son, don't mess around

In the main hall.

The firelight flickered wildly, and the cold wind raged, making Li Cining's already thin body even weaker.

He was pale and swaying, as if he might collapse at any moment.

His body was already at its limit, and now, facing the terrifying aura in the main hall, he became even more frail.

He struggled to stand, the biting cold wind whipping against him, making his teeth chatter.

The terrifying airflow made it hard for him to breathe. Li Cining struggled to lift his head and look outside the main hall.

It was already late at night.

Outside the silent hall, a piercingly cold light flashed.

Immediately afterwards, a series of footsteps sounded from all directions, growing louder and louder as they approached.

In the darkness, the rustling of clothes could be heard.

Then came an overwhelming sense of oppression!

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

The main hall's doors collapsed with a crash.

At the same time, countless imperial guards clad in armor poured into the hall from all sides.

These guards were clad in black armor, which gleamed in the darkness, exuding a chilling aura. The weapons in their hands gleamed with a bright, cold light, casting a shadow over the hall.

"Protect Your Majesty!"

"Hurry!"

A deafening roar erupted, and an elite imperial guard troop approached with practiced ease, protecting Li Cining and surrounding him completely.

The remaining imperial guards, in a highly disciplined and organized manner, stepped forward and surrounded Chen Zhao in front of the palace.

"Shhhhh!"

Countless sharp weapons were aimed at Chen Zhao!

ambush!

This was a premeditated ambush.

"Your Majesty, I am late in coming to your rescue, please forgive me!"

A general clad in heavy armor knelt on one knee before Li Cining and bowed respectfully as he spoke.

"General Wu, please rise."

In the crowd, a guard draped a dragon robe over Li Cining to keep him warm. Li Cining's pale face softened considerably. He looked up at the general in front of him and said, "I am fine. You have done a good job."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

General Wu stood up, his gaze resolute.

Tonight, he was ordered by His Majesty to set up a tight net to prevent any clues from being discovered, and he even deliberately transferred the Imperial Guards away.

But then, General Wu secretly turned back. At the same time, he had already laid out spies outside the main hall.

To avoid being discovered, his men didn't even approach the main hall. As a result, they were unaware of the situation inside until they heard the commotion of fighting inside, at which point they quickly led the imperial guards to the scene.

At this moment, after confirming that His Majesty was unharmed, General Wu turned around and his gaze fell on the figure in the crowd who was surrounded by the Imperial Guards but still remained calm. His heart sank slightly.

This person is probably a formidable opponent!
Martial arts skills should not be underestimated!

But when his gaze fell on the man's face, General Wu's pupils suddenly contracted: "You..."

This, this isn't...

General Wu's face suddenly showed astonishment as he looked at the man in front of him in disbelief.

"Chen Zhao?!"

As the Grand General by His Majesty's side, how could he not recognize Chen Zhao?
But isn't Chen Zhao already dead?

"Your Majesty, what... what's going on?"

General Wu turned around in astonishment, unable to believe it.

Li Cining calmly said, "General Wu, do not be alarmed. A year ago, Chen Zhao murdered the late emperor and escaped by faking his death. He has been hiding in the palace all year. He has only appeared tonight with ulterior motives and intends to assassinate me!"

Upon hearing this, General Wu was suddenly startled.

suspended animation?

Hiding in the palace?

That's it!

In an instant, General Wu's eyes filled with coldness: "Your Majesty, this man once received the late Emperor's grace, but he harbors wolfish ambitions and deserves to die!"

"Your Majesty, should we arrest him to set an example for others?!"

Li Cining's gaze fell on Chen Zhao. His usually gentle demeanor now held a chilling edge.

How much his father trusted him back then!

It even surpasses him, the crown prince, his own son!
But he ultimately became the culprit who caused his father's death.

Thinking of this, Li Cining's gaze gradually turned indifferent.

"Kill without mercy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, General Wu suddenly drew his sword from his waist.

"His Majesty has decreed: kill without mercy!"

As soon as General Wu spoke, the imperial guards around him roared in unison. The sound was deafening, causing the entire hall to shake.

A chilling atmosphere permeated the world.

The group of imperial guards closest to Chen Zhao suddenly stepped forward and launched an attack.

Since the new emperor ascended the throne, he reorganized the Imperial Guards. Now, the Imperial Guards surrounding Li Cining are all elite warriors. They are well-trained and act with swift and decisive skill.

A flurry of chilling weapons were aimed at Chen Zhao and charged forward.

Surrounded by dozens of imperial guards in the crowd, he remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic.

The moment the imperial guards closed in, a terrifying aura of pressure erupted from his body.

Immediately, Chen Zhao stomped his foot.

"Boom!"

The jade-paved ground beneath Chen Zhao's feet shattered instantly, and then cracks spread rapidly in all directions from his body.

