Keyboard Immortal - Chapter 2840

Chapter 1353 You Didn’t Want This Either

Zu An thought to himself that he had ruined the great undertaking of Annihilation several times, and embarking on the path of Annihilation was practically courting death.

However, it seemed that Wu Lu Zhi Xian was unaware of his grudge against the True God of Annihilation…

Thinking about it, it made sense. Although he had thwarted Annihilation’s plans several times, a mere human was not worth the True God’s attention.

He might have only been noticed for the first time during the trial of the God of Death, but at that time, he was protected by Mi Li and Meng Ying. Annihilation suffered a setback and would not publicize it to its subordinates, so it was normal that Wu Lu Zhi Xian was unaware.

Therefore, he responded to the other party with an excited demeanor. Wu Lu Zhi Xian naturally saw through his insincerity, but he didn’t mind. In any case, after the gods fell, he would sincerely convert to Annihilation.

For the next period of time, Wu Lu Zhi Xian led Annihilation’s troops to continue their advance, sweeping through everything in their path, and even capturing Ningyuan City.

The Ming army completely lost the area outside the pass, but stabilized the situation at Shanhaiguan.

Under the leadership of the Second Elder, Hermes, the remaining Ming troops united as one and repelled wave after wave of Qing attacks.

Seeing the Unruly Strings’ several seemingly inevitable attacks fail, Zu’an couldn’t help but admire the Second Elder’s talent.

However, Shanhaiguan itself truly lived up to its reputation as the foremost pass under heaven. He had personally visited it before; Shanhaiguan had transcended its historical significance, becoming a colossal fortress thousands of times stronger.

Its intricate magical arrays and various planet-destroying cannons were everywhere, which explained why the Unruly Strings’ army repeatedly failed.

Previously, the Universal Merchant Guild had intended to completely pacify the area beyond the pass as a gift to the God of Order, but the successive defeats had made them more pragmatic; a purely defensive strategy was indeed impenetrable.

After surrendering, Zu’an didn’t immediately receive a major responsibility but was instead placed in the main camp.

He was happy to have some free time, familiarizing himself with the intelligence of the Annihilation faction while looking for an opportunity to reunite with Jiang Luofu.

It’s unclear whether it was his suggestion that Wu Lu Zhi Xian send Jiang Luofu to him that aroused their suspicion, or something else, but they kept Jiang Luofu hidden deep within the palace, making it impossible to contact her for some time.

Now, as a surrendered figure, countless eyes from the side of the Annihilation were watching him, making it difficult for him to infiltrate the palace.

Fortunately, on this day, Empress Hailanzhu, another beloved empress of Huang Taiji, summoned him, finally giving him a chance to enter the palace.

Looking at Jiang Luofu and the Little Demon Empress sitting on the high platform—one a cold and aloof woman, the other charming and graceful—their similar clothing made them appear like true sisters.

Upon seeing Zu An, a hint of joy flashed in the eyes of both Jiang Luofu and the Little Demon Empress.

However, with so many of Huang Taiji’s spies around, they couldn’t show it in public.

The Little Demon Empress, using the pretext of the Qing army’s repeated failures in attacking Shanhaiguan, asked this former high-ranking official of the Ming court if he had any suggestions.

At the same time, she secretly transmitted her voice: “Don’t worry, Anzu, Sister Jiang is fine. Last time, I was careless and almost let her be humiliated. Now I’m inseparable from her.”

“Given the steepness and fortification of Shanhaiguan, it’s basically impossible to break through it head-on…” Zu’an answered openly while responding secretly,

“This time, it’s really thanks to you, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

“Hmph, you’re a high-ranking official of the Ming court, someone the Great Khan paid a great price to persuade to surrender, yet now you can’t offer any solutions. Aren’t you just a useless person?” The Little Demon Queen feigned anger, but secretly smiled and said,

“It proves that you and Sister Jiang are destined by fate. She encountered such a thing that day, and it was you she met. Do you know how shocked I was when I learned about it?”

“Your Majesty, please calm down. I meant that a direct attack is useless, but if we apply enough pressure, the Ming court will suffer internal strife, Li Zicheng’s rebel army will rise from the ashes and grow stronger, and the world will definitely change. That’s when the Great Khan’s opportunity will come…” Zu’an looked anxious, but his tone was unusually gentle.

“Meeting you in this situation proves that we are also destined by fate.”

“Tch, you have a sweet tongue. No wonder you’ve captivated Sister Jiang.”

“Not as sweet as your tongue. I really want to taste it again.”

“The people in the palace are watching closely. I’m afraid there won’t be an opportunity for a while. Speaking of which, what should we do now? Should we really help the Annihilation defeat the Order?”

“What’s the situation on the Annihilation side now? Tell me about their internal factions.”

“The String of No Law, as the Annihilation God’s Envoy, is the most powerful. The other faction that can be called the Conqueror King is Dorgon in this world. The two don’t seem to have a good relationship…”

…

While the two were outwardly discussing strategies to attack the Ming, they were also exchanging various intelligence in private.

Because the Little Demon Queen and Jiang Luofu were now Empresses of Huang Taiji, Zu An couldn’t stay too long. When his time was up, he took his leave.

Not long after leaving the palace, a cold voice suddenly came from beside him: “You’ve had affairs with Hailanzhu and Dayuer!”

Upon hearing this, Zu An was startled, and his killing intent surged. He knew that if their relationship were exposed, they would likely all die a horrible death.

Just as he was about to attack, he suddenly froze, for standing before him was a beautiful girl like a pretty butterfly. Her dress was extremely unique, purple and white, with a special design on the hem, resembling butterfly wings.

“Zhao Xiaodie! What are you doing here?” Zu An recognized her; she was Princess Caidie, the daughter of the former King Qi of the cultivation world.

The girl, with her hands behind her back, circled around Zu An, a slight smile playing on her lips: “If you can be here, why can’t I?”

Zu An suddenly had a thought, recalling the information he had gathered during his return to the cultivation world. Zhao Xiaodie had entered the Temple of Annihilation, so her appearance in the Order faction now was perfectly normal.

“I never expected this! The once-mighty Regent has become a prisoner. It’s quite a taste of fortune’s reversal!” Zhao Xiaodie’s laughter grew increasingly gleeful.

Zu An frowned. “With your strength, even in the Order faction, your status wouldn’t be very high. What right do you have to mock me?”

“Is that so?” Hearing this, Zhao Xiaodie perked up. “Excuse me, I’m now a princess of the Qing Dynasty, my status is far more noble than yours.”

“Princess…” Zu An’s heart skipped a beat. “In this world, your father is Dorgon?”

“Indeed!” Zhao Xiaodie raised an eyebrow, feeling extremely pleased. No wonder those novels loved to write stories of fortunes changing drastically over time; it really was this satisfying.

Back in the cultivation world, sensing Zu An’s power, she thought revenge was hopeless.

But life is so strange; now, she seemed to have a chance for revenge.

“What do you want?” Zu An asked solemnly. Although there had been some ambiguity between them before, judging from the other party’s current attitude, it seemed that it was all an act. If all else failed, he would have to silence him, but that might not be able to keep it a secret.

“You don’t want Huang Taiji to know your secret, do you?” Zhao Xiaodie said smugly, like a little fox.