fast, Ci Neng had no time to react before one of the streaks of True Qi struck him in the chest.

Just like that, Ci Neng fell straight to the ground!

"Ci Neng!"

Seeing this, Ci Xuan was overcome with grief.

However!

Before Ci Xuan could finish his sentence, Zhu Ying unleashed the Six Meridian Divine Sword once more!

*Swish, swish, swish!*

Six more streaks of sword qi!

This time, both Ci Hui and Ci Ming were also struck by the sword qi!