Immediately afterwards, this terrifying pressure burst forth from the cracks in the ground.

In an instant, countless jade stones rained down on the approaching imperial guards. Those who had just gotten close were struck by the jade stones, screaming in agony.

Those with slightly weaker martial arts skills were directly knocked to the ground by these jade stones and fainted on the spot.

The remaining imperial guards did not retreat. They used their weapons to block the jade stones and continued to rush towards Chen Zhao.

"Hoohoo!"

But as they drew closer, an even more terrifying aura of pressure swept over them once more. The cold wind inside the hall was like a knife cutting through them; though invisible, it could instantly sever their skin.

In an instant, screams rang out again.

In front of the main hall, General Wu's pupils suddenly contracted as he looked at the scene before him.

This Chen Zhao's martial arts are so unfathomable, so terrifying.
"kill!"

General Wu suddenly frowned and gave another order.

As soon as one group of imperial guards fell, another group rushed forward from behind to replace them, attacking Chen Zhao once again.

But this time, Chen Zhao made a move!

He suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with indifferent coldness.

"Protect Your Majesty!"

When General Wu met Chen Zhao's indifferent gaze, his heart skipped a beat, as if realizing something. He immediately shouted. Before his words could even finish, Chen Zhao had vanished from his spot. His figure transformed into a blur, rapidly closing in.

It's so fast!
It's so fast that you can't even react.

General Wu had no idea that Chen Zhaoming, who was clearly surrounded by his imperial guards and had no way to escape, could still break through the crowd as if it were empty.

How could Chen Zhao, the eunuch who served the late emperor, be such a master?!
But he had no time to think. When he realized that Chen Zhao was going to harm His Majesty, General Wu raised his sword and rushed forward, brandishing it.

"Crack!"

"boom!"

An overwhelming and terrifying aura swept over him. General Wu, who had just drawn his sword, found that the sword in his hand could not withstand this terrifying force and shattered with a crash.

Then, an overwhelming aura instantly enveloped and swept over him. Even though he tried to resist and block this pressure by circulating his internal energy.

But the next second, his body was still knocked away, crashing heavily to the ground, spitting blood, his face pale, filled with disbelief.

Today, he was clad in armor and fully armed. Despite his overwhelming strength, he couldn't stop his opponent even half a step.

After casually knocking General Wu down and sending him flying, Chen Zhao's speed did not decrease at all, and he continued to rush past, heading straight for Chen Zhao, who was protected by the Imperial Guards in the crowd.

His only target today is Li Cining!

The next second, several figures quickly approached Chen Zhao.

In his line of sight, Zhiyuan and Liu Su had once again blocked Chen Zhao's path. The two stood side by side, one in red and one in white, their temperaments both aloof and beautiful, like peerless beauties!

Holding longswords, they raised their auras to the extreme, watching Chen Zhao warily as he approached.

Clearly, both of them knew that Chen Zhao was a formidable opponent tonight.

He's even more powerful than the original leader!

At this moment, these two half-sisters, who shared the same father but different mothers, shared a rare understanding.

Meanwhile, Lin Jiangnian also approached Chen Zhao from behind, creating a situation where three people surrounded Chen Zhao!
A long sword had appeared in his hand without his knowledge. As the sword was drawn, a bluish light filled the air, and the sharp aura of the blade instantly spread out.

Lin Jiangnian's aura surged upwards!
Autumn Water Sword!
The Autumn Water Sword, which was given to me by Elder Li, is being used again today.

Faced with the attack from the three, Chen Zhao's eyes showed no fear, only indifference—indifference to life and death.

He didn't slow down at all, rushing straight forward.

The target is Li Cining, who is at the back of the crowd.

He wanted to kill him by force!

"Stop him!"

Suddenly, someone's voice rang out, and Zhiyuan and Liu Su, who were standing side by side in front of him, made their move at the same time.

The swords in their hands emitted a powerful light, their sharp edges spreading outwards. In an instant, the world was filled with the sword energy unleashed by the two.

The two seemed to have reached an extremely subtle understanding, one on the left and one on the right, raising their swords and advancing. Continuous sword energy surged forth, attempting to block Chen Zhao's approach.

"Roar!"

A deafening, terrifying, and piercing sound rang out, causing everyone's faces to contort in pain.

The powerful sword energy that filled the sky shattered the moment Chen Zhao approached.

Destroyed in an instant!

Chen Zhao exuded an overwhelming aura, his entire body shrouded in a murderous aura, ready to kill anyone who stood in his way.

Those imperial guards who tried to approach were directly repelled by this aura, and many even coughed up blood and were seriously injured on the spot.

At the moment the sword energy shattered, Zhiyuan and Liu Su, standing in front of the crowd, raised their swords to meet the attack.

