Chapter 029: Death

Yang Guozhong slowly composed himself, took a deep breath, and suppressed the fear in his heart. He clasped his hands and said slowly:

"I am Yang Guozhong, Chancellor of the Great Tang. I wonder which master has played such a joke on me. Your skills are exquisite, your illusions marvelous; I am deeply impressed."

"If the master needs me for anything, I will not hesitate to go through fire and water for you."

"If I have unknowingly offended you, I beg you to appear and let me apologize. I guarantee your satisfaction."

Yang Guozhong spoke politely with a sincere face, but his heart held different thoughts.

Since his rise to power, Yang Guozhong had encountered many extraordinary individuals, including the Great Tang's foremost illusionist... Huang He.

Faced with these eerie scenes, Yang Guozhong felt it was highly likely he had fallen under an illusion.

Since becoming chancellor, he had been protected by many, including some experts.

But this person had bypassed his guards and cast a spell on him, showing great strength.

So Yang Guozhong's first reaction was to beg for mercy.

Once he escaped, he would order the capture of the bastard who had cursed him, torture him, and avenge today's humiliation.

Just then, a soft laugh came from behind Yang Guozhong.

Yang Guozhong quickly turned, but no one was there.

"Yang Guozhong, do you know that your death is near?" An aged voice sounded again from behind him.

Yang Guozhong turned again and saw an old man in black robes with sunken eyes.

The old man stared at Yang Guozhong with cold eyes, their pupils flickering with a faint light. Yang Guozhong felt his scalp tingle, his body trembled uncontrollably, and his heart nearly stopped.

Terrifying, utterly terrifying!

This old man, though seemingly aged, possessed unimaginable terror. He seemed like a predator beyond human imagination, above humanity.

Whether lions, tigers, generals, or emperors, all were mere prey before him.

Including him, Yang Guozhong!

Suddenly, Yang Guozhong's legs gave way, and he fell to his knees with a thud before the old man.

At some point, Yang Guozhong was so frightened that he stopped breathing; his brain went dark from lack of oxygen, and he was on the verge of suffocation.

Fortunately, the old man soon withdrew his gaze, allowing Yang Guozhong to catch his breath.

Having narrowly escaped death, Yang Guozhong lay on the ground, his luxurious clothes soaked with cold sweat. His eyes were filled with indescribable fear as he looked at the old man.

This fear even surpassed his fear of Li Longji.

At that moment, in Yang Guozhong's heart, the supreme emperor no longer seemed so exalted.

After a long while, Yang Guozhong regained some strength but dared not stand. He shifted from lying to kneeling, prostrating himself before the old man.

He lowered his head and said tremblingly, "Yang Guozhong pays respects to the master."

He was now submissive, no longer daring to seek revenge, nor even to entertain the thought.

His fear of the old man had surpassed everything.

The old man said slowly, "Yang Guozhong, you are going to die."

Yang Guozhong dared not argue or question. Kneeling, he knocked his head on the ground, "Please save me, master. Save me."

The old man continued, "Do you know who wants to kill you?"

Yang Guozhong shook his head, "Please enlighten me, master."

The old man said, "The one who wants to kill you is an acquaintance of yours. Also the one you despise most."

Yang Guozhong said word by word, "An Lushan."

The person he despised most at present was none other than An Lushan, and he was not at all surprised that An Lushan wanted to kill him.

The old man nodded slightly, "He is An Lushan, but also not An Lushan. However, that is not important to you. Yang Guozhong, you only need to know that the assassin he sent has infiltrated your residence, disguised as your most trusted person. When you return, you will face certain death."

Yang Guozhong's heart turned cold. He did not know if the old man spoke truth or falsehood, but he knew there was only one thing he could do.

"Please save me, master. I will be eternally grateful and will follow your lead from now on."

The old man lightly raised his hand, and a black skull dagger materialized in midair, slowly floating before Yang Guozhong.

"Take this weapon. When the assassin sent by An Lushan approaches you, this dagger will kill him on its own."

Yang Guozhong quickly picked up the dagger and respectfully tucked it into his bosom.

Suddenly, a clamor of voices reached him.

Yang Guozhong was startled. He looked up and was astonished to find himself sitting inside a carriage. The crisp sound of horse hooves came from outside, and the carriage was moving forward.

He slowly lifted the carriage curtain and saw that the carriage was traveling on Vermilion Bird Street, lined with pedestrians coming and going.

Children, the elderly, couples, fathers and sons—all kinds of people.

Cries of vendors, shouts, footsteps, applause—various sounds gradually entered his ears.

Yang Guozhong lifted the curtain and saw Yang San driving the carriage forward.

Sensing movement behind him, Yang San turned and saw Yang Guozhong, quickly asking, "Does the master have any orders?"

Yang Guozhong squinted and said, "Nothing. Continue driving."

Yang San acknowledged and focused on driving, not turning back.

Yang Guozhong let the curtain fall and sat back in his seat, astonished. When his right hand involuntarily reached into his bosom, it touched something cold.

He quickly pulled it out—a black skull dagger lay quietly in his hand. He couldn't help but gasp, his eyes dark and thoughtful.

Soon, Yang San drove the carriage back to the Chancellor's residence.

Yang Guozhong alighted and entered. In the main hall, the steward greeted him, "The master has returned."

Saying this, he reached out to remove Yang Guozhong's official robe.

But at that moment, a dagger flew out from Yang Guozhong's bosom and pierced the steward's heart.

The steward looked at Yang Guozhong in disbelief, then fell dead.

Seconds later, his form began to change, turning into a monster with horns on its forehead, wings on its back, and a tail.

Seeing this, Yang Guozhong was horrified, his face turning ashen.

...

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away.

Wang Bo, who was playing poker with Qin Liangyu, stiffened. He put down his cards, pulled a parchment contract from his fourth-dimensional pocket, and opened it.

A demon's true name was slowly burning, vanishing from the parchment.

Qin Liangyu couldn't help asking, "What happened?"

Wang Bo said calmly, "I sent a demon named Sebas to kill Chancellor Yang Guozhong, but now the demon is dead."