Those immortals had all chosen to fall into a deep sleep.
He was unharmed.
Called it sleeping?
He simply had no desire to compete with the Heavenly Emperor for that throne, so he retreated to the deepest part of the fairy realm and played dead.
Now it was clear how many misdeeds that Heavenly Emperor had committed.
He had alienated both humans and gods, and died in the end because of his own disloyalty.
Right. What a wretched business.
Nuwa sighed softly, set down the flower basket in her hands, and prepared to fly toward the lower realm.
Since this immortal realm had grown foul.
She had no reason to linger. There was also the matter of—
Nuwa knew she had no power to cleanse Yinglong's miasma, so leaving was her only option. Otherwise, she too would be in danger.
When Nuwa arrived at the Southern Heavenly Gate.
The celestial soldier on guard duty was startled for a moment, then said, "Fairy Nuwa, are you leaving?"
"The Heavenly Emperor is dead. Don't linger here either — let everyone go."
To outsiders.
Nuwa was nothing more than an ancient fairy girl, not even worthy of a name.
Her words moved the heavenly soldiers somewhat.
But they suspected she might be lying to them.
It was not until Nuwa flew away that they exchanged glances, then fled toward the lower realm one after another.
---
At this time, the Kingdom of Shu was scared out of its wits.
As lord of the kingdom, Liu Bei watched as one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers were wiped out, and then he himself fell at Zhang Liao's hands.
His face went pale in an instant.
"Bring me... bring me this Zhuge villain!!! If not for him... how could Shu be in this state?!"
Zhuge Liang, who had been standing dazed to the side, suddenly snapped awake.
He stared at Liu Bei in disbelief, then said with contempt, "Just get rid of me? How long can you keep acting so arrogant?
The immortal gods in the heavens are not reliable — it's not that my strategies were wrong. You, you weeping thief with the big ears, will die sooner or later.
Do you really think no one knows your true identity?"
Was Liu Bei actually a descendant of the imperial clan?
No one had ever investigated the matter. As long as he raised the banner of righteousness, he claimed to be of imperial blood.
But although Liu Bei had some education, his father was a difficult man.
If he truly was of imperial lineage, would he have taken up the job of collecting dung?
Hearing Zhuge Kongming attempt to defame him, Liu Bei's face flushed red, and he began to bellow.
"Shut your mouth, you pig brother! I think you're Cao Cao's dog! Someone kill him for me! Kill him now!!!"
If Zhuge Liang had been allowed to continue speaking.
All of Liu Bei's private dealings would have been exposed.
A young soldier drew a dagger and drove it into Zhuge Liang's belly.
Zhao Yun and the other generals stood frozen in shock.
Although Zhuge Liang had been somewhat confused these past few days, without his counsel, Liu Bei was helpless — Guan Yu and Zhang Fei could accomplish nothing on their own.
The hare dies; the fox mourns.
Zhuge Kongming's body hit the ground with a heavy thud.
He lost consciousness instantly.
To prevent the news from spreading, Liu Bei ordered his men to seal the city gates and stop anyone from leaving.
At the same time, he was calculating.
When could Wei Yan bring troops back from the grasslands?
That night.
Ma Chao and Zhao Yun met in secret.
The two of them sat in silence.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Heh. Our lord has lost all public support, and now he's sending to the grasslands to borrow troops. Though I, Zhao Yun, am no great hero or loyalist, I still understand right from wrong.
If the ambition of these grassland men were truly to succeed, the world would be in grave danger.
Moreover, Cao Cao is the chosen vessel of God — the outcome was decided long ago."
Zhao Yun and the generals had considered this from the beginning.
For the lord, for the people of the world.
If you had to die, you died.
They did not seek fame, but they could live with themselves.
Now that Liu Bei had turned against them, they could no longer stand it.
Ma Chao sighed and said quietly, "Morale in the camp is rock bottom. Desertions have already begun. And when word spread that the military strategist was killed by our own lord... some men are terrified."
Think about it. Even Zhuge Liang, who had made great contributions, was dead.
What chance did anyone else have, if Liu Bei would kill them too?
At these words, Zhao Yun sighed deeply as well.
Then he recalled what Zhang Liao had said to him on the battlefield: if you ever get the chance, come to my side.
You will discover a whole new world.
Should he die for loyalty here, or leave to join Cao Cao?
Zhao Yun's eyes grew firm.
That night, Liu Bei was passed-out drunk.
Zhao Yun and the others used dead men to stand in for themselves and slipped out of the Jingzhou camp.
Not only that — they also opened the city gates and released the panicking citizens within.
Originally they expected a fierce battle.
Who knew that the guards defending the city seemed not to have noticed the people leaving.
As if they hadn't seen a thing.
"Zhao Yun, hurry! Those soldiers are all Jingzhou men — when their families fled, the guards will pretend not to see them."
"It's a shame they're all good soldiers..."
With tears in his eyes, Zhao Yun quickened his pace.
Meanwhile, Zhang Liao in Cao Cao's camp had immediately begun countermeasures upon receiving word.
First, bridges and roads were laid; soldiers were deployed to guide the people out in an orderly fashion.
This attitude instantly reassured countless people.
Look at Cao Cao's conduct — then look at Liu Bei. How shameful by comparison!
It took nearly four hours in total.
Jingzhou City became a ghost town.
On Liu Bei's side, there wasn't even a gate guard left — not so much as a janitor.