Both were masters of the second rank in their time, with particularly rich martial arts experience. Liu Su, in particular, as the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly God Sect, not only had superb martial arts skills learned from childhood, but also, having grown up in a place like the Heavenly God Sect, her practical experience and techniques in martial arts were even more refined.

The two men, one on the left and one on the right, approached Chen Zhao with remarkable coordination, despite having never practiced before.

Faced with the combined attack of the two, Chen Zhao did not back down at all; a terrifying pressure and a strong killing intent rushed towards him.

"Boom!"

Just as they got close, another explosion resounded in the hall.

The overwhelming and terrifying aura forced Zhiyuan and Liu Su back several steps.

The two women's expressions changed slightly, clearly indicating that Chen Zhao's martial arts skills were superior to theirs. Even if the two of them joined forces, it would be difficult to stop him.

But as soon as the two women regained their footing, they drew their swords again to meet the attack. Without the slightest hesitation, the outcome of a top-level battle often hinges on a single moment.

At the same time, Lin Jiangnian, holding a sword, followed closely behind.

In terms of martial arts, his strength is far inferior to Chen Zhao's. If they were to fight head-on, he would have no chance of resisting and probably wouldn't even be able to stop Chen Zhao from making a single move.

However, with Zhiyuan and Liu Su forcibly diverting Chen Zhao's attention, Lin Jiangnian had the opportunity to take advantage of the situation from the sidelines.

Sneak attack!

Lin Jiangnian held nothing back, his Xuan Yang Heart Sutra circulated wildly within his body, his internal energy surging, and a continuous stream of powerful energy flowed into his arms, and then into the Autumn Water Sword in his hand.

Driven by internal energy, the Autumn Water Sword trembled as if it had come to life, and a blue light spread around its blade.

A powerful sword aura swept across the land, filling the heavens and earth.

The opening stance is the Nine Sword Techniques!

Lin Jiangnian showed no mercy and immediately unleashed a powerful move!
Facing a top-tier enemy like Chen Zhao, there's only one chance to kill him. Once he reacts, the difference in strength will eliminate any remaining opportunities!
Therefore, Lin Jiangnian held nothing back and, with his internal energy at its peak, directly unleashed the last lost move of the Nine Sword Techniques!
In an instant, the terrifying sword energy drained Lin Jiangnian's internal energy. Following closely behind, the terrifying sword energy spread outwards, heading straight for Chen Zhao's forehead from behind.

This sword strike was even more powerful than it had been a few months ago!
At this moment, Chen Zhao's back revealed its sharp edge.

Chen Zhao, who was just about to repel the combined forces of Zhiyuan and Liu Su, suddenly felt a terrifying and threatening aura approaching from behind.

This aura actually made him feel a sense of threat!
Ignoring the two women before him, Chen Zhao suddenly turned around, and the terrifying aura was already approaching.

At that moment, the energy within him burst forth.

"boom!"

The release of his internal energy instantly caused Chen Zhao's clothes to swell, his hair to come loose, and his hair to become disheveled!

But Chen Zhao's gaze was extremely solemn. He let out a low growl and a strange roar.

Then, she suddenly slapped out with both sleeves, preparing to withstand Lin Jiangnian's sword strike.

"Boom!"

A series of violent explosions rang out, and the terrifying atmosphere instantly destroyed all the surrounding buildings.

Inside the main hall, the pillars collapsed with a crash, leaving behind only ruins.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation, which was destroyed a year ago and had only recently been rebuilt, has been destroyed again!

The terrifying aura continued to spread, relentlessly destroying the surroundings.

At the same time, Zhiyuan and Liu Su in the crowd exchanged a glance and made their moves simultaneously!

Taking advantage of the moment when Chen Zhao was dealing with Lin Jiangnian, the two launched a surprise attack.

It was extremely fast, without the slightest hesitation.

This is their only chance!
This man must be killed tonight!

At this moment, the three worked together seamlessly, determined to kill Chen Zhao.

As Zhiyuan and Liu Su approached simultaneously, they were once again blocked by Chen Zhao's imposing aura.

However, this time, in order to block the terrifying power of the final move of Lin Jiangnian's Nine Sword Techniques, his body instinctively defended itself.

This also meant that the air defense behind them couldn't defend in time.

As top-tier experts of the second rank of Tianxuan, Zhiyuan and Liu Su were already firmly established among the ranks of first-rate martial arts masters. Their combined strength was still not to be underestimated.

"Pfft!"

The sound of a longsword piercing flesh rang out.

Zhiyuan and Liu Su raised their auras to the extreme and launched their assassination attack simultaneously. The powerful sword energy instantly broke through Chen Zhao's defenses.

"Humph!"

A muffled groan was heard.

...(End of chapter)